Chapter 84 Firefight
"Hey, Wang Ma, is something wrong?"
Wang Ma on the other end of the line seemed hesitant, struggling to speak for a moment before saying, "Master Yang, I accidentally slipped and sprained my foot while mopping the floor just now. I can't drive."
Though Wang Ma was not yet in her forties, time had taken its toll. Yang Chen asked with concern, "Is it serious? Should I come back now and drive you to the hospital?"
"No, no need. It's just a minor thing; I'll rest for a day or two, and I'll be fine. But the problem is, I was about to deliver something to Miss, and now I can't, so..."
Yang Chen felt relieved; it wasn't a big deal after all. "I'll come back now. This is something I should handle."
Wang Ma hesitated, "Actually, it wasn't appropriate for you to deliver this in the first place. But Miss doesn't have many friends, and even fewer who can spare the time. I didn't want to bother Miss Mo or Secretary Wu Yue; they're already so busy. So, I had no choice but to ask you."
"It's okay, I'll be back soon."
Yang Chen hung up the phone and noticed the meaningful gaze of the rose on the side, with a hint of resentment.
"I have to go," Yang Chen rubbed his chin, avoiding eye contact.
"It seems a mistress is more important than a wife," Rose sighed with a touch of sorrow, "Go on, I won't be mad."
"Rose, you're such a good girl," Yang Chen chuckled, leaning in to plant a kiss on her fair cheek. "Do you want me to come back later tonight?"
Rose shook her head, "No need, I'll be busy these days. After all, I'm not very familiar with the situation in Dongxing, so I need to prepare a lot."
Yang Chen nodded understandingly, about to leave when Rose suddenly blurted out from behind, "Is your wife more beautiful than me?"
Yang Chen's legs went weak, almost stumbling into the door. He turned back with a wry smile, "So you know..."
Leaving Rose with an unsettled feeling in his heart, Yang Chen worried if there would be a harem war in the future, like those depicted in TV dramas, where women jostle with each other until the husband can't recognize them anymore...
Shaking his head to dispel these boring thoughts, he joked, it was impossible. Lin Ruoxi's indifferent demeanor indicated she probably didn't care about his involvement with other women.
Driving swiftly back to Longjing Villa, Wang Ma was already waiting at the door, holding a large Estée Lauder paper bag tightly shut to keep its contents hidden.
Yang Chen didn't pay much attention to it, he took the bag and checked on Wang Ma's foot with concern, "Can you walk? You seem a bit light-footed."
Wang Ma nodded gratefully, "Thank you for your concern, Master. It's just a minor slip, nothing serious. Let's hurry and deliver these things to Miss. I'm worried she might feel uncomfortable if it's too late..."
"Uncomfortable?" Yang Chen was curious why Lin Ruoxi would feel uncomfortable if the delivery was delayed, but he didn't ask further. He just left the villa.
After twenty minutes or so, Yang Chen arrived outside Lin Ruoxi's ward. Making sure there was no one else around, he entered.
Lin Ruoxi was lying on the bed, her black hair loosely scattered, the light casting a glow on her slightly flushed cheeks, making her look delicate and charming.
She was engrossed in a book and, unexpectedly, nodded slightly when she saw Yang Chen entering. Was that a greeting?
Yang Chen felt it was a bit strange because Lin Ruoxi used to ignore him or be indifferent whenever they met. It was the first time she had greeted him alone.
"I brought you something. Wang Ma sprained her foot and couldn't make it," Yang Chen placed the paper bag on the cabinet and sat on the nearby chair, asking, "How's your recovery? The Chinese medicine should be effective, right?"
Putting down her book, Lin Ruoxi rubbed her eyes with a small, white hand peeking out from the blanket, "It's okay, it shouldn't take this long, it's just wasting work time."
"Working all year round, lying in the hospital still signing documents, reading financial books. Aren't you tired? Women shouldn't be so hard on themselves," Yang Chen felt the need to educate this workaholic woman, "You're still young, don't spend all your time in the office and study. Take some time to do facials, spa treatments, soak in hot springs, milk baths..."
On a sunny day, chatting with your girlfriends and having a cup of afternoon tea sounds delightful. When it gets hot, we can go to an ice cream parlor and indulge in some strawberry cake ice cream, and when it cools down, a vacation in a tropical destination to soak up the sun sounds perfect.
After work, strolling down the commercial street with no intention to buy anything, just window shopping and trying on clothes, isn't that what you women love to do the most?
And about the cars in your garage, they could even be part of a car exhibition. If you want to race, I'll accompany you! But you have to reimburse me for the fuel...
Lin Ruoxi remained unmoved, but she pointed to the bag Yang Chen brought and asked, "What did you bring?"
"Can we not do this? I gave you so many wonderful suggestions, are you even listening?" Yang Chen felt Lin Ruoxi's attitude was quite improper.
Lin Ruoxi sighed softly and asked calmly, "If I don't work hard, what will happen to the thousands of employees both domestically and internationally? What about their families? What about the Lin family's assets left by my grandmother and mother? What about me? Are you going to support me?"
"Erm..."
The sudden barrage of questions made Yang Chen's scalp tingle. "Are you going to support me?" Was that something Lin Ruoxi would say?
"Is that a 'question' or a 'statement'?" Yang Chen regained his composure, smiling awkwardly as he carefully chose his words.
Lin Ruoxi looked at the somewhat timid man before her with a hint of disappointment. She felt her words sounded ridiculous. How could he replace her position and share the burden with a man who used to sell lamb skewers in the past, spending his days playing games and fooling around? Lin Ruoxi felt like she must have lost her mind.
Could it be that just because he once brought her a box of sticky rice balls, she harbored hope for him?
False hope is still false, perhaps it can never become true.
Lin Ruoxi decided not to continue the conversation and didn't respond to Yang Chen. She took the paper bag from the cabinet, but because it was large, she found it difficult to take things out while sitting on the bed. So, she flipped the bag over, dumping its contents onto the bed.
"No peeking!" Lin Ruoxi finally lost her calm demeanor, forcefully covering the items with the blanket. Her once icy and elegant face transformed into a bright red apple in an instant.
Careless! The thought of Yang Chen seeing all the cartoon trinkets she secretly bought and collected made Lin Ruoxi want to die of embarrassment!
Wang Ma was also to blame. She didn't inform Lin Ruoxi beforehand, and why didn't she bring some normal clothes? Otherwise, Lin Ruoxi wouldn't have been so embarrassed!
If Wang Ma knew what Lin Ruoxi was thinking at the moment, she would be at a loss whether to cry or laugh. It's not that she didn't want to bring normal items, but she couldn't find a single one in Lin Ruoxi's room!
"Ahem..." Yang Chen pretended to be calm, "Well, the things are delivered. I should go now. Get some rest."
"Mm..." Lin Ruoxi weakly responded, wishing she could throw Yang Chen out of the window right away.
Struggling to walk to the door, Yang Chen couldn't help but turn back and say, "That pink pants with Mickey Mouse heads are nice. I like them."
...
On the way out of the hospital and back to his car, Yang Chen couldn't forget Lin Ruoxi's expression. Her puffed-up cheeks, wide-eyed gaze, blushing face, as if she wanted to fight him. It was much more beautiful than her usual cold demeanor.
After spending so much time together, he found this woman could be cute at times. She portrayed herself as a cold and aloof queen in public, but gradually he discovered she enjoyed watching romantic Korean dramas, loved eating sticky rice balls like a child, and even nibbled on them with her hands. And today, he found out she wore tight-fitting clothes that not only contradicted her usual conservative style but also had a girlish cartoon motif...
Unconsciously, Yang Chen reminisced about the moments they had shared over the past days. He drove for quite a distance until he snapped out of it and was surprised to find himself subconsciously driving to a place worth remembering—the small bar where he first met Lin Ruoxi.
Yang Chen parked the car and decided to go in again.
Not for anything else, just to find a suitable candidate to help him extinguish the fire within him...