The next morning arrived much faster than Lin Yue wanted.
She stood in front of the mirror, staring at the formal outfit laid out on the bed. The house staff had once again prepared everything for her.
"Why does everything here look so expensive?" she muttered.
Today she was supposed to attend Li Wei Chen's company board meeting.
Just thinking about it made her nervous.
She changed into the outfit, brushed her hair neatly, and took a deep breath.
"Okay… you can do this," she told herself.
A knock came from the door.
"Come in."
Li Wei Chen walked in.
He paused for a moment when he saw her.
Lin Yue noticed and raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Nothing," he replied.
"You were staring."
"I was observing."
"That's the same thing."
He ignored the comment.
"The car is ready."
Lin Yue grabbed her bag and followed him downstairs.
—
The Li Group headquarters was a massive glass building in the center of the city.
Lin Yue tilted her head back slightly as they approached.
"This place looks intimidating."
"It's just an office building."
"For you maybe."
Inside, employees immediately straightened when they saw Li Wei Chen.
"Good morning, President Li."
He nodded calmly as they walked past.
But something else quickly caught everyone's attention.
The woman walking beside him.
Employees whispered quietly.
"Who is she?"
"I've never seen her before."
Lin Yue could feel the curious stares.
She leaned slightly toward Li Wei Chen.
"Everyone is staring."
"They're curious."
"That's not helping."
Zhang Ming suddenly appeared from the elevator.
"Boss! The meeting starts in five minutes."
Then he looked at Lin Yue.
"Madam Lin, ready for your first corporate battle?"
She sighed.
"Please stop making it sound dramatic."
The three of them entered the elevator.
When the doors opened, they stepped into the executive floor.
A large conference room stood at the end of the hallway.
Inside, several directors were already seated around the long table.
The moment Li Wei Chen entered, the room became silent.
"President Li," one of them greeted.
Li Wei Chen walked to his seat at the head of the table.
Lin Yue quietly sat beside him.
Immediately the directors began exchanging confused looks.
One of them finally asked the question everyone was thinking.
"President Li… who is this?"
Li Wei Chen answered calmly.
"My wife."
The entire room froze.
Someone actually dropped a pen.
Lin Yue resisted the urge to hide under the table.
Another director leaned forward in shock.
"Your wife?"
"Yes."
"When did this happen?"
"Recently."
Zhang Ming stood near the wall, clearly enjoying the situation.
One of the older directors frowned.
"We weren't informed about this marriage."
"It was a personal matter," Li Wei Chen said.
The room fell quiet again.
Lin Yue kept her expression calm, even though inside she was extremely uncomfortable.
Finally another director smiled politely.
"Well… congratulations, President Li."
Several others nodded awkwardly.
The meeting began soon after.
Most of the discussion was about company projects and financial reports.
Lin Yue stayed quiet, just like Li Wei Chen had instructed.
But occasionally she noticed something interesting.
Li Wei Chen completely changed during meetings.
He spoke with confidence and authority.
Every decision he made was quick and precise.
The directors clearly respected him.
At one point their eyes met.
For a second Lin Yue realized something.
He wasn't just a cold CEO.
He was someone carrying a huge responsibility.
Maybe that's why he always looked so calm.
The meeting ended almost two hours later.
As the directors began leaving, several of them politely greeted Lin Yue.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Li."
"Welcome to the Li family."
Lin Yue smiled politely each time.
When the room finally emptied, she leaned back in her chair.
"That was exhausting."
Zhang Ming laughed.
"You survived again."
Li Wei Chen gathered his documents.
"You handled it well."
Lin Yue looked at him.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
She thought for a moment.
"Your work is intense."
"Yes."
"No wonder you needed a contract marriage."
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"You barely have time for a real relationship."
For a brief moment, Li Wei Chen didn't answer.
Then he said quietly,
"That may be true."
Lin Yue stood up.
"Well… at least today went smoothly."
But just as she said that, Zhang Ming's phone suddenly rang.
He answered quickly.
A few seconds later, his expression changed.
"Boss…"
Li Wei Chen looked at him.
"What is it?"
Zhang Ming lowered the phone slowly.
"There's a problem."
"What problem?"
Zhang Ming hesitated.
"Someone from Lin Yue's past is here."
Lin Yue froze.
"What?"