The CEO Training Manual

“What?”

Chu Nian turned around, thinking he had misheard. He looked up at Lu Jinnian.

The man was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. His hair was a bit messy from just waking up, but his face was undeniably striking. Even simple deep-blue silk pajamas looked extraordinary on him. His dark eyes were partially veiled by the stray locks of hair on his forehead, and his gaze was fixed intently on Chu Nian.

Judging by his expression, Lu Jinnian wasn’t joking.

He waited with pressed lips for a moment. Seeing that Chu Nian still looked dazed, Lu Jinnian let out a sharp “Tsk” and rubbed the back of his head. “I’m not saying it a second time.”

“I didn’t want to trouble you either.” Lu Jinnian straightened up, his silk pajamas swaying. It was unclear if he had intentionally left the top buttons undone, but the collar fell open, exposing his chest directly to Chu Nian’s view.

Chu Nian shifted his gaze away from Lu Jinnian’s chest. He was still holding his phone to his ear, though he could no longer hear whatever Xu Chi was saying on the other end.

“I mean…” Chu Nian spoke hesitantly, “Why me?”

Given Lu Jinnian’s personality, he would usually rather force Zhou Ze to work overtime than ask Chu Nian for help.

Lu Jinnian froze for a second. He rubbed the tip of his nose, his long lashes fluttering. “Besides the two of us, is there a third man in this house?”

The words were blunt, but his tone had softened. Chu Nian almost detected a hint of pleading in it.

He instinctively narrowed his eyes; he felt that if Lu Jinnian had a tail right now, it would be drooping pathetically.

“What! Chu Nian! What does Lu Jinnian want you to do?!”

Xu Chi’s boisterous voice shattered Chu Nian’s strange imagination. He snapped back to reality and answered in a low voice: “A bath.”

“A bath!” Xu Chi’s volume spiked so sharply that the phone speaker crackled with static. Standing in front of him, Lu Jinnian seemed to catch a bit of it, casting a puzzled look Chu Nian’s way.

“That Lu Jinnian kid is starting to covet your body, isn’t he?! I knew he was up to no good!”

“No way! Nian-Nian, let me tell you, we aren’t doing this job anymore. Go get the termination contract right now and throw it in his—”

Chu Nian seemed to block out Xu Chi’s voice. His thin lips moved as he said softly, “Okay.”

Xu Chi: “…”

Chu Nian hung up, pocketed his phone, and began rolling up his sleeves. Lu Jinnian clearly hadn’t expected Chu Nian to agree so easily; his eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

That invisible tail behind him seemed to perk up instantly.

Chu Nian walked over without a word and grabbed Lu Jinnian’s arm to help him into the master bathroom. The other man remained in a daze; even when Chu Nian settled him onto a bench in the shower area, his eyes remained glued to Chu Nian.

That burning gaze was impossible to ignore. Chu Nian stood up to switch on the lights. As the brightness flooded the room, Lu Jinnian blinked reflexively, his thick lashes trembling.

Chu Nian studied him for a few seconds, then reached out and flicked Lu Jinnian on the forehead. The man jumped, nearly leaping off the bench. Once he realized what happened, he clutched his forehead and started wailing about the “pain.”

“I barely touched you,” Chu Nian said, sighing at the clumsy acting. “Stop pretending.”

Lu Jinnian pressed both hands to his forehead, his brows knitted in a look of total agony. “Don’t you know that CEOs like me are very fragile?”

Chu Nian: “…”

The next second, a jet of icy water sprayed Lu Jinnian right in the face.

Chu Nian had picked up the showerhead to test the temperature, but he accidentally hit the high-pressure switch. Cold water blasted out, giving Lu Jinnian a thorough soaking.

Realizing the mishap, Chu Nian quickly killed the water and grabbed a dry towel to drape over Lu Jinnian’s head. Lu Jinnian sat frozen for nearly half a minute before finally reaching up to pull the towel down.

He slowly opened his eyes. His hair was soaked, with wet strands clinging to his cheeks, and droplets of water were sliding down his neck.

The wet fabric of his pajamas clung to his frame, outlining the lean muscle of his arms. His deep collarbones rose and fell with his breath. He bit his lower lip, making the pale pink color turn a vivid red.

“Sorry,” Chu Nian blinked. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

He looked at Lu Jinnian, who remained silent. Water gathered at his chin and dripped onto the floor; Chu Nian could almost hear the sound of each drop hitting the tiles.

If this were the old Lu Jinnian, he would be furious. The room fell into a heavy silence, where even the sound of a slight shift in posture felt magnified.

After a long pause, Chu Nian heard a voice—

[Is this my wife’s little trick to attract my attention?]

[As expected of my wife, he really knows how to play me!]

Chu Nian’s gaze slowly drifted to the top of Lu Jinnian’s head.

The man was looking down, his face expressionless and cold, yet his inner thoughts were completely exposed.

[Excellent. Now it’s my turn to get my wife’s attention.]

“Heh…”

Lu Jinnian had just started to curl his lip, a syllable beginning to form in his throat, when Chu Nian suddenly stood up with a “Whoosh!” and dropped a cold line: “If you don’t start taking your clothes off, I’m not helping you.”

He turned to walk away, but immediately felt a tug on his shirt.

The cold smirk Lu Jinnian had been preparing was swallowed instantly. He reached out and grabbed the hem of Chu Nian’s shirt. “I’m taking them off right now!”

Chu Nian turned back. The man let go of him and began slowly unbuttoning his pajama top, his brows slightly furrowed, looking like a tragic victim being forced into something scandalous.

Anyone else seeing this would think Chu Nian was the one doing the coercing.

Lu Jinnian took his sweet time with the buttons until the silk top slid off his shoulders. He was naturally fair-skinned, and under the warm orange light of the bathroom, his skin looked even more luminous.

Lu Jinnian had muscle, but he wasn’t bulky; he was toned and lean, with graceful lines that were as attractive as his face.

Chu Nian stared at him, unaware that his gaze had become quite direct. Sitting on the bench without his shirt, Lu Jinnian looked suddenly lost. He could feel Chu Nian’s eyes on him; his heart hammered against his ribs, and the tips of his ears turned a bright red.

He instinctively wanted to cover himself, but in his attempt to act “cool,” he had tossed the towel and his shirt far away. Lu Jinnian lowered his head and, after a moment of hesitation, raised both hands to cover his chest.

Chu Nian: “…”

Chu Nian snapped out of it, cleared his throat, and stepped behind Lu Jinnian. He turned on the faucet to adjust the temperature. Once the water was warm, he directed it toward Lu Jinnian. The clear water instantly wet the man’s bare torso. Lu Jinnian’s muscular back was smooth and sleek. Chu Nian’s hand hovered in the air; staring at the exposed skin, he suddenly didn’t know where to start.

He hesitated so long that a patch of Lu Jinnian’s skin turned red from the heat. Hearing the man hiss through his teeth, Chu Nian panicked and moved the showerhead—accidentally spraying Lu Jinnian right on top of the head again.

Now his hair was completely drenched.

Chu Nian froze for two seconds, then grabbed a towel and leaned down to wipe Lu Jinnian’s face. Because they were so close, the heat from the man’s body rushed into Chu Nian’s face, making him feel like he was being steamed.

He had never felt this flustered. He stood up straight and said with forced calm: “Close your eyes. I’ll wash your hair.”

This time, Lu Jinnian didn’t protest. He obediently closed his eyes, his upward-curling lashes looking like raven wings. Chu Nian reached out, his fingers mixing the shampoo into Lu Jinnian’s hair. The strands were soft, creating a faint tingling sensation against his palms.

His calloused fingertips occasionally brushed against the nape of Lu Jinnian’s neck; his once-cool fingers were now burning hot. Chu Nian’s movements were incredibly careful, terrified of getting water on the cast on Lu Jinnian’s leg.

The whole process took quite a while. By the time they finished, Chu Nian’s clothes were soaked through. After confirming that Lu Jinnian could handle the rest of the body wash himself, Chu Nian finally closed the bathroom door with a sigh of relief. He planned to change into dry clothes first and then come back to help him out once he was done.

As the sound of Chu Nian’s slippers faded away, Lu Jinnian stood up. Supporting himself on the grab bar, he shuffled over to the vanity mirror. He opened a white wooden cabinet built into the wall and pulled out a thick book.

The bathroom was thick with steam. Without even drying the water on his fingertips, Lu Jinnian flipped open the book. A close look would reveal the title: 100 Days of CEO Training: How to Become a High-Quality CEO.

The pages were packed with dense black text.

CEO Training Rule #39: A qualified overbearing CEO uses a “regal smirk” to capture their partner’s attention. Note: This smirk is NOT a silly laugh like “hahaha,” which will make your partner think you are an idiot. A regal smirk is: “Heh,” “Hmph,” “Heh-hmph,” or “Heh-hmph-hmph-hmph.”

Please practice this 100 times daily. There is bound to be one version your partner likes. If they react to it, congratulations! You have successfully charmed 95% of your partner!

Lu Jinnian finished reading and thought seriously. Recalling Chu Nian’s reaction earlier, he decided that Chu Nian must really love hearing him smirk.

Chu Nian’s tastes are so hard to predict, he thought, rubbing his chin and flipping to the next page.

CEO Training Rule #40: Appropriately display your physique to leave your partner awestruck. Experts suggest that if your partner is in an emotional slump, use your pectoral muscles to warm them.

This is a crucial rule! If you have done this and your partner showed a reaction, congratulations! You have successfully charmed 99% of your partner!

Lu Jinnian compared this to Chu Nian’s recent reaction.

Chu Nian’s expression at the time had been… hard to describe. Lu Jinnian didn’t understand why. He looked down at himself and slowly touched his own chest.

Are my pectorals not warm enough?!

Lu Jinnian took a breath and kept reading. The text continued:

If your partner shows no reaction or a strange reaction, please flip to the next page for troubleshooting—

He flipped the page immediately.

The blank page held only one line:

Please add Teacher XX’s contact info for a consultation: 152xxxxxxxx

Pah! Calculating scammers!

Lu Jinnian condemned this unethical behavior in his heart. He closed the book, hid it back in its original spot, wrapped himself in a bathrobe, and pushed open the steamy bathroom door.

To 100% conquer Chu Nian, Lu Jinnian would have to rely on his own natural talent.