If it were more than half a year ago, a woman had cried in front of Yang Chen, Yang Chen would have simply assumed she was being provoked by an enemy smokescreen, or was deliberately acting to lower his guard, or perhaps was feigning pity to seduce him... But now, the beautiful woman in front of him, with whom he had a connection, was clearly genuinely moved to tears by his words.
Yang Chen couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Although he felt that many of his words were not wrong, for a modern woman who had maintained her chastity for over twenty years, it was indeed a bit cruel.
"Okay, stop crying... Isn't it enough to apologize?" Yang Chen felt his shirt pockets slightly irritated, but when he felt it, it was empty. He then remembered that he had been thinking about quitting smoking recently and hadn't bought any cigarettes with him. Lin Ruoxi's pretty face, like a pear blossom in the rain, evoked infinite pity, but this girl was also a stubborn person. After she cried a few clear tears, she took out a tissue and wiped them away, then forced herself to hold them back. With red eyes, she glared at Yang Chen and said, "I'm asking you again, will you marry me?"
"Miss Lin, how can there still be beautiful women who insist on marrying a man these days? I'm being very clear, I won't play this boring game with you for three years." Yang Chen sighed, stood up, and prepared to leave.
Lin Ruoxi didn't say anything more this time, but a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes. With a numb expression, she stood up and headed towards the balcony on the second floor of the cafe.
The balcony of the cafe was quite spacious, with several beautiful small tables covered with parasols. Various bonsai plants were placed on the balcony, giving it a fresh and pleasant look. Upon seeing this, Yang Chen's pupils constricted. He gasped and said, "Miss Lin, you're not going to jump off the balcony just because I don't want to marry you, are you..."
Lin Ruoxi acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued walking towards the balcony without a word. Lin Ruoxi slowly approached the edge of the balcony, casually pulled over a chair, and stepped on it to approach the guardrail of the wall. Yang Chen hesitated. Could this girl really be so fiery? If she jumped from this balcony and landed on the hard stone floor below, she would be crippled if not dead...
However, Lin Ruoxi's actions immediately told Yang Chen how terrifying her determination was...
Lin Ruoxi turned back to look at Yang Chen indifferently. Her eyes were filled with determination, disgust, pain, and sorrow, as if her entire soul was suffering within this beautiful body, trying to escape...
When their eyes met, Yang Chen felt his heart throb. He was too familiar with that look. It was so similar to an indelible image deep in his mind. It was that image that had allowed him to break free from the bloody shackles of more than a decade abroad and return to the country of his birth over half a year ago...
But now, seeing Lin Ruoxi's eyes, Yang Chen once again recalled so many things he tried to forget but couldn't. In that moment, Yang Chen was lost. Seeing Yang Chen standing there like a fool, seemingly unwilling to express himself, Lin Ruoxi felt a pang of misery in her heart… Even if she jumped off the building, that man would remain indifferent. Thinking back to the pain of losing her virginity to him, and the various pressures and entanglements in life, work, and family, Lin Ruoxi felt like she was about to collapse… What was the point of living? Death would be the end of it all…
Just then, the young male waiter, who had finished preparing coffee and was carrying a tray upstairs, arrived at the stairs. The first thing he saw was Lin Ruoxi, about to jump.
"Lin… Miss Lin! What are you doing? This is dangerous!"
As soon as the male waiter finished speaking, a figure suddenly darted past him, leaving a trail of afterimage, so fast it seemed like a movie special effect!
With tears in her eyes, Lin Ruoxi stood up and was about to jump downstairs when a pair of strong hands suddenly wrapped around her slender waist, stopping her leap. Everything happened so quickly that the waiter at the stairs hadn't even seen what was happening before he saw the roughly dressed man on the balcony, embracing the beautiful woman's waist. The two of them stood there quietly, motionless...
The sun shone on the verdant plants on the balcony, casting a faint green light on the young couple. The atmosphere was peaceful yet suggestive and ambiguous.
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief, secretly envious of this man for being able to have such a relationship with a beauty like Miss Lin. After quietly putting the coffee away, he retreated downstairs.
Lin Ruoxi felt like she had instantly returned from hell to heaven. She didn't know how Yang Chen had managed to move behind her in such a split second, and she no longer had the mind to think about such things. She only felt a pair of fiery arms tightly wrapped around her waist, so tight it hurt. The man's heavy breath slowly puffed against her sensitive back. "Let me go! If you stop me now, I'll still die later." Lin Ruoxi's face flushed red, but she remained stubborn.
Yang Chen took a deep breath, as if enjoying the alluring fragrance emanating from Lin Ruoxi's body. Her body scent had a faint jasmine scent. Having smelled so many exquisite perfumes, Yang Chen felt that this scent surpassed everything else.
"Lin Ruoxi, I lose. I marry you." Yang Chen sighed softly.
Lin Ruoxi's delicate body trembled, and then fell silent. Had she won? But why didn't she feel any joy at all? Yes, this man was just a shield. He had taken her virginity while she was still in a trance. If she hated him, how could she love him? If she didn't love him, how could she be happy to marry him?
At the same time, many passers-by in the square saw the couple on the balcony, and many of them pointed and commented with relish.
"Hubby, what do you think they're doing?" a girl asked, her arm around a man. "I can't tell! It's imitating the Titanic, so romantic..."
Lin Ruoxi on the balcony couldn't stand the fiery gazes from downstairs. She finally realized that their actions were extremely ambiguous. She hurriedly jumped off the chair, broke free from Yang Chen's arms, and walked back into the cafe.
By the time they sat down again, the matter had already come to a conclusion, but they both fell silent, sipping their coffee.
After a long while, Lin Ruoxi put down her coffee cup, took out two pieces of paper and a pen from her small LV bag, and handed one to Yang Chen.
"What is this?" Yang Chen asked in confusion, coming back from his distant thoughts.
"Agreement, a marriage agreement." Lin Ruoxi turned her head away again, not looking at Yang Chen any more, returning to her usual cold expression.
Yang Chen smiled, took the pen, and casually wrote his name in the signature column without even glancing.
"You're signing without even reading what's written?" Lin Ruoxi frowned. Yang Chen shook his head and smiled, "I know without even seeing. It's just that I can't enter your room, I can't push you down, we don't interfere with each other's private lives, and I have to act well in public. I'll be paid in three years, right?"
Lin Ruoxi pursed her lips and muttered, "That's about right. You've signed it anyway, so you have to abide by it."
"Hehe, but little Ruoxi, if you take the initiative to do that with me... what should I do..." Yang Chen asked with a playful smile.
"You..." Lin Ruoxi blushed angrily. "Hmph! No way, that kind of stain on my life is enough once..."
Stain on my life? Something that half the world does every day is considered a stain on this girl's life. Yang Chen smiled in denial, gulped down his coffee, patted his butt, and stood up. "Okay, I have to go to a friend's house for dinner later. Let's put the registration aside for tomorrow..."
"Wait, how can I contact you? Where's your phone number?" Lin Ruoxi said unhappily. Yang Chen scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Haven't you researched me? I don't have a cell phone. Even if I bought one, I'd have to pay the phone bill. I don't have the money. Come find me at my house tomorrow. Just shout downstairs." He was about to leave.
"Hello!"
"What else?" Yang Chen turned around.
"You...you're not allowed to call me that." Lin Ruoxi herself was embarrassed to say that name; it was too corny!
Yang Chen suddenly realized, then said seriously, "Yes, my dear wife."
Lin Ruoxi felt dizzy... How could she ever get along with such a scoundrel again?!