Strategy to Capture Men - Chapter 26-1

Qiao Wenxing didn’t press charges, but Brother Bai was sent home in a dingy manner with all his belongings. Bai Yue’s parents flew into a rage, and showered Bai Yue with curses over the phone, along with expressing their great dissatisfaction with Qiao Wenxing.

“And Wenxing too! How can he be so petty with his brother-in-law over a few computers? How dare he call the police?!” They were utterly furious.

When Bai Yue tried to explain that her brother was in the wrong, she was scolded. In the end, she could only listen silently to her parents’ accusations, tears in her eyes.

Finally, her parents asked, “When are you getting married?”

Bai Yue wiped her tears and said, “The business is still just starting up, and I’m still young, so we…”

“What! He obviously doesn’t want to marry you at all! Tell him that our daughter isn’t just some plaything! ”

No matter how Bai Yue explained, her parents couldn’t understand. Hating iron for not being steel, Mother Bai ranted, “You idiot, how could you let him sleep with you then?! But since it’s come to this, find a way to get pregnant! He won’t drag it on if you have a child!”

Mother and Father Bai questioned her again on how much money Qiao Wenxing actually had. They weren’t actually aware of Qiao Wenxing’s true fortune or family background. When Father Bai had been seriously ill and her family in a mess, Qiao Wenxing had helped him out. They only knew that from there that Qiao Wenxing was Bai Yue’s senior from school, the boss of a company, and from a very good family.

Even if Bai Yue didn’t know it herself, she was instinctively guarded around her parents.

But she was now really thinking about getting married.

Once upon a time, she had lived every day like in a fairy tale. Qiao Wenxing was her brilliant Prince Charming, and she, a rescued Cinderella. She had thought that they would live happily ever after. But after experiencing the issues with her parents and younger brother, she felt like she had stepped once more on the ground of reality. Reality was not a fairy tale. Reality was far more harsh.

Qiao Wenxing had been very angry with her this time, for the very first time, and Bai Yue was both panicked and frightened. There seemed to be a crack running through her happiness, and a haze  clouding her future.

She tried to talk to Qiao Wenxing about it. He frowned. “Right now I can’t give you anything or get married.” He finished to see Bai Yue’s lost eyes looking at him, and his heart melted. Taking her into his arms, he kissed her softly. “Don’t worry. Let’s take our time and wait for my parents to accept you…”

But would the Qiao parents ever accept her? What if they never did? Bai Yue was at a loss.

Her mind went round in circles that night, so much so that she couldn’t sleep. In the morning, Qiao Wenxing called her twice before finally saying helplessly, “Forget it, rest at home,” and going to the company by myself.

If this had been in the past, Bai Yue would have turned over and gone back to sleep, her mind at peace. But this time, she felt like his voice was full of disappointment and unhappiness. Even though he had left, she couldn’t sleep, so she rose and took a taxi to work.

When she arrived at the company, she went to the bathroom before going to the office. Just as she sat down, she heard someone come in and familiar voices talking.

“The boss’s wife didn’t come in again today?”

“President Qiao said she wasn’t feeling well.”

“Hah, not feeling well. She’s just getting her beauty sleep.”

“Wow, what a a good life.”

“Well, it’s hard to say. We all call her the boss’s wife, but she isn’t actually his wife, is she? I’ve been watching, and President Qiao treats her far more coolly than when he first started up the company.”

“He does? I only got hired recently, so I had no idea. Tell me about it. ”

“Back then, the President looked at her like a treasure. He sheltered her and guarded her, he was incredibly careful. Now, well, you can see what it’s like.”

“Well, isn’t that what falling in love is like? Once the freshness and passion have passed, if he didn’t marry you then, will he marry you now? I feel like President Qiao is probably from a very good family, while the boss’s wife… feels ordinary. ”

“She really is. All she does all day in the office is bring coffee here, bubble tea there, it’s really quite special. She brings him those things and President Qiao doesn’t like them  at all, but she can’t see that he doesn’t.”

“That’s right. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that President Qiao is a man who really knows coffee. When she brings him generic store-bought stuff, the boss always makes a face when he drinks it.”

“You’re totally right, she doesn’t even get it… look how badly the company is currently doing. President Qiao’s financial support is no longer coming in, and the profit margins are tight, yet she lets her brother rent an apartment on the company’s account. And when it comes to work, what’s she even good at? When President Qiao asks her for data, she gives him some useless crap. You can see him taking a deep breath and swallowing down ugly words…”

The two women continued chatting as they left.

Sitting on the toilet, Bai Yue’s face was pale.

Though Qiao Wenxing might not generally notice the little emotional changes Bai Yue went through, he couldn’t help but notice how she was suddenly changing. All of a sudden, she discarded her former delicate, lazy manner and became interested in the company. She no longer brought him those little headache-inducing sentimental gifts that he could never turn down, and instead began working hard.

He was very pleased.

It was exhausting to fight alone, especially when one’s partner was simply lying around, enjoying the results. He had never expected her to make great achievements, but inside, he had always hoped that she would at least understand his current situation, instead of taking it easy.

Bai Yue didn’t realize how great the gap was between her and the others until she got serious.

She was actually not at all a lazy girl. From an early age, her parents had impressed upon her that a good girl was self-reliant, and that as the eldest daughter she should take care of both herself and her younger brother. She had been a very diligent child, and had earned her own college tuition and living expenses by working part-time while in school.

However, as soon as she graduated, she had met Qiao Wenxing. He had pampered her sweetly every day, bought lovely things for her, and every other girl around her had flattered her generously. Before she knew it, her hardworking self had slipped away. She felt like Qiao Wenxing could take care of anything. Even if the sky was falling, he would be there with a solution.

But as it turned out, her Prince Charming was also mortal. There were times when he was tired and bored, too.

Concerned, she inquired at the finance department. Since she was “the boss’s wife,” they didn’t hide anything from her, and she found out that Qiao Wenxing had been receiving financial support from his mother. Now that the steady stream of funding had ceased, he was on his own.

Somehow, deep inside her, Bai Yue was faintly disappointed in Qiao Wenxing. He no longer seemed as great as she had once thought. His omnipotent Prince Charming aura was fading away.

But she also finally came to understand the pressure he was under and his current economic situation, and in doing so rectified her past mistakes and tried wholeheartedly to be an excellent partner to him. For awhile she performed very well, and when she saw how the smile on Qiao Wenxing’s face had softened when he looked at her, she felt like she was doing the right thing.