BXBX NOVEL Chapter 446 - 446
Chapter 446: Chapter 446
Seeming to reminisce, Ning Guangyao took out his wallet. Unlike ordinary people who store money and bank cards, his wallet contained mostly items of sentimental value, such as photos, business cards, and other small mementos.
Ning Guangyao retrieved an old photo encased in plastic from the innermost section of the wallet. The photo was slightly yellowed but still clear.
The photo depicted a woman dressed in the scholarly attire of a past era, holding a book and sitting on a stone bench, reading quietly as if the outside world had nothing to do with her.
Ning Guangyao gazed at the woman in the photo for a long time, lost in thought, until he was suddenly startled by a knock on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Ning Guangyao turned around, instinctively putting the photo back in his wallet. He stood up and displayed a mild smile, "Cuishan, why are you here in Zhonghai?"
At the door stood a short-haired middle-aged woman dressed in a neatly tailored white women\'s suit. Clearly, she took great care of herself, as time had left few marks on her face. With a radiant complexion and a mature, full figure, she walked with the grace of someone used to wearing high heels.
This was Luo Cuishan, the matriarch of the Ning family, Ning Guangyao\'s wife, and Ning Guodong\'s mother.
"If you and Guodong won\'t return to Yanjing, then I have no choice but to come from Yanjing to see what\'s going on," Luo Cuishan said, playfully glaring at her husband, though her smile was warm.
Ning Guangyao was noticeably gentler in front of his wife, his eyes reflecting genuine affection. "It\'s nothing serious, you don\'t need to worry. Guodong made a mistake, and I\'m here to correct him. I was planning to fly back to Yanjing tonight. I\'ll definitely be back in time before the election begins."
"Work has never been something you needed anyone to worry about, but you do need to tell me why you\'re scolding our son," Luo Cuishan said with some concern. "I just visited where Guodong is staying. He\'s been very silent and brooding, which isn\'t like him at all."
A flash of anger passed through Ning Guangyao\'s eyes. "Don\'t worry about him. He\'ll be fine in a while. We\'ve spoiled him too much, and it\'s made him a bit unruly. You can come back to Yanjing with me this afternoon. We\'ll deal with that boy\'s issues later."
With that, Ning Guangyao walked straight out of the office, still visibly annoyed by Ning Guodong\'s behavior.
Luo Cuishan turned and watched her husband\'s back as he left the office, her eyes glinting with an inscrutable light.
In the Lin family\'s old villa, in Lin Ruoxi\'s room:
Yang Chen slowly pulled open the curtains, letting the afternoon sunlight pour into the room, casting a gentle golden glow.
Lin Ruoxi had awakened from her fainting spell but remained in bed, quietly leaning against the headboard. She stared silently at the photograph on the bedside table, lost in her own world, seemingly disconnected from her surroundings for over half an hour.
Yang Chen walked over to Lin Ruoxi and turned the photograph face down, breaking her line of sight. "Stop looking at it. You have a lot of work to do. Don\'t worry about things and people that don\'t deserve your attention," he said with a frown.
Earlier, Wu Yue and Mo Qianni had called. Yulei International had just been revived, the stock index was soaring, and there were various meetings and decisions to be made, including the new product launch, press conferences, and market seminars. All these required Lin Ruoxi\'s command.
However, Lin Ruoxi had entered a state of "paralysis" at this critical moment.
Yang Chen didn\'t place much importance on the operation of Yulei International itself, but he couldn\'t accept seeing Lin Ruoxi, usually a workaholic, completely devoid of energy and fighting spirit.
When this woman, whom he often called a "workaholic," truly became silent, Yang Chen\'s only feeling was fear.
Lin Ruoxi didn\'t respond immediately. She lifted her head and looked into Yang Chen\'s eyes, then asked, "You knew all along, didn\'t you?"
Yang Chen was puzzled but relieved that she was finally speaking. "Knew what?"
"When that man died, I remember a doctor asked the patient\'s family to talk. You were the one who went. If there was a medical record, you would have known about it," Lin Ruoxi referred to the "Dr. Bao" whom Yang Chen had once intimidated. "You told me then that it wasn\'t anything important. Did you know the truth and deliberately hide it from me?"
Yang Chen knew there was no point in hiding it anymore and nodded. "Yes, because I never thought it was something you needed to know."
"Are you mocking me? Mocking that it doesn\'t matter who gave birth to or raised me, that I\'m a child no one wants?" Lin Ruoxi asked with a cold smile.
Yang Chen shook his head. "You\'re wrong. None of this matters to me because, in my eyes, where you came from is irrelevant. Who you were in the past doesn\'t matter. What matters is where you are now, and now, you are my wife."
Lin Ruoxi was stunned. She continued to gaze into Yang Chen\'s eyes, not detecting any falsehood. His eyes, unusually free from his usual playful and flippant demeanor, were sincere and serious.
Lowering her head, Lin Ruoxi bit her lip, her eyes reddening but she remained silent.
Yang Chen sat on the edge of the bed and suddenly reached out, lifting Lin Ruoxi\'s delicate chin, making her look up at him.
Their eyes met, and Lin Ruoxi\'s eyes were moist.
"You once said we are like scorpions, the river can\'t drown us; the only thing that can kill us is our own stinger. So why are you acting like you\'ve lost everything over a little rain?" Yang Chen asked.
Lin Ruoxi gazed at Yang Chen for a while before speaking, "I was just trying to understand how you see me. Who gave you the right to lecture me?"
Yang Chen was taken aback but then broke into a smile.
Lin Ruoxi puffed her cheeks, a faint blush crossing her face as she avoided Yang Chen\'s gaze. "Don\'t say such sappy things again. And who gave you permission to sit on my bed? Who told you to touch the photo on my bedside table? Where I come from and who gave birth to me is none of your business."
"You don\'t have to be like that. I was just trying to comfort you," Yang Chen said with a bitter smile.
"What?!" Lin Ruoxi\'s eyes widened. "Are you saying what you just said was a lie?!"
"Ah?" Yang Chen quickly shook his head. "Of course it\'s true."
"Hmph, then get out!" Lin Ruoxi finally relaxed her frown.
Yang Chen sensed that staying any longer would lead to trouble, so he quickly patted Lin Ruoxi\'s head and ran out of the room.
Hearing Yang Chen\'s footsteps as he ran downstairs, Lin Ruoxi, still sitting on the bed, couldn\'t help but smile softly, her eyes showing a trace of tenderness.
Over the next two days, Lin Ruoxi gradually returned to her usual energetic self. Upon returning to the company, she decisively implemented various measures for the launch of the new material products. She also reinvested the funds gained from this recent victory into more investments, strengthening Yulei International\'s position even further.
Yang Chen, too, was kept busy. Although the promotion of Yulei Star was mainly handled by Zhao Teng and Wang Jie, with assistance from Christine, he, as the director, had to make appearances, say a few polite words, and occasionally perform a double act with Christine.
Christine\'s popularity left Yang Chen in awe. From her first appearance, Zhonghai\'s population seemed to skyrocket, with fans flocking from all directions, causing headaches for the city\'s traffic bureau. Even during typically low-traffic periods, Zhonghai experienced severe congestion. Some of her more prominent fans proved to be a challenge for the traffic police and security personnel.
Christine\'s numerous fervent admirers often brought gifts and red roses to her hotel, overwhelming the security barriers with their enthusiasm. Christine, occasionally encountering these "lucky" fans, was both amazed by their persistence and delighted to sign autographs and take photos with them.
The hotel Christine stayed at was originally owned by the Liu family but was now managed by An Xin\'s father, An Zaihuan, who eagerly offered sponsorship for the Yulei Star auditions. Yang Chen didn\'t see it as a quest for profit but rather as a way for An Zaihuan to strengthen his relationship with him, so he let it be.
What puzzled Yang Chen the most was An Xin, that little enchantress, who, acting on a whim, decided to become a host! Under her persistent request, Yang Chen had to negotiate with the show\'s producers to allow An Xin to co-host Yulei Star alongside a renowned male TV host.
An Xin effortlessly passed the rehearsals, though her male co-host almost misspoke, having been warned by the TV station\'s director about An Xin\'s influential family background and advised to avoid any improper thoughts. The poor host, fearing any misstep that might offend An Xin, ended up treading on eggshells throughout the event.
Yang Chen was pleasantly surprised that, due to Christine\'s presence, Wang Jie and Zhao Teng managed to invite several other high-profile guests. Many popular singers from Yanxia were eager to make a brief appearance at the Yulei Star opening, offering their blessings or even volunteering to join the judges\' panel.
Ultimately, several well-known celebrities from Yanxia were selected to join the judging panel, not necessarily for the final round but for some of the crucial elimination rounds, which was enough to capture the audience\'s attention.
The first weekend of March arrived, and the much-anticipated Yulei Star auditions, already generating substantial buzz, finally commenced. Hui Lin, a promising newcomer, was set to make her debut, which had become the family\'s main topic of interest as they eagerly awaited the live broadcast.
Meanwhile, Yang Chen, who could afford a bit of downtime, received a call from Liu Mingyu.
Liu Mingyu\'s voice sounded hesitant as she said, "Yang Chen, my parents want to meet you tomorrow. Can you come?"
Yang Chen replied in surprise, "Of course, I can. If it weren\'t for your busy schedule earlier, I would have met them already."
"Actually, if you\'re too busy, it\'s okay," Liu Mingyu suddenly said.
Yang Chen found her words a bit odd but assumed she didn\'t want to inconvenience him. He laughed and said, "No problem, Mingyu darling, don\'t worry. Just tell me what your parents are like so I can be prepared."