The Down and Out CEO’s Pursuit of Her Wife [GL] - Chapter 18

A flash of headlights swept across, revealing a slender figure standing at Mu Shan’s doorstep, right hand folded over to grasp the upper part of her left arm.

Mu Shan turned the steering wheel, and the car body pivoted, reversing straight into the first-floor garage.

An Ruoning’s appearance at her door did not surprise Mu Shan in the least. When An Ruoning had made that phone call, Mu Shan had a premonition she would take the initiative to seek her out. After confirming with Duo Yi that An Ruoning hadn’t returned home, the matter became even more of a certainty.

The headlights flickered off, and a wicked smile touched the corners of Mu Shan’s lips. Before opening the car door, however, that smile vanished completely. Something delivered to one’s doorstep was no different from something already in one’s pocket, there was no need for joy or sorrow.

Mu Shan stepped out of the car. Knowing An Ruoning was watching her, her pace was even steadier than usual. Yet, Mu Shan’s phone, documents, and laptop lay scattered on the car seat, forgotten, she had no idea when she would remember them.

Everyone gets distracted, at most, it’s just that onlookers are too far away to see the inner turmoil.

The distance between the two narrowed. In one person’s eyes, fear transformed into a brimming sense of grievance, while the other maintained those deep, light brown pupils, as if seeking to draw the other person forever into their depths.

When they were within arm’s reach, the aggrieved one bit her lower lip repeatedly, pursed her mouth, and twisted the hem of her clothes, but she simply couldn’t find the words to form a sentence.

A warm smile, a tender word of comfort, even if it were just an act, would have been more than enough for the suffering girl. However, aside from a flicker in those bottomless eyes that might or might not have been there, Mu Shan showed nothing.

The door opened. Mu Shan waited for An Ruoning to enter the house first before following her inside and locking the door.

Neither turned on the lights, leaving the entire house shrouded in gloom. Yet, this darkness gave An Ruoning a trace of long-awaited peace, because standing in the center of the living room, she could hear Mu Shan’s rhythmic footsteps.

When the footsteps stopped, the sound of rushing water followed immediately. An Ruoning’s heart began to thud, like a drum. Before coming here, she knew exactly what would happen tonight. Peeling back the layers of her heart, she realized she truly did have a craving for this.

An Ruoning slowly raised her hand, pressing the back of it against her cheek, the temperature was scalding. How could she crave such a thing?! There probably wasn’t anyone else in the world as shameless as her.

But the doctor had repeatedly told her to view sex with a normal mindset, and that it shouldn’t be linked to shame. So, what was the right way? Should she have cravings? Especially, should she have them for Mu Shan?

The water stopped, and the footsteps resumed, echoing one by one in the silent room. An Ruoning’s heart hammered against her chest in sync with the sound.

When the sound stopped again, An Ruoning clearly felt Mu Shan standing behind her. Then, Mu Shan put her arm around her and guided her toward the bedroom.

“I might… not be ready yet,” a soft, intermittent voice escaped An Ruoning’s lips.

Mu Shan loosened her grip slightly. Her hand rested on An Ruoning, and where her palm passed, the temperature dropped for a split second before burning even more intensely. “Does one even need to prepare for this?”

“I…” An Ruoning’s voice grew even weaker.

The curtains in the bedroom had a small gap, allowing a sliver of pale moonlight to spill into the room and onto the bed. While the surroundings were serene, the human heart was agitated to its peak.

Mu Shan pushed An Ruoning down onto the bed. At first, An Ruoning gripped Mu Shan’s sleeve, using that tiny bit of strength to keep her upper body suspended. But after a moment of stalemate, An Ruoning finally lay down on the pillow.

…

After both had calmed down, An Ruoning looked at the ceiling and spoke softly, “Today, I…”

As she finished the word, she choked up slightly.

“Take your time, I’m listening,” Mu Shan leaned on her left elbow, bending over to look seriously at An Ruoning.

An Ruoning’s breathing quickened. Gasping for air, she whispered, “I ran into Sister Su today,”

“Mm, and then?” Mu Shan looked at An Ruoning with utmost tenderness.

“She said… she said… she…” An Ruoning unconsciously gripped Mu Shan’s shirt.

“Did she mention An Ruoxuan?”

“She… she seems to know about… that… that incident, I’m so… so scared,”

“Scared of what?”

An Ruoning shrank her neck slightly, her breathing growing heavier. “I… I’m afraid of people knowing, I… I don’t want to hear her name either, I’m afraid… that one day… I’ll see her again, and…”

“What? What else are you afraid of?” Mu Shan interlaced her fingers with An Ruoning’s, locking them tightly.

“Afraid of you,” as she said it, two tears rolled from the corners of An Ruoning’s eyes.

“I was wrong, I was wrong,” Mu Shan repeatedly admitted her fault. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she continued to apologize.

But An Ruoning’s mood didn’t improve much, her face was still full of terror.

Mu Shan knew that no matter how sincere the apology was, it was useless now. So she leaned down and hugged An Ruoning tightly, patting her back, coaxing her like a baby.

An Ruoning finally regained some consciousness from her breakdown. Mu Shan felt the change in the person in her arms and wanted to see how she was doing, but An Ruoning didn’t want Mu Shan to leave her for even a second. She immediately hooked her arms around Mu Shan’s neck, pulling her down toward her. Chest pressed against chest, they could both feel each other’s heartbeats.

Minds were clouded, emotions were blurred. An Ruoning tilted her chin up and gently rubbed the tip of her nose against Mu Shan’s cheek.

Just before she was about to bite Mu Shan’s ear, the phone in An Ruoning’s pocket suddenly vibrated.

An Ruoning blinked rapidly, but the phone kept vibrating. The buzzing was incessant. An Ruoning sat up abruptly, pushing Mu Shan heavily back onto the bed.

Jumping off the bed, An Ruoning pulled her top into place while taking out her phone.

Mu Shan sat on the edge of the bed in a daze. An Ruoning’s push had been forceful, not only was her chest sore from the impact, but because it was so sudden, Mu Shan hadn’t controlled her center of gravity. Her left elbow had accidentally slammed into the solid wood edge of the bed frame as she fell, and the numb, aching pain hadn’t faded.

When she answered the phone, An Ruoning tried her best to steady her voice. “Hello, Jian Qing,”

Mu Shan snapped back to her senses, gritting her teeth and glaring at An Ruoning.

Jian Qing: “Ruoning, are you not feeling well? Why is your voice so low?”

An Ruoning: “No… I’m fine.”

Jian Qing: “That’s good, are you asleep? I just got home from work, I’m so tired, cases have been coming in one after another lately, I haven’t even had a chance to breathe.”

“Then… go to sleep… get some rest,” after saying this, An Ruoning looked timidly at Mu Shan.

Mu Shan raised one hand to grip An Ruoning’s hand tightly, while the other hand lightly rubbed her own chest. The fierce light in her eyes was the only thing glinting coldly in the room.

Jian Qing: “I’ll sleep, but I wanted to hear your voice before I do,”

“Mm,” An Ruoning replied, pulling her hand back hard, trying to extract it from Mu Shan’s grip.

In the contest of strength, Mu Shan suddenly let go.

An Ruoning pulled her hand back, the back of it stinging from the friction. When she looked at Mu Shan again, Mu Shan was staring at her own hand. An Ruoning suddenly understood why Mu Shan had let go, and a contradictory, complex emotion rose in her heart. Why are you nice to me one moment and mean the next? How am I supposed to treat you? Should I hate you, or… can I love you too?

Jian Qing: “Are you tucked into bed?”

“Oh… mm… yeah,” An Ruoning turned to leave.

Mu Shan reached into the nightstand, took something out, and walked over to An Ruoning. An Ruoning opened her mouth slightly, wondering what she should or shouldn’t say.

Mu Shan ignored everything and shoved the object into An Ruoning’s hand, it was an icy-cold key.

Just as the doubt appeared in An Ruoning’s eyes, a kiss landed on her lips. After a gentle touch, a soft sensation entwined between her teeth.

Jian Qing: “What are you doing? Why are you hesitating?”

An Ruoning placed a palm on Mu Shan’s chest. After hesitating for half a second, she gave a light push.

Breaking away from Mu Shan, An Ruoning ran out of the house. Only when she was outdoors did she continue her conversation with Jian Qing. “Nothing… Duo Yi needed me for something just now,”

An Ruoning pushed open the door to her home. Several open cardboard boxes were scattered haphazardly on the living room floor, making it hard to find a place to step.

Duo Yi, with her hair in a bun and wearing a headband and a face mask, walked out of her bedroom carrying a stack of books.

"What are you... doing?" An Ruoning took the chance to compose herself while turning to close the door. The encounter with Mu Shan had left her mind in a complete mess.

Duo Yi bent over to put the books into one of the boxes, then stood up and brushed the dust off her hands. "I’m moving. Moving to the city."

"What?? Why??" An Ruoning’s surprise was a bit forced. After all, she was still feeling dazed and couldn't quite grasp the right emotions.

Duo Yi didn't have time to worry about that. She turned back toward her bedroom. "Don't just stand there, come and help."

"Oh." An Ruoning followed her into the bedroom and, under Duo Yi’s direction, picked up another stack of books from the floor.

Duo Yi picked up a stack herself. "I’m not staying in these suburbs anymore. After today’s photoshoot, I was exhausted, and I still had to sit on a bus for over two hours to get home! Damn it, when I was squeezing onto the bus, the lady behind me was such a pusher, she pushed me right into the edge of the bus platform. Look! Look at this huge bruise! Right under my knee! Great, I didn't get to flirt with any handsome guys, and now my knee is ruined!"

An Ruoning craned her neck and looked down at Duo Yi’s knee.

Suddenly, the books in Duo Yi’s hands crashed to the floor. Before An Ruoning could look up, Duo Yi hopped over to her neck.

Duo Yi narrowed her eyes, staring at An Ruoning’s neck, and asked "ominously," "What is this?"

An Ruoning held the books, pursed her lips, and took a half-step back, her eyes darting away. "Nothing... it’s nothing,"

"Bullshit! That’s a huge hickey!!! Do you think I’m blind?!" Duo Yi pointed at An Ruoning’s neck and shouted.

"It’s not... it’s nothing," An Ruoning hurried to slip past Duo Yi.

Duo Yi reached out and pulled An Ruoning’s T-shirt collar down to her shoulder, revealing even more shocking marks. "Oh my god!!! There are so many!!! Tell me, which handsome guy did you go out with?! I was wondering why you came back so late today! Was it Ye Xiang’s dad? What’s his name again? Ye something?"

An Ruoning denied it immediately, "Of course not!! I have absolutely nothing to do with him!!!"

Duo Yi: "Then who is it? Let me think... Oh! It must be Sister Mu Shan, right?! It’s definitely her!! You’ve got quite the love life going on!!!"

Taking advantage of Duo Yi loosening her grip, An Ruoning ran out of the room, put down the books, and hid in her own room.

Duo Yi hopped to An Ruoning’s door and knocked with her fist. "You’re an adult, sister, why are you still so shy!"

An Ruoning: "Oh, just... stop asking about this,"

Duo Yi: "Fine, I won't ask. I don't know what Sister Mu Shan sees in you anyway, you’re no fun, hmph! Oh, by the way, you’d better start looking for a roommate. I’m moving as soon as I find a suitable place."

An Ruoning: "Oh."

Duo Yi: "Or, you could just move to the city with me. Don't you want to open your own pet shop? There are more customers in the city. Even though you’re a bit boring, I still really want to live with you. It saves me from ending up with a roommate who’s difficult or mean and ruins my mood,"

"I know. I’ll think about it and give you an answer as soon as possible." What Duo Yi said was indeed her dream, but was now the right time to do it? An Ruoning leaned against the door, her brow furrowing slightly.