The CEO's Contract Bride
Night fell over Binhai City, and neon lights blurred into colorful halos behind the curtain of rain. Lin Xiaoman clutched a crumpled medical report and paced outside the revolving doors of the Imperial Hotel. The smell of disinfectant still seemed to cling to her nostrils. The doctor had said her mother's surgery would cost at least three hundred thousand yuan, and all her savings weren't even a fraction of that.
“Miss Lin?” A deep, magnetic voice sounded behind her. Lin Xiaoman spun around and met a pair of eyes as dark and unfathomable as ink. The man wore a sharply tailored black suit, a refined cufflink at his collar, and carried an imposing presence that made it hard to meet his gaze.
“Mr. Xiao?” Lin Xiaoman recognized him. Xiao Jingyan, Binhai City's youngest business tycoon and the famously ruthless CEO of the Xiao Group. She never imagined she would run into him here.
Xiao Jingyan's gaze fell on the medical report in her hand. The faintest hint of a smile touched his lips. “I can help you.” He paused. “But I need a contract bride.”
Lin Xiaoman stared at him in disbelief. Xiao Jingyan took a document from his inner jacket pocket and held it out to her. “Three months. Attend various events with me and play the part of Mrs. Xiao. Once it's done, I'll give you three million yuan.”
Three million would cover her mother's surgery and leave enough for them to live comfortably. Lin Xiaoman gritted her teeth and took the document. “I agree.”
The next day, Lin Xiaoman moved into Xiao Jingyan's villa. This luxurious mansion halfway up the mountain displayed its owner's taste and wealth in every detail. But Lin Xiaoman had no time to
