Chapter 1130 - Do You Still Have Your Self-esteem?
Chapter 1130: Do You Still Have Your Self-esteem?
As the darkness of the night blanketed the ground, bright lights illuminated the Park family’s mansion.
When Park Cheon returned home and received the report from Eunjung, a wave of fury rushed upon him. He promptly called for the entire batch of bodyguards and maids to be replaced, and before long, the massive residence was filled with new faces.
Eunjung’s commitment earned her a promotion to the chamberlain position, but her main role as Zhenxiu’s bodyguard remained.
Soon it was dinner time. Surprisingly, Park Cheon could be seen sitting at his chair at the dining table. To have a good appetite while dining with his precious granddaughter was undoubtedly something of a mood booster.
“Zhenxiu, take some of this king crab. Not only is seafood low fat, but it’s also nutritious. Look at your little cheeks, your complexion doesn’t look too good these days,” nagged Park Cheon as he lovingly scooped her a variety of dishes.
Zhenxiu stared at the little mountain that had gradually formed on the plate in front of her.
“Grandfather, I can’t eat that much. What’s more, haven’t you just recovered from your illness? You should eat more.”
Park Cheon laughed heartily. “Look at grandfather’s body. Credits to Mr Yang’s marvellous medical skills, I no longer lack the nutrition I needed. China is indeed a broad and profound civilization, haha…”
Park Cheon diverted his attention to Lin Ruoxi on his other side. “Miss Lin, has there been any news from Mr Yang? Is he still at the hospital?”
“Yeah, he should be back soon.”
Lin Ruoxi smiled rather reluctantly on the outside, but silently let out a sigh.
Though sitting before a table full of mouth-watering Korean delicacies, she could not seem to find the appetite to eat.
It was earlier in the evening when Jane called out of a sudden, informing her of the treatment that had demanded Yang Chen’s ‘assistance’. Hearing her explanation, Lin Ruoxi was stunned in place.
Though Yang Chen was rather roguish, he was not a person who would attempt to conceal his actions or require someone to speak for him. For that, it was reasonable to think that Jane took the initiative to call.
Although Jane had stressed that it was out of consideration for Li Jingjing’s condition and that it was risky, it was obvious enough that this was for Lin Ruoxi’s sake. It was to sufficiently prepare her mentally about Yang Chen’s involvement with Li Jingjing.
In fact, Lin Ruoxi was aware of Yang Chen’s decision before she had even left the hospital. However, she still could not help the grievance and anger that washed over her. She felt her chest tighten from the blend of intricate emotions and feelings tumbling within her heart.
If compulsive therapy could help Li Jingjing restore her memory, Lin Ruoxi would unquestionably feel better and hold less guilt toward the girl.
However, to think that it would be at the expense of her relationship with Yang Chen, the thought itself made Lin Ruoxi feel extremely aggrieved.
Sadly, Lin Ruoxi realized she could not exactly bring herself to hate Yang Chen at all.
After this many occurrences, it was given that they had had countless arguments over those affairs. Despite that, as she got more and more dependent upon Yang Chen and gained a more profound understanding of his growth and background.
No matter how unwilling she was to admit it, it was undeniable that Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma had grown exceptionally close to Mo Qianni, Rose, An Xin, and the other girls as if they were family. Even young Lanlan did not bother saving her some face as a mother.
As of now, she had already begun to resign herself to the adversity. Over time, she had grown used to seeing hordes of women orbiting her husband.
Occasionally, she would still feel fairly disgruntled, and it was this kind of constant inner tug-of-war that gave Lin Ruoxi this uneasy feeling in her chest.
This might forever remain a knot that she would never be able to unravel, and all Lin Ruoxi could do was to try her best not to overthink it.
As Lin Ruoxi drifted off in a daze, there seemed to be some movements at the door.
Before anyone knew it, Yang Chen sauntered in with a relaxed smile perched upon his face. Right at his heel was Li Jingjing, who had changed into a black leather coat, with a red scarf wrapped around her neck.
Nothing unusual was found on Yang Chen, but an unconcealed embarrassment, laced with specks of uneasiness was visibly flickering in Li Jingjing’s eyes.
“Mr Yang is back! Oh, has Teacher Vivian recovered?” exclaimed Park Cheon with surprise.
Zhenxiu gulped down the food she held in her mouth and sprung up with excitement. Stumbling over her own feet, she ran up and threw her arms around Li Jingjing. “Teacher, I knew Uncle would figure something out! Teacher, do you remember me now!?”
Li Jingjing caressed Zhenxiu’s soft hair a little helplessly. Though she was no more than a few years older than Zhenxiu, Zhenxiu was still a little girl around her.
“I do, you are Xu Zhenxiu, who loves to slack off,” Li Jingjing laughed.
Zhenxiu simpered adorably as she nodded hard.
Yang Chen greeted Park Cheon and brazenly walked up to Lin Ruoxi. Smiling, he fawned over her. “Honey, did you miss me?”
Lin Ruoxi eyed the face he was unmistakably pulling to ‘beg for mercy’ and felt an overwhelming urge to rip it apart and expose his true personality!
She clenched her teeth and remarked snarkily, “Didn’t we just see each other this afternoon?”
“I’ve missed you so much! Oh my, it’s the first time as of late being separated from you for so long that my dearest wife’s figure has been constantly running through my mind. Honey, I’ve cured Jingjing, shouldn’t you give me a compliment or two? Jane racked her brains but in the end, it was still up to me to save the world.”
Lin Ruoxi sneered coldly at the sight of Yang Chen speaking so solemnly. “Stop pretending. Jane already called to tell me what kind of ‘compulsive therapy’ you used.”
Yang Chen’s next words immediately got stuck in his throat. The colour drained from his face as he forced a bitter smile. “Jane told you everything?”
“Word-for-word. Pretty detailed, too,” answered Lin Ruoxi, her voice an icy coldness.
Yang Chen gasped. Following that, he mumbled a few inaudible sentences under his breath, then closed his eyes and clasped his palms together!
Thump!
Both his knees hit the ground!
Not just Lin Ruoxi, but even Zhenxiu, Li Jingjing, and Park Cheon were all dumbstruck.
Yang Chen had fallen so suddenly. He had dropped to his knees by Lin Ruoxi’s side without warning!
“You… What are you doing?!” Lin Ruoxi immediately flew into a panic. This was such an embarrassing thing to unfold before so many pairs of eyes!
Yang Chen pursed his lips piteously, sulking. “I know you are mad, but I truly couldn’t find a reason to excuse myself. Still, I can’t say that I was forced to get intimate with Jingjing.
“Be it for my personal desires or her illness, I still think I did the right thing and I have no regrets. As for you, I won’t argue that it will hurt.
“You must feel that I am shameless, but I don’t mind being this way in front of you. Anyways, honey, if you wish to stay mad at me, I’ll accept it with utmost sincerity.
“But, Ruoxi dear, I am begging you, please don’t ignore me. If you don’t talk to me, that would be worse than stabbing me with a knife…”
Frankly, this was not the only cause of Lin Ruoxi’s anger. She strenuously helped Yang Chen up and chastised, “You idiot Yang Chen, do you still have a single bit of self-esteem! Get up!”
Yang Chen grinned a toothy grin with no sense of embarrassment manifest on his face. “It’s just like how you’re so accustomed to being provoked by me while I’m used to being shameless around you! Even if you kick me a few times now, I deserve it…
“Why don’t you tell me how I can cool you off? Should I buy you some glutinous rice balls? Or a diamond mine from Africa? I’ll give you anything you want!
“Honey, I’m just begging you, don’t be mad at me…”
Though they did not understand Mandarin, Park Cheon and the others caught on that Yang Chen must have done something wrong and was now pleading for forgiveness.
The crowd laughed awkwardly. It had never crossed their mind that Yang Chen was so ‘afraid’ of his wife.
Zhenxiu, on the other hand, was not shy to let out a giggle. The girl had always known that Yang Chen and Li Jingjing had something fishy going on, and she could already guess that Yang Chen was surely just being his usual self again.
Tauntingly, she walked up to Li Jingjing. “Teacher, your lover is on his knees begging Sister Ruoxi because of you. Aren’t you going to say anything?” she nudged her, spewing the words in one breath.
Li Jingjing was still taken aback in shock. From what she saw, Yang Chen might be a true man, but he actually knelt to Lin Ruoxi!
Men should never kneel easily. As a result, Li Jingjing felt like her impression of Yang Chen was completely shattered!
Then again, Yang Chen seemed more humane, friendlier, and easier to interact with.
At the same time, Li Jingjing could also feel the gap between how Lin Ruoxi and herself were ranked in Yang Chen’s heart. There was no doubt that the contrast was rather stark.
It would take an unfathomable investment of one’s feelings to be able to eliminate a man’s self-esteem and make him kneel so willingly, instead of merely having one knee down as an act of symbolism.
While Li Jingjing blamed herself, she had also silently acknowledged that it was an inevitable contradiction she could not escape. She rubbed her arms and spoke softly with determination, “Sister Ruoxi, I know you will definitely hate me, but I promise that I will be obedient to you in the future no matter what…”