Redemption Vows: A CEO's Forced Contract

Odd Boy

Rong Jingning was taken aback and instinctively glanced around. The deserted road showed no sign of anyone, only occasional speeding vehicles flashing by. Where had this little boy suddenly appeared from?

She bent down with a gentle smile, asking, "Little brother, where are your parents? Why are you alone here so late at night?"

The boy wiped tears brimming at his eyelids, choking out, "I don't know... Mom brought me out to play tonight, but we got separated while walking..." His voice dissolved into sobs.

"I see. Where's your home? Should I take you back?"

"My home isn't here. We came for vacation." This admission made the boy weep harder.

"Do you remember your hotel address? Or your mom's phone number?"

The boy shook his head, trembling fingers clutching his sleeves. "I don't remember the hotel... Can't recall phone numbers either."

How could he remember nothing?

Rong Jingning frowned. Returning the lost child immediately seemed impossible. Though police colleagues were on night duty, reuniting missing children with parents could take days or even months.

Checking her watch - already past 2 a.m. - she observed the pitiful child before her. His large eyes glistened with unshed tears beneath streetlights, gaze fixed imploringly on her. The sprawling villa she shared with Lu Chaotan could easily accommodate temporary guests.

Patting the boy's soft hair, she suggested, "How about staying with me tonight? Tomorrow we'll find your mom together."

The boy stared silently at her. A fleeting spark flashed through his pupils before he nodded obediently, "Okay."

Hailing a taxi proved difficult at this hour. After prolonged waiting, they finally boarded a cab. Throughout the ride, the boy maintained unusual silence, head bowed in contemplation. This stark contrast to his earlier roadside vulnerability gave Rong Jingning an odd premonition, though she dismissed it momentarily.

Powering on her phone - kept off during meetings - the screen lit up to reveal missed calls from Qiao Xiran (likely wanting to discuss their entertainment headlines scandal) and a text from her estranged father Guan Zhetian:

"Jingning, don't forget the family gathering in two days. Lu Chaotan will attend. I expect you to maintain harmony."

Massaging her temples, she smiled bitterly. Willingness to get along meant nothing if her husband refused cooperation. Her mind involuntarily replayed their first encounter - though his face remained obscured, that coldly sharp voice still chilled her, along with that lingering, cool kiss...

"Jie jie," the previously silent boy suddenly inquired, "Do you live alone?"

Rong Jingning withdrew from her thoughts. Considering this technically-married-but-effectively-single status, she replied ambiguously, "You could say that."

So she nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, why do you ask such a question?"

I don't know if it was just an illusion, but Rong Jingning felt that there was a flash of indescribable excitement in the little boy's eyes. But when she looked closely, there was nothing there.

"Nothing. I'm just a bit shy around strangers," the little boy said, lowering his head timidly.

After taking a turn, the taxi drove onto a secluded path. This was the only way to Xiyuan Villa. On both sides of the road were tall and straight sycamore trees, which almost blocked out the dark sky without leaving a single c***k.

It wasn't until the taxi came to a sudden stop beside a European-style villa.

"Sister, sister, you live here? You live in such a big house all by yourself?" The little boy obviously widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Yes," Rong Jingning looked at the little boy's surprised look and wasn't really surprised. Even she herself hadn't expected that she would live in such a big villa alone.

"Sister, is there really no one else in the house?" When they reached the villa's entrance, the little boy asked again uncertainly.

Rong Jingning paused with the key in her hand. It seemed a bit strange that the little boy kept confirming this question. Her intuition made her take a second look at the little boy in front of her.

The little boy's dressing style was not fashionable. It was obvious that he didn't come from a wealthy family. He lowered his head slightly and seemed a bit afraid to look into her eyes. However, his face wore an innocent and pitiful expression, and there was nothing special about him.

Rong Jingning laughed at herself in her heart for thinking too much. Maybe it was because the case they discussed in the meeting just now was related to children, so she had such a ridiculous suspicion.

The world is so big. How could there be such a coincidence?

"Little brother, sister really lives alone, and today is the first time I'm staying here," Rong Jingning said while turning the key in her hand.

The little boy behind didn't say a word but followed Rong Jingning into the villa.

At the same time, Lu Chaotan's black extended Rolls - Royce drove into Xiyuan Villa. That day, because he suddenly bumped into Rong Jingning in the villa, he left in a hurry and even left an important document in the study.

He didn't really want to come here in person, especially after learning about his newly - wedded wife Rong Jingning's chaotic private life.

But that document would be needed early the next morning, and the new villa he asked someone to arrange for him also happened to be on the way through Xiyuan. So he simply asked the driver to drive him here.

When the car was still some distance away from the villa where Rong Jingning lived, Lu Chaotan told the driver to stop the car.

After thinking for a while, Lu Chaotan said to the driver, Lao Zhang, "Lao Zhang, go to the study and get the document for me." He really didn't want to run into that woman.

Since the boss had spoken, the driver, Lao Zhang, naturally didn't dare to have any doubts. But as far as he knew, only the president's wife, a single woman, lived in this villa. The servants hadn't been arranged yet. Wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate for him, a grown man, to go to a woman's house in the middle of the night?

Seeing that Lao Zhang didn't move for a long time, Lu Chaotan frowned. But before he could say anything, Lao Zhang said awkwardly, "Mr. Lu, the madam lives in there alone. Is it a bit inconvenient for me to go?"

Hearing this, a sneer appeared on Lu Chaotan's lips. Alone? A promiscuous woman like her might not be able to resist the temptation and be having an affair with some man. She might not be alone at all.

"Lao Zhang, in the driving industry, the salary I offer is almost sky - high," Lu Chaotan said coldly, and the meaning was self - evident.

The driver, Lao Zhang, immediately swallowed hard. Oh my god, this president didn't talk much, but once he spoke, he would definitely make others carry out his order. Before he could even say the next sentence "There are many people waiting to take his place", Lao Zhang quickly got out of the car and trotted towards the villa where Rong Jingning lived.

At this time, inside the villa, Rong Jingning was afraid that the little boy was hungry, so she was cooking noodles for him in the kitchen. The little boy stood at the kitchen door with an almost obsessed and obscene expression on his face, staring unblinkingly at the graceful figure of the woman busily working not far away. It was completely unlike the expression of a child.