“Yo, are you still acting up because you’re angry?” Qi Chenglin cocked a brow. His tone was somewhat sarcastic, but it was not as though he was angry.
Ruan Danchen put on a brave face and glared at him. Her ears turned red as she said, “Young Master Lin, could you please not say anything that will cause others to misunderstand next time?”
“What did I say?” Qi Chenglin cocked a brow and asked.
Ruan Danchen was speechless. She twitched her lip and said, “You told Manager Luo that you were buying groceries to cook at home.”
“Aren’t we here to buy groceries so we can cook once we get home? Tell me what I said that was wrong, and I’ll fix it,” Qi Chenglin responded bluntly. He behaved as if he was kind and willing to learn from his mistakes.
“Hehe!” In truth, there was nothing inherently wrong about his words, but they were still able to stir up a misunderstanding!
Ruan Danchen was completely lost for words. By then, they had already walked to the car. She got into the car along with Qi Youxuan and left Qi Chenglin to load the stuff into the boot.
Qi Chenglin looked into the car and smiled before placing everything in.
When Qi Youxuan’s small hands reached for the seatbelt, Ruan Danchen took it and helped him put it on.
Although he knew how to put on a seatbelt, she wanted to seize every possible opportunity to take better care of him.
Qi Chenglin got up and started the engine. Qi Youxuan rolled his eyeballs and directed his gaze to look outside through the car window. There was nothing to see, so he retracted his gaze and shifted them to Ruan Danchen.
“Aunt Ruan, Zhang Mingming said stepmothers torture their children,” Qi Youxuan suddenly blurted out.
“Zhang Mingming?” Ruan Danchen asked.
“The boy that came to say hi to you at kindergarten just now,” Qi Youxuan explained.
Ruan Danchen immediately recalled everything and looked at Qi Youxuan curiously. No wonder the boy ran over and said some really odd things. She wondered what else the boy told Qi Youxuan.
Qi Youxuan then told Ruan Danchen about Zhang Mingming’s mother’s colleague, the one who bullied her stepdaughter.
Ruan Danchen felt pity for the little girl after hearing the story. She really could not fathom what the stepmother was thinking. Even she did not birth the girl, how could a stepmother have the heart to bully such a young child?
“No, there aren’t a lot of people like that. You’re so cute. How could anyone have the heart to bully you? Your dad will always responsibly take good care of you, and he won’t get married to anyone who treats you poorly, would he?” Ruan Danchen assured softly.
She was fully aware that a person of status like Qi Chenglin would get married sooner or later. That person would then become Qi Youxuan’s mother, and Ruan Danchen might never get the chance to hear Qi Youxuan call her mom.
Although she had come to terms with that long ago, the mere thought of Qi Youxuan calling another woman ‘mom’ was something that made her heart ache tremendously. She was in agony at that exact moment.
“Of course,” Qi Youxuan said, but he also gave his dad a nervous look. “You won’t right, Dad?”
Qi Chenglin glanced at them through the rear-view mirror. He remained quiet, but his gaze was rather disdainful.
Qi Youxuan looked pitifully at Ruan Danchen. “Aunt Ruan, just look at Dad’s attitude. Why do I feel like I can’t trust him?”
Ruan Danchen was aching herself and she could not comfort Qi Youxuan. He was not the only one who was worried—she was, too. Qi Chenglin’s status meant that he would find someone on a similar level as himself.
If all those daughters from prestigious families were like Shen Zhijing, Mu Sisi, or Yu Keyao, then it was certain that none of them would treat Qi Youxuan well.
Perhaps the Qi family and Qi Chenglin might not abuse Qi Youxuan, but they would neglect him. Maybe other women would treat their own children better than Qi Youxuan, favoring one and discriminating against the other. Both were unacceptable.
Negligence was considered emotional abuse.
Ruan Danchen’s heartbreak became even worse when she looked at Qi Youxuan’s cute little face. Worried that he would be treated badly in the future, her eyes began to redden.
“Aunt Ruan, why are your eyes red?” Qi Youxuan stretched his stubby hands and hugged Ruan Danchen. “Don’t feel bad. I’m sure that you won’t bully me and treat me really well. Although, Zhang Mingming said that you might not treat me as well after you get married to my dad. But I don’t believe that’ll happen. You’ll always treat me well.”
Ruan Danchen blinked in confusion a couple of times. ‘Where is this conversation going? Why did the attention shift from stepmothers to her?
‘Why was she supposed to get married all of a sudden?’
She was stupefied. Anguish had emerged in her heart earlier, but after Qi Youxuan’s blabbing, she could not help but look at Qi Chenglin.
He did not seem to have heard anything and was focused on driving.
“Isn’t that right, Aunt Ruan?” Qi Youxuan hugged Ruan Danchen’s arm and looked up anticipatedly.
Ruan Danchen was stunned. ‘How am I going to answer this?’
‘If I say yes, then am I not admitting that I would be his stepmother?’
‘Didn’t Qi Chenglin misunderstand my intentions last time? He thought I was being good to Youxuan just to get close to him, right?’
‘If I admit it now, then wouldn’t it fit his accusation? It’ll cause an even bigger misunderstanding.
‘If I say no, Qi Youxuan would probably be really sad.’
Ruan Danchen thought for a moment before slowly saying, “Youxuan, I’ll treat you good, but…”
“Yay!” Qi Youxuan clapped his hands without waiting for Ruan Danchen to finish. “I knew Aunt Ruan would be good to me.”
“Youxuan, I won’t…” The car stopped before Ruan Danchen could say anything.
Qi Chenglin interrupted her sentence and said, “We’re here.”
Ruan Danchen noticed that the car had stopped at her apartment. Qi Chenglin’s actions did nothing to resolve her predicament, as he was the first to step out of the car.
In Qi Chenglin’s absence, Ruan Danchen rushed to explain everything properly to Qi Youxuan, but she was concerned about disappointing him.
Just like his father, Qi Youxuan did not spare her opportunity of uttering a single word. He released himself from his seatbelt and got down, leaving her alone in the car.
The helpless Ruan Danchen got down. Qi Chenglin had already brought everything out, and just like before, he carried everything by himself. Ruan Danchen’s only task was to hold Qi Youxuan’s hand.
The three of them waited at the elevator. Qi Youxuan switched the topic of discussion, effectively ending their conversation in the car earlier.
The elevator finally reached the first floor. After the door opened, a lady in her fifties pushed a baby stroller out of the elevator, her grandson lying inside—her daughter stood alongside her as well.
Ruan Danchen knew the lady and her daughter. They stayed at the floor below Ruan Danchen. When Ruan Danchen leaves for work, she would oftentimes bump into Aunt Chen dragging her little trolley—on her way to buy vegetables at the nearby market. Before the lady’s daughter got married, Ruan Danchen would sometimes bump into her as she made her way to work.
Once in a while, she would also see Aunt Chen and her husband bring their grandson out for morning strolls.
“Aunt Chen,” Ruan Danchen called out, then smiled at Aunt Chen’s daughter. “Bringing Tangtang outside to play?”
“Yes, it’s pretty warm today, isn’t it? We’re bringing him for a walk outside. Since he’s playful, he always talks about going outside,” Aunt Chen smiled and said. Her eyes darted instinctively at Qi Chenglin, then to Qi Youxuan, whom Ruan Danchen was holding hands with.
To her knowledge, Ruan Danchen was still single.
The man looked older than her and even brought a child with him. Ruan Danchen was a good and proper lady who should not resort to being a stepmother. The man was quite handsome, but when all was said and done, he still had a son.
Aunt Chen would not give her blessing if it was her own daughter, not when the man was a divorcee who already had a son.
“Hehe, Danchen, is this your relative? Your big brother?” Aunt Chen smiled and asked. With those earlier assumptions in mind, Aunt Chen felt awkward asking Ruan Danchen those questions.
Ruan Danchen felt embarrassed and could hardly find a response. If it was up to her, she would have wanted to acknowledge Qi Youxuan openly.
“Hello Grandma, hello Auntie, my name is Qi Youxuan, Aunt Ruan’s future son.” Qi Youxuan greeted politely, but he blushed when he spoke the second half of his sentence.
Ruan Danchen’s face turned red. Aunt Chen was stunned and was momentarily unable to find a suitable reply. Ruan Danchen’s blushing face was practically silent admission.
‘Did she really become his stepmother?
‘What a pity!’
Aunt Chen’s smile became uneasy. Qi Chenglin, with his hands full of all those bags, said in a deep voice, “Youxuan, don’t talk nonsense. Your Aunt Ruan gets ashamed easily.”
Ruan Danchen was lost for words.
It would have been better for him not to say anything than to explain it like that!
“Hehehehe!” Aunt Chen spotted the groceries in Qi Chenglin’s hand and figured that Ruan Danchen was getting serious with him. Their relationship must have progressed quite significantly since the man even brought his son to have a meal at her place.
They looked just like a husband and wife going about their daily routine. The relationship surely must have had good progress for them to reach that stage.
“You’re all in a hurry and haven’t eaten yet, I suppose?” Aunt Chen asked.
Ruan Danchen kept quiet but smiled and nodded. Both sides then went their separate ways.
It was only when the elevator reached the top did Aunt Chen push the stroller and whisper to her daughter. “I never imagined that Little Ruan would get together with a divorced man, let alone one who has a son.”
“Mom, that guy looks rich. I’m guessing that his clothes are from really expensive luxury brands. Tangtang’s daddy loves that brand, but he’s always reluctant to buy them because a full suit costs about a hundred thousand. Tangtang’s daddy only looks at them. I recognize the brand because he always looks at them. If he’s really that rich, plenty of women would want to chase him regardless of whether he already has a son. I think Ruan Danchen’s quite impressive. Just look at the guy. He’s rich, handsome, and his son is really well-behaved. It’s no small feat to be on such good terms with a guy like that. You read the news on the entertainment industry, right? You’d know that all those ugly rich men are usually accompanied by young models and celebrities. They change girlfriends so often. Just look at all of those celebrities who get married to rich men. Most of those men already have children. You’re bound to sacrifice a bit to get a good life,” Aunt Chen’s daughter remarked.
Aunt Chen shook her head. “Maybe my way of thinking is old, but celebrities are celebrities. That’s their business. You can admire them, but that’s the furthest I would go. I wouldn’t want that to happen to me.”
…
…
Inside the house, Qi Chenglin brought all the groceries into the kitchen. Ruan Danchen then noticed that Qi Chenglin had brought up Qi Youxuan’s little luggage bag. For some reason, it slipped her attention earlier.
Qi Chenglin looked at her and explained, “Since small, Youxuan has had a habit of bringing some things with him, especially his teddy bear. He feels at ease when he hugs it.”
Ruan Danchen’s eyes shifted to Qi Youxuan. He was sitting quietly in the living room, watching some cartoons—a far cry from the kind of child who would be shy of strangers.
“Go sit down. I’ll quickly whip up dinner,” Ruan Danchen said.
Qi Chenlin nodded and turned around to join his son.
Before entering the kitchen, Ruan Danchen glanced at them. Both father and son were sitting there, making for an extraordinarily heartwarming scene.
Qi Chenglin was uninterested in the cartoon, so he picked up from where he left off with one of his magazines.
After a while, Qi Youxuan began feeling lazy. He started leaning on Qi Chenglin and lied down. At times, he would kick his feet with joy due to the show’s plot.
Ruan Danchen smiled and entered the kitchen.
She first took out the vegetables. Vegetables bought from supermarkets were clean, so only a simple wash was needed, and nothing extra had to be done.
As she was drying them in the basin, she heard the door click open. She turned and saw Qi Chenglin enter.
Ruan Danchen felt as though his head was so tall that it could reach the ceiling. All he had to do was stand to create tension between them.
“Why are you…” Ruan Danchen gulped anxiously. Her voice was very soft as if it was stuck inside her throat. She did not even know whether Qi Chenglin heard it or not.
“I’ll help you,” he said as he undid the buttons of his shirt cuffs. His slender fingers held his sleeves as he began rolling them up, revealing his muscular arms.
Ruan Danchen noticed that he had taken off his suit jacket and was only wearing his handsome white dress shirt. The Qi family were all very fair-skinned, though not as fair as a woman. It was simply very neat and clean, invoking a certain sense of elegance when coupled with a handsome white dress shirt.
He rolled up his sleeves and undid a few of his shirt buttons. He looked casual, and very… sexy.
When he reached in to take out the vegetables, his sturdy arm muscles were fully exposed. His shirt was stretched tight against his arms and chest, and he looked like the perfect model for those clothes.
Ruan Danchen stared from the side and fell into a daze. She could not deny that Qi Chenglin was handsome from head to toe and was more than capable of causing women to drool.
Her gaze traveled from his arms to his chest, and she could not help but stop at his stomach. She remembered how strong the muscles underneath that shirt was, and she was curious if they still looked the same.
All of a sudden, Ruan Danchen felt oddness in the atmosphere. She looked up and saw Qi Chenglin staring at her mischievously.
“What are you thinking about? You didn’t even hear what I said.” Qi Chenglin’s lips curled in a teasing half-smile.
“I…” Ruan Danchen’s tongue knotted itself. Her face was red and on the verge of nearly going up in flames. Her ears were hot, and she felt restless.
How could she possibly say that she was daydreaming of him?
“I was thinking of work. What was it you said just now?” Ruan Danchen was blushing. Afraid to look at him due to guilt, she was wary of revealing her thoughts.
Qi Chenglin was much too sharp. There seemed to be nothing that she could hide from him.
“I was asking you where I should put these vegetables after washing them?” Qi Chenglin pointed at the basket of veggies that he was holding.
“Er… Just pass them to me.” Ruan Danchen took them, placed them down, then began preparing to cook.
Qi Chenglin’s presence made her feel uneasy. She told him, “Young Master Lin, please have a seat. Don’t trouble yourself. I can handle this myself.”
“Youxuan’s already hungry,” Qi Chenglin remarked calmly.
His reply shot down any hope of Ruan Danchen persuading him. She had no choice but to let him stay in the kitchen.
Qi Chenglin was washing some vegetables while Ruan Danchen began cutting those that he had already finished washing.
He looked at her familiarity with everything and asked, “What’s bugging you at work?”
“What was that?” Ruan Danchen blinked a few times and failed to react promptly.
“Didn’t you say you had work on your mind?” Qi Chenglin asked.
Ruan Danchen looked down and continued chopping her vegetables. Her face felt red-hot as she said, “It’s nothing.”
“After what happened with Mu Sisi, your work will still be affected even though you sued her,” Qi Chenglin remarked.
“My workload is slightly less than before. But even if I’m proven innocent, there are still a lot of clients who have their doubts and are afraid to work with me again. No matter how you put it, my reputation has definitely taken a hit. Even if I sue her, everything that happened in the past has already negatively impacted me.” Ruan Danchen smiled. “In this profession, there are plenty of other designers. There’re always other people who can replace me. It’s not like I’m indispensable. Even if I’m innocent, they won’t lose anything by choosing another designer.”
Qi Chenglin kept quiet and finished washing the vegetables.
Ruan Danchen watched his movements and knew that he was not someone who was familiar with doing these daily tasks. It came as a surprise that he was doing it with her, and in that span of time, her heartbeat quickened.
“What else do you need me to do?” Qi Chenglin asked.
His voice resonated in her ear and gave her a fright. It was then that she noticed him standing beside her, his chest pressed against her arm.
His fragrance was overwhelming and entranced her. His scent filled her with lust, and she had no idea why she felt like that.
‘Ruan Danchen, when did you become so insatiable!’
With her face feeling hot, she clenched her jaw and refrained from looking at Qi Chenglin
Despite not looking up, she knew that he was looking at her, but she could not tell what kind of look he was giving her.
Merely thinking of those dark eyes made her feel flustered. He acted incredibly oddly that day, and ever since their supermarket trip, he continued to look at her with the kind of gentle and sentimental gaze.
The day before, he clearly took a jibe at her for trying to climb up the social ladder by using him. All of that changed in just a day.
Her mind wandered and she did not pay attention to her knife. All of a sudden, he grabbed her hand and took the knife. She came back to her senses and noticed his handsome hands taking away the knife and placing it on the cutting board. She also saw his hand holding hers.
“What were you thinking of when you were cutting those vegetables? You nearly cut your own finger.” Qi Chenglin’s rich and sonorous voice rang from the top of her head.
Ruan Danchen’s mouth was gaping when she saw Qi Chenglin’s stern expression—his brows were pressed together, and his expression looked serious. Ruan Danchen felt some of his intensity at the start, but at that point she was petrified. She was exactly like a little girl who did something wrong and looked down in guilt. His entire palm covered her wrist.
Ruan Danchen felt so hot that she pulled away.
Qi Chenglin looked at Ruan Danchen’s reddened cheeks and curled his lips into a smile. In a swift move, he leaned closer to her and allowed his breaths to heat up her cheeks.
– – –
Bonus scene:
Han Zhuoli, “Qi Chenglin, you’re such a shameless person. How can you just hold her hand like that!”
Grandmother Qi, “Hehehehe, our family’s men are skilled. Look at them, one after another, so adept at chasing after women. It’s the norm to be shameless these days when courting the fairer sex.”
Grandmother Han, “HAN ZHUOLI, COME HERE!”
Han Zhuoli, “…”
Qi Youxuan, “Cause my dad doesn’t need to worry about continuing his ancestral line.”
Han Zhuoli, “GRANDMA, DON’T PINCH MY EARS…UGH…”
“Yo, are you still acting up because you’re angry?” Qi Chenglin cocked a brow. His tone was somewhat sarcastic, but it was not as though he was angry.
Ruan Danchen put on a brave face and glared at him. Her ears turned red as she said, “Young Master Lin, could you please not say anything that will cause others to misunderstand next time?”
“What did I say?” Qi Chenglin cocked a brow and asked.
Ruan Danchen was speechless. She twitched her lip and said, “You told Manager Luo that you were buying groceries to cook at home.”
“Aren’t we here to buy groceries so we can cook once we get home? Tell me what I said that was wrong, and I’ll fix it,” Qi Chenglin responded bluntly. He behaved as if he was kind and willing to learn from his mistakes.
“Hehe!” In truth, there was nothing inherently wrong about his words, but they were still able to stir up a misunderstanding!
Ruan Danchen was completely lost for words. By then, they had already walked to the car. She got into the car along with Qi Youxuan and left Qi Chenglin to load the stuff into the boot.
Qi Chenglin looked into the car and smiled before placing everything in.
When Qi Youxuan’s small hands reached for the seatbelt, Ruan Danchen took it and helped him put it on.
Although he knew how to put on a seatbelt, she wanted to seize every possible opportunity to take better care of him.
Qi Chenglin got up and started the engine. Qi Youxuan rolled his eyeballs and directed his gaze to look outside through the car window. There was nothing to see, so he retracted his gaze and shifted them to Ruan Danchen.
“Aunt Ruan, Zhang Mingming said stepmothers torture their children,” Qi Youxuan suddenly blurted out.
“Zhang Mingming?” Ruan Danchen asked.
“The boy that came to say hi to you at kindergarten just now,” Qi Youxuan explained.
Ruan Danchen immediately recalled everything and looked at Qi Youxuan curiously. No wonder the boy ran over and said some really odd things. She wondered what else the boy told Qi Youxuan.
Qi Youxuan then told Ruan Danchen about Zhang Mingming’s mother’s colleague, the one who bullied her stepdaughter.
Ruan Danchen felt pity for the little girl after hearing the story. She really could not fathom what the stepmother was thinking. Even she did not birth the girl, how could a stepmother have the heart to bully such a young child?
“No, there aren’t a lot of people like that. You’re so cute. How could anyone have the heart to bully you? Your dad will always responsibly take good care of you, and he won’t get married to anyone who treats you poorly, would he?” Ruan Danchen assured softly.
She was fully aware that a person of status like Qi Chenglin would get married sooner or later. That person would then become Qi Youxuan’s mother, and Ruan Danchen might never get the chance to hear Qi Youxuan call her mom.
Although she had come to terms with that long ago, the mere thought of Qi Youxuan calling another woman ‘mom’ was something that made her heart ache tremendously. She was in agony at that exact moment.
“Of course,” Qi Youxuan said, but he also gave his dad a nervous look. “You won’t right, Dad?”
Qi Chenglin glanced at them through the rear-view mirror. He remained quiet, but his gaze was rather disdainful.
Qi Youxuan looked pitifully at Ruan Danchen. “Aunt Ruan, just look at Dad’s attitude. Why do I feel like I can’t trust him?”
Ruan Danchen was aching herself and she could not comfort Qi Youxuan. He was not the only one who was worried—she was, too. Qi Chenglin’s status meant that he would find someone on a similar level as himself.
If all those daughters from prestigious families were like Shen Zhijing, Mu Sisi, or Yu Keyao, then it was certain that none of them would treat Qi Youxuan well.
Perhaps the Qi family and Qi Chenglin might not abuse Qi Youxuan, but they would neglect him. Maybe other women would treat their own children better than Qi Youxuan, favoring one and discriminating against the other. Both were unacceptable.
Negligence was considered emotional abuse.
Ruan Danchen’s heartbreak became even worse when she looked at Qi Youxuan’s cute little face. Worried that he would be treated badly in the future, her eyes began to redden.
“Aunt Ruan, why are your eyes red?” Qi Youxuan stretched his stubby hands and hugged Ruan Danchen. “Don’t feel bad. I’m sure that you won’t bully me and treat me really well. Although, Zhang Mingming said that you might not treat me as well after you get married to my dad. But I don’t believe that’ll happen. You’ll always treat me well.”
Ruan Danchen blinked in confusion a couple of times. ‘Where is this conversation going? Why did the attention shift from stepmothers to her?
‘Why was she supposed to get married all of a sudden?’
She was stupefied. Anguish had emerged in her heart earlier, but after Qi Youxuan’s blabbing, she could not help but look at Qi Chenglin.
He did not seem to have heard anything and was focused on driving.
“Isn’t that right, Aunt Ruan?” Qi Youxuan hugged Ruan Danchen’s arm and looked up anticipatedly.
Ruan Danchen was stunned. ‘How am I going to answer this?’
‘If I say yes, then am I not admitting that I would be his stepmother?’
‘Didn’t Qi Chenglin misunderstand my intentions last time? He thought I was being good to Youxuan just to get close to him, right?’
‘If I admit it now, then wouldn’t it fit his accusation? It’ll cause an even bigger misunderstanding.
‘If I say no, Qi Youxuan would probably be really sad.’
Ruan Danchen thought for a moment before slowly saying, “Youxuan, I’ll treat you good, but…”
“Yay!” Qi Youxuan clapped his hands without waiting for Ruan Danchen to finish. “I knew Aunt Ruan would be good to me.”
“Youxuan, I won’t…” The car stopped before Ruan Danchen could say anything.
Qi Chenglin interrupted her sentence and said, “We’re here.”
Ruan Danchen noticed that the car had stopped at her apartment. Qi Chenglin’s actions did nothing to resolve her predicament, as he was the first to step out of the car.
In Qi Chenglin’s absence, Ruan Danchen rushed to explain everything properly to Qi Youxuan, but she was concerned about disappointing him.
Just like his father, Qi Youxuan did not spare her opportunity of uttering a single word. He released himself from his seatbelt and got down, leaving her alone in the car.
The helpless Ruan Danchen got down. Qi Chenglin had already brought everything out, and just like before, he carried everything by himself. Ruan Danchen’s only task was to hold Qi Youxuan’s hand.
The three of them waited at the elevator. Qi Youxuan switched the topic of discussion, effectively ending their conversation in the car earlier.
The elevator finally reached the first floor. After the door opened, a lady in her fifties pushed a baby stroller out of the elevator, her grandson lying inside—her daughter stood alongside her as well.
Ruan Danchen knew the lady and her daughter. They stayed at the floor below Ruan Danchen. When Ruan Danchen leaves for work, she would oftentimes bump into Aunt Chen dragging her little trolley—on her way to buy vegetables at the nearby market. Before the lady’s daughter got married, Ruan Danchen would sometimes bump into her as she made her way to work.
Once in a while, she would also see Aunt Chen and her husband bring their grandson out for morning strolls.
“Aunt Chen,” Ruan Danchen called out, then smiled at Aunt Chen’s daughter. “Bringing Tangtang outside to play?”
“Yes, it’s pretty warm today, isn’t it? We’re bringing him for a walk outside. Since he’s playful, he always talks about going outside,” Aunt Chen smiled and said. Her eyes darted instinctively at Qi Chenglin, then to Qi Youxuan, whom Ruan Danchen was holding hands with.
To her knowledge, Ruan Danchen was still single.
The man looked older than her and even brought a child with him. Ruan Danchen was a good and proper lady who should not resort to being a stepmother. The man was quite handsome, but when all was said and done, he still had a son.
Aunt Chen would not give her blessing if it was her own daughter, not when the man was a divorcee who already had a son.
“Hehe, Danchen, is this your relative? Your big brother?” Aunt Chen smiled and asked. With those earlier assumptions in mind, Aunt Chen felt awkward asking Ruan Danchen those questions.
Ruan Danchen felt embarrassed and could hardly find a response. If it was up to her, she would have wanted to acknowledge Qi Youxuan openly.
“Hello Grandma, hello Auntie, my name is Qi Youxuan, Aunt Ruan’s future son.” Qi Youxuan greeted politely, but he blushed when he spoke the second half of his sentence.
Ruan Danchen’s face turned red. Aunt Chen was stunned and was momentarily unable to find a suitable reply. Ruan Danchen’s blushing face was practically silent admission.
‘Did she really become his stepmother?
‘What a pity!’
Aunt Chen’s smile became uneasy. Qi Chenglin, with his hands full of all those bags, said in a deep voice, “Youxuan, don’t talk nonsense. Your Aunt Ruan gets ashamed easily.”
Ruan Danchen was lost for words.
It would have been better for him not to say anything than to explain it like that!
“Hehehehe!” Aunt Chen spotted the groceries in Qi Chenglin’s hand and figured that Ruan Danchen was getting serious with him. Their relationship must have progressed quite significantly since the man even brought his son to have a meal at her place.
They looked just like a husband and wife going about their daily routine. The relationship surely must have had good progress for them to reach that stage.
“You’re all in a hurry and haven’t eaten yet, I suppose?” Aunt Chen asked.
Ruan Danchen kept quiet but smiled and nodded. Both sides then went their separate ways.
It was only when the elevator reached the top did Aunt Chen push the stroller and whisper to her daughter. “I never imagined that Little Ruan would get together with a divorced man, let alone one who has a son.”
“Mom, that guy looks rich. I’m guessing that his clothes are from really expensive luxury brands. Tangtang’s daddy loves that brand, but he’s always reluctant to buy them because a full suit costs about a hundred thousand. Tangtang’s daddy only looks at them. I recognize the brand because he always looks at them. If he’s really that rich, plenty of women would want to chase him regardless of whether he already has a son. I think Ruan Danchen’s quite impressive. Just look at the guy. He’s rich, handsome, and his son is really well-behaved. It’s no small feat to be on such good terms with a guy like that. You read the news on the entertainment industry, right? You’d know that all those ugly rich men are usually accompanied by young models and celebrities. They change girlfriends so often. Just look at all of those celebrities who get married to rich men. Most of those men already have children. You’re bound to sacrifice a bit to get a good life,” Aunt Chen’s daughter remarked.
Aunt Chen shook her head. “Maybe my way of thinking is old, but celebrities are celebrities. That’s their business. You can admire them, but that’s the furthest I would go. I wouldn’t want that to happen to me.”
…
…
Inside the house, Qi Chenglin brought all the groceries into the kitchen. Ruan Danchen then noticed that Qi Chenglin had brought up Qi Youxuan’s little luggage bag. For some reason, it slipped her attention earlier.
Qi Chenglin looked at her and explained, “Since small, Youxuan has had a habit of bringing some things with him, especially his teddy bear. He feels at ease when he hugs it.”
Ruan Danchen’s eyes shifted to Qi Youxuan. He was sitting quietly in the living room, watching some cartoons—a far cry from the kind of child who would be shy of strangers.
“Go sit down. I’ll quickly whip up dinner,” Ruan Danchen said.
Qi Chenlin nodded and turned around to join his son.
Before entering the kitchen, Ruan Danchen glanced at them. Both father and son were sitting there, making for an extraordinarily heartwarming scene.
Qi Chenglin was uninterested in the cartoon, so he picked up from where he left off with one of his magazines.
After a while, Qi Youxuan began feeling lazy. He started leaning on Qi Chenglin and lied down. At times, he would kick his feet with joy due to the show’s plot.
Ruan Danchen smiled and entered the kitchen.
She first took out the vegetables. Vegetables bought from supermarkets were clean, so only a simple wash was needed, and nothing extra had to be done.
As she was drying them in the basin, she heard the door click open. She turned and saw Qi Chenglin enter.
Ruan Danchen felt as though his head was so tall that it could reach the ceiling. All he had to do was stand to create tension between them.
“Why are you…” Ruan Danchen gulped anxiously. Her voice was very soft as if it was stuck inside her throat. She did not even know whether Qi Chenglin heard it or not.
“I’ll help you,” he said as he undid the buttons of his shirt cuffs. His slender fingers held his sleeves as he began rolling them up, revealing his muscular arms.
Ruan Danchen noticed that he had taken off his suit jacket and was only wearing his handsome white dress shirt. The Qi family were all very fair-skinned, though not as fair as a woman. It was simply very neat and clean, invoking a certain sense of elegance when coupled with a handsome white dress shirt.
He rolled up his sleeves and undid a few of his shirt buttons. He looked casual, and very… sexy.
When he reached in to take out the vegetables, his sturdy arm muscles were fully exposed. His shirt was stretched tight against his arms and chest, and he looked like the perfect model for those clothes.
Ruan Danchen stared from the side and fell into a daze. She could not deny that Qi Chenglin was handsome from head to toe and was more than capable of causing women to drool.
Her gaze traveled from his arms to his chest, and she could not help but stop at his stomach. She remembered how strong the muscles underneath that shirt was, and she was curious if they still looked the same.
All of a sudden, Ruan Danchen felt oddness in the atmosphere. She looked up and saw Qi Chenglin staring at her mischievously.
“What are you thinking about? You didn’t even hear what I said.” Qi Chenglin’s lips curled in a teasing half-smile.
“I…” Ruan Danchen’s tongue knotted itself. Her face was red and on the verge of nearly going up in flames. Her ears were hot, and she felt restless.
How could she possibly say that she was daydreaming of him?
“I was thinking of work. What was it you said just now?” Ruan Danchen was blushing. Afraid to look at him due to guilt, she was wary of revealing her thoughts.
Qi Chenglin was much too sharp. There seemed to be nothing that she could hide from him.
“I was asking you where I should put these vegetables after washing them?” Qi Chenglin pointed at the basket of veggies that he was holding.
“Er… Just pass them to me.” Ruan Danchen took them, placed them down, then began preparing to cook.
Qi Chenglin’s presence made her feel uneasy. She told him, “Young Master Lin, please have a seat. Don’t trouble yourself. I can handle this myself.”
“Youxuan’s already hungry,” Qi Chenglin remarked calmly.
His reply shot down any hope of Ruan Danchen persuading him. She had no choice but to let him stay in the kitchen.
Qi Chenglin was washing some vegetables while Ruan Danchen began cutting those that he had already finished washing.
He looked at her familiarity with everything and asked, “What’s bugging you at work?”
“What was that?” Ruan Danchen blinked a few times and failed to react promptly.
“Didn’t you say you had work on your mind?” Qi Chenglin asked.
Ruan Danchen looked down and continued chopping her vegetables. Her face felt red-hot as she said, “It’s nothing.”
“After what happened with Mu Sisi, your work will still be affected even though you sued her,” Qi Chenglin remarked.
“My workload is slightly less than before. But even if I’m proven innocent, there are still a lot of clients who have their doubts and are afraid to work with me again. No matter how you put it, my reputation has definitely taken a hit. Even if I sue her, everything that happened in the past has already negatively impacted me.” Ruan Danchen smiled. “In this profession, there are plenty of other designers. There’re always other people who can replace me. It’s not like I’m indispensable. Even if I’m innocent, they won’t lose anything by choosing another designer.”
Qi Chenglin kept quiet and finished washing the vegetables.
Ruan Danchen watched his movements and knew that he was not someone who was familiar with doing these daily tasks. It came as a surprise that he was doing it with her, and in that span of time, her heartbeat quickened.
“What else do you need me to do?” Qi Chenglin asked.
His voice resonated in her ear and gave her a fright. It was then that she noticed him standing beside her, his chest pressed against her arm.
His fragrance was overwhelming and entranced her. His scent filled her with lust, and she had no idea why she felt like that.
‘Ruan Danchen, when did you become so insatiable!’
With her face feeling hot, she clenched her jaw and refrained from looking at Qi Chenglin
Despite not looking up, she knew that he was looking at her, but she could not tell what kind of look he was giving her.
Merely thinking of those dark eyes made her feel flustered. He acted incredibly oddly that day, and ever since their supermarket trip, he continued to look at her with the kind of gentle and sentimental gaze.
The day before, he clearly took a jibe at her for trying to climb up the social ladder by using him. All of that changed in just a day.
Her mind wandered and she did not pay attention to her knife. All of a sudden, he grabbed her hand and took the knife. She came back to her senses and noticed his handsome hands taking away the knife and placing it on the cutting board. She also saw his hand holding hers.
“What were you thinking of when you were cutting those vegetables? You nearly cut your own finger.” Qi Chenglin’s rich and sonorous voice rang from the top of her head.
Ruan Danchen’s mouth was gaping when she saw Qi Chenglin’s stern expression—his brows were pressed together, and his expression looked serious. Ruan Danchen felt some of his intensity at the start, but at that point she was petrified. She was exactly like a little girl who did something wrong and looked down in guilt. His entire palm covered her wrist.
Ruan Danchen felt so hot that she pulled away.
Qi Chenglin looked at Ruan Danchen’s reddened cheeks and curled his lips into a smile. In a swift move, he leaned closer to her and allowed his breaths to heat up her cheeks.
– – –
Bonus scene:
Han Zhuoli, “Qi Chenglin, you’re such a shameless person. How can you just hold her hand like that!”
Grandmother Qi, “Hehehehe, our family’s men are skilled. Look at them, one after another, so adept at chasing after women. It’s the norm to be shameless these days when courting the fairer sex.”
Grandmother Han, “HAN ZHUOLI, COME HERE!”
Han Zhuoli, “…”
Qi Youxuan, “Cause my dad doesn’t need to worry about continuing his ancestral line.”
Han Zhuoli, “GRANDMA, DON’T PINCH MY EARS…UGH…”
