The Down and Out CEO’s Pursuit of Her Wife [GL] - Chapter 17

Ye Xiang had to be hospitalized for several weeks due to a perforated appendix. An Ruoning took a long leave of absence, running back and forth between the hospital and home every day. Ye Zhefeng would head to the hospital after work to take over for her and look after Ye Xiang. After a few days of this exhausting routine, both adults looked quite haggard.

Ye Xiang, however, got exactly what he wanted. He was surrounded by his father’s company or his mother’s love twenty four hours a day. On the days Ye Zhefeng got off work early, the boy even got to experience the happiness of the three of them being together as a family. He was so happy that he couldn’t stop smiling, even when his surgical wound stung from the movement.

Of course, what made Ye Xiang happiest was seeing how much closer Ye Zhefeng and An Ruoning had become during this time. When others in the ward mistook them for a married couple, they no longer bothered to correct them. It felt as if a marriage between them was becoming a natural, inevitable conclusion.

One evening after dinner, Ye Zhefeng asked An Ruoning to go for a walk. Hearing this, Ye Xiang cleverly closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. With no reason left to decline, An Ruoning accepted the invitation.

Ye Zhefeng walked beside her, and although he kept a respectful distance, An Ruoning still felt a lingering sense of unease.

“Ruoning, are you and Jian Qing in a relationship?” Ye Zhefeng asked with complete sincerity. He wasn’t joking or gossiping.

An Ruoning looked at him for a couple of seconds. His usually gentle eyes now held a spark of determination, as if he were certain of his goal. Men are often more conceited than women, a difference that might just be a biological trait not worth judging, but for some reason, An Ruoning found herself increasingly unable to tolerate the blind confidence of some men. At the same time, she found herself cherishing the reserved elegance of certain women more than ever.

“No, we aren’t together.” It wouldn’t have been hard to lie and say yes to avoid future trouble, but since Ye Zhefeng was her benefactor and Jian Qing’s close friend, she didn’t want to hide the truth from him.

Ye Zhefeng nodded with a smile, confidently moving to his next point. “Ruoning, let’s get married. To be sentimental for a moment, honestly, both Ye Xiang and I truly want to spend the rest of our lives with you.”

The smile deepened on his face. He likely thought that after everything they had been through, marriage was now the logical next step.

An Ruoning spoke up, “Dr. Ye, you’ve helped me so much over the years. You helped me find a job when I was lost, you introduced me to Jian Qing, and you encouraged me to study dog training and veterinary medicine. I am truly grateful to you…”

The smile on Ye Zhefeng’s face began to fade, and the sentimentality he had just displayed vanished instantly. “Is this your way of turning me down politely?”

An Ruoning whispered, “I’m sorry…”

“No, no, there’s no need to apologize for something like this. It’s a matter of personal freedom,” Ye Zhefeng said, sounding a bit awkward. It was hard to tell if he was comforting her or himself.

An Ruoning couldn’t think of a way to break the tension. In truth, she and Ye Zhefeng were somewhat similar in personality, in a situation like this, neither of them was capable of making a joke to lighten the mood.

“I don’t know much about lesbians. Is it that you only have feelings for women, and men just don’t work for you at all?” Ye Zhefeng tried to find a topic, but as soon as the words left his mouth and they locked eyes, the atmosphere froze completely. “Sorry, sorry, that question was probably out of line. Just pretend I didn’t ask, haha, haha.”

Seeing his embarrassment reminded An Ruoning of the countless times she had felt humiliated and awkward herself. In that moment, her sense of empathy outweighed any feeling of being offended. “It’s okay. We’re friends, there’s nothing we can’t talk about. When it comes to orientation, I think nature should take its course. If the person you love is the same gender, you’re gay, if they’re the opposite gender, you’re straight. Honestly, love doesn’t have much to do with gender, it’s about the person. Once you love someone, does it really matter if they are a man or a woman?”

Ye Zhefeng asked, “Then… is there someone you love in your heart?”

An Ruoning remained silent. But at that precise moment, a person’s silhouette appeared clearly in her mind, and it was hers alone.

Ye Zhefeng quickly changed the subject. “Ah, right, have you thought any more about your career?”

Moving back to a topic he excelled at, his awkwardness vanished, replaced by a tone that suggested he was ready to give a long lecture. “My small pet hospital is always short-staffed. If you’re willing to work there, I’d welcome you with open arms. To be honest, the field of dog training is still quite limited in its development. The career prospects for a veterinarian are much better than those for a trainer. If you’ve decided to go down the vet path, it’s better to start practicing as soon as possible. After all, practical experience is everything in this industry.”

“I’ll think about it carefully,” An Ruoning replied softly. Mr. Ge and Ye Zhefeng had mentioned her career choices multiple times now. While she knew they meant well, hearing it always made her feel a bit suffocated. “I have some things to buy, so I’ll head out first. Dr. Ye, you should go back and look after Ye Xiang too.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.” Sensing she didn’t want to talk anymore, he nodded decisively and walked away.

By now, the sky had turned dark, making it easy for someone to hide in the shadows and feel a sense of freedom. After a tense day, she could finally relax for a moment. An Ruoning put on her headphones, turned on some music, and walked toward the subway station at a leisurely pace.

However, before she could even exit the hospital gates, someone tapped her heavily on the shoulder. She turned around while taking off her headphones. Before she could even see the person’s face, they called out, “An An.”

No one had called her that in five years. The people who used that name were all the people she wanted to see least in the world. As soon as those two words were spoken, An Ruoning broke out in a cold sweat. After stuffing her headphones into her pocket, she balled her hands into fists. Her palms were damp and cold.

“Don’t recognize me?”

The person said this with a smile, but to An Ruoning, it sounded like a reproach for not remembering them, making her feel even more repulsed.

“It’s me, Su Feng, your Sister Su!”

Su Feng… if it was her, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. An Ruoning looked at her closely. Her features still bore a resemblance to the woman she remembered, but her clothes and figure had completely changed. Looking at her now, with her hair tied up and her middle-aged frame, it was hard to imagine she had once been a “rebel” with short hair and tattoos.

“Sister Su,” An Ruoning managed to say.

Su Feng said, “I brought my son in for a check-up. Are you here because you’re sick too?”

An Ruoning replied, “Oh, no, I’m just visiting a friend. I have something to do, so I’ll be…”

Su Feng grabbed her wrist, her face crinkling into a wide grin. “It’s been so long, we have to have a proper chat.” As she spoke, she pulled An Ruoning toward a nearby wooden bench.

“Where are you working now? How’s the pay? Are you married? Any kids? Where does your husband work?” Su Feng asked excitedly. Whenever she got to a particularly interesting part, she had a habit of slapping An Ruoning’s arm or leg with heavy-handed enthusiasm.

“No, I’m not married.” An Ruoning picked the easiest question to answer.

Su Feng said, “Got a boyfriend? You must be nearly twenty eight this year, right? It’s hard for a woman to find a husband once she gets older, you really need to hurry up!”

An Ruoning frowned slightly and gave a cold “mm” in response. Even five years ago, her relationship with Su Feng was that of acquaintances at best. Being pestered about her private life by someone she wasn’t close to was truly uncomfortable.

With another loud “smack” on her leg, An Ruoning silently went on her tiptoes and crossed her arms over her knees, essentially drawing a protective circle around herself.

Su Feng continued, “Why haven’t you been in touch with us for so long? Is it because of what happened between you and Ruoxuan?”

What?! Su Feng knew about that?! A nerve in An Ruoning’s brain suddenly throbbed, sending a wave of agonizing pain through her head. It turned out that besides An Ruoxuan, Mu Shan, herself, and the doctors, someone else knew! What should she do… what should she do… An Ruoning stared at a deep crack in the concrete ground, wanting nothing more than to find a place to hide where no one could see her.

“Ruoxuan knows she was wrong, she’s been feeling guilty all this time. I haven’t seen her smile once in all these years. You should get in touch with her!” Su Feng kept talking loudly, as if this matter were as ordinary as buying vegetables at the market, something that didn’t require any discretion or tact. “You’re family, after all. In this world, who’s going to treat you sincerely besides family? Any conflict or misunderstanding between relatives can be resolved. Ruoxuan always had your best interests at heart. Everyone makes mistakes, you can’t expect people to be perfect, don’t you think…”

An Ruoning couldn’t listen to another word. Before Su Feng could finish, she bolted from the seat and ran. She thought she heard Su Feng calling her name from behind, but she no longer wanted to process any sounds or images from the world around her.

Her legs moved as if they were on a timer, running without pause. her mind was a chaotic mess, her ears filled only with the sound of her own heavy gasping, and her eyes seeing only the terrifying scenes of that day over and over again.

Dr. Yang had said she could control her emotions, that facing it wouldn’t be as scary as she imagined. An Ruoning finally forced herself to stop. She walked slowly to the side of the sidewalk, leaning against a wall and taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

Over the years, it wasn’t that she had never moved past this hurdle. Sometimes, when she saw things clearly, she realized it was just one of the many pains and hardships of life. No matter how difficult it was at the time, there was always a chance to start her life over. Since that event had already ruined one part of her life, she shouldn’t let it affect her forever.

Unfortunately, for every time she could see things clearly, there were times when she couldn’t. Back and forth it went, one step forward and two steps back. In the end, she still hadn’t completely let it go.

An Ruoning leaned against the wall again, using her entire left arm to support her weight. Although she could see and hear clearly again, her body was still trembling. The events of that day continued to replay in her mind. No matter how hard she tried to think of something else, she would be back to those unhappy thoughts within seconds.

She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Initially, she just wanted to find Dr. Yang’s number, but after passing several names, her finger uncontrollably tapped on Mu Shan’s name. With one more press, the call went through. As the ringing started, her heart began to race.

After two rings, she hurriedly hung up. What was she doing?! Had she completely lost her mind?!

The phone in her hand suddenly vibrated. In a daze, she accidentally hit the answer button. She grabbed the front of her shirt, twisting the fabric tightly several times, before finally bringing the phone to her ear.

Mu Shan: “What’s wrong?”

Hearing Mu Shan’s voice, An Ruoning felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of grievance. Tears instantly flooded her eyes. She moved her hand from her shirt to her mouth to stifle her sobs.

On the other end of the line, Mu Shan listened quietly to the faint sound of her crying. She didn’t need to ask anything else, she just knew that Ruoning needed her.

An Ruoning whispered, “I’m scared…”

Mu Shan had a vague idea of what she was afraid of. She asked in a calm, soothing voice, “Is it…”

“It’s nothing! It’s nothing now…” An Ruoning interrupted her urgently. She pressed the power button hard, not letting go until the screen went black and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The night grew deeper. An Ruoning leaned her back against the wall. A moderate breeze blew past, making her whole body shiver. She couldn’t tell if it was the chill of the late summer wind or if it was her own heart that was too cold.

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