“Mr. Xia, may I know why are you looking for me? I still need to go to work later. I’m afraid I don’t have much time.”
“Ruoxin.” Xia Mingzheng felt that Xia Mingzheng really had changed. She did not grow thorns all over her body, but she had removed all the thorns. She really did not care about anything now. She did not care about Xia family and—of course—Shen Yijun, let alone this stepfather who had never treated her well.
“Ruoxin, I heard you’re working in Chu Lui’s company?” he asked with much difficulty. Actually, he shouldn’t have asked that question; but that daughter of his had really angered him to no end.
“Yes, he’s my boss.” Xia Ruoxin felt that there was nothing much to hide. “I work for him; he pays me for it. It’s that simple.”
“Ruoxin, why do you want to go there? After he hurt you like that…” When Xia Mingzheng said these words, he felt guilty himself.
“Because I need money.” Xia Ruoxin picked up the cup on the table and caressed the side of the cup. Actually, she knew the real reason why Xia Mingzheng came to find her today. He was not that nice. It was not because of Shen Yijun or himself, it was because of Xia Yixuan.
“Ruoxin, come back to the Xia family.” Xia Mingzheng hesitated before telling Xia Ruoxin. “The Xia household might not be as wealthy as the Chu family, but we won’t let you and Rainy starve. Your mother and I feel very bad for everything that happened in the past. Could you give us a chance at redemption, please?
“Chu Lui is not good for you.”
“Is it?” Xia Ruoxin replied faintly.
“If he’s not good for me, then is he good for Xia Yixuan?”
Xia Mingzheng felt ashamed as Xia Ruoxin had seen right through him.
Xia Ruoxin stood up. She really did not have much time as she still needed to return to the office. If not, when that man checked her post and realized she had not punched in at the right time, he would cut her pay. Why would she let her pay get cut for no reason? As a single mother, she had to save money to provide for her daughter; and it really was not easy.
“Sorry, Mr. Xia. I still need to go to work. However,”—she smiled nonchalantly again—”you don’t have to worry. I have nothing to do with Chu Lui. If Xia Yixuan wants to marry into the Chu family, it’s all up to her.”
She turned and left the place, saving some sort of face for Xia Mingzheng. They all knew what kind of temperament Chu Lui had. Only Xia Yixuan did not know, but a cunning fox like Xia Mingzheng should be very clear of it.
Hence, this was a father.
No matter how many mistakes the daughter had made, she would still be his most beloved daughter; and he would want to fulfill all his daughter’s wishes… even the most ridiculous ones.
Hence, they were all bullying her, weren’t they? They were bullying her because she had no one to depend on; she had no father to be her backing.
She rubbed her eyes and forced a smile. It was okay if no one loved her. She loved others; she loved her Rainy. She wanted to give all the love she could not have to her daughter.
She rushed all the way to the office, but she was still late. When she took her card out, she really cried.
She was late for a minute, but could she re-punch the card?
She sighed softly and sat down. Her mood was very bad today, terrible even. She wanted to scold someone.
The phone on the table rang. She did not need to guess who it was coming from.
“Ms. Xia, please come up.”
“Okay, CEO.” Xia Ruoxin closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the tears in her eyes rolled down the sides. She went to the washroom and splashed some water on her face before carrying her arranged documents outside and to the lift. In the glass mirror, she looked as though she was burdened with many things. She turned around and gently massaged her face.
It seemed as though nothing had changed, but she did feel a lot better.
Ding! The elevator stopped. When she walked out, it seemed as though everything had settled down. However, she had made a decision, a decision that came about after meeting Xia Mingzheng today.
Knock, knock. She knocked on the door.
“Come in.” A man’s voice came from the outside; it was low and had a hint of gloominess.
She opened the door and walked in to smell a woman’s perfume smell. That smell was extremely familiar. There was a type of women: when they love a particular smell, they would carry it with them all day long. According to those women, that would be their woman scent. If anyone had smelled this similar scent, they would know that she had been here.
Coincidentally, she actually knew of such a woman. That woman used this type of fragrance; even if four years had passed, she still used the same scent.
The same scent that would make her uncomfortable.
“CEO Chu, this is the proposal that you wanted.”
Xia Ruoxin placed the proposal on Chu Lui’s table. The closer she got, the stronger the scent of the perfume.
Her nose started to feel uncomfortable.
Chu Lui took the document, and when he was about to speak, he heard a sound from Xia Ruoxin.
“Achoo…”
In a moment of carelessness, it seemed as though something had landed on his face.
If it were someone else, Chu Lui would have grabbed the person and smashed him against the window.
“What’s the matter? Do you have flu?” Chu Lui placed the documents in his hand down and came over to feel Xia Ruoxin’s forehead. “The weather these days isn’t very good as it is hot sometimes and cold at other times. Are you really sick? Why are you so careless? You’re already so old; can’t you take care of yourself more? Rainy is still small; what happens when you infect her?”
When he came nearer, Xia Ruoxin kept sneezing nonstop.
Chu Lui’s hand stopped in mid-air, and he stared at Xia Ruoxin as she kept sneezing.
“You, don’t come near me.” Xia Ruoxin raised her hands to block Chu Lui.
“A woman knows that I am allergic to a certain scent so—since young—she made herself smell like a bottle of walking perfume and would hover around me.”
Chu Lui’s face darkened. He instantly knew what she meant; he hurriedly opened a door and walked in. Inside the room was a mini restroom with bathroom facilities. Sometimes, when he was busy, he would stay in for a night.
Once Xia Ruoxin walked out, the tingling senses affecting her nose disappeared instantly.
She started to pant for air. She could not believe that Xia Yixuan had done it on purpose.
After so many years, she was still as childish as before. That was no wonder as a child spoiled by her parents while growing up was different from one that had to bear the brunt. She long knew how to be independent, but as for Xia Yixuan, she still had not grown up. Even until now, she was still very stubborn.
“Xia Ruoxin, come in.” Chu Lui’s voice came from the inside.
Xia Ruoxin sighed softly. That smell.
She felt as though she was going to cry.
She opened the door and thought she was going to smell that perfume again, but the smell had changed.
“Wow, this is so strong. What is this smell?” She waved the air in front of her. “Why is it so choking?”
