You, CEO’s Secret Wife

"Of course not! Not showing off that figure of yours would be much more of a waste!" Ou Xueli patted Jian Yun's butt before shoving her out of the room. Immediately, all of her assistants crowded around the background, holding their breaths in anticipation. Even the middle-aged woman was anxious as she called out, "Mr. Huo, why don't you have a look? Are you satisfied?"     

    

Jian Yun turned bright red at the woman's words. She tried her best to cover her plunging neckline or her incredibly low back, but it was useless. The more she moved, the tighter the dress became. Seeing that nothing was working, she gave up and stood still instead.     

    

When Huo Liancheng heard the door creak open, he turned his head, and the sight rendered him silent. It was like seeing the Northern Lights for the first time, with all of its grandeur and beauty wrapped into a single woman. The dark dress elevated her flawless skin, looking like the midnight calm before the flashy lights.    

    

Ou Xueli didn't bother tying her hair up in a formal knot, as she had done with most of her clients. Instead, she braided the woman's hair into soft plaits, falling naturally down her back. The sides behind her ears were embellished with white and pink pearls, making her look as if she had come fresh out of the sea. Jian Yun, in contrast to her previous naturally disheveled look, became a refined beauty–one that could pass off as a daughter of some aristocratic family.     

    

"Mr. Huo, I didn't put on too much make-up, since it would just hide her natural beauty. So I put just enough of eyeshadow and powder to highlight the features she already has." Ou Xueli secretly smiled at the sight of his expression. She didn't need to be a psychiatrist to know what the man was thinking. Even the most aloof man couldn't totally hide his composure at the sight of a beautiful woman.     

    

Huo Liancheng didn't say anything. All he could do was stare at her low-cut dress. Her shoulders were completely exposed, all the way down to her back, and the mere sight had pierced his eyes red. He took a deep breath.     

    

Jian Yun had only glanced up at him once before quickly lowering her head. There was something about his gaze that held so much passion that it had caused her heart to beat even more wildly. Her hands lay slack on her sides as tension crawled up her neck. This was the first time she had seen so much emotion on President Huo's face that she couldn't help but wonder...She shook her head. Suddenly feeling conscious, she tried to lift up her top.     

    

"Don't be so old-fashioned!" Seeing this, Ou Xueli hurriedly tried to pull her hands away, but Jian Yun still refused to listen.     

    

As Jian Yun pulled her clothes upwards, a loud scrip came from her back that she almost yelled out in surprise. She had almost torn off the dress! One of her hands rested on her chest while the other searched the back area to see if there were any rips. Her face turned as bright as a tomato, especially hearing an unnatural cough from the other end of the room. Although Liancheng didn't say a word, she could tell that he was laughing at her from the inside! She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing that there was some hole to shield her from the embarrassment.     

    

Ou Xueli held back her laughter and shook her head. "It's fine! The dress is okay," she said playfully before clasping her hands. "Now, what's your shoe size?"    

    

"Wait!" It was then when he finally opened his mouth.     

    

"Do you have any more requests, Mr. Huo?" Ou Xueli asked smugly, satisfied with the way the makeover had gone.     

    

Huo Liancheng squinted at her exposed back and the tight corset before looking away. "Change her clothes," he commanded in a deep voice, much to Jian Yun's relief.     

    

"What?" Even the assistants were surprised. Their eyebrows furrowed over, puzzled by the man's request. "But it's so beautiful!"     

    

"Change her clothes," he repeated, pursing his lips. There was a certain tightness in his features that almost seemed unnatural.     

    

Ou Xueli followed his gaze and immediately understood what he meant. Although the dress had highlighted all her good features, it may have highlighted them far too much for his liking. It was too revealing. Conceding, she clasped her hands together. "Well, as they say, the customer's always right! Sister Jian, let's change your clothes!"     

    

Jian Yun had to resist the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. If she had gone out in this dress, she wouldn't know what to do! This was the first time she had agreed with him.    

    

This time, Ou Xueli settled in picking another dress. Its faint rose color shone under the artificial lights. It was still a fish-tailed skirt design, and there were hand-embroidered roses along the top, showing the intricacy of the fabric. The one-shoulder dress was sweet and elegant, far better than the sexy and revealing feel of the former dress.     

    

Jian Yun came out again, more comfortable than she had been the last time. As she stared at the mirror, a small smile slid into her lips. This was far more captivating than the previous dress–that was for sure, and it fitted her personality quite well. Seeing this, Liancheng was satisfied. With a grin, Ou Xueli waved at her assistants to get the accessories.     

    

"There's no need!" Huo Liancheng waved his hand dismissively.     

    

Ou Xueli narrowed her eyes. "What, do you think my necklace is too cheap for you liking?"     

    

Ignoring her, he walked over to Jian Yun's side and pulled out a jewelry box from his pockets. The soft velvety box caught everyone's eyes, and they all couldn't help but lean closer to see what was inside. When it was opened, a shot of dazzling light flashed from the shadows, revealing a blood-red diamond necklace.     

    

When Ou Xueli saw the necklace, she couldn't help but gasp. "Isn't that from the previous auction–"    

    

She silenced herself upon catching sight of Liancheng's cold gaze.     

    

While everyone was too surprised to even speak, he took this opportunity to pull out the delicate necklace from the box and motioned it towards her.     

    

Although Jian Yun didn't know much about luxury items, she wasn't that ignorant. She could tell that colored diamonds were far more precious and valuable than the colorless ones, especially if it was a pink diamond. And from what she could tell from Ou Xueli's exaggerated gasp, the necklace was probably worth more than what normal privileged people could afford.     

    

When she saw that Liancheng had already pulled the necklace out of the box and aimed to place it around her neck, she was even more surprised. Stuttering, she dodged from his arms. "President Huo, it's far too expensive! I can't–"    

    

"You're my date for the night. Do you want me to lose face?" Despite her protests, he still remained unmoved.     

    

This time, even Jian Yun had stopped talking. However, when Huo Liancheng stood close to her to put it on, she could feel a slight shudder running through her body as his breath fanned against her neck. Even her legs seemed to have wobbled from the certain weight that the necklace had brought. She blinked. It was as if this was all just a dream–one that she almost didn't want to wake up to.     

    

As he was clicking it all into place, his warm fingers would brush up against her skin, and she stiffened.     

    

Although it was just a few seconds since he had pulled out the necklace, she had felt that almost a century had passed. Once he had finally pulled away, his large hands grasped her on the shoulders and directed her towards the mirror. The reflection was the one that had surprised her the most.     

    

He was standing right behind her, with her back up against his broad chest. Even in her high heels, she was only about the same height as his chin. Yet, that wasn't what had her attention. In their reflection, she couldn't help but be drawn towards his dark burning eyes. There was a certain emotion hidden behind its depths that she couldn't comprehend. Her heart stirred in her chest. Under the warm lights, the pink diamond glittered against her milky white skin, elevating the intricacy of her gown. Immediately, Jian Yun lowered her gaze, not daring to meet him in the eye.     

    

At that moment, she could feel his hand tightening around her shoulders.     

    

"Well, Mr. Huo, is she good for the ball? She still needs some earings." When Ou Xueli saw his expression, she immediately knew what was going on. Hiding her smile, handed him a pair of earrings.    

    

However, he had already lost interest. Not taking the earrings from the woman's hand, he turned around and walked away. "Help her wear them!"     

    

"And you say that Mr. Huo doesn't like you!" Ou Xueli teased as she put on the earrings. "The way he was looking at you a while ago makes it seem as if he wants to ravish you right then and there!"     

    

"Don't talk nonsense!" Jian Yun blushed even more, clenching her fists.     

    

Huo Liancheng leaned against the doorway, glancing at his wristwatch every now and then. A minute had passed and he arched an eyebrow at the two women by the mirror. "Are you done? Let's go!"     

    

"Take care of yourself, Sister Jian!" Squeezing her hand, Ou Xueli winked before turning to the man. "Mr. Huo, I'll ask someone to send you the bill, okay?"     

    

Seeing that he had already walked away, Jian Yun ran up to catch up to him. It had been a long time since she had worn such high heels, and after running a few steps, she stumbled forward. Crap! Her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for her ultimate doom, but before she could even fall, a large hand swooped around her waist to stop her just in time.     

    

When she raised her head, she was met with Liancheng's cold eyes. It seemed he had stopped and turned while she was running.     

    

"Thank you!" Straightening her back, she removed his hand away from her.     

    

He didn't say anything else and continued to walk forward. However, this time, he slowed down his pace.    

    

As they walked away, Ou Xueli quickly took out her phone and made a call. "Hubby," she exclaimed, lowering her voice into a whisper. "You won't believe what I just saw today! Yes! I just met Mr. Huo's girlfriend!"     

    

Once they had gotten into the car, Huo Liancheng was even more silent than before. He kept his mouth tightly shut and didn't say another word the entire ride.     

    

Although Jian Yun had accompanied her father to business banquets back when she was a young teen, that had been so many years ago. And this was a far different crowd than what she had experienced back then. She anxiously rubbed her hand against the soft fabric.     

    

When the car finally stopped in front of a villa, Huo Liancheng finally turned towards her. "Don't worry. Just follow my lead."     

    

"Okay." Even then, her nervousness wasn't eased.     

    

Once they had entered the villa, a maid immediately came up to them to lead the way into the ballroom. Suddenly, Jian Yun, who had her head lowered the entire time, noticed that Liancheng stopped. When she glanced up, she saw that he had already bent his arm and motioned her to come closer.     

    

With a moment's hesitation, she slowly placed her arm around his.