Chapter 309: You're Cruel
Because it was Christmas Eve, Yang Chen didn't want to leave Zhenxiu alone to spend it in her small rented room. Despite Zhenxiu's initial objections, he insisted on bringing her back to the Longjing Villa. He figured Lin Ruoxi must have wanted him to do so, considering she had practically watched Zhenxiu grow up, despite the small age gap between them.
When they arrived home, three women were busy chatting and bustling about in the kitchen. It was a rare sight—Lin Ruoxi had come home early, and Hui Lin naturally followed her. Lin Ruoxi hadn't lost her cooking skills learned from Li Jingjing; her naturally sharp mind made her adept at anything she learned. As for Hui Lin, despite spending most of her time with Master Yunmiao in the mountains, she knew the basics of cooking from her time there. She was perfectly capable of handling some kitchen work, so the two women assisted Wang Mama happily in the kitchen.
Hearing Yang Chen's return, Hui Lin was the first to dash out. She treated Yang Chen as her brother-in-law due to her good upbringing, prompting her to greet Yang Chen when he came in.
"Big Brother Yang, you're back!" She greeted him with a smile, but upon smiling, Hui Lin saw a petite and delicate girl standing nervously beside Yang Chen, glancing around. When she saw Hui Lin, she immediately lowered her head and greeted her softly, almost inaudibly.
Yang Chen supported Zhenxiu and stepped forward, introducing her. "This is a little sister I know, and your sister also knows her. Her name is Xu Zhenxiu. Since she was alone, I brought her back to celebrate the festival together."
Hui Lin was perceptive and immediately smiled kindly at Zhenxiu. However, since they were strangers, she wasn't sure what to say.
Lin Ruoxi, in the kitchen, wasn't keen on interacting with Yang Chen. However, upon hearing him mention "Zhenxiu," she quickly wiped her hands on a wet dishcloth, tied with a pink apron, and stepped out of the kitchen without looking at Yang Chen.
She walked directly to Zhenxiu, took her hand, and smiled as she asked, "Did you go see the Director when you returned to the orphanage today?"
Zhenxiu relaxed a bit upon seeing Lin Ruoxi and sweetly nodded, "Yes, we did. Big Brother Yang also bought many gifts for the children and the Director. We had lunch there."
"That's good. The Director must be very happy. Since it's your first time at my sister's house, let's sit and watch TV for a while before dinner. Feel at home, and dinner will be ready soon," Lin Ruoxi didn't spare a glance at Yang Chen throughout, clearly giving him the silent treatment.
Yang Chen smiled bitterly in his heart but accepted the situation. Since he had chosen this path, he was prepared to endure such treatment.
Hui Lin sensed the coldness and distance between the two and felt a bit reluctant but said nothing.
Lin Ruoxi pulled Hui Lin back to continue working in the kitchen, while Yang Chen led Zhenxiu to the sofa. He took out some candies and jerky that Wang Mama always kept at home, making Zhenxiu feel somewhat uneasy. For a girl who struggled to make ends meet with her monthly earnings barely covering rent, utilities, and simple meals, snacks were a luxury.
It wasn't that Yang Chen didn't understand how tough Zhenxiu's life was or didn't care for her. It was just that Zhenxiu's pride wouldn't easily accept gifts of good food and clothing from him for no reason. Her acceptance of Yang Chen borrowing money to retake the college entrance exam was already a significant step for her.
Half an hour later, steaming hot dishes were brought out from the kitchen. Zhenxiu, mature beyond her years, insisted on helping to serve the food.
Seeing Zhenxiu carrying a steamed plate with her small hands, Lin Ruoxi anxiously said, "Zhenxiu, don't carry that, it's too hot. You'll burn yourself!"
Zhenxiu smiled and replied confidently, "It's okay, Ruoxi sister, it's not hot."
Lin Ruoxi was surprised that Zhenxiu didn't feel the heat. Lin Ruoxi herself would hesitate to touch the plate as it was scalding.
"This child's hands are calloused from hard work," Wang Mama observed keenly, noticing the slight yellowish bumps on Zhenxiu's hands. "It really breaks your heart to see."
Lin Ruoxi had discussed Zhenxiu's situation with Wang Mama before, so she wasn't unfamiliar with Zhenxiu.
Zhenxiu shrugged it off with a smile. In such a luxurious villa, she didn't dare to say much.
Soon, the five of them sat down to eat. Yang Chen sat at the head of the Western dining table, with Wang Mama and Hui Lin on one side and Lin Ruoxi with Zhenxiu on the other.
Looking at the four women around the table, Yang Chen felt like he was in a "girls' dormitory."
Suddenly, he imagined a future day when all the women in his life could gather around the table like this, lined up on both sides. What a spectacular and fulfilling sight that would be!
However, he only pondered that although Yang Chen could be a bit domineering and possessive of women he liked, he didn't see himself as an ancient emperor, nor did he consider these women as palace concubines. Therefore, he didn't think that the women who treated him well would necessarily be friendly to his other women. They were all beauties with their own pride, desiring complete love; how could they simply tolerate each other?
On the surface, they were civil; as long as they didn't confront each other, it was fine. But truly forging harmonious relationships was still a distant goal.
However, Lin Ruoxi, who was supposed to be by his side at this moment, was probably not around anymore.
As they were halfway through their meal, the four women were chatting amiably. Even the shy Zhenxiu was gradually relaxing and becoming more talkative.
But just then, the doorbell rang.
Wang Mama got up, walked to the display screen by the door, glanced at the visitor outside, and was momentarily stunned. She turned to the others and said, "It's Miss Cai from the Cai family," and then she opened the door.
Miss Cai from the Cai family naturally referred to Cai Ning.
Yang Chen was somewhat surprised. Knowing that Cai Yan was Lin Ruoxi's close friend, Cai Ning must not be familiar with Lin Ruoxi. Most likely, she had come to see him. But what could be so urgent that she needed to visit during a Christmas Eve dinner?
Cai Ning was dressed in a black coat. Because of her practice of internal energy, the winter cold didn't affect her much. Her graceful and tall figure was still eye-catching in the coat. She had a cold and elegant face similar to Cai Yan's, but at this moment, it seemed even colder, sending a chill through the air.
Entering the house, Cai Ning didn't look at anyone else but fixed her piercing gaze directly on Yang Chen, as if she held deep grievances or resentment towards him!
Yang Chen felt bewildered, and Lin Ruoxi and the others were also surprised, hesitating to greet Cai Ning.
"What have you done to my sister?" Cai Ning asked, a question that left Yang Chen dumbfounded. Lin Ruoxi and Wang Mama exchanged strange looks. Hui Lin knew Cai Ning as Huayu, but didn't know who her sister was, while Zhenxiu was completely lost.
"What have I done?" Yang Chen shook his head. "I had lunch with her yesterday and said a few things, but I didn't do anything to her."
Cai Ning was extremely agitated as she pressed on, "What did you say to her?!"
Yang Chen hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Cai Ning and spoke in a volume only she could hear, briefly recounting what had been discussed yesterday—essentially rejecting Cai Yan's affection.
Cai Ning's large, watery eyes widened as she glared fiercely at Yang Chen. "How could you treat her like this! Do you know how difficult these days have been for her because of this?"
"I had no other choice. These things can't be forced. You wouldn't want her to go down the wrong path either," Yang Chen said helplessly.
"You don't understand at all!" Cai Ning's eyes shimmered with tears. "Do you know how cruel you are?"
Yang Chen fell silent. He knew he was being cruel, but wasn't rejecting Cai Yan also a form of cruelty?
Taking a deep breath, Cai Ning spoke coldly, "Yang Chen, if anything happens to my sister, even if I'm no match for you, I will make you pay. You won't get away with this."
"What exactly happened to her?" This was the question Yang Chen really wanted answered.
Cai Ning glanced at him. "You don't need to know. You don't deserve to know."
With that, Cai Ning turned and left without another word.
Yang Chen's expression darkened. Could it be that after he rejected that woman, she did something foolish?
Thinking back to yesterday afternoon and Cai Yan's stubborn tears, Yang Chen suddenly realized he was worried about her safety.
At that moment, Lin Ruoxi stepped forward, her face devoid of expression but clearly suppressing anger as she asked Yang Chen, "What's wrong with Yanyan? What did you do to her?"
Yang Chen sighed. "I don't know. I wish I knew what happened to her."
Lin Ruoxi gave Yang Chen a distrustful look, then walked to the telephone and dialed Cai Yan's number.
The phone message indicated that the number was switched off. Lin Ruoxi's expression turned even grimmer. As she looked at Yang Chen, besides her initial indifference, there was now a hint of resentment in her eyes.
Wang Mama watched as the warm family dinner turned so grave, especially between Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi, where an awkward tension was palpable, tinged with sorrow.