Chapter 254: Who's Watching

After finishing what seemed like an incredibly difficult dinner for Yang Chen, the two left the crayfish restaurant. The air in the night market was filled with the aromas of various snacks, but neither of them had any space left in their stomachs to try anything.

Lin Ruoxi glanced around at the shops nearby and asked, "Where should we go to buy medicine for Aunt Wang?"

"There aren't any on this street. We'll have to go a couple of streets over," Yang Chen replied.

"Why did we come here for dinner then?" Lin Ruoxi was somewhat displeased. For her, wasting time was not advisable.

Scratching his head, Yang Chen chuckled, "I didn't really think about it. I just suddenly wanted to eat crayfish, so I came here."

Lin Ruoxi gave him a sidelong glance and was about to walk towards where the car was parked when Yang Chen pulled her back.

"Let's not drive there. Let's walk instead. It's like taking a post-dinner stroll to aid digestion. It's just a little over two kilometers, very convenient," Yang Chen suggested.

"But that will waste a lot of time," Lin Ruoxi hesitated.

Yang Chen looked frustrated. "Miss Lin Ruoxi, why are you in such a rush to go home?"

"For work," Lin Ruoxi replied without much thought.

"Why do you work so hard?" Yang Chen pressed on.

"In order to help the company develop better," Lin Ruoxi quickly responded.

"And what will you do after the company develops well?" Yang Chen continued.

"In the future..." Lin Ruoxi struggled to find words. She couldn't articulate why she pushed herself so hard. In the past, it was to compete with other companies, being young and fearing not being taken seriously. But now, Yulei had almost no competitors left. As for the sense of social responsibility of an entrepreneur, Lin Ruoxi didn't consider herself that noble. So when Yang Chen asked why she worked so hard, she couldn't answer.

"If you're not sure for now, I suggest you walk with me for two kilometers. Newton discovered gravity while sitting down. You might not be as smart as Newton, but walking a few steps is better than sitting, as life is about movement," Yang Chen rambled nonsensically, then took Lin Ruoxi's hand and led her towards the pedestrian street.

It took Lin Ruoxi a while to react. She glared coldly at Yang Chen and said, "Did you just call me a fool?!"

Yang Chen pretended to be serious. "Look at you, reacting so slowly. If not a fool, then what?"

Lin Ruoxi turned her head away, ignoring this rascal.

The two walked along the brightly lit pedestrian street, their elongated shadows side by side on the ground. Because it was in the suburbs, there weren't many pedestrians passing by. Occasionally, people passing by would glance at the two of them.

Yang Chen knew that regardless of gender, anyone seeing the person next to him would inevitably sneak a few more glances. In a sense, taking a wife like Lin Ruoxi out on the streets was an immensely satisfying vanity for a man, from the smallest instinctual reaction to the grandest emotions, all of which were indelible.

Lin Ruoxi rarely walked on the streets, so she always felt a bit uneasy in such situations.

Finally, they found a chain-brand pharmacy. Upon entering, Yang Chen told the clerk in detail what medicines they needed. In reality, Wang Ma had already taken cold medicine, and Yang Chen's claim of needing to buy medicine was mainly to get Lin Ruoxi out of the house. But now that they were here, they had to go through with it.

Lin Ruoxi didn't understand these things. She stood at the door, waiting for Yang Chen to finish shopping and pay, and then they left together.

On the main street, Yang Chen saw Lin Ruoxi walking with her head down and knew she didn't like being stared at by others. So he suggested, "Wife, shall we take the bus back to where we parked?"

"The bus?" Lin Ruoxi looked up in surprise. She hadn't taken public transportation like that in many years.

"You've never tried crayfish. Surely you've been on a bus before," Yang Chen joked.

"You've never been on one," Lin Ruoxi glanced around and saw a bus stop on the right with no one inside, so she walked over.

It was already past nine at night, and most people had finished work, so the bus routes were almost deserted. After waiting for about five minutes, a large bus arrived heading towards the parking lot.

Yang Chen accompanied Lin Ruoxi onto the bus. After paying the fare, they found that apart from the driver, there were only three or four other passengers on the entire bus.

Lin Ruoxi found a seat by the window and sat down by herself, leaving the seat next to her empty, clearly indicating that Yang Chen shouldn't sit with her.

Yang Chen smirked, walked over, and patted Lin Ruoxi's fragrant shoulder, "Be good, sit by the window."

Lin Ruoxi looked up expressionlessly, "There are empty seats everywhere. Why can't you just sit anywhere else? Is it not okay to sit a little more comfortably? Why do you have to sit next to me?"

"If you won't let me, I'll kiss you," Yang Chen grinned mischievously.

Lin Ruoxi blushed and glared at Yang Chen, worried that this rogue might really do it. She immediately moved to the window seat.

Yang Chen sat down contentedly next to Lin Ruoxi and even squeezed in closer to her.

Lin Ruoxi was nearly going crazy. Why was this man so shameless? If she didn't let him sit next to her, he'd threaten her with something so embarrassing. Just sit wherever, why press her like this?

"You're unreasonable. Why do you have to sit next to me? There are plenty of seats on the bus," Lin Ruoxi complained angrily.

Yang Chen pursed his lips and smiled, reaching into his coat pocket, fiddling with something inside while looking at Lin Ruoxi. "There are indeed many seats on this bus, but by my side, there's only one seat, and it's yours."

Lin Ruoxi widened her watery eyes, speechless for a long moment, feeling her heart pounding wildly.

"By my side, there's only one seat, and it's yours."

But after a moment of strangeness, Lin Ruoxi slowly recalled certain things and coldly retorted, "Don't treat me like a three-year-old that's easily fooled. Do you think I don't know how many seats are beside you?"

Yang Chen chuckled softly, "Regardless of how many there are, right now, your place is where you should be, not anyone else's. At least that's what I truly think, now and in the future."

Lin Ruoxi pouted and turned her head to gaze out of the window at the night scenery, not letting Yang Chen see her expression.

But at that moment, Yang Chen suddenly grabbed Lin Ruoxi's hand and placed it on his thigh.

Lin Ruoxi's body trembled slightly. She immediately tried to pull her hand back forcefully, scolding Yang Chen a few times. However, she then noticed Yang Chen pulling out a Band-Aid from his coat pocket. Yang Chen grinned at Lin Ruoxi, "I bought this for you at the pharmacy just now. Taking my wife out to dinner and making her bleed, I've really messed up. I got you the best one I could find. They say it won't leave a scar. Let me put it on for you."

Lin Ruoxi stared at Yang Chen in a daze, her mind momentarily blank, not thinking anything at all.

She watched as Yang Chen peeled off the Band-Aid's packaging and carefully applied it to her small wound, smoothing it gently afterward.

Lin Ruoxi's hand was delicate and soft, flawless and boneless. Yang Chen held it in his hand, feeling an irresistible sense of fondness. At this moment, Lin Ruoxi hadn't thought to quickly withdraw her hand, so Yang Chen took advantage and played with it between his own hands, squeezing and kneading it jokingly. "It seems like Band-Aids can also be used as accessories. At least one on my wife's hand looks quite beautiful."

Only then did Lin Ruoxi snap out of her reverie, forcefully pulling her hand back. Realizing that she had allowed Yang Chen to toy with her hand just now, she blushed deeply, feeling so embarrassed that she wished she could find a crack to hide in and jump off the bus!

"In the future, please don't do that," Lin Ruoxi stammered, feeling at a loss.

Yang Chen chuckled, evidently quite pleased with himself for having the upper hand.

Back at the parking lot, they got into the car.

Yang Chen fastened his seatbelt and glanced at Lin Ruoxi, who had been silent with her blushing face bowed down. He smiled and said, "Accompany me to see someone."

Lin Ruoxi remained shy and asked in a soft voice, "Who are we seeing?"

"My younger sister, whom I met a few days ago. I promised her I'd bring my wife to meet her," Yang Chen replied.

Lin Ruoxi lifted her head with a hint of distrust and glanced at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen chuckled bitterly, "Good obedient wife, do you think if it were that kind of relationship with my sister, I could openly bring you to see her?"

"At least you're admitting you have that kind of relationship with your sister," Lin Ruoxi retorted, finally returning to her usual cold demeanor after being provoked by Yang Chen's words.

Yang Chen felt that this version of Lin Ruoxi was less charming than before. He shrugged and said nothing, starting the car and driving straight towards the eastern suburbs.

After a little over ten minutes, Yang Chen arrived at the street where he had met Zhenxiu that day. Sure enough, from afar, he spotted Zhenxiu's late-night snack cart.

Yang Chen got out of the car with Lin Ruoxi and walked towards the cart together.

Zhenxiu was wearing an old-fashioned deep green down vest and a fluffy scarf. Although her attire seemed a bit outdated, her delicate features and lively big eyes gave her an uncommon elegance amidst simplicity.

Zhenxiu had just finished serving a customer when she saw Yang Chen approaching with a smile on her face.

"Big Brother Yang!" Zhenxiu's lovely face lit up with surprise and she laughed, "How come you have time to come here?"

Yang Chen mischievously took out a skewer of dried bamboo shoots from the hot pot section, took a bite, and then said, "Didn't you say last time you wanted to meet my sister-in-law? So I brought her here to meet you. You have to give me a discount for this. Ninety-five percent off won't do, at least fifty percent."

Zhenxiu giggled, wrinkling her small nose slightly. She looked past Yang Chen and saw Lin Ruoxi who had just arrived at the stall.

However, when Zhenxiu and Lin Ruoxi locked eyes with each other, both froze in place simultaneously, their expressions momentarily stiffening.