Chapter 10

If it had been more than half a year ago, if a woman had shed tears in front of Yang Chen, he would have thought she was either irritated by the enemy's smoke screen or deliberately acting to make him let his guard down, or perhaps putting on a pitiful act to win his sympathy... But now, the beautiful woman before him, who had a *connection with him, was clearly truly hurt by his words.

Yang Chen couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt, even though he felt that many of his words weren't wrong. For a modern woman who had preserved her purity for over twenty years, it was indeed rather cruel.

"Alright, stop crying... I'll apologize, okay?" Yang Chen, somewhat烦躁地 (irritated), patted his upper pocket, but it was empty. He then remembered that he hadn't bought cigarettes recently because he was thinking of quitting.

Lin Ruoxi's tear-streaked face was heart-wrenching, but this girl was also stubborn. After crying and wiping her tears with a tissue, she forced herself to stop and glared at Yang Chen with red-rimmed eyes. "I'll ask you one more time, will you marry me?"

"Miss Lin, how can there still be a beautiful woman forcing a man to be her husband in this day and age? I've been very clear, I won't play this boring game with you for three years," Yang Chen sighed, stood up, and planned to leave.

This time, Lin Ruoxi didn't say anything more. Her eyes showed a hint of despair, and she stood up with a numb expression, walking toward the balcony on the second floor of the café.

The balcony of the café was relatively spacious, with a few exquisite small tables under sun umbrellas. Various potted plants were placed on the balcony, making it feel fresh and pleasant.

Seeing this, Yang Chen's pupils constricted, and he drew a sharp breath. "Miss Lin, you're not going to jump off the balcony because I don't want to marry you, are you..."

Lin Ruoxi seemed not to hear, and continued walking to the balcony without a word. She slowly approached the edge of the balcony, pulled over a chair, and stepped onto it, getting close to the railing.

Yang Chen hesitated. Could this girl really be so fierce? After all, jumping from this balcony and landing on the hard stone ground below would result in either death or severe injury...

However, Lin Ruoxi's actions immediately told Yang Chen how terrifying her resolve was...

Indifferently, Lin Ruoxi turned to look at Yang Chen. Her eyes were filled with determination, disgust, pain, and bitterness, as if her soul was suffering greatly within her beautiful body, trying to find release...

Their eyes met, and Yang Chen felt his heart constrict. He was too familiar with this look. This look was too much like an image deeply etched in his mind, the very image that had made him break free from the bloody shackles of his overseas life more than half a year ago and return to his homeland...

But now, from Lin Ruoxi's eyes, Yang Chen was reminded of too many things he had tried to forget but couldn't. In that instant, he was lost.

Seeing Yang Chen standing there like a wooden statue, seemingly indifferent, Lin Ruoxi felt a wave of bitterness. Even if she jumped, that man would be unmoved. Thinking of the pain she had endured for him, the pressures from her life, work, and family, Lin Ruoxi felt she was about to break down... What was the point of living? Wouldn't it be better to die and be done with it?

At that moment, a young male waiter, who had just finished preparing coffee and was carrying a tray upstairs, reached the top of the stairs. The first thing he saw was Lin Ruoxi preparing to jump.

"Miss Lin! Miss Lin! What are you doing? It's dangerous!"

As the waiter spoke, a figure darted past him, leaving a blur that was so fast it seemed like a movie special effect!

Just as Lin Ruoxi, with tears in her eyes, was about to jump, a pair of strong and powerful hands suddenly wrapped around her slender waist, stopping her from jumping.

Everything happened in a flash. The waiter at the stairs didn't see what happened clearly. All he saw was the man in rough clothing on the balcony, holding the beautiful woman in his arms, both standing still and motionless.

The sunlight shone on the green plants on the balcony, casting a soft green light on the young couple, creating a peaceful and somewhat ambiguous atmosphere.

The waiter sighed in relief, secretly envying the man who could have such a relationship with a beautiful woman like Miss Lin. He quietly put down the coffee and went back downstairs.

Lin Ruoxi felt as if she had been transported from hell to heaven. She didn't know how Yang Chen had moved so quickly behind her, and she didn't have the energy to think about it. She only felt a pair of warm arms tightly hugging her waist, almost painfully. The man's heavy breathing was slowly brushing against her sensitive back.

"Let me go. If you stop me now, I'll still go and die later," Lin Ruoxi's face was flushed, and she said stubbornly.

Yang Chen took a deep breath, as if savoring the scent of Lin Ruoxi's body. Her scent had a faint hint of jasmine, and Yang Chen, who had smelled many high-end perfumes, felt that this scent surpassed them all.

"Lin Ruoxi, I give up, I'll marry you," Yang Chen said softly.

Lin Ruoxi's body trembled, and then she fell silent. Had she won? But why did she feel no joy? Yes, this was just a man used as a shield. He had taken her purity when she was confused, and she hated him. How could she love him? How could she be happy about marrying him?

At the same time, many people in the square saw the couple on the balcony and began to point and comment.

"Hubby, what do you think they're doing?" a girl asked, holding a man's arm.

"Can't you see? They're imitating Titanic, it's quite romantic..."

Lin Ruoxi couldn't bear the hot gazes from below and finally realized how ambiguous their position was. She hastily jumped off the chair, broke free from Yang Chen's embrace, and walked back into the café.

When the two sat down again, the matter was settled, but both fell silent, each drinking their coffee.

After a long while, Lin Ruoxi put down her coffee cup, took out two sheets of paper and a pen from her small handbag, and handed one to Yang Chen.

"What is this?" Yang Chen, coming back from his distant thoughts, asked.

"It's an agreement, a marriage agreement," Lin Ruoxi turned her head, not looking at Yang Chen, returning to her initial cold expression.

Yang Chen smiled and took the pen, signing his name in the signature section without even looking.

"Aren't you going to read it before signing?" Lin Ruoxi frowned.

Yang Chen shook his head and laughed. "I don't need to. It's probably about not entering your room, not forcing you, not interfering with each other's private lives, acting the part in public, and giving me a reward after three years, right?"

Lin Ruoxi pursed her lips and mumbled, "More or less. Now that you've signed, you have to follow it."

"Hehe, but, Little Ruoxi, what if you come to me willingly... what should I do?" Yang Chen asked with a playful smile.

"You..." Lin Ruoxi's face turned red with embarrassment. "Hmph! It won't happen, that kind of life stain only needs to happen once..."

Life stain? What the whole world does every day, this girl considers a life stain. Yang Chen smiled without comment, finished his coffee in one gulp, patted his butt, and stood up. "Alright, I have to go to a friend's house for dinner later. Let's register tomorrow..."

"Wait, how can I contact you? What's your phone number?" Lin Ruoxi asked, dissatisfied.

Yang Chen scratched his head, embarrassed. "Didn't you investigate me? I don't have a phone. Buying one and paying for calls costs money, and I don't have it. Come to my place tomorrow, just call out from downstairs." He was about to leave.

"Hey!"

"What else?" Yang Chen turned back.

"You... don't call me that." Lin Ruoxi herself was embarrassed to say the nickname, it was too soft and tender!

Yang Chen suddenly understood and said with a serious face, "As you wish, my dear wife."

Lin Ruoxi felt dizzy... How could she deal with such a rogue in the future!?