Chapter 038: Living with the Lady Boss

Chapter 038: Living with the Lady Boss

When a woman decides to act shamelessly and unreasonably, even a god would keep his distance, let alone Chu Fei. Staring at Ximen Lu, hands on her hips, radiating an air of dominance, Chu Fei had no choice but to concede defeat—he couldn't bring himself to toss this woman out and leave her to fend for herself.

Just then, Ximen Lu's expression shifted in a flash, and she gave him a bewitching smile. "Well? Have you made up your mind?" She looked at Chu Fei with hopeful eyes.

"Would you leave if I said no?" Chu Fei glared at Ximen Lu.

"Of course not. I’m already homeless—where else am I supposed to go?" Ximen Lu immediately put on a pitiful face.

Chu Fei wasn’t buying it for a second. This woman was a fox, switching faces faster than he could handle.

"Hey, are you even a man? I’m not staying here for free; I’ll pay rent," Ximen Lu protested.

"Fine. Rent here is a hundred thousand a month. Can you pay now?" Chu Fei snorted, looking at her.

"What, why don’t you just go rob a bank?" Ximen Lu shot him a venomous look, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"That’s the price. Don’t want it, you’re free to leave. I won’t force you," Chu Fei replied curtly.

"Alright, a hundred thousand it is," Ximen Lu said, biting her lip as if making a great sacrifice.

"What?" This time, Chu Fei was stunned. She agreed to that price?

"But I don’t have the money right now. I’ll owe you for now—once I make it big, I’ll pay you back," Ximen Lu smiled, her voice dripping with seductive charm.

Damn, Chu Fei thought, not fooled for a second. Her words sounded nice, but her meaning was clear—she wasn’t going to pay him.

"It’s late. I’m going to sleep," Ximen Lu announced, not caring about how he felt. She yawned and turned to go into the bedroom.

"Wait—" Chu Fei quickly stopped her. "You’ve taken over my bedroom—where am I supposed to sleep?" Since she absolutely refused to leave, there was nothing he could do for now, but where was he supposed to sleep?

"Weren’t you perfectly fine in the guest room last night?" Ximen Lu replied innocently.

"I’m the owner here! Why should I sleep in the guest room while you take the master bedroom?" Chu Fei’s face darkened in anger. This was just bullying.

"Because I’m not living here for free! I’m paying you a hundred thousand a month—how can you expect me to sleep in the guest room?" Ximen Lu said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Chu Fei’s face turned green. You’ve got some nerve, he thought. You could at least pay up!

He really had no way to deal with her; a shameless, unreasonable woman was simply too terrifying. He accepted defeat. "Alright, I’m not as thick-skinned as you."

"That’s more like it. When I strike it rich, I won’t cheat you out of the rent. Goodnight." Ximen Lu flashed a triumphant smile and turned again.

"Hey, Ximen Lu, I just don’t get it—are you really that fearless? Aren’t you worried I might sneak into your room and take advantage of you in the middle of the night?" Chu Fei asked, sensing that something was off. Wasn’t she being a bit too bold?

"Come in if you dare," Ximen Lu replied, glancing back with a sultry, entrancing smile. In the next instant her expression hardened, and she warned through gritted teeth, "I’ve got a pair of scissors under my pillow. If you come in, I’ll cut you off."

Damn. Chu Fei shut up. This woman was ruthless.

"Goodnight," Ximen Lu said, tossing him another killer smile before slipping into the bedroom and locking the door securely from the inside with a loud click.

"I thought you really weren’t afraid," Chu Fei muttered when he heard the lock, then trudged dejectedly to the small bedroom. Pushing open the door, he stopped in surprise.

He’d expected to spend another night sleeping on the bare bed, maybe with a newspaper spread out for comfort, and had already been planning to buy bedding after work tomorrow. But—

The room was the same, but the bed was neatly made with the set from his master bedroom. The whole room had been tidied up meticulously. On the windowsill sat a small potted plant, adding a touch of life. Most eye-catching of all, several posters adorned the walls. At first, Chu Fei thought they were of celebrities, but on closer inspection, they were all enlarged photos of Ximen Lu herself. Though all were scenic shots, and far from as seductive as her earlier display in a nightgown, they were still striking.

What on earth was this woman up to? Wasn’t she content with trying to seduce him in person—did she have to put up posters of herself to lure him as well?

Chu Fei’s face darkened, and his first instinct was to rip the posters down. But as he got closer, he hesitated. He had to admit, Ximen Lu had excellent taste. With just a few simple posters and a potted plant, the little room felt vivid and warm—completely different from the bleakness of yesterday.

Looking at how clean the room was now, Chu Fei instinctively thought of the living room, which was noticeably tidier and livelier than when he’d lived alone.

At that moment, Chu Fei realized that having a woman in the house wasn’t such a bad thing after all. At least, Ximen Lu was diligent enough to keep everything spick and span, unlike his own mess.

But—

Chu Fei’s opinion was thoroughly overturned the very next morning.

"Chu Fei, get up and eat breakfast! If you’re late, I’ll dock your pay!"

A sharp knocking jolted Chu Fei from his dreams. Bleary-eyed, he saw it was barely half past six. He was furious—work didn’t start until eight, wasn’t she getting up a bit too early?

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Chu Fei left the room and stopped in surprise. On the coffee table, breakfast was already set: millet porridge, fried eggs, a few slices of freshly toasted bread, and even a sizzling steak. Not only was it exquisite, it was plentiful.

He instinctively glanced at Ximen Lu, who was just coming out of the kitchen after washing her hands. Had she really gotten up this early to make breakfast?

Though surprised, Chu Fei didn’t show it. He plopped down on the sofa and glared at her. "Boss, isn’t this a bit too early? Do you know what time it is?"

"Too early?" Ximen Lu picked up a slice of bread and took a dainty bite. "When I was in Singapore, I got up even earlier. Haven’t you heard the saying, 'The early bird catches the worm'?"

"I only know that the early worm gets eaten by the bird," Chu Fei retorted sourly.

Ximen Lu rolled her eyes. "Chu Fei, can’t you show a little ambition? The company is still in its early stages—don’t you want to help me grow it?"

"It’s your company, not mine. Why should I bother? What does it have to do with me?" Chu Fei grumbled. He’d barely fallen asleep after midnight, and now she’d dragged him out of bed. He was in a foul mood.

"Chu Fei, you’re infuriating!" Ximen Lu glared at him, clearly angry.

Chu Fei ignored her, spearing the only piece of steak on the plate and biting into it without even bothering to cut it.

"Chu Fei, don’t you want to help me build the company?" Ximen Lu tried again, her eyes gleaming.

"No," Chu Fei replied indifferently.

"You—" Ximen Lu ground her teeth in frustration, then pursed her lips and tried to tempt him. "What if I give you a year-end bonus?"

"Don’t talk nonsense. You still owe me rent—one hundred thousand a month," Chu Fei shot back, rolling his eyes.

"Heartless—" Ximen Lu was speechless this time. She lowered her head, munching on bread, her eyes darting as if lost in thought.

Chu Fei smirked to himself. He’d done it on purpose—if she could bully him, he could give as good as he got.

"Chu Fei, I think everything else here is fine, but the fridge and washing machine should be replaced. Don’t you agree?" After breakfast, Ximen Lu tried to negotiate.

"I’m broke," Chu Fei replied without looking up.

"Hmph, you just want to swindle me!" Ximen Lu shot back, slipping on her high heels and swaggering out with a sway of her hips, not deigning to say another word. She really seemed angry this time.

"Who’s swindling whom, I wonder?" Chu Fei muttered, gazing at the door, then lazily collapsed onto the sofa, closing his eyes for a second nap.

—

It was nearly 7:30 when Chu Fei finally dragged himself up, dressed, and left the apartment. But as soon as he stepped out of the stairwell, he was startled—a voluptuous policewoman was glaring at him murderously, her eyes ringed with dark circles as if she hadn’t slept all night. It was none other than Ling Yujiao!

"Officer Ling, good morning," Chu Fei greeted her with a sheepish grin.

"Chu Fei, you still have the nerve to smile. Do you know what happened in Kun City last night?" Ling Yujiao demanded, her tone severe.

"What happened? Did Cai Jiu die?" Chu Fei replied with a smirk.

"So you do know!" Ling Yujiao’s face changed instantly. She shot forward and grabbed his collar. "Tell me, what else do you know?"

"Hey, Ling Yujiao, let go—you’re choking me—" Chu Fei started coughing violently, as if about to suffocate.

Ling Yujiao was startled and quickly let go, but her eyes remained fixed on his face.

"What did you just say? I don’t understand," Chu Fei said after a few coughs, looking confused.

"Don’t play dumb with me. You just admitted you knew Cai Jiu was dead—don’t try to deny it," Ling Yujiao said sternly.

"What? Cai Jiu is really dead?" Chu Fei feigned shock, though he’d guessed the reason for her visit the moment he saw her. It must be about Cai Jiu—after all, he’d given her those documents last night, and then Cai Jiu died. Ling Yujiao wasn’t stupid; of course she’d suspect he was involved.

"Still pretending?" Ling Yujiao’s expression was furious; she was convinced he knew something.

"Pretending about what?" Chu Fei gave a bitter smile and asked, "Are you serious? That bastard Cai Jiu is really dead?" He looked genuinely surprised and skeptical.

Ling Yujiao stared hard into his eyes, searching for any sign of deceit, but soon gave up in disappointment. Chu Fei’s expression was flawless; even the most seasoned detective couldn’t have spotted any hint of an act.

Finally, Ling Yujiao withdrew her gaze and nodded gravely. "Yes, Cai Jiu is really dead."

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