Chapter 16: Cold-Hearted CEO
Wang Gege pressed her lips together while staring at the man seated across from her at the dining table.
"Am I not welcome?" Xie Rong’s head tilted slightly, as though he were looking directly at her.
"Ah—of course not, Young Master Xie." Wang Gege immediately shook her head. "I am merely confused."
She paused briefly before continuing, "You were the one who told me yesterday that we should mind our own affairs. Yet this is already the second time Young Master has appeared here."
As she spoke, a polite smile appeared on her face. The meaning behind her words, however, was anything but polite.
If they were going to maintain a peaceful relationship, then surely he should be helping by staying away from her courtyard.
Instead, he seemed to visit more often than she expected. Well, for her, more than once after settling the terms of their agreement was already considered frequent.
After finishing her question, Wang Gege patiently waited for an explanation.
Unexpectedly, before any answer came, a low chuckle escaped from the man sitting opposite her.
The sound was soft but it instantly caused Wang Gege to freeze.
Ever since arriving in this world, every encounter with Xie Rong had left the impression of a calm, composed, and somewhat difficult person to approach.
As a result, the sudden chuckle felt strangely out of place.
Without realizing it, her eyes drifted toward him.
The black silk still concealed his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression clearly, yet the faint curve at the corner of his lips remained.
And for reasons she could not explain, the sight left her momentarily stunned.
The man was already unfairly good-looking under normal circumstances, smiling certainly was not helping.
"Shen Taotao."
The sudden sound of her name immediately pulled Wang Gege from her thoughts.
She looked up instinctively.
The faint smile had already disappeared from Xie Rong’s face, as though the brief chuckle moments earlier had never happened.
"Perhaps I failed to explain certain matters clearly yesterday."
Wang Gege blinked.
Xie Rong calmly adjusted his sleeve before continuing, "Although we have reached an agreement between ourselves, the marriage has already taken place."
His voice remained as steady as ever, "In the eyes of the Xie family, you are my wife."
She did not know why, but every time she heard his low and steady voice, it felt as though she was being disciplined by a strict teacher. Even when he was merely stating a fact, she found herself unconsciously paying attention.
Fortunately, Xie Rong continued before her thoughts could wander further. "Because of the incident on our wedding day, the tea ceremony was postponed."
Only then did Wang Gege remember that ancient marriages seemed to involve a frightening number of traditions.
"Tomorrow morning, we will complete the postponed ceremony and pay our respects to Grandmother and Father."
The room instantly became quiet.
Wang Gege blinked and nodded as though she understood. In reality, her thoughts were already spiraling in countless directions.
Grandmother, father, Tea ceremony and paying respects. The more she thought about it, the more complicated it sounded.
Ancient marriages truly came with an alarming number of procedures.
"That’s the only thing we need to do, right?" The question escaped before she could stop herself.
One more time, the room became unusually quiet.
Meanwhile, Xie Rong remained seated across from her.
"Young Madam appears disappointed." His tone remained calm as ever.
Wang Gege immediately shook her head. "Not disappointed, Young Master Xie."
She simply felt that surviving poison had been considerably easier than remembering all these customs. But then, a worrying thought suddenly surfaced in Wang Gege’s mind.
Tomorrow’s tea ceremony was already enough trouble.
Who knew what other ancient customs might still be waiting for her?
As she was silently calculating the possible disasters ahead, the man seated across from her suddenly spoke.
"Since we are making up for the postponed tea ceremony," Xie Rong said calmly, "should we also make up for the wedding night?"
The room instantly fell silent and Wang Gege stared at him.
"Young Master Xie is joking, right?" The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Unfortunately, the expression on Xie Rong’s face remained as calm as ever, lifting a cup of tea.
There was no trace of embarrassment. No sign that he had just asked such a question. He looked as though he were discussing tomorrow’s weather.
Meanwhile, Wang Gege’s mind had already become a mess.
What kind of question was that? And why was he asking it with such a straight face?
She genuinely could not tell whether he was serious or not.
Before Wang Gege could sort out her thoughts, Xie Rong calmly set down the teacup he had been drinking from.
"If Young Madam is finished with her meal..." His voice remained as steady as ever. "You may move your belongings to my courtyard now."
Once again, for not knowing how many times already, the room turned silent.
Wang Gege stared at him, taking time to process his words.
And moment she understood what he meant, she immediately stood up.
"But that is not what we agreed on!"
The dissatisfaction in her voice was impossible to hide. Yesterday, she had even praised him in her heart for being reasonable. How had less than a day passed before the terms started changing?
Meanwhile, Xie Rong remained completely calm. "Did I ever agree to live in separate courtyards?"
Wang Gege froze. The answer came so quickly that she was caught off guard.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something but then closed it again. Because after thinking carefully, she suddenly realized something alarming.
He had never actually said those words. Their agreement had only been that neither of them would interfere in the other’s affairs.
At the time, Wang Gege had simply assumed that living separately was part of the agreement.
Apparently, Young Master Xie had not shared that assumption.
Wang Gege glaring at him when realisation fell upon her. The more she thought about it, the more dissatisfied she became.
This was exactly the kind of trick those shameless company executives liked to play.
’If you were born in my world, you would definitely become one of those cold-hearted CEOs. The kind that tricks employees into working overtime and then says, it was written in the agreement. But I won’t back out...’
Her eyes immediately lit up and the next second, she pressed a hand against her forehead.
"Ah..." Her body swayed slightly.
For good measure, she even frowned. "I suddenly feel a little dizzy. Perhaps the poison is acting up again. Maybe we should discuss this another day—"
Before she could continue her performance, Xie Rong calmly stood up from his seat, "I made the poison."
Wang Gege blinked in confusion.
Xie Rong adjusted his sleeve, "I also made the antidote. I know very well that there are no lingering side effects."
The room instantly became quiet.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Wang Gege discovered that pretending to be sick in front of the person who created both the poison and the cure was not a particularly effective strategy.
Meanwhile, Xie Rong had already turned and begun walking toward the door.
"Have your belongings moved before sunset." His tone left little room for negotiation and then he left.
The moment his figure disappeared from sight, Wang Gege slowly lowered the hand that had been pressing against her forehead.
Her expression became complicated. A few moments later, she bit her lip in annoyance.
’Cold-hearted CEO. Definitely a black-hearted CEO.’