On this night, inside the grand mansion of the Xu family in Zhonghai, lights illuminated every corner, while security personnel patrolled the sprawling garden pathways. In a dimly lit bedroom adorned in Baroque style, Xu Zhihong stood by the indoor bar, dressed in a black silk robe, pouring himself a glass of Lafite red wine. Just as he lifted the glass, ready to take a sip, a series of knocks resounded from the bedroom door.
"Come in," Xu Zhihong furrowed his brow.
A figure wearing a faded T-shirt and ripped jeans, with a stubble on his face and a distinct smell of sweat, entered the room with a jovial smile. Xu Zhihong couldn't help but feel exasperated with this subordinate of his.
"How many times have I told you, this door is a piece of art. You're supposed to announce yourself before entering," Xu Zhihong sighed.
The subordinate, known as Maoqiu, chuckled, "I was too excited and forgot about that."
"You never remember," Xu Zhihong glared at Maoqiu.
Maoqiu shrugged off the remark and casually scratched his greasy hair. "Young Master, do you know what I witnessed today?"
Xu Zhihong walked towards the window sill and replied nonchalantly, "Get to the point."
"No sense of romance, no wonder you can't charm those Lin girls..." Maoqiu muttered to himself before continuing, "Lin Kun came looking for trouble, asking for my help to teach that Yang Chen a lesson. So, I thought I'd lend him five retired soldiers. But guess what? Yang Chen single-handedly defeated all five of them. And then he even threw Lin Kun into a garbage bin! Isn't that hilarious? Hahaha! It's his father-in-law, and he ended up in a trash can!"
Xu Zhihong swirled the red wine in his glass, lost in thought for a moment, and said, "Seems like this Yang Chen is not ordinary. It's a pity we have very little information about him, making it difficult to understand him."
Maoqiu taunted, "Young Master, are you scared?"
"Scared?" Xu Zhihong sneered. "He knows a few martial arts moves and can talk back. I'm not afraid of that. A strong dragon can't suppress a local snake. He's just a small fry who came back from abroad a year and a half ago. Can he really make a difference?"
Maoqiu, filled with excitement, suggested, "Should I go deal with him now? I heard from a few useless guys that he's fast with his actions. My hands are getting itchy."
Xu Zhihong shook his head. "No need. Let's not get involved in this matter for now. Lin Ruoxi may appear silent most of the time, but she understands everything. In this city, she may not be the smartest or the most low-key woman, but she is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous. Don't provoke her, and don't force her into doing things she doesn't want to do."
"Boss, why do you value Miss Lin so much? What's so special about her?" Maoqiu asked, puzzled.
Taking a sip of his dry red wine, Xu Zhihong replied, "I'm not entirely sure myself, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. As for Yang Chen, rest assured, we don't need to do anything. Lin Kun, that brainless guy, won't let it go easily."
"Boss, you're brilliant!"
"Stop flattering me! Get out of my room and go take a shower!"
"I actually took a shower just last week..."
The next morning, Yang Chen drove to the outskirts of the West District to buy breakfast from the local market. Old Li was indeed at his usual spot, his face filled with joy, showing no signs of worry. He must have heard about what happened to the Chen family and felt relieved. When he saw Yang Chen approaching, he greeted him with a smile, "Young Yang, I heard you started working at a company. That's good, doing something productive like a young man should."
"It's all work, not much of a difference," Yang Chen replied with a smile. "Unfortunately, I'll have less time to chat and relax with you guys. Sitting in an office is not as comfortable as being here."
Old Li chuckled mischievously. "That girl Jingjing was so happy last night. Did you say something to her?"
Yang Chen pondered for a moment and said, "I made plans to visit her at school today."
Old Li gave him a knowing look and patted his shoulder. "Take good care of each other, my Jingjing is a simple-minded girl. Don't let her suffer, or else I won't spare you!"
Seeing Old Li's "I knew it" expression, Yang Chen wanted to explain a few things but found himself unable to articulate them. He could only awkwardly nod in response.
Carrying his bags of breakfast, he entered the office. The women from the PR department had been eagerly anticipating his arrival, and upon seeing the assortment of breakfast items, they started chattering away, praising Yang Chen.
After sitting down for a short while, Yang Chen was about to open his computer and start his "professional player" career for the day when he saw Mo Qianni, looking somewhat tired, walk into the office.
Mo Qianni glanced at Yang Chen and then at the pile of steamed buns and fried dough sticks left on his desk, instantly becoming angry. This guy, as someone's husband, when his wife was sick in the hospital, he went to take care of her, but he still remembered to buy a bunch of breakfast for the women in the office. She couldn't help but sneer in disdain, "You're so considerate to your colleagues, going out of your way to buy breakfast. I just wonder if you ever think of bringing some for someone else."
"Would Miss Mo like to have some? It doesn't matter, there's plenty left," Yang Chen picked up a meat bun from the table and generously offered it to Mo Qianni.
"You know who I'm talking about," Mo Qianni whispered.
Yang Chen smiled helplessly. "If Ruoxi needs to eat something light and healthy, Wang ma will naturally make it and bring it over. I can't possibly bring meat buns and fried dough sticks for a patient who needs proper care, right?"
"You're carefree and have no sense of responsibility."
Although this explanation made sense, Mo Qianni didn't accept it either.
Realizing that this woman had already formed a strong prejudice against him, Yang Chen didn't intend to waste his efforts. He shrugged, took back the bun, and started eating it himself.
Mo Qianni had been with Lin Ruoxi at the hospital the whole night and was hungry too. The scent permeating the office made her even more ravenous. Seeing Yang Chen take back the bun, she became even more annoyed. While secretly cursing Yang Chen for being stingy and lacking manners, she quickly grabbed a bag of dumplings from the table and walked back to her office.
"Eating with an empty stomach but still acting tough," Yang Chen chuckled to himself.
Approaching noon, Yang Chen declined the invitation from Zhao Hongyan and the other three women to have lunch together and drove to the hospital instead.
The First Hospital of Zhonghai appeared relatively quiet during the daytime. After all, it was a spacious facility with few patients, which was suitable for their recuperation.
Yang Chen followed the path and arrived at the door of Lin Ruoxi's ward. The door was open, and he could hear voices inside. To his surprise, it was the "acquaintance" he had met just a couple of days ago.
"Ruoxi, I'm quite familiar with the hospital's director. How about I ask them to allocate the best VIP ward for you as a small gesture from me?" Xu Zhihong looked at Lin Ruoxi with a compassionate expression.
Lin Ruoxi leaned against the white pillow, her cold and fair face gazing at the sky outside the window. She calmly replied, "No need, thank you for coming to see me."
"You're being too polite, Ruoxi. If I hadn't been busy recently, I would have liked to spend more time with you in the hospital. People like us actually lack this kind of quiet companionship." Xu Zhihong expressed his sentiments.
This time, Lin Ruoxi didn't show any interest in continuing the conversation. It was as if she hadn't heard anything, her gaze fixed on the outside world, lost in her thoughts.
Wang Ma, who was tidying up the tableware nearby, felt that the silence in the room was too awkward. She was about to say something polite to break the tension when she saw Yang Chen standing at the entrance of the ward. Immediately, a relieved smile appeared on her face. "Young Master, you're here."