Ruan Danchen knew Qi Chenglin did not truly blame her for not sleeping, so she did not get upset.
Instead, she smirked. Her smile was gentle and her sickly body was soft and slithery. Face reddened, she shuffled toward him and hugged his arm. “I can’t sleep when you’re not around.”
Qi Chenglin was initially unhappy with her not resting, but how could he possibly be mad seeing her acting cute with him now?
Qi Chenglin stared at her from the corner of his eyes, his lips curled into a faint smile. He pulled her into his embrace and warned, “Don’t think that acting cute will work every time.”
“…” Ruan Danchen blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Qi Chenglin had not rested for the days; he was completely drained. The dark circles beneath his eyes were obvious. When Ruan Danchen noticed him trying to suppress a yawn, she hurriedly dragged him to the bedroom.
Qi Chenglin did not change into his pajamas and instead took off his shirt and tossed it on the sofa. Immediately after, he slumped onto the bed. He was in no mood to clean up or brush his teeth. He pulled Ruan Danchen into his arms and shut his eyes. Out of habit, he kissed her forehead. After making sure that his body temperature did not change, he was relieved and could finally relax.
Chin resting on Ruan Danchen’s head, he yawned. “I was in such a rush to get home that I forgot to call you after Song Yu gave birth. It’s a boy.”
The name ‘Youjin’ was given when Song Yu was still pregnant. Before that, they already knew the baby’s gender through one of her check-ups—Ruan Danchen knew too.
Ruan Danchen was also getting sleepy. She covered her mouth and yawned. Slowly, she drifted into sleep in Qi Chenglin’s warm embrace.
…
…
Ruan Danchen felt much more energized the next day. Although her nose was still runny, it was much better than the day before.
She woke up quite early but the bed was already empty. She had unknowingly tugged all the blanket to her side and rolled herself up in her sleep at night. Qi Chenglin’s side was cold and the bedsheet was wrinkled. She wondered how long he had been awake.
Moreover, there was no sound coming from the washroom.
Ruan Danchen jumped out of bed. She rushed through her morning routine, including washing up, changing and putting on some CC cream to hide her grim complexion. After using about 15 minutes to get ready, she dashed to Qi Youxuan’s room.
Unexpectedly, she opened the door to find that Qi Youxuan was not there either. His bed was still a mess but he was no longer there—only his teddy bear-themed pajamas was left on the bed.
Ruan Danchen glanced at the clock—it was only six in the morning. Typically, Qi Youxuan sprawled on his bed, drooling.
However, this morning, both the big one and the little one was gone.
Ruan Danchen headed downstairs curiously. When she entered the living room, she saw the well-dressed Qi Youxuan sitting under the Christmas tree. He had his back against her, his little hands tearing off the wrapping paper around a huge toy.
Ruan Danchen smiled. No wonder the boy woke up so early; he was impatient to open his gifts.
“Where’s Dad?” Ruan Danchen asked as she approached Qi Youxuan. She saw that the gift she bought Qi Chenglin was still under the Christmas tree, untouched.
Qi Youxuan placed his little plump hands on his forehead and uttered tragically, “He’s making breakfast.”
“…” Ruan Danchen was taken aback.
Qi Youxuan stood up, holding the toy under his armpit. “Aunt Ruan, it’s because of your encouragement yesterday that made Dad so motivated today, isn’t it?”
From his expression, Ruan Danchen could tell that what he meant was, ‘Why’d you have to encourage him?!’
“…” Ruan Danchen stared at him, then pinched his tender and chubby cheeks. “Don’t be like that. Dad woke up so early today just to make us breakfast. He’s working hard.”
Qi Youxuan pondered on it; it was rare for his dad to do such things. It was rather touching. In spite of that, his questionable culinary skills made Qi Youxuan shiver. He was having mixed feelings about this.
“I’ll bring the toy to my room first,” Qi Youxuan said, staring straight at the floor.
Hearing that, Ruan Danchen suddenly remembered something. She warned, “I recall that there are cupcakes in that box of yours. You’re not allowed to eat it as an excuse to not eat the breakfast Dad is preparing, okay?”
“…” Qi Youxuan was rendered speechless.
It had only been one night but Aunt Ruan had already betrayed him. The little boy regretted showing her his secret stash.
Ruan Danchen exhaled softly. She walked up to him and cupped her hands gently onto his little face. In a tender voice, she explained, “Dad’s working hard in the kitchen, making breakfast for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s tasty or not, you should still be thankful. Your dad has been taking care of me since the night before when I got this fever. He didn’t get much sleep that night and had been taking care of me the whole day yesterday too. Last night, he was busy in the kitchen with us and just as he was going to bed, he received a call to head to the hospital.”
“What happened?” Qi Youxuan questioned anxiously.
Ruan Danchen smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s your auntie—she was giving birth. It’s a boy. I’ll bring you to visit him later.”
Qi Youxuan was exhilarated.
Seeing this, Ruan Danchen quickly added, “Your dad only came back at four o’clock midnight yesterday. After merely two hours of sleep, he clambered out of bed just to make breakfast for us. Additionally, he still needs to go to work later. That’s why we have to show that we’re grateful, okay?”
After contemplating her words and realized that his dad had indeed worked hard, Qi Youxuan nodded.
Ruan Danchen patted his head lovingly and let him head upstairs to put away his toy.
The little boy was a child that one could easily reason with. He was also a boy of his words, coming straight down without eating anything after keeping away his toy.
Ruan Danchen turned to look into the kitchen. She noticed Aunt Zheng standing anxiously next to Qi Chenglin who was frying eggs.
“Sir, it’s time to take it out. Hurry up, sir. Hurry or it’ll burn,” instructed Aunt Ruan.
She came here early in the morning to prepare breakfast. To her surprise, when she entered the kitchen, Qi Chenglin followed. He scratched his nose and shyly hinted that he wanted to prepare today’s breakfast.
Aunt Zheng was dumbfounded. She had worked here for years but she had never seen Qi Chenglin cook a thing. While she was still in a daze, Qi Chenglin had already put on an apron. He even asked Aunt Zheng to stay by his side to guide him through it.
After what happened yesterday, Qi Chenglin could no longer trust recipe books. Instead, he had the experienced Aunt Zheng taught him how to cook.
Qi Chenglin was helplessly talentless in this area. His brows were furrowed and his body stiff. To him, cooking was like going to war.
Luckily, Aunt Zheng was there to guide him. The eggs were only burnt at the sides and the cold dishes he prepared smelt decent enough.
Aunt Zheng was so busy helping Qi Chenglin that she did not have time to cook porridge. Thus, they drank milk instead.
Qi Chenglin watched as Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan ate the egg but did not ask them anything. He merely sat there coolly.
Ruan Danchen smiled and praised, “It’s so good.”
Qi Chenglin looked at her with a soft expression before turning to Qi Youxuan.
“…” Qi Youxuan stared at the egg, then turned to his dad. Surprisingly, it tasted alright, so he nodded and said, “It’s tasty.”
Qi Chenglin was delighted. His expression melted. “I’ll have Aunt Zheng make burgers for dinner.”
Hearing that, Qi Youxuan took the chance to flatter Qi Chenglin. “Dad, the breakfast you made is so delicious! When can I have it again?”
Qi Chenglin bit his lips. “Wait till the weekends. I was just trying my hands today.”
Hearing that, Aunt Zheng let out a sigh of relief.
After finishing breakfast, Qi Chenglin left the dining room first and waited for Ruan Danchen. Ruan Danchen was staring at the bottom of the Christmas tree anxiously. She contemplated whether she should remove the gift. She thought, ‘I must’ve lost my mind when I decided to buy this.’
Unexpectedly, the gift was already gone—the spot he left the gift in was empty. Ruan Danchen blushed when she saw that Qi Chenglin was no longer in the living room. She guessed that he must have gone upstairs to take the gift away.
Not long after, she saw Qi Chenglin coming back down. Ruan Danchen swallowed nervously; Qi Chenglin, on the other hand, appeared to have no reaction. He kept the usual faint smile that he showed Ruan Danchen whenever he looked at her—there was not a hint of anger or crudeness in his expression.
Noticing Ruan Danchen’s gaze, he went up to her and raised his eyebrows.
“What’s the matter?” he questioned, standing beside her.
Ruan Danchen felt guilty. She paid close attention to Qi Chenglin’s reaction, but he was not exhibiting much emotion. Maybe he had not opened the gift. Perturbed, she asked, “You brought it upstairs already?”
“Mm,” he answered, as his gaze shifted to the Christmas tree. That was all he said. Ruan Danchen was extremely curious to know what he thought about the gift but the words would not leave her.
After a while, she eventually asked, “Have you opened it?”
Qi Chenglin glared at her. Just as he opened his mouth, Qi Youxuan dashed out from the kitchen, making Qi Chenglin shut his mouth immediately.
Qi Youxuan bolted into the living room and grabbed the backpack on the sofa. “Let’s go!”
Ruan Danchen glanced at the little boy dejectedly. Only then did she know what Qi Chenglin must have felt whenever Qi Youxuan weighed him down.
Qi Youxuan put on his sports shoes swiftly and ran outside as Ruan Danchen put on hers. Just as she was heading out, Qi Chenglin blocked her way.
Ruan Danchen turned to him perplexedly. Staring into his deep, dark eyes, she noticed that his expression was odd as if he had something bottled up inside. He was clenching his teeth and his eyes burnt passionately. “I’ll make sure you pay for this tonight.”
“…”
He opened it.
Having said that, he strode out of the house and turned back at her, asking, “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
“…” Ruan Danchen scrunched up her shoulders and walked out. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.
He was a little angry but also looked extremely helpless, inducing a numbing sensation across Ruan Danchen’s scalp. Qi Youxuan was standing in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive. When the elevator door opened, he went in first and held his finger firmly on the open door button. Sticking his head out, he yelled, “Hurry up, you two!”
Qi Chenglin glanced at him, then bowed his head down and whispered into Ruan Danchen’s ear, “I only need you. I don’t need those kinds of things.”
Having said that, he dragged Ruan Danchen into the elevator.
Hearing that, Ruan Danchen’s face reddened entirely. She felt like she was being teased and ridiculed. Moreover, it felt disturbingly odd to be compared with that thing.
“Aunt Ruan, why is your face so red?” Qi Youxuan asked, looking up at her.
“Isn’t she sick? She hasn’t completely recovered yet,” Qi Chenglin answered in her stead.
“But wasn’t she fine just now?” Qi Youxuan questioned curiously.
“Her fever came back again.” Qi Chenglin looked down at Qi Youxuan and advised him in a serious tone, “Look at your Aunt Ruan, still going to work even though she’s sick. This is something you should learn from her. Don’t simply skip school every time you get sick.”
Qi Youxuan and Ruan Danchen were both left speechless.
…
…
Qi Chenglin dropped Qi Youxuan off at school and parked his Mercedes in the indoor car-park in Qilin.
Ruan Danchen unfastened her safety belt and gave him a kiss. Since they did not mind their relationship being open now, she wanted to walk with him.
However, she saw Qi Chenglin fixing his tie with his long, slender fingers. Clearing his throat, he turned to her and stared at her with his captivating eyes. Under the dim lighting within the car, she could still see a light tint of red appearing on his cheeks.
Ruan Danchen stared at him suspiciously. Finally, he cleared his throat and asked, “Is it true that the breakfast today was good?”
“Of course. I didn’t say that just to make you happy,” Ruan Danchen assured instantly. “Didn’t you eat it too? Did you think it was bad?”
Qi Chenglin raised his eyebrows. A smug smile appeared on his face. “I do think it was pretty decent.”
Ruan Danchen could not help but chuckle. She cupped his face with one palm and rewarded him with a kiss.
“I’ve decided that I’ll practice my culinary skills starting from the most basic breakfast. I want to take it step-by-step,” Qi Chenglin announced resolutely.
“Then you can wake up on weekends to cook. On workdays, don’t wake up so early to make breakfast,” Ruan Danchen advised, grinning ear to ear.
Qi Chenglin burst out laughing. He pinched her waist. “You sure aren’t shy to ask.”
Ruan Danchen gazed at the man in front of her with tender eyes. Although it was dark in the car due to it being parked indoors, his alluring features were still clear visibly. She was genuinely touched by his initiative to take up cooking just for her. Even so, she did not thank him, but only uttered, “Let’s go.”
She got out of the car.
Qi Chenglin smirked. He stared at her slightly awkward posture from behind before getting out of the car, locked it, and walked with her.
If they had walked hand-in-hand as they usually do, it would have been a perfect time for them to make their relationship known to the public. However, for some reason, Qi Chenglin did not show any initiative to do so. Instead, he merely walked beside her.
Ruan Danchen knew that he did not want to hide this any longer, but she could not tell what this man was plotting again.
The two walked side-by-side from the car park to the first floor of Qilin and toward the elevator. It was the time when most people got to work in the morning, so it was exceedingly crowded. The sight of the two walking together had made many pairs of eyes pop.
Feeling abashed, Ruan Danchen was uncomfortable with the others’ gazes. She subtly glimpsed at Qi Chenglin; he had one hand in his pocket as his long, slender legs strode. Nonetheless, he adjusted his pace according to hers instead of walking hastily. He appeared calm and restrained, making it difficult for others to guess the relationship between the two.
“Xiao Ruan,” Senior Du called out. She came with Chen Siyu. Hearing her name, Ruan Danchen stopped in her steps.
Unexpectedly, Qi Chenglin, who was walking beside her, stopped too.
Senior Du was taken aback. Before this, Chen Siyu was already pointing out to her that the man beside Ruan Danchen seemed to be the general manager. However, Senior Du was not convinced. Despite the fact that besides Qi Chengzhi, no one else in the company gave out the strong aura that Qi Chenglin did. Even so, it was even more impossible for the man to be Qi Chengzhi.
Although Ruan Danchen was good friends with Mrs. Qi, their director still kept a significant distance away from any women besides Mrs. Qi, including his friends.
Surprisingly, when Ruan Danchen stopped, Senior Du realized that it really was Qi Chenglin. “General Manager,” she greeted hastily.
Qi Chenglin nodded coldly. Senior Du turned to Ruan Danchen; she wanted to look at Qi Chenglin but did not have the guts to. She yearned to ask why they were walking together but her lips froze in a stiff smile, too afraid to move.
Qi Chenglin uttered calmly, “I ran into Miss Ruan.”
Only then did Senior Du and Chen Siyu relax. Seeing Qi Chenglin’s cold attitude toward Ruan Danchen, they were assured that there was nothing too out of the ordinary going on.
However, it was now Ruan Danchen’s turn to be perplexed. What was he trying to achieve?
Qi Chenglin nodded distantly and left.
Senior Du and Chen Siyu immediately moved to Ruan Danchen’s left and right, surrounding her. As they walked, Chen Siyu inquired, “Danchen, you can’t be trying to pursue the general manager, right?”
“Ah?” Ruan Danchen was in a complete daze.
“Otherwise, even if you ran into him outside the company, why would you choose to walk with the general manager?” Chen Siyu whispered, glaring at her. “You were even walking right beside him.”
Senior Du was also staring at her with suspicion. Ruan Danchen had always appeared to be an innocent little lady. Turned out, she had her eyes on unattainable, high-status men as well.
“That’s right. Watch: everyone else would tread carefully behind him when they see the general manager. Who in the world dares to walk alongside him?” Senior Du pointed her chin at the crowd of people standing in the elevator for Ruan Danchen to see.
In her heart, Ruan Danchen muttered, ‘Doesn’t Jiang Yuan walk side-by-side with him too?’
“That’s not it. It’s just that the general manager is quite gregarious, so we ended up sharing a conversation,” Ruan Danchen refuted, her face glowing red.
“Our general manager? Gregarious?” Chen Siyu questioned, baffled. As she uttered those words, she turned to the elevator and saw that Qi Chenglin was entering the elevator expressionlessly.
Once he left, all the employees let out a sigh of relief. Everyone was finally relaxed.
Chen Siyu turned back to Ruan Danchen. “Are we talking about the same person?”
“…” Ruan Danchen did not know what to reply.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. It must’ve been just you trying to attract the general manager’s attention!” Out of nowhere, Yao Jingfei popped up and included herself in the conversation. Senior Du and Chen Siyu’s voices were not loud, yet she somehow overheard their conversation.
Yao Jingfei was standing in front of Ruan Danchen but was not facing her. Facing the side, she glared at Ruan Danchen disdainfully from the corner of her eyes. “Listen up, you should be more self-aware. You don’t even know yourself, yet you want to bring up a child and pursue the general manager? This tactic had been overused by so many women—how cliche. There are so many women trying to get closer to him and that includes you, so just admit it. I hate hypocrites like you the most. You were clearly approaching him with that intention, yet you deny it. Doing it so conspicuously in the company without shame, aren’t you being too hasty?”
Ruan Danchen looked at Yao Jingfei as though she was a moron. Ruan Danchen shook her head and said, “If you have good intentions in mind, you’ll think others have good intentions too; you’ll think others have bad intentions if you harbor them yourselves. Whatever is on your mind is reflected on how you view others. Miss Yao, I advise you to talk a little less next time, to avoid exposing yourself like this.”
Having said that, Ruan Danchen ignored her and left by herself.
Ruan Danchen was not trying to be rude to Senior Du and Cheng Siyu. However, she was not certain that dragging the two of them away with her would be the best course of action—they might even be unwilling to leave. After all, the two of them would want to avoid offending Yao Jingfei.
Yao Jingfei sneered. She turned to Senior Du and Chen Siyu and scoffed, “If she’s not guilty, why is she running?”
“That’s not right—I recall that Ruan Danchen has a boyfriend. She even has a ring on her finger,” Chen Siyu pointed out.
“That boyfriend of hers is so ridiculous. The diamond on the ring he bought here was no bigger than a grain of rice. She must be thinking of ditching this boyfriend and pursuing the rich and powerful general manager instead. Gold-diggers are more than common these days.” Yao Jingfei grunted disdainfully.
Ruan Danchen knew Qi Chenglin did not truly blame her for not sleeping, so she did not get upset.
Instead, she smirked. Her smile was gentle and her sickly body was soft and slithery. Face reddened, she shuffled toward him and hugged his arm. “I can’t sleep when you’re not around.”
Qi Chenglin was initially unhappy with her not resting, but how could he possibly be mad seeing her acting cute with him now?
Qi Chenglin stared at her from the corner of his eyes, his lips curled into a faint smile. He pulled her into his embrace and warned, “Don’t think that acting cute will work every time.”
“…” Ruan Danchen blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Qi Chenglin had not rested for the days; he was completely drained. The dark circles beneath his eyes were obvious. When Ruan Danchen noticed him trying to suppress a yawn, she hurriedly dragged him to the bedroom.
Qi Chenglin did not change into his pajamas and instead took off his shirt and tossed it on the sofa. Immediately after, he slumped onto the bed. He was in no mood to clean up or brush his teeth. He pulled Ruan Danchen into his arms and shut his eyes. Out of habit, he kissed her forehead. After making sure that his body temperature did not change, he was relieved and could finally relax.
Chin resting on Ruan Danchen’s head, he yawned. “I was in such a rush to get home that I forgot to call you after Song Yu gave birth. It’s a boy.”
The name ‘Youjin’ was given when Song Yu was still pregnant. Before that, they already knew the baby’s gender through one of her check-ups—Ruan Danchen knew too.
Ruan Danchen was also getting sleepy. She covered her mouth and yawned. Slowly, she drifted into sleep in Qi Chenglin’s warm embrace.
…
…
Ruan Danchen felt much more energized the next day. Although her nose was still runny, it was much better than the day before.
She woke up quite early but the bed was already empty. She had unknowingly tugged all the blanket to her side and rolled herself up in her sleep at night. Qi Chenglin’s side was cold and the bedsheet was wrinkled. She wondered how long he had been awake.
Moreover, there was no sound coming from the washroom.
Ruan Danchen jumped out of bed. She rushed through her morning routine, including washing up, changing and putting on some CC cream to hide her grim complexion. After using about 15 minutes to get ready, she dashed to Qi Youxuan’s room.
Unexpectedly, she opened the door to find that Qi Youxuan was not there either. His bed was still a mess but he was no longer there—only his teddy bear-themed pajamas was left on the bed.
Ruan Danchen glanced at the clock—it was only six in the morning. Typically, Qi Youxuan sprawled on his bed, drooling.
However, this morning, both the big one and the little one was gone.
Ruan Danchen headed downstairs curiously. When she entered the living room, she saw the well-dressed Qi Youxuan sitting under the Christmas tree. He had his back against her, his little hands tearing off the wrapping paper around a huge toy.
Ruan Danchen smiled. No wonder the boy woke up so early; he was impatient to open his gifts.
“Where’s Dad?” Ruan Danchen asked as she approached Qi Youxuan. She saw that the gift she bought Qi Chenglin was still under the Christmas tree, untouched.
Qi Youxuan placed his little plump hands on his forehead and uttered tragically, “He’s making breakfast.”
“…” Ruan Danchen was taken aback.
Qi Youxuan stood up, holding the toy under his armpit. “Aunt Ruan, it’s because of your encouragement yesterday that made Dad so motivated today, isn’t it?”
From his expression, Ruan Danchen could tell that what he meant was, ‘Why’d you have to encourage him?!’
“…” Ruan Danchen stared at him, then pinched his tender and chubby cheeks. “Don’t be like that. Dad woke up so early today just to make us breakfast. He’s working hard.”
Qi Youxuan pondered on it; it was rare for his dad to do such things. It was rather touching. In spite of that, his questionable culinary skills made Qi Youxuan shiver. He was having mixed feelings about this.
“I’ll bring the toy to my room first,” Qi Youxuan said, staring straight at the floor.
Hearing that, Ruan Danchen suddenly remembered something. She warned, “I recall that there are cupcakes in that box of yours. You’re not allowed to eat it as an excuse to not eat the breakfast Dad is preparing, okay?”
“…” Qi Youxuan was rendered speechless.
It had only been one night but Aunt Ruan had already betrayed him. The little boy regretted showing her his secret stash.
Ruan Danchen exhaled softly. She walked up to him and cupped her hands gently onto his little face. In a tender voice, she explained, “Dad’s working hard in the kitchen, making breakfast for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s tasty or not, you should still be thankful. Your dad has been taking care of me since the night before when I got this fever. He didn’t get much sleep that night and had been taking care of me the whole day yesterday too. Last night, he was busy in the kitchen with us and just as he was going to bed, he received a call to head to the hospital.”
“What happened?” Qi Youxuan questioned anxiously.
Ruan Danchen smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s your auntie—she was giving birth. It’s a boy. I’ll bring you to visit him later.”
Qi Youxuan was exhilarated.
Seeing this, Ruan Danchen quickly added, “Your dad only came back at four o’clock midnight yesterday. After merely two hours of sleep, he clambered out of bed just to make breakfast for us. Additionally, he still needs to go to work later. That’s why we have to show that we’re grateful, okay?”
After contemplating her words and realized that his dad had indeed worked hard, Qi Youxuan nodded.
Ruan Danchen patted his head lovingly and let him head upstairs to put away his toy.
The little boy was a child that one could easily reason with. He was also a boy of his words, coming straight down without eating anything after keeping away his toy.
Ruan Danchen turned to look into the kitchen. She noticed Aunt Zheng standing anxiously next to Qi Chenglin who was frying eggs.
“Sir, it’s time to take it out. Hurry up, sir. Hurry or it’ll burn,” instructed Aunt Ruan.
She came here early in the morning to prepare breakfast. To her surprise, when she entered the kitchen, Qi Chenglin followed. He scratched his nose and shyly hinted that he wanted to prepare today’s breakfast.
Aunt Zheng was dumbfounded. She had worked here for years but she had never seen Qi Chenglin cook a thing. While she was still in a daze, Qi Chenglin had already put on an apron. He even asked Aunt Zheng to stay by his side to guide him through it.
After what happened yesterday, Qi Chenglin could no longer trust recipe books. Instead, he had the experienced Aunt Zheng taught him how to cook.
Qi Chenglin was helplessly talentless in this area. His brows were furrowed and his body stiff. To him, cooking was like going to war.
Luckily, Aunt Zheng was there to guide him. The eggs were only burnt at the sides and the cold dishes he prepared smelt decent enough.
Aunt Zheng was so busy helping Qi Chenglin that she did not have time to cook porridge. Thus, they drank milk instead.
Qi Chenglin watched as Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan ate the egg but did not ask them anything. He merely sat there coolly.
Ruan Danchen smiled and praised, “It’s so good.”
Qi Chenglin looked at her with a soft expression before turning to Qi Youxuan.
“…” Qi Youxuan stared at the egg, then turned to his dad. Surprisingly, it tasted alright, so he nodded and said, “It’s tasty.”
Qi Chenglin was delighted. His expression melted. “I’ll have Aunt Zheng make burgers for dinner.”
Hearing that, Qi Youxuan took the chance to flatter Qi Chenglin. “Dad, the breakfast you made is so delicious! When can I have it again?”
Qi Chenglin bit his lips. “Wait till the weekends. I was just trying my hands today.”
Hearing that, Aunt Zheng let out a sigh of relief.
After finishing breakfast, Qi Chenglin left the dining room first and waited for Ruan Danchen. Ruan Danchen was staring at the bottom of the Christmas tree anxiously. She contemplated whether she should remove the gift. She thought, ‘I must’ve lost my mind when I decided to buy this.’
Unexpectedly, the gift was already gone—the spot he left the gift in was empty. Ruan Danchen blushed when she saw that Qi Chenglin was no longer in the living room. She guessed that he must have gone upstairs to take the gift away.
Not long after, she saw Qi Chenglin coming back down. Ruan Danchen swallowed nervously; Qi Chenglin, on the other hand, appeared to have no reaction. He kept the usual faint smile that he showed Ruan Danchen whenever he looked at her—there was not a hint of anger or crudeness in his expression.
Noticing Ruan Danchen’s gaze, he went up to her and raised his eyebrows.
“What’s the matter?” he questioned, standing beside her.
Ruan Danchen felt guilty. She paid close attention to Qi Chenglin’s reaction, but he was not exhibiting much emotion. Maybe he had not opened the gift. Perturbed, she asked, “You brought it upstairs already?”
“Mm,” he answered, as his gaze shifted to the Christmas tree. That was all he said. Ruan Danchen was extremely curious to know what he thought about the gift but the words would not leave her.
After a while, she eventually asked, “Have you opened it?”
Qi Chenglin glared at her. Just as he opened his mouth, Qi Youxuan dashed out from the kitchen, making Qi Chenglin shut his mouth immediately.
Qi Youxuan bolted into the living room and grabbed the backpack on the sofa. “Let’s go!”
Ruan Danchen glanced at the little boy dejectedly. Only then did she know what Qi Chenglin must have felt whenever Qi Youxuan weighed him down.
Qi Youxuan put on his sports shoes swiftly and ran outside as Ruan Danchen put on hers. Just as she was heading out, Qi Chenglin blocked her way.
Ruan Danchen turned to him perplexedly. Staring into his deep, dark eyes, she noticed that his expression was odd as if he had something bottled up inside. He was clenching his teeth and his eyes burnt passionately. “I’ll make sure you pay for this tonight.”
“…”
He opened it.
Having said that, he strode out of the house and turned back at her, asking, “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
“…” Ruan Danchen scrunched up her shoulders and walked out. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.
He was a little angry but also looked extremely helpless, inducing a numbing sensation across Ruan Danchen’s scalp. Qi Youxuan was standing in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive. When the elevator door opened, he went in first and held his finger firmly on the open door button. Sticking his head out, he yelled, “Hurry up, you two!”
Qi Chenglin glanced at him, then bowed his head down and whispered into Ruan Danchen’s ear, “I only need you. I don’t need those kinds of things.”
Having said that, he dragged Ruan Danchen into the elevator.
Hearing that, Ruan Danchen’s face reddened entirely. She felt like she was being teased and ridiculed. Moreover, it felt disturbingly odd to be compared with that thing.
“Aunt Ruan, why is your face so red?” Qi Youxuan asked, looking up at her.
“Isn’t she sick? She hasn’t completely recovered yet,” Qi Chenglin answered in her stead.
“But wasn’t she fine just now?” Qi Youxuan questioned curiously.
“Her fever came back again.” Qi Chenglin looked down at Qi Youxuan and advised him in a serious tone, “Look at your Aunt Ruan, still going to work even though she’s sick. This is something you should learn from her. Don’t simply skip school every time you get sick.”
Qi Youxuan and Ruan Danchen were both left speechless.
…
…
Qi Chenglin dropped Qi Youxuan off at school and parked his Mercedes in the indoor car-park in Qilin.
Ruan Danchen unfastened her safety belt and gave him a kiss. Since they did not mind their relationship being open now, she wanted to walk with him.
However, she saw Qi Chenglin fixing his tie with his long, slender fingers. Clearing his throat, he turned to her and stared at her with his captivating eyes. Under the dim lighting within the car, she could still see a light tint of red appearing on his cheeks.
Ruan Danchen stared at him suspiciously. Finally, he cleared his throat and asked, “Is it true that the breakfast today was good?”
“Of course. I didn’t say that just to make you happy,” Ruan Danchen assured instantly. “Didn’t you eat it too? Did you think it was bad?”
Qi Chenglin raised his eyebrows. A smug smile appeared on his face. “I do think it was pretty decent.”
Ruan Danchen could not help but chuckle. She cupped his face with one palm and rewarded him with a kiss.
“I’ve decided that I’ll practice my culinary skills starting from the most basic breakfast. I want to take it step-by-step,” Qi Chenglin announced resolutely.
“Then you can wake up on weekends to cook. On workdays, don’t wake up so early to make breakfast,” Ruan Danchen advised, grinning ear to ear.
Qi Chenglin burst out laughing. He pinched her waist. “You sure aren’t shy to ask.”
Ruan Danchen gazed at the man in front of her with tender eyes. Although it was dark in the car due to it being parked indoors, his alluring features were still clear visibly. She was genuinely touched by his initiative to take up cooking just for her. Even so, she did not thank him, but only uttered, “Let’s go.”
She got out of the car.
Qi Chenglin smirked. He stared at her slightly awkward posture from behind before getting out of the car, locked it, and walked with her.
If they had walked hand-in-hand as they usually do, it would have been a perfect time for them to make their relationship known to the public. However, for some reason, Qi Chenglin did not show any initiative to do so. Instead, he merely walked beside her.
Ruan Danchen knew that he did not want to hide this any longer, but she could not tell what this man was plotting again.
The two walked side-by-side from the car park to the first floor of Qilin and toward the elevator. It was the time when most people got to work in the morning, so it was exceedingly crowded. The sight of the two walking together had made many pairs of eyes pop.
Feeling abashed, Ruan Danchen was uncomfortable with the others’ gazes. She subtly glimpsed at Qi Chenglin; he had one hand in his pocket as his long, slender legs strode. Nonetheless, he adjusted his pace according to hers instead of walking hastily. He appeared calm and restrained, making it difficult for others to guess the relationship between the two.
“Xiao Ruan,” Senior Du called out. She came with Chen Siyu. Hearing her name, Ruan Danchen stopped in her steps.
Unexpectedly, Qi Chenglin, who was walking beside her, stopped too.
Senior Du was taken aback. Before this, Chen Siyu was already pointing out to her that the man beside Ruan Danchen seemed to be the general manager. However, Senior Du was not convinced. Despite the fact that besides Qi Chengzhi, no one else in the company gave out the strong aura that Qi Chenglin did. Even so, it was even more impossible for the man to be Qi Chengzhi.
Although Ruan Danchen was good friends with Mrs. Qi, their director still kept a significant distance away from any women besides Mrs. Qi, including his friends.
Surprisingly, when Ruan Danchen stopped, Senior Du realized that it really was Qi Chenglin. “General Manager,” she greeted hastily.
Qi Chenglin nodded coldly. Senior Du turned to Ruan Danchen; she wanted to look at Qi Chenglin but did not have the guts to. She yearned to ask why they were walking together but her lips froze in a stiff smile, too afraid to move.
Qi Chenglin uttered calmly, “I ran into Miss Ruan.”
Only then did Senior Du and Chen Siyu relax. Seeing Qi Chenglin’s cold attitude toward Ruan Danchen, they were assured that there was nothing too out of the ordinary going on.
However, it was now Ruan Danchen’s turn to be perplexed. What was he trying to achieve?
Qi Chenglin nodded distantly and left.
Senior Du and Chen Siyu immediately moved to Ruan Danchen’s left and right, surrounding her. As they walked, Chen Siyu inquired, “Danchen, you can’t be trying to pursue the general manager, right?”
“Ah?” Ruan Danchen was in a complete daze.
“Otherwise, even if you ran into him outside the company, why would you choose to walk with the general manager?” Chen Siyu whispered, glaring at her. “You were even walking right beside him.”
Senior Du was also staring at her with suspicion. Ruan Danchen had always appeared to be an innocent little lady. Turned out, she had her eyes on unattainable, high-status men as well.
“That’s right. Watch: everyone else would tread carefully behind him when they see the general manager. Who in the world dares to walk alongside him?” Senior Du pointed her chin at the crowd of people standing in the elevator for Ruan Danchen to see.
In her heart, Ruan Danchen muttered, ‘Doesn’t Jiang Yuan walk side-by-side with him too?’
“That’s not it. It’s just that the general manager is quite gregarious, so we ended up sharing a conversation,” Ruan Danchen refuted, her face glowing red.
“Our general manager? Gregarious?” Chen Siyu questioned, baffled. As she uttered those words, she turned to the elevator and saw that Qi Chenglin was entering the elevator expressionlessly.
Once he left, all the employees let out a sigh of relief. Everyone was finally relaxed.
Chen Siyu turned back to Ruan Danchen. “Are we talking about the same person?”
“…” Ruan Danchen did not know what to reply.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. It must’ve been just you trying to attract the general manager’s attention!” Out of nowhere, Yao Jingfei popped up and included herself in the conversation. Senior Du and Chen Siyu’s voices were not loud, yet she somehow overheard their conversation.
Yao Jingfei was standing in front of Ruan Danchen but was not facing her. Facing the side, she glared at Ruan Danchen disdainfully from the corner of her eyes. “Listen up, you should be more self-aware. You don’t even know yourself, yet you want to bring up a child and pursue the general manager? This tactic had been overused by so many women—how cliche. There are so many women trying to get closer to him and that includes you, so just admit it. I hate hypocrites like you the most. You were clearly approaching him with that intention, yet you deny it. Doing it so conspicuously in the company without shame, aren’t you being too hasty?”
Ruan Danchen looked at Yao Jingfei as though she was a moron. Ruan Danchen shook her head and said, “If you have good intentions in mind, you’ll think others have good intentions too; you’ll think others have bad intentions if you harbor them yourselves. Whatever is on your mind is reflected on how you view others. Miss Yao, I advise you to talk a little less next time, to avoid exposing yourself like this.”
Having said that, Ruan Danchen ignored her and left by herself.
Ruan Danchen was not trying to be rude to Senior Du and Cheng Siyu. However, she was not certain that dragging the two of them away with her would be the best course of action—they might even be unwilling to leave. After all, the two of them would want to avoid offending Yao Jingfei.
Yao Jingfei sneered. She turned to Senior Du and Chen Siyu and scoffed, “If she’s not guilty, why is she running?”
“That’s not right—I recall that Ruan Danchen has a boyfriend. She even has a ring on her finger,” Chen Siyu pointed out.
“That boyfriend of hers is so ridiculous. The diamond on the ring he bought here was no bigger than a grain of rice. She must be thinking of ditching this boyfriend and pursuing the rich and powerful general manager instead. Gold-diggers are more than common these days.” Yao Jingfei grunted disdainfully.
