Chapter 28: Three Rules

"Um..." Yang Chen regretted choosing the random exam papers. If he had known, he would have chosen the English and French ones that matched his profile. But now he could only grit his teeth and say, "That was just a hobby. I have some talent for learning languages."

"Oh? What other talents do you have?" Lin Ruoxi crossed her arms in front of her chest, her face full of disbelief.

Yang Chen rubbed his nose, finding it difficult to explain. Actually, he had quite a few talents. He was best at fighting and killing people. If we were talking about high-tech stuff, he could handle fighter jets and tanks, play with firearms, and hack into systems. But of course, he couldn't say such things out loud. He simply shook his head and said, "Nothing else. My capacity is limited, and my wife knows best."

"Don't call me that!" Lin Ruoxi corrected the uncomfortable nickname again, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "Yang Chen, for whatever reason, since you chose Yulei International and became my employee, there are some things I must make clear to you."

"Are you going to fire me?" Yang Chen spread his hands in frustration. "Hey, Miss... uh... President Lin, I finally found a job that meets your requirements—sitting in an office, decent, and doing something meaningful. You don't have to be so cruel to me. Although I'm a bit handsome and might pose a threat to female colleagues in the company, how could a faithful man like me possibly flirt around? Besides, wildflowers don't have the fragrance of home flowers, don't you think..."

"Shut up!" Lin Ruoxi couldn't take it anymore and slammed her hand on the table. Her lips curved into a pout. This man's skin was too thick. Were all graduates from prestigious universities like this, or was it just a difference in perspective between Americans and Chinese?

Yang Chen couldn't help but suppress a smile at the sight of his cheap wife's embarrassed expression. Somehow, he couldn't help but like it, just like the imagery described by a certain poet... the most tender moment of lowering her head, like the shy lotus under the cool breeze...

Of course, Lin Ruoxi might be like a lotus, but she wasn't necessarily gentle. It was her mature, urban woman's pride and aloofness, combined with the coquettishness of a pure little girl, that was the most attractive part of her.

After a while, Lin Ruoxi calmed down and stared at Yang Chen with a hint of "killer instinct." "Yang Chen, in the company, we need to establish some ground rules."

"Okay, as long as you don't fire me, anything's fine," Yang Chen didn't bother arguing with her.

"Firstly, you're not allowed to call me those cheesy nicknames. You can only address me as President Lin or CEO, just like other employees. Secondly, you're not allowed to come to my office for no reason or get too close to me in public. You need to maintain a distance... Thirdly, you're not allowed to tell anyone in the company about our marriage. It must remain confidential in front of unnecessary people! Fourthly..."

"Wait a minute! Isn't it supposed to be three rules? Why is there a fourth?" Yang Chen protested, raising his hand.

"Clap!" Lin Ruoxi slammed her hands on the table, her almond eyes widened. "I said as many rules as I want! Don't interrupt!"

"Uh... okay," Yang Chen chuckled wryly.

Lin Ruoxi continued, "Fourthly, since you work in my company, I will supervise you properly. You're not allowed to disrupt the normal work order of the company. As long as you behave yourself, I won't fire you. I might even let you continue working here, but you're not allowed to cause trouble for no reason... Fifthly..."

After listening to Lin Ruoxi's lecture for more than ten minutes, Yang Chen yawned. By this time, Lin Ruoxi had almost finished speaking.

"President Lin, are you done? If so, I'll head downstairs first," Yang Chen smiled ingratiatingly, afraid that another rule might pop up. He had already lost track of how many rules there were.

Lin Ruoxi pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That's all for now. You must abide by each rule. In short, I won't interfere with your antics outside, but in the company, you must listen to me and behave yourself."

"Yes, yes," Yang Chen hastily agreed, getting up to leave.

Just then, the sleek, blue, stylish phone on the desk rang. Lin Ruoxi reached out and pressed a button, and the voice of her "icy" secretary, Wu Yue, came through the phone. "President Lin, General Manager Xu Zhihong has invited you to dinner at the Blue Bay Hotel at six o'clock to discuss the cooperation between Donghua Technology and our Yulei International for this year's autumn fashion show."

Upon hearing the name "Xu Zhihong," Lin Ruoxi visibly frowned. "Wu Yue, can't we cancel it?"

There was a hint of hesitation in Wu Yue's voice on the other end of the phone before she said, "President Lin, you have already declined Mr. Xu's private invitation three times before. This time, the discussion is about the autumn fashion show, and we need the support of Donghua Technology in the arrangement and construction of each exhibition area. Their reasons are quite valid. If we decline..."

"Alright, I understand," Lin Ruoxi pursed her lips. "Please arrange it for me. I'll go tonight, but only reserve two seats."

"Does President Lin need me to accompany you?"

"No," Lin Ruoxi glanced up at Yang Chen, who was about to sneak out the door, "I'll drive myself. You can just go home after work."

"Okay, President Lin..." Although a little puzzled, Wu Yue obediently complied without asking further questions.

As Yang Chen was about to rush out the door, he hesitated. Turning back with a wry smile, he said, "President Lin, you're not seriously asking me to go, are you? I remember the Blue Bay Hotel is a five-star one. Do I look like someone who belongs there? Besides, I know nothing about business and won't be of any help."

Lin Ruoxi sneered, "Do you think I'm willing to take you with me, a guy who embarrasses me with nonsense... But since we're married, you need to be useful at times like this. When we get there tonight, you'll have to find a way to keep Xu Zhihong away from me, preferably making him give up completely."

"Are you suggesting a personal attack?" Yang Chen grew impatient. "Or should I just go and finish him off?"

"No! You're not allowed to let him get close to me, but you also have to ensure our business negotiations are successful!" Lin Ruoxi emphasized each word.

Taking a sharp breath, Yang Chen gave Lin Ruoxi a strange look and muttered, "President Lin, are you hiring a husband or an Oscar-winning actor?"

"We have a contract, and you must play your role well in front of outsiders. A man should keep his word," Lin Ruoxi said, feeling a bit smug seeing Yang Chen's subdued expression.

Time passed quickly, and Yang Chen returned to the public relations department. After chatting nonsensically with his curious female colleagues about why he had been summoned to the CEO's office, it was almost time to go home.

Throughout the afternoon, only Mo Qianyi sat in the office, sulking. She couldn't understand why Lin Ruoxi, who usually valued her opinions, had directly rejected the suggestion to fire Yang Chen. And why did she call Yang Chen into her office in the first place? Did Yang Chen have a special background? These questions kept Mo Qianyi awake all night.

As for Yang Chen, after declining an invitation to a welcome party from a group of female colleagues, he quietly made his way to the underground parking garage reserved for the CEO at Yulei International. He got into Lin Ruoxi's Bentley Mulsanne and headed to the Blue Bay Hotel as arranged.

As night fell over the city of Zhonghai, neither the man nor the woman knew what the other was thinking. But just as the young couple was about to have their first romantic encounter, a phone call from Xu Zhihong suddenly interrupted their plans.