CH 8

Yesterday’s stars, yesterday’s night.

Yesterday’s increasingly raucous downpour.

Yesterday’s neon lights, beneath the dim, featureless night skies; a bright beacon illuminating the metropolis (TL: I’m guessing this is supposed to be a transition, albeit somewhat over-the-top, between the last chapter and the beginning of this one).

“Boss.”

The maid, Sophia, lightly knocks, and then opens the door to Murong Jihua’s bedroom. She pushes a cart of exquisite desserts inside.

Murong Jihua, in his elegant, pink spotted bunny pyjamas, is currently sipping on a cup of black tea in front of his French windows. His bedroom on the 24th floor allows him to take in the skylines of the entire City A from this height.

When Murong Jihua was still Yan Jihua, he never once did see what a thirty-storey tall mansion would look like——Especially the kind that sits right inside the CBD, with its own garden, beach and even meadow attached.

——Only after transmigrating has he understood, that it was his ‘poverty’ and Isaac Newton that has hampered his imagination.

The brilliant, dancing neon light, dispersed through the glass window, is scattered about Murong Jihua’s hair and features, and all melt into the unreachable depths of his deep, dark eyes.

Standing upright, there he is, tall, prideful, distant, stunning, majestic, like a Prince straight out of the Middle Ages.

(An edited excerpt from Sophia’s rose-tinted vision)

Sophia knows that she is mustering up all the resolve she could just to ensure she doesn’t enter cardiac arrest from hyperventilating right where she stood.

Murong Jihua surreptitiously moves the printed female-oriented bossy CEO novel he has hidden inside his loose pyjamas further within, before coldly asking,

“What is it?”

Sophia bows towards the CEO, before pointing to the dessert on her cart, explaining, “she did not eat.”

Yes! She didn’t eat! The sweets he explicitly ordered custom-made with 500% more sugar, if she could actually eat that he could eat his own shoe!

Yet, of course, by the logic of his bossy CEO archetype, here, he should——

You refuse to eat? And to whom do you think your body now belongs?

If this shaoye orders it, then you shall eat!

→This development is how the romance novel begins to evoke pain, both physical and mental.

He sure is a smart little genius, he is!

——So come now, my dear girl, he’ll show him the bossiness and dastardliness of the number one Top, the Toppest of all the Tops, in the entire world!

Of course, he still works hard to knit his brows in spite of his elevated mood, and slowly perks up the corner of his lips to say, “hmph, what a damned little fae.”

Sophia follows closely behind CEO Murong’s steps, until he walks right into Su Xiaomo’s bedroom on the 25th floor.

Five minutes later, she watches her CEO come back outside with a grim face.

It is a foregone conclusion that an actor who would forget his lines whenever a female is acting cutesy or throwing a tantrum is not a good debater.

Or at least, unsuited to trying to talk sense (TL: ?) into a female lead as grand as a Mary Sue.

“You damned woman, who allowed you…”

“Big baddie, sob sob sob, do you think money can buy everything?”

“…You damned woman, do you know who you are insult…”

“Don’t try to force my compliance with money. I, Su Xiaomo, would rather starve to death, outside in the ditches, after jumping off this 25th floor, than submit to you!”

“…You, you damned——”

“Uwuwuwu… What you have lost may just be small change, yet it is my innocence and freedom that is at stake here…”

Well, never mind trying to act out his inner bossy CEO with an imposing, domineering aura, Murong Jihua thinks he is already strong enough not having bitten off his tongue in shame at this point.

And before you cast judgement on his character here——

At least let him finish speaking, oi!

That wildly outrageous bro there called something-Le, being so good-looking yourself, is seriously going to be his rival (in love) over this woman?

That night, while our fake・Bossy CEO/real・innocent big adult boy Yan Jihua is flipping through all the romance novels to work out his next action plan, the maid Sophia, in charge of taking care of Su Xiaomo, is here again.

“Boss, I have her information with me. The girl is a student in a normal secondary school in the North District. She had to work in the late-night tea party because their family is utterly broke; her mother has passed away, her father has massive debt and is currently in hiding.”

Murong Jihua rubs his chin and thinks, yup, a very common setting.

What now?

Love her! Give her all the loves and cuddles!

No mental trauma is too much to solve with money. If there is, then throw 200 more million at it!

“Take good care of her. Try to cater to all her requests as much as possible.”

“Understood, boss.”

When the mini device on his wrist beginning ringing, Murong Jihua accepts the call, and it is again the butler, with his gentle, humble voice,

“Shaoye, the information of that man you requested has been obtained.

Shaoye, please listen carefully——”

“Wait wait wait, no more quickfire poems. Normally, talk to me normally.”

“Understood, shaoye…”

Murong Jihua’s eyelids twitch – the heck is that pitiful tone of yours?

“He is a 12th-year senior student in a normal secondary school in the North District of City A. He has been friends with Su Xiaomo, going to the same kindergarten, primary school and middle school with her. Before Su Xiaomo’s family fell from grace, his father got along pretty well with her father.

His name, is He Jünle.” (TL: It is pronounced the same as the German ‘ü’; so the pronunciation of the name is ‘Hur Jünlur’)

He Jünle.

Murong Jihua slowly speaks up,

“Buy it. In five minutes, I want Murong on the name of that secondary school.”

He cuts off his call, then gives a faint smile to Sophia as he says,

“Tell the woman, that she may still attend school, but,

Under my supervision.”