My CEO Harem Cultivation System

One night turned into an entire day. That one day then numbered into days and soon stretched into weeks. How long had he actually been gone? What of the people he had left behind? Were they alright? Had time stopped when he went away and he'd return at the very same time he left?

The man had no answers for any of these.

To contemplate them was a fruitless endeavor that rendered him deeply troubled. He knew what to do—it was systematic in a way. Get stronger here. Find a way back home. Get rid of the contract that bound him to the Heavens. Plain and simple. 

But being entangled in the events of Telriah in a scope of things that reached far more than just a simple temple's affairs.... it made things a lot more complicated. What else could he do?

He was still here in this world. 

Conscious and visceral of what was happening around him. 

The soft breathing of Setsuko reached his ears. The woman who lay in his lap was peaceful throughout this ride back to Mashiro Temple, unconcerned of what awaited them when they returned. He idly brushed back a lock of her hair behind an ear, simply taking the sight in without any question.

It struck a stark contrast against the second person closest to the two of them. 

"I'm tired… so I'll lean against you. This is the least that you could do for me as a favor for earlier," Mitsuko said.

He looked over his shoulder, blinked at the sight of the slightly furious and challenging expression on Mitsuko's face—it was cute, and somewhat reminded him of some—and yet he shouldn't be thinking of things like that, should he? There was no need to dwell on similarities and comparisons.

The man quickly nodded. "Be my guest."

"Good." 

Mitsuko's back was now pressed against his and the Priestess remained silent after her request. She never said another word, but even though their gazes were in opposite directions—it felt like the both of them had their gazes on the night sky.

The two of them were both awake, and except for the one named Ulva who managed the Caterpillar Beast, the rest had fallen asleep after straining themselves in this ordeal.

"Is there any particular reason why you needed so much Beast Cores?" Mitsuko asked.

Her voice was quiet, but sharp. 

More importantly, the two of them had quickly been enveloped by a shroud of her Ao. Li Yang glanced at the concentration of energy that now functioned close to a silent circle or an enclosure that kept everything out… She respected his privacy enough to keep this conversation between the two of them.

Or decided that this might be important information.

Regardless, similar to how he once told it to Setsuko before… he deemed it fine to tell Mitsuko. If anything, this was the least he could do for her after binding her in a blood contract where only the terms afflicted her and not him. 

He had always told himself that there was the good of having a certain advantage over her—and yet he'd simply be like the gods that once bound him.

"I need enough power to actually return home."

If there was anything that Mitsuko might have felt or reflected on her face at his words, it was impossible to see from his position. Instead, it was only her voice that said anything. Hardly said anything at all with her composed self.

"Home… these people are waiting for you? You must have been gone for a very long time."

"I'm not exactly sure. I'd like to think that they are waiting."

Mitsuko snickered at him. "Do you think that their lives would simply stop since you disappeared?"

He chuckled mirthlessly. "You're right."

It was impossible to be certain of anything right now.  And yet if there was anything that could be confirmed by the man… it was this idea.

Time stopped for no one. 

—-—-—-

A Letter To My CEO #1

Hi Boss,

It's Ying Yue He, your secretary… and well, I'm not exactly sure why I'm writing this. Maybe just to vent my feelings to you—no, you don't have to do anything about it, it's fine. It's not like you can actually give me a reply right now.

I mean, you're always busy, and I get it. There are times when you want to catch a break, and that's natural.

Take all the time you need.

The past years that I've been working with you have been one of the best experiences in my life. It always wows people when I tell them that I work at Olympian Corporations. And I'm not exactly sure what had happened, but in case you ever need me? I'll be here for you. Please don't hesitate and give me a call.

Sincerely,

Ying Yue He

(If this were a handwritten letter, then perhaps you might have noticed that there's been multiple erasures and rewritten parts, but since this is a digital copy sent to your email, it's crisp and clean.) 

The Secretary shut down her computer at last and then took in a shaky breath. She thought she could still wait for him here and keep up with the changes… and yet it was difficult when he wasn't around.

"Are you sure that I can't ask you to stay here any longer, Miss He?"

Ying Yue He looked up at the man who held a great resemblance to his brother and simply smiled. Li Liang leant against the doorframe with his arms crossed together. Unlike Yang, the man had a more friendly smile on his face—if not, simply nervousness.

"You're the one who's been at his side for so long, it'll be very difficult to keep things running smoothly if it's not only the CEO but his secretary that had to take a sudden leave. What if I offered you a higher compensation package? Would that make you reconsider?"

She knew the Li brothers' relationship was a bit tense. Perhaps it was better that she stayed in the office and ensured that the corporation ran smoothly even while her boss was gone…

But she couldn't do it.

"I apologize, I have something else that I need to do, Sir Liang. Maybe when—" She faltered and quickly bowed her head. Ying Yue He grabbed her backpack, strapped them on and proceeded out of the office. Her knees were wobbly, but she managed to walk out on her own without saying anything to the man.

Between the two of them, Ying Yue He knew more than her boss' own brother.

Suddenly leaving in the middle of the night?

Li Liang might have assumed that it had got to be something about not liking the responsibilities of being a father or other excuses that may have been used by Liang himself—and yet that couldn't be it, right? 

The two were definitely not alike.

That was something she was definitely sure about. And yet a sudden thought clamored in her mind. She was definitely not the mother, but if Chunhua was the child of her boss… then it meant that Liang was the one who was taking care of her.

Was that going well?

She wanted to ask the man's brother. But that meant two things, she needed to walk inside of the office again—which wouldn't look good. She'd look silly and awkward right after strutting out with such posture and confidence. 

The second thing was this... she knew that it wasn't her place.

"Why the long face?"

Ying Yue He swiftly turned and met the gaze of a familiar person. "Haah—!?"

Taiga clamped the secretary's mouth with a hand. "Taiga knows she was being sneaky, but why are you still standing around?"

"How long have you been there?" Ying Yue He narrowed her eyes at the Tigress Spirit. She dragged the spirit to the same office kitchen where she once dropped the tea canister—something that felt like it had happened ages ago—but quickly glanced at the Tigress once again. "Have you been stalking me?"

Taiga grinned and bared her teeth. "Taiga has only been prowling about lately—but Taiga didn't know that you were leaving like Bossman."

"I'm not leaving."

"But you said—"

"This job maybe… and I suppose it appears like I'm leaving this life behind me, huh?" A bitter smile crossed on Ying Yue He's lips. It quickly vanished away as the Tigress Spirit looked at her with a sullen expression.

"You're not abandoning Bossman are you?" Taiga asked.

"There's no one to abandon! If anything it was—" Ying Yue He clenched her fist and looked away. She struggled and fought down the sudden flare inside of her chest and the bitter taste she swallowed down. 

"I've been here far longer than you have Taiga. If there's anyone in his life that he had always depended on, it's me. Even if he had never said anything, somehow, I always kind of knew that I was the one who he could trust and talk to. His family has always been… they were never on good terms no matter how much they appeared on paper. And yet you really think I'd be the one who'd just walk out of his life after everything?"

Taiga had frozen over and stood unsurely in front of her. For once, she was at a loss for words and looked like she had been skinned and flayed alive.

Ying Yue He had never exactly disliked Taiga or anything.

The one who got on her nerves was… Luo Ju Di. And she really didn't know how to feel about Bai Minghua and then Bo Lifen. Ying Yue He shook her head again.

It didn't matter.

Had she really needed to explain herself to this Tigress Spirit who didn't say anything either after the man had gone? Ying Yue He walked past Taiga without missing another beat. "I have my own plans, so please don't stick your nose up in my business. Goodbye."

—-—-

Author's Note: Look forward to more segments of Letters To My CEO from the perspective of other women in Li Yang's life, both great and small. I'll probably try combining them with the MC's own endeavors in Telriah... which is hopefully isn't too jarring?