Chapter 146: Coaxing

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Coaxing

Her mouth gaped open, her speech reduced to a stutter.

Just then, the door opened.

Ruan Yongxing stood in the doorway, a damp towel still in his hand. He looked up and asked, "What are you two doing here at this hour?"

His gaze fell on Yao Yuzhen’s face. "Didn’t you say... you were going to get the divorce certificate today?"

"You got it done so quickly?"

The corners of his mouth lifted, his tone lightening. "What was the Shen Family’s reaction? They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?"

The moment the door opened, Shen Shuangshuang, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shot behind Yao Yuzhen and blinked frantically at Ruan Yongxing.

’The meaning was obvious. What are we going to do about the person in there? Think of something, fast!’

Ruan Yongxing pretended he didn’t see.

He knew perfectly well that in the eyes of outsiders, there was nothing unusual about two men living together. Eating together, sleeping in the same apartment—it was all perfectly normal.

No one would think twice about it, unless they happened to walk in on them undressing and embracing.

The last time Shen Shuangshuang walked in on them was a complete accident. Otherwise, he could have casually made up an excuse and gotten away with it, no problem.

If he hadn’t mentioned the divorce, Yao Yuzhen might have kept up her good-natured smile.

But the moment the words left his mouth, her face fell. "Don’t talk about it. This is the very reason I came looking for you."

With that, she sidestepped Ruan Yongxing and went straight into the room.

Before she even had her footing, she looked up and saw a man. She turned to ask, "A friend of yours?"

Ruan Yongxing nodded. "Yeah. He heard I got beat up and brought some stuff over to check on me."

He pointed toward the dining table.

"That plate of braised meat on the table, he brought that too. Saves me from having to cook tonight."

Yao Yuzhen immediately put on a smile and greeted him warmly.

"Hello, I’m..."

The man shot Ruan Yongxing a quick glance, then turned to her with a wide grin. "Well, if it isn’t the missus!"

"I work with Yongxing. The name’s Yang, but you can just call me Xiao Yang."

The word "missus" made Yao Yuzhen freeze on the spot. Her mouth fell slightly open as she stood there, stunned. "I..."

Ruan Yongxing, however, quickly interjected from behind her, "That’s right. He’s the one I told you about."

Xiao Yang immediately nodded.

"Well, since you have company, I won’t get in the way. You two talk. I’ve still got work, so I’ll head out."

With that, he turned and left.

He even gave Shen Shuangshuang a polite nod as he passed by.

Shen Shuangshuang couldn’t be bothered with him. She just gave him a massive eye-roll.

Yao Yuzhen was about to ask him to stay for a drink, but Ruan Yongxing was already waving him off.

"He was just stopping by to check on me. It’s fine."

"What were you saying about the Shen Family just now?"

At the mention of the Shen Family, Yao Yuzhen immediately forgot about Xiao Yang. She pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

"Shen Zhenwu has his eye on that money. He’s insisting on taking half."

Ruan Yongxing frowned instantly, a deep line forming between his brows. "Splitting the money?"

"I thought it was all going to you?"

He looked up, staring at Yao Yuzhen.

Yao Yuzhen’s face grew even tighter, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Does he know Shuangshuang is your daughter?"

"Shuangshuang..." Ruan Yongxing repeated in a low voice, his voice trailing off.

"How could he know?"

Yao Yuzhen stared at him, just as puzzled.

"I went to the Shens’ today and ran right into Yao Yingying. She must have let it slip. When I walked in, she was just coming out of the study."

"Why would the Shens suddenly call Yao Yingying over?"

Ruan Yongxing lowered his voice.

"I’ve been wondering the same thing. There’s no reason for them to go asking Yao Yingying about this stuff out of the blue."

Yao Yuzhen’s gaze fell to her purse, her expression thoughtful.

"You don’t think... it has something to do with that other daughter of yours?"

Ruan Yongxing’s voice grew tight.

Yao Yuzhen shook her head.

"Yingying has no idea. I haven’t told her a single thing."

"You make it sound so simple, Yu Zhen, but I have a really bad feeling about this..."

His voice was dry.

"It’s been so many years. Who would even remember that whole business?"

He ran a hand over his face.

"Besides, I’m the one who sent her away. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

"I’m her biological mother! I didn’t want her. I felt she brought me bad luck, so I had someone else raise her. What’s it to anyone?"

She reached for a glass of water on the table and took a sip.

But Ruan Yongxing’s face was grim; he couldn’t manage a smile. "Yu Zhen, this whole thing... it’s really not as simple as you think."

He lowered his voice. "If the Shens ever dig up the past and find out I was the one who ’took care of’ the Shen family’s daughter back then..."

’They’d probably tear me to pieces.’

"Why don’t you... why don’t you hold off on the divorce for now? Just keep Shen Zhenwu calm, placate him, buy us some time!"

He shot to his feet, palms sweating, and began to pace.

"I have a way to get a ticket out of the country. Once I’m abroad, I’ll send for you right away!"

"Otherwise... I’m afraid we’ll both go down here."

"Go abroad?"

Yao Yuzhen blinked as if hearing the phrase for the first time, her eyelashes trembling.

"I hear it’s the land of opportunity over there. People are desperate to go."

He leaned in, speaking in a low whisper.

"You give me some seed money, and I’ll quietly handle the paperwork. The day I skip town, you just tell Shen Zhenwu that I ran off with all the money. Put all the blame on me. He can’t keep hounding you then, can he?"

The moment he finished speaking, Shen Shuangshuang’s eyes went wide.

"Dad! If you two leave, what about me?"

"Don’t worry. When I send for your mother, we’ll bring you along too."

After speaking, Ruan Yongxing stared intently at Yao Yuzhen, waiting for her to nod.

It wasn’t that Yao Yuzhen didn’t believe him; she just wasn’t afraid.

She was sure the Shens couldn’t touch her or Ruan Yongxing. They didn’t have any hard evidence.

So she pursed her lips dismissively.

"So what if they find out? Are they going to throw me in jail? This is a society of laws! No matter how ruthless Shen Zhenwu is, he wouldn’t dare kill me in broad daylight."

"Besides, I’d be in a foreign country where I don’t know anyone or my way around. I don’t speak a word of the language. Even buying groceries would be hard. What could we possibly do there?"

Ruan Yongxing just shook his head.

"They have a Chinatown over there. Everyone speaks Mandarin."

"The language barrier won’t make life difficult."

"But..."

He suddenly grabbed her hand, his expression serious.

"No one knows us over there. No Shens, no old history."

"Just the three of us, starting a new life!"

These words struck a deep chord with Yao Yuzhen.

Her lips parted. "...Alright. Let me think about it."

"Okay, but don’t take too long. It takes time to get passports and visas sorted out."

"Mm."

"What are we having for lunch?"

Yao Yuzhen glanced down at the cold leftovers on the table and asked casually.

She was actually hungry and figured she might as well just grab a bite here instead of making a fuss.

She just wasn’t sure if there was anything left to eat.

But Ruan Yongxing replied bluntly, "I’ve already eaten."

At his words, Yao Yuzhen was rendered speechless.

She stood up and said dryly, "Well... you get some rest. I’ll take Shuangshuang and go now."

Ruan Yongxing didn’t stop her, but just as she reached the door, he spoke again slowly.

"Yuzhen, about what I said earlier... you really need to take it to heart. This Shen Zhenwu guy is not to be trifled with. You need to know what you’re up against."

"If he ever finds out what really happened back then... even though I did it for you, and he might not do anything to you... he will absolutely come after me. That’s a certainty."

Yao Yuzhen just gave a noncommittal grunt, leaving without a backward glance.

Once she was out of Ruan Yongxing’s apartment, Yao Yuzhen found she’d lost her appetite. She didn’t feel like eating anything at all.