Can't Say It Aloud
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Yang Chen took his phone over and had a look. It was a call from a stranger’s number. Curious, he picked up the call.
“Is this Yang Chen?” a girl’s voice resounded.
Yang Chen got shocked slightly. He couldn’t remember whom the voice belonged to. After thinking for a moment, he finally recalled. It was Abbess Yun Miao’s voice!
Regarding this junior sister of Song Tianxing, Yang Chen didn’t dare to be overly intimate with her, but not overly cold as well, since Song Tianxing could be considered as half his master. When Yang Chen left them earlier, he thought that he’d never have any connection with them anymore. He didn’t expect that she’d take the initiative to contact him. He felt surprised and a little bit upset.
“Abbess Yun Miao, I thought that I wouldn’t have any interaction with you anymore in this life,” Yang Chen said slowly.
“Humph,” Abbess Yun Miao groaned coldly. She said, “Yang Chen, back then, I promised Senior Brother Song to take good care of you. Did you think that I was joking?”
“Abbess, I’m not even Son Tianxing’s disciple officially. Although I respect and feel thankful to him, what does it have to do with you?” Yang Chen asked.
“Since you practiced Endless Resolve Restoration Scripture, that means you’re the inheritor of Shushan. According to seniority, you’re my nephew disciple. How am I not related?”
Weren’t you and Lin Zhiguo the ones who pushed Song Tianxing into fire pit? Yang Chen thought angrily. However, he couldn’t express his anger. Otherwise this old woman would have lots of excuses to look for his trouble. Since he respected Song Tianxing, he couldn’t just approach her and slice her head off.
“Abbess, Yellow Flame Iron Brigade should be busy trying to catch the two Jinnins from Yamata Sect. How is an expert like you so free?”
“Humph,” Abbess Yun Miao groaned in despise. “I don’t care what the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade does. Being a member of Group of Eight, I can choose to stay out of the activity. Furthermore, I have no interest in working together with people like Lin Zhiguo. I’m calling you today to remind you of something.”
Yang Chen asked, “What is it?”
“I said this before. I want to let Hui Lin be your wife!”
Yang Chen got shocked. The shy and beautiful lady Hui Lin started showing up in his mind. Although she was stunning, she wasn’t someone who could belong to him just by simply opening his mouth.
“Abbess, I’ve only met Young Master Hui Lin once. Why do you want her to be my wife? Can’t you take your own granddaughter into consideration? Her life-long blessing isn’t something to be taken lightly for,” Yang Chen advised.
“I won’t allow my own granddaughter to suffer! Old people can judge a man most accurately no matter what!”
Yang Chen smiled in contempt. You still judged me wrongly, he thought.
“Ahem, ahem…” Yang Chen coughed. He said, “Abbess, forget about it. Wives are not clothes or pants. I can’t change them whenever I want. I’ll accept your acknowledgement, but you may keep the person with you.”
“Why won’t you accept the offer? Do you think that Hui Lin is inferior to Lin Ruoxi?!” Yun Miao asked angrily.
“You can’t phrase it this way. I’ve always thought that Young Master Hui Lin is excellent. But since Ruoxi and I got married for this long and could finally stabilize, I won’t simply swap her out. This act will seem irresponsible not only to Ruoxi, but to Hui Lin as well. Furthermore, I don’t even know what kind of person Hui Lin is. She doesn’t know who I truly am as well,” Yang Chen said.
Stubbornly, Yun Miao asked, “Does it mean that Lin Ruoxi knows that? You’ve always hidden your true identity to face the people around you. You’re only making an excuse. Since I decided to let my granddaughter be your wife, I naturally have thought it through. You mustn’t push my offer away!”
“One would rather tear a bridge down instead of breaking a marriage. I couldn’t agree with this statement more. Abbess, why are you not giving up?” Yang Chen asked, frowning.
Yun Miao replied smilingly, “I didn’t say I wanted to tear the bridge down. I just want to change the shore before it’s fully built.”
“There’s no feelings between me and Hui Lin. How do you expect it to turn out well when she directly steps in between me and Ruoxi?!”
Yun Miao explained, “Are you telling me that you married Lin Ruoxi because you two were in love? According to my understanding, that isn’t the case.”
“Abbess Yun Miao, say it however you want. I won’t accept your offer,” Yang Chen said.
Yun Miao thought for a while before saying, “Alright, then I’ll ask you one last question. If you can answer me with complete honesty, I’ll give up what I have in mind.”
“Ask,” Yang Chen said as he slowly got nervous.
“Do you think that Lin Ruoxi loves you?”
Lin Ruoxi, does she love me?! he thought. This question came out too abruptly. Yang Chen hadn’t thought of this question before. He was totally unprepared to answer it.
“If you tell me that she loves you, then I’ll stop bothering you two.”
At this moment, Yang Chen felt like his mind went blank. Countless scenes replayed in this mind, like reels started to unroll themselves. Sentence by sentence, he started contemplating…
“Do you really think that I’m willing to marry you?!”
“If you cooperate with me, within three years, at most three years, we can part ways when my business starts to stabilize. We won’t have any responsibility for each other…”
“Don’t think that I’d be willing to bring you there. You’re such a shameless person…”
“I’ll pay you a huge sum of compensation. It’ll be much more than what you can earn selling mutton skewers in your entire life!”
“I, Lin Ruoxi, am extremely decisive. I won’t go against my words. You just have to obediently put up a show with me for three years. Just don’t cause me any trouble.”
“I won’t ever follow the stupid rule of Lin family! Once the contract expires, I won’t force you to stay by my side. At that time, you’re free to decide whether to leave or stay!”
“You’re so embarrassing! Go away! I don’t want to see you!”
…
Yang Chen got very confused. He didn’t know how to answer this question.
Yun Miao started speaking again, “What is it? You can’t say it aloud, can you?”
Yang Chen contemplated for a while. He said softly, “This has nothing to do with Hui Lin.”
“How is she irrelevant? This relates directly to my granddaughter’s happiness for the rest of her life! It’s also the only wish I have for the rest of my life,” Yun Miao said loudly. “I already decided to let Hui Lin move to Zhonghai next month.”
“What?!” Yang Chen couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, you heard it right. Next month, Hui Lin will find you in Zhonghai alone. This will be her entry to the world of cultivation. Regarding how her journey would end up, no one call tell at the moment. I only asked her to find you at Zhonghai. How she’ll do there will depend on your arrangements. I only have one request. You mustn’t mistreat her in any way. Otherwise I’ll help her revenge even if it costs my life!” Yun Miao shouted on phone.
Yang Chen almost cried on the bed. What arrangements can I make? She’s coming next month, alone! How am I supposed to arrange her schedule? I can’t let her help out at Rose’s place like Chen Rong, can I? She can’t possibly mix with gangsters, he thought.
“That’s all I want to say. Keep in touch.”
“Wait, wait!” Yang Chen wanted to decline the offer, but Abbess Yun Miao had already ended the call.
Yang Chen threw his phone away, sitting on his bed as he felt helpless. As he thought that the lady cultivator Hui Lin would suddenly appear by his side in a month’s time, his head would ache intensely.
However, the question that Abbess Yun Miao asked earlier started spinning in his mind once again, causing him difficulty to take an afternoon nap.
Losing the mood to take a rest, Yang Chen didn’t plan to force himself to sleep. He then sat on his bed and started watching television until Wang Ma asked him for dinner in the evening.
When he walked downstairs, he saw Lin Ruoxi who was chewing her food slowly as usual. She only nodded lightly when Yang Chen sat down.
Sitting opposite of Lin Ruoxi, Yang Chen stared at her silently.
Lin Ruoxi seemed uncomfortable as a result of Yang Chen’s gaze. Frowning, she said, “Start eating.”
“Ruoxi, are we a married couple?” Yang Chen asked.
Lin Ruoxi’s actions got stiff as confusion filled her eyes. She looked at Yang Chen silently with a weird expression. After a while, she asked, “Did anything happen?”
Yang Chen felt rather upset in his heart. Forcing a smile, he replied, “Nope, nothing happened. I was just thinking how much more time there is before the contract expires.”
Lin Ruoxi’s hands which were holding a bowl and a pair of chopsticks shook lightly. Looking expressionless, she replied, “Oh,” before continuing her meal.
Yang Chen shook his head before taking a bowl and filling it up with rice.
Seated for dinner, the two of them both had something in mind. They had no idea what they ate.