Dominant CEO Chasing Wife

Yunxue Yao stepped into the Shen City Imperial Garden for the last time, a chill pervading her every limb.

The servants huddled in a corner, whispering furtively:

"Did you hear? Master Xiao spent last night with Miss Yin. Why has she returned?"

"Seeking further humiliation, no doubt. Master Xiao spared her some dignity, yet she discards it willingly."

"Such thick skin."

"Let’s see how long she clings on…"

Ascending the staircase to the second-floor master bedroom, a path Yunxue Yao had trod for seven years, felt uncharacteristically long and steep for the first time.

Housekeeper Wang Aunty trailed behind her. As Yunxue Yao pushed open the master bedroom’s door, Wang Aunty hastened to block her, "Miss Yun, Master Xiao is not in. It would be improper for you to enter. Should anything go missing, we, the servants, cannot bear the responsibility."

Had it not been for yesterday's decision to separate from Jiang Lingxiao, Yunxue Yao would never have witnessed such duplicity from Wang Aunty, who had once greeted her with warm smiles and tender concern, now harboring such contempt.

Yunxue Yao glanced at her indifferently, "Rest assured, I am only here to collect what belongs to me."

Wang Aunty sneered, "So, there are indeed items here that Miss Yun purchased herself?"

After being nurtured by the Jiang family for over a decade, Yunxue Yao should have gracefully exited empty-handed, yielding her place as Master Xiao's fiancée to Miss Yin.

Yunxue Yao's gaze turned icy, devoid of any warmth, "Wang Aunty, the Jiang family has raised many dogs, all barking and yapping, though not all are rewarded with meat."

The grievances between her and Jiang Lingxiao were not for a housekeeper to meddle in.

Wang Aunty’s face turned pale, a flash of resentment in her eyes quickly replaced by astonishment, bowing deeply, "Master Xiao…"

Yunxue Yao spun around sharply.

Jiang Lingxiao stood right behind her.

Morning sunlight streamed through the grand bedroom windows, casting a golden glow on his tall, handsome silhouette.

For a moment, Yunxue Yao thought even his straight nose and the slant of his phoenix eyes seemed less cold than before.

"Leave us," he commanded Wang Aunty, then approached, exuding a noble aloofness, "Wang Aunty has served the Jiang family for seven years; you shouldn't speak to her that way."

So what?

Yunxue Yao nearly laughed.

Did Jiang Lingxiao need reminding that she had been with the Jiangs for thirteen years, his rightfully engaged bride?

In the end, she meant less to him than a housekeeper.

Let it be… Yunxue Yao resigned herself.

What more could she hope for?

Had there been even a sliver of space in his heart for her, he wouldn't have thrown her out yesterday for another woman, trampling her years of devotion underfoot.

Perhaps her scorn was too evident, for Jiang Lingxiao's expression darkened. He grabbed her arm roughly.

"The Jiang family has spoiled you!"

A hiss—

Pain shot through the spot where Jiang Lingxiao's grip tightened, and Yunxue Yao bit down on her lip, trying to stifle a groan.

Tears filled her eyes, and her petite face turned deathly pale.

Jiang Lingxiao frowned, his eyes deepening with familiar disgust, and something else…

"Ah—" Before Yunxue Yao could decipher the emotions hidden in the depths of his gaze, she was pulled into his embrace.

"No…" Yunxue Yao tried to resist.

"Aren't you short of money?" he asked coldly, his usual disdain tinged with impatience, "I have important matters to attend to shortly, don't waste my time."

Humiliation surged within her, but Yunxue Yao had no time to protest.

After an unfeeling and joyless encounter, Jiang Lingxiao dressed indifferently and tossed a card aside.

Yunxue Yao felt the aches from her bruises intensify—she had been in a car accident the previous night, nearly losing her life.

She didn't want Jiang Lingxiao to see, to think she was playing the victim to garner sympathy.

The black card was edged with subtle gold, its understated elegance a testament to its worth.

Yet Yunxue Yao, wrapped in her blanket, remained unmoved.

Noticing her unusual silence, Jiang Lingxiao felt a surge of irritation.

"That's for your sister's surgery," he explained, a rarity.

"I no longer need it," she replied calmly.

Jiang Lingxiao paused, his cold gaze upon her.

Yunxue Yao explained, her voice even, "The lead surgeon has gone abroad, the surgery can't proceed for now."

All in the past…

Her sister Xiaoxiao was critical last night; desperate, Yunxue Yao had sought Jiang Lingxiao at his club, pleading to see him, begging him to intervene and stop the surgeon from leaving.

But he didn't show his face, sending only a message through his men: choose between breaking up and leaving.

Had Xiaoxiao not pulled through last night…

Yunxue Yao took a deep breath.

It was just as well; his overnight absence meant he would not know of her disarray.

Even if he did, it would only deepen his disdain.

"Next month is grandfather's eightieth birthday," he said before leaving, "Keep the card."

Don't cause any trouble.

So, he had hurried back, bestowed upon her a night and the surgery money, merely to silence her, to prevent her from troubling the Jiang family.

But Yunxue Yao was tired.

Thirteen years of giving her all hadn't won Jiang Lingxiao's heart; she wouldn't bother anymore.

…

Dragging out her suitcase, opening the wardrobe, the sight of the pure white dresses pierced Yunxue Yao's eyes.

Those who knew Yunxue Yao were aware of her fondness for white: long dresses, trench coats, evening gowns…

But few knew her obsession with white began when, at her twelfth birthday, Jiang Lingxiao complimented her pearl white princess dress.

"You look beautiful in white," she remembered his tone and gaze, filled with approval, admiration, and encouragement.

Since then, her closet bore only one color.

Just as her heart had room for only one man.

He disliked colorful attire, so she dressed plainly; he detested heavy makeup, so she went bare-faced; he disliked women being too visible, so she abandoned her hobbies and career; he loathed her socializing, so she cut off all her friends…

Only when she saw the vibrant and flamboyant Yin Rouqing by his side did she realize that Jiang Lingxiao, too, appreciated other hues.

She molded herself to his desires, only for him to fall for another.

Her efforts were wrong not because they were inherently flawed, but simply because they were hers.

Sunlight poured into the spacious bedroom, cleansing from the surface to the soul.

In a moment, Yunxue Yao smiled.

She left.

Taking nothing with her but a renewed self, leaving behind dead emotions and that bank card.

From now on, she lived for herself alone.

Yunxue Yao graduated with a baccalaureate degree from the Capital Media University’s Department of Journalism, initially securing the privilege of direct postgraduate admission.

When she eagerly shared the news with Jiang Lingxiao, she was met only with his frosty indifference. "A direct promotion? Convenient for you to continue your dalliances."

"Come now, do tell," he leaned in suddenly, his eyes heavy with scathing mockery, "what favors did you bestow upon Yu Zishun to compel him to secure this slot for you? After all, your greatest skills are seducing men and leveraging gratitude for personal gain."

Crushed by his scathing words, Yunxue Yao relinquished her hard-won opportunity and even abandoned her career, resigning herself to a life of forlorn longing within the Imperial Garden.

She dreaded the accusation of exploiting favors the most.

Because of such exploitation...

This was precisely the reason the Jiang family had taken her in.

Her parents had perished owing to the Jiangs, who, out of a sense of guilt and obligation, not only adopted her but also betrothed her to Jiang Lingxiao.

As a child, she was naïve and full of fanciful dreams.

Growing up, reality slapped her awake, forcing her to recognize the harsh truth.

Jiang Lingxiao had never intended to marry her.

As Yin Rouqing put it, "Miss Yun, you impose upon the Jiang family under the pretense of your parents’ kindness, expecting them to raise you as their own. They compensate you with the love of a father and mother, and yet you demand their son too. You delude yourself, thinking you love Lingxiao, but in truth, you only love yourself. Do you realize how much you've tormented him?"

Did she only love herself?

Yunxue Yao didn't know; all she knew was she had lost herself for that man, humbled to the dust for his sake.

If such love only brought pain to both, then perhaps it's better to break free sooner...

...

Regaining her senses, Yunxue Yao found herself having sent out several job applications.

Breaking up with Jiang Lingxiao meant she had to fend for herself. The Jiang matriarch had always given her a monthly allowance, and the grandparents would often slip her red envelopes.

But now, she could no longer accept these gestures.

She vowed not to touch the money in her account unless absolutely necessary, and if she did, she would replenish it promptly.

Never again would she allow anyone to demean her based on financial dependency.

Indeed, if she worked, Jiang Lingxiao mocked her as a flirt; if she stayed at home, he scorned her for living off others.

Henceforth, she would earn her own living, clothe herself, save her sister, and pursue her own romance, free from others' judgments.

Composing her emotions, Yunxue Yao visited the hospital.

Xiaoxiao had been critical last night, and though still fragile after being resuscitated, beamed at her with a radiant smile.

"Sister."

Xiaoxiao was her aunt's daughter.

Following her aunt's death and her uncle's swift remarriage and subsequent new family, Xiaoxiao became superfluous.

Last year, after a gathering at the Jiang residence, Yunxue Yao returned to find the frail Xiaoxiao squatting at the gates of the Imperial Garden, clutching a grubby sack, her tiny face red with cold.

Clutching a crumpled paper inscribed with the Imperial Garden's address, she hesitated to meet anyone’s eye, "Are you my sister? Mom said, if there’s trouble, to find you…"

The note was the last lifeline her deceased aunt left for Xiaoxiao.

Yunxue Yao soon discovered the reason for Xiaoxiao's abandonment.

Born with liver dysfunction and later diagnosed with leukemia, Xiaoxiao had struggled alone to the Imperial Garden, ending up in the emergency room that very night.

One complication followed another, with the hospital becoming her near-constant domicile.

The money flowed like water...

Jiang Lingxiao’s ridicule was as cold as ever, "Your Yun family has always known how to maximize benefits."

...

Taking a deep breath, Yunxue Yao sat beside Xiaoxiao.

"Sister!" Xiaoxiao gaped, "Are you ill? What ails you?"

Yunxue Yao paused.

The previous night, rushing to intercept the lead surgeon at the airport, she left the taxi early due to traffic and ran towards the terminal.

In a moment of inattention, she narrowly avoided being struck by a private car.

Fortunately, the driver swerved in time, only grazing her slightly.

Still, the fall left her with multiple bruises and soft tissue injuries, and by the following day, she was in too much pain to either stand or sit comfortably.

Jiang Lingxiao, who had previously humiliated her without restraint, had not witnessed this.

Yet Xiaoxiao noticed something amiss simply from her awkward seating.

Seeing Yunxue Yao silent, Xiaoxiao, frightened, began to sob softly, "Sister, I will blow on it, and it won't hurt... When I get better, I'll earn money to repay you... I won't anger Brother Jiang anymore..."

Even Xiaoxiao, who scarcely saw Jiang Lingxiao, could sense his displeasure towards Yunxue Yao.

How foolish she was, thinking a bit more sacrifice would keep his heart.

"It's nothing; I just slept in an odd position," Yunxue Yao said with a gentle smile, playfully tapping on Xiaoxiao's nose, "Where did you learn to talk about money like this? Staying healthy saves me money, understand?"

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Yunxue Yao quickly checked—it was a job update.

But upon seeing the company's name, she faltered.

Xingye Media...

In her urgent need for employment, she had applied to every media company, never expecting Xingye to be the first to extend an interview invitation.

The appointment was set for one o'clock that afternoon.

After soothing Xiaoxiao, Yunxue Yao rushed to the interview.

Xingye Media was one of the nation's leading news conglomerates, and securing an internship there was considered an honor by any journalism student.

Yunxue Yao had excelled in her field, and her graduation project had received an unprecedented top award.

That was why, upon graduation, she had received an offer from Xingye.

Regrettably, in pursuit of becoming the "perfect woman" in Jiang Lingxiao's eyes, she had smothered her own future prospects.

Jiang Lingxiao’s heartlessness taught her a lesson—a woman without money, without a career, has no dignity or standing.

Love is the most unreliable promissory note.

Especially when there was no love between them.

"Miss Yun, according to your resume, you specialize in social news, yet we are currently recruiting for entertainment journalism. I wonder if you…”

"Entertainment reporting is excellent; I am up to the task."

"And when can you start, Miss Yun?"

"Immediately."

Yunxue Yao needed money, a respectable job, and the strength to never look back.

However, just as she completed her onboarding, she saw that man with a demeanor gentle as jade outside the HR department...

"Junior Sister, long time no see," Yu Zishun greeted her with his familiar smile.

Yunxue Yao was momentarily taken aback, "It has indeed been a long time, Senior Brother."

She had assumed that Yu Zishun was still abroad.

After all, he had once stated he would avoid any further misunderstandings with Jiang Lingxiao and refrain from meeting her again.

Unexpectedly, he had silently returned to the country and appeared at Xingye.

The swift notice for an interview and her smooth entry into the company might have had something to do with him...

"Does he consent to your working?" Yu Zishun inquired as he walked her away from HR.

Yunxue Yao felt a brief moment of constriction before responding openly, "We've broken up."

Yu Zishun's stride halted, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes, "And the Jiang family, they agree?"