Chapter 440: Descending to the Mundane

Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Descending to the Mundane

The next morning, every newspaper and morning news program on TV, as well as radio broadcasts in cars, were all reporting on the dramatic turnaround battle of Yulei International in Sam's country that had taken place the previous night.

After this financial war, Yulei International's miraculous comeback amazed the entire industry worldwide. The true depth and capabilities of the enterprise had been completely misjudged, forcing everyone to recalibrate their assessments.

As the president, Lin Ruoxi's image was being relentlessly promoted and hyped. Suddenly, her search engine hits soared, surpassing even the hottest universal superstar Christine and Sam's country singer "Thor Kaka." Titles like the youngest female CEO, Iceberg Beauty, a symbol of wealth, and the dream lover of wealthy bachelors were amusingly and poignantly indicative of the rapid flow of information in the world.

Due to Lin Ruoxi's rarity in public appearances, there wasn't much visual material of her available. Nevertheless, the number of her admirers and followers multiplied exponentially. Most remarkably, fans spontaneously formed a fan group, albeit with a somewhat comical name "Laundry Powder," derived from a playful twist on the pronunciation of "Ruoxi," which sounds like "washing clothes" when said slowly. The biggest joke about "Laundry Powder" was that you could never count how many "granules" it had.

Of course, as the person involved, Lin Ruoxi never concerned herself with these trivial matters, so they didn't impact her significantly.

Yang Chen, however, suffered greatly because Christine's gossip had branded him a "pervert" in the eyes of the women at home. Even his mother, Guo Xuehua, who always felt indebted to him, could not endure how decadently a young man lived his life.

When the news report came out, the family also blamed Yang Chen for hiding the massive crisis Yulei faced, accusing him of not caring enough for Lin Ruoxi.

Yang Chen found it hard to argue that he had given his wife 50 billion to spend, which could easily qualify him for "the most generous husband of the century." However, this was no excuse; indeed, he had left Lin Ruoxi to handle everything alone while he flirted with his lovers.

Concerned for Lin Ruoxi like she was his own daughter, Wang Ma prepared a box of exquisite snacks and brewed ginseng black chicken soup early in the morning, urging Yang Chen to deliver them to the company.

Lin Ruoxi had not come home all night because she was busy with follow-up work.

Yang Chen, of course, did not refuse, although he felt a bit disgruntled. Why must this woman always push herself so hard? Couldn't she take a rest before continuing with the rest of the work? It's not like there were no capable people below her; her strong dedication to her career was indeed rare.

Meanwhile, as Yang Chen drove to the company, feeling rather heartbroken, the top floor of Yulei International's headquarters was receiving an unexpected visitor early in the morning.

"President Lin, Director Ning Guodong hopes to see you," Wu Yue, who was also working overtime, called from the secretary's office to inform Lin Ruoxi.

Lin Ruoxi, who was finalizing some factory reform documents, furrowed her brows. Her delicate and cool face displayed fatigue and solemnity, but now it also bore a hint of helplessness, annoyance, and a touch of confusion.

Ning's eyes sharpened as he continued, "I don't care if you've been married. I don't care if you don't like me immediately, and I don't mind if you hate me now. Do you know, as the first heir of the Ning family, if I wanted women, seventy to eighty percent of the well-known daughters of Yan all city would not refuse me. But I've never truly liked any woman before. You are the first woman who has made me absolutely determined to possess, and I won't allow myself to fail."

Such straightforward words made Lin Ruoxi panic slightly, but she knew she couldn't avoid the situation and coldly responded, "Director Ning, feelings can't be forced. Do you really want a woman who dislikes you by your side?"

"I don't care!" Ning Guodong stood up, his eyes blazing with intensity. "I don't care if you like me or if you hate or even despise me. Do you think in the real aristocracy, many couples are genuinely together? Men find lovers outside, women have affairs—it's not uncommon. But rest assured, I'm not that trivial. I don't need many women; I only want one woman who moves my heart."

Seeing Ning's somewhat crazed look, Lin Ruoxi finally began to recoil. After all, she was just a young woman with very little experience in dealing with men in romantic contexts.

"Director Ning, how can you... even if you are from the Ning family, the son of the Prime Minister, does that give you the right to force someone else to remarry you?!" Lin Ruoxi was furious, her face flushing unnaturally due to both anger and exhaustion.

"You're right, even though I am from the Ning family and my father is the Prime Minister, I can't just do anything to you," Ning Guodong sneered. "You're the CEO of a multinational corporation, and people outside idolize you like a Goddess of Wealth, almost a celestial being. How could someone as elevated as you be simply kidnapped and kept like a caged canary for my exclusive ownership?"

Ning Guodong's words sent a chill down Lin Ruoxi's spine, making her feel as if she were being preyed upon by a beast. His wild, aggressive gaze gave her an ominous feeling.

"But..." Ning chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly with the laughter, "what if this high and mighty fairy were to fall to earth, and even less than a common woman, becomes a dirty existence despised by everyone? Who would care about her fate then? By that time, the only person willing to take you in might just be a tolerant man who genuinely likes you, like me."

Lin Ruoxi's beautiful eyes showed confusion and unease, and she tried to maintain her composure as she spoke, "Although I don't know what you're talking about, I think all your efforts are in vain."

"Really?" Ning Guodong snorted coldly and tossed the document bag onto Lin Ruoxi's desk. "Perhaps you won't think so after you read this."

Lin Ruoxi turned around and looked at the opened envelope on the table. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly reached out and picked it up, taking out several photocopied documents from inside.

When she saw the contents of the documents, Lin Ruoxi was momentarily stunned. Her hand began to tremble uncontrollably, and her usual calmness seemed utterly powerless in that moment.

Images that had caused her so much pain flashed unbidden through her mind once again. Simultaneously, Lin Ruoxi opened the cover of the documents and started to read the contents.

Within seconds, her tear-filled eyes froze on a particular section of the documents. At the same time, her face turned deathly pale, her lips quivered, and her fingers stiffened. The documents slipped from her hands and scattered onto the floor with a rustling sound.