Chapter 236: Words Stuck in the Throat
Yang Chen glanced at his phone. It was another unfamiliar number, but he answered it reluctantly.
"Is this Yang Chen?" came a familiar female voice from the other end.
Yang Chen was taken aback for a moment and couldn't immediately recall who it was. After a closer listen, he realized it was the voice of Master Yunmiao!
For Yunmiao, the junior sister of Song Tianxing, Yang Chen didn't want to be overly familiar, nor could he be too cold. After all, Song Tianxing was practically half a mentor to him. He thought he would never cross paths with her again after parting in the Tibetan area, so he was both surprised and a bit apprehensive when she called.
"Master Yunmiao, I thought we wouldn't cross paths again in this lifetime," Yang Chen said slowly.
Master Yunmiao snorted, "Yang Chen, I told you long ago that I would look after you on behalf of Senior Brother Song. Don't think I was just speaking empty words."
"Master, Song Tianxing and I don't even have a formal master-disciple relationship. I respect and am grateful to him, but I don't see how that has anything to do with you," Yang Chen replied.
"Since you've practiced the Wang Nian Yan Sheng Sutra, you're a descendant of Mount Shu, and by seniority, you're my junior disciple-nephew. How could it have nothing to do with me?"
Inwardly, Yang Chen cursed that it was Yunmiao and Lin Zhiguo who had pushed Song Tianxing into the fire pit. But he couldn't say that out loud, lest this old nun bombard him with a bunch of self-righteous reasons. Out of respect for Song Tianxing, he couldn't exactly get rid of her.
"Master, the Huanglong Battalion should be busy hunting down the two ninjas from the Eight-Forked Society right now. How do you, such an expert, have the time to call me?" Yang Chen said.
"Hmph," Master Yunmiao snorted. "I couldn't care less about the Huanglong Battalion's operations. The Eight Divisions can choose not to participate in such activities. Moreover, I have no desire to act alongside someone like Lin Zhiguo. I called you today to remind you of something."
Yang Chen asked, "What is it?"
"I mentioned before that I want Huilin to be your wife!"
Yang Chen was momentarily stunned, and the image of the demure and shy face of the little Taoist nun Huilin flashed through his mind. Pretty as she was, it wasn't something that could be decided on a whim.
"Master, I've only met Huilin once. You're already considering her to be my wife. Shouldn't you think about your own granddaughter's lifelong happiness more seriously? It's not a matter to be taken lightly," Yang Chen advised.
"My precious granddaughter won't be wronged. An old person's judgment in choosing a man is always accurate!" Master Yunmiao said confidently.
Yang Chen chuckled inwardly, thinking, "And yet you yourself chose the wrong person."
Clearing his throat, Yang Chen said solemnly, "Master, you should give up on that idea. A wife is not like clothes that you can change at will. I appreciate your kindness, but please keep her by your side."
"Why won't you accept it? Do you think Huilin is inferior to Lin Ruoxi?!" Yunmiao demanded angrily.
"It's not about that," Yang Chen said. "I've already said that Little Master Huilin is wonderful. But I've been married to Ruoxi for so long, and we've just started to settle down. I can't just change that on a whim. It wouldn't be fair to either Huilin or Ruoxi. Besides, I don't even know Huilin well, and she doesn't know who I really am either."
Yunmiao replied dismissively, "Does Lin Ruoxi know? You haven't even been honest with the people around you. These are just excuses. I've chosen you to be my granddaughter's husband for a reason. Stop making excuses!"
"There's an old saying: it's better to dismantle a bridge than break up a marriage. Why are you pushing so hard, Master?" Yang Chen frowned.
Yunmiao laughed. "I'm not trying to dismantle a bridge. I just want to change the destination before the bridge is fully built."
"There are no feelings between Huilin and me. If she gets involved in my relationship with Ruoxi, what good can come of it?!"
Yunmiao countered, "Did you and Lin Ruoxi fall in love before you got married? From what I understand, that's not the case."
"Master Yunmiao, say what you want, but I won't accept this," Yang Chen said, feeling conflicted.
Yunmiao was silent for a moment, then said, "Fine. I'll ask you one last question. If you can answer it definitively with a yes, I'll give up on this idea."
"Go ahead," Yang Chen said, feeling tense.
"I only want to ask you, do you believe that Lin Ruoxi loves you?"
Lin Ruoxi, does she love me?!
The question came so suddenly that Yang Chen was completely unprepared.
"If you answer that she loves you, then I won't stand in your way any longer."
At this moment, Yang Chen's mind went blank. Countless scenes unfolded in his mind like a scroll, and he was lost in thought.
"Do you think I really wanted to marry you?!"
"If you cooperate with me, in three years—at most three years—once my career is fully stable, we can go our separate ways without any obligations."
"You think I want to take you along, you embarrassing blabbermouth?"
"I'll give you a large sum of money, more than you could ever make selling lamb skewers your whole life!"
"When I, Lin Ruoxi, make a decision, I stick to it. You just have to cooperate with me for three years according to the agreement. Just don't cause any trouble."
"I won't follow those stupid Lin family rules! I won't cling to you shamelessly. When the contract period is over, you can go or stay as you please!"
"You're useless! Get out! I don't want to see you again!"
Yang Chen felt a bit bewildered. He didn't know how to answer the question.
Over the phone, Master Yunmiao laughed. "What's the matter? You can't say it, can you?"
"This has nothing to do with Huilin," Yang Chen hesitated for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"How could it not be related? This concerns my granddaughter's lifelong happiness and my own unfulfilled wish," Master Yunmiao said loudly. "I've already decided that Huilin will go to Zhonghai next month."
"What?!" Yang Chen couldn't believe his ears.
"You heard me right. Next month, Huilin will come to Zhonghai alone to find you. This is part of her 'worldly training.' As for the results of this training, neither you nor I know. I've only told her to look for you once she arrives in Zhonghai. How things proceed after that is up to you, but you mustn't mistreat Huilin. If you do, I'll come after you with everything I've got!" Master Yunmiao said with an authoritative tone that brooked no disagreement.
Yang Chen felt like collapsing onto the bed. What kind of arrangement was this? She's coming next month? And she's coming alone? How was he supposed to manage a living person like Huilin? He couldn't very well have her work as a waitress in Rose's bar or even get involved with the underworld like Chen Rong did.
"That's all I have to say. We'll talk again later."
"Wait, wait!"
Yang Chen wanted to say a few more words to refuse, but Master Yunmiao had already hung up the phone.
Yang Chen tossed his phone aside and sat on the bed, feeling dejected. The thought of Huilin, the little Taoist nun, suddenly appearing in his life next month gave him a headache.
But then, the question that Master Yunmiao had asked earlier began to swirl around in Yang Chen's mind again, making it difficult for him to rest in the afternoon.
Unable to sleep, Yang Chen decided not to force it and sat on the bed watching TV until Wang Ma called him down for dinner in the evening.
When he went downstairs, he saw that Lin Ruoxi, as usual, was already sitting there, eating slowly and deliberately. Seeing Yang Chen sit down, she merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Yang Chen sat across from her, silently watching her.
Lin Ruoxi seemed uncomfortable under Yang Chen's gaze. She furrowed her delicate brows and said, "Eat."
"Ruoxi, we are husband and wife, right?" Yang Chen asked.
Lin Ruoxi's movements stiffened, and a mix of doubt and confusion flickered in her eyes. She looked at Yang Chen for a long time without saying anything and finally asked, "Did something happen?"
Yang Chen felt a twinge of disappointment in his heart, but he forced a smile. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about how much time we have left until our contract's divorce date."
Lin Ruoxi's hand, holding the rice bowl, trembled slightly. She responded with a calm "Oh," and said nothing more, continuing to eat her meal.
Yang Chen shook his head slightly, picked up a bowl, and served himself some rice. Throughout the meal, both of them were lost in their own thoughts, barely aware of what they were eating.