Chapter 53: Apple

Yang Chen smiled and nodded at Aunt Wang before turning to Xu Zhihong. "Eldest Young Master Xu, you're really considerate, arriving even earlier than me, her husband."

Xu Zhihong kept his expression composed and smiled politely. "Mr. Yang, you jest. I've known Ruoxi for many years, so when I heard she was ill, I hurried over."

"Oh..." Yang Chen's face took on an expression of sudden realization. He leaned in with a mischievous grin, "Since you're here to visit the sick, you must have brought a gift, right?"

Inwardly cursing Yang Chen for being shameless, Xu Zhihong replied, "I only brought some fruit." He pointed to the basket of fruit beside the bed. "I know Ruoxi doesn't like extravagance, so I kept it simple."

Yang Chen walked over to the basket, picked up a rosy apple, weighed it in his hand, and said disappointedly, "It's a real apple."

Xu Zhihong looked puzzled. "Of course it's a real apple. What do you mean by that, Mr. Yang?"

"Heh," Yang Chen said with some regret, "I thought someone as wealthy as you would bring apples made of gold. Who knew it would just be ordinary apples? No offense."

Xu Zhihong felt his chest tighten with anger. What kind of brain does this man have?! Golden apples?!

A rogue! A scoundrel! A rascal!

"Mr. Yang, you really know how to joke, ha ha," Xu Zhihong forced a smile.

Lin Ruoxi, who had been staring out the window and ignoring the two men, glanced briefly in their direction at this moment. Seeing Xu Zhihong's forced smile, her lips twitched slightly.

If it weren't for the Xu family's influence and their business collaborations, Lin Ruoxi would have preferred for Xu Zhihong to disappear from this world. After all, if it weren't for his instigations, Lin Kun wouldn't have caused so much trouble, leaving her already weary heart even more exhausted, and resulting in her current state of lying in a hospital bed.

Lin Ruoxi knew she couldn't do anything drastic to Xu Zhihong, so in a way, Yang Chen's antics were exactly what she wanted to see.

Yang Chen wasn't going to let Xu Zhihong off the hook so easily. He waved his hand and said, "I know how capable you are, Eldest Young Master Xu. A golden apple is certainly within your means; it's just a matter of whether you want to give it or not. Of course, such a valuable thing, though it might not mean much to you, isn't something you casually give to someone you're not close to. So, as a humble couple, we don't insist. We're grateful that you brought a real apple."

After saying this, Yang Chen wiped the apple with a tissue, took a big bite, and said with great enjoyment, "Not bad, it's quite sweet. You have a knack for picking apples, Xu Zhihong. Maybe you should consider becoming a fruit farmer if you ever change careers."

Xu Zhihong was about to explode with rage. He had seen shameless people before, but never someone so shameless! In just a few words, this rascal had made him out to be a miser, a penny-pincher, a snob, and now a fruit farmer! He came to visit a patient, not to be insulted!

And that sweet apple? There was no way he had picked it himself!

Of course, Xu Zhihong wasn't foolish enough to admit, "The apple was bought by someone else." That would only make it clear that he lacked sincerity.

Realizing that staying any longer might drive him crazy, Xu Zhihong forced a smile and said, "I have a meeting this afternoon, so I won't disturb your rest any further, Ruoxi. I'll visit you another time." With that, he hurriedly left the ward.

Aunt Wang, who had been holding back her laughter, couldn't help but burst out, "Son-in-law, you really know how to talk. That Young Master Xu will probably be fuming for days."

Yang Chen, still munching on the apple, said, "He won't. If he could really get mad over something like this, he would have given up on Ruoxi long ago."

"Sigh..." Aunt Wang glanced at Lin Ruoxi, who remained silent as if she wasn't even in the room. "I'll step out for a bit. Son-in-law, have a chat with Miss Lin."

With that, she left the room, leaving Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi alone.

After the well-intentioned Aunt Wang left, Yang Chen finished off the apple in his hand and plopped down by Lin Ruoxi's bedside. He smiled and said, "Sweet Ruoxi, this apple is good. Want me to peel one for you?"

Lin Ruoxi remained expressionless, gazing out the window as if she hadn't heard anything.

Yang Chen nodded approvingly. "You didn't stop me from calling you that this time. That's progress. And you even implied you wanted the apple. Knowing how to act cute is an even bigger step forward. So, I'll reward you by peeling the apple for you."

Despite having seen her contract husband's shamelessness many times over the past few days, Lin Ruoxi couldn't help feeling she had underestimated this guy. How could she become cutesy with him when she hadn't even said a word?!

"Can you be serious for once?" Lin Ruoxi sighed, turning her head to face Yang Chen, intending to have a serious conversation with him.

"Serious? I'm always serious. What's wrong with a husband peeling an apple for his wife?" Yang Chen chuckled, taking a fruit knife. The gleaming blade spun elegantly in his palm as if it were glued there.

Lin Ruoxi was about to say something more when she couldn't help but be intrigued by Yang Chen's skillful display.

Taking a well-shaped apple in one hand and holding the fruit knife in the other, Yang Chen paused for a moment before swiftly starting to peel the apple's skin.

Yang Chen's hand moved so quickly that Lin Ruoxi couldn't discern the exact trajectory from such a close distance. All she could see were the flashes of light as the small fruit knife danced around the apple's surface.

Peeling the apple seemed like creating a work of art, akin to sculpting or carving wood. Until the last moment, you couldn't tell what the final result would be.

In less than half a minute, Yang Chen stopped his movements and handed the peeled apple to Lin Ruoxi. "Here, a husband's gift for his wife."

Lin Ruoxi was momentarily stunned by the sight of the perfectly peeled apple. Then, a strange feeling welled up inside her, and she couldn't help but feel touched...

The once rosy apple had been stripped of most of its skin, but on the peeled apple, a few slender strips of peel remained, forming the elegant words: "Wishing Madam Good Health."

Realizing her eyes were slightly moist, Lin Ruoxi quickly regained control of her emotions and said, "You only know these tricks and gimmicks. Peeling an apple is so cheesy."

"Hehe," Yang Chen's face flushed, "Actually, I feel a bit cheesy too, so why don't you just eat it obediently, my dear wife? Or should I feed you?" With that, he brought the apple to the porcelain-like lips of Lin Ruoxi.

"I'll do it myself." Lin Ruoxi hastily snatched the apple from Yang Chen's hand. But when she held it up in front of her, she hesitated as she looked at the bright red skin with words carved on it, feeling reluctant to speak.

Yang Chen pretended, "Are you hesitating to bite into such a good-looking apple? It's alright, we can always peel another one for you, but what else should I say..."

"Don't overthink it," Lin Ruoxi immediately took a bite, "I just wanted to know if you washed your hands."

Seeing Lin Ruoxi starting to nibble on the apple he peeled, Yang Chen stopped teasing her. He couldn't help but find her, the ice-cold woman, holding the apple with both hands, quietly chewing, quite adorable.

"Thank you," Lin Ruoxi suddenly said softly.

Yang Chen doubted he misheard, "What?"

"I said, thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for me," Lin Ruoxi raised her head, her eyes like autumn water, "I've realized, I don't dislike you as much as I used to."

Yang Chen wryly smiled, "No need to thank me. When you finally fall in love with me and I transition from being your temporary husband to the permanent one, I'll be thanking the heavens."

Lin Ruoxi wasn't angry at such words, just after pondering for a while, she earnestly replied, "That's going to be difficult."

"..."