The Third Wheel in a CEO Romance

Liu Shishi’s eyes took on an angry tint as her gaze wandered around the spiffy office setup on the top floor. The memory of a stuck-up, entry-level girl fawning all over the likes of her CEO really ground at her nerves. How dare she, the complete newbie called Zhao Xiaoyun with zero credentials, be allowed to drape her hands across his lovely body and breathe the same air that he expelled?

After a thorough background check, Shishi deemed her unworthy to tread the same tiles as Li Cheng Han, the head of the conglomerate known as the WeiLi Group.

Honestly, who but the very best could ever be a match for the young, handsome Mr. Li, possessor of massive wealth and having troves of ladies willing to throw themselves upon him. Shishi admittedly would prostrate herself, merely for a chance to embrace that chiseled form under the perfectly tailored suit. Dreams of being the chosen one were reserved only for those that worked for it, who satisfied the man’s secret desires.

Shishi could feel it every time Mr. Li passed her by. His cold, sharp glare gave off a predatory hunger, the commanding and business-like demeanor of a proper CEO holding back passion. It was no secret that he liked to play around after business hours. Gossip between coworkers spoke of rough play that made some squeamish. But not Shishi. She was fully prepared for every consequence, every morsel of his wish when it came her turn.

That was the whole reason she had risen to become his private secretary. Graduated from the best university China had to offer, numerous major business deals under her portfolio, and willing to sacrifice anything to succeed – Liu Shishi saw herself as one of the few worthy of Mr. Li’s attention. Her competence had led to being personally selected as his secretary, his right-hand man and closest person to him. It was an extreme honor, so she thought.

Yet, he hasn’t laid a single hand on me!

Shishi thought it was only a matter of time. She looked at herself in the mirror, finding not a single flaw in her plan.

Anyone would tell her that she was gorgeous. She had spent ages cross-checking all the women he targeted before, making sure that her fashion aligned with his tastes.

She was brilliant, achieving far more than anyone else had been capable of in her tenure. Mr. Li even entrusted the most important decisions to her, leading to prosperity for the company.

Her loyalty was without question. Every request, no matter big or small, was met with an earnest smile of devotion. Even when she was asked to set up dates with other women, she didn’t mind. Those were made on a whim. A temporary flair of the libido.

Once Mr. Li had a taste of Liu Shishi, he would realize. Who else could be a more perfect match for him than herself?

Yet, Shishi was more annoyed than usual. That was because that minx of a girl came from nowhere and sniped his attention away. The girl named Xiaoyun had performed the most hackneyed of tropes, bumping into him and spilling his coffee, before acting all innocent and pure.

She proceeded to act casually with him, as if not knowing the face of the highest man on the rung! The wench was undoubtedly full of dubious intentions, playing off ignorance in a blatant attempt to draw precious seconds of Mr. Li’s time towards her! Such a scheme was the oldest trick in romance novels!

The thing that really infuriated Shishi was that it actually worked on Mr. Li!

Now, she was stuck listening to Mr. Li drivel on about that girl. How she failed to revere him. How she turned down his offers. How frank she was in regards to his chauvinistic behavior. Shishi felt it was blasphemy to waste such chances, which only served to make Mr. Li more determined.

Shishi looked down at her pen, which she had nearly bitten clean through. Her annoyance at Xiaoyun had led her to rearrange their work schedules to keep them apart. Yet, Mr. Li purposefully dumped more work on Shishi to make detours to see her.

Any attempts to shame or deprecate Xiaoyun had fallen on deaf ears, so she enlisted the aid of the department heads to band together and cause all sorts of misery on the girl. There was no rest for those who trampled upon the good graces of Mr. Li!

Any other woman would have turned in her pink slip and run away crying. Yet, the stubborn cockroach simply endured all the mocking, the bullying, and constantly getting the short end of the stick. She continued like a divine power shielded her from misfortune, finding Mr. Li at opportune moments to reverse any wrongs.

Shishi didn’t like where it was going. All of that effort on her part had barely made any difference in the end. And even ramping up her efforts to drive a wedge between them had failed to yield results.

She was utterly stumped by the fortitude of Xiaoyun’s good fortune. Turning to the trash CEO romance novel filled with tabs on her desk, Shishi skimmed over her next options.

Reveal disturbing secrets about each other to create drama.

Should Shishi drop hints of Mr. Li’s disturbing fetishes? Xiaoyun seemed like a dimwitted girl that hardly knew what she was in for. It was doubtful that she had the resolve to submit herself to such embarrassment.

Involve the parents to place honor on the line.

A family name spoke of status in society. As far as Shishi could tell, Xiaoyun came from a poor one. It wouldn’t be hard to convince the senior Mr. and Mrs. Li of how unsuitable of a background the girl possessed.

Let your minions do the dirty work for you!

Of course, she would keep pressing on the healthy dose of bullying, belittling, and blackmail. They were the ‘B’ basics of being the ultimate bitch in a CEO romance. Covering her tracks by using middlemen was a must as well. She couldn’t afford to get faceslapped unexpectedly by the girl, if the fates continued to favor her so much. Shishi simply had more on the line if she lost face.

A low cackle came from her lips as she plotted. All she would have to do now was get the ball rolling.

The door to the office suite blew open at that moment. A jubilant CEO rushed up to Shishi, making her hastily put aside the novel.

“Shishi! I need you to book some appointments!”

“Yes, Mr. Li!” A cordial smile returned to Shishi’s face.

“The best restaurant overlooking the harbor! Jewelry that sparkles like the sun! A lavish hotel for the afterparty!” Mr. Li paused for a moment to ponder. “Make it the President’s suite. Ensure that soundproofing is good. I’m in the mood to get really riled up.” He smirked as the fantasies swirled in his head.

Shishi remained as stoic to these requests as ever. It took everything she had to keep a poker face, knowing what kind of ‘fun’ Mr. Li was looking forward to, but she asked just to confirm.

“Excuse me, sir? Do you have an important guest?”

“An outing with my new favorite. Xiaoyun has been depressed lately. It’s a grand opportunity to slither into her heart with the power of money. And when her defenses are down… that is when I’ll strike!”

Mr. Li smirked before making a forward hip thrust, thoroughly looking pleased with himself. He saw it as the perfect plan. Shishi quietly rolled her eyes.

“Yes, the perfect time to tear down her resistance is now… I can’t let this chance escape. She is ripe for the taking,” Mr. Li licked his lips at the idea of his new toy. Her rejections had only fueled the eventual catharsis he would feel after conquering her. “I wish to absolutely break her in.”

Shishi ground her teeth, realizing that her ploys had only accelerated this outcome. If she hadn’t messed with Xiaoyun so much, Mr. Li wouldn’t have had an excuse to pounce. It had all backfired!

“As you command…,” Shishi finally said, robotically. She had to hide her disgust as she gnawed on her thumb. Thoughts of sabotaging the date filled her mind.

Just then, she felt a hand fondle her back. Surprised, Shishi jumped slightly before turning around to face Mr. Li.

“Is something wrong, Shishi, my dear? You don’t seem like yourself.”

Shishi knew never to vent her frustrations directly to her love interest. She had to maintain the illusion of a perfect lady. But seeing how Mr. Li foolishly chased after the antics of Xiaoyun, a hint of weakness overcame her.

“If only you would direct such fervor to one such as myself…”

Shishi turned away before she got too far, ashamed that she even let that much slip out. But to her surprise, Mr. Li wrapped an arm around her torso seductively.

“I’m surprised. I thought you would be a tough nut to crack, given your demeanor. I never figured that you were actually jealous for attention. And all this time, I believed it would be too troublesome to get into your skirt.”

Now it was Shishi’s turn to be surprised. She never realized that all the effort she placed into herself had only made her a prize virtually unwinnable. That hadn’t been her intention at all. She quickly moved to fix that.

“I have been waiting, Mr. Li.”

He gazed into her eyes, giving a smirk that came from an unintended victory. His hand reached up to caress her cheek.

“You’ve done so much for me. After this arrangement, I’ll see to it that you get extra special treatment.”

Shishi’s heart nearly stopped. This had been the moment she was waiting for. If only she had a fair shot, she knew that Xiaoyun would have no chance against her. Her carefully constructed charm was a thousandfold over the cheap behavior of a floozy.

“Of course. I am all yours. Do what you wish to me.” Shishi smiled seductively to draw him further in.

“I look forward to it. But with how you’re already tempting me, perhaps I should have a sample…”

As Mr. Li bent her over the desk, trumpets of victory blasted in Shishi’s mind. If only she had been more direct, more forward, she wouldn’t have antagonized over everything for so long. She wouldn’t have had to resort to underhanded measures to grab his attention. But now, the strong grip of his hand on her inner thigh, as well as the lips dangling above hers – they were the sole focus of her attention. His breath teased her nose as the heat of his body pressed up against her.

Suddenly, Mr. Li jerked and pulled back. Confused, Shishi looked up with disappointment. And then, she noticed the look of utter shock on Mr. Li’s face. He was staring out the window.

“Is that… a flying truck?” he pointed in panic.

Shishi wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. A truck? They were on the top floor, tens of stories high. It was impossible. But as she turned around to look, the bright glare of headlights and the shine of a metal grill made her freeze. Her jaw hung slack at the sight.

A truck was indeed sailing through the air, coming right at them. It was tethered to a plane flying above, and by the time they realized that neither was slowing down or turning, their feet were too heavy to flee. In fact, the tether suddenly unclipped, hurling the truck straight for the office.

“Save me! It’s going to crash!” Mr. Li shrieked as he pushed Shishi in front of him, right into the path of the truck. He backed away and crawled for the door.

“So, this is how it ends?” Shishi closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable crash that would erase her life. She should have known better. Villainesses in CEO romances were written to shoulder the tragedy of the drama. Always.

The glass gave an ear-piercing shatter as the loud rev of an engine tore its way into the office. Those that were working at the time felt the entire building shake as the top floor exploded with debris.

The whole company froze, having believed it was an earthquake. But then, many realized that the noise had come from above. Amid the panic and turmoil to figure out what had happened, it was the day that everything changed for the WeiLi group.

v

Diesel flew out of a portal, cursing profusely at how he was swindled into another aerial service. Given that he had just promised to commit himself going forward, it was too soon to simply reject it. Remnants of him crashing straight into a corporate office could be seen by the debris and blemishes on his front.

“It can’t be any worse this time, right? Hah, I was just fooling myself! No one told me that I’d be strapped on a harness and air-lifted for miles over the sky! I want my hazard pay, Kami-sama! Braving heights was so, so not on the list of requirements!”

Kami-sama gave him a forced smile. “That would have taken the fun out of it. You asked for a karma-filled request, did you not? I even let you decide which target out of two to choose this time. I’m proud that you made the right decision.”

“If it had been completely my choice, I would’ve sent both. But after telling me that only one villain was needed, I figured that I had to choose the greater of evils.”

“And how did you come to that decision?” Kami-sama stroked his beard.

“You mentioned that the one that needs the boot really screws up the peace, right? None of this corruption and drama would have happened if it weren’t for that person.”

“Ohoho. Good thinking. Now, the root of this world’s problem has been resolved. Had you chosen incorrectly, another would have just filled the role eventually.”

Diesel sighed in relief. There was still a 50/50 chance, even when he thought he knew otherwise.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve had my fair share of bad CEO romance novels. Not like there’s that much to do while waiting around in the garage to prep. Those stupid books never end because the same boring stuff keeps repeating itself.”

“Tell that to the humans that write that garbage.”

v

Shishi opened her eyes. The dust in the air still had not settled down. She coughed as a layer of it coated her mouth, gagging as she spit it out. When her lungs settled down, tears ran down her face.

I am alive. How is that possible?

A cursory look around the room revealed the horrible state it now was. At the far end, the entrance had all but collapsed on itself, having been struck by something massive. Shishi could have sworn a truck had driven through the office, but that thought quickly dissolved as she spotted an arm jutting out of a pile of rubble.

Whatever it was that crashed into the office, it was gone now. It had somehow sailed over Shishi, missing her completely.

Now, her attention rested on the buried person in front of her. The only one who it could be was Mr. Li, her CEO. She hurriedly shoved off what pieces were movable, but a quick glance at the pale expression, locked in fear, told her it was pointless. There was no saving him.

Shishi felt her knees give out. The dream was over. Her love had been killed. What would she do now? What had all her efforts up to this point been for?

She sniffed, wondering if she would ever recover. But then, a strange realization came to mind.

There are no tears…

She thought she would be mourning, bawling her eyes out, or at least, a bit depressed over the situation. But rather than that, a sense of freedom trickled in, like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

She turned toward the setting sun, which crested over the CEO’s desk, still intact. Slowly, she walked up to it and found herself stroking the surface with a grin.

Various possibilities streamed through her head.

Due to the secretive nature of Mr. Li, there were very few people that knew virtually every project in progress. And only one that had demonstrated the aptitude to take over the responsibilities.

Shishi’s abilities were irreplaceable to the company. And with Mr. Li gone, everyone would now vote for her to lead going forward. The next CEO would be a cinch to decide.

Shishi had never considered this option before. She had run herself ragged, chasing after the top, blind to the fact that she could have taken it for herself. Becoming the CEO’s wife was one method, but why hadn’t she thought of taking the position for herself?

A mad cackle echoed through the ruined room. And after that moment dawned on her, she stood up straight, brushed the filth off her outfit, and turned back to the corpse.

Thank you, Mr. Li. For showing me how to exert my charisma and drive people to action. For granting me a position where I have the department heads wrapped around my finger. I won’t let this chance go to waste.

Shishi walked right past him, saying her farewell. She made it to the stairways, just in time for help to arrive. They asked for her wellbeing, in which Shishi put on a mask of concern for everyone. But secretly, she kept swallowing grins that threatened to pop up.

By chance, she saw the CEO romance she was reading on the floor, tattered and burnt. Her heel stomped on it with satisfaction.

Shishi knew it would be the start of something wonderful. She was no longer a puppet, freed from anyone playing games with her. Her books never told of what would happen when the villainess won.

But then again, she no longer cared to be one. Mr. Li was completely out of the picture. She had no reason to look down on Zhao Xiaoyun either.

All that was left was a starring role made out for Liu Shishi alone. This was now her story to tell.