The Down and Out CEO’s Pursuit of Her Wife [GL] - Chapter 7

When An Ruoning ran back to the kennels, Mu Shan was the only person left. It seemed Teacher Ge and Xiao Di had already managed to move all the dogs. As long as they can safely get through tonight, I’ll find a way to secure a long-term placement for them tomorrow morning, Ruoning comforted herself. She slowed to a stop, hunching over as she gasped for air.

Mu Shan walked toward her and handed her a soft, snow-white tissue. “Why the frantic rush?”

Ruoning’s physical strength was long depleted. At a time like this, she didn’t have the energy to maintain her usual guard. She took the tissue and wiped the sweat from her forehead and the back of her neck. “Did you pay the fine?”

“I wanted to,” Mu Shan replied, “but that Teacher Ge of yours beat me to it.”

Ruoning lowered her eyelashes, letting out a long, heavy sigh through her nose. After a moment, once her breathing had leveled out, she stood up and spoke to Mu Shan with a pointed sense of detachment. “This matter has nothing to do with you. There was no need for you to pay. Thank you for your help just now, I’m thanking you on behalf of Teacher Ge and the entire shelter.”

With that, Ruoning turned to leave without a second thought.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Mu Shan called out.

Ruoning turned slightly, though her eyes avoided Mu Shan’s gaze. “Teacher Ge isn’t in good health. I’m afraid the excitement earlier might have triggered something. I’m going to go check on him.”

Mu Shan stepped forward and caught Ruoning’s arm. “No need to worry about that. I already told your colleague, Xiao Di, about his pale complexion. She’ll take good care of him.”

The sudden physical contact provoked a sharp reaction from Ruoning. She tried to pull her arm back, but Mu Shan’s grip only tightened, eventually becoming so firm that Ruoning’s brows knit in pain. Not wanting to start a physical struggle, Ruoning stopped resisting. “It’s late…”

“It is quite late,” Mu Shan agreed. “I assume where you’re staying is closer than my place?”

Ruoning remained silent.

“It’s pitch black out,” Mu Shan continued, her voice dropping. “Could you really bear to let me drive two hours back home alone?”

The intimacy in Mu Shan’s tone crossed the line Ruoning had drawn in her heart. She became agitated, her voice sharp and trembling. “Let go of me!”

“…Alright, I’ll let go.” Mu Shan’s instinct was to hold on, but after a second thought, she figured that “forced” things never tasted quite as sweet. She released her grip. “I’ve let go. However, I am exhausted, and I don’t want to drive that long.”

“We’ve broken up, assuming we were ever truly together. And if we weren’t, then we’ve never had any relationship to begin with,” Ruoning said, ruthlessly severing any lingering connection between them.

“You don’t need to be in such a hurry to remind yourself to stay away from me.” Mu Shan looked into Ruoning’s eyes, her melancholy visible, before shifting into a display of arrogant self-confidence.

“I am telling you to stay away from me!” Ruoning countered.

Mu Shan smirked. “If I actually listened to you and stayed far away, who do you think would be the one feeling sad?”

“Unbelievable,” Ruoning muttered, turning to walk away.

Mu Shan quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “Is playing house with someone else’s kid that much fun? If you like children so much, you could just have one of your own. It’s not like another little one in the house would be a problem, I wouldn’t mind.”

“You investigated me?!” After the initial shock, Ruoning realized she had overreacted. There was nothing Mu Shan wasn’t capable of. She lowered her voice, sounding defeated. “Fine, do whatever you want. What you do is your business, it has nothing to do with me.”

“Is there ever really anything between us that doesn’t involve the other?” Mu Shan leaned down, leveling her gaze with Ruoning’s. “You’re so desperate to distance yourself from me lately, is it because of Jian Qing?”

Ruoning quickly averted her eyes and turned her back to Mu Shan. “Are you planning to investigate every single person I know?” She finished by trying to shoo Mu Shan away again. “Just go, it’s late.”

“Fine,” Mu Shan replied.

This left Ruoning at a complete loss. She hadn’t expected Mu Shan to give in so easily. All the arguments and excuses she had prepared were now useless, and for a moment, she didn’t know what her next move should be.

The sound of a car horn from the rural road outside the gate snapped her back to reality. Ruoning rushed toward the exit, pulling out her phone to call a ride home.

The taxi dropped Ruoning off at the entrance of a residential complex that sat amidst a somewhat desolate area, though the courtyard inside was decent enough. She entered the gate and turned left into the first building. Just as she swiped her card to open the security door, a hand pressed against the door right by her waist, pushing it open.

Ruoning could recognize those fingers anywhere. Fury flared within her. She stood frozen in the doorway as if her shoes were glued to the floor, intentionally blocking the path.

Mu Shan placed a hand on Ruoning’s waist, ushering her into the building. “You’ve lost weight.”

Ruoning opened her mouth to snap back, but Mu Shan cut her off, pulling her into the elevator. “Stop making a scene. Which floor?”

A white-haired elderly man followed them into the elevator. He pressed his own floor first, then asked helpfully, “Which floor for you two?”

With the man waiting, Ruoning could no longer stall. “Twelve, thank you.”

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, the door to the nearest unit opened. A woman with shoulder-length hair poked her head out, flashing a perfect eight-tooth smile. Her tone was flirtatious, though her voice wasn’t overly shrill. “Baby! What took you so long?”

Ruoning walked toward her. “Something happened at the shelter.”

The woman was about to lead Ruoning inside when she noticed a striking woman with short, sharp hair following them. She immediately bounced away from Ruoning and gave Mu Shan a charming smile. “And you are?”

Mu Shan gestured toward Ruoning.

The woman hopped excitedly behind Mu Shan, resting her fingertips lightly on Mu Shan’s shoulder and ushering her into the apartment. “Oh! You’re our baby’s friend! Welcome, welcome!”

Once all three were inside, the woman ran to the kitchen and brought out a glass of passion fruit juice, handing it to Mu Shan. “It’s good for your skin.” She then repeated her previous move, guiding Mu Shan by the shoulders to sit on the living room sofa. “Sit, sit, sit!”

Ruoning ignored them both, walking into the kitchen to start washing the dishes she and the other woman had left behind throughout the day.

The woman sat down close to Mu Shan, extending her right hand in a shy greeting. “I’m Duo Yi. What’s your name?”

Mu Shan shook her hand. “Mu Shan.”

Duo Yi held onto Mu Shan’s hand, refusing to let go. Once Mu Shan finally managed to pull her hand away, Duo Yi leaned her head on Mu Shan’s shoulder. “I love your name! Your surname is so unique, any name sounds good with a surname like that!”

Mu Shan shifted slightly toward the other end of the sofa. Duo Yi immediately wrapped her arms around Mu Shan and picked up the half-finished juice, holding it to Mu Shan’s lips.

Mu Shan kept her lips pressed thin, an awkward expression flickering across her face.

“Let me feed you!” Duo Yi insisted.

“Zhang Guoqiang,” Ruoning’s voice suddenly rang out from the kitchen.

Duo Yi choked on her breath, shoved the juice back into Mu Shan’s hand, and bolted into the kitchen. She covered Ruoning’s mouth, whispering a warning in her ear. “Who gave you permission to use my real name?!”

Ruoning pried Duo Yi’s hand away and whispered back, “Isn’t ‘Zhang Guoqiang’ what it says on your ID?”

Duo Yi stamped her foot in frustration. “It also says I’m a boy on there! Does that mean we have to go by that? I thought you were my best friend, how could you say that?!”

Ruoning chuckled and returned to the sink. “Fine, fine. I won’t say another word.”

Duo Yi huffed, crossing her arms and holding her head high. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered something. “Baby, you don’t want the one outside, do you? Because if you don’t, I’m going for it.”

Ruoning tried to remain composed, keeping her voice flat. “Oh. But… don’t you like guys?”

Duo Yi leaned in close to Ruoning’s ear, whispering excitedly, “You don’t understand. I’m totally okay with ‘T’s too, especially when the one outside is a total ‘Heavenly Dish.’ It would be a crime against nature to pass that up!”

“What are you two chatting about?” Mu Shan entered the kitchen just as Duo Yi was in the middle of her speech.

Duo Yi immediately straightened up, striking a pose with her chin in her hand and one leg crossed playfully. “Nothing, nothing at all!”

Mu Shan bypassed Duo Yi and walked up to Ruoning, her voice laced with suggestion. “Are you tired? Let me help you.”

Suddenly, a phone vibrated. Ruoning turned off the water, wiped her hands, and pulled her phone from her pocket. Upon seeing the screen, she shot a deliberate look at Mu Shan before hurrying out of the kitchen to answer in a low voice.

From the other end of the line came Jian Qing’s soft, calm voice…

Mu Shan had already caught a glimpse of the screen. Dissatisfaction spread through her instantly. She stared at the kitchen doorway, her thumb lightly brushing her chin, likely plotting her next move.

Duo Yi hooked her arm through Mu Shan’s, speaking with utmost sincerity. “Sister Mu Shan, our baby is straight. Don’t waste your time on her. You can’t bend a straight girl, you’ll only end up breaking your own heart.”

“Oh?” Mu Shan raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t know yet, do you?” Duo Yi peeked outside to make sure Ruoning was far away with her back turned before continuing confidently. “Our baby already has a fiancé! The guy is decent enough, even if he’s a divorcee with a kid. But the kid is really cute and loves our baby, she even calls her ‘Mama’!”

“I see,” Mu Shan replied. “By the way, I’ll be staying over tonight. I hope that’s not a problem?”

Duo Yi’s eyes lit up. “Of course not! Do you want to stay with me? My bed is huge…”

“No thanks. I think I’ll stay with her.” Mu Shan began walking out.

Ruoning finished her call just as the three of them met in the middle of the room.

Mu Shan looked at her with a half-smile. “Finished with your call?”

Ruoning ignored her, grabbing Duo Yi to lead her toward her bedroom. “I’ll squeeze in with you tonight. She can have my room.”

“Aww…” Duo Yi pouted in disappointment, looking back at Mu Shan longingly.

Ruoning used blunt force to drag Duo Yi into the bedroom. “Don’t worry, I won’t take up much space. I’ll sleep on the floor, you take the bed.”

“Sigh… fine, fine,” Duo Yi relented. “But you have to promise to help me win Sister Mu Shan over! Tell me everything. What does she like to do? What does she like to eat? Where does she work? How many ex-girlfriends has she had? What kind of girls is she into…”

Ruoning finished laying out her bedding, stuffed two earplugs into her ears, and closed her eyes, turning her back to the room. “I don’t know anything. Go to sleep.”

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