Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 484: Following Wife's Arrangement

A string of seemingly bland words left Yang Chen, who had been smiling, utterly stunned. After a long silence, a touch of bitterness and helplessness appeared on his face.

"It's my fault. I know I'm despicable," Yang Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly before looking up and saying, "I know you've been wronged, which is why there's no way I'll divorce you. I will make it up to you, for all the hurt I've caused, and then give you even more happiness."

"Happiness? Ha, I don't need that. Just stop bothering me, and I'll be satisfied," Lin Ruoxi sneered, her eyes glistening slightly. Yang Chen shook his head, "No, making it up to you is one thing, but you have to eat. These are two different matters."

"You... you scoundrel!" Lin Ruoxi fumed, realizing his stubbornness hadn't changed.

Yang Chen shrugged and smiled, "How about this: if my Ruoxi darling gives me a kiss, I'll leave right away and won't make you eat immediately."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruoxi's face turned crimson, her gaze avoiding his. She gritted her teeth and said, "Why should I? This is no different from blackmail!"

"Tsk, tsk, a wife kissing her husband—how is that blackmail?" Yang Chen smirked and shook his head, sighing.

"It is blackmail," Lin Ruoxi enunciated each word clearly.

Scratching the back of his head, Yang Chen said, "Alright then, you choose between eating right away or giving me a kiss. Which will it be?"

"Why should I have to make such an unfair choice?" Lin Ruoxi felt extremely frustrated. How could he be so unreasonable?

Without speaking, Yang Chen placed one hand on the back of Lin Ruoxi's swivel chair and the other on the desk, bending down so his face was close to hers.

Feeling Yang Chen suddenly leaning in, Lin Ruoxi panicked. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes widened, breathing becoming a bit rapid.

"You... you stay away! Don't do anything reckless!" Lin Ruoxi hurriedly said, avoiding eye contact and turning her head away, trying to distance herself from Yang Chen.

Yang Chen stopped at a certain distance, no longer leaning in. Instead, he quietly looked at Lin Ruoxi's profile. Her delicate, flawless skin and exquisite contours were breathtakingly beautiful under the dim light.

"Ruoxi, we've known each other for almost a year now, right?" Yang Chen asked softly, seemingly out of nowhere.

Lin Ruoxi felt her heart pounding in her throat, remaining silent. The man's breath on her cheek made her feel a slight tickle.

"Today, for the first time, I noticed that your profile is just as beautiful as your full face. Especially with the light highlighting it, your features are perfectly defined," Yang Chen said with a gentle smile.

The back of Lin Ruoxi's ears burned red. Being complimented on her appearance so bluntly at such close range made her feel a mix of sensations she couldn't quite describe—both numb and tingly.

After a while, Yang Chen chuckled softly, as if he had thought of something amusing.

Lin Ruoxi couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Why... why are you laughing?"

"I was thinking, if you don't want to kiss me, there are other conditions we could negotiate," Yang Chen mused.

Lin Ruoxi bit her rosy lips, lowering her head. She didn't say anything, but it was clear she was listening. Somehow, she even felt a little anticipation.

Yang Chen's gaze became incredibly soft, as if he were lost in a haze. He half-asked, half-guessing, "Darling, do you want to eat or kiss me? Or perhaps, do you want to eat or sleep with me? Or maybe, do you want to have dinner or have a child with me? Ruoxi, do you want to eat or grow old with me?"

Silence. A silence so profound that a pin drop could be heard. Time seemed to freeze, and the air in the office became stifling. Lin Ruoxi couldn't hear anything else; her mind kept echoing, "Grow old with me."

Have a child? Grow old together? How does this man's brain work? What does this have to do with a simple dinner? And who wants to sleep with him?

Lin Ruoxi suddenly stood up from her seat, turned her back to Yang Chen, and placed a hand on her chest, worried about her uncontrollably racing heart. Her other hand, almost unconsciously, wiped away the unbidden moisture from her eyes. After a while, once her emotions stabilized, she said, "Are you crazy? No, you've always been crazy. I'm not going to argue with you. It's just dinner. Why do you have to say so much nonsense?"

After speaking, Lin Ruoxi lowered her head, avoiding Yang Chen's amused and strange expression. She walked silently to the food, picked up a bowl of rice, and started eating in small bites with her chopsticks.

"Fine, I'll eat. Just stop saying those disgusting things," Lin Ruoxi said coldly, her expression back to being impassive.

Yang Chen didn't push further. He leisurely sat down in Lin Ruoxi's large leather chair, leaning back and watching her eat slowly.

Lin Ruoxi could feel Yang Chen's gaze fixed on her face, making her almost blush again. Her heart felt a mix of sourness and sweetness, and she couldn't even tell what she was eating. She just wanted to finish quickly, fill her stomach, and forget that this man was even in the room.

However, the faster she tried to eat, the more problems arose. Lin Ruoxi suddenly found herself choking. She put down her bowl and chopsticks, patting her chest, but it didn't help. Her face contorted in pain, her brows furrowed.

"Drink some soup, silly. Who told you to eat so fast?" Yang Chen stood up and ladled some soup into Lin Ruoxi's bowl.

Lin Ruoxi glared at Yang Chen, took a few sips of the soup, and finally managed to swallow. Her cheeks were tinged with an embarrassed blush, but the incident had made her feel less tense and more relaxed.

"You're the idiot," Lin Ruoxi muttered, displeased at being called silly by Yang Chen.

Yang Chen laughed heartily, "Silly, when I say you're 'silly,' I mean you're 'adorable.'"

Adorable?

Lin Ruoxi had never been described like that before, and she found it hard to accept. She rolled her eyes at Yang Chen again, ignoring him, and continued eating. In fact, having worked from the afternoon into the night, Lin Ruoxi was indeed hungry. Her work stress had suppressed her appetite earlier, but now that she couldn't work, she found herself ravenous. A little bit of food wasn't enough.

As she was finishing up, Lin Ruoxi remembered something. "Tomorrow night, Liu Yanxi's concert in Zhonghai is happening. Since she's a big star we collaborate with commercially, both you and I need to attend."

Yang Chen was taken aback, raising an eyebrow. "What? That woman's concert? Isn't she our rival? Why should we go? It'd be better if her concert failed."

Lin Ruoxi glanced at Yang Chen helplessly. "Her being our rival is one thing, but we still need to maintain appearances. In business, even if we hate the other party, as long as there's value, it's wise to keep things civil. Moreover, Liu Yanxi's background and her agency are not ordinary. We can't just ignore her because of our conflicts. Just show up, and we can leave once the concert starts."

Yang Chen knew Lin Ruoxi was right. From a business perspective, there was no need to hold a grudge against Liu Yanxi.

"Alright, if you say we go, we'll go. I'll listen to my wife's arrangements," Yang Chen said with a playful grin.

Lin Ruoxi saw his lack of seriousness and pretended not to notice.

After eating for a while longer, Lin Ruoxi seemed to have made a decision and said, "In a few days, I'll go to Paris with you."

"What?!" Yang Chen thought he had misheard.

"I said, for Paris Fashion Week, I'll go with you," Lin Ruoxi repeated softly, looking somewhat reluctant. "I just thought about it and I'm worried you might mess things up and ruin our company's reputation. I don't trust you, so I'll go with you. Otherwise, without anyone watching you, who knows what trouble you'll get into."

Yang Chen chuckled happily, "Just say you want to go on a sweet vacation with your husband. Paris is indeed a great destination, no need to tie it to work. I get it, my darling Ruoxi actually likes me."

Lin Ruoxi was furious. This guy was so thick-skinned and even more annoying with his smug look. How did she end up with such a husband? She sighed bitterly, her stomach feeling bloated from anger, making it impossible to eat anymore.

"I'm full. Get out, I need to work," Lin Ruoxi said, putting down her bowl and chopsticks.

"So soon? Eat more; there's still plenty of meat," Yang Chen pointed to the remaining dishes.

Lin Ruoxi narrowed her eyes, cold fury evident in her gaze.

Yang Chen felt a chill run down his spine, forcing a stiff smile. He stood up from the chair, allowing Lin Ruoxi to sit, and went to the desk to clear away the dishes.

Lin Ruoxi sat back in her chair, retrieved the documents Yang Chen had taken from her, and resumed reading, instantly ignoring Yang Chen.

Yang Chen sighed lightly, smiling as he cleaned up the tableware before quietly leaving the office. He knew that if he disturbed her any further, Lin Ruoxi would really get angry. At least she had eaten, so he didn't have to worry about her starving.

Once the office door closed, the room fell silent again, as if the previous events were just a dream.

After a long while, Lin Ruoxi lifted her head, her eyes, like autumn water, gazing thoughtfully at the closed office door.