The Coffee Shop
Du Ruoxin arrived to find Rong Cheng already there.
He sat by a flowerbed brimming with roses, his laptop before him, a steaming cup of coffee emitting wisps of white smoke.
Upon seeing Du Ruoxin, Rong Cheng quickly stood up and asked with feigned concern, "Has Master not returned yet?"
Du Ruoxin's tone was exceptionally cold, "I don't want to mention him."
Rong Cheng paused, then asked with feigned surprise, "Did you two have a fight?"
Du Ruoxin's face darkened, looking quite intimidating, "If you mention him again, I'm leaving."
Her situation with Rong Jingyang was more than just a fight; it might lead to divorce. This time, it would be a real divorce; she would never soften again, never...
However, thinking of her elder brother, who was eyeing her covetously, and the bet she had with him, Du Ruoxin hesitated.
If she left Rong Jingyang, she would inevitably be confined by her brother's side.
A confinement from which there would be no escape.
Alas—
"Alright, alright, I won't mention him," Rong Cheng said as he pulled out a chair, admitting fault, "I was wrong, can you forgive me?"
Du Ruoxin's sharp eyes fixed on Rong Cheng, "It's because you are my friend that I came to see you."
"I don't want you to side with Rong Jingyang."
If Rong Cheng was loyal to Rong Jingyang and betrayed her, she would never consider him a friend again.
Rong Cheng clearly understood Du Ruoxin's unspoken subtext and quickly stated, "Master is my boss, someone I respect and admire."
"But I wish you happiness even more."
From the very first second he saw Du Ruoxin a long, long time ago, his heart had been lost.
Back then, she was pure, kind, adorable, beautiful, elegant... every smile and glance stirred his heart.
It drove him mad, made him surge with emotion.
But before he could express his love, that flutter was forever buried in the cycle of time.
Because she was Master's newlywed wife.
Rong Cheng dared not overstep, dared not harbor any improper thoughts, and could only cautiously maintain a distance from her.
A distant and estranged distance.
However, Master did not cherish her.
Despite possessing the best, most gentle, and most virtuous woman in the world, Rong Jingyang was fickle, becoming intimately involved with Ai Wei.
Again and again, he made Du Ruoxin cry.
Again and again, he left Du Ruoxin to guard an empty room alone.
Again and again, he drove Du Ruoxin to breakdown, disappointment, and hysteria...
The three years of their marriage, those three years of trivialities, Rong Cheng witnessed it all, his heart aching.
He felt she deserved better.
Therefore, even at the risk of betraying Master, of being sent to prison by Master, or of being beaten to death, Rong Cheng was determined to help Du Ruoxin leave.
As long as she would no longer suffer after leaving, as long as she could regain her smile, he was willing to bear all the risks.
"Thank you," Du Ruoxin said, sitting down as she saw Rong Cheng's genuine kindness towards her.
Rong Cheng snapped his fingers at a waiter and then sat beside Du Ruoxin, "I ordered mango and pear juice for you."
Late at night, he still didn't want her to drink coffee, lest she be unable to sleep.
Du Ruoxin: "Thank you."
Rong Cheng: "You're welcome."
Opening his laptop, he turned the screen towards Du Ruoxin, "Let's complete the online registration first. Have you thought of a name? Have you chosen a company address?"
Du Ruoxin: "Yinuo Public Welfare. I haven't found an address yet."
Yinuo, meaning "a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold."
"Alright," Rong Cheng typed on the computer, "I have an address, the 28th floor of Xin Fan International, 200-300 square meters. What do you think?"
Since Du Ruoxin said it would be a small-scale operation, he hadn't looked for a large space.
"That's fine," Du Ruoxin nodded.
Rong Cheng continued, "That location has a wide view, you can see the TV tower, and the park next to it, and you can take in the city's scenery."
"If you have time later, you can go see it in person."
Du Ruoxin was surprised by Rong Cheng's swift action, "Have you already found it?"
Rong Cheng: "I haven't signed the contract yet. I found three office buildings in total. Which one do you like best?"
Du Ruoxin was touched, "The Xin Fan International you mentioned."
He said it was good, so it must be good, and she was too lazy to go around looking.
Rong Cheng: "Okay."
...
After working for a while, they completed the online registration. Rong Cheng put away his laptop, "Tomorrow I'll go to the Administration for Market Regulation to have them review the documents first and process the permits."
"Oh, and can I use your ID card?"
"I'll return it to you after the business license is issued."
Du Ruoxin: "Okay, I'll give it to you tomorrow. My ID is at home, I didn't bring it."
Rong Cheng: "Ok."
Closing his laptop, he packed it up and said, "It's still early, shall we go take a look at Xin Fan?"
Du Ruoxin remained silent, her lips pursed.
Thinking that she wouldn't be able to sleep at home anyway, and going home would only add to her sorrow, she agreed, "Mhm."
In the long night, if she didn't distract her thoughts or find something to do, it would drive her mad.
They went downstairs and then made their way to the office building.
The office was empty, with no clutter, clean and tidy. The scent of air freshener lingered in the room, indicating it had just been cleaned.
"What do you think?" Rong Cheng gestured to the interior, asking, "Do you want to think about how to design it?"
Du Ruoxin walked around, surveying the entire space, but her mind was blank.
She shook her head.
She couldn't think of anything; her mind was muddled, like a paste.
"Then..." Rong Cheng, noticing the woman's increasingly distressed expression, felt a pang of pity, "Do you want to eat something? I haven't had dinner yet while working on all this."
Rong Cheng tried his best to keep Du Ruoxin with him. He didn't want her to go home, didn't want her to be alone.
He was afraid she would cry all night again.