Chapter 3: Private Cuisine
At 7:30 in the morning, Fan Xia tidied up and prepared to go to work. Suddenly, Wen Lan Sheng ran to the entrance and called out to her: “Wait.”
“What’s wrong?” Fan Xia asked.
Wen Lan Sheng reached out and smoothed down the slightly upturned collar of her light blue shirt. He picked up a lunchbox that he had prepared earlier and handed it to her with a soft smile: “I made you lunch.”
Fan Xia took the heavy lunchbox, surprised: “When did you prepare this?”
He had come back after 1 AM last night, and then tossed and turned until 2 AM. He definitely didn’t have time to cook.
Wen Lan Sheng smiled lightly, with a hint of craftiness: “Around 5 AM, I made it while you were still asleep. Luckily, I didn’t wake you up.”
“Then you didn’t rest well? You still have to take care of auntie later.” Fan Xia lowered her eyelids and said softly: “Don’t be so tired next time.”
“Before, I didn’t have time to make you lunch boxes because of work. Now that I’ve taken time off, I have time and can make them for you every day.” Wen Lan Sheng smiled, his gentle and delicate face gradually approaching Fan Xia’s chest. He hugged her tightly, his tone full of expectations for the future: “After we get married, I’ll quit my job and focus on being a full-time house husband, taking care of the family, okay?”
“Okay,” Fan Xia answered, her gentle eyes gleaming with a deep light.
When she arrived at the company, Zhuang Nian hadn’t arrived yet, and the office was exceptionally quiet.
As soon as she entered, Fan Xia saw that the large door with carved landscapes was slightly ajar, the inside dark and silent like another world.
She suddenly remembered the slim figure enveloped by cold lights she had glimpsed when leaving work yesterday, as well as that alluring wine-red mole. Her feet moved uncontrollably towards the door. Just as she reached the edge, a strong smell of alcohol hit her, and an empty bottle of foreign liquor was lying by the door.
Fan Xia gently knocked on the door and called out “President”.
A faint sound came from inside. Fan Xia tentatively walked in. The morning light, carrying moist mist, shone in, illuminating Rong Xiu lying on the black leather sofa with his eyes lightly closed in drunkenness. His slender hand hung down powerlessly, his automatically shut-off phone had fallen onto the carpet, and the air around still seemed to linger with the smell of alcohol.
Fan Xia had never seen Rong Xiu in such a drunken state before. In her memory, Rong Xiu was aloof and proud, never touching a drop of alcohol during social activities. His every move exuded the noble air cultivated by a top-class family background. He was the unapproachable flower admired by many at school.
It seems time really can change a person.
Fan Xia didn’t know why Rong Xiu was drinking alone in the office, not even going home, but she still stepped forward quietly, crouched in front of Rong Xiu and called softly: “President? President? Wake up.”
Rong Xiu’s heavy eyelids moved slightly, opening eyes still hazy with drunkenness. Seeing Fan Xia in front of him, a barely noticeable flash of joy passed through Rong Xiu’s eyes: “Fan Xia, why did you come back?”
Come back? It seems he was so drunk he had lost his sense of time.
Fan Xia picked up the phone from the ground, placed it on the sofa and said: “President, it’s already the next day now.”
“The next day?” Rong Xiu was slightly surprised and wanted to stand up, but the aftereffects of the hangover made him dizzy. He had to sit back down on the sofa. His hand touched the suit jacket he had carelessly taken off last night. The smooth texture was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. He looked down at his wrinkled white shirt, thinking about how Fan Xia had seen him in such an undignified state after getting drunk. The joy in his eyes faded instantly like a shooting star.
At this moment, Rong Xiu would rather it had been Zhuang Nian who came in, or his family members, or even Wen Lan Sheng.
He turned away embarrassedly, facing sideways to Fan Xia, and said in a hoarse voice: “I understand… you can go out now.”
Fan Xia nodded, not surprised by Rong Xiu’s reaction. If he had suddenly become enthusiastic, she would have found it strange and completely different from the Rong Xiu in her impression.
However, she noticed Rong Xiu clutching his head just now, his brows furrowed like mountains. Knowing he had a headache from the hangover, out of her duty as a subordinate, she bought a cup of hot milk from across the street from the company building.
When she returned with the hot milk, it was the peak of the morning rush hour. Fan Xia had to wait for two elevators before she could get on.
But as soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she sensed something was wrong.
A junior employee ran towards her in a panic: “Deputy Fan, it’s not good, the President’s sister is here.”
Rong Xiu’s sister, Rong Yan, the former heir to the Shanhai Group, had been sentenced to three years for bribery. She had reportedly just been released from prison a few days ago.
AD 3“I understand, you all go back to work first,” Fan Xia said calmly, already guessing Rong Yan’s purpose for coming.
Before her imprisonment, she was still in her prime, about to inherit billions in assets as the heir. After her release, her power had been stripped away, and she had no foothold in the group anymore.
Of course she had to make a scene, take a gamble, and try to squeeze back into the center of power at Shanhai Group.
“I am mother’s daughter, the rightful heir to Shanhai Group. How dare you continue sitting in this position!”
“This group was built by my mother and grandmother over two generations. A man usurping it for three years should be enough for you. How dare you dilute my shares while I’m not in the company and kick me out of the board of directors behind father’s back. Father says he doesn’t recognize you as his son!”
“Look at your current state, always drinking at one banquet after another. Is this what a man should be doing? Where has your upbringing gone? Ruining our Rong family’s reputation, mother won’t be able to rest in peace!”
Fan Xia placed the hot milk on the table, listening to the constant arguments coming from inside the office, or more accurately, Rong Yan’s monologue. She hadn’t heard a single word from Rong Xiu.
Fan Xia could almost guess Rong Xiu’s expression at this moment – contemptuous and arrogant, head lowered carelessly adjusting his cuffs, facing Rong Yan’s rage without a hint of emotional fluctuation, not even bothering to give her a glance, making Rong Yan seem like she was raging impotently.
Just as Fan Xia thought this farce would end with Rong Xiu’s cold treatment, a piercing sound of glass breaking came from the office. The verbal confrontation was about to escalate into violence, and Rong Xiu, being a man, was no match for Rong Yan.
Fan Xia immediately rushed in. The expensive Persian carpet was covered with shards of broken glass. Rong Yan was holding half a wine glass, her expression agitated.
__________
*Spotlight on Finished Novel Translations*
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Synopsis:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
He even had his eyes on another woman.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
Su Mu expressed her disdain.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
She also wanted to embrace Xie Yi, who had silently stayed by her side in her previous life and committed suicide by taking poison after her death.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
—–
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.