My CEO Harem Cultivation System

"Hey, have you ever considered another way to destress?" Bo Lifen asked right before the man could walk away. She watched the man's broad shoulders pause, and she bit her lip down. Even she could appreciate the man's physique, but that wasn't what she was here for.

"Sleep?"

Bo Lifen fought the urge to slap a hand over her face, "Even you're more of a workaholic than me—I mean hobbies! Something to unwind your stress levels if you want to keep the burdens to yourself." She herself wouldn't be here at her great-grandmother's place if it weren't for her other relatives.

"I read from time to time."

She pursed her lips, the excuse somewhat alright. "And what pray tell do you even then read, Mister CEO?"

He shrugged, "Various topics. It depends on what I'm in the mood for."

The man didn't elaborate, but she had a feeling that his reading would comprise business topics and consider them as his enjoyment. That wasn't what one was supposed to do—dedicate every moment and hour of his life to work? Even she would get overwhelmed by that. How many years has he been doing this for nonstop?

"Don't you have physical ways to destress?" Bo Lifen raised a brow at him. "How do you keep yourself in shape if you drive to and from work every day? Surely you must be doing something like—"

"There are occasions where fellow executives and I visit a country golf club or some other sport they like to participate in." Li Yang shrugged once again, this time it seemed a little self-consciously. "But other than that, I try to eat well. I've consulted with my personal doctor, who told me nutrition trumps moderate exercise in maintaining my desired schedule. I cannot be expected to be at a gym seven days a week, but I assure I eat healthy and sleep well. It's enough to ensure that I can handle my workload."

"You sound like a machine." Bo Lifen said exasperated.

He simply nodded, a twitch in the corner of his lips. "I think I've already been commented to be like that before."

She wouldn't stand for this kind of nonsense—who cared if she was overstepping? This man might overwork himself to death! There had to be something that he liked to do unknowingly besides pouring hours to work. Maybe an activity that he'd like to do with another person? "What about your brother?"

His brows furrowed slightly, one of the few times for him to show distaste. "He's not in the house as far as I'm aware."

"No, not that." Bo Lifen frowned at him, "What does your brother do?"

"He's part of the board committee and one of the founders alongside me."

That wasn't what she was looking for, and yet that was what came to his mind—if that didn't tell anything about his life priorities, then she wasn't sure what would. This man came home late and was still wearing his business suit as well. .

"... Surely the two of you should have at least an activity that you do together?" Bo Lifen asked. His brother seemed to be a good candidate to be his closest friend, at least for someone to pretend to be his brother. "My youngest brother and I play board games when I have some time off from work, things like that. Isn't that a common thing to do?"

"He's also a busy person—if anything, he might be the type to get mild-to-moderate exercise elsewhere."

She raised a brow, his vague words enough to incite some curiosity. "What does he do?"

"He sleeps with a lot of women, at least as far as I know." Li Yang coughed. "It's probably not enough to beat a treadmill in terms of calories burned per hour—"

"How you know that piece of information is quite—"

"I did tell you that I read a wide range of topics, health, business and even fiction." Li Yang said. He gave her a look, "Once again I give you my thanks for your concern, but this is far too much for someone you've barely met. Are you by any chance interested in Liang and were hoping to see him tonight?"

"... I already told you that I was here for you." Bo Lifen frowned at him. "Do not tell me that—" she stopped herself from saying anything further. Sibling rivalry at work? Inferiority and superiority complexes? She didn't think that someone like him would be beset by something like this, and yet here they were.

"You seem to be insistent on helping me, Miss Lifen." Li Yang managed a tired smile. "But I'm fine, please wait right here." And so the man headed to the kitchen and left her in the hallway.

Bo Lifen balled her hands into a fist. The man was right—"This isn't supposed to be my problem." She needed to walk away and be done with it. If he didn't want her help, then she should be—

'It has been unhelpful'

Those were the words that he told her. He was "fine" because everything she was doing wasn't helping him at all. Her eye twitched. Men and women often talked with her at the tea shop, she was supposed to be a good confidante. And yet the man was telling her that she was the exact opposite.

If talking to him wasn't actually doing anything, then—

The man's footsteps sounded as he walked back to her, item in hand. He gave her a careful nod, "Here's the thermos, Miss Lifen. You have my thanks for the tea, and I'm curious about from whom you've obtained these pearls from?"

She pointed a finger at him, "If my words don't matter at all—I suppose sleeping with someone might be the only thing that will alleviate your stress, won't it?" She chose to ignore his question for now and focus on proving a point. "You might not have time for anything else, but something like this over in ten minutes tops. Probably even shorter if you're fast."

"What?" He raised a brow at her.

His expression was enough to make her falter and realize that this was a dumb thing to say. She should just get the thermos and go away now, pretend it never happened but Bo Lifen's face reddened in both fury and shame. She had already said it though, and it did make sense. "You don't have any sort of hobby at all to unwind. You read books for fun, and you seem to work for far too many times that at the end of the day you sit down at a porch outside of your house to relax. There are far too many people who might envy your life, and yet you're down in the dumps. It's ridiculous, isn't it?"

He held out the thermos to her, "I think you're overstepping once again, Miss Lifen. My life is not for you to scrutinize."

"I know what I'm talking about!" She refused to back down now and ignored the thermos in his hand. "I may be taking a vacation now and avoiding my relatives—but I know what it's like to burn yourself out and bury yourself to work. And if you won't do something about this, then you're going to sink deeper into a hole and you'll never get yourself out."

"Miss Lifen, your suggestion to me is to sleep with someone to destress—I don't think that's going to help at all in solving my problems."

She frowned at him, "Well, I bet you've never tried it to confirm such a thing. Besides, I didn't say it would solve your problems and make them go all away—I'm saying that you should at least unwind. Do something, do anything that'll take your mind off of your work and come back to it once you've renewed your energy."

He raised a hand to his face and rubbed it, "And I suppose I have to hire someone for this?"

Bo Lifen stared at him, "That's the only option that went through your mind—a prostitute?" She grimaced and shook her head, "You don't even have time to get into a relationship, do you? Of course that's what you're going to think, it's ridiculous to hear it come from you. I suppose it can't be helped that you'd still be similar to those men who think they can go to my shop and spend exorbitant money to sleep with my employees and me."

"Once again you act like you know me so well."

"That's because I've faced similar things to you." Bo Lifen crossed her arms over her chest. "Does it seem surprising that you're not the only one dedicated to their work? That someone else works hard and you're not the only one dealing with this?"

Li Yang managed a sigh, "I feel like I have to point out that the very thing that you've suggested to me—sleeping with someone to relax is almost the same as what you've encountered from those men in your shop. They tell you that you'll ease up once you sleep with them, and now you tell me to do the same. Isn't that a little ironic?"

That was a different thing entirely!

"I'm not saying you should try it with people who wouldn't want to sleep with you or for you to spend money, I'm telling you to do it with someone who's willing to do it with you. No, not just willing—someone who wants to." Bo Lifen frowned at him. She stepped towards him and jabbed his shoulder. "And I'm suggesting it because I think it would help you, it's got nothing to do with me. Don't bring up the assholes that visit my shop."

"Let me repeat. You think that if I had sex—things would go better for me and yet you don't seem to consider it for yourself. You think those assholes are ridiculous for saying those words and think it's demeaning and yet you suggest me to take an almost similar route. You yourself could find someone to date to verify this, but that doesn't seem to be the case. It's just strange for you to suggest this if you'd balk at it yourself."

Bo Lifen's eye twitched, "I tell you it's different for me—but if you're this insistent on trying to say it's the same thing for you and me." She stared back at him and huffed. "Then go on and prove a point—kiss me." 

Someone like him wouldn't even bother at all—