When Xu Chenghao received the news, it was the morning of the second day after An Rouyu returned. He was driving to the greenhouse to harvest peppers when his car was blocked by another vehicle. Bodyguards in black suits got out and signaled Xu Chenghao to open his car door and follow them.
However, despite their fierce aura, the next second, they had red dots aimed at their heads, as if a hidden sniper would shoot them without hesitation if they took another step. A black sedan suddenly drove in front of Xu Chenghao’s car, separating him from the bodyguards, seemingly negotiating something.
Right after, Jing Yicheng called: “Don’t be afraid, I’ll be there soon.”
Xu Chenghao: “…I’m not afraid.”
Jing Yicheng: “Good, very good.”
Xu Chenghao felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and mumbled, “After all, I’m an adult man. I have some courage.”
Jing Yicheng said, “Even if you’re brave, I can’t bear to see you in danger.”
Xu Chenghao felt touched but couldn’t express anything sentimental, so he changed the subject, asking, “Are the people here related to you?”
Jing Yicheng truthfully replied, “No, they’re related to An Rouyu.”
“Who?” The name startled Xu Chenghao, as it had been a long time since he heard it: “Wasn’t she abroad, taking care of her pregnancy? She won’t come back, will she?”
Jing Yicheng: “Yes, Old Mr. Ruan found out about her pregnancy and brought her back yesterday.”
Xu Chenghao was dumbfounded. After filtering the information for a while, he had to accept the fact that the female lead had returned. Sighing deeply, he realized his previous joy was in vain.
Moreover, based on his understanding of the female lead, whenever she appeared or caused trouble, the one who suffered was always him, the spare tire—such was the power of a Mary Sue’s aura! This time, it was obvious without even thinking that it was something the female lead had orchestrated.
—She was still as annoying as ever.
Xu Chenghao had no patience left. From the female lead’s perspective, it was understandable that she couldn’t believe that the man who had loved and protected her for over twenty years would let go. She was accustomed to seeking help and relying on the devoted man.
But from a man’s perspective, if you like this woman, it’s fine to willingly give. But if you don’t, not giving help is also justified. If the female lead still demanded help at this point, it was a bit shameless.
Reading about the powerful Mary Sue aura was one thing, but experiencing it made one feel that the female lead had delusional fantasies of people being secretly in love with her, stubbornly believing others liked her despite clear rejections.
It was… increasingly irritating the more he thought about it!
The joy of harvesting peppers vanished for Xu Chenghao, and he sat in the driver’s seat, frowning deeply. He was already thinking about how to get rid of her even before meeting her.
Just as Xu Chenghao became more agitated, someone knocked twice on the passenger side window. Turning, he saw Jing Yicheng bending down and looking at him, signaling him to open the door.
Xu Chenghao unlocked the car, and Jing Yicheng got in, ending his call only after sitting down. He observed, “Why so unhappy? Were you really scared?”
Xu Chenghao: “No, it’s just that An Rouyu’s return is annoying.”
It was rare for Xu Chenghao to show a bit of temper, which delighted Jing Yicheng. He liked this attitude towards An Rouyu: “It’s alright, if I can stop Ruan Chenxuan, stopping her won’t be a problem.”
Recalling the villain’s eventual demise being related to the female lead, Xu Chenghao felt even more uneasy, suspecting that her return would bring no good.
Jing Yicheng suddenly rubbed his head, comforting him: “Tired? Want me to drive to the greenhouse?”
Xu Chenghao said: “Not tired, I just stepped on the brake, nothing else.”
Jing Yicheng opened the door: “Get out, be good.”
Xu Chenghao: “…”
In the end, Xu Chenghao unbuckled and got out, moving to the passenger seat. He held the little yellow duck flowerpot, touching the green leaves of the pepper plant, frowning: “Why are they still here? Does Old Mr. Ruan really want to see me?”
Jing Yicheng, tapping the steering wheel, frowned as well: “Did An Rouyu say something?”
Xu Chenghao had a bad feeling: “Like the child is mine?”
Jing Yicheng’s expression changed: “She dares!”
Seeing the situation ahead, Xu Chenghao was increasingly convinced: “It seems likely. If An Rouyu wants to keep the child, she might use this trick.”
Jing Yicheng’s face grew darker: “If she dares, we’ll confront her face to face!”
Xu Chenghao glanced at the little yellow duck flowerpot: “Confronting her can wait. Can we first go to the greenhouse to harvest peppers?”
“Of course.”
Jing Yicheng agreed, started the car, and backed up a few meters before driving past the bodyguards. They quickly arrived at the greenhouse and successfully harvested 175 intact peppers. Xu Chenghao couldn’t be bothered to count the deformed ones, putting them in a bag to take later.
The remaining time was spent replanting and watering. Just as Xu Chenghao put the prepared seeds into the machine, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.
Due to Ruan Chenxuan’s recent activities, Xu Chenghao hesitated before answering: “Who is this?”
Thankfully, the voice was old and unfamiliar: “I am Ruan Jinhui.”
“Ah, so it’s Grandpa Ruan. It’s been a long time since you came out of seclusion. What brings you to call me?” Xu Chenghao said as he stepped aside, allowing Jing Yicheng to take over the mechanical operation. Most of Jing Yicheng’s attention was still on Xu Chenghao.
Xu Chenghao frowned as he listened to Old Mr. Ruan’s intentions, replying coldly: “I think you’re mistaken. I have nothing to say to An Rouyu and don’t want to see her.”
“If it weren’t for An Rouyu stubbornly clinging to Xu Chenghao, how could Old Mr. Ruan possibly take the initiative to contact the younger generation to talk about such things? Finally, he impatiently said, ‘You young people should sort out your own matters.'”
Not long after, the voice on the phone changed to An Rouyu’s shrill voice: “Hao gege!”
Xu Chenghao immediately frowned: “Miss An, please respect yourself. Your good brother is Ruan Chenxuan.”
Next to him, Jing Yicheng also frowned and clicked the mouse. The ducks in the greenhouse suddenly made loud “quack quack quack” noises, making it completely impossible for Xu Chenghao to hear what An Rouyu was saying.
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Chenghao quickly said: “Sorry, it’s too noisy here, I can’t hear you. I’ll hang up now.”
Without hesitation, he ended the call and gave Jing Yicheng a thumbs up: “Well done.”
Jing Yicheng kissed his fingers, but he was still angry. He had informed Old Mr. Ruan about the female lead to keep Ruan Chenxuan occupied, forgetting An Rouyu’s lingering affection for Xu Chenghao, thus creating a rival for himself!
Jing Yicheng was almost fuming at his own foolishness. From the greenhouse to dropping Xu Chenghao off at home with the peppers, he clutched Xu Chenghao’s phone tightly, insisting on answering all the calls himself as his assistant.
Xu Chenghao: “…Whatever makes you happy.”
On the other side, An Rouyu, who had just started to cry, was suddenly silenced and couldn’t get her words out. She remained silent for a long time after the call was disconnected.
Because the phone was on speaker, everyone present could hear, including Old Mr. Ruan: “Are you sure the child is his?”
An Rouyu lied, “Maybe he just doesn’t want to admit it.”
Old Master Ruan sneered, “If you want to see him, keep calling. Whether you get to see him or not depends on your ability.”
An Rouyu bit her lip, hesitating for a while before daring to dial the number a second time. This time, the voice answering the phone was clearly not Xu Chenghao’s, and everyone present recognized who it was.
Jing Yicheng: “An Rouyu?”
An Rouyu feared Jing the most, and hearing her name called over the phone made her a bit nervous: “Yes, it’s me.”
Jing Yicheng: “Do you have something to discuss?”
An Rouyu was confused: “Isn’t this Hao Ge’s phone? I’m looking for Hao Ge.”
Jing Yicheng coldly replied, “There’s only Mr. Xu here, not Hao Ge. Miss An, since you’ve broken off the engagement, I suggest you stop using that name. Don’t think that by using those three words, you can claim a close relationship with Mr. Xu, or that you can keep demanding his help. Do you really think you’re some celestial beauty that everyone is dying to be around?”
An Rouyu was almost brought to tears by these accusations and said aggrievedly, “This is a matter between Mr. Xu and me. Who are you to deny our relationship? Even if we don’t have romantic love, we’ve been friends for over twenty years. That’s not something you can break with just a few words!”
Jing Yicheng retorted, “You still remember that you’ve known each other for over twenty years and that, even without love, there’s still familial affection? Then why, when you were with Ruan Chenxuan and Xu Chenghao was being ridiculed because of it, didn’t you come out and say it was you who cheated and it had nothing to do with him? Why didn’t you care about this friendship then?”
An Rouyu couldn’t find the words to respond and could only wipe her tears and say, “I don’t want to talk to you. Where’s Hao Ge? I want to speak to Hao Ge!”
Jing Yicheng, having waited so long to rebuke her, wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip by: “Looking for your good brother? Do you need me to call Ruan Chenxuan for you? I remember when Xu Chenghao was suffering setbacks in both his career and love life, you and Ruan Chenxuan were showing off your affection every day, making everyone envious.”
The last thing An Rouyu wanted now was any association with Ruan Chenxuan. Hearing this, she immediately held her stomach tightly and said nervously, “That was in the past. I’ve broken up with Ruan Chenxuan.”
“That’s your business!” Jing Yicheng immediately countered, “What does your breakup have to do with Mr. Xu? Just because you’re single now and looking for Mr. Xu, he has to welcome you with open arms?”Do you really think it’s okay to treat him as your spare tire? How thick-skinned can you be?”
An Rouyu was so angry her fingers started to tremble. “You… you’re deliberately trying to separate me and Hao Ge. I know you like me! You’re just as unreasonable as before. You don’t know how to respect people. You’re crazy!”
Jing Yicheng chuckled lightly and said in a calm voice, “Sorry to disappoint you, but not only do I not like you, I actually like Xu Chenghao. So you’d better stop bothering him!”
An Rouyu: “???”
The author has something to say: It’s official, Jing Yicheng can replace Li Nian as the ultimate badass!
T/N: Sorry for the late update. I’m having a very busy end of month. But I have good news, I managed to translate 106-115 yesterday so I’m scheduling it for Monday and Friday each week till it’s exhausted lol. That’s me making sure my busy doesn’t deprive you of regular updates. The only thing that will change will be bonus chapters for Ko-fi, which will be on the same day of receipt regardless of what day it is, and of course, since it’s a bonus I’ll make sure it doesn’t affect our locked 5 weeks of regular update schedule starting from today😉
One more thing if you’d rather have different update days aside from Monday and Friday, let me know in the comment section and I’ll adjust them accordingly hehe.
Enjoy~ Sassy JYC is my happy pill. He brought this upon himself though lol
