The CEO’s Cannon-Fodder Ex-Wife (9)
The car was completely quiet.
Ning Xin closed her eyes to rest while Jiang Xiao focused on driving. Neither of them spoke.
The system muttered softly in Ning Xin’s mind:
【Host, don’t you think you were… a little too calm today?】
“Hmm?”
Ning Xin responded lazily in her mind.
【I mean… you knew perfectly well that the female lead had feelings for the male lead, yet you still pushed the male lead into dancing with her.】
【The male lead was obviously unhappy.】
【What if he realizes that you actually don’t care about him that much? What if… things get out of hand?】
Ning Xin let out a quiet laugh in her mind.
“System, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. How did that habit of worrying about everything come back again?”
The system immediately fell silent.
Jiang Xiao placed his keys in the tray on top of the shoe cabinet, moving quietly.
Then he turned around and looked at Ning Xin, who was changing her shoes.
The light came from the side, casting soft shadows across her face.
She lowered her head slightly, her long hair falling over her shoulder and revealing the fair nape of her neck…
The marks he had left there last night were still visible and had not completely faded.
Jiang Xiao’s gaze darkened.
“What’s wrong?”
He walked closer, his voice sounding particularly deep in the quiet entryway.
“Nothing.”
Ning Xin straightened up and placed her heels inside the shoe cabinet.
“My feet just hurt a little. The new shoes rubbed against them.”
She didn’t look at him as she walked directly toward the living room, intending to get herself a glass of water.
Suddenly, her wrist was caught.
Jiang Xiao pulled her back in front of him, his other hand wrapping around her waist.
The position forced her to tilt her head up and look at him.
Ning Xin tried to pull away, but his grip was firm.
“Let go first. I want to drink some water.”
She was genuinely thirsty.
Jiang Xiao didn’t let go.
He looked into her calm eyes without saying anything.
Yet it was precisely her attitude that inexplicably irritated something deep inside him.
“Ning Xin.”
He called her name, his voice slightly hoarse.
“What is it?”
Ning Xin finally raised her eyes and looked directly at him.
Jiang Xiao’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, but he didn’t speak.
Suddenly, he caught her hand and pressed it against his chest.
Under her palm, his heartbeat was steady and strong, though the rhythm seemed a little faster than usual.
Their eyes met.
The air still carried the faint scent of alcohol, along with the familiar scent of each other…
Unable to resist, Ning Xin rose onto her toes and lightly kissed the corner of his lips before pulling away.
How could Jiang Xiao possibly let her go so easily?
He lowered his head and kissed her back. At first, it was a gentle touch, but gradually, the kiss deepened.
Only when both of their breathing had become uneven did Jiang Xiao finally release her, resting his forehead against hers.
Then he suddenly bent down and picked her up in his arms.
“Ah—”
Ning Xin let out a soft gasp and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
“What are you doing?”
“Fulfilling my marital duties.”
Jiang Xiao carried her toward the stairs.
The door to the master bedroom was pushed open. Jiang Xiao placed her on the bed, and when he leaned over her, there was a rare forcefulness in his movements.
That night, Ning Xin truly realized just how… difficult to deal with the usually calm and self-controlled Jiang Xiao could become once a certain nerve was touched.
The next morning, Ning Xin woke up because of the soreness in her waist.
She frowned and opened her eyes. Sunlight had already slipped through the gap between the curtains, casting bright patches of light across the bedsheets.
The space beside her was already empty. There was still a depression in the pillow, but the warmth had long since faded.
Ning Xin supported herself as she sat up and immediately sucked in a breath.
Her legs felt weak, her waist was sore, and there was an even more uncomfortable ache in another area.
She lowered her head and looked at herself.
Jiang Xiao had put her pajamas back on during the latter half of the night, but beneath the neckline, across her collarbones, and even in other places, there were traces left behind from the previous night.
“Beast.”
She muttered under her breath before throwing off the covers and getting out of bed.
The moment her feet touched the floor, her legs gave way, and she nearly fell.
“Jiang Xiao… you bastard!”
Ning Xin gritted her teeth and cursed again.
She slowly made her way into the bathroom. In the mirror, her eyes carried a lingering softness, but exhaustion filled her features.
Only after taking a hot shower did she feel that some of her strength had returned.
When she went downstairs, Auntie Wu had already prepared breakfast.
“Good morning, Madam.”
Auntie Wu smiled brightly.
“Sir told me before he left to let you sleep a little longer. Breakfast is still warm, so take your time.”
Ning Xin sat down at the dining table and looked at the sumptuous breakfast in front of her.
“When did he leave?” she asked.
“Seven-thirty,” Auntie Wu replied. “Before leaving, he even came into the kitchen to take a look. He said you were tired after attending the event last night, so he asked me to prepare something light.”
Ning Xin’s hand paused as she scooped up some porridge.
“Tired? Attending an event?”
He really could lie without even blinking.
She lowered her head and drank her porridge, but the little bit of anger in her heart inexplicably faded.
*
Jiang Xiao sat behind his desk.
A document concerning a merger and acquisition was spread out in front of him, but he hadn’t turned a page for quite some time.
He had been somewhat impulsive last night, behaving like an inexperienced young man who was sulking.
He rubbed his brow, feeling unusually irritated.
The internal phone rang.
He pressed the answer button.
“Speak.”
“President Jiang, the materials for the ten o’clock meeting are ready.”
His assistant’s voice came through.
“Got it.”
After hanging up, Jiang Xiao stared at the document for several seconds before suddenly pressing the internal line again.
“Assistant Chen, come in for a moment.”
Soon, a man knocked on the door and entered.
“President Jiang.”
Jiang Xiao looked up at him without saying anything.
Assistant Chen felt a little uneasy under his stare and cautiously asked:
“President Jiang, is there something you need?”
“You…”
Jiang Xiao paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
Assistant Chen froze, then immediately straightened up.
“President Jiang, I guarantee that dating will absolutely not affect my work!”
“My girlfriend and I both know how to maintain proper boundaries—”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Jiang Xiao interrupted him, his brows slightly furrowed.
“I’m asking… what would happen if your girlfriend saw you dancing with another girl?”
Assistant Chen blinked, his mind racing.
What was going on?
“Well…”
Assistant Chen instinctively shuddered. He carefully chose his words.
“…I probably wouldn’t dare to. I think I would refuse from the beginning and wouldn’t let something like that happen in the first place.”
Jiang Xiao fell silent.
The office remained quiet for several seconds.
Jiang Xiao suddenly realized that he had been wrong.
Assistant Chen was right. He shouldn’t have allowed it to happen in the first place…
Although he had refused at first last night, he had still gone dancing because of Jian Heng’s feelings.
He shouldn’t have gone.
He was the one who had made the mistake, yet he had blamed Ning Xin…
And he had even gone too far last night…
“Assistant Chen,” Jiang Xiao said again, “if you make a mistake, how do you coax your girlfriend?”
Assistant Chen reacted quickly this time.
“Usually… it depends on how serious the mistake is.”
“What do you mean?”
Jiang Xiao looked puzzled.
“For a small mistake, you buy her a bouquet of flowers, apologize, and comfort her.”
“For a big mistake…”
He thought for a moment.
“Clear her shopping cart?”
Jiang Xiao raised a brow.
“Clear her shopping cart?”
“Yes. Buy her the things she’s always wanted but couldn’t bring herself to buy.”
Assistant Chen explained.
“Women tend to be happier when they receive gifts.”
As the daughter of the Ning family, Ning Xin had practically nothing she wanted but couldn’t afford to buy…
Jiang Xiao pondered this.
“Go check.”
He instructed.
“See if there are any recent auctions, or any good jewelry or art collections available. Make a list and report back to me later.”
“Yes.”
Assistant Chen acknowledged the order and left the office.
After closing the door, he stood in the hallway and let out a long breath.
Being close to the emperor really was like walking beside a tiger.
Then he suddenly realized something, and his expression became rather strange.
Was the president… trying to make up with his wife after making her angry?
He didn’t dare think about it too much. He shook his head and quickly walked toward his desk.
Since ancient times, the more you knew, the faster you died.
…
Inside the office, Jiang Xiao looked back at the document, but he still couldn’t concentrate on it.
He picked up his phone and opened his chat with Ning Xin.
His finger hovered over the screen for a long time before he finally typed:
「Does it still hurt?」
Send.
About three minutes later, Ning Xin replied.
「It hurts.」
A furious emoji followed—a fluffy cat with its fur standing on end.
Jiang Xiao looked at the emoji, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curved upward.
He could almost imagine her expression at that moment—brows furrowed, lips pursed, eyes filled with complaint, but she wouldn’t truly lose her temper.
He replied:
「Come home early tonight. I’ll massage it for you.」
This time, Ning Xin replied very quickly.
「No need to trouble yourself. I can do it myself!」
Jiang Xiao smiled.
Just as he was about to reply, Ning Xin sent another message.
「I want fish soup tonight.」
「Okay. I’ll ask Auntie Wu to prepare it.」
「It has to be made by you personally.」
Jiang Xiao froze.
Was Ning Xin… acting spoiled with him?
He stared at those four words for a long time before replying:
「Mine might not taste very good.」
「Then learn.」
She sounded completely justified.
Jiang Xiao finally laughed out loud.
He put down his phone, and his mood suddenly became much better.
Outside the window, the sunlight was bright, and the autumn sky was a clear blue.
He picked up the document again. This time, he could finally concentrate on it.
*
On the other side of the city, Ning Xin was sitting on the balcony, enjoying the sunlight.
Her phone lay beside her, its screen still lit.
The system asked softly:
【Host, are you… training the male lead again?】
“Not exactly.”
Ning Xin picked up her flower tea and took a sip.
“I just want to give him a little trouble.”
【Then… will he really be able to make fish soup?】
“If he can’t, he can learn.”
“Who is born knowing how to do everything?”
Ning Xin smiled.
“Besides, don’t you think it would be interesting to watch a domineering CEO cook?”
The system thought about it for a moment and agreed.
She immediately told Auntie Wu to buy a live fish and keep it alive without cleaning or preparing it.
Warm sunlight poured over her body, and Ning Xin comfortably narrowed her eyes.
“System, what’s happening on Jian Wei’s side?”
【She took the day off and didn’t go to the company today. Jian Heng also took half a day off to stay home with her. Her emotional level is still fluctuating above 90%.】
“Mm.”
Ning Xin nodded.
“Let her take a couple of days to recover too.”
