Chapter 41: Red Rose

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【When was the moment you realized that a rational person was actually a romantic fool?】

A highly-upvoted question appeared on the internet. Lin Yiwei sat by the kitchen island, listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, and casually edited her response:

Weifeng: "When a wealthy young master, who stands to inherit billions in the future, woke up groggy in the morning and asked me to be his girlfriend."

Within two minutes, her response was liked and followed by comments:

"The original poster has a story to tell; I'm camping on this thread."
"It's not infidelity, is it?"
"I want to see the story of a rich boy falling in love with me, even if it is infidelity, I still want to see it."
"Can the original poster elaborate?"
……

Since answers on this platform were often a mix of truth and fiction, with many being pure novel-like stories, she didn't fear answering. She continued to post: "The rich boy holds absolute dominance. He breaks up when he wants and reconciles when he wants. I have little say in the matter."

"Ah, what a disgrace to women."
"OP, show some backbone!"
"What era is this? OP, you aren't a 'pampered wife' type, are you?"
"I'd rather believe this is fiction."

Weifeng: "The breakup fee starts at seven figures. Every time we break up, I get paid."

"Backbone? I feel like we can do without that."
"Breaking up and getting back together is quite nice, hahahaha." "What kind of new get-rich-quick scheme is this?"

Lin Yiwei lay back on the sofa, unable to help but laugh.

She sometimes liked to post playful content online; since no one took it seriously anyway, this was perhaps one of her few forms of entertainment. The more restrained and repressed she was in reality, the more uninhibited she became online.

Xie Bo emerged from the bathroom, and Lin Yiwei immediately put her phone down.

He lifted his chin slightly, watching her sprawl on the sofa like a cat stretching, lazy and cute... He walked over and couldn't help but pick her up and place her on his lap.

The off-white loungewear made his demeanor appear much softer. His hair was slightly damp, diffusing the faint scent of body wash. His shower gel had a unique woody base—slightly astringent with a hint of spice.

Lin Yiwei didn't like his body wash; she preferred sweet, fruity scents. Even if such scents might seem cheap, they were *her* scent. Thus, next to Xie Bo’s expensive bottles, there sat her own oversized bottle of drugstore body wash.

Xie Bo pressed against her neck, sniffing lightly, his hand resting on her chest. She bit her lip and pushed him away. Seeing she wasn't wearing a nightgown, Xie Bo asked softly, "Going out?"

"Yes, I want to take a walk."
"No."
"What do you mean 'no'?"
"With the incident involving Chi Xichen these past two days, we need to be careful."

Xie Bo opened his arms, pulling the girl completely into his embrace. "From now on, we'll go to the mountains on weekends; you cannot stay at the apartment. Even here, don't use the main entrance. I will drive you in and out myself."

Lin Yiwei smiled. "So you don't want others to know about our relationship either? You even threatened me with a public announcement earlier. My brain must have been flooded for me to have believed you."

"It has nothing to do with Chi Xiyu," Xie Bo said, shedding his relaxed demeanor and looking at her seriously. "Xie Sizhuo—my father—you must have heard of him. You don't have to fear me, but you must fear him. Be good from now on, follow my arrangements, and trust me."

Lin Yiwei had, of course, heard of Xie Sizhuo. She knew exactly what kind of ruthless character this man—who could flip the business world upside down—was. She had absolutely no desire to provoke Xie Bo and thereby attract his father's attention. She would end up dead.

She said in a low voice, "There's no need to go through all this trouble. It would be better if we just split up, like we did a while back."

"No."
"Why?"
"I can't live without you." Xie Bo pulled her back into his arms, as if suffering from skin hunger, or perhaps like a drug addict completely lost in his fix, no longer struggling. "Other than making you my girlfriend, I can't think of a better way to keep you by my side."

"What's the difference between a lover and a girlfriend?" she countered.
Xie Bo answered without hesitation: "I want you to love me."

"……"
He was truly greedy.
How could he have the nerve to ask for something as extravagant as love?

Lin Yiwei looked at the man's sharp profile. "Then will you love me?"
"Let's try it." Xie Bo took her hand and pressed it to his lips, kissing it gently.

Lin Yiwei knew she should refuse, but then she thought: if Xie Bo was willing to try to put her in his heart, it would be one less obstacle for her plans. Perhaps he really could help her.

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Chu Ang, Xie Bo—she would utilize every resource available to her.
What was wrong with that?

"Xie Bo, I'm afraid of your father." Lin Yiwei pulled her hand back.
"That's why you need to be careful."
"Even if I'm careful, I'm still afraid. I cannot be your girlfriend. I'm sorry." She stood up to leave.

Xie Bo looked up at her; this was the first time he had faced her from a lower position. "Yiyi, trust that I can protect you. Consider it—seriously."

Lin Yiwei arched an eyebrow, looking down at the man with yearning eyes. "Between me and Chi Xiyu, you would choose Chi Xiyu without hesitation. What can you protect me from? Between me and your own interests, you would also choose your interests without hesitation. In the end, I would be reduced to a sacrificial pawn. Once you were completely bored, you would discard me ruthlessly. Ending up with nothing would be the least of it; I might even end up dead."

Xie Bo promised her, "No. Lin Yiwei, I promise, with everything I have. What you will ultimately gain will far exceed what you currently possess."

Lin Yiwei pondered for a moment and laid out her conditions:
"No matter what happens, between Chi Xiyu and me, you choose me. You stand on my side."

Xie Bo pursed his thin lips and said nothing, but he didn't refuse outright, either.

Lin Yiwei curled her lips. "Xie Bo, think about it. Seriously."
With that, she turned and left the Ramon Apartment without looking back.

……

The following night, at the convenience store, Lin Yiwei changed into the new winter-style maid outfit. She checked herself in the mirror; the fluffy collar and her fair skin complemented each other, looking exceptionally cute.

Two girls changing shifts whispered to each other, stealing glances at the dining area, saying a very handsome man had come to the store.

Lin Yiwei looked over curiously.

A tall young man sat by a table. His uniform clung to his silhouette, slightly tight around his broad shoulders. His brows were prominent, giving him an air of fortitude.

Chu Ang was handsome, but in a way completely different from Xie Bo’s arrogant, elegant, and cynical style. His handsomeness was upright and righteous. Even in silence, he was earnestly silent, carrying a natural sense of reliability.

After the girls left, only Lin Yiwei and Chu Ang remained. He walked over. "I came to see you. Will I be disturbing your work?"

Lin Yiwei stretched her neck to look toward the shelves. "It's fine. As long as there are no customers, it's fine."

Chu Ang's expression was conflicted, and within that conflict, there was nervousness. He looked at her. "I... I came to ask if we can continue to see each other?"

Lin Yiwei wasn't surprised by his visit. "That day, didn't I tell you frankly about my relationship with Xie Bo?"
"But you also said you two broke up, didn't you?"

Chu Ang fidgeted with an unopened pack of gum, not daring to look her in the eye. "I've thought it through. I don't care that you have an ex. You're so beautiful; it's perfectly normal that many people like you. I hope I'm lucky enough to accompany you for a part of your life's journey. I don't ask for it to last forever, but I want the opportunity."

It was humble enough.
For a man who could be this humble toward her, even if he was just hungry to possess her, Lin Yiwei wouldn't find him too annoying.

As for that arrogant guy Xie Bo, even when saying "love," he had to add "let's try it."
Lin Yiwei scoffed at that.

"You want to accompany me for a while, but do you mind if I use you?" Lin Yiwei looked at Chu Ang and laid it out frankly. "Xie Bo must have warned you: I am a very utilitarian person. I will use every resource around me."

She didn't like to lie. Even if she were to be a bad girl, she would be bad in broad daylight.

"If I have value to be used, I would feel honored."
"Why don't you dare look at me?"

Only when she asked this did Chu Ang raise his head, looking at her sincerely, his beautiful hazel eyes filled with longing. "Lin Yiwei, I will do everything in my power. Protecting my girlfriend is an absolute duty. Aside from that, my family background might not be as good as Xie Bo's, but it's not bad either—much like the Chi family. My parents love me. My background is clean and good; I have no bad habits like smoking or drinking. Although I said I would accompany you for a part of the journey, I don't play with girls. I will treat you well with the intention of walking into marriage. As for whether you choose me in the end, I leave that to your heart."

Lin Yiwei was... just a little bit moved.

No matter how sincere a boy's sweet talk was—especially these "vows" made during the frantic pursuit stage—Lin Yiwei always let it go in one ear and out the other.

She didn't believe in romantic words that came easily, because time and age would wear down all romance. In a few years, he would feel ashamed of these silly words today and wouldn't want to admit them.

Heh, men...

She didn't believe in this routine; she only looked at actual, current actions.
Xie Bo was the one who had bled for her... even if he was a bastard, he was a bastard willing to charge into battle for her.

So...
"Let me think about it." Lin Yiwei neither refused directly nor agreed. "I don't know you very well yet, and I'm a girl who finds it hard to trust people easily."

A look of joy appeared on Chu Ang's face.
In fact, he had already prepared himself for rejection. As long as there was a chance, no matter how slim, he was willing to try.

He gave Lin Yiwei a red rose he had prepared.
"Thank you." Lin Yiwei accepted the flower.
"Then... I'll head back first. I have training later, I'll come find you later."
"Okay."

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Lin Yiwei played with the cliché red rose with her fingertips, sniffing it.
A refined, intoxicatingly sweet scent.

Chu Ang's way of pursuing a girl was clumsy and raw; he clearly had no experience in love, but he was sincere enough.
For most girls, sincerity was a lethal weapon, but it didn't apply to Lin Yiwei.
Whoever was more useful to her, she would be better to.

Her slender, beautiful fingertips tore the rose petals off one by one, until only the bare stem remained.
In her youth, the only innocence she possessed had been given to one person.
She had gone through fire and water for him.

……

Before stepping into Xie Sizhuo's office, Xie Bo stood at the door and took a deep breath.
The door opened, and he walked in.

"Dad."

Xie Sizhuo stood with his back to him, leaning against the desk, holding half a burning cigar. "Chi Xichen is in the hospital again. The first time, he had a broken rib; the second time, a ruptured spleen. He keeps claiming you were the instigator. Chi Youhuai is asking me for an explanation."

He turned to look at Xie Bo. "What do you have to say?"

"I didn't fare much better than him. The first time, a car accident resulting in a concussion—he was the one behind that. The second time..."
He shook his bandaged hand. "I was almost cut on the carotid artery."

With a "hiss," a black cigar burn marked the documents on the desk.
"Xie Bo, how old are you? Do you still need me to solve your little schoolboy brawls?"
His voice was deep and filled with pressure.

Xie Bo suppressed his smile and bowed his head slightly, accepting his father's calm but deep-seated anger. "I apologize. It will never happen again."

"It's not that our Xie family can't afford to provoke the Chi family, nor am I afraid of Chi Youhuai, but these matters are truly absurd."
His black eyes, calm as a dead sea, bore into Xie Bo. "You are not middle schoolers or high schoolers; you are long past the age of being impulsive. Yet you still pull this kind of stunt. You are less sensible now than you were at seventeen or eighteen. You have truly disappointed me."

Xie Bo listened in silence, offering no defense.
Any defense was useless. Before Xie Sizhuo, the only way to quell his rage was through obedience and admitting fault.

"I know your dispute started over a girl. She is the one making you impulsive."

Xie Bo's hand tightened suddenly, the muscles at the corner of his eyes twitching. He struggled to control his emotions, saying calmly and steadily, "It wasn't exactly because of her..."

"When did you learn to interrupt me?"
"I apologize, Father."

"Regarding the marriage alliance with the Chi family, you remain undecided and keep stalling. Now, you have this absurd, outrageous violent conflict with Chi Xichen. Xie Bo, I want to hear your thoughts."

He looked up at the upright, handsome young man standing in the middle of the office.
Xie Sizhuo had many sons, both outside and within the family, but in terms of looks alone, Xie Bo was the most handsome.
Of course, that was thanks to having a mother who was breathtakingly beautiful.

"You may speak now."

"Does it *have* to be the Chi family?" Xie Bo took a deep breath and said quietly, "I checked Chi Youhuai's recent medical report. Pancreatitis—a fatal condition. Before long, the Chi family will inevitably fall into Chi Xichen's hands. And I don't believe that idiot... is capable of managing the Chi Group. Father, I was thinking... perhaps we could choose a better, long-term partner."

Xie Sizhuo’s expression was unreadable, his black eyes fixed solely on him. "Oh? You've started planning for the Group's long-term future? Do you think you are definitely the future successor of the Group?"

"I am working toward that direction, striving to be the one you are most assured of in every aspect." Xie Bo never hid his ambition and desire in front of his father. "Everything is at your command, Father."

Seeing his obedient demeanor, Xie Sizhuo’s anger eased slightly.

"Who says only a son can inherit the family business?" Xie Sizhuo’s lips curled into a faint, loose smile. "Chi Youhuai is as disappointed in his son as he is doting on his precious daughter. If there were to be an excellent, capable son-in-law in the future, how much of a chance do you think that piece of trash from the Chi family would have to keep the empire? Not even one percent."

Xie Bo raised his eyebrows, instantly understanding the truth behind the marriage alliance between the Xie and Chi families.
Xie Sizhuo’s ambition wasn't in a mutually beneficial alliance; he wanted... to swallow the entire Chi family whole.
Using him. Using the marriage.

"For now, I won't require you to apologize to Chi Xichen. A son of mine, Xie Sizhuo, doesn't need to apologize to anyone. But there is one thing: Chi Youhuai’s precious daughter—I want you to keep her happy. Ease the awkwardness and conflict between the two families, and dispel the rumors and speculation from the outside."

Xie Sizhuo looked at him, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes trembling. "Coaxing girls should be your specialty."

Xie Bo nodded without hesitation. "Rest assured, Father."

As he was leaving, Xie Sizhuo warned him once more: "Also, that girl you keep bringing home to spend the night—this is the second time I have warned you. My patience will not extend to a third."

Xie Bo’s figure paused for a moment, then, maintaining a smile, he retreated from the room.