65 Domineering CEO

[Aww, I finally saw Tao Tao in person online again! She's still so beautiful!!]

[It seems like you can walk again. Congratulations on your recovery, Peach Blossom!]

[Ahhhhh, so handsome, so beautiful, so cute! Just looking at them makes me smile. Such a blissful atmosphere!!]

[Reality is indeed better than fiction! Mom, I believe in love again!!!]

[Who understands the pain of the Peach Blossom Couple CP fans?! The real-life couple is clearly a real-life celebrity couple, yet there's absolutely no information about them online!!]

When are you going to film the new episode of the travel show, Peach Blossom? The kids are waiting so long! Please come back soon!!!

Is it because of the attack that she's planning to retire from the entertainment industry?

[Don't jinx it! The entertainment industry has lost its spark without Ye Taohua. It's still the same old cutthroat drama that's exciting. Hang in there, Peach Blossom! The gossip-loving public needs you!!!]

[You despicable trash, you disgusting Xue fans!!! If Tao Tao really retires from the entertainment industry, I will hate you for the rest of my life!!!]

[It's such a pity! This family of three has such good looks and charisma; it's a complete waste that they're not in the entertainment industry to please those who appreciate good looks!]

[Nan Nan is so cute! She's getting more and more lively. The thought that I might never see my baby Nan Nan again breaks my heart...]

【Peach Blossom, please stop pretending to be dead every time something happens!! What's going on?!】

After the initial admiration for her looks and the gossip, the comments under the trending topic began to speculate whether Ye Zhenzhen was going to retire from the entertainment industry.

This quickly sparked even greater discussion, and fans of Tao became increasingly panicked.

The official Weibo account of Taoyao was flooded with private messages, and even the assistant's account was bombarded by fans, causing the screen to freeze when trying to access it.

As the year draws to a close, Assistant Song is juggling the responsibilities of both Fengming and Taoyao companies, keeping her incredibly busy every day. No one dares to provoke her.

Li Tao, the head of the public relations department, had no choice but to take his assistant directly to the boss.

Ye Zhenzhen was recently overwhelmed by all sorts of documents, so after hearing what had happened, she told them to handle it.

"I never intended to stay in the entertainment industry, so it's good to retire from it this time."

Upon hearing this, the assistant almost burst into tears.

Upon hearing this, Li Tao broke out in a sweat.

My God! If you were to announce your retirement from the entertainment industry now, our enraged fans would tear us apart tonight!

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and carefully advised, "President Ye, our contract with the travel program hasn't expired yet. Although the penalty for breach of contract isn't high, there's only one episode left. Isn't it a bad idea to withdraw now?"

“It really isn’t appropriate. I can’t let Director Jiang down. I already felt bad about missing the last episode.” Ye Zhenzhen put down the document she was signing, scratched her head and thought for a moment. “I’ll post something on Weibo to clarify.”

"Come on, take a picture of me," she said, stretching her aching neck, taking the pen from her hand, and gesturing for her assistant to take the photo.

"Mr. Ye, would you like me to call a stylist for you?" The assistant took out her phone, looked at Mr. Ye's messy hair, and seemed at a loss.

"Just take pictures like this, capture everything on the table!" Ye Zhenzhen waved her hand dismissively, signaling her to hurry up.

Other celebrities post photos meticulously, down to every single strand of hair. Our boss usually goes out without makeup, which is understandable since she's good-looking enough to do whatever she wants. But now, she doesn't even seem to want to comb her hair when posting on Weibo...

The assistant glanced at Manager Li, and seeing that he didn't react, she had no choice but to find the right angle and press the shutter.

A gloomy atmosphere hung over the Peach Blossom Group.

Are Taoyao's PR team just sitting around doing nothing? They haven't given us an explanation in all this time!! Is Taoyao really retiring from the entertainment industry??

Why? Everything was going so well. Since Tao Tao appeared on the variety show, she's had both a great reputation and high popularity. She withstood so much criticism before, so why is she leaving the entertainment industry now?

Could it be that the Gu family is preventing it?

[Even President Gu personally accompanied him on the variety show, so it shouldn't be his fault. Could it really be that he was frightened by the last attack?]

[Damn you, Snow White, you're haunting me!!! I'm going to tear off some more snow powder to vent my anger!!!]

[Has anyone found out anything? Why is Tao Yao always pretending to be dead? It's driving me crazy!!!]

[Peach Blossom Official Weibo Post! !]

Fans immediately flocked to Taoyao's official Weibo account.

The official Weibo account only posted four words: "Being a domineering CEO is tough."

The accompanying photo was just taken by the assistant.

---

[After seeing so many meticulously edited photos of celebrities, Ye Taohua is truly a breath of fresh air. Her casually tousled hair looks like she just scratched her head!]

Is this what it means to be able to do whatever you want just because you're good-looking? Wow, this is something else! No retouching is nothing compared to Ye's exclusive photo-taking secrets, which, besides being makeup-free, now include: no styling!!

[That imposing posture, the casual attire, the desk piled high with documents, the furrowed brow—the more I look, the more familiar it seems!]

Even big bosses have a tough time at the end of the year...

[This is so realistic! What CEO, when they're busy to the point of exhaustion at the end of the year, would be all hairdressed, dressed in haute couture, sitting stiffly with a furrowed brow, striking a pose?! Can't TV dramas be a little more realistic?!]

[Among celebrities, she's the most trending CEO; among CEOs, she's the most beautiful! A double champion!!]

[Watching variety shows, I always felt that the Peach Blossom Couple was a domineering CEO and his doting wife, but today I suddenly realized they're actually two domineering CEOs!!! Wow, this makes them even more adorable!!]

[Hehe, my darling wife Zhenzhen has two faces.]

[How dare you!! You call her Zhenzhen on variety shows, and Boss Ye won't mind, but what should you call her when you get to the company?!]

【President Ye!!!】

【President Ye! Daddy!!! I'm a design major, a newly minted fan of Tao, and I've admired Fengming for a long time. Please take me in! I'm willing to be President Ye's number one loyal dog!!!】

[Holy crap, the person upstairs is shameless!! Brothers and sisters, get him down here, we can't let Boss Ye see this!!!]

I really want to join Taoyao and Fengming too! I heard that CEO Ye likes to give out red envelopes to his employees at the drop of a hat...

[Why are you guys derailing the conversation so easily? CEO Ye still hasn't said whether he's retiring from the entertainment industry!!!]

[For the past six months or so, aside from travel variety shows, I haven't taken on any other work. Could I really be planning to gradually retire from the entertainment industry and go back to being a CEO?]

[No way!!! The capitalist's ugly child is too much of an eyesore! I beg you, Mr. Ye, to stay in the entertainment industry, just to benefit your fans who love good looks!!!]

[The recent trending topics have become much more bland and boring without Mr. Ye. We beg Mr. Ye to stay and enrich our entertainment life!!!]

[Mr. Ye, please stay!!]

[Mr. Ye, please stay!!!]

[Mr. Ye, please stay!!!]

......

[Mr. Ye, please stay! +10086!!!]

Netizens started making jokes under the official Weibo post, which amused passersby, who joined in the fun, and the comment section quickly became very long.

Major marketing accounts also eagerly reposted the story, some even offering serious analyses, each turning into a detective like Conan, trying to deduce from the slightest clues whether Ye Zhenzhen was actually retiring from the entertainment industry.

Even Jiang Wei, who was engrossed in editing, heard the rumors and hesitantly called Ye Zhenzhen to sound her out.

Unfortunately, ever since "Let's Go Traveling Together" became a hit, similar programs have followed suit, making the future competition extremely fierce.

Whether a variety show can become popular depends not only on the script and filming, but most importantly on the guests.

Inviting the right guests not only brings in viewers and audience appeal, but also creates a wonderful chemistry between the guests.

He painstakingly assembled a cast of guests, but before the first season was even finished filming, the most talked-about guest was leaving the entertainment industry. Who could accept that?!

After comforting Director Jiang, Ye Zhenzhen hung up the phone and shook her head as she looked at her phone.

"What's wrong?" Gu Tingshen stopped and asked. "Is there something wrong at the company?"

With the winter break approaching, Ye Zhenzhen and her partner were busy with work, while Gu Sinan and Black Panther were picked up by Ye's father and taken to the outskirts of Beijing.

They seemed to be living a life of their own, but in reality, they left early and returned late every day, and when they got home they were so tired that they fell asleep immediately. Apart from breakfast time, they hardly communicated at all.

Perhaps it was because she was too busy and tired at the end of the year, Ye Zhenzhen always felt that Gu Tingshen was in a bad mood.

Perhaps because they had lived together for a long time, even though he always had a handsome face with no expression, she could still sense some differences.

On this rare day when neither of them was working overtime, Ye Zhenzhen took Gu Tingshen out for a walk along the community path, hoping to help the busy man relax. However, her phone kept ringing non-stop.

After receiving several calls in a row, Ye Zhenzhen immediately silenced her phone, sighed, and put it in her pocket.

"Is something wrong at the company?"

"No, everyone's asking if I'm really retiring from the entertainment industry." Ye Zhenzhen rubbed her hands together; her fingers were almost numb from answering the phone for so long in the cold wind.

Gu Tingshen took her hand and placed it in his palm to warm it. "So what do you think?"

"It's quite interesting, actually. I used to be filming every day, and they would chase after me, criticizing my acting as terrible and telling me to get out of the entertainment industry. Now that I'm busy with my real work and not getting in the way on TV, they all want me to stay?"

Feeling the warmth of the large hand, Ye Zhenzhen closed her eyes contentedly. "I was thinking of just finishing filming this variety show. I'm not really cut out for acting anyway, and I don't like being criticized, so why should I stay in the entertainment industry? But now, I'm a little hesitant. I feel like I'd be letting my fans down if I really retired. What do you think?"

"Whatever makes you happy." Gu Tingshen's attention was entirely focused on his palms, which felt like holding two pieces of warm, cool jade. "Your hands get so cold when it gets cold. Let Dr. Jia prescribe some more medicine to help you get better."

"No! I'm perfectly healthy, why would I need to take medicine?" Ye Zhenzhen reflexively refused, grabbing the man's large hand and pulling him forward. "Your palms are warm from the wind, much warmer than before! Don't change the subject, ask if you want to retire from the entertainment industry..."

Gu Tingshen smiled good-naturedly, letting her pull him along, thinking to himself, "I wonder who's changing the subject. Your happiness is the most important thing. If you come across a project that interests you, then participate; if you don't like one, then don't go. Just let things happen naturally. No one can force you to express your opinion."

"Wow, that last sentence is so domineering!" Ye Zhenzhen laughed and wanted to cheer him up. "Have you been online? Everyone says we're a double domineering CEO duo. I want to try making a domineering CEO statement too."

She cleared her throat, frowned, and used a finger to lift Gu Tingshen's chin, lowering her voice, "Man, listen to me carefully, only I have the right to make you express your opinion!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help but laugh, "Hahaha...so greasy, I'm getting goosebumps."

Gu Tingshen raised his eyebrows, suddenly reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace, and said looking down at her, "Woman, you're playing with fire."

"?" Ye Zhenzhen was initially stunned, captivated by the man's beauty up close, but after hearing what he said, she burst out laughing, "Pfft, hahahaha..."

"Where did you learn that? Haha, you're killing me..." Ye Zhenzhen clutched the man's chest, laughing so hard she was shaking. She finally managed to catch her breath, but when she looked up and met his gaze, she broke down again. "I can't take it anymore, I just want to laugh whenever I see you... Ouch, my stomach hurts..."

"Would you like to hear more?"

A magnetic voice seemed to ring in her ear, sending a tingling sensation up her spine. Ye Zhenzhen's laughter stopped abruptly. She covered her half-reddened ear, still somewhat unconvinced, "Hmph, I definitely know more than you..."

"Yes, Mr. Ye is the best." Gu Tingshen's lips curled into a smile, deliberately being perfunctory. "Let's continue our walk..."

"Don't go! Tell me honestly, where did you learn this? Ah, you weren't slacking off at work, watching those 'domineering CEO falls in love with me' dramas, were you?" Ye Zhenzhen grabbed the man's sleeve, determined to have a showdown. "I've reviewed several melodramatic domineering CEO scripts these past few days, let's have another competition!!"

"Okay, come on." Gu Tingshen turned his head away helplessly, but the smile on his lips betrayed his indulgence.

"Man, you've successfully caught my attention!" Ye Zhenzhen said, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at him, mimicking a teapot.

“Your movements are wrong,” Gu Tingshen shook his head, his long, slender fingers lifting her chin.

With every gesture, he exudes elegance and commanding presence. What's remarkable is that he shows no trace of greasiness, but rather displays the demeanor of a domineering CEO.

"I'll do it!" Ye Zhenzhen pressed down on the man's hand defiantly, raised her head, squinted her eyes, and imitated the man by lifting his chin.

Her fingertips touched the stubble on the man's chin, a slightly itchy sensation that made her rub it a few times. It was rough like sandpaper, and she could clearly feel the resistance when she stroked it upwards against the stubble.

Ye Zhenzhen was so captivated by the strange sensation that she momentarily forgot her lines.

Until a deep male voice rang out.

Are you satisfied with what you touched?

Ye Zhenzhen's fingers twitched slightly, then she pressed her entire palm against it, letting the slight stubble of her beard brush against her palm, striking an arrogant pose, "Very satisfied, from now on only I can touch this place, remember that?"

Gu Tingshen chuckled softly and pulled the person into his arms. "Okay, they're all yours. You can touch them, though."

On the way back, a sweet and melodious voice kept ringing in my ears, and every time I turned my head, I could see a face full of warm smiles.

Vibrant, bright, and full of life, even the most ordinary little things in everyday life become vivid and interesting in her descriptions.

As he listened, Gu Tingshen exhaled, and a wisp of white mist appeared in the dry, cold air, only to be slowly dispersed by the wind, just like the knot in his heart, which seemed to dissipate in the wind.

[Author's Note]

Quiz (no prize): How does CEO Gu know so many domineering CEO quotes? [laughing and crying emojis]