My CEO Harem Cultivation System

The day was already over.

The CEO had gone about his schedule like he always used to, except for a few key differences. He did not work overtime. Somehow those days of working past the clock had disappeared even before he realized what had happened. This time he would go home as he promised his daughter at precisely six in the evening. But before he would leave, he ended up exchanging a few words with his secretary before he and Taiga returned home.

A conversation that was long overdue.

"Mister Li!"

The CEO signaled for Taiga to go out, which the Tigress Spirit reluctantly did and called out that she would wait at the ground floor's parking lot. "What is it, Miss He?" he asked, somewhat surprised, but glad for the woman approaching him faster than he thought she would be.

"I…" A look of hesitation crossed on her face, before some resolve settled on her face and she looked at him with a hint of seriousness as she lifted her chin and met his eyes.. "Next time, Mister Li—I'll be able to do better and actually stand at your side like you wanted me to do… I'm sorry for failing you that time. I'll do my best to not make it happen again."

He blinked at the sudden words, the man caught a bit off guard at her words but then he smiled. "Miss He, I already told you to take your time. I think I'm the one who's expected so much from you during the incident with the monster back then. It was a rush… but I will be looking forward to that promised time then."

Those were his words before he left her, leaving the woman stunned and frozen in place.

Until she called out again.

"Mister Li, one more thing!"

He glanced over his shoulder to see the woman standing up. Her fists were clenched together. Her face was red at this moment as she took a deep breath and then said it.

"I… I like you a lot, boss."

Before he could say another thing, she averted her gaze and rushed out the next words.

"I'm pretty sure you might have fired a lot of your past secretaries for stuff like this, but I just wanted to tell you, that's all." She shyly looked at him. "And I want to support you, even outside of work, so I'll do my best to be someone you can continue depending on. Not just in a business setting… if that's okay with you?"

He might have blinked earlier, taken aback, but now he listened to it.

The CEO couldn't just pretend he hadn't noticed this at all. Even if he wanted to. "Thank you, Ying Yue He. You're free to do you as you wish, naturally." Li Yang cleared his throat. His mind remembered their dates and the endings to both, and even the years they were together in this very office. His own actions didn't align with what he wanted sometimes. "But I hope that you'll assess your situation first and think about this. Emotions are a fickle thing—"

"I'm not expecting anything!" She cut him off, before sighing and rubbing the back of her neck. There was a tired expression on her face, even as she looked him in the eye. "I just wanted to tell you. And I believe I don't even need your permission for this, Mister Li."

"No... not really."

"It's settled then." Ying Yue He let out a sigh in a mix of relief and accomplishment. She smiled at him. "I'll let you go on from here, Mister Li… I know Chunhua is waiting for you, and I don't want Taiga to throw a fit for hogging you for too long. I wanted to say it and get it off my chest and now that I have… I'm good."

The two of them both knew this wasn't the case. At least he felt like it wasn't true at all and if this was her way of getting over her feelings about him then—

"Thank you for listening to me, boss."

He studied her expression, the red-faced but brave face of his secretary before nodding slowly. This was what he wanted in the beginning, didn't he? His secretary to have a life of her own, separated from his. But now there was an uneasy feeling inside of him.

He should say more, or do something.

Anything at all.

Step forward and grab her shoulders. Kiss her then and there might have been appropriate, if not too much. The surrounding atmosphere around them might have allowed for it. There was something senseless in the air. And yet, the situation between them… Li Yang sighed and rubbed his face. He glanced back at his secretary and cleared his throat. "Miss He—I'm not someone who can dedicate his all to one woman alone."

"Huh—" she looked at him unsurely. Before she managed a weak grin. "What are you trying to say, Mister Li? Are you some kind of womanizer?"

"By virtue of action, yes." Li Yang nodded and fought the urge to smile at the ridiculousness of this all. "I'm the kind of man who will and is sleeping with different women of varying natures."

Something caught in her throat, and she coughed in embarrassment. "Well, it makes sense that a man of your standing… can engage in such things. I am not some moral arbiter, Mister Li, so I'm not sure why you're telling me—"

"If you don't mind it, then I'd like to return your feelings."

"E-eh?" She gazed at him.

"I believe I can take care of you. You already know my accomplishments and capabilities—I am a busy man, and my attention is divided. I already have a child thanks to a one-night stand brought on my own foolishness and that of my brother… and I will still be engaging in such practices for the benefit of it."

"Benefit…?"

"If you are not familiar with such practices—I don't believe you are, it's only been recently since you were introduced to cultivation, but the path I am following is related to acquiring women of note and certain talent to be part of my harem." he looked at her. "I don't want you to be part of it, because it already feels like I'm using you if I were to do that… but I am still a selfish man. Now that you admitted your feelings, I can't simply go and pretend like I didn't hear it—"

She began to laugh.

A touch of incredulity filled the sound of her laugh. But she stopped herself and looked at him, clarifying something. "I'm not laughing at you, Mister Li—but, ah…when you're somewhat nervous and unsure of yourself, you tend to have a habit of over speaking, don't you, boss?"

Li Yang blinked and realized she was correct. "I suppose." He made no effort to explain himself now.

"And now you're back to normal." Ying Yue He's lips quirked slightly into a smile. "That's the Mister Li I know. But both sides of you are fine with me, boss."

"Two sides, then. What about the third?"

"The third…? Ah, you mean the player-side?" Ying Yue He tilted her head at him. "I always thought that your brother was the player… but does this run in the Li Family?"

"No. My father was loyal to my mother—"

She waved at him. "You already explained that it's in relation to your… cultivation path?"

"Unfortunately."

"You make it sound like a bad thing when it really isn't."

"Then I suppose something like this is normal to you…?"

Ying Yue He coughed. "I'm familiar with our nation's history of Emperors and their Harem of Concubines. It's uh… a little interesting to me, but according to the Rites of Zhou, a system was proposed for the Emperor to only have one Empress. But he was allowed to have two Consorts, three Wives, nine Imperial Concubines, twenty-seven Hereditary Consorts and eighty-one Imperial Wives."

Li Yang stared at her. "I wasn't aware of that. Did you study history as a minor?"

"I've seen my fair share of telenovelas where someone rises from being the concubine to become the empress. It's fascinating and tells of the rich history of our people." She coughed.

"You made no mention of that before."

"Not really…" she sheepishly smiled. "It's a bit embarrassing to share this side of myself."

"Well, in my case, I'd like the chance to learn about your different side, Miss He," he said. "It's not fair that our understanding of one another is only one-sided between the two of us."

"If it fits your busy schedule, boss. Maybe I'll try to look into delegating some other tasks—but, ah, first off your daughter! Don't forget about her, Mister Li."

"I won't, but I'll entrust my schedule to you as usual."

"As always, boss."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Not exactly sure what to do now that they've finally done it. Li Yang was satisfied and at ease, but he didn't feel like it was appropriate to approach her and share an intimate action so suddenly when they've just reached a moment of clarity between them.

It might be too soon.

"You two idiots should just get it over with now." Bao couldn't take it any longer and nagged him, appearing in the thin air. "Kiss her if you will."

Ying Yue He beat him to it and stepped over to him, kissing his cheek. "Uh—have a good drive, Mister Li?"

Li Yang raised a brow. "Do you not want me to take you home?"

"Huh?!" The Panda flipped in the air.

—-—-

Author's Note: Self-note, fast-paced. Get this done. Long overdue stuff. Ying Yue He squad where you at? Do we actually have a secretary squad? No? Oh well. I hope this interaction between these idiots was fine xD Some have the sexy, some have this stuff. Second-hand embarrassment right here.