My Boss is a Domineering CEO 01

"Ring ring ring..." The phone's shrill noise jolted Fang Zhiyi awake.

Rubbing his eyes, Fang Zhiyi reached for the phone, only to hear a grating male voice that sent shivers down his spine: "Get to the office now!" Before Fang Zhiyi could respond, the call ended abruptly.

Then came the familiar, stabbing pain in his head.

This was a modern world, and Fang Zhiyi's role was that of an assistant.

Yan Beichen was Fang Zhiyi's boss—a young CEO who, though not yet fully in control, already called the shots at Yan Corporation.

Yan Beichen was in love with a woman, his childhood sweetheart Xie Yutang. But after a one-night stand, Xie Yutang vanished abroad without a trace.

Heartbroken, Yan Beichen then stumbled upon a ditzy girl—the female lead, Xiao Ruoruo—who bore a striking resemblance to Xie Yutang. Her clumsy arrival at Yan Corporation for an interview caught Fang Zhiyi's eye, and he arranged for her to become Yan Beichen's secretary. Unsurprisingly, Yan Beichen fell hard.

What followed was a series of saccharine moments, like:

"Woman, I forbid you to look at other men."

"Woman, you're mine. Don’t you dare smile at anyone else." And so on.

But just as the two were about to get engaged, Xie Yutang returned—carrying Yan Beichen's child. The sight of her threw Yan Beichen into panic, and he abandoned Xiao Ruoruo on the spot.

Devastated, Xiao Ruoruo chose to leave. Yet, after calming down, Yan Beichen realized his true love was still Xiao Ruoruo. He ordered Fang Zhiyi to track her down. Fang Zhiyi found her—alongside another man standing guard by her side. When Yan Beichen learned of this, he immediately sent someone to run the man over with a car, leaving him in a vegetative state.

Xiao Ruoruo was brought back, and the couple resumed their tumultuous relationship. To eliminate any lingering threats, Yan Beichen then tasked Fang Zhiyi with "handling" the persistent Xie Yutang. Though hesitant, Fang Zhiyi complied—though he couldn’t bring himself to kill her, opting instead to send her abroad again.

But Xie Yutang turned up dead. The Xie family, no small force themselves, quickly traced the blame to Yan Beichen. To protect him, Xiao Ruoruo threw Fang Zhiyi under the bus, exposing him as the perpetrator. Thus, Fang Zhiyi became a disposable pawn—beaten to near death by Xie family thugs. Barely escaping, he was then fatally run over by Xiao Ruoruo herself. Only in his dying moments did he learn Yan Beichen had pinned Lin Moyan’s hit-and-run on him.

With the deed done, Yan Beichen helped Xiao Ruoruo cover her tracks.

After his death, the plot twisted again: Xie Yutang wasn’t actually dead. She had faked her demise and returned with their now-grown prodigy child. After multiple clashes with Xiao Ruoruo, Yan Beichen was left tormented—until Xie Yutang finally let go, leaving the child with him and disappearing abroad once more. Xiao Ruoruo and Yan Beichen then lived happily ever after, raising Xie Yutang’s child as their own.

By the time Fang Zhiyi finished processing this absurd storyline, his mind had gone numb.

"What kind of grudge do you have against me?"

The system chuckled darkly before urging, "Host, hurry up. Today’s the day the female lead arrives for her interview."

"Any mission objectives?"

"Just one: survive. Stay far away from these three lunatics."

"Fine."

Fang Zhiyi drove straight to Yan Corporation’s headquarters. Just as he was about to park in his designated spot, a helmet-clad girl on a scooter zipped in, haphazardly parked, and sprinted off.

"Hey! That’s my spot!" Fang Zhiyi shouted.

The girl glanced back. "I’m late for my interview!" she yelled before bolting into the building.

Resigned, Fang Zhiyi blocked the spot by parking horizontally in front of it.

Upstairs, he surveyed the candidates waiting for their interviews. Most wore professional attire—good, at least they had some sense. Then his eyes landed on the helmet-clad airhead, now awkwardly removing her headgear. She wore a cutesy T-shirt and overalls, and upon spotting Fang Zhiyi, she froze before sticking her tongue out in a cheeky grin.

"Let me guess—Xiao Ruoruo?" Fang Zhiyi sighed.

The interviews proceeded smoothly at first. The earlier candidates were so normal that Fang Zhiyi almost forgot this was anything but a standard workplace drama.

Then in bounced Xiao Ruoruo, dressed like a walking cartoon character. "Wow, what a coincidence!" she chirped, beaming at Fang Zhiyi.

He stared at her, then wordlessly began packing up to leave.

"Wait! You haven’t interviewed me yet!" Xiao Ruoruo protested, flustered by his indifference.

"No need. You don’t meet our company’s standards." Fang Zhiyi couldn’t fathom why the original Fang Zhiyi had hired her just because she resembled Xie Yutang. Was Yan Corporation this reckless?

Xiao Ruoruo’s face flushed with anger. "Is this because I took your parking spot?" She planted her hands on her hips.

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "Exactly. Next time, don’t park like a jerk. It’s rude."

"You—!"

"Security!" Fang Zhiyi called out. Xiao Ruoruo immediately deflated and slunk away.

"Assistant Fang, CEO Yan wants you," someone informed him.

Fang Zhiyi watched Xiao Ruoruo’s retreating figure before striding toward the CEO’s office.

The moment he entered, Yan Beichen flung a document at him. "I want the land in the northern district. Handle it. I don’t want these companies showing up at the bidding."

Fang Zhiyi frowned. This wasn’t in the original plot. Then again, in the original timeline, he’d been busy ushering Xiao Ruoruo in, and Yan Beichen hadn’t mentioned any bidding.

"CEO Yan, how exactly do I make them not show up?"

Yan Beichen looked taken aback. "I pay you to solve problems, not ask me how."

Seeing Fang Zhiyi’s hesitation, Yan Beichen’s expression darkened. "Kidnap them, block their cars—I don’t care. Just keep them away."

"That’s illegal, CEO Yan."

Yan Beichen nearly stumbled. "Do you even want this job, Fang Zhiyi? I could fire you today!"

Fang Zhiyi met his gaze. "If you terminate me, you’re legally required to give a month’s notice. Otherwise, that’s illegal too."

"You—!" Yan Beichen was baffled. Fang Zhiyi had always been obedient—since when did he grow a spine?

"Just figure it out!"

Yan Beichen stormed off, unsettled. There was an unfamiliar aura around Fang Zhiyi today, one that inexplicably made him feel... small. He shook his head. No, it had to be exhaustion—his longing for Xie Yutang was messing with his mind.

But as he reached the building’s lobby, his attention snagged on a girl vandalizing Fang Zhiyi’s car with paint. Curiosity got the better of him.