After the Arranged Marriage, I Was Pampered by the Powerful Tycoon - Chapter 22

Cheng Ruan closed his eyes, summoned a great deal of determination, and slowly stood up, leaning against the wall as he shuffled into the corner of the bathroom.

This should at least keep me a bit further from the thunder, right?

With fumbling fingers, he swiped the answer button on his phone.

“Hello, Xiao Ruan?” Wu Zhou’s anxious voice came through. “Are you home? Is Luo Mingzhi there? There are thunderstorms tonight; are you scared being there alone?”

“I’m fine, I’m not—ah!” Another clap of thunder erupted. Cheng Ruan’s hand jerked, nearly dropping the phone. Trembling, he gripped the device tightly and said, “You don’t need to worry, I’m not afraid.”

“Is he not there?” Wu Zhou heard the tremor in Cheng Ruan’s voice. “Give me the address; I’ll come over to stay with you right now.”

“No need!” Cheng Ruan refused hurriedly. “The weather is bad and it’s so late, don’t toss and turn. Luo Mingzhi is here with me.”

Wu Zhou sounded skeptical: “Really? Xiao Ruan, don’t lie to me. If there’s a problem, you must tell me; don’t carry it all by yourself.”

“Rest assured, he’s right next to me. Don’t worry, I’m hanging up now.”

Cheng Ruan hung up and slumped weakly to the floor, burying his face in his palms.

Rumble—

Cheng Ruan had a nightmare; his palms and forehead were slick with cold sweat. He walked out of the bedroom barefoot, urgently seeking comfort.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a thunderstorm raged. A bolt of lightning flashed, followed by heavy, oppressive thunder. Wind and rain blew in through a gap in a window a servant hadn’t closed properly, and mottled rain stains had already seeped onto the wooden floor.

As the flickering light flashed before his eyes, Cheng Ruan quickened his pace and pushed open his mother’s bedroom door.

“Mom…” Cheng Ruan rubbed his eyes, walking toward his sleeping mother on the bed, waiting for her to hug him as usual, lead him back to his room, and gently pat his back to coax him to sleep.

But this time, his mother didn’t.

“Mom?” Cheng Ruan called out again fearfully, but the mother on the bed showed no sign of waking up.

The white light flashed again, and this time, it illuminated the entire bedroom.

Cheng Ruan’s eyes widened. He covered his mouth in horror and stepped back, treading on glass shards scattered all over the floor.

Blood. So much blood.

The sirens of the ambulance and the screams of the crowd rang out in succession. With eyes full of tears, Cheng Ruan was carried away from the bedroom by the butler.

Boom-rumble—

This place couldn’t wall off the thunder of the outside world. Cheng Ruan simply hid in the bathtub, covering his ears and chanting to himself, trying to escape the terror of the moment.

There seemed to be a faint knock at the door. Cheng Ruan remained oblivious, continuing to murmur his words until the glass door of the bathroom was pushed open, and Luo Mingzhi appeared before his eyes.

Cheng Ruan looked up, his eyes red and his voice choking: “Are you here to mock me?”

Luo Mingzhi didn’t answer; he simply reached out his hand.

Cheng Ruan sat blankly in the bathtub for a long time before he realized what Luo Mingzhi meant. After some hesitation, he placed his hand in Luo Mingzhi’s palm.

So hot.

Cheng Ruan felt as if he had touched something he shouldn’t have and tried to withdraw his hand in a panic. But in the next second, Luo Mingzhi gripped his fingertips tightly, using that strength to pull him up.

Luo Mingzhi turned slightly, wrapping one arm around Cheng Ruan’s waist and the other under his legs, easily carrying him out of the bathroom.

“Luo Mingzhi…” Cheng Ruan’s hands tightly encircled Luo Mingzhi’s neck, leaning his head against the spot near his heart.

Luo Mingzhi’s chest was as broad and warm as before, and his heartbeat was steady and powerful, allowing Cheng Ruan’s strained nerves to finally relax.

Luo Mingzhi gently sat Cheng Ruan down on the bed, turned around to pick up a pair of over-ear headphones, and placed them over Cheng Ruan’s ears.

A soothing piano piece began to play. Cheng Ruan’s world instantly became quiet, as all external sounds were blocked out by the headphones.

Cheng Ruan looked up. There was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of a smile on Luo Mingzhi’s face, but not a hint of the mockery he had imagined.

Seeing Luo Mingzhi turn to leave, Cheng Ruan instinctively reached out and grabbed the corner of his clothes.

Luo Mingzhi gave his hand a reassuring pat. His lips moved a few times, but Cheng Ruan couldn’t hear him through the headphones. Just as he was about to take them off, Luo Mingzhi reached out to stop him.

“I’m going to get something.” Cheng Ruan read Luo Mingzhi’s lips.

Cheng Ruan sat quietly on the bed waiting. He hadn’t actually expected Luo Mingzhi to take the initiative to come upstairs.

They had just argued an hour ago, and… it was an argument started unilaterally by Cheng Ruan.

Cheng Ruan’s heart began to race for some unknown reason, and his breathing became slightly labored. He tried to stop thinking about things related to Luo Mingzhi, but the more he forced himself to stop, the more uncontrollably he thought of Luo Mingzhi’s face and scent.

Luo Mingzhi returned quickly. His lips moved, seemingly saying something to Cheng Ruan.

Cheng Ruan looked over in confusion, finding it difficult to discern the words he had just spoken.

A glass of warm milk was pressed into his hand. Then, Luo Mingzhi raised his hand to remove the headphones Cheng Ruan was wearing, and the white noise of the surroundings instantly returned to Cheng Ruan’s ears.

“It’s not thundering anymore,” Luo Mingzhi’s voice was cool. “You’ve had a shock. Drink some milk before you sleep.”

Cheng Ruan looked down at the milk in his hand, then back at Luo Mingzhi, releasing his tightly bitten lower lip: “Thank you.”

Taking a careful sip from the glass, Cheng Ruan felt increasingly guilty and uncomfortable. He suddenly felt an urge to cry, but he suppressed it, looking down to apologize to Luo Mingzhi.

“I’m sorry, Luo Mingzhi.”

Without waiting for a response, Cheng Ruan continued on his own: “Just now… I shouldn’t have lost my temper at you for no reason.”

“I don’t know what was wrong with me tonight. Actually, I wasn’t unhappy when I saw you at the party, but…” Cheng Ruan frowned conflictedly. “But hearing you and Senior talk so much about me just made me feel inexplicably uncomfortable… I felt like I had become a tool for your competition. I don’t know if you can understand what I mean…”

Seeing that Luo Mingzhi remained silent, Cheng Ruan added in a low voice: “It’s okay if you don’t understand. I was being too unreasonable. I’m sorry.”

“And about the request you made tonight—clearly I was the one who suggested being bed partners first. I shouldn’t be the kind of person who ‘allows the officials to light fires but forbids the commoners from lighting lamps’… I don’t mean I’m an official and you’re a commoner. I just feel that since we are already legal partners, I really shouldn’t only care about my own needs and be so selfish toward you…”

Luo Mingzhi’s expression remained calm, as if he wasn’t moved at all by what Cheng Ruan was saying.

Cheng Ruan gritted his teeth, set down the milk, and unbuttoned his pajamas: “If you want to, we can…”

A gust of coolness hit him. Cheng Ruan appeared before Luo Mingzhi without any concealment, his delicate skin appearing dazzlingly white under the warm orange light.

Seeing that Luo Mingzhi still didn’t move, Cheng Ruan reached out to unbuckle Luo Mingzhi’s belt. This time, Luo Mingzhi pressed down on the back of his hand.

Cheng Ruan swallowed hard, holding his breath nervously.

Luo Mingzhi released him, leaned down, and meticulously fastened the unbuttoned buttons one by one, looking like a completely different person from the man who had just pinned him against the door and demanded him so forcefully.

Cheng Ruan opened his mouth in surprise: “You’re…”

“If you don’t want to do it, then we won’t,” Luo Mingzhi finished fastening the last button and looked at Cheng Ruan, who was wearing cartoon pajamas.

“Sexual activity is your right, not an obligation.”

Luo Mingzhi took a step back, his features showing a rare gentleness: “I won’t interfere with your emotional life. You can have someone you like. I won’t disturb your private life again.”

“Luo Zhen used to be afraid of thunder too. She’d fall asleep quickly after drinking a glass of milk. You can try it.”

“Luo…” Cheng Ruan bit his tongue, watching Luo Mingzhi close the bedroom door. He suddenly really wanted to travel back a few hours and slap his past self awake.

It was just a game! What on earth was I being so dramatic about!

Cheng Ruan finished the milk with a face full of worry, brushed his teeth, and came back to lie in bed, yet he still didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy.

Luo Zhen used to be afraid of thunder too… so Luo Mingzhi plans to treat him like Luo Zhen now?

But he clearly wanted to do that kind of thing to him before…

In the middle of the night, Cheng Ruan touched the buttons on his pajamas, feeling the kind of regret where he wanted to slap himself several times as soon as he opened his eyes.

“I really deserve to die…”

After a sleepless night, Cheng Ruan sat in the center of the conference room, forcing himself to stay alert while listening to the key planning report for the new quarter.

Luo Mingzhi had left the villa early this morning, presumably to go to the company. It had always been like this before, but this time Cheng Ruan felt a bit unsettled.

He had originally wanted to say hello to Luo Mingzhi.

“Mr. Cheng?” The general manager, who was waiting for his decision, repeated the question.

“Ah?” Cheng Ruan quickly snapped out of it, suppressing his previous thoughts and glancing at the report. “Are these all the projects?”

The general manager replied: “Correct. There is one more… it was previously agreed upon with the Luo Group regarding the promotion and endorsement of the Muyao Town tourism project. We have temporarily selected a candidate.”

Cheng Ruan looked up: “Who?”

“The current top-tier idol singer and dancer, Shen Yuwei.”

The assistant placed a stack of documents in front of Cheng Ruan. The general manager continued: “He is a native of Jincheng. His reputation and strength are top-tier in the entertainment industry, and the returns on his recent advertising endorsements have been quite good. Having him endorse the Muyao Town cultural tourism project might be more influential.”

Cheng Ruan closed the file: “Fine, I understand.”

Since it was someone from the Luo Group, the final result was already obvious.

Today’s meeting lasted all afternoon. Cheng Ruan returned to his office and signed a mountain of documents. Coupled with not sleeping all night, he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.

He picked up the iced Americano his special assistant had just brought in, walked to the sofa in the lounge to sit down, and suddenly thought of something. He pulled out Shen Yuwei’s profile.

Shen Yuwei was born in Jincheng. He debuted in a boy band as a teenager, excelled in singing and dancing, and had outstanding looks. His popularity and heat in the entertainment industry were among the best, and his commercial value was recognized by all investors. No wonder he could sign with the Luo Group immediately after terminating his contract with his old agency.

He was indeed the best choice at the moment.

Cheng Ruan scanned his experience and acting awards briefly, and his gaze couldn’t help but fall on the smiling ID photo with a blue background.

Shen Yuwei…

His phone vibrated. Cheng Ruan stood up to answer the call, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes: “Grandpa? You took the initiative to call; what are your instructions?”

The old man seemed to be in good spirits, his voice sounding hearty: “Are you and Luo Mingzhi free tonight?”

“Hmm?” Cheng Ruan looked toward a certain high-rise building opposite him. “Do you need us to come back together?”

“Do you remember that large auditorium you invested in and built the year before last?” The old man coughed a few times and smiled. “The first performance is tonight. I received a few invitation letters here. You and Luo Mingzhi—together.”