Chapter 14: Cuter Than Him

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Cuter Than Him

As Yang Chen returned to the house, Wang Mama was busily preparing tea to calm Lin Ruoxi's nerves. Seeing Yang Chen enter, she tactfully made herself scarce, leaving the young couple alone to talk.

Lin Ruoxi's high bun had been let down, her silky hair framing her exceptionally beautiful face, though the pallor and weariness made her all the more pitiable.

Upon seeing Yang Chen come in, Lin Ruoxi glanced up with a complicated expression. Without asking how Yang Chen had dealt with Lin Kun, she offered a bitter smile. "You must be laughing at me. Yes, I have such a father, such a ridiculous family. Do you pity me, feel sorry for me... I don't need anyone's cheap and boring sympathy, especially not yours..."

"Who said I pity you?" Yang Chen scoffed, lighting a cigarette he pulled from his pocket and taking a leisurely drag. Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

"No smoking in front of me," Lin Ruoxi frowned, displeased as she waved away the smoke.

Ignoring her, Yang Chen reclined on another sofa nearby, puffing on his cigarette. "I just want to advise you, stop acting so pitiful in front of me. At least you know who your parents are, you've received love from your elders. Your family might not be warm, but you have one. And you're beautiful, drawing attention wherever you go. You've never lacked material comforts, with a mansion and a sports car at such a young age... You can't possibly understand the feeling of having nothing, not even knowing who your parents are or where you come from."

Lin Ruoxi was struck by Yang Chen's sudden speech. For the first time, she stared into his eyes, where a sense of desolation and loneliness emanated, causing her heart to constrict involuntarily.

Yang Chen continued, his words drifting like whispers, "Growing up alone, hungry, freezing, bullied, beaten... always alone. No parents, no family, no siblings, not even friends... For survival, I've fought for a moldy piece of bread, eaten grass roots, tree bark, until my stomach bled... No one cares whether you live or die. No one sympathizes because you're just a wretched being abandoned by the world. Even a household dog has more status than you..."

Listening to the man's deep, hoarse narrative, tears welled up in Lin Ruoxi's eyes again, not for herself, but for that wretched life.

"I'm sorry," Lin Ruoxi murmured, lowering her head. "I didn't know you had such a difficult childhood..."

Yang Chen lowered his head, gradually revealing his usual carefree smile. "Silly wife, I made it up. You believed me."

"How does this relate to our marriage?" Yang Chen wondered.

Lin Ruoxi gave Yang Chen a cold glance. "I want to take back that old mansion from him, but he refuses to give it to me. Even if I offer a higher price than the market value, he still won't sell it to me. He has only one condition: for me to marry the eldest son of the Xu family. Clearly, he's received some benefits from the Xu family..."

"To resort to coercion for his daughter's marriage... I agree, he's not a fool, pigs are cuter than him," Yang Chen shook his head seriously.

Ignoring Yang Chen's remark, Lin Ruoxi continued, "Xu Zhihong from the Xu family has been pestering me, but I can't afford to antagonize the Xu family too much. After all, they're one of the top five big families in Zhonghai, and we can't afford to offend them. So..."

"So you decided to marry me, to cut off ties with that Xu guy, get through this hurdle first, and then figure out how to reclaim the property from your foolish father's hands?"

"Yes..." Lin Ruoxi nodded wearily. These past few days, she had been overwhelmed with these matters. A young woman in her twenties, burdened with responsibilities beyond measure.

Yang Chen sighed. "Sigh, your approach only deals with the symptoms, not the root cause. In the end, you'll still have to face the pressure from the Xu family and deal with your father's nonsense..."

"I can't control all of that now. I'll take it one step at a time..." Though her voice was soft, Lin Ruoxi's tone was resolute.

Yang Chen stood up, picked up the new phone he had just acquired, and walked towards the door without a word.

Lin Ruoxi frowned. "Where are you going again?"

"To the bar, to find women..." Yang Chen turned back, his expression serious.