Chapter 6 — Kissing the CEO by Mistake, Winning the Ideal Husband

They conversed about stocks, investment funds, and various commercial projects that went completely over my head. I stood quietly beside him like a refined, obedient ornament, offering polite, fixed smiles. Not until my face grew stiff from forced smiling did the uninvited guest finally appear.

Mo, you are here.

Bai Xue approached with a graceful sway, a glass of red wine in her hand. Tonight she wore a tight red dress that accentuated her striking, voluptuous figure. Without even sparing me a glance, she walked straight up to Shen Mo, her voice dripping with intimacy. I honestly thought you would not come tonight.

Bai Xue. His tone remained completely detached, betraying no emotion.

Yet his hand resting upon my waist tightened just a fraction. Bai Xue’s gaze finally drifted to me—specifically, to the hand anchored at my waist. A flash of sharp jealousy flickered in her eyes, though she masked it instantly with a flawless smile.

This must be Miss Lin, am I right? Hello, I am Bai Xue, Mo’s childhood sweetheart.

She raised her glass toward me with a veneer of elegance that barely concealed her provocation. I curved my lips slightly. Director Bai, we literally just saw each other at the office this afternoon. The unspoken implication was clear: do not bother putting on a show of intimacy—you are merely my superior, not his childhood friend. Bai Xue’s expression stiffened briefly. The surrounding socialites and business elites, seasoned veterans of intrigue, instantly caught the scent of gunpowder lingering in the air.

Is that so? She offered a light chuckle, changing her tack. I have heard quite a bit about you from his parents… Well, no, that is not quite right. They spoke more of… Mo’s previous girlfriends.

They always say Mo is a sentimental man, whose taste in women has not changed at all over the years.

With that, she cast a heavily implied glance in my direction.

They are all simply… ordinary girls, completely devoid of any backing or influence.

I felt as though I had been stripped bare and exposed before the entire crowd. I readily admitted it: I was indeed an ordinary woman without family prestige or social standing. Yet spoken from her lips, these facts transformed into a stain, a running joke. A sharp pain pierced my heart—both stinging and bitter. I felt like an outsider—superfluous and utterly pathetic. Subconsciously, I wanted to retreat from Shen Mo’s embrace. I did not wish to endure another second in this suffocating place. But Shen Mo only pulled me closer, holding me firmer than before. He lowered his head to look at me, his gaze radiating silent reassurance. Then, lifting his chin, he swept his eyes across Bai Xue and the surrounding onlookers eagerly waiting for a spectacle. His voice was not loud, but every single word dropped with the absolute finality of an iron spike driven into wood.

Bai Xue, you and I are already part of the past.

I believe… I made that abundantly clear.

He paused for a brief moment, tightening his grip on my hand until our ten fingers intertwined seamlessly.

Right now, the person standing beside me… is her.

Allow me to introduce her—this is my girlfriend, Lin Wan.

She is the only one, and she is the person with whom I wish to spend the remainder of my life.

Shockwaves rippled through the grand banquet hall. Bai Xue’s face instantly drained of all color, turning as pale as paper, as if every drop of blood had been sucked from her veins. The crystal glass slipped from her fingers with a sharp crash, shattering against the floor. As for me—I stood utterly paralyzed. Stunned, I stared up at Shen Mo, tracing his sharp jawline and the hands locked tightly together between us. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs, threatening to burst right out of my throat. Did he just say… I am the woman he wants to spend his life with? I knew, of course, that this was likely all part of the performance—a way to play his role to absolute perfection in front of Bai Xue. Yet my heart… still surged with tumultuous waves I could no longer control or suppress. What happened during the rest of that evening remains a blur in my memory. I only remember that Shen Mo did not let go of my hand, not even once. He led me through the crowd to meet each of his friends, accompanying every introduction with the exact same phrase: This is my girlfriend, Lin Wan. In his voice resonated a profound pride and a tender devotion—it sounded nothing whatsoever like a mere act. Throughout the entire car ride home, I remained completely silent. His words echoed endlessly inside my mind.

What are you thinking about? he finally asked.

Nothing.

Was it because of what Bai Xue said that you are upset?

No.

My lips denied it, but my heart knew the truth all too well—yes, it was. I was unhappy because the chasm between our worlds was simply too vast. Unhappy because I was merely a contracted girlfriend. Unhappy because I… seemed to have genuinely fallen for him. The car came to a smooth halt outside my apartment building. I unbuckled my seatbelt, but hesitated to step out.

Shen Mo.

Hmm?

What you said tonight… were you being serious?

Gathering every ounce of courage I possessed, I finally asked the question that had been burning inside me. The interior of the car plunged into a breathtaking silence, broken only by the quiet rhythm of our breathing. For a long moment, I thought he would offer no reply at all. Then, unexpectedly, he leaned in close toward me. Startled, my reflexes caused me to lean back slightly to avoid him. Yet his lips brushed gently against my forehead. The touch was as light as a falling feather, yet brimming with boundless tenderness.

What do you think?

He murmured close to my ear, his voice low and rich with inquiry. My heart lost its rhythm entirely.

Following that night, the atmosphere between Shen Mo and me shifted into something remarkably subtle and delicate. We were no longer bound by the rigid boundaries of boss and employee, or Party A and Party B. A nameless, ambiguous warmth seemed to permeate the air between us. Yet I dared not let my imagination run wild. I was terrified that it was all merely a product of my own wishful thinking, afraid that a single misstep would cause me to tumble hopelessly into this meticulously staged game of contractual romance. After half a month of relentless overtime, the western cultural tourism project finally stabilized and fell into a smooth rhythm. Every ounce of energy in my body felt completely drained, leaving me exhausted both physically and mentally. On a rare weekend free from extra work, all I wanted to do was sleep the clock around in the comfort of my bed. To my utter dismay, I woke up in the dead of night burning with fever, my head throbbing as if struck by a heavy hammer. Stumbling out of bed, I intended to search for fever medication, only to discover that the medicine cabinet was completely empty. I curled tightly into my blankets, feeling as though I had been tossed inside a raging furnace. My consciousness began to drift into a hazy fog, and I lacked even the strength to reach for my phone to order delivery. Oh well… sleep would surely make everything better. With that comforting thought, I surrendered to the darkness and drifted off. I have no idea how much time passed before I was violently jolted awake by a relentless, urgent ringing of the doorbell. Dragging my heavy limbs forward, I supported myself against the hallway wall, taking one agonizing step at a time.