You Deserve It
Yang Chen digested her words, falling into deep contemplation. "If we live in the same house, it"s only a matter of time before I will have to cross this bridge. I can"t run away from it any longer..."
Zhao Hongyan ultimately decided that it was a lost cause as she gave Yang Chen an empowering glance, before she hugged the doc.u.ments tight and hurried away.
Yang Chen strolled towards the CEO"s office door, hesitated for a long while, before he finally gave it a knock.
"Come in." Lin Ruoxi"s voice was visibly shaken.
Yang Chen cautiously pushed the door open, keeping his smile as natural as possible as he went back to his bootlicking demeanor. "Oh my, it doesn"t matter how many times I see the CEO at her seat. Her remarkable beauty truly is a sight for sore eyes.
"Oh Ruoxi, it"s such a waste for a woman of your calibre to be sitting behind a desk. The world needs your breathtaking beauty in its life. Which is why you would make the perfect amba.s.sador for our global cosmetics brand, don"t you think?"
Women were the most susceptible to compliments about their looks, despite its authenticity.
But to Yang Chen, his slick bootlicking skills seemed to have fallen from grace, as his wife was hardly fazed by his over the top remarks.
Lin Ruoxi sat still at her seat, flipping through the doc.u.ments by her chest.
"What is it?" Lin Ruoxi dropped a toneless reply.
That nonetheless left him with a grin of excitement. At least she was willing to respond to him.
It prompted him to comment, "Oh, you"ve been working out every morning these days, haven"t you? I went to the mall and got you something to help out with it."
Lin Ruoxi ploddingly lifted her head. "I say Director Yang, if you don"t have pressing matters in hand, please leave my office."
Yang Chen held the bag away as he awkwardly grinned. "Oh, well then let"s not talk about this for now. Ruoxi, I know you must be furious at me, but there"s a reason for what happened last night. I had to make a decision involving someone"s life or their eventual demise."
"Well great to hear that, Mr Superhero. Aren"t you just the most selfless and heroic among us all? It must be a dream to have a lover like you. But I"m sure that has nothing to do with me, so you can save your explanation for someone else that was actually affected."
Lin Ruoxi then added with a soul-piercing tone, "Besides, isn"t it just part of your charismatic personality to answer to no one? I personally think once you start explaining and pleading your image would take a huge toll, wouldn"t that be a pity?"
Yang Chen cracked his mouth half-open, uncertain of what was left to say in his attempt to save his relations.h.i.+p. "C"mon now. I know I did not go about it in the best way last night but you have to understand...
"Mingyu"s own brother ran away from home. That silly woman was too afraid to ask for help, which was why she dragged on until the middle of the night. With those circ.u.mstances stacked up together it"s of course I"d be furious and anxious.
"Oh, by the way, I was there to rescue Liu Minghao, that little brat who was after our Zhenxiu, I"m sure you know, don"t you?"
As he played all his cards, he could only notice the complete indifference from Lin Ruoxi towards his explanation.
"Go on, I"m listening." Lin Ruoxi a.s.serted.
Yang Chen choked on himself as he added, "I… I"m done, haha... That"s it."
"Great, now that it"s done, please kindly exit the room." Lin Ruoxi proclaimed with her teeth clenched.
Yang Chen sighed as he nodded frustratingly.
Right as he trotted towards the door, he turned to his back, lifted the grocery bag before he asked in all smiles, "Ruoxi, what about these things that I handpicked…"
"Screw off!"
"…"
Yang Chen was tongue-tied, he was now certain that his wife was in a frenzy but there was absolutely nothing he could have done to soothe the tension.
This nonetheless was directly connected to Lin Ruoxi"s personal experience of the preceding night.
It all tied back to the time when Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi attended as a power couple, but just before the main event started, he left her behind alone. Furthermore, what he had said on the phone was what piqued the interest of the guests in attendance as it was obvious that he was speaking to a woman.
And by piecing the puzzle together, Lin Ruoxi"s situation became unbearably awkward, with rumours of her husband cheating spreading like wildfire.
It was hardly a fresh occurrence amongst the elites. But for her to stand lonesomely before a hostile crowd, with murmurs and slurs behind her back, whispers were loud as screams, every word was like a dagger piercing through her heart!
What Lin Ruoxi couldn"t comprehend was, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d even had the guts to stay out the entire night, abandoning her like a toddler with a new toy!
And after many excruciating hours he finally showed himself before her in the office, yet he had the tenacity to seek forgiveness with not delicious treats or exquisite gifts, but worthless training equipment!
Lin Ruoxi at that moment considered herself sane to not toss the monitor right at his d.a.m.n face!
Stepping out of Lin Ruoxi"s office, Yang Chen had basically lost all interest to stay there. He made several quick calls to ensure that everything was running smoothly before he made his way out of the building.
Back home, Guo Xuehua was busy arranging modest rows of bean sprouts across the garden. The bean sprouts she planted would be ready for harvesting within the week. Given how there was nothing the both of them could do in the house, tending the garden had since been their favourite pastime.
Yang Chen"s absence from home since last night has been duly noted through Lin Ruoxi to the two elders, that he was off due to an emergency.
Watching as Yang Chen entered the estate, Guo Xuehua instantly left her hobby behind and came running towards him. "Son, what happened last night? Why"s Ruoxi so grim this morning? She hasn"t been like that in a while. Wait, did you find a new woman you brat?"
Yang Chen felt so lost as he replied, "Mom, what makes you think I hook up with every single woman I come into contact with?"
"Then why is Ruoxi so mad at you?" Guo Xuehua blurted in frustration.
Yang Chen was equally dispirited as he narrated the summary of last night"s events.
"And for that you chose to stay out the entire night?"
Yang Chen awkwardly clutched his hair as a reaction from her remark. "Well I returned to Zhonghai at two in the morning and thought that it was better if I just stayed the night at Mingyu"s house. I made it my priority today to apologize for my actions, but when I went to the office today bearing gifts, Ruoxi was not having any of it."
Guo Xuehua was infuriated, but wasn"t quite sure what was there to add. "You little rascal, do you want to give me a heart attack? Why do you always have to be in the centre of all the issues in this house? Gifts? Well let me have a look at it. It better be her favourite glutinous rice b.a.l.l.s!"
As for the fact that her daughter-in-law was particularly p.r.o.ne towards the attraction of glutinous rice b.a.l.l.s, Guo Xuehua would be left in awe every time she noticed her love towards the sweet treat.
Yang Chen reactively shook his head in reply. "Oh-ho, nope, this time I went one-up. I bought her the latest work out equipment. I told her to exercise more didn"t I, so these would fit right in place…"
Whilst speaking, Yang Chen cracked open his shopping bag and proudly shoved it before his mother.
Guo Xuehua held up the sling bag and a packaged ipod that Yang Chen had deliberately chosen, took a good long look, before she sighed, "Now that I think about it, I guess it"s absolutely right that Ruoxi told you to scurry off from her office! You deserve it. If I was furious and the root of the problem decided to bring some dumb gadgets in hopes of cheering me up, I would"ve tossed it right into his face!"
Yang Chen felt a chilling touch through his heart. But Liu Mingyu was rather impressed by the gift, why wouldn"t it work on Ruoxi?
Guo Xuehua seemed to have given up on Yang Chen tactlessness, as she dropped the bag of gifts and returned to mend her bean sprouts, leaving Yang Chen alone in a daze.
Subsequently after, Yang Chen locked himself in his room, pa.s.sively strolling through the internet while taking occasional pauses to carefully select and arrange a playlist into the MP3 that he bought for her.
Nonetheless, it went without saying that his thoughts were wholly occupied by ideas on how to tame the spouting flames from his wife.
Just when it was about time for dinner, Yang Chen hurriedly made his way downstairs with antic.i.p.ation of Lin Ruoxi"s return, only to be greeted with the revelation that she was preoccupied with an international business function organised by the government.
Yang Chen was prepared with a headful of soothing phrases that went to waste.
Making himself comfortable by the dinner table, Yang Chen quickly took to notice that even Zhenxiu, his biggest supporter was nowhere to be seen.
"Mom, w.a.n.g Ma, where"s Zhenxiu? I haven"t seen her for the past few days now. There"s no way she"s still volunteering at the orphanages at night would she?"
w.a.n.g Ma came about with a claypot filled with steaming noodles as she chuckled, "Young Master, just go on and dig in. Zhenxiu has been working part-time at the beach these few days so she would be taking the night bus back."
Lynic"s notes:
Chapter 2/5 (6)