Chapter 325 - I’ve Never Seen the General Manager This Happy to Go Home and Have Dinner (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ruan Danchen began packing up her things when the clock struck half-past five while Xiao Yang’s call came a couple of minutes before five-forty. He informed her that they had arrived.
Thus, she packed everything in a hurry and left immediately after.
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Liu Ronghua was sitting in a taxi and was fast approaching Chengshi. From afar, she could spot Ruan Danchen coming out of the office building.
She said immediately, “Sir, can you drop me off just in front of the entrance.”
The roadside was full of cars and the taxi driver was unable to find a suitable spot to park. He had to drive further ahead before finally stopping. The entire sequence of events had taken up quite a bit of her precious time, seeing as she still had to make payment for the ride.
By the time she stepped out of the car, Ruan Danchen had already turned around the corner. She caught up as fast as she could, but Ruan Danchen had already gotten into the Benz. The car sped away, and Liu Ronghua did not manage to catch a glimpse at the plate number either.
She stood rooted to the ground with doubts filling her head. ‘Was it the same man I saw in the shopping mall that day?’
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As soon as Ruan Danchen got into the car, Qi Youxuan remarked excitedly, “Aunt Ruan, Dad said you’ll design my room for me.”
“That’s right.” Ruan Danchen could not resist touching his stiff, curly hair. “Do you have anything in mind? How would you like your room? Just let me know.”
“I’m okay with anything. What’s most important is that Aunt Ruan likes it.” Qi Youxuan smiled bashfully. “When you become my stepmother next time, you’ll have to stay at our home too.”
Ruan Danchen was speechless, but she had no doubts that Qi Youxuan was Qi Chenglin’s son—both father and son had the habit of making decisions for her without caring about her opinion.
All of a sudden, her phone rang. Her mood spiraled downhill when she saw that it was Liu Ronghua’s call.
She picked it up and heard Liu Ronghua say, “Danchen, I’m at your workplace. I wanted to meet up with you, but I saw you leaving in a Benz.”
“Is something up?” Ruan Danchen asked as her heart skipped a beat.
“Nothing, I just wanted to see you,” Liu Ronghua said.
Ruan Danchen pondered for a moment. It was simply impossible that Liu Ronghua had no ulterior motive in wanting to meet her all of a sudden, given it had been seven years since they last spoke. Ruan Danchen’s heart sank—she deeply feared that Liu Ronghua had found out about the little boy’s roots.
“Danchen, that Benz is…” Liu Ronghua asked hesitantly.
Ruan Danchen looked at Qi Youxuan and planned to tell him that it was a client’s call, but then again, she did not want to lie to the kid. All she could do was continue talking. “It’s nothing. Don’t think too much.”
“I’m not thinking too much, Danchen.” Liu Ronghua said immediately. “The other day at the mall, I saw you in the arms of a man. Is he the boy’s father? You…”
“Do you have anything else to say?” Ruan Danchen asked immediately, cutting her off. She did not want to let Liu Ronghua finish her question.
“Danchen, don’t I have a right to care about you? Are you really that incapable of resolving a few of my questions?” Liu Ronghua said in distress as she stood beside the road. A few drops of tears even formed in her eyes.
Ruan Danchen wanted to ask her, ‘Oh, so now you care about me? You never asked me about a single thing after I gave birth to the baby, and for the past seven years, you never once showed that you cared about me. Am I not supposed to be worried that you’re suddenly showing concern for me?’
“No. I’m a bit busy with something. It’s not convenient for me to be speaking with you for so long right now,” was all Ruan Danchen could say. She looked at Qi Youxuan and saw the boy twiddling his fingers.
Liu Ronghua sighed and offered, “Can I come to your home? Where are you… staying now?”
She felt embarrassed to even ask that question, for it was only when she wanted to visit Ruan Danchen that she realized she had no idea where Ruan Danchen stayed. It never even crossed Liu Ronghua’s mind that she might need to get in contact with Ruan Danchen someday.
“Seven years. In seven years, you’ve never once asked me where I stayed. Why now?” Ruan Danchen’s voice was calm and composed.
“I…” Liu Ronghua could not respond to that question. “Danchen, I am an incompetent mother. I’ve not been attentive enough toward you, but I’ve always kept you in my heart. From today onward, I want to make up for everything. I won’t forget it again if you tell me.”
“Actually, my residence isn’t permanent, since I’m renting a room. I move whenever the lease expires. How about this, if I have the time, I’ll call you,” Ruan Danchen said plainly. Before Liu Ronghua could say anything, she hastily continued, “I’m really very busy now. I’ll hang up here and call you later.”
She then hung up immediately.
Qi Youxuan was still fiddling with his thumbs as he tried to sneak a peek at Ruan Danchen. He looked up to see Ruan Danchen smiling at him.
Feeling a bit flustered, the little boy blushed and shied away instantly. He said, somewhat bashfully, “Aunt Ruan, I feel shy when you look at me like that.”
Ruan Danchen was speechless.
True enough, he was as thick-skinned as his father due to his upbringing.
“What do you want to eat tonight?” Ruan Danchen asked.
She had none of the ingredients to cook what the boy wanted, so she told Xiao Yang to stop by a supermarket.
She did not want to bother Qi Chenglin at work, but she was afraid that he would get worried, so she texted him when they reached home. [I’ve reached home with Youxuan.]
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Qi Chenglin was busy discussing work with Luo Yushu when he received the message. His lips curled into a smile when he saw that it was from Ruan Danchen. He stared fondly at the phone—he felt he was living a good and simple life.
Luo Yushu looked on cautiously, not daring to make a sound.
The general manager was not as cold as the director and evidently not as unapproachable. He would smile at his subordinates from time to time. Nevertheless, he was still a member of the Qi family, and that haughty trait he had was still capable of commanding respect from people.
Jiang Yuan then came knocking on the door, bringing with him a bit of takeout dinner.
Qi Chenglin nodded and said, “Manager Luo, you may have your dinner now and resume working later.”
Luo Yushu gave a brief reply before carrying his dinner out.
Jiang Yuan left Qi Chenglin’s dinner on the table and went out of the room as well.
Qi Chenglin smelled the takeout and felt slightly annoyed. It was just like any other restaurant and was completely different from the aroma of Ruan Danchen’s homely cooking.
The more he thought about Ruan Danchen’s cooking, the less inclined he was to eat the meal in front of him.
He struggled to open the container, and although his chopsticks were right next to the food, he could not stomach any of it. He recalled the text Ruan Danchen sent and decided to give her a call.
When she picked up, he heard a humming sound and asked her what it was. “What are you doing? Why is it so noisy?”
“I’m cooking for Youxuan. It’s probably the kitchen fan making that noise.” Ruan Danchen said before she closed the kitchen door. Qi Youxuan was busy watching cartoons in the living room.
Qi Chenglin felt it was rather unfair that he had to put up with takeout while his son ate comfortably in Ruan Danchen’s home.
“Have you eaten?” Ruan Danchen blushed and asked shyly. She was still unaccustomed to their relationship.
“I have some takeout in front of me, but I don’t feel like eating it. I want to eat your cooking.” Qi Chenglin looked at the takeout and frowned even more. The disgust he felt was discernible even from his voice.
Ruan Danchen heard his gentle tone and nearly lost her composure. She fried her vegetables and said, “How about you eat some of the takeout first, and I’ll save some leftovers for you so you can eat when you’re here.”
Qi Chenglin’s mood became much more cheerful and he immediately closed the takeout container. He brought it out and gave it to Jiang Yuan, saying, “I haven’t touched it yet. Give it to whoever wants it.”