Chapter 20 – The Simp Is Forcibly Loved by the Overbearing CEO 20
After a chaotic one-night stand, Sheng Xiaoran held Yan Qianqian tightly and fell into a deep sleep.
“Xiaoran, Xiaoran?”
A familiar voice sounded by his ear. Sheng Xiaoran was sure it was Yan Qianqian’s voice, but he couldn’t wake up no matter what. His eyelids felt as if they weighed a thousand kilograms; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t open them.
Soon, the sound of a phone dialing could be heard. Yan Qianqian spoke first, “Doctor Zhang, I need you to increase the dosage of my husband’s medicine.”
“Mrs. Sheng, please reconsider. If we rashly increase the dosage, it could very well cause President Sheng to die suddenly, which might arouse the suspicion of the police.”
“It’s been a full ten years since I started drugging him! Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment? The entire Shengshi Group is now under my control. I don’t want to wait any longer. Don’t worry, I’ve cleared away all the loose ends. Even if he dies suddenly, no one will suspect me!”
He seemed to have heard the conversation clearly, yet he also seemed not to have. His consciousness was too blurry, and Sheng Xiaoran soon fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, he woke up and opened his eyes to see Yan Qianqian walking towards him with a glass of water and a pill. A wedding photo of the two of them hung in the bedroom, and the Yan Qianqian before him was about forty-five years old.
“Good morning, honey. Take your medicine and go wash up. There’s a shareholder meeting today, don’t forget.”
Sheng Xiaoran took the medicine with a smile, drank the water she offered, and swallowed the pill. He then wrapped his arms around her waist with deep affection and murmured, “Thank you, Qianqian. The outside world says I’m crazy, but only you have never abandoned me.”
“Honey, don’t say such things. We’re husband and wife; we’re one heart.”
Yan Qianqian’s eyes were gentle as she stroked his head. She took his hand, led him out of bed, and pushed him into the bathroom. After washing up, Sheng Xiaoran came out and put on the suit she had prepared for him. She personally tied his tie, and they went downstairs hand in hand. After breakfast, they went to the company together.
At nine o’clock sharp, the quarterly shareholder meeting began. Sheng Xiaoran was presiding over the meeting as usual when a piercing pain suddenly shot through his head. It felt as if thousands of leeches were crawling into his brain, gnawing at his marrow. The pain was enough to drive a person mad. He clutched his head, screamed, and rolled on the floor in agony. The gut-wrenching pain made him wish for death. Finally, he couldn’t catch his breath and passed out completely.
In his daze, he could still hear the shareholders’ voices.
“This lunatic has ruined a perfectly good meeting.”
“If you’re sick, you should be resting at home. Why bother showing up?”
“Thank goodness we still have Mrs. Sheng. If she hadn’t been supporting the company, the Shengshi Group would have probably been swallowed up by the FI Group long ago.”
…
When he woke up again, Sheng Xiaoran was already in the ICU. With an oxygen mask on, he could barely even speak.
“I’m… sorry… honey… I can’t… stay by your side anymore… I… love you…”
“Sob… no, honey, don’t say such things. You’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you…”
Yan Qianqian held his hand tightly, her head bowed as she cried her heart out. The heart monitor beeped warnings continuously before finally falling silent. “He’s finally dead. I’ve waited for this day for twenty-five whole years! Don’t worry, honey, I’ll take good care of your company. Thank you for your selfless love. Without your support, I wouldn’t be where I am today!”
The woman who had been crying just moments ago suddenly curled her lips upward into an extremely strange smile. She gently caressed Sheng Xiaoran’s gaunt face, her eyes glinting with a morbid fanaticism. Her crazed appearance was utterly unfamiliar.
***
Beep, beep, beep—
The alarm clock rang. Sheng Xiaoran’s eyes snapped open. The dream had been so real that for a moment, he couldn’t tell if it was reality or a dream.
“Xiaoran, you’re awake?”
Yan Qianqian’s voice sounded by his ear. He turned his head in horror. What he saw was not the forty-something, utterly unfamiliar Yan Qianqian, but the one he knew.
“Last night… we…”
Yan Qianqian’s body was covered in suggestive red marks. She looked shy, and her words trailed off halfway. She lowered her head and buried it in his chest.
Sheng Xiaoran was not an irresponsible scumbag. He never denied that he had feelings for Yan Qianqian. If it weren’t for this dream, he would have gladly accepted everything before him, taken responsibility for her, and started a serious relationship with the goal of marriage. But after that overly realistic dream, he subconsciously felt a sense of resistance. His body stiffened like stone, and he abruptly pushed her away. Her eyes widened, and she looked at him with a hurt expression.
“Sorry… Qianqian, I was drunk last night. My head is a mess right now. Can you leave first?”
Sheng Xiaoran could almost still feel the life-threatening headache. He pinched the bridge of his nose and asked her to leave. It was because he didn’t know how to face her. He knew it was just an unrealistic dream, but he was still shaken and couldn’t face her without any reservations.
Damn it, she even went to get her hymen restored for last night. How could he treat her like this!
Yan Qianqian was baffled and at the same time, furious. She had thought that after sleeping together, her relationship with Sheng Xiaoran would progress, but she never expected him to choose to run away.
“I won’t make you take responsibility just because we had sex. In this day and age, it’s normal for men and women to have consensual relationships. President Sheng… you-you don’t have to feel burdened. I’ll go now. You get some rest.”
Yan Qianqian, with red-rimmed eyes, spoke with understanding. She propped up her aching body, stumbled out of bed, and began to get dressed. The glaring red stain on the bedsheet stabbed at Sheng Xiaoran’s heart. He was soft-hearted and wanted to ask her to stay several times, but in the end, he could only watch her leave.
“Sheng Xiaoran, you’re trash!”
He covered his face in exhaustion, despising himself.
[Ding, Vicious Ghost’s Resentment -5. Current Resentment: 70.]
This time, because of Shuang Yu’s secret manipulation, Yan Qianqian didn’t become Sheng Xiaoran’s girlfriend, and Sheng Xiaoran’s favorability score fluctuated amidst recurring dreams and guilt. The next few days were calm. He continued to use his magical power to control Sheng Xiaoran’s dreams, making him see his past life, while also closely monitoring Yan Qianqian’s every move. As for the psycho Feng, it seemed he had been scared off by the punches and hadn’t bothered him these past few days.
In the blink of an eye, it was the weekend. After the father and son had breakfast, Shuang Yu was in the yard dyeing Bai Rong’s hair.
“Director Chen invited me to go fishing at noon. If you have time today, go to the hospital and check on Old Wu’s daughter.”
“Okay, Dad. How is Nannan’s condition?”
Shuang Yu asked as he applied the mixed dye to Bai Rong’s silver hair.
Father Bai shook his head with a sigh.
“I heard it’s some rare genetic disease. There are no experts in this field in the country right now. He asked someone to help contact a research institute abroad, but he hasn’t heard back. That Xiao Wu has had a hard life. He finally started living well these past few years, and now this disaster strikes. His daughter is only five years old, and she has to suffer like this…”
Wu Hongyu hadn’t returned to the company since the day Shuang Yu went to the FI Building. His daughter had suddenly fainted and was later diagnosed with a very rare blood disease. He had been staying at the hospital every day, pulling strings everywhere, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.