After the Arranged Marriage, I Was Pampered by the Powerful Tycoon - Chapter 15

The next day arrived, but the apocalypse did not.

Cheng Ruan spent the morning at the office feeling apprehensive. After the senior management meeting concluded, he stared at his WeChat chat interface with Luo Mingzhi. Fortunately, since that phone call, Luo Mingzhi hadn’t sent him any messages.

He had indeed sent a WeChat message to Luo Mingzhi before heading out the previous night, saying he had an urgent matter and needed to go home. Luo Mingzhi had quickly replied with a simple “Okay.” As for that phone call, he didn’t even know himself when he had dialed it.

It was simply bizarre.

Cheng Ruan sat with his legs crossed, idly tapping a fountain pen against a document. He looked up and asked Lu Ling, “Secretary Lu, how are things going on the Mu Yao Qipao side?”

Lu Ling handed him a report and said, “We are already in contact with Master Sun. Since it involves moving into the district, we are still doing some preliminary preparation and coordination work.”

“Good.” Cheng Ruan nodded. “With Luo Mingzhi overseeing the other projects, I’m fairly at ease. But regarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage Street, I’m still a bit uneasy.”

“Try to meet Master Sun’s needs as much as possible, and ensure the safety of him and his wife. Also, keep a closer eye on Master Wei from Qiandie Paper-cutting lately.”

“After all…” Cheng Ruan looked out the window. Although it was morning, the sky had quietly darkened, appearing to be the precursor to a sweeping storm.

Cheng Ruan curled his lips into a smirk. “After all, the real storm has yet to arrive.”

At dusk, the wind and rain finally swept through Jincheng. A torrential downpour began outside. While Cheng Ruan was reviewing work reports in his office, he unexpectedly received a call from the Cheng family butler.

He rarely received calls from the butler. Back when Lu Ling was still by the Old Master’s side, Lu Ling handled all notifications, large or small. Now, fearing that Cheng Ruan would find it difficult to navigate the group alone, the Old Master had assigned Lu Ling directly to him.

The butler didn’t call him lightly. The last time they had been in contact was when the Old Master had a sudden heart attack and required surgery.

The butler said over the phone, “Young Master, please come back as soon as possible. The Master has collapsed in his bedroom.”

Cheng Ruan called Lu Ling and headed to the hospital immediately.

It was a rainy day and near the peak of rush hour. The roads began to grow congested. The red glow of taillights ahead shimmered through the misty rain, and the windshield wipers swung rhythmically, clearing away trails of water.

Dark clouds stretched across the sky outside the car window. Fretful, Cheng Ruan called the butler again midway: “How is the Old Master?”

The butler replied, “Rest assured, he has already regained consciousness.”

“Good.” Cheng Ruan stared ahead. They were only a few hundred meters from their destination, yet they had been stuck there for nearly twenty minutes. Making a prompt decision, he grabbed an umbrella and pushed open the car door. “Secretary Lu, I’ll walk there first. You follow later.”

Lu Ling immediately opened the door and followed behind Cheng Ruan with an umbrella.

The rain grew heavier. Rainwater splashed as his black leather shoes hit the asphalt, and his expensive suit was significantly dampened, yet Cheng Ruan seemed completely oblivious. He walked quickly toward the hospital, folded his umbrella, handed it to Lu Ling, and followed the waiting servants into the Old Master’s private suite.

The nearby butler and doctor prepared to greet him, but Cheng Ruan raised a hand to stop them, looking at the newly awakened Old Master: “Grandpa, how are you feeling now?”

The Old Master turned his head to reproach the butler: “Didn’t I say you weren’t allowed to call him in the future?”

The butler lowered his head. Cheng Ruan asked, “Grandpa, were you planning to keep this from me?”

Seeing the worry in Cheng Ruan’s eyes, the Old Master smiled. “I just didn’t want you to worry. You’re busy with work and just got married. Besides, there are so many doctors here; there’s no need for you to waste your time.”

“You can still laugh,” Cheng Ruan said, somewhat angry. “I was scared to death.”

“It’s Grandpa’s fault for worrying you. See, aren’t I fine now?” The Old Master said. “You’ve rushed here and gotten your clothes all wet. Go back and change.”

“I’m not leaving.” Cheng Ruan sat down, sulking. “I’m staying here with you.”

The Old Master joked, “What’s there to accompany an old man like me for? If you have nothing else to do, go back and spend more time with Luo Mingzhi. It’s always good to have someone to rely on.”

Cheng Ruan didn’t understand why the Old Master was so intent on him building a good relationship with Luo Mingzhi. He asked doubtfully, “Grandpa, why do you always want me to get along with Luo Mingzhi? You know clearly that he and I are just in a relationship of interest. Why bother creating those hypocritical illusions?”

The Old Master shook his head. “Having someone who cares is always better than having no one.”

“Xiao Ruan, I can give you money and status, but I cannot compensate you for the love and freedom you’ve lost. If possible, I would rather you have the latter two. Though Luo Mingzhi’s intentions may be hard to read, he is a man of his word. Since you are married, you might as well settle down.”

Cheng Ruan didn’t want to argue with the Old Master on this topic any longer. Controlling his emotions, he changed the subject: “What would you like for dinner? I’ll have someone prepare it.”

“The butler is here.” The Old Master signaled for him to leave. “It’s raining so hard outside; go on home.”

Seeing the Old Master’s persistence, Cheng Ruan stopped insisting. After instructing the Old Master a few more times, he stood up to leave.

Cheng Shufeng watched Cheng Ruan’s retreating back, the light in his eyes dimming. He coughed a few times and asked the butler beside him, “How many times… have I collapsed now?”

The butler said, “The fourth time.”

The Old Master gave an “Oh” and looked out the window, saying calmly, “Don’t let Xiao Ruan know about my physical condition. If one day…”

He said, “I hope he won’t be sad.”

Leaving the Dean’s office, Cheng Ruan returned Wu Zhou’s missed call.

Wu Zhou answered immediately, asking worriedly, “Xiao Ruan, the weather forecast says there are thunderstorms tonight. Are you going back to the apartment or to Luo Mingzhi’s after work?”

Cheng Ruan shook his head. “I don’t know yet.”

Wu Zhou heard the exhaustion in Cheng Ruan’s voice. “Where are you now, Xiao Ruan?”

Cheng Ruan said, “Still at the hospital. The Old Master fainted.”

“Ah… how is he now?”

“They said it’s malnutrition, plus some post-operative sequelae.” Cheng Ruan walked out of the elevator. “That’s what the Dean, who was the chief surgeon, said. I saw the check-up reports, and they did indeed show malnutrition.”

“But I don’t know why, Wu Zhou,” Cheng Ruan said worriedly. “Even though the reports show no major problems, I feel uneasy in my heart.”

Wu Zhou comforted him: “You’re definitely overthinking it. Why would the Dean lie to you? It’s fine, Xiao Ruan, don’t worry.”

“Yeah.” Cheng Ruan’s reply had a bit of a nasal tone. As he reached the exit, he asked, “Have you gone back already?”

Wu Zhou said, “Gu Lin is on a business trip, so I took the chance to slip back. Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

“It’s okay.” Cheng Ruan shook his head. “It’s too much trouble for you to go back and forth. I haven’t been afraid for a long time; don’t worry about me.”

As Cheng Ruan reached the entrance, he unexpectedly saw a familiar black Maybach parked before him.

Wu Zhou was still asking on the other end, “What’s wrong, Xiao Ruan?”

Cheng Ruan said, “It’s nothing. I’ll hang up now; we’ll talk when I get back.”

He hung up the phone. After a moment of hesitation, before he could even walk out of the hospital, the Maybach’s door opened, and Luo Mingzhi’s secretary stepped out holding an umbrella.

Cheng Ruan instinctively looked toward the rear window and saw the sharp profile of Luo Mingzhi’s face.

Zhang Li walked over methodically, greeted him and Lu Ling in turn, and then said respectfully, “Mr. Cheng, Mr. Luo has come to pick you up and take you home.”

The car drove into the villa district. The door opened, and Cheng Ruan snapped out of his thoughts, walking into the villa one after the other with Luo Mingzhi.

Only then did Luo Mingzhi speak: “Is Elder Cheng’s health alright?”

Cheng Ruan said in a low voice, “He has regained consciousness. It’s nothing serious.”

He met Luo Mingzhi’s gaze, unexpectedly looking into those pitch-black eyes. He quickly looked away before the panic in his own eyes could be captured.

Cheng Ruan couldn’t help but look at Luo Mingzhi: “Why… did you come to pick me up today?”

He was referring to the fact that he had just badmouthed Luo Mingzhi behind his back last night and had been caught red-handed. Anyone who was speculated about in such a way would surely feel some resentment, right?

Luo Mingzhi said indifferently, “We are already married. Isn’t it natural to pick you up and bring you home?”

Cheng Ruan took a few steps back. These words… could they really come out of Luo Mingzhi’s mouth?

What Luo Mingzhi said next left him even more flabbergasted: “I have something to explain to you.”

Cheng Ruan already had a guess in his mind: “It couldn’t be…”

Under Cheng Ruan’s astonished gaze, Luo Mingzhi said, “The person in the photo is Shen Yuwei, a newly signed artist under Luo’s Film Industry. We had been discussing a collaboration, and with a friend’s introduction, we had that dinner.”

An artist? No wonder they looked so familiar.

Cheng Ruan moved his lips: “Actually, you don’t need to explain to me. I really won’t interfere with your private life.”

Luo Mingzhi looked at the slightly damp ends of Cheng Ruan’s hair and did not continue the previous topic: “Your hair is wet. Go dry it so you don’t catch a cold.”

Cheng Ruan couldn’t figure out Luo Mingzhi’s mood. He nodded to himself and pointed upstairs: “Then… I’ll head up first.”

Soaking in the bathtub, Cheng Ruan’s tense nerves finally relaxed slightly. He began to recall the scene when he visited the Old Master earlier.

Perhaps because the Old Master had been formidable in his eyes for so long, he was accustomed to his dignified appearance, which was a world apart from the listless old man in the hospital bed today.

Cheng Ruan roughly understood that any relationship or object has a certain time limit; there are some things he was destined never to have, and some things that would be lost to irresistible forces.

Yet he still greedily hoped that time could stay a little longer, just a little longer.

After his mother passed away, although they lived under the same roof, Cheng Duan ignored him and would sometimes fly into a rage or hit him for no reason. The Old Master couldn’t bear it and simply took him to the old residence to raise him personally.

Back then, Cheng Ruan wasn’t as reckless as he was now. Having been suppressed and intimidated by Cheng Duan for a long time, he was obedient to the point of being withdrawn, saying less in a month than other children said in a week.

The Old Master was always stern, and Cheng Ruan didn’t dare to approach him with anything. Until one day, the child of a certain CEO mocked Cheng Ruan for being an “orphan.” When the Old Master heard this, he was enraged. He immediately had the principal of the private school expel that child and had Lu Ling pick Cheng Ruan up from class.

The Old Master asked, “Do you know why I picked you up?”

Cheng Ruan stood straight, shaking his head silently.

The Old Master seemed to be scolding him, but was actually showing care: “If you are unhappy, you must say so. If you are happy, you must say so too. Don’t keep it all bottled up. You should act spoiled, be unreasonable, and learn to express your emotions.”

It could be said that Cheng Ruan indeed reached his current state under the Old Master’s indulgence. For so many years, whether his image in the eyes of the outside world was exaggerated or absurd, whether he was testing boundaries or being willful, it was all allowed to flourish under the Old Master’s tacit approval.

Because he was the beloved Cheng Ruan, and Cheng Shufeng was his greatest backer.

Putting on a bathrobe and stepping out of the bathroom, a sudden rumble of thunder shook the sky. Cheng Ruan’s entire body shook uncontrollably, and his wrists began to tremble incessantly.

As a reflexive reaction, Cheng Ruan covered his ears and crouched down, trapping his body between the vanity and the corner of the wall.

The phone call from Wu Zhou continued to vibrate. Cheng Ruan stared at the name displayed on the screen, but his body felt as if it were not under his control; he didn’t even have the strength to reach out his hand.

In his ears, he could hear the continuous sound of a man’s cursing and a woman’s sobbing. Cheng Ruan closed his eyes in agony: “Don’t continue anymore…”

“Run? Where are you going to run? If you dare to get a divorce, I’ll beat Cheng Ruan to death!”

“What kind of look is that? What, do you want to kill me? I’m your father!”

“Xiao Ruan, close your eyes—”

“Mom, why do you always drink Chinese medicine? Isn’t it bitter? I’ll go get you some chocolate!”

“It’s okay, thank you, Xiao Ruan.” The woman forced her pale lips into a smile, comforting him softly, “Mom is sick; I have to take medicine to get better.”

“Please, stop quickly…” Another clap of thunder exploded. Cheng Ruan buried his head in his knees, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

A knock at the door pulled him back to reality from his fear.

The sound was very light, yet it sounded extremely crisp in the intervals between the thunder and lightning.

“Cheng Ruan?” He heard someone calling his name.