The events that followed took an unexpected turn.
After spending two days at Worm's place, I obediently went to work on Monday with my head held low. However...
Ren Han was absent from the Monday meeting.
He didn't show up on Tuesday either.
Nor on Wednesday...
Or Thursday...
Rumors started to circulate.
Colleague A: "Have you heard? It seems like Ren Han is about to resign."
Colleague B: "What? No way! I've only seen his rumors with Jiao Jiao, the famous singer, on TV. Ah, I always knew Ren was a rich young master, but I never imagined he was the heir of the Ren Group. Ah! If I had known earlier, I would have pursued him."
Colleague C: "You must have been living under a rock. Look at Bai Ning from the editing department. Isn't she the perfect example? As soon as that Jiao Jiao appeared, she was abandoned."
Colleague B: "Yeah, it's so pitiful."
Colleague A: "But Ren Han is being ruthless. He's resigning without even informing Bai Ning. I wonder if they had any discussion about it?"
...
In the editing department, everyone anxiously stared at me. "Xiao Ningzi, what's really going on between you two? Xiao Xiao couldn't even reach Ren Han, and Big Boss is going crazy because Ren Han hasn't come to work these past few days."
Xiao Fu jie pushed her keyboard aside and leaned in closer to me. "Ren Han has vanished into thin air, just like that. Bai Ning, are you genuinely not worried, or are you pretending not to be?"
Xiao Wei: "Xiao Ningzi, you... you mustn't believe everything you see on TV..."
"Are you all free? Don't you have anything to do?" Just as I was speaking, our boss, Li Ziru, came out of the office with a stack of documents, and everyone immediately scattered like birds.
Boss Li leisurely walked over and slammed the stack of documents in front of me. He said solemnly, "Go back and tell that guy, all the work for these four days is piled up here. If he doesn't come back to handle it, his year-end bonus will be deducted." He paused and then grinned, showing his teeth. "That's what the big boss said."
I clicked my tongue and glanced at the documents in front of me. They were all the work that had piled up in the journalism department and needed approval from Ren Han. "But why do I have to deliver them?" I know where Ren Han lives, but I'm not the only one. He has a dedicated secretary, and what about those elite journalists from the department?
As I said those words, the boss's face turned dark. He pushed his gold-rimmed glasses and said, "Bai Ning, "The company is giving you such a high-sounding reason to go find Ren Han, you are not taking advantage of it, instead you want to act coy."
I trembled in fear at the boss's last threatening remark, quickly grabbed the files, and rushed to Ren Han's house. It was about time to make a decision. At the very least, I need to pack my belongings and take Ultraman back home.
If our relationship truly fell apart, one of us had to leave the magazine company. I thought that person should be me.
Arriving at Ren Han's house, I didn't knock on the door. I directly used the key to unlock it.
As expected, the first one to pounce on me was still Ultraman. After not seeing me for a few days, the little guy became extremely clingy. He kept licking my face until it was covered in saliva, then contentedly wagged his tail and sat aside.
I changed my shoes, hesitating whether someone inside the house would have heard the commotion and come out. But when I looked up, I saw Qi Qi standing at the entrance with her arms crossed, wearing a cold smile.
"Oh, isn't this Miss Bai? What a rare guest."
Since my breakup with Ren Han, Qi Qi's attitude towards me has taken a complete 180-degree turn. She went from calling me 'sister-in-law' to addressing me as 'Miss Bai.' Although it felt strange, I maintained a cold expression and replied, "I came to deliver some files to VP Ren. Manager Li asked me to pass along a message, saying that the company hasn't been able to find VP Ren for the past few days and is urging him to return as soon as possible. Also--"
I gritted my teeth and paused for a moment. Then I confidently raised my hand and arched my eyebrows, saying, "I came back to pack my things and pick up Ultraman." It's not me who did something wrong, not me who cheated and betrayed. Why should I be afraid of you, Ren Han? Why should I endure your sister's sarcasm?
I stared at Qiqi with sharp eyes, catching her off guard. She probably didn't expect this gentle little kitty to fight back one day. After a brief pause, she regained her composure and smirked, "Ha, sure! Packing your luggage? Be my guest! It's even better if you take Ultraman with you. That way, I won't have to run back and forth between the hospital and home everyday to take care of his needs."
As I was about to stride past Qiqi towards the bedroom, I heard the words "hospital" and my heart clenched tightly. I suddenly stopped in my tracks and turned around to ask, "What do you mean?"
Qiqi shrugged, "What do you think it means? If you're packing your clothes, remember to pack some for my brother too. After all, you lived with him for a while, so you know better than me where his underwear, clothes, and pants are. I'll take them to the hospital for him."
Upon hearing her words, my heart tightened, almost wringing out all the water. "Ren Han is sick?" I knew he couldn't be so irrational just because of relationship issues. Skipping work and everything, it must be because he's sick.
"Is it serious? What illness? Which hospital?"
... As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I regretted it.
Damn it, old habits die hard. Ultraman clings to his benefactor like a dog, but what's the situation now? Why should I still care about him? And why does he deserve my concern?
Qiqi sighed and sat on the sofa, looking at me. I felt a bit awkward and wished I could disappear into thin air.
"Bai Ning, do you know how much effort my brother put in for you? You condemned him without knowing the reasons and condemned him to the 18th level of hell. It was on the night of the marriage proposal too, anyone else would have collapsed."
I kept silent and didn't say anything.
Qiqi poured two cups of tea and gestured for me to sit down. With a calm demeanor, she said, "My brother has had such bad luck. Since he chose someone, it's either his hand gets injured, or his foot swells up. But this time, it's worse. He had internal stomach bleeding and had to be hospitalized."
"Internal stomach bleeding?" I paused, grinding my teeth. This Demon King, really... He never listens to anyone! Shortly after I moved in, I discovered that he had gastritis. Every time it flared up, his face would turn pale, and he would be drenched in sweat. The most infuriating thing is that he would grit his teeth and refuse to take medicine.
Later, when I met Qiqi, I learned that this Demon King rarely eats breakfast and often neglects dinner when he gets busy. Combined with his frequent drinking, staying up late, and smoking, both Qiqi and I privately referred to his stomach as the "diamond stomach." But even the strongest diamond stomach can develop perforation one day.
When I was with him, I begged him like I was praying to the Buddha to have breakfast and dinner. Now, it hasn't even been a week since I left... Hmph! Serves him right!
I touched my nose. "You take good care of him. I'll inform the company about his illness so that the big boss doesn't worry." With that, I stood up to leave, but Qiqi exclaimed, "That's it? You're just leaving him completely to me? Elder sister, I still have to make an announcement!"
I was at a loss. "But he's your brother--"
"He's your husband, isn't he?"
I was completely stunned by her counter-question, unable to utter a word, while Qiqi stood with her hands on her hips and continued, "Bai Ning, if you think of escaping at this critical moment, don't think my brother will let you off. My father, my mother, my grandmother, and our family's housekeeper won't let you off either!"
I choked and was speechless, wondering what kind of family they were.
Qiqi patted my shoulder, pulling me back to sit down again. She said, "Forget it. My brother is so introverted that if he tries to explain, he probably won't have a chance even in his next life. Let me be the queen of truth."
The Truth Queen took a sip of tea and began to speak gently: "Actually, the last time Ren Han went on a business trip to England, he also visited my mother's family. You know, in a large family like ours, there's always this kind of trouble. The relationships are so indifferent, yet they put on a pretense of mutual sympathy. During that visit, my older brother firmly refused the foreign daughter-in-law while proposing to marry you. Naturally, the family wouldn't agree due to the interests of the business. So, as the crown prince of the Ren family, my brother agreed to do what he could for the family."
I blinked and murmured to myself, "Do what he could..." The so-called "do what he could" probably meant doing something extremely difficult. It's surprising that Ren Han kept it a secret from me, and it's even more surprising how casually Qiqi revealed it.
Qiqi continued in a clear voice, "What he could do was what you witnessed. Outsiders only think that the Ren family is wealthy and powerful, but they never knew that our biggest shareholder is my mother's family. The British side values Jiao Jiao's popularity in China these past two years and sees her as someone with great potential. They want to bring her over and promote her as an international movie star. But as you know, when a singer changes record labels, there are both risks and benefits. Either they become hugely successful or they falter. In order to use some gimmicks, the family asked the crown prince to play a role."
I widened my eyes, shocked and unable to digest the truth she just revealed. "Act... acting? So you mean that..."
"Yes," Qiqi nodded calmly, "In order to be with you, my brother agreed to help the company create some buzz and deliberately acted in front of the paparazzi to take some photos."
╮(╯﹏╰)╭
I was speechless and couldn't find words to describe my current feelings. I slammed the table in anger and exclaimed, "Why didn't you consult me beforehand?!"
Qiqi smiled awkwardly, "If we had consulted you, would you have agreed? Who would agree to let their fiancé embrace and show affection to another woman?"
In an instant, tears streamed down my face, unsure whether I should be relieved that Ren Han, the Demon King, didn't betray me, or to be disgusted with him for kissing another woman.
"Brother has had it tough. After completing the family's task, he immediately proposed, but unexpectedly faced rejection for the first time in his life. Pitying his plight, he learned that someone thought he didn't love her enough, choosing to cheat on him instead of choosing him. He drowned his sorrows in alcohol all night, resulting in a stomach perforation. Haha!"
My nails dug into my thigh as I stared at Ultraman, who was drooling beside me, my face turning red.
So, in the end, Ren Han became the lovesick man and resentful husband, while I became the unfaithful wife who strayed outside the marriage?
"But..." I was still searching for excuses for myself. "But he shouldn't have treated me like this either. He couldn't hide it from me forever, right? One day, I would have found out about his affair with Jiao Jiao."
Qiqi: "On the night of the proposal, didn't my brother plan to seduce you with beauty and reveal the truth while you were in a daze? But you didn't give him a chance! Later, you went crazy and he spent the whole night looking for you. Who was the one dragging their ex-boyfriend and saying things like getting back together, claiming he loved you more, leaving my brother speechless? Huh? Oh... speaking of which, someone seems to have never explained her relationship with Bo Xi to my brother!"
I felt extremely embarrassed as I looked at Qiqi, who was smiling brightly in front of me. I instantly felt that genetics were truly a miraculous thing. That smile, that gaze... no matter how you looked at it, it was wicked and hair-raising, just like her older brother.
OTZ
I... I had a premonition that the days ahead wouldn't be easy for me.
It seemed that I couldn't escape the potential for a disaster.
~Thank You for Reading, Please Comment Below~
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