Chapter 45 Freud's Rose
It has been said that You Yue's temper is unpredictable, and there is some truth to that.
When he returned to the room last night, Cheng Hexi was already in bed. You Yue had just taken a shower and came out, but she was still not asleep.
They chatted for a while before bed as usual, and she slept in his arms. Everything seemed no different from usual.
The following day, Cheng Hexi set off even earlier.
As the car drove out of the garage, You Yue, dressed in a black suit, came into her view and was standing on the porch talking on the phone.
He didn't say much, his other hand was in his pocket, and his expression was normal, but Cheng Hexi felt that he seemed a little impatient.
The man hung up the phone just as she drove her car to the door.
She rolled down the car window, turned her head, and asked, "Are you waiting for the driver?"
If he drives himself, he's more likely to take the elevator directly to the garage.
But usually the driver waits for him, so why should You Yue wait for the driver?
The man nodded: "We moved up a bit, the driver hasn't arrived yet."
The villa estate was tranquil, bathed in the bright morning light, before the summer heat had arrived.
The two stared at each other in silence for a while, neither of them looking away first.
Cheng Hexi, with her hands on the steering wheel, suddenly asked, "Going to the company? I'll give you a ride?"
You Yue raised his eyebrows, as if trying to determine whether her words were just polite or sincere.
"Isn't Mr. Cheng busy?"
It's not far from Hongsheng, and it's on the way.
Cheng Hexi was indeed asking the question sincerely.
She simply unlocked the car as a response.
You Yue stopped pretending to be reserved and got into the car through the passenger door.
He was very familiar with the camellia scent in the car; they were using the same fragrance.
The safety buckle was still dangling.
The last time You Yue sat in Cheng Hexi's passenger seat was the day she flew back from Paris. You Yue also remembered that there was their marriage certificate in the drawer of her car.
Ironically, they initially genuinely viewed marriage as nothing more than a transaction.
"Is your marriage certificate still in the car?"
Cheng Hexi paused, then turned her head to look at him.
They were waiting for the last red light.
You Yue has always been outspoken, but he usually restrains himself in front of Cheng Hexi. He didn't ask at the time because he wasn't sure what he was thinking.
"No, it's in my study." Her gaze swept over You Yue's wedding ring, she started the car, and thought to herself, how does he remember everything?
Once the conversation started, Cheng Hexi recalled a "gossip" that Tang Ying had mentioned after the last dinner party and inquired about a certain AI technology product.
The R&D team there had won awards and, with great ambition, approached Hongsheng, wanting to join their ranks. They offered their technology, and Hongsheng would act as the publisher—a mutually beneficial arrangement. However, while things were still escalating, You Yue directly rejected the offer.
They rarely inquired about each other's work, but Xilin never got involved in this matter, so there were no conflicts. Out of curiosity, she asked.
You Yue leaned back in her chair, playing with the plush ornaments in her car, still looking relaxed and lazy, but she answered the questions seriously.
"The product is good, but the audience is too small and it won't go far. Hongsheng puts a lot of effort into promotion, and the investment is more than the return. They are asking for an exorbitant share of profits, and I have no interest in throwing money around."
He knew, of course, that the product was highly regarded within the industry. But what they were looking at was the technology; what they were looking at in the market was how much money it could make—these were two different things.
Hongsheng is a leading technology company with deep pockets, so there is no need for them to do this charity.
Cheng Hexi was not surprised at all by this reason; she knew that this was the true nature of maneuvering in the business world.
She smiled, then heard the man ask, "Are you flying to New York next week?"
Cheng Hexi hummed in agreement: "What's wrong?"
When are you coming back?
"Probably around the weekend."
After she finished answering, she asked with a slight look of doubt, "Why are you asking about this so soon?"
Don't you even remember your own birthday?
Thinking this, You Yue lazily raised her eyebrows: "I'm afraid you forgot to report to me."
"...I can't forget it."
Cheng Hexi felt once again that this man held a grudge.
-
The morning rush hour was still a bit congested, but the distance was short, so the journey didn't take too long.
I arrived at Hongsheng just after 8:30.
Cheng Hexi didn't want to be too high-profile and wasn't planning to drive the car in, but Young Master You Yue had a relapse and said he didn't want to walk such a long distance in the park.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then she looked away and drove the car inside.
You Yue had originally intended to test her, and he felt that he was being hypocritical, but Cheng Hexi actually agreed.
He thus confirmed one thing: Cheng Hexi had seen through his emotions last night.
The Bentley coupe was parked casually near the entrance, with the windows still rolled down.
It was almost time for work, and the entrance was bustling with people. Employees passing by would curiously turn their heads to look, and often they could spot their boss in a suit in the passenger seat.
A crisp sound rang out as the car lock opened. You Yue reached for his seatbelt, when he suddenly heard Cheng Hexi softly call his name.
The seatbelt popped open, but he didn't get out of the car; he just turned his head to look over.
His gaze was calm and tolerant, like a lake.
Cheng Hexi was inexplicably encouraged. Instead of thinking for herself, she chose to ask directly, "Were you a little angry last night?"
You Yue didn't reply, but instead asked her, "Why do you say that?"
He believes he did not show anything unusual last night.
I cooked her some porridge and watched her eat the first bite before going upstairs to work. After leaving the study, I went back to the bedroom to take a shower, and then, as usual, I went to her bed and held her all night, sleeping soundly. The next day, we chatted as usual.
There was nothing emotional about it.
Cheng Hexi might not take his cold face seriously; in fact, it might make her feel confused and unhappy.
You Yue now has the idea of being a perfect husband, putting her feelings first.
He had never been cold to Cheng Hexi, which meant that Cheng Hexi could keenly sense the difference if his attitude was even slightly cold.
“I understand you very well now, and I can sense changes in your emotions.” She paused, then asked, “Is this answer acceptable?”
"Since you know me so well—" You Yue repeated slowly, passing the buck back again: "Then tell me why I'm unhappy?"
She stopped talking.
You Yue wasn't angry last night; it was just that she didn't care about the minor emotional fluctuations she experienced.
He still remembered Cheng Hexi's fever of 38 or 39 degrees Celsius in the hospital bed, and her pale face after vomiting, so he couldn't understand why she didn't take care of her body.
There was no one she cared about before, no one was around to care about her, so it's understandable that she didn't care about herself.
But things are different now.
You Yue felt that what she was ignoring was not her own physical condition, but him.
Cheng Hexi didn't take him seriously at all.
Despite her thoughts, You Yue didn't say much, only that she didn't care about her health and might have to go to the hospital again at any time.
Cheng Hexi has enough emotional intelligence, and she guessed at the time that it was most likely because of this.
She knew that You Yue was genuinely worried about her, but she wasn't sure if she was that important to him, so she couldn't be sure.
When it was finally confirmed, she was even a little stunned.
She hadn't been cared for like this in a long time.
Even the most hard-hearted person cannot remain unmoved.
"I'll change it." Cheng Hexi came to her senses and readily admitted her mistake.
She tapped the steering wheel with her fingertips, composed herself, and smiled, "I'll try my best not to trouble you with taking care of me anymore."
You Yue glanced at her and knew from her smile that she was saying it on purpose.
He almost laughed out of anger.
After getting out of the car, You Yue rested his right hand on the car door, lowered his eyes, and slightly raised his lips: "President Cheng, you've reflected well. Drive slowly."
Cheng Hexi nodded and said, "See you tonight."
As the car door closed, she stepped on the gas and drove away.
You Yue stood there for a while, hands in his pockets.
He thought he had managed to pry open a crack in the clam shell.
-
Today, You Yue held more than a dozen meetings until dinner.
When Qi Xuan knocked on the office door, he was still signing documents. The desk was a bit messy, as he hadn't had time to tidy it up.
You Yue said "Go in," but didn't even look up.
When he's working, he usually waits for people to speak first.
Qi Xuan's style is similar to his: decisive and efficient, articulate, and highly capable. He was a friend You Yue met while studying at Stanford; they initially worked together on that famous game project. You Yue's initial insistence on recruiting Qi Xuan to Hong Sheng demonstrates his appreciation for him.
Today, Qi Xuan entered the door, stood at the door for ten seconds, but did not say a word.
Unaware of what was going on, You Yue frowned almost imperceptibly and looked up.
In the cold, business-style office, he immediately noticed the only bright spot.
Qi Xuan was holding a large bouquet of red roses.
"...What is this?" You Yue threw down his pen, placed his hand on the document, and kept his eyes on the bouquet of flowers.
Qi Xuan finally stepped forward and carefully placed the flowers on his table.
"It was a gift from Mr. Cheng." He spoke quickly: "The receptionist dialed the internal line, and I brought it up for you."
When You Yue saw the flower, he had already guessed the whole story. Upon hearing this, he simply smiled slightly and said, "I know," before telling Qi Xuan to leave.
He didn't show any particular emotions from beginning to end.
Lynn was on her way to the cafeteria when she saw Qi Xuan coming out of the general manager's office. She took two steps forward and glanced at the closed door, her eyes burning with curiosity about the gossip.
She asked, "What was President You's reaction?"
Qi Xuan said, "There was no reaction."
If Lynn hadn't been away just now, he really felt he should have let her take it in.
"ah?"
Lynn was clearly not satisfied with his explanation.
Cheng Hexi made no attempt to hide anything.
The bouquet of flowers was presented to the front desk of Hongsheng Restaurant without any fanfare. It happened to be dinner time, and many employees saw it.
The person involved didn't react at all?
"What man wouldn't react at all to receiving roses from his wife?"
"..." Qi Xuan pushed up his glasses, then added with some difficulty, "Could you call it a smile?"
Lynn was speechless.
As she turned away, she was still wondering if those rumors about her boss were true!
Is it because they live a life of pleasure and debauchery that they remain indifferent?
-
You Yue had no idea how distorted his image had become in his assistant's mind.
The large bouquet of Freud roses sat on his desk, not far from his documents, within easy reach.
Despite being unaffected, You Yue's work efficiency was even higher than before.
After finishing processing all the documents on the table, he finally threw down his pen and leaned back in his chair.
Yu Guangzhong still had that same bouquet of flowers.
Even without deliberately looking at it, or even restraining myself from looking at it, that bright red always lingered, as if it were a deliberately prolonged visual persistence effect.
That's how he was initially attracted to Cheng Hexi.
There was a reason why people said she was like a red rose.
You Yue stood up, his thin-soled leather shoes clicking on the floor. He walked to the French windows, where the sun was setting.
The giant glass screen is very clean, offering a panoramic view of the bustling city, and a short distance further in, you can see the colorful sunset.
The phone screen on the table suddenly lit up.
Cheng Hexi actually made a phone call.
He was somewhat surprised and swiped the screen to answer.
"You answered so quickly," Cheng Hexi knew it was Hongsheng's dinner time, and You Yue rarely used this time for meetings, so she called directly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm waiting for your call." You Yue gave a short laugh.
These words sound like sweet nothings to make someone happy, but what he said was also true.
She couldn't possibly be keeping quiet about sending flowers so ostentatiously.
Cheng Hexi didn't think much of it, taking the previous sentence as flirting.
She pursed her lips, changed the subject, and said what she wanted to say: "I'll be home late today, I have a meeting in a bit."
You Yue hummed in agreement, didn't ask any further questions, and steered the conversation to what he wanted to say: "I received your flowers."
"..." Cheng Hexi paused slightly, then simply said "Oh".
You Yue found this reaction somewhat amusing.
Under the setting sun, with the blackout curtains still drawn, a ray of afterglow shone into the room, making the bouquet of roses bloom vibrantly and dazzlingly.
In that instant of looking back, You Yue felt a surge of dissatisfaction.
Their relationship stagnated because they were not satisfied.
That's far from enough.
He wanted everything from Cheng Hexi, he wanted her complete love.
You Yue could tell that she didn't want to talk about or analyze her motives, but this time he didn't let her off so gentlemanly. Instead, he asked, "What made you think of sending me roses?"
"Is it because I took care of you when you were in the hospital that you're thanking me, or is it because I sent you flowers that you're returning the favor?" His tone was unusually authoritative: "He Xi, what is it?"
He wants an answer today.
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Author's Note: I'm here, my darlings! Thank you for your patience!
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