CEO Above, Me Below-Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Gong Ouyang did not message her again .
The light in the hallway was dim and quiet . She gripped her purse and walked back but stopped in her tracks .
Gong Ouyang clearly wanted to find her, and she did not want to be found . Atlas, not among her family members . So, there was only one option in front of her- she has to escape .
She immediately took another route mentally remembering the location of church’s back door . Thinking for a moment, that was not a safe choice either . She hesitated, but she found a window a little farther from the door and she was sure she can fit through .
She never had any formal training in jumping windows but she definitely remembered how some heroines did it in certain comics . Gathering her courage and her dress, she opened the windows and jumped down the window with her shoes in her hands .
Freedom!
“Miss Shi, Mr . Gong is waiting for you . ”
“… . . ”
Xiaonian looked up to find a person who stood before her tall and dressed in dark suit .
When she turned her head, she found that there was another similar looking person standing further away .
“… . . ”
The church seemed to be…surrounded?
Sigh .
If she can’t run away, she’ll just go along obediently . As long as she did not have to divulge her and Gong Ouyang’s relationship before her family, she was fine with almost anything at this point .
She calmly followed the bodyguard and left the church premises . Fortunately, everyone was busy with the wedding and there was no one to be seen in this part .
The bodyguard directed her towards a small discreet room by the back . It was hidden behind thick rose trellis and would have been hard to spot if one didn't look carefully .
The bodyguard talked into his mouth piece and someone opened the door from inside as soon as they approached the small room .
The room inside was decorated warmly in harmony with the island’s atmosphere . Inside, Gong Ouyang was sitting on a table, his legs lazily lazily stretching before him and supporting him . He looked lazy and casual, with no expression on his face and his fingers were sliding and tapping on his phone screen .
Gong Ouyang looked up at her when he heard her footsteps walking towards her . His eyes were filled with anger and dissatisfaction .
“What? Hiding me from me already?” he snapped at her .
“No” Xiaonian answered as sincerely as she could .
“Really? Weren’t you running fast as a rabbit just a while ago?” Gong Ouyang muttered satirically . His gaze swept her up and down before he asked almost to himself, “How was I never able to tell that you were a sports athlete?”
“… . ”
Xiaonian did not say anything and stayed calm . Gong Ouyang now was like a ticking bomb and she was not stupid enough to light his fuse by saying something stupid .
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“Come here” he threw his phone on the table and beckoned him towards him .
Xianian did not even hesitate for a second and walked towards him, and Gong Ouyang caught her arm and pulled her onto his lap . He was not exactly sitting on the table, but leaning into it with a leg raised up and she was in between the crook . While Xiaonian couldn’t help but be amazed at his stamina to be able to bear her weight on one leg, she found it uncomfortable to be in between his legs and squirmed a little to get to a more comfortable position .
Gong Ouyang slipped his hand around her waist and tightened it over her hands stalling her movements . His dark eyes looked at her deeply, “What? Not happy?”
“No” Xiaonian replied with a smile and ceased her movements to sit still on his lap .
“I don’t think you are happy!” Gong Ouyang exploded with anger . He chased her to this broken island and instead of being happy she fled from him and looking scared . His time was so valuable that even the most powerful had to beg just to see him, and here this woman had the courage to actually be unhappy!
“No . ”
“I’m really happy,” Xiaonian tried to convince him . She turned to face him, putting her hands around his neck, she approached him to kiss him lightly on his cheek, “really, very happy . ”
“I just don’t want to inconvenience you with unnecessary publicity in an event like this” she came up with an excuse . She watched his face closely to see his reaction .
Gong Ouyang wrinkled his eyebrows . Upon seeing this Xiaonian became nervous . She grabbed his sleeve with one hand, “Mr Gong, today is my sister’s day . It’s her wedding . ”
She rarely took the initiative to approach him, so Gong Ouyang mood improved slightly .
“What about it?” he said disapprovingly . His face no longer looked angry but took on a sulking expression as he stared at her .
“Today, the focus should be on my sister . I don’t want to cast a shadow on her limelight… . . so, on this island, …can you pretend not to know me?” Xiaonian asked carefully .
Gong Ouyang’s mood dropped immediately and his hand around her waist clenched in displeasure .
What?
Was she ashamed of him?
“What did you say?”
Xiaonian immediately understood the reason for his anger, and she quickly explained, “I mean, Mr Gong, you have too much influence . Even when you came in, the reporters immediately besieged you . If I appeared with you, they would definitely be more interested in your life than the wedding of my sister… and tomorrows headlines won’t even cover it . ”
Gong Ouyang’s displeasure once again receded at her explanation . He leaned back against the table lazily and pulled Xiaonian a little higher onto him . His hold on her waist gentled too . He scoffed and said, “Of course, my news will naturally be treated more importantly . ”
How can some random people’s wedding be more important than him?
However, he never liked to be written about, especially by these gaudy tabloids . It annoyed him whenever he looked at them, as if their mere existence cheapened the air . It wasn’t too hard to settle them to suppress the news, but it was annoying .
“Yes” Xiaonian nodded in agreement and she wasn’t even lying . Gong Ouyang was a very big existence that cannot be ignored by these newspapers .
He hated those annoying reporters, but he just did not want to let her go . He wanted to keep her with him and just feel her soft lips against him all day, but he couldn’t do it now .
Looking at his bodyguard, he gave a slight nod, and told Xiaonian, “you can go attend the wedding, but tonight, you are staying with me . ”
Xiaonian agreed immediately . He relented and let her attend the wedding so she has to compensate him for his understanding .
“Okay . I’ll come out tonight and look for you . I’m leaving first . ”
Xiaonian got down his lap, straightened her dress and quickly left the room heading towards the chapel .
“… . . ”
Gong Ouyang looked at her back and frowned .
Was it necessary to run so fast?
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When Xiaonian returned to the chapel, the wedding ceremony had already started and her adoptive mother Lu Rin looked at her questioningly .
“You were gone for so long . Are you physically uncomfortable somewhere?” Lu Rin asked in a low voice .
“Nothing like that . Let’s focus on the ceremony now” Xiaonian quickly diverted the topic and turned her head towards the ceremony .
Lu Rin did not ask more and was soon watching the bride and groom exchange their vows .
She was not the only one, every one of the guests and the reporters were focused on the wedding . The chapel was beautiful with antique architectural style, and lent a solemn atmosphere to the whole ceremony . And Shi Yue herself looked dazzling in her white wedding dress . Even the wedding dress received a lot of attention in the media . It was designed months ahead by one of the most popular designer and was made with thousands of Swarovski crystals . The dress itself cost tens of millions and was widely displayed on many magazines .
Just that was enough to see who much Shi Yue was loved .
The two people faced each other vowing eternal love to each other .
Words flowed from their mouths and their faces shone with happiness, but Xiaonian sat there in daze .
She gave up on him .
But . .
But for years, she thought that the place beside him belonged to her based on the promises he made her .
And now, there wasn’t the old him who promised and neither was her place beside that man .
It’s over .
It’s finally over .
She strangely felt at peace .
The man she once loved was dead and this Mu Qian Chu wasn’t him . And, she did not get in between the lives of this Mu Qian Chu and his love Shi Yue .
Everything is just the way it should be .
She stood mindlessly with everyone and clapped for the happy couple . She clapped really hard . Even the sting to her hands didn’t stop her from going on .
This, for her, was her own requiem to ‘their’ past . The couple before her, she had no deep relationship with .
When they took their seat, Xiaonian’s hands hurt, but her heart was strangely at peace .
The phone in her purse vibrated with a message notification, it was from Gong Ouyang . There was only one sentence-
‘She can have her limelight . ’
Unbidden, a smile jumped up on her lips .
How conceited was this man . Even though it was true, there should be a limit to arrogance .
The phone shook again .
Gong Ouyang was not finished yet .
‘How long will this nonsense go on?!’
Xiaonian could already imagine his frustrated expression and eyebrows furrowed in displeasure .
Pfft!
Lu Rin watched her type something other phone with a smile . She was worried that Xiaonian would be unable to conduct herself properly during the ceremony . After all, this was Mu Qian Chu whose she had nursed and liked for a long time . But seeing her like this, she can now rest assured about Shi Yue’s future .
No matter how long she raised Xiaonian, her own daughter is most important to her after all .