Chapter 57
Shen Hanyang's first reaction was to turn his head and look at the third floor. Fortunately, his door was quietly closed, and the person inside was probably still unaware and hiding in the bathroom.
When she turned around again, Ren Ruijun's gaze was fixed on her without any attempt to conceal it.
"Mommy," Cheng Jiaming obediently sat down next to Ren Ruiyun, holding a toy curly-haired dog in his arms, "Can I listen to the recording of the puppy now?"
Although Cheng Jiaming wasn't a troublemaker, he often acted disrespectfully towards his mother at home, calling her "Old Shen" this and "Old Shen" that. His unusually careful and sensible behavior towards Ren Ruiyun today was something Shen Hanyang had never seen before. Shen Hanyang found it both amusing and heartbreaking. The child must be terrified that his mother would leave him again to be so obedient.
Ren Ruiyun gently patted Cheng Jiaming's head. "Good boy, Mommy and Daddy are talking about something. Why don't you go have some snacks with Aunt Chen first? Tonight, Mommy and Daddy will listen to the recording of the puppy together, okay?"
Cheng Jiaming smiled like a little flower bud and nodded, "Okay!"
Aunt Chen led Jiaming away. Ren Ruiyun casually took a sip of tea, then frowned and said, "White tea? I don't drink white tea, have Aunt Chen and the others forgotten?"
Shen Hanyang had no interest in her pretense and asked bluntly, "What do you want?"
Ren Ruiyun got up and strolled around the living room. Her light red dress made her sway gracefully, as if she had stamped a bright and eye-catching red mark on every place she stopped: "The decor from more than ten years ago still looks stylish now. My taste is still reliable, isn't it?"
The villa in Binjiang Jiuli was designed by Ren Ruiyun. At the time, the two were deeply in love. Shen Hanyang wanted a warm and cozy style for the female tenant, but Ren Ruiyun insisted on a cool and aloof design. In the end, the decision was made by Ren Ruiyun.
Now that things have changed, hearing her bring up these things again made Shen Hanyang very uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but glance at the third floor again.
"Get to the point." Shen Hanyang didn't want to play games with her anymore and became increasingly direct.
Ren Ruiyun stood in front of the glass cabinet displaying the artwork for a moment before leisurely returning to the sofa, leaning over him from behind, and wrapping her arms around his neck: "Weren't you the one who urged me to come?"
Shen Hanyang quickly shook her off and stood up, his anger rising: "I called you to talk about Jiaming's matter. Also, this is my home. Please watch your words and actions and know your place."
Shen Hanyang's actions just now were quite ungentlemanly, even catching Ren Ruiyun off guard. But she was best at controlling her emotions, using gentleness to overcome strength, so the smile lines on her face remained unchanged, and her charming eyes were still full of flirtatious charm: "I'm just here to talk about Jiaming's matter, and also to take a look at the house I designed myself, is that not allowed?"
Shen Hanyang sneered: "Your behavior is truly appalling. I have reminded you time and time again that Jiaming's problem cannot be delayed any longer, but you have ignored me. Now you have contacted Jiaming without my permission and even brought him here. Don't you think you have acted too presumptuously?"
“What’s wrong with bringing him here? Isn’t this Jiaming’s home too? Or is it that…” Ren Ruiyun’s tone suddenly softened, “You have important guests here, and it’s inconvenient for my son and me to appear?”
Shen Hanyang's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but it seemed that Ren Ruiyun had also glanced at the third floor. He observed Ren Ruiyun; her appearance might not have changed much, but the color of her eyes was darker than before, full of tricks and calculations, revealing no sincerity. Needless to say, Shen Hanyang knew that after so many years of trials and tribulations, her skills had naturally improved significantly.
Ren Ruiyun seemed to be giving him a way out, raising her eyebrows charmingly: "Alright, even if I'm the guest, this house still owes a debt to the 'guest.' It's my first time here, shouldn't you show me around properly?"
Shen Hanyang: "You know you're a guest, don't you think this request is a bit excessive?"
Just then, Cheng Jiaming came bouncing out with a serving of ice cream.
Ren Ruiyun changed her gaze, her eyes filled with maternal tenderness as she looked at Jiaming: "Jiaming, would you like to take Mom to see your and Dad's room?"
Unaware of the truth, Cheng Jiaming was overjoyed: "Great! Mom, come with me!"
"Stop!" Shen Hanyang tried to stop them, but the mother and son ignored him and walked hand in hand toward the stairwell.
Shen Hanyang was about to rush up to stop them when a lazy "Hello—" suddenly came from the second floor.
Everyone looked up and saw Bai Shaolin with a messy hairstyle, yawning and looking sleepy as he waved downstairs: "Hello Jiaming," his blurry gaze then focused on Ren Ruiyun, "Hello beautiful sister, you're here again?"
"Again?" Shen Hanyang frowned.
Bai Shaolin, shuffling downstairs in his slippers and leaning on the handrail, said with a limp, "Have you forgotten, Brother Chen? I told you yesterday that a beautiful woman was looking for you."
Shen Hanyang suddenly remembered that he had indeed heard Bai Shaolin mention it at the bedroom door last night, but Shen Hanyang thought it was about his sisters or cousins and didn't pay any attention to it.
Ever since Shen Hanyang realized that Ren Ruiyun was avoiding the issue of raising Cheng Jiaming, he stopped going to the Peninsula Hotel altogether. Ren Ruiyun, however, used this as leverage, contacting him every few days, so he simply blocked all of her contact information.
I never expected that she would actually come knocking on my door.
When Cheng Jiaming arrived, Bai Shaolin casually took the half-eaten ice cream from him, took a big bite, and his back teeth chattered from the cold: "Wow, so refreshing!" Cheng Jiaming covered his mouth and laughed at him, but he didn't care. He sat heavily on the sofa, licking his ice cream, and said, "Brother Chen, I'm all packed. When are we leaving?"
Shen Hanyang clearly didn't understand what he was saying, so Bai Shaolin continued, "There's nothing to pack. I didn't bring anything with me when I came. I even used your toothbrush. Let's set off then. The old man is already urging me to go back. If we don't go back soon, I'll be in big trouble." He then looked at Shen Hanyang, seemingly waiting for him to speak.
Shen Hanyang understood immediately and said calmly, "Okay, I'll have the driver start the car."
"Grandpa insisted that you stay for lunch at my house today no matter what, and he asked the kitchen to prepare it yesterday." Bai Shaolin waved to Jiaming, "Jiaming, come along too, my brother has some autographed works by Huo Yuanjia!"
Huo Yuanjia is a very popular cartoonist right now, and his works are extremely popular among primary and secondary school students. Tickets for his autograph sessions are hard to come by, and even scalpers sell out of stock. Upon hearing that there was a limited edition autographed work by Huo Yuanjia, Cheng Jiaming was very excited, not only because of himself, but also because Huang Yanxiang was also a fan of Huo Yuanjia.
Cheng Jiaming was about to agree, but then he looked at Ren Ruiyun. Bai Shaolin immediately extended an invitation: "Beautiful sister, would you do us the honor of joining us?"
Aside from Shen Hanyang's indifferent gaze, Bai Shaolin and Cheng Jiaming both had their eyes fixed on her. Ren Ruiyun's pupils flickered with a sharp light, but her standard smile remained unchanged: "Of course, it's an honor."
Seeing the opportunity, Bai Shaolin said, "Shall we set off then?"
Shen Hanyang contacted the driver and told everyone to get in the car first: "I'm going upstairs to change my clothes."
The curtains in the bedroom were still drawn. It took him a moment to adjust before he could find Yan Qing in the dim light.
She had come out of the bathroom and was sitting alone on the bed, facing the window. The window was covered by heavy curtains, letting in almost no light.
His heart was pounding; he wasn't sure when she had come out or if she had seen what was happening downstairs. As he took those few steps closer to her, his steps felt unsteady.
"What are you thinking about?" His approach didn't catch her attention. By the time she realized it, he had already gently pulled her into his arms.
"It's nothing," she smiled faintly, "I'm just still half asleep."
"Then sleep a little longer."
"And you?" she asked.
“I—” His gaze swept across her face, finding no suspicious traces, and he was certain that she was simply not well-rested. He then said, “I’m going out for a bit to take care of something. You stay home and wait for me.”
She obediently let him help her take off her coat again and tuck her under the covers. After a kiss filled with tenderness and reluctance, he whispered in her ear, "Sweetie, have a good sleep. I'll be back when you wake up, and then we'll go buy new clothes."
He still remembered that she had no clothes to change into after taking a shower here, which was now almost the most important thing on his mind.
After settling Yan Qing in, the living room quickly emptied. Two cars drove out of Binjiang Jiuli one after the other; Shen Hanyang and Bai Shaolin rode in one car, while Cheng Jiaming and Ren Ruiyun rode in the other.
On the bus, Bai Shaolin frantically called home: "Four of us, including me! Yes, yes, get us something decent to eat quickly, or we'll have to go to a hotel! Where's Dad? No, no, we'll talk about it when we get home." After hanging up, Bai Shaolin cursed, "A bunch of idiots!"
"Thank you for today." Shen Hanyang looked straight ahead, but spoke to Bai Shaolin.
Bai Shaolin was a little embarrassed. "We're brothers, after all. I just realized the situation wasn't going well, and a sudden idea popped into my head. Hehe, your little brother isn't completely hopeless, is he?"
Last night, Bai Shaolin was quite drunk, but he definitely saw the woman's handbag on Shen Hanyang's bedroom floor. He instantly sobered up. Not for any other reason than that spring had finally shone through Shen Hanyang's thousand-year-old iceberg. This shocked and excited him more than an iron tree blooming or a rooster laying an egg.
He had also heard about Shen Hanyang's love life from his elders, knowing that he had only ever had one girlfriend, seven or eight years his senior. They later parted ways, leaving behind a newborn baby. After that woman disappeared, Shen Hanyang raised Cheng Jiaming alone, and no other woman could ever enter his life of celibacy. In Bai Shaolin's eyes, Shen Hanyang was a deeply romantic man whose inner self was completely at odds with his outward appearance; he was stubborn and devoted to love, remaining faithful to one person for life after experiencing true love once.
So when Bai Shaolin first saw the handbag that revealed the affair, he assumed his ex-girlfriend had returned. After all, given Shen Hanyang's obsessive-compulsive tendencies, how could he allow an ordinary person into his bedroom? Then, that morning, feeling thirsty, he got up to get some water and saw Cheng Jiaming calling Ren Ruiyun "Mom" on the second floor. Strangely, what should have been a heartwarming reunion of the family of three turned into a scene where Shen Hanyang's face was as dark as the sun sinking into the sea. The subtle atmosphere instantly made Bai Shaolin realize that the woman in the room was someone else entirely!
In order to rescue his brother Shen from his predicament, he quickly came up with a plan and lied that Shen Hanyang was going to take him home today, and even arranged a family dinner out of nowhere...
Inside the car, Bai Shaolin peered at Shen Hanyang from the passenger seat. There was no noticeable change in his expression; he remained impeccably calm.
He wanted to ask, but the other person's aura was inexplicably oppressive, so he, the loudmouth, consciously shut his mouth.
In the grand, secluded courtyard of the Bai family, lunch was served in a glass-enclosed room in the garden. Bai Shaolin was the youngest child in the Bai family, born late in life. His grandfather doted on him, but also felt somewhat powerless to discipline him. Seeing Bai Shaolin's limping gait and comical hairstyle, he flew into a rage: "Why didn't you die outside?" His voice boomed like a thunderclap. Bai Shaolin, terrified, shrank back and hid behind his mother.
"Alright, alright, son, it's not easy for you to come home, so don't be upset. Besides, we have guests here—" Madam Bai greeted Shen Hanyang with a smile: "Hanyang, I spoke with your mother on the phone a few days ago, saying it had been a long time since I'd seen you. We're so glad to have you here today! Jiaming is here too?"
"Hello, Grandma!" Cheng Jiaming greeted Ren Ruiyun obediently, holding her hand with one hand.
“What a good baby,” Madam Bai’s gaze followed Jia Ming upwards and fell on Ren Ruiyun beside him, her smile visibly faltering for a moment.
"Hello, Madam Bai, I'm Ren Ruiyun." Ren Ruiyun introduced herself readily, and Madam Bai immediately responded warmly, "Hello, hello! Come, please sit down. We're not strangers, don't be so polite!"
Grandpa Bai paid no attention to his youngest son, whom he hadn't seen for over half a year, and spent the entire meal chatting only with Shen Hanyang. Madam Bai, on the other hand, dutifully played the role of the lady of the house, coordinating the front and back of the house, busy serving food to Jiaming, and occasionally taking care of Ren Ruiyun.
Over the years, Bai Shaolin had neglected his duties, associating with a bunch of like-minded individuals, except for Shen Hanyang, who was exceptionally talented at a young age. Old Master Bai's fondness for him was evident. After lunch, Old Master Bai, still not satisfied with their conversation, pulled Shen Hanyang upstairs for a smoke. Just then, Cheng Jiaming, feeling sleepy after lunch, had a guest room prepared for the mother and son to rest.
By the time they finally said goodbye to the Bai residence, it was nearly five in the afternoon. Shen Hanyang declined repeatedly before being allowed to stay for dinner.
On the way back, Shen Hanyang had the driver take Cheng Jiaming back to Tan Chen Mansion first, while he and Ren Ruiyun rode in another car. He rarely drove this Bentley, and there was a lonely atmosphere in the car because no one ever visited it.
"Aren't we going with Jiaming?" Ren Ruiyun asked.
Shen Hanyang remained silent.
Ren Ruiyun then suggested, "Then why don't we... take this opportunity to talk?"
Shen Hanyang remained silent as the car sped through the sparsely populated suburbs.
Ren Ruiyun looked away and leaned back in her chair: "Did you drive so fast to get back and check on the people upstairs?"
The car braked suddenly to a stop.
Shen Hanyang slowly turned his head, his eyes so cold they could freeze.
Ren Ruijun remained elegant and composed, with a smile on her face: "It's been so long, you've learned to keep a mistress hidden away."
The phone rang, and the car's Bluetooth displayed the contact name "Teacher Yan." Shen Hanyang quickly picked up his phone, hesitated for a moment before swiping to answer, and then silently pressed the mute button.
"It seems this girl isn't as lucky as me. Back then, you would have gone to great lengths to introduce me to your parents. Why did you have to hide it like this?" Ren Ruiyun spoke with a gentle, soothing tone, even when she was being boastful or sarcastic.
“Ren Ruiyun,” Shen Hanyang said, unusually calling her by her full name, “please don’t compare her to you. She’s not as heartless and ungrateful as you.”
"You're making it sound so serious," Ren Ruiyun said with a charming smile. "Hanyang, are you sulking?"
Shen Hanyang glanced at her in the mirror, but Ren Ruiyun seemed completely oblivious to the contempt in his eyes. Instead, she intensified her efforts to reminisce: "Hanyang, sometimes I feel like I understand you, and sometimes I can't figure out what you're thinking. You're no longer the little boy who used to whine in my arms, but I'll always remember how you only had eyes for me. So no matter what, I won't blame you, because—we were each other's first time, and that's more precious than anything else, isn't it?"
Ren Ruiyun's frequent mentions of the past only fueled Shen Hanyang's growing irritability. He was preoccupied with Yan Qing's missed call, his patience stretched to its limit. He wanted to refute her, but he also felt that this woman was deliberately feigning ignorance, cleverly manipulating every move, cunning and treacherous.
Ren Ruiyun saw him frown and ponder, his lips slightly upturned, and then she immediately suppressed the smugness in her eyes: "Hanyang, I don't want you to be upset, but I also don't want you to deceive yourself. You're so angry, can I interpret that as you still can't let go of the past and still hate me?"
A long silence fell over the car. Shen Hanyang kept his hand over his phone, as if he was protecting something or sensing something.
Then came a snicker from the nose, followed by the sound of the car door unlocking.
"Get down," he said.
Ren Ruiyun paused for a moment, but still tried to maintain her composure: "Are you sure you want to do something so ungentlemanly?"
Do I need to say it a second time? That would be even less gentlemanly.
"It's hard to get a taxi around here, shouldn't you take me to a more bustling area..."
“If you can’t even solve this little problem, you’re not Ren Ruiyun.”
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