Dominant Marriage: The CEO's Overbearing Love

Chapter 209 - 189: Haven’t you planned to take the opportunity to make me yours?

Seeing the troubled look on Gu Qimiao’s face, Fang Shaobei tentatively asked, "Do you have someone you like?"This made her smile a bit, probably thinking of Shen Yanchen.

She didn’t deny it and nodded with a smile.

"Who is it?"

Her face immediately showed a hint of shyness. She bit her lip and said with a light smile, "That’s my secret."

Unexpectedly, Fang Shaobei immediately guessed, "Shen Yanchen?"

"No, no!" Her denial came too quickly, making her seem guilty.

"Isn’t it?" Fang Shaobei asked with a smile, murmuring to himself.

Gu Qimiao quickly changed the subject, "Let’s go over there and take a look."

"Yeah, let’s go."

Why does she deny it? What is she worried about?

They arrived at the art exhibition on time. The hall wasn’t luxurious, but it exuded an ancient artistic charm, making it pleasing to the eye as they walked in.

There were quite a few people visiting, bustling around. As soon as Fang Shaobei arrived, the organizers took him away, and Gu Qimiao followed behind as his little assistant.

Fang Shaobei was a special guest invited by the organizers. He was invited on stage to speak right at the beginning.

He spoke in fluent Chinese, with the translator speaking softly beside him.

He was used to big scenes, not nervous at all, his demeanor as natural as if he were giving a lecture at school.

He was a star in this field. Many people probably came just for him today.

Gu Qimiao, as his student, stood below feeling proud.

When his speech ended, there was a burst of warm applause from the audience.

He walked off the stage gracefully and came straight to her side.

"Now that it’s over, should we look around first or go eat?"

"Let’s look around first. It’s rare to be here." Actually, she wanted to wait for Shen Yanchen to finish so they could eat together, but she didn’t know when he would be done.

As they wandered around, many people came to greet Fang Shaobei. He was proficient in several languages and chatted happily with the blonde-haired, blue-eyed crowd, but Gu Qimiao understood nothing.

Seeing it was six in the afternoon, she found an excuse to go to the restroom, nervously dialing Shen Yanchen’s number.

It rang for a while before it was answered.

He didn’t speak first, so Gu Qimiao asked after a moment’s silence, "Brother Yan Chen, when will you be done? Do you want to have dinner together?"

Before hearing his answer, a charming voice came from the other end, "Mr. Shen, dinner tonight? I’ll make sure you’re well fed..."

The teasing voice was abruptly interrupted, as if someone had been pushed, followed by a cry of pain.

Gu Qimiao swallowed, her mind filling with images. What was he doing over there?

As she was lost in thought, his voice came through the phone, "Where are you now?"

"... At the exhibition hall."

"Wait for me to finish, I’ll call you later."

"... Okay."

As Gu Qimiao was about to hang up, Shen Yanchen asked, "Are you hungry?"

"No, you go ahead. I’ll wait for you."

Shen Yanchen was silent for a moment, worried about her getting too hungry, then said, "You guys go have dinner first, send me the address, I’ll join you shortly."

Before Gu Qimiao could reply, he hung up.

Fang Shaobei, unable to find her, finally spotted her coming out of the restroom.

Seeing the time, he suggested they go eat.

Gu Qimiao’s thoughts were preoccupied with the scene on Shen Yanchen’s end. How could there be such an [intimate] voice?

Maybe all men are the same, confronted with [temptation], who could resist...

After ordering a few dishes, just as the appetizers were being served, Shen Yanchen arrived, spotting Gu Qimiao immediately as he entered. He strode over without greeting anyone, sitting down unceremoniously next to her.

Gu Qimiao scooted further inside. As he sat down, a whiff of wind brought a scent to her nose. It was his usual cologne mixed with another fragrance. Was it that woman’s?

"Have you ordered?" He squeezed into the sofa with Gu Qimiao, ignoring Fang Shaobei across from them, and asked her directly.

"Just a couple... Have a look and order what you want." Gu Qimiao handed him the menu.

Shen Yanchen took it, ordered a few of Gu Qimiao’s favorite dishes, handed it to the waiter, then asked, "Where did you go this afternoon?"

His tone was just like a husband checking on his wife.

Gu Qimiao, still distracted by the voice on the phone, responded after a few seconds, "Just wandered around nearby."

He never mentioned his work, focusing only on Gu Qimiao’s matters, completely ignoring Fang Shaobei, making the meal awkward.

After dinner, Fang Shaobei said he’d head back to the hotel, but Shen Yanchen deliberately pulled Gu Qimiao close, looking slightly smug as he told Fang Shaobei, "You go back alone. We’ll go for a walk. The street lights are bright enough; we don’t need an extra light bulb."

Gu Qimiao: "..."

She never knew he could be so sharp-tongued.

Fang Shaobei cursed immaturely under his breath and then gave Gu Qimiao a few work instructions before wisely making his exit.

The night in Prague was as beautiful as ever. There were tourists enjoying themselves, and locals taking strolls with their families, children, and couples like them.

Except that while others were openly affectionate, there seemed to be only awkwardness between them.

Standing next to him, she caught the clean scent wafting from him, but all she could think about was what he had been doing that afternoon.

Was he really working?

"Miaomiao."

Gu Qimiao snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him.

He glanced at her, opened his mouth as if to say something but eventually stayed silent, reaching out to hold her hand and leading her towards the bridge.

When they arrived at a ticket booth, he exchanged a few sentences in fluent Czech with the staff. Gu Qimiao couldn’t understand a word, but she could roughly guess he was buying boat tickets.

After asking a few questions, he pulled out some money from his wallet, and the ticket seller handed over two tickets.

"Let’s go." He gently put his arm around her as they walked to the dock.

There was a cruise ship docked, brightly lit inside.

"Are we taking this?"

He didn’t answer, just checked the details on the tickets, then led her onto the ship.

They had bought a private couple’s cabin. It was small but very romantic, with two small sofas, a round marble table adorned with buttery yellow roses, several lit candles, and some delicate snacks. Even the curtains were made of [lace]-embroidered sheer fabric. The stereo on the boat played soothing foreign tunes, enhancing the dreamy atmosphere.

Gu Qimiao lifted her dress and sat on one of the small sofas, while he took a seat opposite her.

The night view outside the window was beautiful, with the lights reflecting on the water, softly rippling. She couldn’t help but take out her camera to capture the scenery.

Seeing her attention shift, Shen Yanchen felt a sense of relief. He knew she must have heard the woman’s voice during the phone call, which was why she had been somewhat downcast all evening.

Noticing her wearing a one-shoulder dress, and feeling the temperature dropping as the night went on and the wind got cooler once the boat started moving, Shen Yanchen took off his jacket and handed it to her: "Put this on."

Gu Qimiao turned at his voice, smiled slightly, and gently shook her head: "I’m not cold."

"Wear it." He repeated, a bit displeased.

Gu Qimiao pursed her lips, put down her camera, and reached out to take his jacket, but her actions froze when she noticed an unusual stain on his white shirt. She then quickly averted her gaze, feeling a wave of sadness.

Shen Yanchen saw her expression and looked down at his own shirt to find a red mark on his chest.

Lipstick. Women were always more sensitive to such things than men.

Seeing her trying to disguise her feelings, holding his jacket and pretending not to care as she looked out the window, Shen Yanchen sighed.

Silence would only push her further away.

"I had a clingy female client."

Gu Qimiao was taken aback but then realized he was offering an explanation. Feeling as if her inner thoughts had been exposed, she smiled awkwardly, but it did make her feel somewhat better than before.

"Do you often encounter such women?"

Shen Yanchen raised an eyebrow: "Kind of. In your current position, a lot of people are watching."

Seeing his serious yet self-absorbed look, Gu Qimiao chuckled awkwardly, thinking to herself that his charm was indeed evident to everyone.

When their marriage news was announced, the internet went wild; girls all over the city were probably heartbroken.

The news of her dream [lover]’s marriage had come too quickly. She could only be grateful that she was the one in this sham marriage with him, instead of seeing him walk the red carpet with another woman on the newspapers. She couldn’t imagine how she would have felt.

Perhaps even more heartbroken than she felt when she heard about Lu Qianwen’s engagement.

Shen Yanchen watched her intently, making her blush deeply. He continued to stare at her with great interest before saying, "Miaomiao."

She turned her head, flustered but trying to appear calm as she looked at him: "Hmm?"

Shen Yanchen stood up and with his long legs, walked over to her side.

The sofa on this side was small, spacious for one but snug for two.

Seeing him about to sit down, Gu Qimiao instinctively moved aside, but his hands slipped under her armpits and lifted her up.

Shen Yanchen sat where she had been sitting and then placed her on his lap, wrapping his arms around her.

Gu Qimiao’s eyes widened, her face burning as her body became as stiff as a board.

"Brother Yan Chen!"

Shen Yanchen leisurely looked at her embarrassed expression, held her tightly from behind, and with a charming voice, asked: "I’m so outstanding, haven’t you thought of taking advantage of this and claiming me as your own?"

Gu Qimiao’s heart raced. Of course, she had thought about it. She thought about it all the time, but she was just too afraid.

When those feelings were laid bare, would they be cherished or mocked? Would they end in mutual happiness or destroy the last bit of their relationship?

Gu Qimiao avoided his breath, turned her head aside, and muttered gloomily: "Brother Yan Chen, don’t do this..."

Shen Yanchen smiled and continued to tease her: "Really no such thoughts? Not even tempted to try pursuing me? Maybe I’ll say yes."