The CEO's One And Only

In the midst of the bustling J city, a voice plagued Wu Jiayi's brain.

"You would never be good enough," her stepmother's voice screamed inside her head, drowning out all her happiness.

After working hard for five years and failing three times, Wu Jiayi finally became a multimillionaire. Her net worth was more than a hundred million dollars. However, her stepmother's words had tossed her into a spiral of self-doubt.

Before Wu Jiayi could address her racing thoughts, she bumped into a lamppost on the sidewalk.

"Pfft," a mocking chuckle said. She looked in the direction of that sound.

It was a handsome Japanese man, dressed in a suit. His chuckle that had turned into laughter was orotund as if it was asking her to take notice of it.

Wu Jiayi looked into his alluring, round-shaped eyes. She could not pull away from them.

"You should look up when walking," the man advised in Mandarin. His tone was suggestive.

"I'm sorry?" Wu Jiayi inquired, and her big doll eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. She was too engrossed in her thoughts to pay attention to the man's intentions. Was he flirting with her, or was he just genuinely advising her? Whatever the reason, Wu Jiayi couldn't care less.

The man clearly detected her lack of interest. "Did she not recognize me?" the man thought to himself.

After waiting for a split second, Wu Jiayi walked away. She had only taken one step when the man abruptly stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Excuse me?" she questioned the man politely.

In response, the man introduced himself in Japanese. Wu Jiayi tilted her head and flashed an unperturbed smile at him.

"I don't really care," she replied monotonously in Japanese and walked away, not giving him a chance to stop her again.

The man was not surprised by her answer; instead, his lips curled up in a mischievous smile.

The exchange with that man from before had shifted Wu Jiayi's focus. She was now wondering why the surname Minami sounded familiar. She knew she'd heard that name before, but she couldn't place it. She didn't get the chance to think more about it as her phone alarm started ringing.

Wu Jiayi had a weak memory. She placed a lot of alarms on her phone with a to-do list to remind her of the tasks she was supposed to do in case she forgot.

It was one of those alarms that started ringing. The alarm was named "Submit my resignation." The ringing reminded her of the reason for her outing.

When she was about to turn off the alarm, her phone rang. It was her manager; she rejected the call. Wu Jiayi was going to see him anyway, so what was the point? She was not going to be labeled a traitor by anyone.

Her dearest stepsister, Wu Xiaoniu, had bribed everyone at the company to treat her like trash.

After a year of abuse, she chose to taint Wu Jiayi's career forever by accusing her of selling information to their competitors. Wu Jiayi never wanted to come back to J City, however, she was forced by her father, Wu Bolin, to leave her successful career as an architect in Japan and work for him in the name of family. If she had not returned, he would have had her maternal grandmother killed. The old lady was the only family she had left in this world.

She tried to rescue her grandmother eight times, but Wu Bolin would tighten the security after every attempt, leaving her with no choice but to bend to her family's wishes.

Wu Jiayi soon reached her destination, Shancun. On the way to the office, she stopped by a local coffee shop and met a strange man. The man only handed her an envelope and left without giving her a chance to express her gratitude.

Wu Jiayi took a deep breath before opening the translucent glass door of her department. Upon entry, she was met with all kinds of looks and whispers.

"Look, isn't this the nepotism baby who couldn't appreciate her father's kindness and chose to jeopardize his business all for her own greed," a woman exclaimed. She was Qi Ru, the manager's sister. She hated Wu Jiayi's guts and always thought of herself as better than Wu Jiayi. She was also responsible for making her experience an absolute hell.

Wu Jiayi's stoic expression, devoid of any emotion, remained unchanged after hearing her poisonous words.

"Is your brother inside".

"Yes, what are you going to do? Seduce him?" Qi Ru mocked her in return.

She looked at Qi Ru as if she were a clown, but she still responded.

"I think you are the expert at seducing people. Your life's only achievement has been sleeping with clients, am I right?" Her rebuttal had started another round of whispering, which surprised Wu Jiayi. She always thought it was obvious.

Wu Jiayi used to speak with facts. She knew that Qi Ru was not the main player, just a pawn being controlled by her stepsister. Hence, she was not going to try and prove her innocence to her, but she was going to make sure that Qi Ru got what she deserved.

"Aren't you going to sleep with a new client today?" Wu Jiayi innocently questioned her. She sounded so concerned that Qi Ru almost fell for it. Qi Ru was at a loss for words and escaped, dressed in a micro skirt. Every time Qi Ru moved, her pink underwear was visible.

Wu Jiayi went to see the manager, Qi Lai. He read the papers carefully. His expression became unsightly by the time he finished reading them. He put down the papers and rested his chin on one hand. His face was ashen with fear.

"Tell me, Wu Jiayi, did I ever bully you in this company?"

"No," she instantly answered.

"Did I ever try to frame you for something you never did?" he interrogated.

"Never," Wu Jaiyi said without hesitation.

Qi Lai was the fairest person in this entire company. He never bullied her or burdened her with a heavy workload. He didn't protect her either, no matter the situation or the people involved, he had always remained impartial. It was because of his impartiality, that her experience was ruined. His impartiality had also landed his sister in the trouble she was in now.

"I will accept your resignation, but I am begging you not to pursue legal action against my sister," he said, placing his hands on the table.

Wu Jiayi was shocked to see a man like Qi Lai beg for a sister who would sleep with any rich man. For a split second, she was envious of Qi Ru. Having someone love her unconditionally was a lifelong dream of hers.

"Ok".

"Make sure your sister stays away from Wu Xiaoniu or else she might get into even worse trouble," Wu Jiayi warned him.

Qi Lai was astonished to see Wu Jiayi take a step back. She did plan on taking legal action but Qi Lai's sincerity moved her heart. Hence, she begrudgingly took a step back.

Wu Jiayi headed off to a restaurant after she was done with Qi Lai. However, life didn't grant her the leisure to eat. Her phone, which was in her back pocket, started to ring.

It was a call from Wu Bolin. Wu Jiayi knew that it sounded like trouble. She fought the urge to ignore it and attended it.

Apparently, they wanted her back home as it was an urgent matter. Wu Jaiyi only acknowledged the part where he said he wanted her home, not the part where he said it was an emergency.

Wu Jiayi went to the Wu house four hours before midnight. She wouldn't have taken her sweet time if they hadn't mentioned emergencies.

After changing two buses, Wu Jiayi finally got home. Her stepmother's maid was standing outside the gates of the mansion, waiting for her.

"Young miss, you are late. I've been out here for a long time," the maid chided her.

Wu Jiayi usually kept an expressionless face. The maid's words didn't matter to her, she stopped only because she thought the maid was there to greet her.

"Move," Wu Jiayi ordered her. Oppressed by her cold presence, the maid complied. Wu Jiayi entered the main gate, with the maid following her. She couldn't help but wonder what the reason was for the drastic change in Wu Jiayi's attitude. This was not her first meeting with Wu Jiayi, then why did she change so much in just three weeks?

After walking for another minute, they reached the entrance to the Wu villa. At this point, Wu Jiayi seriously considered buying a car. She was panting like crazy, and the maid watching her smiled in satisfaction.

"This is exactly what this bitch deserves," she thought to herself. The maid got ahead of Wu Jiayi and opened the door, without giving her a chance to recover herself. Instead of losing her cool as she expected, Wu Jiayi confidently walked inside to face the Wu family.

The moment she entered, a forceful slap landed on her face and turned it to the other side. The person responsible for this action was her stepmother, Shao Ning.

"What do you think you are doing?" Wu Jiayi fiercely questioned her. Shao Ning was slightly intimidated. Wu Jiayi's countenance was deadpan, but her voice became terrifying.

Shao Ning stepped back in fear. Wu Bolin saw his wife being oppressed and immediately stepped up to aid her.

"How dare you speak like that to your mother?" Wu Bolin hollered at her.

Wu Jiayi ignored them and walked past them.

"My mother died fifteen years ago, if you want her to be my mother that much, then I don't mind sending her to her grave," she said nonchalantly.

While saying that, she plopped down on her paternal grandmother's armchair. Her hands landed on the armrests as her body made itself comfortable on the chair.

The couple looked horrified at her. The chair that she sat on belonged exclusively to the matriarch. Wu Xiaoniu, who was observing the entire exchange from upstairs, suddenly spoke up.

"You really think I don't know what you are planning".

"Father, she's trying to switch the power dynamics," Wu Xiaoniu said, pointing at her from the railings of the first floor.

They looked up and saw her racing down the stairs. At that moment, Wu Jiayi realised something. Wu Xiaoniu was supposed to be the graceful and charming beauty, and she was supposed to be the ugly duckling. Thankfully, her time in Japan made her realise she could rock both cute and sexy aesthetics. Right now, she had the money and the confidence to kick the Wu family away, but she couldn't do that even if she wanted to.

"Big sister, don't play psychological games with us," Wu Xiaoniu looked at her contemptuously.

Wu Jiayi was clueless about what Wu Xiaoniu was talking about.

"Look, I know you are suffering from a mental illness, but you don't have to try so hard to prove it," Wu Jiayi replied.

Having been taken by surprise, Wu Xiaoniu was at a loss. In an attempt to restore her dignity, she raised her hand to strike her sister. Wu Jiayi had a terrifying smile pasted on her face as she saw Wu Xiaoniu's actions.

Wu Jiayi grabbed her arm and pushed her away lightly.

Thump! Wu Xiaoniu fell to the ground dramatically. Her antics didn't surprise Wu Jiayi, she was used to them. She didn't put that much force into that push, yet she fell down. Wu Bolin hurried to help her up.

"Daddy, big sister pushed me," she cried in Wu Bolin's embrace.

"Please refrain from touching me, or else I'll push even harder next time," Wu Jiayi warned her. She was disgusted with her sister. Sometimes she wondered why she was so scheming. It's not like she did anything wrong to her. They were the ones who had wronged her from the start.

"Enough!" A vociferous and unwavering voice interrupted Wu Bolin, who was about to speak in his daughter's defence. It was the matriarch of the Wu family, Song Lan, Wu Bolin's mother.

The old matriarch's presence calmed the chaos going on in the living room. There was a deafening silence, and only the sound of Song Lan's walking stick banging against the floor was heard.

Wu Jaiyi's chin rested on her hand as she flashed a devilish smile at her.

"You want me to get up from here, don't you?" Wu Jiayi asked her.

Song Lan's lips curled up in a warm smile. She changed her direction and sat down on a different couch. Her actions flabbergasted the entire Wu family. Even Wu Bolin was not allowed to sit in the matriarch's seat.

Wu Xiaoniu's hands curled into fists as she saw the matriarch's action. Shao Ning rushed up to her daughter and gently stroked her hands.

"Don't forget why we called her here," she comforted Wu Xiaoniu.

The matriarch ignored the mother-daughter pair and looked at Wu Jiayi.

"It's been a long time since we last saw each other, my dear granddaughter," Song Lan addressed her.

"Your mother was the perfect trophy wife; I hope you'll be the same wherever you go".

"What are you implying?" Wu Jiayi's smile changed into a solemn look.

"I want you to marry the eldest son of the Xie family," Song Lan informed.

Wu Jiayi was taken aback. This family really was filled with leeches. First, they held her grandmother hostage, and now they wanted her to marry the disabled son of the Xie family to escape bankruptcy. Wu Jiayi was genuinely disgusted.

Wu Xiaoniu smiled in response.

Song Lan's attendant, who stood by her side, opened a box and presented it to Wu Jaiyi.

"This was sent by the Xie family to seal the deal," the attendant informed her.

Wu Jaiyi looked at the jade bracelets sent by the Xie family. Wu Xiaoniu saw the bracelets. She was envious at first, but then she remembered that she was going to marry a disabled man. The thought sent Wu Xiaoniu to the moon.

"You guys chose to accept the deal, so it's your responsibility to arrange the bride. Thank you for your kind efforts, but I'll be the one to decide my marriage,' Wu Jiayi replied as she stood up.

"Why don't you sell Xiaoniu? Her childishness is the reason why you are nearing bankruptcy. If you can't manage a small company like Shancun, I'll be more than willing to take it under my wing", Wu Jiayi added.

Wu Jiayi walked past her father to leave the Wu house, but she was surprised by the shamelessness of this family. Before she could open the door to the exit, two armed men blocked her.

Song Lan stood up and took her seat.

Wu Jiayi turned to look at Song Lan.

"Your grandma is with us, and her health doesn't seem good. If she doesn't get medical help soon, she might die soon." Song Lan's lips turned into a cold smile.

Wu Jaiyi was distraught but also suspicious. Her grandmother had no previous ailments, so why was her health always bad? And why was the timing of her declining health so convenient for the Wu family?

"I will agree to go along with your shenanigans if you let me see my grandmother at least once". Wu Jiayi had a guess, and in order to confirm it, she put her conditions forward.

At this point, Wu Jiayi was really hoping to hear a yes, or else she would destroy the entire Wu family, even if it meant destroying herself.

"That shall not happen, you will not see her before getting married to the boy from the Xie family," Song Lan responded.

Wu Jaiyi's smiled in compliance. She knew something was wrong, but she was adamant about not letting them have their way.

"I accept," Wu Jiayi sighed. The entire Wu family breathed a sigh of relief. Wu Xiaoniu beamed in satisfaction.

"The wedding will be held next week," she announced. Wu Jiayi scoffed in response.

"I'll come back a day before the wedding, until we meet again," Wu Jiayi swiftly left the manor.

Night time, sunrise apartment

Wu Jiayi picked up her phone after taking a long, warm shower. She needed one to cool herself down and get rid of all the bad thoughts she had about her grandmother's fate. She knew her grandmother was not fine.

If the Wu family wanted to play dirty, then she would gladly oblige. She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"Big sister, how are our finances going?" she asked the person on the other side of the phone.

"Things are going along smoothly," Wu Jiayi's mentor replied and inquired about the sudden move to J city. After the small talk, Wu Jiayi demanded something outrageous.

"Take over Shancun! You have lost your mind. Why would you waste money on something so useless?" Xia Huan shouted at her.

"Is it possible or not?" Wu Jiayi plopped down on the bed.

"Stop acting like an overbearing CEO, I'm the one who is supposed to act this way," Xia Huan joked.

"My dear CEO, I need to save my grandma," Wu Jiayi casually pleaded. She allowed herself to fall horizontally onto her bed. Her long hair spread like the branches of a tree across the bed as the golden lights of her room illuminated her delicate facial features.

Her big cat-like eyes welled up with tears as she reminisced on the times, she and her grandmother were together.

"I'll be honest with you; your sister's attempts at framing you have jeopardized the entire company. Their stock price has plummeted to an all-time low, and if we play our cards right, we can acquire Shancun for just three million dollars," Xia Huan explained.

Her explanation brought Wu Jiayi back from her childhood. Turns out Xia Huan wanted her to attend the engagement party of one of the most prominent businesses in J city which she received an invitation to. The businessman, coincidentally, was a member of the board of directors in Shancun too. He held a significant amount of shares in the company as well.

Wu Jiayi was more than willing to go if it meant destroying the Wu family, but there she would meet someone she didn't really want to meet.

Wu Jiayi picked out a loose, fitted dark blue off-shoulder dress and styled her hair with a loose side braid, decorated with butterflies. Her dress brought out her fair complexion, and she used a light pink shade to not draw too much light on herself.

Wu Jiayi was a natural beauty, so just with some slight face powder and mascara, she was ready to go.

Xia Huan had sent a Range Rover with a driver to pick Wu Jiayi up. She didn't hold anything back because she knew who the guest of honour was. Xia Huan felt slightly guilty about offering her little student to the big bad wolf, but she was more excited about grabbing the opportunity to become a billionaire.

The event was Wu Jiayi was attending the engagement party of Liu Wen's son, Liu Jingfei. Liu Wen owned twenty percent of the shares in Shancun and was the second largest shareholder. If Wu Jiayi caught hold of his shares and combined them with the ten percent she already owned, she could easily kick out the Wu family.

The party was small; only a few family members and the shareholders of the big names the city were there. In that party, she also saw the Wu family.

Wu Jiayi breathed in sharply to control her anxiety.

"Stay calm, it's going to be fine. You are looking very pretty," she told herself. After calming for another two minutes, she finally walked inside.

The moment she stepped inside, everyone looked at her. Wu Jiayi felt as if the stares would poke holes in her.

"I know I'm pretty, but you don't have to prove it so intensely," she thought to herself. She thought everyone was looking at her, but they were looking at the dress she was wearing. It was an archive Chanel featured on the runway in the 1992 fall fashion week. But there were two people who looked directly at the person donning it. One was Wu Xiaoniu, and the other was Tang Mingze, Wu Jiayi's ex-husband.

Wu Jiayi, overwhelmed by all the attention, quickly located Liu Jingfei and rushed to him.

"Congratulations on your engagement, young master Liu. I am Wu Jiayi, the vice president of Bai Chengong," she introduced herself.

Liu Jingfei recognized her by her name.

"I've heard so much about you from my father. The youngest millionaire of all times at just the age of eighteen!" he exclaimed.

"Your father overestimates my ability, young master," Wu Jiayi humbled herself. On the inside, she was on cloud nine and was trying to hold back a smug smile.

"Not at all, every day he hounds me about his adventures with you in Japan," he complained.

Wu Jiayi laughed lightly. She had no idea that Old Liu held her in such high regard, which she honored.

"By the way, I don't see your fiancé anywhere," Wu Jaiyi asked innocently. Liu Jingfei's expression turned ugly for a split second, which was caught by Wu Jiayi.

"They're going to be late," Liu Jingfei hurriedly replied.

"Come, I'll take you to meet my father," he said, changing the topic.

From the top of the stairs, there was someone who witnessed their entire exchange and was trying to calm down the storm in his heart.