After the Arranged Marriage, I Was Pampered by the Powerful Tycoon - Chapter 7

Upon returning to the apartment, the mess from last night had already been tidied and restored by the cleaning lady. At Cheng Ruan’s insistent request, the sheets and pillowcases had been replaced with new ones; only the neatly placed leather belt remained as a reminder of the “accident” that had occurred not long ago.

Cheng Ruan covered his face and collapsed onto the bed.

How… how could he have acted so absurdly? He had actually tried to overstep his bounds and suppress Luo Mingzhi, only to be forced by Luo Mingzhi to call out to him in such a way. It was absolutely mortifying.

Buzz— buzz—

His phone vibrated. Cheng Ruan had just stepped out of the bathroom, clutching the ointment Luo Mingzhi had given him. Although he felt disdain in his heart, forced by the reality of his physical condition, he chose to temporarily surrender.

Wrapped in a bath towel, he shuffled to the mirror. While drying his hair, he picked up his phone and realized that Lu Ling had sent him a message just now.

“Mr. Cheng, Wu Zhou and Ren Han have gotten into a fight at the Guzhen Club under Mr. Luo’s name.”

Cheng Ruan slowly typed out a question mark. Unsure of what had happened, he immediately dialed Wu Zhou’s number.

Wu Zhou picked up quickly, letting out a panting “Hello.” He truly sounded as if he had just been in a brawl with someone.

“Is something wrong, Xiao Ruan? It’s not convenient for me to talk right now.”

Cheng Ruan stared at his reflection in the mirror, his brow furrowed as he asked, “Wu Zhou, where are you right now?”

Wu Zhou’s voice betrayed a hint of guilt: “I… I’m at home playing video games.”

Cheng Ruan naturally didn’t believe his nonsense: “It’s not convenient to talk, but you have time for a real-life battle with Ren Han?”

Wu Zhou was shocked: “Xiao Ruan, you—how did you know?”

Twenty minutes later, Cheng Ruan stepped out of his sports car and hurried into the high-end club before him.

It was surprising, yet not entirely unexpected, to see Luo Mingzhi’s secretary at the entrance. The latter offered him a polite smile, looking as if he had been waiting specifically for his arrival.

“Mr. Luo instructed me to receive you at the door. Mr. Wu is inside as well. This way, please, Mr. Cheng.”

Cheng Ruan nodded and walked into the private room with a grim expression. Sure enough, he saw the bruised Wu Zhou and an equally battered Ren Han. Meanwhile, Luo Mingzhi sat composedly between the two of them, fiddling with a string of warm, lustrous white jade, his lips slightly pursed.

“…” Cheng Ruan felt a wave of dizziness, feeling like a parent whose troublesome kid had been caught fighting by the head teacher.

Seeing him arrive, Luo Mingzhi raised an eyebrow, a flicker of playfulness crossing his eyes, though he showed no intention of speaking first as the owner of the establishment.

Cheng Ruan walked awkwardly to Wu Zhou’s side, tugging at his sleeve to question him: “What is going on with you? You actually got into a fight with someone.”

Wu Zhou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said defiantly, “I saw a punchable, unlucky piece of work today, so of course I had to teach him a lesson.”

Hearing this, Ren Han was displeased. The palm print on his left cheek was clearly visible. “Look, Wu Zhou, are you fucking meddling again? I only said one thing about Cheng Ruan—is your nose longer than the Pacific Ocean? What does it have to do with you? You even started swinging like a common shrew!”

“Say that again! What right do you have to talk about Cheng Ruan!” Wu Zhou tried to lung forward again but was quickly restrained by Cheng Ruan.

Wu Zhou continued to struggle: “Don’t stop me, Xiao Ruan! I’m going to beat him to death today! I’ve let him spout nonsense for years, but I’m definitely not tolerating it today!”

“Hey, don’t be impulsive.” Cheng Ruan tried to soothe him, giving him a meaningful look. “Luo Mingzhi is still here; don’t let him see us as a joke.”

Wu Zhou didn’t react much to that, but Ren Han, hearing Cheng Ruan’s words, let out a cold snort. He said sarcastically, “Oh, afraid of Mr. Luo seeing a joke? You’ve been a joke for a long time. Who in the circle respects you? Only a dummy like Wu Zhou is willing to speak up for you. And you hit me? Bah! You two are two of a kind!”

Cheng Ruan, who had been calming the furious Wu Zhou, felt his pupils dilate upon hearing Ren Han’s words. He turned his head toward him: “What did you say?”

Ren Han raised his head with a smirk, as if intentionally speaking for both Cheng Ruan and Luo Mingzhi to hear: “I said you’re just a joke abandoned by everyone! Do you really think you can change your status by marrying Mr. Luo? Keep dreaming!”

“Once Cheng Jin returns—ugh!”

A slap from Cheng Ruan cut his words short.

Ren Han clutched his right cheek, looking at Cheng Ruan in disbelief: “You… you actually hit me!”

Cheng Ruan withdrew his hand and tilted his chin up. “I hit exactly who I meant to. So what?”

If the tiger doesn’t show its strength, did people really think he was Mickey Mouse?

Wu Zhou gave a thumbs up, his eyes full of pride.

“You—you guys!”

Ren Han turned to look at Luo Mingzhi. Seeing no reaction, he rushed forward to strike back, but in the next second, his raised hand was clamped firmly by a powerful force.

It was Luo Mingzhi’s secretary.

“I believe the three of you have exchanged enough pleasantries.” Luo Mingzhi leaned back on the sofa, his legs elegantly crossed, his voice tinged with a slight chill.

Cheng Ruan blinked, unsure of what Luo Mingzhi was thinking.

Ren Han said emotionally, “Mr. Luo! You saw it today! Cheng Ruan and Wu Zhou are cut from the same cloth! Don’t let people like this affect your reputation!”

Luo Mingzhi looked up, his eyes filled with undisguised coldness and disgust.

A chill ran down Ren Han’s spine, and he broke into a cold sweat instantly. He lowered his head, wanting to explain further, but heard Luo Mingzhi say indifferently, “Zhang Li, see Mr. Ren out.”

Ren Han still wanted to offer a fawning explanation, thinking Luo Mingzhi would at least give him some face for the sake of the Ren family. To his surprise, Luo Mingzhi was serious. Several burly bodyguards in black swarmed forward and “invited” him out without a word.

Cheng Ruan and Wu Zhou were stunned.

The private room was now exceptionally quiet. Luo Mingzhi put down the jade in his hand and stood up coldly. Seeing this, Cheng Ruan unobtrusively stepped in front of Wu Zhou.

He forced a smile, preparing to pull Wu Zhou along to bid Luo Mingzhi farewell and make a run for it, but Luo Mingzhi called out to him, not playing along.

Cheng Ruan’s heart sank as he prepared to offer an apology.

But Luo Mingzhi said: “Mr. Wu is injured. Let him have his wounds treated here first.”

His gaze fell on Cheng Ruan, looking at the still-damp ends of his hair. The darkness in his eyes deepened, and his lips moved slightly.

“Your hair isn’t dry.”

Cheng Ruan’s face turned red in an instant.

Wh—what did that have to do with his hair?

Wu Zhou’s eyes widened, and he quickly showed some sense: “Thank you, Mr. Luo. I’ll go treat my wounds now. You two chat.”

When he left, Wu Zhou even sycophantically closed the door, providing a private space for Cheng Ruan and Luo Mingzhi.

The scene felt somewhat familiar to Cheng Ruan, much like the day he was told his fiancée had run away.

The awkwardness in his heart was exactly the same.

Luo Mingzhi asked, “Did you use the medicine I gave you?”

Cheng Ruan unconsciously pinched the hem of his T-shirt, looking down at his toes: “I used it.”

Silence filled the room. Luo Mingzhi broke it, saying: “I went too far last night. I didn’t consider your feelings.”

Cheng Ruan had originally felt some resentment, but this apology caught him completely off guard. He released the wrinkled hem of his shirt and murmured in a tone he didn’t even notice himself, “At least you know.”

Cheng Ruan didn’t notice the strange look in Luo Mingzhi’s eyes and bit the bullet to say, “Well, don’t get too full of yourself. I… I enjoyed it that night too…”

Cheng Ruan covered his mouth in panic, regretting it to the point of wanting to slap himself.

…What kind of outrageous statement was that?

He shook his head, trying to calm himself down, and regained his momentum: “We are just a marriage of convenience. We’ll get a divorce once the Muyao Town project is finished. You just need to remember our cooperation; whatever else happens is your business.”

Seeing that Luo Mingzhi had no reaction, Cheng Ruan pretended to be firm and reminded him: “Say something, Luo Mingzhi.”

“Okay,” Luo Mingzhi said, being as brief as possible.

He didn’t seem to care about the things Cheng Ruan was obsessing over at all.

Since Luo Mingzhi agreed so decisively, Cheng Ruan breathed a sigh of relief: “Then I’ll be going. Sorry for the trouble today.”

“Do you need a ride?” Luo Mingzhi tilted his chin.

Cheng Ruan politely declined: “No thanks, I drove here.”

Back at the apartment, Cheng Ruan lay on a lounge chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, having a long phone conversation with Wu Zhou.

Wu Zhou was wincing while checking his wounds in the mirror, asking: “Xiao Ruan, you and Luo Mingzhi…”

“What’s the situation now?”

Cheng Ruan sighed: “What else could the situation be?”

Wu Zhou teased him for being naive: “You might not get it, but I saw it. The way Luo Mingzhi looks at you is completely different from the wedding.”

Cheng Ruan asked: “How is it different?”

Wu Zhou said seriously: “How should I describe it? Although the phrasing might not be perfectly accurate, I feel like he looks at you like his own possession.”

“Before, it was like looking at an emotionless object. Now, it’s like a possession with a bit of possessiveness.”

“…” Cheng Ruan was silent for a while before saying speechlessly, “Wu Zhou, I don’t blame Ren Han. I want to hit you too.”

Wu Zhou got excited and continued his analysis: “But look, Xiao Ruan, Luo Mingzhi was actually willing to kick Ren Han out for you. He’s not someone who likes to meddle in other people’s business…”

Cheng Ruan couldn’t help but grumble: “He slept with me all night; he should at least give me some benefits.”

Wu Zhou: “What did you say?!”

Cheng Ruan quickly covered his mouth and shook his head in denial.

But Wu Zhou had clearly caught the implication and seized the key point: “You guys didn’t just sleep together, you slept for… for the whole night?”

Cheng Ruan: “?”

Wu Zhou seemed very excited: “Did he start it?”

Cheng Ruan gave up struggling: “It was me.”

Wu Zhou’s tone was undeniably thrilled: “You’re quite the dark horse, Cheng Xiao Ruan. You say you’re not interested in men, but your body is more honest than anyone.”

Cheng Ruan said with a dark face, “If you keep this up, you’re going to lose me, Wu Zhou.”

“Hey, don’t! Just a joke.” Wu Zhou quickly apologized, then changed the subject, “But I’m really curious now. Since you’re so good-looking and not as unruly as the rumors say, once Luo Mingzhi figures it out, will he get a taste for it and accidentally fall for you?”

“Oh my, oh my! What’s happening? I actually find this damn sweet~”

“Watch fewer of those messy novels.” Cheng Ruan felt like he was hearing a fairy tale, then thought of something and said in shame, “Shut your crow’s mouth.”

Wu Zhou chuckled, his tone suggestive: “Then let’s wait and see. Aren’t you two going on a business trip together in a few days?”