Chapter 14: Cuter Than Him

As Yang Chen returned to the house, Wang Mama was busily preparing tea to calm Lin Ruoxi's nerves. Seeing Yang Chen enter, she tactfully made herself scarce, leaving the young couple alone to talk.

Lin Ruoxi's high bun had been let down, her silky hair framing her exceptionally beautiful face, though the pallor and weariness made her all the more pitiable.

Upon seeing Yang Chen come in, Lin Ruoxi glanced up with a complicated expression. Without asking how Yang Chen had dealt with Lin Kun, she offered a bitter smile. "You must be laughing at me. Yes, I have such a father, such a ridiculous family. Do you pity me, feel sorry for me... I don't need anyone's cheap and boring sympathy, especially not yours..."

"Who said I pity you?" Yang Chen scoffed, lighting a cigarette he pulled from his pocket and taking a leisurely drag.

"No smoking in front of me," Lin Ruoxi frowned, displeased as she waved away the smoke.

Ignoring her, Yang Chen reclined on another sofa nearby, puffing on his cigarette. "I just want to advise you, stop acting so pitiful in front of me. At least you know who your parents are, you've received love from your elders. Your family might not be warm, but you have one. And you're beautiful, drawing attention wherever you go. You've never lacked material comforts, with a mansion and a sports car at such a young age... You can't possibly understand the feeling of having nothing, not even knowing who your parents are or where you come from."

Lin Ruoxi was struck by Yang Chen's sudden speech. For the first time, she stared into his eyes, where a sense of desolation and loneliness emanated, causing her heart to constrict involuntarily.

Yang Chen continued, his words drifting like whispers, "Growing up alone, hungry, freezing, bullied, beaten... always alone. No parents, no family, no siblings, not even friends... For survival, I've fought for a moldy piece of bread, eaten grass roots, tree bark, until my stomach bled... No one cares whether you live or die. No one sympathizes because you're just a wretched being abandoned by the world. Even a household dog has more status than you..."

Listening to the man's deep, hoarse narrative, tears welled up in Lin Ruoxi's eyes again, not for herself, but for that wretched life.

"I'm sorry," Lin Ruoxi murmured, lowering her head. "I didn't know you had such a difficult childhood..."

Yang Chen lowered his head, gradually revealing his usual carefree smile. "Silly wife, I made it up. You believed me."

"You..." Lin Ruoxi lifted her head, feeling sorry for him, only to find out he was lying. Instantly, she felt a surge of anger. "How could you be like this!"

"Heh heh, look at you. You look prettier when you're angry than when you were crying just now," Yang Chen praised with a click of his tongue. Lin Ruoxi felt warmth in her heart, understanding that Yang Chen was trying to divert her attention from sadness, but she couldn't find the right words to thank him. Instead, she glanced at Yang Chen nonchalantly. "Since you lied to me, where are your parents? Although we have a marriage agreement, if your parents suddenly appear, they might disrupt everything."

Yang Chen twirled the cigarette butt between his fingers, smiling faintly. "I wasn't lying about one thing I said earlier. I truly don't know who my parents are. I got separated from my family when I was less than five years old. My name is the only thing I remember. I'm an orphan."

Hearing Yang Chen casually admit he was an orphan, Lin Ruoxi's heart felt a pang of sympathy. She wanted to comfort him but didn't know how to start. After struggling for a moment, she simply nodded and fell silent.

After a brief silence, Lin Ruoxi spoke up, "Yang Chen, there are some things I think I need to clarify with you. After all, you signed an agreement with me and have the right to know the reasons behind certain matters."

Yang Chen frowned. "Are you talking about your father and our marriage?"

"Don't call my dad a fool..." Lin Ruoxi was a bit annoyed. "If he's a pig, then I'd be a pig too."

"Heh heh, my lovely Ruoxi, even if you were a pig, you'd be one of those cute little pink pigs."

"You're the pig..." Lin Ruoxi rolled her eyes, but she wasn't really angry. Returning to the topic, she said, "My father owns thirty percent of the company's shares, second only to me as the major shareholder. But that's not the point. Before my grandmother passed away, she transferred sixty percent of the company's shares to me, giving me absolute control. However... there's still a deed to an old mansion in my father's possession..."

"Is that old mansion very important to you?" Yang Chen asked, puzzled.

"Extremely important..." Lin Ruoxi's eyes revealed a mixture of nostalgia and happiness. "When I was young, I grew up there with only my grandmother and mother by my side. My parents' marriage was a union of money and interests. My father didn't love my mother; he was a playboy, and he still is..." She paused, a hint of hatred flashing in her eyes. "Even though he never comes home, he still claims ownership of the house. Since my grandmother passed away, he's forbidden me from returning, and now, he's planning to sell the house because he's nearly spent all the money he squandered outside..."

"How does this relate to our marriage?" Yang Chen wondered.

Lin Ruoxi gave Yang Chen a cold glance. "I want to take back that old mansion from him, but he refuses to give it to me. Even if I offer a higher price than the market value, he still won't sell it to me. He has only one condition: for me to marry the eldest son of the Xu family. Clearly, he's received some benefits from the Xu family..."

"To resort to coercion for his daughter's marriage... I agree, he's not a fool, pigs are cuter than him," Yang Chen shook his head seriously.

Ignoring Yang Chen's remark, Lin Ruoxi continued, "Xu Zhihong from the Xu family has been pestering me, but I can't afford to antagonize the Xu family too much. After all, they're one of the top five big families in Zhonghai, and we can't afford to offend them. So..."

"So you decided to marry me, to cut off ties with that Xu guy, get through this hurdle first, and then figure out how to reclaim the property from your foolish father's hands?"

"Yes..." Lin Ruoxi nodded wearily. These past few days, she had been overwhelmed with these matters. A young woman in her twenties, burdened with responsibilities beyond measure.

Yang Chen sighed. "Sigh, your approach only deals with the symptoms, not the root cause. In the end, you'll still have to face the pressure from the Xu family and deal with your father's nonsense..."

"I can't control all of that now. I'll take it one step at a time..." Though her voice was soft, Lin Ruoxi's tone was resolute.

Yang Chen stood up, picked up the new phone he had just acquired, and walked towards the door without a word.

Lin Ruoxi frowned. "Where are you going again?"

"To the bar, to find women..." Yang Chen turned back, his expression serious.