The CEO is So Overbearing

chapter 1

“Boss, how much did you just say?”

The young guy, who had come specifically to accompany his new girlfriend to buy donuts, pulled out his wallet and asked as he was about to pay.

Hearing his question, Jiaxin was momentarily confused, then lowered her head to count the donuts in the bag again.

“Uh… total…”

“Total is 168 yuan,” Wei Zhixi, who was also her boyfriend and helping her run the stall, quickly came to her aid. “You gave me 500 yuan… I’ll give you 332 yuan in change. Please come again.”

After sending off the last customer of the night, it was already past 1 AM. Though there were still quite a few people in the night market, they stuck to their principle of closing once they sold everything. Those who wanted to buy would have to come back tomorrow. This helped maintain a certain freshness and also gave them a break, so they wouldn’t wear themselves out.

Jiaxin leaned against her boyfriend, looking apologetic as she pouted, “Sorry, Zhixi.”

“You forgetful little thing!” He gently tapped her forehead. “You’ve been like this lately, forgetting things left and right. It’s only been a few seconds, and you forget.”

She stuck out her pink tongue. “I can’t help it! You’re just too smart. From now on, it’ll be all up to you.”

“Stop it!” Wei Zhixi pushed her forehead with his index finger. “Don’t think you can get away with everything just by acting cute. Next time, I won’t care about you.”

“Okay, okay! I won’t do it again next time,” she said, hooking her arm through his and looking up at him with a loving gaze, which made Wei Zhixi both angry and amused. Since they’d met in middle school, whenever she made that face, he’d surrender instantly.

Wei Zhixi couldn't help but laugh, “I really can’t do anything with you. Hurry up and pack up.”

“I knew you were the best,” Jiaxin said, standing on tiptoe and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. She smiled sweetly and happily. “If I get a day off this month, I’ll cook something special for you.”

He chuckled. “Do you even need to say that? You’re going to be my future wife, of course, you’ll cook for me. Who else would you cook for?”

“Future wife?” Jiaxin raised her small fist as if to punch him. “You haven’t even proposed to me yet! I never said I’d marry you, so don’t put words in my mouth.”

“Wait, so you’re not planning to marry me?” Wei Zhixi pretended to look disappointed.

Jiaxin opened her mouth, looking surprised. “Your parents are coming to Taipei? Why didn’t you tell me beforehand? When? Wei Zhixi, you’re so mean, deliberately hiding something this big from me!”

“Of course, I wanted to give you a big surprise… Hey, are you really hitting me?” He rubbed his shoulder, where she’d landed a few playful punches. “You used to be so gentle, but now you’ve become so tough. You’re terrifying.”

She gave him a playful glare. “What did you say?”

“Nothing, nothing at all,” Wei Zhixi said, looking meek, as though afraid of his ‘wife’.

Thinking about meeting her future in-laws made Jiaxin feel a little nervous. Even though she’d known them for a long time, now that the situation was different, she couldn’t be as casual as before. “Did they say when they’re coming?”

“Probably the month after next. They’re waiting for our family’s orchard to finish harvesting, then they’ll come to visit for a few days and talk about our wedding,” he replied while packing up their equipment. “They already know about your eldest sister’s illness; I told them a little on the phone, so we’re planning a simple wedding. Hope you don’t mind.”

Upon hearing about her sister’s condition, Jiaxin’s face grew faintly troubled. “A simple wedding is better.”

“Don’t worry. Your sister will get better,” Wei Zhixi said, knowing how close Jiaxin was to her only sister, and his heart ached for her.

“She got hit by a scooter, and the doctor said it was just a light head injury, but how did it turn into this?” Jiaxin blamed herself, thinking if she had insisted her sister stay in the hospital for a few more days and had a more thorough checkup, maybe the consequences wouldn’t have been so severe.

Wei Zhixi opened his arms and pulled her close. “Stop thinking about the bad things. As long as your sister is in the rehabilitation center getting proper care, she’ll get better. We have to trust the doctors.”

“Mm.” That was all she could do for now—trust that things would improve.

Driving the second-hand small truck, he took Jiaxin home. Along the way, she stared silently out of the window, her heart heavy with the worry that felt like a large stone pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Seeing this, Wei Zhixi wanted to comfort her, but there was little he could do, as he wasn’t a doctor, and he felt helpless about her sister’s illness.

The truck stopped in front of her apartment building. Because both sides of the street were filled with parked cars, he could only park in the middle of the road for a short while.

“Get some rest. Don’t overthink it. When I have some free time, I’ll go with you to visit your sister,” he said.

Jiaxin nodded gently. “Mm, you rest early too. See you tomorrow.” Although they had been in a relationship for ten years and were very intimate, both of them were relatively conservative and didn’t believe in cohabitation. However, they lived close enough that they could see each other anytime.

“Bye!” He pressed the gas pedal, driving away.

She watched the small truck turn the corner and disappear from sight before turning around. She reached into her waist bag, hoping to find her keys, but after searching through it, they were nowhere to be found.

“Huh? Where are they? I clearly brought them with me… Strange.”

A smiling female voice sounded behind her. “Did you forget your keys again?”

“Minzhi Jie!” Jiaxin turned around and was relieved to see her neighbor, who lived across the hall. “Were you busy closing up until now too?”

The neighbor in front of her, a petite woman, was actually seven months older than Jiaxin, but she looked younger, thanks to her baby face. If she hadn’t purposely kept her wavy, curly hair, people might have mistaken her for a high school student.

Just like Jiaxin, she also worked in the night market, but instead of food, she sold trendy little accessories like crystals.

Li Minzhi set down the two bags she was carrying and took out her keys to open the door. “No, I was out with friends having late-night snacks, so I’m only back now… Come on in!”

“Sorry for always bothering you, Minzhi Jie.” Jiaxin stuck out her tongue apologetically.

Minzhi Jie had long since gotten used to Jiaxin’s forgetfulness. “You can sleep here tonight, and I’ll call a locksmith tomorrow to open the door.”

She raised her right hand as if swearing. “Thank you, Minzhi Jie. I’ll definitely remember next time.”

“I think you should leave a spare set with your boyfriend,” Minzhi Jie kindly suggested. “That way, if you forget again, at least he’ll be there.”

Jiaxin took one of the bags from her. “Minzhi Jie, let me carry it… I’d rather not, he’ll just laugh at me again. Who knows, he might even laugh about it for the rest of our lives.”

“Even if it’s for the rest of your life, that wouldn’t be so bad.” Minzhi Jie laughed teasingly. “When are you two getting married?”

Jiaxin’s face suddenly turned red. “Not so soon!”

“Just remember to invite me to your wedding feast.” When they reached the third floor, Minzhi Jie opened her door and went inside, retrieving a pair of slippers for Jiaxin.

“Of course I will,” Jiaxin said, placing the bag on the chair. “Minzhi Jie, can I use your bathroom?” she asked as she went to take care of her business. While there were portable toilets at the night market, it was too busy to use them, and they were usually very dirty, so she never dared to go.

After washing her face, feeling her pores finally able to breathe, she yawned as she came out.

Minzhi Jie rummaged through her closet and found a tracksuit she hadn’t worn in a long time. “Here, take this and wear it! Go ahead and sleep. You don’t have to wait for me.”

“It’s fine, I want to rest for a bit too.” Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Jiaxin watched Minzhi Jie take out the crystals from the bag and start organizing them. Then she noticed a small pink object. “Wow! You can carve it into a Hello Kitty shape? It’s so cute!”

“That’s carved from rose quartz. Right now, a lot of little girls love these, so I ordered ten. There’s only one left, so I’ll give it to you,” Minzhi Jie said generously.

Jiaxin couldn’t take her eyes off the crystal pendant. “Can I really have it? Is it expensive?”

“No, crystals are meant to be worn by people with good fate,” Minzhi Jie reassured her.

Jiaxin happily hung the pendant on her crossbody bag. “What’s its purpose?”

“Rose quartz is said to attract love and enhance relationships, which is really helpful for business people. I hope it brings you good fortune and helps your business thrive. You’ll open your own store soon, and won’t have to work so hard anymore.”

Opening a*****e was the biggest dream for both Jiaxin and her boyfriend. “Thank you, Minzhi Jie, we really need this. When we open the store, we can also sell simple meals and coffee. It’s not just my and Zhixi’s dream, but also my eldest sister’s wish. Do you know? She makes the best coffee, and I really want to drink it again.” As she said this, her throat caught and she choked up.

“She will get better, Jiaxin. Your sister’s illness will definitely improve soon.” Minzhi Jie handed her a tissue with sympathy, sincerely praying for her.