Chapter 312 - I Think What Manager Luo Means Is That You and I Are Good Friends
Chapter 312: I Think What Manager Luo Means Is That You and I Are Good Friends
Qi Chenglin looked at the screen and leaned in closer to Qi Youxuan and Ruan Danchen. Qi Chenglin’s head was gently rested against Ruan Danchen’s.
Before she could retreat, Qi Youxuan said, “Say cheese! I’m gonna take the photo now!”
Ruan Danchen’s instinctively smiled as a response. Then came the shutter-like sound.
Qi Youxuan looked at his photo contentedly because it looked like they were a complete family.
He tapped on the screen and sent the photo to his phone through multimedia messaging.
“Is it okay if you send it to me too?” Ruan Danchen asked softly.
She really wanted the picture because it was her first photograph with Qi Youxuan.
Qi Chenglin took back the phone and looked at her. “I’ll add you on WeChat and send it to you.”
Ruan Danchen paused before laughing dryly. “Well, actually, Young Master Lin, you can send it to me through SMS.”
“Multimedia messages are too expensive.” Qi Chenglin said in his monotonous expression.
His reply rendered Ruan Danchen speechless.
It was peculiar for the Qi family’s second eldest grandson to say that sending a multimedia message was too expensive.
Upon seeing her unsettled expression, Qi Youxuan explained, “Aunt Ruan, it’s the truth. My great-grandparents taught my father to be wise with money, and my grandparents taught me the same thing too.”
Ruan Danchen did not feel that Qi Youxuan was making it up since the clothes he usually wore were usually inexpensive. She also frequently saw him wearing clothes that were a size bigger. Many older folks felt that kids grew fast, so buying a size up would allow the child to wear those clothes for a slightly longer time.
Qi Chenglin tapped on the screen, and after a while, said, “I’ve sent my request. Go accept it.”
She hesitated as could not possibly pretend not to have seen it whilst he was right in front of her. Left with no other choice, she accepted his request.
Having received the notification, his face softened as he was pleased.
A few seconds later, Ruan Danchen received the pictures he sent.
She tapped to open them. Although Qi Chenglin was not smiling, his facial features were gentle. Even she smiled warmly, but Qi Youxuan’s smile was the happiest of them all. His eyes reduced to thin slits.
The picture really seemed to portray a genuine family of three. Ruan Danchen smiled uncontrollably when she looked at it and felt as though she was going to cry.
Her soft fingers glazed across the photo on her phone screen. She would have never expected that she would one day have the chance to be photographed alongside Qi Youxuan and Qi Chenglin.
The Qi Youxuan inside the picture was lively and adorable, yet she had missed out on six years of his life—she was his mother, but she did not have the chance to raise him.
At that moment, her heart was filled with regret, so much so that she deemed herself to be unworthy of receiving the affection Qi Youxuan showed her.
She closed her eyes and forced her tears back down. She made sure to store the picture alongside the picture of Qi Youxuan’s new hairstyle that Qi Chenglin sent her some time ago.
Under Qi Youxuan’s insistence and supervision, Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin pushed the car forward.
Bumping into each other was inevitable when they walked together like that. Their closeness with each other gave the impression that they were truly a family of three walking around a supermarket.
“Wait a minute,” Qi Youxuan blurted after walking for some time.
Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin both stopped.
They saw Qi Youxuan’s pointing his finger at a box of imported oats. The boy’s comprehension of English was not great, so he did not understand it too well. He said, “Aunt Ruan. Look at that big box over there. It’s so colorful and pretty. What is it? It looks delicious.”
Ruan Danchen looked at it and replied, “They’re oats. I think they contain some dried fruit too.”
“Can you take it down for me to look?” Qi Youxuan stretched his arms and tried anxiously to reach the box of oats.
Ruan Danchen tiptoed and stretched her arms out as much as she could to no avail.
All of a sudden, a strong and exceptionally sturdy chest was pressed against her back. Qi Chenglin’s body was emitting a searing heat that turned her ears red.
Ruan Danchen quivered and overlooked the possible consequences when she turned around instinctively due to shock. She met head-on with Qi Chenglin’s face, and her lips nearly touched his.
She inhaled sharply but felt that he was leaning too close to her. His lips were just below her eyes and they looked stern. He remained aloof and unconcerned with this stony expression.
She saw him looking at her and wiggling his brows.
Speechless, Ruan Danchen had no idea what to do next. He leaned into her too abruptly, and it was much too close and suggestive.
She turned back at once, but for some reason, Qi Chenglin leaned even closer. His lips came into brief contact with the corner of her eyes.
A shiver came over Ruan Danchen and the corner of her eye felt numbingly hot. She wanted to look behind and see what was going on, but at the same time, she was afraid to move too much. Qi Chenglin then placed his left hand on the shelf and trapped her from behind. By then, Ruan Danchen was almost fully pressed against the shelf.
Her ear and nape burned from Qi Chenglin’s warm breaths. Her back was practically in full contact with his chest and she was barely able to move.
She then saw Qi Chenglin raise her right hand up to reach for the topmost shelf. After taking the box of oats, he even rubbed against her from behind, though Ruan Danchen did not know whether it was intentional.
Her mind blanked out immediately when she realized that his groin was rubbing against her buttocks. She began trembling involuntarily due to the tension.
It was incredibly brief, as she eventually felt Qi Chenglin withdraw.
Ruan Danchen closed her eyes and held on firmly to the shelf.
“Aunt Ruan, do you want to get those snacks? If you do, you can put them in the trolley. My dad’s treat, don’t worry,” Qi Youxuan’s crisp voice appeared all of a sudden.
It was then that Ruan Danchen realized how ridiculous she looked right then, like a mentally impaired person. Her brain felt like it had suffered a huge blow and exploded.
She blushed and felt incredibly embarrassed. After taking a few steps back and standing upright, she turned and noticed Qi Chenglin standing barely a foot away from her. Looking incredibly dashing in his suit, his expression remained cool, as though he did not feel her up earlier.
Ruan Danchen began to doubt herself after seeing his calm demeanor, perhaps she simply misunderstood his actions?
“Aunt Ruan, aren’t you going to buy it?” Qi Youxuan wondered. Ruan Danchen’s entire body was leaning forward against the shelf, and her hesitance made it seem like she really wanted to eat them.
Ruan Danchen twitched her lips embarrassedly and cooked up an excuse, “I leaned over to have a closer look, and it’s not really something I would like to eat.”
Qi Youxuan nodded and did not appear to doubt her one bit. He simply nudged the two adults to continue walking.
Along the way, Qi Youxuan took the opportunity to ask for various snacks, but Qi Chenglin refused to get any of them.
The breakfast oats they took just now were healthy, so it was alright to buy them for him. As for other fattening foods, Qi Chenglin only agreed to buy a few—even chocolate was limited to one small box. Drinks like fruit juices and Cola were all sternly rejected.
Their visit to the snacks section yielded only a few measly items. The little boy pouted and said, “Dad, why are you so petty toward your own son? This is my first time inside a supermarket. Can’t you grant some of my wishes? I don’t even know if this will be my last time here!”
Qi Chenglin was speechless and his face soured. He could not understand how he managed to raise such a blabbermouth of a son. “Stop it with that nonsense! You want to slim down, right? You’re gonna have to cut down on all the junk foods. You’re lucky I’m even willing to buy them for you to satisfy your cravings. If you keep asking for it, you’re won’t be allowed to eat rice tonight. You’ll only be given fresh vegetables and salads. After you’re done, you can go to sleep.”
Qi Youxuan fell silent after hearing that. That night marked a rare occasion as he was able to taste Ruan Danchen’s cooking, but Qi Chenglin seemed to be adamant about hoarding it all for himself, not sharing the joy with his son. “Hmph! Don’t come up with excuses just so you can eat all of Aunt Ruan’s food yourself. I won’t fall for your tricks! Keep dreaming, Dad. I won’t let you get the chance!”
Qi Chenglin scoffed and uttered coldly, “Then don’t complain that you have too little snacks. You’re not allowed to eat any of these before dinner tonight. You can only eat them half an hour after dinner, and only one bag a week.”
“Dad, are you torturing a little kid?” Qi Youxuan puffed up his cheeks. “This is not allowed, that is not allowed. Forget it then. It’s just too much for me to see all those snacks and be unable to eat them!”
“Do you want to know the true meaning of torture?” Qi Chenglin cocked a brow. His slender fingers reached in the trolley, picked up the two bags, then placed them back on the shelf. “If you don’t want to eat them, then so be it.”
There was not a lot of snacks to start with, and with Qi Chenglin putting back them back, the little boy became frantic. His face was so anxious that it turned red, but he could not bring himself to beg his father.
All of the Qi family’s males were concerned about how they appeared to others.
A small box of chocolates was all that was left in the trolley, and Qi Chenglin wanted to pick it up and throw them back to the shelf. The boy was upset and agitated but maintained his stubborn and unwillingness to give in. Ruan Danchen was incredibly heartbroken.
At that point, she could not care less about the pressure that Qi Chenglin gave. Her courage as a mother spurred her to grab hold of Qi Chenglin’s arm with both her hands. She immediately snatched the box of chocolates from him and placed them back into the trolley.
She then turned to Qi Youxuan and advised, “Youxuan, your dad wants the best for you. If you’re just a little slimmer, you’d be more handsome than you are now. You’re already really handsome now, but if you’re slimmer by that tiny bit, you would be unmatched in kindergarten.”
While Ruan Danchen waited at the kindergarten entrance earlier, she had a rough idea of his character after seeing his interaction with Little Muran and another friend.
Qi Youxuan was surprisingly mature for his age.
Ruan Danchen’s words struck him deep in his heart.
Startled, Qi Youxuan asked in astonishment, “Really?”
“Really.” Ruan Danchen nodded and sneaked those two bags that Qi Chenglin had taken away back into the trolley. “You can have snacks, but they must be taken in moderation. You can eat them sometimes as your dad says. Once a week is good enough. Eating these things every day will not only make you fat. They’re bad for your health too. When you finish them, I’ll bring you to the supermarket and let you choose your favorite snacks again. Is that okay?”
“Really? You’ll bring me again next time?” Qi Youxuan was so happy that his grape-like eyes lit up considerably. He wanted to seize the opportunity to keep in touch with Ruan Danchen.
Seeing how gleeful and happy he was from hearing her words, Ruan Danchen felt an aching tinge of regret in her heart. Touching his head softly, she smiled, “Yes. I promise. You have my phone number, right? If you’ve finished eating them, you can call me. I’ll bring you here.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized that it was a bit inappropriate, so she immediately turned to Qi Chenglin and asked, “Young Master Lin, is that okay?”
Qi Chenglin cocked a brow but gazed toward the part of his arm that Ruan Danchen held earlier when she ‘acted outside the norm’.
Ruan Danchen felt embarrassed because she somehow understood what he was trying to say. She looked down awkwardly and felt nervous. She had no idea how she managed to summon up the courage earlier.
Only then did Qi Chenglin nod. “Yes.”
Qi Youxuan’s eyes were glimmering brightly when Ruan Danchen extended her pinky. She bent it slightly and said, “Then it’s a deal. Pinky swear.”
To her surprise, Qi Youxuan looked at her slightly disdainfully. He even had a proud expression on his face as he said, “Aunt Ruan, the only reason I’m doing such a childish thing is out of respect for you. I don’t do this ordinarily because I’m not a two- or three-year-old baby.”
Ruan Danchen was lost for words.
She giggled and began retracting her hand embarrassedly. Realizing how little she understood him, she was slightly angry at herself in her heart.
Before she retracted, however, Qi Youxuan grasped her little finger. A hint of anxiousness was visible in his little face. “I didn’t say we won’t pinky swear.”
With that, the two of them made a pinky swear and sealed the promise by touching their thumbs together. She then pushed him in the trolley and continued their shopping.
Ruan Danchen felt like she was bringing kids to the supermarket—Qi Youxuan was one, as was Qi Chenglin who never went supermarket shopping before.
Qi Chenglin was very curious about everything, and in the end, the three of them spent nearly two hours in the supermarket just to finish what they came for—to buy some groceries.
After waiting in line at the cashier, Qi Chenglin paid and carried everything. He did not want to trouble Ruan Danchen. Although he was dressed in a suit, both of his hands were filled with bags of various sizes. Spring onions even protruded from one of them, making him look homely and much more approachable, weakening his imposing figure.
Ruan Danchen was holding Qi Youxuan’s hand, and when the three of them searched for the exit to the carpark, they passed by a row of checkout counters. On one of them, a middle-aged man—who had a beer belly and thinning hair—was standing right outside. He looked as though he was waiting for his wife to finish her payment at the counters.
That man was someone Ruan Danchen recognized.
“General Manager Qi!” Luo Yushu’s eyes darted around in boredom while he waited for his wife to pay for the groceries. He soon regretted letting himself wander around, for he did not expect to meet his general manager—the Qi family’s second young master—in a place so down-to-earth.
Qi Chenglin’s eyes narrowed. He actually felt embarrassed when Luo Yushu saw him like that.
However, within two seconds, Qi Chenglin calmed down and nodded solemnly at Luo Yushu. Qi Chenglin stopped and asked plainly, “Buying stuff at the supermarket?”
“Yes, yes. I accompanied my wife and daughter to pick up some things.” Luo Yushu then asked hastily, “Hehe, General Manager Qi, you brought your son to buy stuff too?”
Qi Chenglin uttered, “Mm,” and continued, “Buying some groceries to cook at home.”
Luo Yushu’s sharpness led him to notice Ruan Danchen, who at that point was holding Qi Youxuan’s little hand.
He knew Ruan Danchen too because of Qilin’s collaboration with Chengshi. The director’s wife was an employee of Chengshi, and as the best friend to the director’s wife, Ruan Danchen was no stranger to Luo Yushu. Even though the two of them did not interact much with each other.
‘Why was Ruan Danchen holding hands with Qi Youxuan?’
‘And why in the world is Qi Chenglin carrying so many groceries?’
‘He said he was going home to cook dinner. Did this mean he was in a relationship with Ruan Danchen?’
Luo Yushu was flabbergasted. ‘How lucky Chengshi is to have two of their employees become Mrs. Qi?’
“Hehe, so it seems Miss Ruan is our general manager’s…” Luo Yushu left the sentence hanging and said, “Miss Ruan keeps a really, really low-profile. Hehe.”
Luo Yushu did not have any doubts that she would become the wife of the Qi family’s second eldest grandson. After all, there was never any word of the general manager dating anyone, and it was probably not easy for a woman to suddenly appear alongside him. The general manager was not young and was definitely rushing to get married, so naturally, he was serious when it came to his relationship.
Interestingly, Ruan Danchen appeared to have a wonderful relationship with Qi Youxuan. It was amazing that she could overcome the hurdle of winning over that young boy.
Even more intriguing was how the general manager did not try to hide anything at all. If he could say that openly, then he must surely be serious toward Ruan Danchen, and their relationship had probably reached that stage already.
Ruan Danchen glared at Qi Chenglin. There was nothing wrong with what he said and how he said it, but it was still possible that they would cause a misunderstanding!
The man beside her did not have any self-realization at all. He just stood calmly after finishing his words, with no intention of correcting Luo Yushu’s misunderstanding whatsoever.
“Manager Luo, I’m actually…” Ruan Danchen tried to explain.
“Hehe, Miss Ruan, I understand. Don’t worry. I’m not a gossipy person. I won’t go around telling anyone. You have to keep it low in Chengshi right? No wonder you’re best friends with our director’s wife. You’re both low-profile people who don’t like using status to intimidate people. Don’t worry, don’t worry.” Luo Yushu smiled as he spoke. He waved his hands about and gave his word that he would not tell.
“No, Manager Luo…”
“Hehe, Miss Ruan, just call me Xiao Luo. There’s no need to call me manager or anything like that. I feel a bit pressured when you call me that,” Manager Luo said immediately. He shook his hands and head in fear and trepidation. “Hehe, General Manager Qi, Miss Ruan, Little Master Qi, my wife is done. I won’t bother you both any longer. Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”
After completing his sentence, he did not wait for Ruan Danchen’s explanation. He turned around, waved his hand before leaving with his wife and daughter.
Ruan Danchen did not know what to say.
“Young Master Lin.” Ruan Danchen mustered the courage to ask, albeit timidly, “It isn’t good that Manager Luo misunderstood, right?”
Qi Chenglin glanced at her and fired back another question, “What did he misunderstand?”
Ruan Danchen was baffled. She thought about it and realized that Luo Yushu did not explicitly mention the kind of relationship she had with Qi Chenglin. At that point, she did not know how to respond.
“He didn’t make it clear, but his demeanor, it was like…like I’m… like you and me…” Ruan Danchen was incredibly mortified. Luo Yushu did not actually say it, and if she was the one who did say it, it would make her look like she was thick-faced and thought highly of herself.
What if the shameless Qi Chenglin faked ignorance just to use that to make fun of her?
“I think what Manager Luo means is that you and I are good friends,” Qi Chenglin said in all seriousness.
Ruan Danchen could not respond to that.
She really wanted to ask, ‘Hehe, you think you can fool anyone with that, Qi Chenglin?’
She made the decision to keep quiet, as she was so exasperated from Qi Chenglin’s shamelessness that her insides were hurting.
After walking for some time, Qi Chenglin noticed that Ruan Danchen was being quiet. His deep voice boomed as he asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Ruan Danchen glared at Qi Chenglin, and all she wanted to say was, ‘There’s no way I can interact with someone as shameless as you.’
Bonus scene:
Jiang Yuan, “Manager Luo, Young Master Lin says you did well today. If you can keep it up, he’ll consider giving you some bonuses at the end of the year.
Lup Yushu, “Really? Special Assistant Jiang, you have to tell Young Master Lin not to worry. I’ll continue to work hard and be of use to the Qi family’s wives. I guarantee Miss Ruan…no, Young Master Lin’s wife, will be happy. She can call me if she needs anything.”
Jiang Yuan, “Manager Luo, you have a bright future.”
Luo Yushu, “Hehe, aww shucks…”
Old man, “How about I give you an award for being the most outstanding male supporting cast?”
Luo Yushu, “Then would you let me appear more?”
Old man, “I’ll think about it.”