Chapter 27: Proactively Seducing Fu Huaizhou

Fu Huaizhou’s office was spacious. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows was a seating area with a sofa and chairs, while behind his desk was a bookshelf integrated into the wall, filled with books of various categories. The overall style matched his home: black, white, and gray.

“Let go of me, I want to leave,” Ruan Li protested, not wanting to be alone with him. To her, this man was petty and held personal grudges.

Fu Huaizhou ignored her. His hand easily encircled her slender waist, effortlessly pulling her along.

He dragged her by the wrist to his desk. She struggled multiple times, but it was useless—his strength was terrifying. She was trapped between his desk and his body, unable to move. She turned her face away, refusing to look at him, tears streaming down her cheeks like a faucet, soaking her white shirt.

“Crying after just a few words?” Fu Huaizhou’s expression was grim as he stared at her. “Are you made of water?”

Ruan Li had never been scolded in front of so many strangers and cameras before. She bit her lip, refusing to answer. Even regular employees could feel wronged when scolded by their boss—why couldn’t she?

Fu Huaizhou pulled out a chair and brought her to the computer, but Ruan Li still refused to cooperate, though she had no choice under his control.

He pushed her onto the office chair, the same one he had been sitting in just hours earlier. She turned her face away, still retorting, “I’m not your employee, so why are you scolding me?”

“That counts as scolding?” Fu Huaizhou’s tone was resigned. Compared to how he usually treated senior executives in meetings, what he had just said was merely “asking a question.”

He pulled out several documents, placing them on the desk, and opened a spreadsheet on the computer. “This is simple. Watch.”

As the head of Fu Corporation, Fu Huaizhou bent over slightly due to his height, flipping through the documents. These were things he had learned as a teenager, and he never expected to be teaching them to someone else, step by step.

Ruan Li pouted and reached for a tissue from the box on the desk, dabbing at her tears carefully to avoid ruining her makeup. She watched as his long fingers moved over the papers.

Seeing her still worrying about her appearance even at a time like this, Fu Huaizhou found it amusing.

“The data has already been collected. You just need to do an evaluation. Do you know what a hedge fund is?” Fu Huaizhou asked, turning to look at her.

His English was a refined London accent, and combined with his deep voice, it had an irresistibly magnetic quality that could make anyone’s ears tingle.

But Ruan Li, with clear eyes, shook her head like a stubborn child, staring up at him.

Fu Huaizhou, like a university professor trying to teach a grade-schooler, was getting a headache. “A hedge fund. Let’s continue.”

He bent over to operate the computer, bringing up charts of stock market growth and overwhelming data. Ruan Li felt dizzy just looking at all the numbers, while Fu Huaizhou continued explaining slowly.

After half an hour of basic instruction, the only sound in the office was his deep, cool voice.

He took a sip of coffee, then glanced at her, still resting her chin on her hand and staring wide-eyed at the screen. “Got it?”

He had never taught anyone like this before—not even Fu Xingchuan had received this kind of treatment, let alone anyone else in the company.

Ruan Li shook her head again. Forget understanding—she hadn’t even grasped much of what he was saying. Many of the terms were highly specialized. Giving up, she said, “I told you I’ve never learned this stuff. The Ruan family wouldn’t let me touch any of it.”

After all, she wasn’t their biological daughter, so how could they entrust the company’s power to her?

Fu Huaizhou hadn’t expected her to have no exposure at all, or he wouldn’t have said what he did earlier. In families like theirs, even if someone wasn’t going to take over the business, they usually knew a bit about it. Trying to be patient, he asked, “What did you study?”

“Design.” Ruan Li’s voice became even more pitiful as she pushed the troubling documents further away. Fu Huaizhou’s office was meticulously organized, with nothing out of place—just like his rigid and dull personality.

“Even Ye Mian went to the design department, and everyone else is at least getting involved somewhere. I’m the only one stuck here as some unfortunate secretary.”

She didn’t say the last part out loud but couldn’t help feeling like she was being unfairly targeted by her cold-hearted boss, while her colleagues were forced to isolate her.

“I see,” Fu Huaizhou said, rubbing his temples. He had originally placed her by his side to put some pressure on her, thinking that when she was out of options, she wouldn’t turn to anyone else for help. But lately, her emotions had been unstable, and even a little pressure was making her snap.

Sensing his concession, Ruan Li’s eyes brightened. “What do you mean? Next time I come, can I go to the design department?”

Fu Huaizhou looked down at her. She sat comfortably in his office chair, showing none of the earlier signs of wanting to strike or throw a fit. She was the epitome of someone taking an inch and going for a mile.

“No,” he said as he tidied up the desk that Ruan Li had messily pushed aside.

“Why not?” Ruan Li got instantly agitated. She had made her point clear, and if he insisted on making her stay as his secretary, the psychological torment aside, the online insults calling her a “bimbo” would drown her.

Fu Huaizhou responded calmly, “I said I wouldn’t help you anymore.”

Ruan Li was stunned. He was the one who had put her in this mess in the first place. Letting her return to her previous position was considered “helping”? With the harsh online comments already causing such damage to her reputation, why should she continue suffering as an office worker?

Determined to quit and tell Chen Jing that she wouldn’t record anymore, Ruan Li strutted out of Fu Huaizhou’s office, heels clicking with arrogance. She even deliberately knocked over one of the plants near his office door on her way out.

She figured it out—this man definitely had OCD.

When she left, the staff outside hadn’t gone far. They were all sneaking curious glances at her. Ruan Li noticed the nondisclosure agreement on the table, saving her from needing to explain much. She pressed the elevator button and left the top floor.

Qiu, the newest secretary, whispered to Assistant Qin, “How can someone throw Fu’s stuff around and leave unscathed? Who is she?”

Assistant Qin had seen it all before. This was the same woman who, during their first meeting, crashed into Fu Huaizhou’s car. “Just treat her well, you can’t go wrong,” he replied.

After all, his year-end bonus depended on how things went with her.

When Ruan Li reached the lobby, she ran into Ye Mian, who had just seen the live clip on the trending search of Weibo. If Ruan Li hadn’t come down, Ye Mian would have gone up herself.

“Fu Huaizhou’s giving you a hard time? I thought he brought you close to start some office romance,” Ye Mian remarked. She honestly didn’t get the relationship between the two of them. If Fu wasn’t interested, why had he hijacked Ye Corporation’s variety show deal halfway through?

“You’re overthinking it,” Ruan Li fumed as she stormed out of Fu Corporation. Ye Mian, as usual, took her back to her place. “Are you still filming the day after tomorrow?”

“I’m definitely not filming!” Ruan Li said firmly. Who would want to see Fu Huaizhou, that cold-hearted boss, every day?

An hour later, Ruan Li was staring at the contract Chen Jing had sent her, with the breach of contract clause highlighted. Suddenly, seeing Fu Huaizhou’s face every day didn’t seem so unbearable—he was at least handsome.

Back in the day, a penalty like that would’ve been a drop in the bucket, but now, she really couldn’t afford it.

“I actually have a good idea,” Ye Mian said, a lightbulb going off. “Since the Ruan family only wants money because Fu’s family isn’t cooperating, why not just get Fu Huaizhou wrapped around your finger? Then you could get both the money and the Ruan family sorted out. You wouldn’t even have to worry about the show anymore—Fu Corporation would be yours to command.”

Ruan Li scoffed, “Me? Wrap Fu Huaizhou around my finger? He’d probably crush me first.”

Ye Mian wasn’t convinced. “You’re kidding, right? With that face of yours, and… let’s just say your figure’s not something he could ignore. A little seduction, and I refuse to believe Fu Huaizhou wouldn’t be tempted. Besides, you need some ambition. If you’re going to go after someone, go for the hardest man to get in the capital.”

Ruan Li buried her face in the blanket, refusing to listen to her analysis. She and Fu Huaizhou weren’t even capable of having a proper conversation, except in bed—where they could manage a bit of “harmony.”

Online, a poll had even started on whether Ruan Li would continue filming the show. Some people thought she had a wealthy backer and didn’t need the show, while others thought she was willing to do anything for fame, even courting controversy. With rumors swirling about her being the “fake heiress,” her popularity had skyrocketed.

The next day, Ruan Li and Ye Mian arrived together at Fu Corporation, and Ye Mian insisted on accompanying her up to the top floor. She kept saying, “Think about my suggestion. I’ve got a hundred ‘CEO romance’ novels on my phone that all play out like this. If you’re inexperienced, I can send you a few to study.”

Ruan Li felt deeply embarrassed, recalling how arrogantly she had walked out of Fu Huaizhou’s office two days ago. The thought of returning now made her feel mortified. “Me, seduce Fu Huaizhou? That’ll happen when the sun rises at night—absolutely impossible.”

Just then, the elevator dinged as it reached the top floor, and the doors slowly opened. Standing in front of her was Fu Huaizhou, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Behind him, Assistant Qin was trying to suppress his laughter, which meant Fu Huaizhou had clearly overheard her last sentence.

Ruan Li instinctively turned to retreat back into the elevator, but Ye Mian had already pressed the close button, giving her a look that said, Good luck.

Ruan Li stared at the closed elevator doors in disbelief, while Fu Huaizhou’s calm voice came from behind her.

“Secretary Ruan, it’s daytime. If you want to see the sun, you can always apply for fieldwork.”