Winter Night
Chapter 3/5 of the week.
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The robbery crisis of the auction made the peak moment of Liu family’s banquet come to a stop suddenly as a result of guests getting out of the place.
Liu Kangbai was in a very bad mood. He even gave his son Liu Yun a massive scolding, as he thought it was Liu Yun’s neglection of duty for not supervising his men properly.
After the incident, the one who got especially annoyed was Cai Yan. She was the chief of a police station, while such an event took place in front of his eyes. The more depressing thing was, the criminals couldn’t be tracked down after putting up such a major act of robbery.
However, after it happened, her sister Cai Ning’s sudden disappearance and Yang Chen’s abrupt departure made Cai Yan feel rather weird. But she kept it all within herself.
Outside the main entrance of the villa, dark lights shone upon two black cars under four pine trees which were green during all four seasons.
Beside the giant vases by the road, there stood Lin Ruoxi who was still dressed in her gown. In the lonely and cold night, she felt absent minded as she stared into the distance, at the direction of the conference hall.
Without saying much, Yang Chen suddenly left. He only said that he was going to look at the situation. However, almost an hour had passed already. His lack of news made Lin Ruoxi anxious if he had gotten into an accident or not.
Lin Ruoxi didn’t think that she cared for him that much. It was just that they were always together, and were a married couple. Lin Ruoxi believed that she would develop feelings for even an animal, let alone an adult. It was mostly normal that she was worried.
As a result, bringing a perturbed heart, Lin Ruoxi decided to wait for a while outside the entrance. But an hour quickly passed and she was still waiting.
Since it was winter, although the cities in the south weren’t at their coldest, Lin Ruoxi still couldn’t help but to hug her body as she repeatedly rubbed her arms, with her nose reddened.
At this moment, Yang Jieyu who had a marten coat draped around her shoulders, exited her purple Cadillac limousine before walking towards Lin Ruoxi gracefully and wrapped an old-fashioned white coat on Lin Ruoxi carefully.
Lin Ruoxi didn’t reject her offer. Although she was surprised by the kindness shown by the married couple from Yuan family to accompany her wait for Yang Chen, she didn’t want to ask more questions.
“Girl, let the driver wait for Yang Chen. Why are you waiting for him yourself? It’s too cold outside,” Yang Jieyu said, distressed.
Lin Ruoxi moved her lips to smile. Maybe because she was in the chill for too long, her smile looked stiff and forced. “I feel cold myself too. I wouldn’t feel good letting others bear the consequences for me. I was the one who asked him here. If he disappeared at such a time, it’d really be my fault if something bad were to happen to him.”
“What kind of things can happen to an adult like him? But you, you might get sick before long if you continue standing outside being a girl,” Yang Jieyu said gloomily. “Yang Chen is quite inconsiderate as well. How can he leave you alone and make you wait for him?”
Lin Ruoxi didn’t answer the question. Seizing the opportunity, she asked, “Mrs Yuan, how do you and Mr Yuan know Yang Chen? I’m only aware that he managed to know your son through video games, but I didn’t expect you two to know him as well.”
Since she was speaking to the people from the number-one clan in Zhonghai, Lin Ruoxi spoke rather politely.
Yang Jieyu seemed to know Lin Ruoxi would ask such a question. Smiling, she answered, “Little Ye introduced him to us. I feel that he’s a rather good young man. Although we’ve had a few interactions, we haven’t known each other for long. That’s why he didn’t mention it to you.”
Lin Ruoxi believed her words for the most part, but still felt dissatisfied towards Yang Chen’s hiding. However, when she thought about it more carefully, she was the one who hadn’t taken an interest in his life. Her heart got inevitably cold.
“But Miss Lin, how long have you known Yang Chen for? When did you two get married? My husband and I are really curious. Although the kid Yang Chen is not bad, he doesn’t seem like the type Miss Lin would like. Looking average, he doesn’t run any business and usually behaves carefreely. What part of him does Miss Lin like?” Yang Jieyu asked.
Lin Ruoxi suddenly couldn’t speak a word. What do I like him for?
If this question was asked the other way round, regarding what she didn’t hate him for, she could maybe list a few things out. But liking… was a rather tough question.
Having pondered for a while, Lin Ruoxi said, “It may be due to his open-mindedness. He normally isn’t calculative.”
In other words, he’s absolutely heartless! Just like tonight, he left without a word!
Yang Jieyu nodded as her expression turned rather odd. She didn’t continue asking questions.
At this moment, Yuan Hewei walked down from the car. He complained, “Jieyu, Miss Lin, quickly get into the car. I’ll wait for Yang Chen. The fellow must’ve eaten the wrong medicine. Can’t he send a message after going out at such a cold weather?”
“He left his phone in the car,” Lin Ruoxi said as she frowned.
“I really have nothing to say.” Yuan Hewei got rather frustrated. Walking towards Yang Jieyu, he leaned forward and whispered, “This nephew is really worrying.”
Yang Jieyu rolled her eyes, but had a deep feeling at the same time. Since he met Yang Chen, different kinds of absurd things had taken place. If it wasn’t for her birth in a major clan and thus her experience in witnessing various disasters, she wouldn’t be able to take it.
Seeing the intimacy between Yuan Hewei and Yang Jieyu, Lin Ruoxi felt rather envious. A good-matching couple like them who have walked the journey for the past twenty years together and still be this close to each other, they must feel really blessed…
When she thought of the man from her house who dumped her after an explosion before disappearing utterly, Lin Ruoxi felt extremely irritated. What am I doing? Why am I waiting for him here?
As she felt annoyed, she heard someone shouting in front.
“You haven’t left yet? I asked you to go home first when it gets late.”
Lin Ruoxi raised her head, only to notice Yang Chen who ran towards her with a bright smile.
Seeing Yang Chen return peacefully, Yang Jieyu and Yuan Hewei both got relieved.
Lin Ruoxi said unhappily, “Go home first? Do you want to stay here overnight then?”
“I’ll be fine calling a cab,” Yang Chen replied.
“The nearest place where you can call a cab from is at least forty minutes away. If you appear on the newspaper as a result of freezing to death, and I get blamed for being the culprit, wouldn’t I be wronged?” Lin Ruoxi asked.
Yang Chen silently thought that he could complete a forty-minute journey in less than five minutes. However, he didn’t know what to say at the moment, as he felt warmth for Lin Ruoxi’s willingness to wait for him while resisting the cold. No matter what happened between them, there were still feelings between them.
“Alright, it’s my fault for forgetting the time as I strolled around. I apologize to my well-respected wife. Let’s get back into the car, don’t stay in the cold anymore,” Yang Chen said with a smile.
“I don’t need you to tell me that.” Without looking back, Lin Ruoxi entered her car before forcefully shutting the door.
Yang Jieyu stared at Yang Chen. “How could you wander around at times like this? You better nicely console your wife when you get home.”
Yang Chen felt a bit unusual towards Yang Jieyu’s attitude as a senior. In his heart, he understood the relationship between them. However, since both of them didn’t talk about it for some unknown reasons, Yang Chen smiled unnaturally as he felt Yang Jieyu’s care. “I understand. Thank you guys for keeping Ruoxi company. Please return quickly as well.”
Yuan Hewei tapped Yang Chen’s shoulder before hugging Yang Jieyu back to his Cadillac limousine and driving away.
Yang Chen returned to the back seat of the Rolls-Royce. Lin Ruoxi silently stared out of the window and utterly ignored Yang Chen.
The driver Li Ming didn’t dare to make noise while he breathed. Noticing that his CEO employer wasn’t in a good mood, he rationally decided to drive quietly and speak nothing at all.
Yang Chen thought about it thoroughly, and felt that he should apologize in the end. Otherwise he would’ve to endure a cold war for a few days. Thus, he thought of what he was going to say and got prepared to voice his apology.
However, before Yang Chen opened his mouth, his phone vibrated.
Yang Chen picked up his handphone left in the car, he noticed that an unsaved number had called his number consecutively for more than ten times, but he didn’t manage to answer them since his phone wasn’t with him.
Picking up the call, Yang Chen asked, “May I ask who’s calling?”
“Is this Mr Yang?”
“Yes.” Yang Chen heard an unfamiliar man’s voice that sounded rather anxious.
“I’m from Zhonghai Mental Hospital. The patient that you sent over, Lin Kun, do you still remember him?”
“Of course.” Yang Chen glanced at Lin Ruoxi beside him as he answered. He hadn’t seen Lin Kun who had gone mad for awhile. As far as he was concerned, Lin Ruoxi hadn’t visited him for even once. It could be seen just how terrible the guy’s behaviour was.
“Something happened to him. A few years ago when his condition suddenly got serious, he jumped down from a high platform. After that… his brain bled severely, the emergency rescue is ineffective…” the guy said.
Yang Chen’s expression turned stiff. Although he wasn’t sad, he didn’t expect that fellow to pass away so suddenly.
Yang Chen sighed. “Alright, noted. I’ll take care of it tomorrow at your place. Now do whatever’s needed, money isn’t an issue.”
“Okay, you may call this number if you have any needs,” the guy said before ending the call.
After around an hour, the two silently returned to the bungalow in Dragon Garden.
Before entering the house, Yang Chen called Lin Ruoxi, “I have something to tell you.”
Lin Ruoxi frowned. “If it’s regarding what happened just now, you don’t need to tell me. I’m not interested in your explanation.”
“It’s about your father,” Yang Chen said solemnly.
Lin Ruoxi stunned. She seemed to have gotten unfamiliar with the term ‘father’. Looking at Yang Chen quietly, she signalled him to tell her about it.
“I told you that he went mad earlier, but you never asked which hospital he was in. I bet you mustn’t have paid him a visit before. I know that you hate him. His harm to you cannot be expressed in merely two or three sentence. Since I knew how you felt, I didn’t tell you about it earlier.
However, the people from the mental hospital gave me a call just now. I was told that he jumped from a high spot as a result of his worsened condition. Due to bleeding in the head, he passed away as the emergency rescue was ineffective.”
When Lin Ruoxi heard the words ‘passed away’, Lin Ruoxi took a step back as she shivered. Slowly, her eyes got filled with tears.
Sighing, Yang Chen said, “No matter what, visit the hospital with me tomorrow. He was your father by law after all. It’s more appropriate that you sign for the cremation of his body and other procedures.”
Lin Ruoxi stood still for a very long time. Softly, she asked, “Actually, I thought of asking you where he was before. I planned to bring him back to the old house and hire someone to take care of him for the rest of his life.”
“Is it the old bungalow you mentioned that he wasn’t willing to give you?” Yang Chen asked.
“That’s right. After he went crazy, although the house got transferred to me, I’ve never paid it a visit before. I notice I’m still afraid to go back to the place. I’m scared of being reminded of Grandma and Mom, and the things in the past,” Lin Ruoxi said as she wiped her eyes before taking a deep breath, trying to suppress her tears.
“However, I didn’t expect him to leave suddenly before I made a decision.” Lin Ruoxi smiled bitterly. Turning around, she opened the door before saying, “It’s Saturday tomorrow. We’ll go there in the morning.”
Yang Chen agreed and looked at the graceful but lonely figure who walked into the house, feeling rather dismal.