Which girl would feel happy if her boyfriend refused to acknowledge their relationship?
Ruan Yao Yao felt she needed to have a serious talk with Xu Cheng Yan.
How had she taught him?
Is this how he should be dating?
However, when she entered the office, Xu Cheng Yan was nowhere to be seen.
Where was he?
It was only when the secretary came in and told her there was an inner suite that Ruan Yao Yao found the hidden door.
As soon as she pushed it open, she heard the sound of running water.
Ruan Yao Yao felt awkward.
Although she had watched Xu Cheng Yan grow up, he was now in his twenties. Children should avoid their mothers, and besides, she wasn’t even his biological mother—shouldn’t she keep her distance?
Just as she was thinking this, Xu Cheng Yan emerged from the bathroom, dripping wet, about to ask his secretary to buy some burn ointment.
“What happened to you? Don’t tell me you tried to force yourself on someone and got rejected?!”
Ruan Yao Yao’s eyes widened in shock, marveling at how this Domineering CEO, who seemed to have half the criminal code memorized, was truly something else—even doing something like this.
Xu Cheng Yan: …What kind of nonsense is this?!
He gritted his teeth in frustration. “What are you thinking? I just exposed her scheming, and she got so angry and embarrassed that she deliberately threw the freshly bought coffee on me. Look at how badly I’m burned…”
His chest was visibly reddened.
Seeing the severity of the burn, Ruan Yao Yao quickly called Xu Cheng Yan’s secretary inside.
“Should we call the family doctor?”
“No need, it’s just a minor burn. No point making them come all the way here.” He wasn’t that shameless.
But Ruan Yao Yao wasn’t reassured. She said burns like this were the trickiest—they might look fine on the surface, but the skin underneath could already be cooked. She told him to keep rinsing it with cold water and insisted on calling the family doctor to take a look.
With their own hospital, why skimp on such expenses?
Since the hospital was some distance away, the secretary would likely return first. After rinsing with cold water for so long, it was time to apply ointment.
Based on Ruan Yao Yao’s experience, the ointment needed to be applied thickly and kept from drying out. So whenever the wound dried, she reapplied it, waiting there until the family doctor arrived.
After the family doctor examined him and prescribed some medication, Ruan Yao Yao finally felt relieved.
Hesitating for a moment, she still advised him to go home to recuperate.
After all, even though the burn didn’t look serious, it required careful attention. With more people at home, he could be better taken care of.
But Xu Cheng Yan refused. The thought of that woman Li Tingting made him dread going back and becoming the subject of Ruan Yao Yao’s “gossip.” He’d rather die than return.
Ruan Yao Yao sighed regretfully. “Fine, suit yourself.”
She had done her part to show concern. If Xu Cheng Yan wouldn’t listen, there was nothing more she could do.
Ruan Yao Yao headed straight home.
As soon as she arrived, she saw Yu Xiang Qiao sitting in the living room, accompanied by her parents.
“Mom, you’re back? Where did you go? Shopping?”
Although Ruan Yao Yao wasn’t carrying any bags, who said shopping had to involve carrying things? They could have been delivered home.
When Yu Xiang Qiao’s parents saw Ruan Yao Yao, their smiles faded.
After all, they had heard about the strained relationship between Ruan Yao Yao and Yu Xiang Qiao.
Who would like a mother-in-law who treated their daughter poorly?
Ruan Yao Yao merely greeted them briefly, saying she had gone to see Xu Cheng Yan. She told them to chat among themselves and went upstairs to watch TV.
The relationship wasn’t good, and Ruan Yao Yao didn’t feel comfortable staying with them either.
Her gaze slid over the heads of the Yu couple, and suddenly, Ruan Yao Yao didn’t want to leave.
【What?! A man who loves wearing green hats?!】
Her eyes fixed on the head of Yu Xiang Qiao’s father, Yu Xing, and Ruan Yao Yao was stunned.
She never expected that her daughter-in-law’s father would have such a hobby?!
【Oh wow~】
【Loves wearing green hats, huh? This is quite a juicy piece of gossip. I really want to stay and see how it plays out.】
Her gaze casually drifted to the head of Yu Xiang Qiao’s mother, Zhong Wenmei.
【An unnamed supporting female character?】
【Even worse off than me. At least I had a name in the first book.】
【Even as the Evil Mother-in-law, I still had a name and a surname.】
Ruan Yao Yao didn’t want to leave, and Yu Xiang Qiao was also too shocked to let her go.
Her father and mother had such a good relationship—how could he possibly mess around behind her mother’s back? Could it be that her mother-in-law had gotten it wrong?
This was a big deal, and she wasn’t sure she could handle it.
“Mom… there’s also a TV in the living room. Why don’t you watch it here? It’s livelier with more people around…”
Mostly, she wanted to see which little yaojing had “seduced” her father. She was determined to make that person pay.
Ruan Yao Yao put on a reluctant expression. “Is that really okay? Won’t it disturb you?”
“How could it disturb us? We’d love for you to sit here and chat with us for a while, Mom. Please, have a seat.” Yu Xiang Qiao was so enthusiastic that she completely failed to notice how stiff her parents had become beside her, frozen and not daring to move.
Yu Xing/Zhong Wenmei: Am I hearing things? Otherwise, why would my in-law be saying such strange things?
After sitting down, Ruan Yao Yao, to make conversation, told Yu Xiang Qiao about Xu Cheng Yan’s injury. She mentioned that she had sent the family doctor over and that fortunately, it wasn’t serious—otherwise, she would have been worried sick.
He was already a grown man, yet he was still so irresponsible, unable to even take care of himself.
Of course, in front of her in-laws, Ruan Yao Yao didn’t bring up Li Ting Ting, wanting to preserve some of Xu Cheng Yan’s dignity. Even though she didn’t say it out loud, she couldn’t help but complain in her mind.
【He really is irresponsible—getting scalded by his future wife!】
【Luckily, it was his chest and not… down there. If that part got burned, how would he ever make his wife happy in the future?】
…
While complaining, she kept glancing at the heads of the Yu couple, wondering when she’d get the chance to dig deeper into this juicy gossip.
【Tsk tsk tsk… a green-hat-wearing man! My in-law’s hobby is truly… unique!】
【I wonder if it was his wife who gave him the green hat, or if he has someone on the side and his little lover gave it to him.】
【If it was his little lover, that would be even more interesting.】
…
Zhong Wenmei instinctively looked at Yu Xing.
But Yu Xing didn’t feel guilty at all. He thought Ruan Yao Yao must be out of her mind to say such nonsense.
Just as he was about to speak, Yu Xiang Qiao stopped him.
Yu Xiang Qiao had been paying close attention and quickly grabbed an apple, shoving it into her father’s mouth. “Dad, have an apple. You’ve been talking so much just now—your mouth must be dry. Better say less and eat more.”
Yu Xing was confused. What had he just said?
Hadn’t it been the two of them talking the whole time?
But seeing the meaningful looks Yu Xiang Qiao kept giving him and remembering her earlier instructions, Yu Xing obediently closed his mouth and started munching on the apple.
Zhong Wenmei also remembered. She seemed to instantly understand why her daughter had instructed her earlier when she arrived: no matter what she saw or heard later, she must not show any reaction.
So, was her in-law suffering from some strange illness?
Zhong Wenmei didn’t think too much about it, only assuming that Ruan Yao Yao had some bizarre condition like “one person playing two roles.”
“Mom, you eat too, and say a little less.” Yu Xiang Qiao also handed an apple to Zhong Wenmei.
Zhong Wenmei cleverly understood—her daughter wanted the two of them to “keep quiet.”