Chapter 33: Come Home Early Tonight

"Wait!" Director Li raised a hand. "CEO Lin, you can't just walk away without clarifying things."

Lin Peishan enunciated each word coldly, "I've made myself clear. What else do you want to know?"

"The Securities Commission is a regulatory body, and the brokerage firm is a management entity. We've gathered substantial evidence before coming here. We have reason to suspect that someone is secretly manipulating Oriental International—even destabilizing Longdu's entire stock market—to serve hidden agendas." Director Li spoke with grave authority.

"Director Li, we're all adults here. No need for word games. Your 'someone' refers to me. But accusations require proof."

"Straight to the point, as expected. Proof will emerge… unless you prefer we initiate a financial audit."

Lin Peishan's face paled. An audit would halt Oriental International's trading, subject the company to scrutiny, tarnish her reputation, and invite boardroom interrogations. A nightmare scenario.

Director Li smirked darkly. "What's wrong, CEO Lin? Scared? Neither of us wants that outcome. But first, we need the truth about your relationship with your so-called husband."

The meeting had devolved from analysis to outright interrogation.

Lin Peishan's brows furrowed. How could she explain her bond with Ye Chenghuan? Confess their drunken one-night stand and contractual marriage? Impossible. Especially with Lin Yuanzhan and his cohorts salivating for her humiliation.

"Seems your relationship is… complicated. I'm growing curious about this Mr. Ye Chenghuan. What kind of man could capture CEO Lin's heart?" Mocking laughter rippled through the room.

An invisible hand clenched her heart, electric with shame. One more second here might break her.

Suddenly, commotion erupted outside. "You can't go in—CEO Lin is in a meeting—"

BANG!

The door flew open. A man slouched in, cigarette dangling from his lips—none other than Ye Chenghuan himself.

He winked at a stunned Lin Peishan, dragged a chair over, plopped down, kicked off a shoe, and scratched his foot while swinging a leg arrogantly.

"Who let you in?!" Lin Yuanzhan's head throbbed. Victory had been within grasp—until this ruffian crashed the party.

"Who farted? Stinks in here!" Ye Chenghuan waved a hand theatrically, his razor-sharp gaze sweeping the room. Anyone who met his eyes shuddered involuntarily.

"Ye Chenghuan! You—how dare you!" Lin Yuanzhan shot up, glowering.

"Shut it! Stop polluting the air." Ye Chenghuan's icy glance froze Lin Yuanzhan mid-rant, forcing him back into his seat.

Director Li and CEO Guo gaped. They'd never imagined Lin Peishan's "husband" would be… this.

"Let me introduce myself. Ye Chenghuan. And this gentle, beautiful, noble CEO Lin?" He snatched Lin Peishan's hand, caressing it shamelessly. "She's my wife."

Lin Yuanzhan whispered furiously to Director Li, who nodded. "Mr. Ye, as a branch company employee, you're unqualified to attend this meeting."

Ye Chenghuan yawned. "And you're not even part of Oriental International. By that logic, you're even less qualified."

Director Li stiffened. "I'm here representing the Securities Commission's inquiry. That's my duty."

Scratching his head, Ye Chenghuan feigned ignorance. "What the hell's a 'Securities Commission' anyway?"

The room fell silent. Director Li's jaw dropped.

"It oversees all listed companies' stock activities!"

"So Securities Commission folks are all nosy gossips like you?" Ye Chenghuan's audacity escalated.

"Mr. Ye! Mind your language! You're addressing—" CEO Guo spluttered.

"I talk to humans in human tongue, to ghosts in ghost tongue. Were you speaking human just now? Instead of doing your jobs, you're prying into a woman's private life. Are you even human?"

"You—!"

"You what? Since you love gossip—let me ask: Are you impotent? Do you satisfy your wives? How many lovers do they have behind your backs?"

The room erupted in awkward silence. These polished executives wilted under Ye Chenghuan's crude assault.

Lin Peishan burned with embarrassment. Raised with decorum, she'd never heard such vulgarity. Her cheeks flamed; she longed to vanish.

Ye Chenghuan tossed his cigarette, uncrushed, and stretched. "Even an idiot knows her marriage has nothing to do with stock manipulation. Oriental International belongs to the Lin family. Would she sabotage her own legacy? It's basic math—1+1=2. But you ignore that. Know why? Someone's pulling your strings. Or lining your pockets."

Director Li blanched. "Slander!"

Ye Chenghuan sneered. "Why panic if it's not true?"

"Where's your evidence? I'll sue for defamation!"

"Need evidence? Tomorrow's headlines: Insiders Allege Securities Commission Took Bribes to Crush Oriental International. Guess what happens then?"

Sweating profusely, Director Li trembled. In the digital age, rumors alone could destroy reputations. "You're vicious. I'll remember this." He stormed out, entourage in tow.

As they retreated, Ye Chenghuan called sweetly, "Director Li, tell your wife I miss her!"

The man stumbled, nearly falling.

"Ye Chenghuan, you scoundrel!" Lin Yuanzhan's plot lay in ruins.

"Beat it. I don't talk to traitors." Turning to Lin Peishan, Ye Chenghuan softened. "Sorry you had to endure that, darling. Shield duty, you know?"

Warmth bloomed in her chest. She despised his methods, yet without him, disaster loomed. Against these hypocrites, only his audacity worked.

"Who asked you to come?" Her voice held no reproach, only exhaustion.

"I'm your husband. Can't let bullies hurt you. This wasn't an inquiry—it was Lin Yuanzhan's ambush."

She frowned. "Must you be so crude?"

He snorted. "Courtesy? For them? If I were CEO, that traitor'd be gone."

"First, he's a board elder representing old-guard interests. My reforms threaten them. Removing him would spark endless internal strife. Second, there's a mastermind behind recent events—not him. He's too inept. Third, he's family. Family comes first. Understand?" For once, she explained patiently.

Ye Chenghuan stared. "How old are you?"

Her eyes glinted. "Younger than you."

"How's someone your age so… calculating?"

"Age≠wisdom."

He waved dismissively. "All I know—mess with my woman, pay the price."

"I'm not your woman!"

He grinned devilishly. "Of course you are, sweetheart."

"Stop being disgusting." She retreated to her office, Ye Chenghuan trailing like a puppy.

"Darling… ahem, CEO Lin. Any further orders? If not, I'll get back to work."

Once, she'd loathed his presence. Now, watching him leave, she felt… empty. "Wait."

He paused.

Blushing, she murmured, "Come home… early tonight."

Ye Chenghuan blinked. The ice queen melting? Warmth flooded him, but he feigned reluctance. "Can't. Zhao Yalin's rules…"

"What?"

"She'll skin me."

"Tell her I exempted you today."

"Roger that!" He mentally high-fived—subtly throwing Zhao Yalin under the bus. Yet Lin Peishan's softness unnerved him. "This sudden sweetness… You planning something?"