Chapter 300: Really Immature
Lin Ruoxi, as usual, was about to head upstairs to her study to work when she hesitated, turned around, and looked at Yang Chen, whose expression seemed serious rather than playful. She nodded faintly and said, "Let's talk in my study."
With that, Lin Ruoxi walked upstairs on her own.
Yang Chen didn't mind and followed her upstairs, entering Lin Ruoxi's study. The room was much like before, filled with the unique fragrance that Lin Ruoxi always seemed to carry, which Yang Chen greedily savored with a couple of deep breaths.
Lin Ruoxi didn't notice Yang Chen's small gesture. Feeling a bit weighed down, she walked to the French windows and stared outside at the quiet night in the villa area, lost in thought, as if waiting for Yang Chen to say something.
Yang Chen didn't rush to speak. Instead, he glanced around at the shelves filled with books and the heavy stacks of documents on the desk. With a touch of nostalgia, he remarked, "I remember the time we went book shopping together. The way you bought books was more ruthless than most women shop for clothes. At that moment, I thought, a woman like you should be a bookish PhD student or a university professor, not the CEO of a multinational corporation. Now I think I understand a bit. Some things, when they fall into your lap, even if you didn't intend to do them, you manage to achieve something. Some things are innate, while others, no matter how hard you try to supplement, remain incomplete."
Lin Ruoxi's eyes showed a pensive look. Reflected in the glass of the window before her, she could see the man behind her, standing with a smile, as if narrating a story.
After a moment of silence, Yang Chen asked, "Have you finished reading the books you bought last time?"
"I have," Lin Ruoxi replied calmly.
Yang Chen nodded and sighed, "What about those books on how women should manage marital relationships?"
"I finished reading them, but I've forgotten," Lin Ruoxi said.
"You probably found them useless. Normal logic doesn't apply to relationships like ours," Yang Chen said with a hint of self-deprecation. "An accidental beginning led to a marriage that entered a dead end from the start. No matter how much we struggle, it's just sinking deeper into quicksand. The harder we struggle, the faster we sink."
Lin Ruoxi's slender shoulders moved slightly. She bit her thin lips and asked, "Is that all the nonsense you wanted to say?"
Yang Chen shook his head, "I was just expressing some trivial thoughts. What I want to talk about is something serious. You've tried to accept me, you've made an effort to keep our marriage going, let me go on business trips, and took me to high society banquets. Now, you've even made me the director of the new company. Although there have been quite a few small issues, I know you did it for my sake. I want to thank you for that."
"So you know how to say 'thank you' after all," Lin Ruoxi asked with a cold smile.
"I do, but I don't say it often," Yang Chen replied.
"So, are you trying to thank me and repay me now?" Lin Ruoxi asked.
Yang Chen looked at the woman's back, which had remained turned away from him, "Although I would like to, aside from trying to protect you from getting hurt, I realize there's not much I can do for you. So, I feel that I shouldn't affect the development of your company. Now that I'm in the position of director at Yu Lei Entertainment, I've just started some projects, and I'm responsible for some key work. I'm wondering, if six months from now we get divorced, should I leave the company or continue in that position? I think I should ask for your opinion. If you don't mind, I'll stay in that position. I can't guarantee huge profits, but I'll ensure the company operates smoothly. If, by that time, you don't want to see me anymore, I'll leave and hand over my responsibilities properly. That's what I wanted to discuss with you."
Lin Ruoxi abruptly turned around. At some point, two lines of tears had slid down her face, which was as cold and delicate as jade.
"So, you acknowledge that I've made an effort, that I no longer look down on you as I did before, and your way of thanking and repaying me is by divorcing me?" Lin Ruoxi asked.
Yang Chen hadn't expected Lin Ruoxi to cry after hearing his words, and a faint bitterness welled up inside him. He didn't know how to respond.
After taking a heavy breath, Yang Chen said, "That day, when Zeng Xinlin and Xu Zhihong came to the door, you saw what kind of person I am. Although Xu Zhihong said you were the real culprit, to be honest with you, the reason the Xu family completely went down the path of no return was that I used some methods to remove Dongxing, their ally, completely, leaving Xu Zhihong without support. Also, the previous time, when you and Aunt Wang were kidnapped, it was also because you were with me. I've been back in the country for less than a year and have only been around you for half that time. But because of me, you've already faced life-threatening danger more than once. I don't want there to be another time when, because I'm close to you, you suffer that kind of fate. I'm afraid that one day, I won't be able to save you in time."
"And if you're not around, do you think I won't have enemies?" Lin Ruoxi asked disdainfully.
"At least, the enemies you have are ones you can handle, but the people I attract are those who can end your life," Yang Chen said.
A torrent of anger and resentment surged in Lin Ruoxi's beautiful eyes, and finally, in extreme anger, she burst out laughing, "Yang Chen, do you know that the things you're saying and the thoughts you have right now are really immature!"
Yang Chen quietly watched the woman whose tone had suddenly risen, saying nothing.
"You're just afraid, avoiding responsibility, and using a completely invalid reason to divorce me!" Lin Ruoxi said coldly. "If you told me, 'Lin Ruoxi, I don't like you, I'm not interested in you at all,' I wouldn't need you to say divorce; I would leave you on my own and wouldn't think you were wrong. But now, everything you're doing tells me that you don't really want to divorce. Why are you using such a lousy excuse to brush me off? Do you think that everything I've given is so worthless?!"
Yang Chen closed his eyes in pain, "It's not what you think."
Lin Ruoxi's eyes were slightly red, and she asked in a cold voice, "Then what is it? Do you dare to tell me that after divorcing me, you'll also give up the other women around you? Don't think I'm blind. I don't know how many other women you have outside, but I'm sure there's more than just Qian Ni, right? I'm not a fool. I didn't say anything because I once said I wouldn't interfere with your private life. I know I haven't been good to you, so I have no right to complain about your affairs. But now, you're telling me that you want to leave me because you're afraid I'll be hurt if we stay together. Are you going to leave all the other women for the same reason?!"
By the end, Lin Ruoxi was almost shouting, her emotions surging and causing her chest to heave. Her tear-streaked face was filled with anger and resentment.
Yang Chen looked up blankly, meeting Lin Ruoxi's gaze without any sign of retreat.
"I won't leave them, but I will leave you because you're different from them," Yang Chen said.
"Different?" Lin Ruoxi sneered. "Because you like them but hate me? Is that what you're trying to say?"
Yang Chen's hands clenched into tight fists and then slowly relaxed. With a bitter smile, he said, "Because if they get hurt, I will cry, feel pain, and get angry. But if you get hurt, I won't feel those things. I think I would go insane."
The last tear fell from Lin Ruoxi's eyes, landing on the carpet. Her expression froze for a moment as she stared blankly at Yang Chen.
"I've already lost you once. I can't afford to lose you a second time. Even if it's just a possibility, I won't allow it."
After finishing, Yang Chen silently turned around and, with heavy steps, walked out of the study.
Lose again? Why "again"?
Lin Ruoxi stood dazed by the window, watching the door slowly close, left in a state of bewilderment.