The CEO's Beloved Wife

Mu Zihan stared blankly at the computer screen in the internet café, bored and listening repeatedly to a song about single life. Her mind drifted back to the scene after dinner: she was clearing the table when her father's phone rang. He glanced at her, then took the call out onto the balcony. By the time she finished cleaning, he had ended the call and said, "I have a friend coming over to discuss something. Why don't you go out for a bit?" Reluctantly, she agreed. The owner of Qiyue Internet Café, Lu Dong, was her high school classmate. The café had a simple coffee bar at the front and rows of computers in the back. Zihan never counted how many there were. She only came here when she had nowhere else to go to pass the time. A voice suddenly came from the entrance, interrupting her thoughts: "Dongdong, is the internet fixed yet?" Annoyed, Zihan glanced over at the speaker—a handsome man in a typical work uniform of a white shirt and blue trousers. Sensing her gaze, the man looked over and stared directly at her. Her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders, her clear eyes carried a hint of sorrow, her pale skin looked delicate, and her slender frame curled up on the sofa made her appear fragile and endearing. Lu Dong brought out a cup of coffee and, seeing Liu Zhenwei staring at Zihan, patted his shoulder and laughed, "Still staring? Careful, you might drool!" Liu Zhenwei snapped out of his daze and chuckled awkwardly, "Do you know her?" Lu Dong laughed heartily, "She's my high school classmate, just graduated from college, hasn't found a job yet, so she hangs out here sometimes." Zhenwei continued to stare at her, "What's her name?" "Mu Zihan." "Mu Zihan..." he repeated softly. Lu Dong couldn't help but laugh at Zhenwei's dazed expression, "What's wrong? Has our handsome Liu fallen for her?" Embarrassed, Zhenwei's face turned red. Lu Dong laughed, "Wait a moment," and walked over to Zihan. Leaning against the computer desk, blocking her view, he smiled, "What can I do for you, boss?" Lu Dong crossed his arms and, with a characteristic youthful defiance, frowned, "Can you stop playing that single's song? A beauty like you will attract all sorts of flies." Zihan pursed her lips, her smile fading, and replied coolly, "If the flies are like you, I'm not interested." Lu Dong, at a loss for words, walked away awkwardly. Seeing Zhenwei's amused look, he fumed, "I did that for you! If I see that smug face of yours again, watch out!" Zhenwei burst into laughter, drawing another annoyed glance from Zihan. After a scorching summer, Zihan found a job at the Chinese office of a foreign company, sourcing suppliers for international clients. The company was small, with only four employees including the boss, but the benefits were good. In the first few days, she didn't see the local manager at all. A colleague assigned her some tasks and told her to contact the overseas office if she had any issues. On many days, she was alone in the office, so she spent her time browsing local chat rooms online. One day, shortly after entering a chat room, someone sent her a private message: "You don't seem very busy lately; I often see you here." Zihan initially didn't want to reply, but her good manners prompted her to respond politely, "Just stealing a bit of leisure time." "Are you Lu Dong's classmate, Mu Zihan?" Mu Zihan was a bit surprised and silently wondered who the person was. After a moment's pause, she replied, "Yes, we were high school classmates." The person sent another message, "I'm his friend. We met once at his internet café. Do you remember?" "I've seen too many people there, so I don't recall." Undeterred, the person asked, "Are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to dinner." Mu Zihan promptly refused, "Sorry, I'm not available." "You are very straightforward!" The person sent a disappointed emoji. Zihan ignored him; she had encountered many people like this who tried to strike up a conversation with her. In the virtual world, she didn't know who the other person really was and felt the need to protect herself. That evening, the internet at home was being used by her father. Not wanting to stay at home, she went to Lu Dong's internet café.