Chapter 284:

After Lin Ruoxi finished speaking, the two fell into a prolonged silence once again.

After a long while, Yang Chen smiled bitterly and raised his head. "Darling, how much longer is left on our contract?"

Lin Ruoxi's eyes cleared slightly as she calmly replied, "One year and a half."

"How about we shorten it, to just another half year," Yang Chen suggested. "Let us, two scorpions, live together for half a year more. By then, even if we're of the same kind, there will still be differences in class. We should be tired of each other by then."

"I accept," Lin Ruoxi said calmly.

Yang Chen nodded with a smile. "I'll go upstairs to take a shower. I'll clean up the blood on the floor later. Please take care of Wang Ma and comfort her."

"Got it."

Watching Yang Chen walk upstairs, Lin Ruoxi felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She sat down on the sofa, reflecting on their conversation just now, which had left her mentally drained.

Various memories flashed through her mind. Finally, Lin Ruoxi could analyze and unravel the mysteries from before. Why did he suddenly appear behind her on the café terrace when she was about to jump off? How did he effortlessly defeat the thugs Lin Kun sent? How did he rescue her and Mo Qianni alone from the bandits when they were kidnapped by Lin Kun? And how did they return safely from that dangerous trip to Hong Kong without any harm?

All of this, she hadn't thought much about before, but now it seemed to be related to this man!

Was he silently protecting her and guarding this small family all along?

Lin Ruoxi shuddered at the thought, grateful that she had remembered the story of the scorpion just now and hadn't let him leave in an instant. Perhaps, after just half a year, she would be able to accept it calmly. After all, she was just not used to him suddenly leaving; she wouldn't really fall in love with him, Lin Ruoxi assured herself.

After the terrifying battle, a team of professionals quickly arrived to clean up the scene. The bodies and blood on the lawn outside the villa were meticulously concealed. Within half an hour, everything outside looked as calm and normal as it had always been.

Wang Ma was deeply frightened and didn't awaken from unconsciousness until nearly an hour later, breaking out in a cold sweat upon regaining consciousness. When she saw Lin Ruoxi sitting unharmed beside her, smiling gently, Wang Ma was overwhelmed with mixed emotions and hugged Lin Ruoxi, tears streaming down her face.

When asked about what had happened earlier, Lin Ruoxi didn't tell the truth, saying only that someone had come to rescue them and Yang Chen had merely killed the thugs in self-defense. The police had come and not asked too many questions afterward. Despite having many doubts, Wang Ma knew both Lin Ruoxi and Yang Chen were safe and didn't press further. Being a wise elder, she understood that some things didn't need to be understood too clearly; she was more concerned about the safety of her beloved younger generation.

After Yang Chen finished washing off the blood and changed into clean clothes, he came downstairs and saw that Wang Ma was alright. He smiled and said, "Wang Ma, I'm sorry you were frightened. It won't happen again."

Wang Ma lamented, "A little scare is nothing. Thankfully, Miss and Master are both fine. Those people are really audacious, daring to come here in broad daylight. Miss, how about we move to a safer place? I heard the villas near Huarong Hospital in the east of the city, although not as nice as here, have very diligent security guards who are ex-special forces. It's much safer than here."

Lin Ruoxi comforted her, "It's alright, Wang Ma. It was just Xu Zhihong causing trouble this time. Now that he's dead, we can continue to live quietly as before. We've been living here for so long without trouble, haven't we?"

After a few sighs, Wang Ma finally said, "I always said, there should be a man in the house. If it wasn't for Master today, we wouldn't have waited for someone to come and rescue us. Sigh..."

Thinking of the times Yang Chen had saved her in the past, Lin Ruoxi couldn't help but glance at him with mixed feelings.

However, Yang Chen didn't think much about it. He thought Lin Ruoxi was still shaken and gave her a wry smile of apology.

Once Wang Ma went upstairs to rest, Lin Ruoxi didn't follow but stayed downstairs. Though tired, she remained and asked Yang Chen, who was already casually watching TV, "Yang Chen, what happened with Jingjing?"

Yang Chen was a bit surprised. Lin Ruoxi already knew he intended to confess his past to her, yet she showed no interest in asking about it and instead inquired about Li Jingjing's situation first.

3.5

However, Yang Chen did not conceal anything, recounting how he initially met the Li family and Li Jingjing, detailing their relationship and subsequent events orchestrated by Zeng Xinlin.

After listening, Lin Ruoxi pondered for a moment. "So, when I first met her at the orphanage, she didn't know who I was."

"It seems that way. Our relationship was something Zeng Xinlin informed her about," Yang Chen confirmed.

Lin Ruoxi suddenly spoke with some happiness, "I knew it. She's a kind-hearted girl."

Yang Chen asked in confusion, "You don't resent her? You're not angry that she deceived and used you?"

Lin Ruoxi gave him a look. "Why should I hate her? She was also forced into it. Besides, with your flirtatious ways, why should you let a girl suffer? Do you think I'd be jealous?"

Yang Chen smirked. It seemed the Lin Ruoxi from the past had returned, once again criticizing and chastising him.

"Oh right, how is Jingjing's father's illness? If things aren't going well now that Zeng Xinlin is gone, there might be issues with the surgery fees. I should go check," Lin Ruoxi said worriedly.

Yang Chen was momentarily speechless. It appeared that Lin Jingjing really fit Lin Ruoxi's tastes if she was this concerned about her family's affairs.

Lin Ruoxi immediately asked for the hospital and room number. She was preparing to leave for the hospital.

Yang Chen couldn't help but laugh. "Do you really need to rush like this? You just faced life and death this afternoon, and now you're off worrying about someone else's life and death?"

"Do you think I'm as heartless and reckless as you, tormenting a girl's heart? Jingjing must be heartbroken by now, but her intentions were good. I need to go now, to tell her I don't blame her. At the very least, it might help her move on from her grief sooner. The longer this drags on, the worse it'll get," Lin Ruoxi said as she slipped on her high heels, ready to leave. She glanced back, asking, "Aren't you coming with me?"

Yang Chen sighed. "If I go, it might not have a good effect."

Lin Ruoxi lowered her head in thought. "You're right. Even though we're not what she hoped for, going together would definitely upset her."

This time it was Yang Chen's turn to roll his eyes. Lin Ruoxi seemed to consider everything for Li Jingjing. "Why don't you just adopt Jingjing as your little sister? You're really emitting maternal vibes."

Lin Ruoxi glared at him. "I'm not going home for dinner," she said abruptly, ignoring him and running out the door.

Once Lin Ruoxi left, Yang Chen leaned back on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. Countless thoughts raced through his mind. Eventually, he chuckled self-deprecatingly. If Lin Ruoxi, a woman, could move on so quickly, why should he linger on today's events? Life goes on; say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done.

There's still half a year left, and things will sort themselves out. Who can predict the future clearly, or understand what they truly want?

After watching TV for a while, Yang Chen felt hungry. He hesitated to wake up Wang Ma, thinking about trying his rusty cooking skills. Just then, his phone vibrated.

Yang Chen smiled when he saw it was Tang Tang. She seemed busy lately, and it was rare for her to call.