Chapter 17

7 When he returned to the room, Aunt Wang was brewing tea to calm Lin Ruoxi. Seeing Yang Chen walk in, she tactfully chose to leave, allowing the young couple to talk alone.

Lin Ruoxi had let down her high bun, and her long, smooth hair accentuated her exquisite face, making her look particularly delicate. However, her pale and weary appearance evoked deep sympathy.

Seeing Yang Chen enter, Lin Ruoxi looked up with a complex expression, not asking how he had dealt with Lin Kun. Instead, she said with a touch of self-mockery, "You've seen me in this embarrassing situation, haven't you? Yes, I have such a father, and such a ridiculous family. Do you think I'm pitiful and feel sorry for me... I don't need anyone's cheap and meaningless sympathy, especially not yours..."

"Who said I feel sorry for you?" Yang Chen sneered, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it, enjoying a deep inhale.

"Don't smoke in front of me," Lin Ruoxi frowned, dispersing the smoke with her hand in displeasure.

Yang Chen ignored her, leaning back on another large sofa, smoking while saying, "I just want to advise you to stop putting on such a pitiful act in front of me. At least, you know who your parents are, and you've been loved by your elders. Your family may not be very warm, but you have a family. Moreover, you are beautiful and receive attention everywhere, and you've grown up without worrying about food and clothing. You have a luxurious house and a sports car at such a young age, with everything you could want... You can't possibly understand how it feels to not know who your parents are, or where your home is, to have nothing at all..."

Lin Ruoxi was taken aback by his sudden words. For the first time, she looked into Yang Chen's eyes, and the deep sorrow and loneliness in those eyes made her heart contract.

Yang Chen didn't stop, his voice low and melancholic, as if talking to himself, "I've been alone since I was a child. When I was hungry, cold, bullied, or beaten, I was always alone... No parents, no family, no siblings, not even friends... To survive, I would fight to the death for a stale pancake, and to fill my stomach, I would eat grass roots and tree bark until my intestines bled... No one cared whether I lived or died, no one felt sorry for me, because I was just a lowly life abandoned by the world. Even a dog in someone's home had more status than I did..."

Listening to the man's low and hoarse narration, Lin Ruoxi's eyes reddened again, but this time it wasn't for herself, but for that lowly life.

"I'm sorry," Lin Ruoxi lowered her head and said softly, "I didn't know your childhood was so hard..."

Yang Chen lowered his head, gradually revealing his usual carefree smile, "Good wife, I was just making it up, and you believed it."

"You..." Lin Ruoxi raised her head, feeling upset for her, but this scoundrel said it was all made up, making her even more angry, "How can you be like this!"

"Hehe, look at you, your angry face is much prettier than your sad one," Yang Chen praised with a click of his tongue.

Lin Ruoxi felt a warmth in her heart, understanding that Yang Chen was trying to shift her attention away from her sadness, but she couldn't find the words to thank him. She just glanced at Yang Chen as if nothing had happened, "Since you were lying to me, where are your parents? We are in a contractual marriage, but if your parents suddenly appear, it could ruin everything."

Yang Chen played with the cigarette butt between his fingers, smiling faintly, "There's one thing I didn't lie about. I really don't know who my parents are. I got separated from my family before I was five, and my name is the only thing I remember. I am an orphan."

Hearing Yang Chen casually say he was an orphan, Lin Ruoxi's heart ached, and she suddenly wanted to comfort him but didn't know how to start. After a struggle, she just nodded and said nothing.

The two were silent for a while before Lin Ruoxi spoke, "Yang Chen, there are some things I need to make clear to you. After all, since you signed the contract with me, you have the right to know the reason behind it."

Yang Chen frowned, "You mean the matter of your pig-headed father forcing you to marry?"

"Don't call my father a pig..." Lin Ruoxi was a bit angry, "If he's a pig, then I'm a pig too."

"Hehe, my little Ruoxi is so beautiful, even if she's a pig, she's a cute little pink pig."

"You're the pig..." Lin Ruoxi rolled her eyes but wasn't really angry, returning to the topic, "My father owns 30% of the company, making him the second-largest shareholder after me. But that's not the main point, as my mother gave me 60% of the company before she passed away, giving me absolute control. However... my father still has the deed to an old house..."

"Is that old house important to you?" Yang Chen asked doubtfully.

"Very important..." Lin Ruoxi's eyes showed a hint of nostalgia and happiness, "When I was a child, only my mother and I lived there. I grew up there. My parents' marriage was based on money and interests. My father doesn't love my mother; he's a playboy and still is..." As she spoke, a hint of hatred appeared in her eyes, "Although he never comes home, he is still the owner of the house. After my mother passed away, he forbade me from going back. He's almost out of money from his wild spending and plans to sell the house..."

"What does this have to do with our marriage?" Yang Chen was puzzled.

Lin Ruoxi gave Yang Chen a cold look, "I want to take back that old house from him, but he won't give it to me. I offered a higher price than the market, but he still wouldn't sell it to me. His only condition is that I marry the eldest son of the Xu family. He's clearly been bribed by the Xu family..."

"Making his daughter marry someone by force, I don't think he's a pig, pigs are cuter," Yang Chen shook his head seriously.

Lin Ruoxi ignored Yang Chen's comment and continued, "Xu Zhihong has been pursuing me, and I can't afford to offend the Xu family too much. After all, the Xu family is one of the top five families in Zhonghai, and we can't afford to offend them, so..."

"So you decided to marry me to cut off Xu Zhihong's intentions, get through this crisis, and then find a way to take back the property from your pig-headed father?"

"Yes..." Lin Ruoxi nodded wearily, having been busy with these matters recently, the burden on her young shoulders was heavy.

Yang Chen sighed, "Sigh, this method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. In the end, you'll still have to face the pressure from the Xu family and your father, that good-for-nothing."

"I can't worry about that now, I'll take it one step at a time..." Although her voice was soft, her determination was unwavering.

Yang Chen stood up, picked up the new phone he had just received, and walked out the door without a word.

Lin Ruoxi frowned, "Where are you going now?"

"To the bar, to find a woman..." Yang Chen turned back, his face serious.

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