Chapter 18: Take Off

It was almost 5 o’clock when she left the dean’s office. Jingyang District Hospital, also known as the money-printing machine of the Shanhai Group, was located in the busiest commercial center of the imperial capital, only 700-800 meters away from the central business street. Surrounded by numerous commercial plazas, it had a huge flow of customers, and most of those who could seek medical treatment here were relatively wealthy.

In addition, with the development of the real estate market in recent years, the land of Jingyang District Hospital alone was so expensive that it made people’s jaws drop.

When they walked out of the hospital, the crowd of onlookers outside had already dispersed, but the nearby commercial street was still bustling with business.

Because there were too many people surrounding the hospital when they arrived, Fan Xia couldn’t park her car inside and had to park it at a nearby mall’s parking lot. Now they were about to go there, having just walked a few steps around the mall.

A little boy grabbed Fan Xia’s hand: “Big sister, big sister, your boyfriend is so handsome. Buy a bouquet of roses for your boyfriend.”

Not only was Fan Xia stunned, but even the usually calm and composed Rong Xiu was momentarily taken aback.

Looking at the little boy’s bright eyes, Rong Xiu unconsciously glanced at Fan Xia. He didn’t say anything, his expression still faint, but the roots of his ears, hidden by his bangs, suddenly turned red.

This scene reminded him of that day at the Cloud Top Restaurant.

It was also a little boy selling flowers, pulling on Fan Xia and Wen Lan Sheng to sell flowers. Fan Xia had bought a bouquet of red roses for Wen Lan Sheng without any hesitation. That day, Wen Lan Sheng’s smile, adorned with roses, was still etched in his heart like sulfuric acid, becoming an indelible pain.

He didn’t speak out, and deliberately didn’t deny the little boy’s “boyfriend” remark, secretly hoping for something in his heart.

Fan Xia bent down, smiling at the little boy: “Little one, we’re not a couple, so we can’t buy roses.”

The little boy lowered his head sadly, looking utterly disappointed.

Rong Xiu also felt an inexplicable pain in his heart. Yes, what was he expecting? How could he compare to Wen Lan Sheng?

Fan Xia, who was looking down, didn’t see the darkness in Rong Xiu’s eyes. She smiled at the sad little boy and said, “Although we can’t buy roses, I can buy the pigeon feed you have.”

“Really?” The little boy looked up in surprise.

The people of the imperial capital loved pigeons almost as much as pandas, so the pigeons in the capital weren’t afraid of people at all. The pigeons in the square could fly and walk around freely, and many shoppers liked to buy a packet or two of pigeon feed to sit on the street benches and feed the pigeons.

Fan Xia bought a packet of pigeon feed and looked at Rong Xiu. In a flash, Rong Xiu quickly covered up the strange look in his eyes. “Want to feed the pigeons?” She waved the pigeon feed in her hand.

Rong Xiu nodded with an unusual look in his eyes.

They sat together on the resting bench. Fan Xia poured a handful of pigeon feed into her palm. In no time, pigeons flew over to pick up the feed from her hand and fly away. Some bolder ones, or those that had been fed so round by passersby that they could barely fly, simply perched on Fan Xia’s legs and boldly ate their buffet.

The pigeons’ light but firm beaks pecked gently in Fan Xia’s palm, each time picking up a grain of feed and tilting their heads back to swallow it. In no time, the feed in Fan Xia’s hand was eaten up by the pigeons, leaving a slight redness in her palm.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” Rong Xiu asked, looking at the slight redness in her palm.

Fan Xia smiled, grabbed another handful of feed, and opened her palm in front of him: “It doesn’t hurt, just occasionally gets brushed by the pigeons. You should try too.”

Rong Xiu slowly opened his hand. He had never fed pigeons before. When he was young, his family’s discipline was particularly strict, and his father was especially averse to all small animals, so he wouldn’t let him touch them. Later, as he gradually gained power, his father could no longer influence him, but he was also trapped by the Shanhai Group, unable to spare any extra time. Only when he was with Fan Xia could he experience the little beauties of life.

One by one, the grains of feed fell into his palm. Soon, the pigeons that had been keeping their distance from Rong Xiu, tempted by the feed, also perched on his legs, their claws gripping his legs tightly as they lowered their heads to find food in his palm, very docile. Gradually, more and more pigeons gathered.

Fan Xia took the opportunity to stroke a pigeon’s little head. The warm body temperature of the small animal came through beneath the smooth feathers. Fan Xia smiled and said, “Looks like they really like you.”

Rong Xiu’s fingertips curled slightly, his earlobes soft and red.

More and more pigeons gathered, and the feed in Rong Xiu’s palm grew less and less. The pigeons began to fight for the remaining food, pecking and biting each other, flapping their wings to fly up, showing their claws to each other. Fan Xia, worried that these pigeons might scratch Rong Xiu, reached out and grabbed Rong Xiu’s wrist to help block them. The ring on her ring finger flashed with dazzling light under the sun.

The shiny jewel instead attracted a pigeon’s animal instincts, and it pecked at the diamond with its beak.

Fan Xia covered the ring with her hand.

“Seems they like the ring on your hand even more,” Rong Xiu said in a low, smooth voice, intoxicating like fine wine in the evening sunlight. His other hand seemingly casually covered the wrist that Fan Xia had just touched, his fingertips burning hot.

Fan Xia smiled helplessly, “It seems birds all like shiny things.”

Rong Xiu’s eyes coldly stared at the familiar yet eye-piercing wedding ring, his smile at the corner of his mouth extremely faint. Slowly, he said, “Take it off. The pigeons’ claws and beaks are very sharp. If they leave scratches, Lan Sheng might get angry.”

Fan Xia thought about it and felt he was right. The diamond on a lady’s wedding ring wasn’t big to begin with, unlike the eye-catching diamond on a man’s wedding ring. The lady’s ring was simple and elegant, without extra designs, which meant even a small scratch on the ring band would be very noticeable. If Lan Sheng found out the wedding ring was scratched by pigeons, he would definitely be angry.

She simply took off the ring and put it in her pocket. Her fair and slender fingers, without the adornment of the wedding ring, looked extremely pure and beautiful.

If only she could take it off forever.

A hint of morbidity flashed in the depths of Rong Xiu’s eyes.

Lan Club

Chen Yu Ze rested his chin on his hand, looking at Rong Xiu who had been staring at his own hand. The usual arrogance and indolence had faded away, replaced by tenderness in his eyes, as if filled with water.

“Feeling lovesick?” Chen Yu Ze said.

Rong Xiu’s lips curled in a faint smile, his mood unaffected by Chen Yu Ze’s sarcasm. Obviously, he was in a very good mood today, extremely good.

Chen Yu Ze was speechless. He pushed a glass of whiskey in front of him.

Rong Xiu glanced at it: “I’ve said I won’t drink anymore. Last time was an exception, but don’t give me alcohol again in the future.”

“Mr. Rong, CEO, this is a club, a bar. If you don’t drink, aren’t you here to ruin my business?” Chen Yu Ze leaned on the bar counter: “It’s because of that Miss Fan again, isn’t it?”

Rong Xiu didn’t answer.

“I knew it must be because of her.” Chen Yu Ze was exasperated: “Rong Xiu, wake up! She’s a married woman, can’t you show some restraint? This is the behavior of a mistress, do you know that? When her legal spouse comes to slap you in the face, I won’t even have an excuse to stop them! Being a mistress, it’s hated by everyone. If it weren’t for our years of friendship, I would have cut ties with you long ago, you know?”

“……” Rong Xiu lowered his eyes, the cold light in the dim surroundings enveloping his handsome and indifferent profile.

“And don’t forget your current identity. You’re the chairman of Shanhai Group. You have a responsibility to the shareholders. If people find out you’re rushing to be someone’s mistress, what about the stock price? Do you not care anymore?” Chen Yu Ze carefully analyzed the pros and cons for him.

Rong Xiu’s expression remained faint: “This is my business, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Chen Yu Ze was furious. This reaction was exactly like his love-brained father who still believed he was his mother’s true love even though he knew she was having affairs with multiple men, thinking other men were just for sexual gratification.

Indeed, once a man falls in love, his IQ becomes zero. Even Rong Xiu, who had become the chairman of a group company, surpassing many women, was no exception.

But as a longtime friend, Chen Yu Ze said with a last bit of hope: “If Fan Xia were of the same social status as you, it would be fine. But look at her background, her resume, this is the typical profile of a phoenix woman. Even if you could snatch Fan Xia away from her husband, aren’t you afraid she might turn against you and swallow up Shanhai Group in the future?”

Interest is always the weakness of businessmen. For the sake of interest, businessmen can resort to any means. But even though Chen Yu Ze pulled out this killer move, in Rong Xiu’s eyes it was like a breeze passing by, leaving no trace.

Rong Xiu calmly took a sip of water: “She’s not that kind of person… Besides, husband and wife are one. If I’m fortunate enough to marry her, Shanhai Group should rightfully be ours together.”

He’s gone mad! Completely mad!

Chen Yu Ze was so shocked he couldn’t speak. He simply couldn’t understand how Rong Xiu, who was decisive and ruthless in the business world, could willingly hand over a group worth hundreds of billions to an outsider.

Fan Xia, she truly was a formidable character.

Chen Yu Ze was shocked and chilled, but his curiosity about Fan Xia also rose to an unprecedented level. No, he must thoroughly investigate her.

In the evening, when Fan Xia returned home, Wen Lan Sheng had already prepared dinner and was waiting for her to come back.

“Xia Xia, was work tiring today? I heard from colleagues at the company that there was a medical disturbance at Jingyang District Hospital, is that true?” Wen Lan Sheng took the briefcase from Fan Xia’s hand and took out slippers from the shoe cabinet for her to change into.

“Don’t spread this around, it will affect the company’s stock price,” Fan Xia said.

“I know, that’s why I waited specially for you to come back before asking,” Wen Lan Sheng hooked her sleeve, his ink-black eyes showing a hint of coquettishness. He planted a kiss on her cheek and said coyly, “Did you miss me today?”

Fan Xia smiled and said, “Of course I missed you.”

Wen Lan Sheng smiled with satisfaction: “That’s good. Go change your clothes quickly, it’s time for dinner.”

Fan Xia nodded: “Alright.”

She entered the bedroom. Clean home clothes were neatly arranged on the bed, with a faint scent of incense. Not just the bedroom, the whole house had been cleaned spotless by him. There was even a bouquet of ginger flowers in the vase on the living room coffee table. The milky white bouquet emitted a rich fragrance, and the simple decoration made the whole home feel cozy.