Chapter 0042 Turning Point
Chen Yan, unable to break his bad habits, secretly arranged for a private investigator to lie in wait downstairs at Ruyi's house and report Ruyi's movements to him in real time.
Ruyi stayed at home for three days, then went out to buy steamed buns, eating as she walked. She then went to a hair salon and cut off her shiny, smooth, waist-length hair, which cost eight hundred... All of this was secretly photographed by the detective and sent to Chen Yan's private email.
He lingered over every profile and back view in the photos. If a half of her face showed a slight smile, he couldn't help but wonder what interesting things were happening on the street outside the frame. If she was expressionless, he couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking, whether she was thinking of him and that's why she was in a bad mood... When he saw her sitting in the hair salon, her black hair falling one by one under the gleaming scissors, he felt anxious and heartbroken, wishing he could sprout wings and fly to the scene to stop that unscrupulous hairdresser with no sense of aesthetics.
But he couldn't. He knew that what Ruyi wanted to cut off without hesitation was not just her hair, but also all their past together.
The detective reported that Ruyi had gone to the store. Chen Yan hesitated for a moment, but still shamelessly went there. He originally only planned to stop across the street and catch a glimpse of her from afar, but when he arrived, he couldn't suppress his longing and was afraid that the coldness would kill their relationship, so he got out of the car and locked the door.
Whether you hit me or scold me, I'm already here, I have to see her.
Caiyu Dumpling Shop has a row of bright floor-to-ceiling windows on the left side of the entrance, inside which are three rows of wooden tables and chairs. It's lunchtime, and the 20-square-meter dining area is packed with customers. Staff members are moving around, efficiently wiping tables and clearing away bowls.
To the right of the door is a small square stall with a fully open layout. Under the glass counter are rows of large dumplings and wontons with different fillings. The person Chen Yan was thinking about was standing in front of the stall, responsible for packing and collecting money from passing customers.
She had just unilaterally ended a ten-year relationship in such a tragic way, yet only a few days later, she was standing gracefully in the shop, welcoming and seeing off customers, smiling at them without a trace of gloom.
Ruyi's cruel resilience reassured Chen Yan, but it also fueled his resentment.
Who could be more ruthless than her? She ended a ten-year relationship so easily, without a trace of reluctance. He was wrong, but if he had any other choice, he wouldn't have swallowed his pride and rushed into marrying Zhao Nanyue. Why couldn't she be a little more understanding? That ingrate! All his ten years of effort were wasted…
Chen Yan thought to himself with a hint of resentment, the closer he got to Ruyi's location, the more his joy and fear intertwined.
Ruyi deftly packed up the two boxes of dumplings, handed them to the other person through the window, and said with a smile, "It'll be 41 yuan in total, thank you."
The old man walked away with the bag, revealing Chen Yan behind him. Ruyi glanced at him, her smile froze for two seconds, then quickly recovered, polite yet unfamiliar: "Sir, see what you need."
That smile, in Chen Yan's eyes, was so hateful, so utterly cold and ruthless, that he wished he could rush into the stall, like a bully robbing a respectable woman, pick her up and let her grab and curse him... Anything was better than being ignored by her like this.
But he couldn't.
He could only coax her in a humble voice. He never expected that one day he, Chen Yan, would have such a humble and subservient moment.
"I know you hate me, but I really have no other choice. How can you forgive me? I promise, at most a year or two. Just bear with me this once, and I'll be your slave for the rest of my life, okay...?"
Ruyi wasn't moved at all. She just wanted to scratch his hypocritical face until it bled and curse him until he was furious and ashamed. But she only thought about it. First, she didn't have the eloquence to do so, and second, she knew that given how shameless the person in front of her was, cursing him would be more like a reward.
He simply kept his mouth shut and didn't utter a single syllable to Chen Yan. Instead, he bypassed him and greeted the older woman in line behind him.
The older sister must have overheard most of his hushed words. She swept her eyes around the handsome young man as if he were a joke. Chen Yan had never been so humiliated in his twenty-odd years of life. Even so, he still stood stubbornly to the side, staring at Ruyi, hoping that she would spare him a few glances, so that his trip would not have been in vain.
After finishing her shift with the kitchen helpers, He Caiyu personally served the last dine-in customer's sesame sauce-dressed ham and chicken wontons to the table. Then, she glanced worriedly in Ruyi's direction and saw Chen Yan standing like a gatekeeper in front of the stall, harassing Ruyi with his gaze. She immediately turned around, grabbed a 15-centimeter diameter ladle, rushed outside, and started pelting Chen Yan with a hail of blows, making the young man, dressed like an elite, feel a thud on his head and back, with nowhere to hide.
Chen Yan felt a storm of anger brewing in his heart, but out of consideration for Ruyi's family, he couldn't fight back. He could only cover his head and endure it, peeking at Ruyi through the gaps in his hands, hoping to gain some sympathy so that the beating wouldn't be in vain.
To everyone's surprise, Ruyi's words made Chen Yan feel as if he had swallowed a bowl of ice in the dead of winter. Ruyi said, "Why are you arguing with a stranger? If the spoon gets dirty, you have to clean and disinfect it. If he causes trouble again, we'll just call the police."
He Caiyu wasn't stupid. Hearing this, she knew that Ruyi had backbone and was determined to treat this Chen guy as a stranger from now on. As his aunt, she naturally couldn't hold him back, so she also put on a smiling face: "Young man, I'm really sorry. If you want to stand, then continue standing. But please stand further away so as not to affect our business."
Despite the bright August sun, Chen Yan felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water, chilled to the bone. Surrounded by uncles, aunts, and cousins pointing and gossiping, even with his thick skin, he couldn't stand it any longer. As he left dejectedly, he consoled himself, telling himself to leave everything to time, and perhaps Ruyi would come to her senses in a few days.
He could naturally use forceful methods to coerce Ruyi into submission, just as he initially forced her to be with him. But after ten years of intimacy, his feelings for Ruyi had long since transcended mere possession; love and desire were intertwined, tenderness was overwhelming. He not only wanted to bring her physical pleasure but also wanted to see her spiritually fulfilled. He would not resort to such extreme measures unless absolutely necessary.
But no one could have predicted that this desperate moment would soon arrive.
Thanks to the generous reward promised by Chen Yan, the private investigator was very dedicated. He secretly lurked near Ruyi and tirelessly sent him snippets of her life to ease his longing.
That day, Chen Yan saw a photo sent by the detective of Ruyi approaching a pharmacy. He quickly put down the documents he was working on and called the detective directly.
"What's she doing at the pharmacy? Is she feeling unwell? See what she bought?"
The detective craned his neck, but his view was blocked by the pharmacy's billboard. He couldn't get out of the car immediately to look around, for fear of alerting Ruyi, so he had to ask the shop owner across the street for a few more minutes.
The phone call had just ended when Ruyi came out of the pharmacy. The detective quickly checked her hands, which were empty. Either she hadn't bought anything, or she had bought something and hidden it in her bag.
Based on his keen intuition honed by years of experience, the detective had already roughly guessed what Ruyi had bought.
He skillfully managed to get some information out of the shop assistant, then chuckled and said, "Then I'll buy my wife the same brand, just one is fine, thanks."
Back in the car, he realized it was time to collect his red envelope, and immediately and hurriedly informed Chen Yan that she had bought a pregnancy test!
Chen Yan was stunned for a while by the unexpected joy. It was truly a case of heaven leaving no stone unturned. If Ruyi was really pregnant, it would be the perfect turning point for him to break out of his deadlock.
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