ABSTIWTVMST Chapter 132

Jing Yicheng felt his heart stir, but he couldn’t help thinking about Xu Chenghao’s secret. Leaning close to his ear, he threatened in a low voice, “I can wait for six months, but if your secret involves leaving me, you’re dead.”

Xu Chenghao: “…”

Direct hit to the knees.

Xu Chenghao weakly mumbled, “Don’t overthink it… cough, but if it was about leaving you, what would you do?”

Jing Yicheng’s gaze turned fierce. “That depends on how you act. If you show no signs of wanting to leave, I won’t say anything. But if you even dare to leave once in these six months, I’ll break your legs and lock you up.”

Xu Chenghao: “…”

He wasn’t joking. Based on Jing Yicheng’s personality and his current attitude, he was absolutely capable of doing something like that.

Jing Yicheng lowered his head and looked at him. “Scared?”

“Mm, you’re so vicious.” Xu Chenghao stared at him accusingly. To his surprise, Jing Yicheng merely chuckled softly, stroking his head as he said, “If you’re scared, then remember this—don’t make mistakes.”

Xu Chenghao: “…”

Trash Jing Yicheng! Are you showing your true colors already? Damn this man!

Seeing Xu Chenghao’s face puffing up like a balloon, nearly turning into an angry pufferfish, Jing Yicheng couldn’t help but laugh. He quickly softened his tone, pulling him onto his lap to comfort him. “Don’t be mad, don’t be mad. I was just saying that to scare you. I couldn’t bear to lay a hand on you, let alone let anyone else hurt you. How could I possibly break your legs?”

Hearing this, Xu Chenghao snorted lightly, barely satisfied. He hadn’t even said a word before Jing Yicheng leisurely added, “At most, I’d just tie you to the bed and f*** you to death.”

Xu Chenghao: “???”

“Get lost!”

The guiltier Xu Chenghao felt, the angrier he got. Grabbing a folder, he smacked Jing Yicheng out of the office and ordered him not to come back. With a loud bang, he shut the door without so much as a glance.

Standing outside the office, Jing Yicheng’s domineering attitude vanished into thin air, leaving him utterly deflated. Afraid that Xu Chenghao was truly angry, he resorted to peeking through the blinds while dialing his phone.

Ten minutes later, Li Nian, who was hard at work, suddenly received a call. It was from the receptionist in the lobby.

“Brother Nian,” the receptionist said, “there’s a delivery for President Xu. They specifically asked for you to sign and deliver it to him.”

Li Nian had a bad feeling. When he went down and saw the strawberry bouquet, his mood turned to one of grim inevitability.

—Did you think you could outrun the PDA? Ha, naive!

Expressionless, Li Nian signed for the delivery and returned to the office floor. From a distance, he spotted Jing Yicheng standing outside Xu Chenghao’s office like a child being punished. Instantly, everything clicked—the strawberry bouquet’s purpose was clear. Li Nian’s expression became even more stoic as he knocked on the door. “President Xu, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

Xu Chenghao was working. When he looked up, he paused for a second at the sight of Li Nian holding a strawberry bouquet. Frowning, he asked, “Jing Yicheng bought this?”

“Yes.” From the doorway, half of Jing Yicheng’s head peeked in as he brazenly eavesdropped, even chiming in, “Haohao, you can eat them right away; they’ve been washed.”

Xu Chenghao shot him a glare. “Did I ask you? Stop leaning on the doorframe!”

Jing Yicheng withdrew pitifully. Seeing this, Xu Chenghao felt both exasperated and amused. He motioned for Li Nian to put down the strawberry bouquet, preparing to discuss work. But before he could start, Jing Yicheng, who was still peeking through the blinds, called out softly, “Haohao, have one. They’re super sweet.”

Xu Chenghao: “Go away.”

Jing Yicheng: “My heart is with you. I can’t go away.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“That’s only because I like Haohao so much.”

“Sweet words won’t work.”

“These are sincere.”

Caught in the middle, Li Nian: “…”

Damn it. Was this a fight or some disguised PDA? Why was he the only audience member forced to choke on their dog food? If they were capable, why couldn’t they have a proper fight aimed at breaking up?!

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Li Nian smiled and said, “President Xu, you should go visit Old Master Ruan.”

Xu Chenghao glanced at the time. “It’s still early.”

Li Nian replied, “No, the best time to visit a patient is in the morning. It’s better to go earlier. I’ve already prepared the gifts; they’re in the car.”

Xu Chenghao: “…”

Fine. He could tell Li Nian was once again disgusted by his and Jing Yicheng’s antics. Coincidentally, he’d been thinking about taking Jing Yicheng to the Ruan family to help distract him—anything to keep him from fixating on the secret and inevitably getting upset.

Xu Chenghao didn’t refuse. After quickly plucking a few strawberries, he left the office with Jing Yicheng in tow.

Jing Yicheng, noticing that Xu Chenghao ate the strawberries, knew he wasn’t angry anymore. Feeling pleased, he eagerly volunteered, “I’ll drive!”

“Mm.” After double-checking the gifts to ensure everything was in order, Xu Chenghao got into the passenger seat and leisurely continued eating strawberries.

Jing Yicheng climbed into the driver’s seat, leaning closer to ask for a kiss, only to have a strawberry stuffed into his mouth. He mumbled a complaint, “Haohao…”

Xu Chenghao raised his chin mercilessly. “Drive!”

Jing Yicheng could only sit upright with a pitiful expression, fasten his seatbelt, and start the car.

On the way, Xu Chenghao ate the strawberries one by one. When Jing Yicheng drove quickly yet smoothly and brought them to the Ruan family estate, Xu Chenghao finally rewarded him with a deep, strawberry-flavored kiss before reminding him, “Get the gifts.”

Jing Yicheng’s heart practically burst with joy. “Got it, leave it to me!”

Xu Chenghao chuckled, and the two got out of the car, carrying the gifts inside.

Ruan Chenxuan, having been notified of their arrival, was already waiting in the main hall. When he saw them enter, he stood to greet them, saying, “President Xu, President Jing—it’s a surprise to see you both again.”

Xu Chenghao smiled. “Yes, this time we came specifically to visit.”

Ruan Chenxuan replied warmly, “How thoughtful. Welcome, welcome.”

The two exchanged polite pleasantries while Jing Yicheng handed the gifts to the butler. Unfortunately, their timing wasn’t ideal. According to Ruan Chenxuan, the old master had just taken his medication and gone to rest, so he wasn’t available to receive visitors for the time being. Instead, Ruan Chenxuan invited them to sit and served them tea.

Their last meeting had been just two days ago. Because of Jing Yicheng’s presence, Xu Chenghao hadn’t been able to gather any new information and couldn’t determine whether Ruan Chenxuan had regained his memories or not. Suppressing his thoughts, Xu Chenghao maintained a calm demeanor and said, “We only recently heard about Old Master Ruan falling ill. You must have been under a lot of pressure lately, President Ruan.”

Ruan Chenxuan smiled and replied, “It hasn’t been too bad. As long as my grandfather’s health improves, a little extra work on my part is worth it.”

Xu Chenghao asked, “What do the doctors say?”

Ruan Chenxuan explained, “They said it’s a result of pent-up frustration. My grandfather’s health was already fragile, and this outburst caused a serious relapse.”

“Perhaps spending more time around children might lift his spirits.”

“Indeed. Speaking of which, I haven’t yet thanked you, President Xu, for helping to save the child.” Ruan Chenxuan’s gaze became intense as he looked at Xu Chenghao. “If you ever need assistance in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Jing Yicheng, who had been silent until now, raised his head and coldly interjected, “That won’t be necessary.”

Ruan Chenxuan’s smile disappeared instantly. He cast a frosty glance at Jing Yicheng and asked, “What do you mean by that, President Jing?”

Jing Yicheng didn’t mince words. “I mean, as long as I’m here, he doesn’t need your help.”

Ruan Chenxuan: “This is a matter between President Xu and me. It has nothing to do with whether you’re here or not, does it?”

Jing Yicheng: “Haohao is my partner. How could it not be related?”

Ruan Chenxuan: “Even partners should have their own space and social circles, don’t you think?”

Jing Yicheng: “But that social circle doesn’t include you.”

Ruan Chenxuan sneered coldly. “Being in a relationship with someone like you must be exhausting.”

Jing Yicheng struck directly where it hurt. “Still better than being with someone who stresses their partner so much they collapse.”

Ruan Chenxuan’s carefully maintained composure visibly cracked. His face darkened as he retorted, “If you dislike me so much, President Jing, then why bother coming to the Ruan family estate?”

Jing Yicheng replied without hesitation, “I came with Haohao. Do you think I’d come here willingly otherwise?”

“…”

The two of them, who couldn’t stand each other on a normal day, quickly escalated their words into a tense standoff. The atmosphere grew taut, as though a fight could break out at any moment.

Xu Chenghao lightly cleared his throat, stepping in to adjust the mood. “President Ruan, there’s no need to be so polite. All I did that day was contact you; I didn’t actually help much. There’s no need for thanks.”

Ruan Chenxuan immediately let go of his grudge with Jing Yicheng and turned to Xu Chenghao. “Even so, President Xu, I’m deeply grateful. If you hadn’t reached out to me, I wouldn’t have found my child so quickly.”

Xu Chenghao didn’t argue further, instead changing the subject. “How is the child doing?”

Ruan Chenxuan replied, “The child is fine. A maternity nurse is taking care of him now.”

“Oh.” Xu Chenghao hesitated briefly before cautiously asking, “And what about An Rouyu?”

The question caught Ruan Chenxuan off guard. He hadn’t expected Xu Chenghao to be the first person in three days to bring up An Rouyu in front of him. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

He felt ashamed to face Xu Chenghao, not wanting him to think he was a terrible person. But at the same time, hearing An Rouyu’s name brought a flood of complex emotions that left his head throbbing painfully.

Recently, Ruan Chenxuan had been experiencing these episodes frequently. As long as he thought of An Rouyu, his head would start to ache in waves, the pain so intense that it disrupted his focus and made it impossible to hide his discomfort.

He had even begun to suspect he was on the verge of recovering his lost memories. However, aside from a fleeting image that flashed through his mind a couple of days ago, his brain seemed to have shut down, leaving him with nothing but pain and frustration. His already bad mood had only worsened as a result.

After a long silence, he finally said in a low voice, “Her mental state is very poor. She’s currently recuperating in a sanatorium. She’ll only be able to leave once she’s doing better.”

An Rouyu’s mental state was worse than just “poor.” After experiencing the loss of her child once again, she was on the verge of a complete breakdown. According to the doctors, she spent her days carving words into the walls of her hospital room. The walls were covered with the name “Xu Chenghao,” written densely and repeatedly, as though consumed by hatred for him and his deception.

Strangely enough, she didn’t hate Ruan Chenxuan, nor did she hate Jing Yicheng. Her hatred was solely reserved for Xu Chenghao, and she constantly muttered about wanting to perish together with him.

Of course, Ruan Chenxuan didn’t share any of this. After all, it wasn’t exactly pleasant news.

Seeing Ruan Chenxuan’s low mood, Xu Chenghao refrained from pressing further and instead offered some comfort. “Perhaps it’s for the best—for the child as well.”

Ruan Chenxuan couldn’t muster a smile. He merely curved his lips mechanically, barely managing a response.

Because of the delicate nature of the topic, the atmosphere turned cold and awkward. Sensing that it was about time to leave, Xu Chenghao stood up with Jing Yicheng and prepared to take his leave.

Ruan Chenxuan, unwilling to let them go so soon, said, “It’s almost lunchtime. Won’t you stay for a meal, President Xu?”

“No need. We’re short on time and need to get back to the office.”

“Then let me walk you out.”

Ruan Chenxuan deliberately ignored Jing Yicheng’s presence and escorted Xu Chenghao to the car. Watching Xu Chenghao settle into the passenger seat, he was about to turn and leave when Jing Yicheng suddenly called out to him, “Ruan Chenxuan!”

Ruan Chenxuan frowned. “What is it?”

“Oh, nothing major,” Jing Yicheng said lightly. “I just wanted to let you know that Haohao and I have already met each other’s families and confirmed our relationship. If there’s a chance, I’ll send you an invitation to our wedding.”

Ruan Chenxuan: “…”

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Jing Yicheng: I couldn’t help but show off, after all~~