My CEO Harem Cultivation System

Bo Lifen was having a headache and pouring herself some hangover tea—until she quickly sneezed and coughed lightly. 

Her friend and assistant manager looked at her and grinned lightly. "Someone must be thinking of you. Could it be the same person that caused you to drink too much last night?"

"Shut up, Daiyu. It's probably someone saying shit about me." Bo Lifen grumbled and sipped some of her tea. The taste and flavor was a little bitter, but she tolerated it.

"You know, it wasn't only Ning Bi who told me about you going to the bar with her—your brother also said he was worried about you coming home late."

"For the love—I'm nearly thirty years old and am at an age where my peers already have kids and a family! I don't think he's in the position to worry about me when he's supposed to be taking care of his milk tea business." Bo Lifen snapped before taking a deep breath.

"Well, I sincerely doubt that you got laid—or else you wouldn't be that upset." Daiyu folded her hands and sipped some of the tea. It wasn't often that your boss came to their shop completely hammered but still insisted on working.

It was for that reason that Daiyu took the responsibility of looking after her friend.

"You would be the last person I would expect to say that I'm upset because I can't sleep with someone." Bo Lifen narrowed her eyes. "Is this some female hysteria to you?"

"Not at all!" Daiyu waved a hand and reassured Bo Lifen. "You're just a little tense… more so than usual."

"Are you calling me a stick in the mud?"

"No?"

Bo Lifen sighed and placed down her cup. She rubbed the back of her neck and tried to think about what happened when she got back from Liu's Island and her conversation with Li Yang.

"Um… you didn't get rejected did you?" Daiyu nervously asked. "I know it seems like I'm prying, but I'm genuinely concerned, Lifen! You're a tea lover, never an alcoholic. This is so unlike you. Was there some earth-shattering revelation that made you realize that you've spent your entire years working hard?"

Bo Lifen didn't like the fact that somehow the description fitted Li Yang and her at the same time—she thought that she was less uptight than him, so getting called by her friend as the same was almost like karma.

But wasn't she the one who stirred the man into action?

Bo Lifen pushed the empty cup away and rested her head on the table. She lay her cheek against the smooth table and sighed deeply. "I don't know what to do…"

"About…?"

"Is it selfish to want a person for yourself alone?" Bo Lifen closed her eyes and pursed her lips in distaste. "The thought that there's someone else having and sharing the same connection as you… I really just can't stomach it. Does it make me seem like a bad person to you?"

Daiyu's conversations with both Ning Bi and Bo Ling reassured her that it was Bo Lifen actually dating with a man around her age and someone who might be a good partner for her. What she didn't expect at all was the fact that Bo Lifen was in a state like this because of someone.

"I mean… Did he want a casual relationship with you?" Daiyu asked. "You know, nowadays, more people are just looking for a quick fuck or something. Contrary to our parents and elders, not everyone is excited about settling down. Starting a family is really expensive, you know? Sometimes it's just nice to have someone around you when you're lonely."

"No—no." Bo Lifen decided to just be honest now that she said it to her friend. "I don't think he wanted something like that… I mean, it kinda sounds like an open relationship?"

"Oh."

"I wonder how he's doing. He's probably with some other girl right now—if it's not his secretary, someone else? He has contact with that blue-haired idol."

"Wait. Did you mean, Bai Minghua? Is he dating the idol?"

—-

There was a lot of explaining to do and Bao was really up for it. 

The cursed Panda sat atop a shelf and watched the situation unfold and it wished that it had something like a bowl of popcorn. You had to make a deal with the girls while also keeping it PG friendly at the same time.

...it was not as easy as it sounded at all.

"I was in another world before," Li Yang said and rubbed the back of his neck. "That was why I was gone for over a year here… but it wasn't actually that very long there. When I arrived back here, I ended up in Japan so I had to travel here. It's a long story, and I'm not sure if everyone would like to hear it?" 

"Personally, I'm just glad that you're back," Narissa said with a shrug. "You could have been gone for more than a couple of years and it wouldn't have been that long for me."

"Then isn't it best to keep such opinions to yourself?" Ying Yue He stared at the other woman with a frown. Compared to how she was before, Ying Yue He was now a lot more vocal about her choices. "You don't actually sound that interested in my boyfriend."

"Uh, when did the two of you start dating?" Taiga threw a look at Li Yang.

"Last night."

"Oh, so it was just last night." Narissa rolled her eyes and then clapped her hands together. "We were actually together for more than a year. While it was true that he was gone for some time, our arrangement predated yours so I think it's best to quiet down for a bit and let me do the talking."

"Is it really the time and duration we're comparing with?" Ying Yue He frowned. "I worked with Yang for more than—"

"You know, I knew Yang back when he was still in college." Luo Ju Di interrupted her. "First year. Popped his cherry if you know what I mean-er, forget what I said." 

"I'm not sure if that's a good comparison, Ju Di." Li Yang said at last and coughed lightly. "I don't think that's something to be discussed when Chunhua isn't around."

Chunhua was thankfully preoccupied with playing games on a phone and didn't seem to hear it.

"Hey, they were fighting about seniority." Luo Ju Di grinned a little before she shrugged. "Factor in my age too and we'll get—"

"I'm two hundred and thirty years old." Narissa raised a brow and watched with satisfaction as the grin fell off Luo Ju Di's face. "You were saying?"

"Pedo." Taiga mumbled.

"Aren't you supposed to be much older than me?" Narissa threw a look at Taiga. 

Chunhua looked up from Narissa's phone. "Um, what's a pedo—"

"Language, Taiga." Ying Yue He frowned at the Tigress Spirit.

"Thank you, Miss He." Luo Ju Di inclined her head to Ying Yue He as the other woman slightly looked away and averted her gaze. There was still some sense of hostility and rivalry within the circle, but they were making some progress.

A small one, but it was still a step forward.

—-—-

Author's Note: I'm a bit unsure how others write their harem and how easily the MC gets to be with a number of girls and then add them to his collection. I should probably read more, but ah, time is such a scarce thing. So yeah, varying opinions and feelings. Seems a bit more realistic. Hope it doesn't garner much hate xD Thanks for reading!