Chapter 251: Chapter 1071-1080

“Ruka, you’re so amazing for chasing Mia away. We’ll be best friends from now on, so let’s get along!”

Michelle suddenly acted friendly to her.

“That’s because she has a powerful background, all right?” Inara scoffed.

“Can you tell us who is behind you?” Michelle asked boldly.

Ruka raised her head and said, “I don’t have anyone supporting me, so stop guessing.”

“We’re all just rookies. I don’t know how hard we have to work to get to Miss Parfait’s position one day!”

Michelle ranted.

Ruka didn’t reply. Just then, her phone rang. When she took a look, she hurriedly reached out to pick up the call. “Hello?”

“Mr. Husson is going to the Translation Department soon. If you see him, please keep your distance, Miss Singed.” Elijah’s voice sounded from the other end.

Ruka’s heart throbbed suddenly. “Isn’t he having a fever?”

“It’s about work, so he has to come over personally.”

“All right, I understand. Please take good care of him.” Ruka nodded.

At the office, Victoria received a call as well, and a flash of happiness appeared in her originally moody eyes as she said in a low voice, “Really? He wants to take the guests on a tour around the Translation Department?”

“Victoria, you have to calm down. Don’t overreact,” Victoria’s superior instructed on the other end.

Clearly, he knew about Victoria’s admiration for Ren.

“All right, I understand. I’ll do my job well.” When Victoria hung up and put down the phone, she opened her drawer and took out an exquisite cosmetic bag inside. When she saw her sleep-deprived eyes in the mirror, she hurriedly reapplied her makeup. She had to give Ren a good impression.

However, she suddenly recalled something, and her eyes turned downcast. Even if Ren was really just coming to work, and even if he looked forward to seeing Ruka more, she would greet him in her best condition.

In the office, Ruka was a little absent-minded. As they were still interns, everyone was lazing around.

Michelle was reading novels, Inara was texting someone, and only Caspian was putting an effort to read something by the side.

Suddenly, her phone beeped with a notification from a text message. When she hurriedly took a look, she saw that it was sent by an unknown number.

‘Hey, Ruka. Are you free tonight? I’d like to treat you to a meal.’

Just when Ruka was wondering who the sender was, she looked up and saw Caspian quietly beckoning at her. She couldn’t help but chuckle. So, it’s him.

She gave it some thought. As she had to take care of Ren that night, she wasn’t free. She replied to Caspian, ‘Let’s leave it for next time! I happen to have something to do tonight.’

Caspian pursed his lips, obviously still unwilling to give up and replied, ‘Your birthday is tomorrow, so I’m thinking of treating you to dinner in advance.’

Ruka was taken aback. She had just remembered that her birthday was tomorrow. She had actually completely forgotten about it.

‘Thank you, but I really have an urgent matter to attend to tonight. After my birthday, I’ll treat you to dinner.’ Ruka was grateful that he remembered her birthday.

After Caspian read the message, a hint of disappointment flashed past his eyes, but he soon smiled slightly at her.

Ruka’s cell phone rang again. When she glanced at it, her heart pounded. It was a message from Ren that said, ‘I’m going to show some guests around the Translation Department. I’ll be reaching soon.’

Ruka’s breathing quickened slightly as her face flushed red, and even her hands turned a little sweaty from nervousness. She was a little flustered to meet him in a place with so many people, fearing that the others might notice something.

Ruka didn’t want to go out to see him at first, but when she recalled that he was working while being ill that day, she felt a little worried about him, so she decided to get up after a brief moment of hesitation.

However, just then, Theodore rushed over from the outside and announced loudly, “Breaking news! Mr.

Husson will be showing some guests around the Translation Department soon, and he’ll be here soon.”

“Ahh!” A scream could be heard as Inara stood up exaggeratedly, holding her head. “I forgot to wash my hair last night, and I forgot to put on makeup today. Ahh! I forgot to bring my makeup bag too.

Michelle, hurry up and lend me yours!”

“I have to touch up my makeup! Hold on!” Saying that, Michelle hurriedly took her makeup bag out and carefully inspected her appearance in the mirror.

Just then, Inara turned to look at Ruka. “Ruka, did you bring any makeup? Lend me some.”

Ruka shook her head. “I didn’t.” She had never brought these things to work, and except for some lip balm, she was completely barefaced that day.

She hadn’t gotten enough sleep at all, so she had only gotten up after her alarm had rang three times this morning and left in a hurry after washing her face.

In the end, Inara borrowed Michelle’s makeup bag and set it on the table before she began to apply her makeup seriously. Theodore couldn’t help but comment disdainfully, “Girls really are troublesome.

Besides, is there any difference even if you don’t put on makeup? Mr. Husson won’t spare you another glance!”

“What do you know about this? Even if he doesn’t, we have to look our prettiest when he walks past us,” Michelle rebuked.

“I’d be happy for an entire year if he looked at me even once,” Inara added while she was hurriedly drawing her eyeliner.

Ruka clasped her hand over her mouth, holding her laughter back.

“You have to learn from Ruka. Look, isn’t she still pretty without any makeup?”

Ruka had been covering her mouth to stifle her laughter in the first place, so the others instantly caught her smiling expression when they suddenly glared at her.

Michelle looked at her. “You think this is funny?”

Ruka pursed her lips and shook her head. “I’m not laughing at you guys.”

“Ruka looks really pretty even without makeup.” Caspian took advantage of the opportunity and praised her.

“I think Ruka has the highest possibility of catching Mr. Husson’s attention among the three of you.

After all, she’s a natural beauty.” Theodore provoked the other two women on purpose.

Ruka jolted in surprise before she hurriedly waved her hands. “All right, stop talking about me.”

Finally, Inara was satisfied with her makeup. After she and Michelle inspected each other, she got up and asked, “Does anyone want to go and see Mr. Husson? Let’s go together!”

“I’m not going. You guys can go ahead.” Ruka raised her head and replied.

“All right, I’m not going as well. I’ll stay back with you,” Caspian said.

After the others eagerly left, Caspian furtively sized Ruka up, who was holding her chin in a daze. The sunshine trickled in from the window and shone on her face, causing her fair and delicate features to stand out even more. Her beauty truly was pure, natural, and immaculate.

Caspian couldn’t help but stare at her, his heart pounding hard as he secretly thought to himself that he must get his hands on Ruka.

Although Ruka said she didn’t want to go out to see Ren on the surface, she felt differently on the inside. She wanted to go. She wanted to rush into the crowd to see him now, to look at his handsome appearance, and to watch him receiving his guests calmly and gracefully.

Just then, around eight cars arrived in the parking lot, and Ren alighted from one of the cars. He walked up to two older foreign guests, communicating fluently with them while showing them the way in.

The group walked toward the main hall of the Translation Department, where Victoria was already beautifully dressed and was waiting with the other two heads of the department. When she looked at the man walking by, her chest throbbed violently. Whenever this man appeared, he would always make her go insane from admiration. People always said that one shouldn’t meet someone who was too outstanding as it would hurt one for a lifetime if one couldn’t be with them. Victoria was in this exact situation—the person she liked was just too outstanding.

When Ren walked over, the two superiors next to Victoria immediately stepped forward and shook hands with him respectfully, then shook hands with the guests one by one before entering the main hall.

In a garden nearby, Inara and Michelle could only look at him from afar, but they were already holding each other in excitement.

“He’s too handsome. It’s like he descended from heaven!” Inara gasped with a look of admiration.

“I really hope that I’d be lucky enough for him to look at me.” Michelle clasped her hands together.

“Please give me some luck!”

Inara discreetly sized Michelle up and thought to herself that she would be the one scoring a glance from Ren, given she was the better-looking one.

As Victoria followed behind the crowd, she stared at the man who was exuding attractiveness from every pore at every second, entirely spellbound. Back in the office, Ruka couldn’t bear a second longer here, so she excused herself to go to the restroom. However, the direction she was heading was toward the main hall. Just as she entered the central garden, she came to a complete stop, as she saw Ren and his group coming in from the other side of the garden.

With her heart raised, Ruka quickly hid behind a pillar. Then, with a behavior that could only be known as a fan girl, she poked her head out from the pillar and watched the tall man communicating with the guests from a dozen meters away. The man at work gave off a distinct quality, a riveting one. Even when standing next to the taller foreign guests, the man still didn’t lose out, as he exuded a captivating presence in the midst of his cheerful conversation. If the people around him were like the stars in the night sky, then he was the moon—the center of attention.

It was at this moment that Ruka had a thought: Why did the man feel distant even though he was just mere meters away from her? But, she knew very well why. The distance she felt came from the difference in their identities, in their social status in society. With how dignified and distinguished the man was, he was in a far higher position than that of a common man. On the other hand, she was just part of the ordinary mass of society with nothing to her that was worth mentioning. Unwittingly, even at such a time, she remembered the incident last night and how he asked her to go out with him. She couldn’t help but doubt just why such an excellent man would fall for someone like her.

Ruka felt she wasn’t someone outstanding, as she was just a very ordinary person. Even now as she stood behind the pillar, having no notable achievements under her belt, her future remained blank. With all these facts, she wondered just why that man liked her. No matter how much she racked her brains over this, she couldn’t find an answer.

Ruka’s plan was to spend a few years in the Translation Department, as it would help her to get into the Public Relations Department. This way, she would be able to work with her parents and even take care of them in the future. Unaware she was completely dazed, she came back to her senses to find that the group of people was already close to her. Panicked, as she couldn’t continue being sneaky behind the pillar, she walked out from behind the pillar and stood at the side with her head lowered, waiting for the group to pass.

Ren had his eyes on Ruka the moment she appeared from behind the pillar. His eyes lingered on her and, as though her appearance had drowned out the voices of his guests, he smiled delightedly. Just then, she coincidentally raised her head to find he was smiling at her. The two made eye contact with one another among the crowd. One pair of eyes was captivating and had a deep gaze, while the other was filled with flustered nervousness. Yet, the two hadn’t the slightest intent to look away from one another.

This spark the two had for each other was caught on by Victoria, who had clenched her fists in jealousy. So, their relationship has already become an uncontrollable one. In the end, Ruka was the first to lower her head, as she didn’t dare to continue being frivolous with him, especially at such a time.

The consequences should they were found to be doing so would be dire after all.

Just like that, Ren passed Ruka by. Nonetheless, his gaze seemed to shake her heart to its very core, as though the man had filled her heart to the brim. She had never felt like this before. Even when she had a crush on other boys in the past, it wasn’t as strong as what she was feeling right now. What she felt right now was so strong that it touched the depths of her heart, so much so that she could feel the tremor of her heart echoing in her ears.

Just as Ruka wanted to peek at the man, she felt a sharp glare at her. The moment she turned her head in the direction of the glare, she found Victoria coming toward her.

Victoria dragged her by the hand to one of the empty corners. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Ruka, I’m warning you. Stay away from him. You’ll ruin him.”

Ruka held her breath while listening to Victoria, as the latter’s gaze indicated to her that she wanted to kill her at this moment.

“He was born into a high position. Do you think he would renounce it in favor of a girl like you? If you dare seduce him again, I wouldn’t mind dragging both of you through the mud.” Victoria’s voice was tinged with intimidation. “I will announce to the world about your relationship. By then, he will be subjected to the public’s malice. After all, who would protect a man who would even go after his sister’s goddaughter? Not only will his morality and character be questioned, but it’ll also be impossible for the two of you to be together.”

Desperate and helpless upon her words, Ruka stared at Victoria with tears in her eyes. Her words were just like a knife that had stabbed right at her heart, and she felt it could end her life at any moment now.

“You better remember my words.” After Victoria gave her warning, she left Ruka and went back to Ren’s group.

Left in the corner, Ruka found herself panting heavily, her breathing turning ragged, as though she just had a near-death experience. Momentarily losing the strength in her knees, she held onto the wall for support. She thought back on how cold and harsh Victoria’s words were, as though they were meant to rob her life with every word she said. Making him the subject of the public’s criticism? For him to be despised and spurned by the public? No! I’ll never let him be humiliated like that! she thought with one hand over her heart. As she closed her eyes from the aches in her heart, tears started running down her cheeks.

Ruka leaned against the wall for some time when one of the cleaning ladies came over and asked in concern, “Are you alright? Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m fine. Thank you.” With her hand on the wall, she stood up and bowed as thanks before heading in the office’s direction with her head hung. She couldn’t help but stumble on the way back, so she decided to head into the restroom to refresh herself. As she washed her face, she noticed droplets of water running down her cheeks. Though she was unsure if it was the water from the tap or tears from within, she pursed her lips and desperately suppressed her urge to cry. Just then, someone came out from the cubicle, which prompted her to lean forward and continue splashing her face with water.

Meanwhile, in one of the lounges of the Translation Department. After the guests were served tea, Ren came out with his phone and said to Elijah, “Bring me to her office.”

After Elijah asked one of the nearby employees, the said employee showed them to Ren’s desired destination, to which the latter followed as he took a step forward.

It was at this time that Ruka just came back from the restroom. Upon opening the door to the internship office, she found Caspian reading a book inside. The moment the latter saw how pale she looked, he stood up in a hurry and said, “Ruka, are you okay?”

Slightly dumbfounded, she casually took a seat by the door before she shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look so good.” Caspian brought her mug and gave it to her. “Here, drink some water.”

As Ruka took a sip of water, Caspian’s eyes lit up with hints of shyness. He then went back to his desk and took out a beautifully wrapped box from the drawer before walking back to her. “Ruka, this is for you.”

Surprised by the gift, she immediately stood up. “Caspian, what are you…”

“It’s your birthday present. I’m not sure if it’ll be to your liking,” Caspian explained while bashfully touching his head. “Open it. See if you like it.”

Upon Caspian’s words, Ruka was both confused and grateful. However, as she had forgotten to close the office door, there was a tall attractive figure standing just outside. The man did not enter the office, but merely stood outside and watched Caspian shyly handing Ruka a gift.

“It’s just a small token of appreciation, so just accept it.” Caspian was determined in handing his gift to Ruka.

Oblivious to the eyes of the figure outside the office, Caspian and Ruka locked eyes with one another.

Although Ruka hesitated slightly, she accepted the gift in the end. “Thank you. I’m sure I’ll like it, whatever it may be.”

Caspian instantly became happy like a child. “Can I give you a hug?”

Stunned by the request, Ruka was unable to react, as Caspian had already put his arms around her.

After a brief moment where she rested her head on the man’s shoulder, he let her go and started his confession in a panicked tone. “Ruka, I like you. I’ve liked you ever since I first met you.”

Ruka was thoroughly dumbfounded by the man’s confession, as Caspian’s confession came out of left field for her. She had accepted his gift thinking that it was because of their friendship.

Nevertheless, it was at this time that a shriek came from outside the door. “Ahh!”

Startled by the shrieks of what seemed to belong to women coming through the door, both Ruka and Caspian turned toward the door and saw Ren standing outside through the glass. Immediately, Ruka widened her eyes in surprise.

How long has he been standing by the door? Although there was a door between them, Ruka could feel Ren’s fervent gaze on her, as though he was displaying his irritation at her.

Caspian was startled as well since he hadn’t expected the vice president to be standing by the door.

Just as he excitedly looked at him, he was met with an authoritative gaze, one that gave him chills, as Ren looked at him with a cold expression.

After a brief second, Ren left. Following his departure, Inara and Michelle cried out in excitement.

“Oh my God! We got to see him up close! If we knew that he would be here, why did we even bother to go outside?!”

“So handsome. Who can resist such an attractive man?!”

It was when the gift in Ruka’s hand had somehow slipped from her hand did she come back to her senses. Startled, she immediately picked it up from the floor and returned to her seat all the while in a panic. Does that mean he saw Caspian confessing to me? Fraught with anxiety, she had the urge to run after Ren to explain the situation, but couldn’t move a muscle as Victoria’s threat came to mind.

Conflicted, she was at a loss for what to do. It was then that her phone rang. She choked a little when she saw that the caller ID belonged to that man who just left. “Hello,” she whispered after she accepted the call.

“Come to the third conference room,” said the man in an authoritative tone with his low and magnetic voice before he ended the call.

After the call ended, Ruka let out a sigh. He probably wants an explanation from me. Then, she stood up and was about to walk out of the room when Michelle asked, “Ruka, where are you going? The restroom?”

“No, I’m going out to make a phone call,” Ruka replied with hints of nervousness in her tone before she left posthaste. Upon entering the conference room, she found Elijah standing there with four other bodyguards standing in line. Elijah then gave her an implicit look that indicated her to go inside the room, to which she nodded and knocked on the third conference room door before entering the room.

There, Ren was sitting with a strange expression on his face; his handsome face was slightly harder to look at than usual. Afraid of thinking that the man’s expression was because of her, she greeted him as usual. “Mr. Ren, do you need something from me?” Her eyes, however, were looking down at the ground due to her guilty conscience.

With his slender legs crossed, there was a coldness to the man, one that was rarely seen. Although there wasn’t any trace of anger in Ren’s expression, that indifferent demeanor of his was enough to cause others to hold their breath in front of him. Ruka was doing so at the moment. With her eyes, as big as a puppy was when it did something wrong, tinged with panic, she held her breath as she waited for the man to speak.

“Explain to me just what happened there.” Ren raised his head and gazed deeply at Ruka. His frown indicated he was upset.

Being gazed at the man this way, Ruka couldn’t help but feel aggrieved at how serious Ren’s expression was in questioning her. It’s not like I’ve made a huge mistake. Nevertheless, she reluctantly explained, “He’s Caspian Gibbons, a colleague of mine. He prepared a birthday gift for me, and I hugged him as thanks. That’s all.”

“Did you reject him?” Ren continued his questioning.

Ruka blinked at Ren’s question. Is he talking about Caspian’s confession? It was then that Victoria’s words came back to her mind once more: “I will announce to the world about your relationship. By then, he will be subjected to the public’s malice.”

With Victoria’s words in mind, she pursed her lips briefly before she took a deep breath and said, “I think I like him, so I’m considering accepting his confession. Mr. Ren, I’m sorry, but I can’t reciprocate your feelings. Our age gap is just too big. Plus, I prefer someone around my age.” When she finished speaking her mind, she hung her head low, as she hadn’t the courage to face the man. Then, without a moment’s delay, she ran out of the room.

The man, who was left behind, had his lips tightly pressed together in a small frown. His Adam’s apple constantly moved up and down as he tried to suppress the surge of emotions coming from within.

As Ruka left the room, she bumped into Elijah, even though the latter had tried to avoid her. “Miss Singed.” However, she couldn’t greet him back, as tears welled in her eyes. She was afraid of others seeing through her sadness, so she wanted to find a place to be alone for a while. Hence, she went to the restroom and hid in one of the compartments. Whenever she lifted her head, her small face was full of tears as an inexplicable sadness continued to wash over her.

By the door, Elijah kept glancing at his watch, as they had plans to accompany the guests to their next destination. However, the man he was waiting for inside hadn’t left the room. Afraid that he would disturb the man, he couldn’t enter the room and could only stew in anxiety. If I’m not mistaken, Miss Singed looked sad with her eyes red when she left the room. Did Sir quarrel with her?

Finally, the door of the conference room opened and Ren stepped out with his usual indifferent expression. “Let’s go,” he said to Elijah.

“Sir, are you alright?” Elijah was worried, and he couldn’t help but continue, “Miss Singed didn’t—”

With a slight frown, Ren stopped in his tracks and turned his head to Elijah. “What about her?”

“She didn’t look too good,” replied Elijah.

After a faint sigh, Ren said, “Where’s Victoria’s office? Bring me there.”

Elijah nodded as a response and led Ren toward a hallway.

Meanwhile, Victoria had just returned to her office. She was originally happy when she knew Ren was still around. However, she never thought that he would ignore her the entire time he was around. This made her heart grow cold, which was why she had ruthlessly said those things to Ruka. She really hated it.

Just then, Victoria’s assistant entered in a hurry and said, “Mr. Husson is coming here. Miss Parfait, hurry and fix your makeup!”

Immediately on her feet, Victoria excitedly asked, “Really? Is he really coming this way?”

“Yes! I think he’s here to see you.” Since this assistant of Victoria’s had been with her for many years, she naturally knew that Ren was someone she fancied.

Victoria then opened her drawer and took out the makeup kit that she had just put away. After carefully checking her makeup and doing some brief touch-ups, she heard footsteps coming from outside her office. Suppressing the intense excitement on her face, she put on a natural, charming smile. Why is he coming here so suddenly? Does he have something to say to me? No matter the reason, she wanted to present the best of herself to him. Then, the door opened. The moment Ren entered the office, the door was shut behind him.

With her breathing turning slightly irregular and her heart beating faster, Victoria pointed at the couch and said, “Ren! Come, have a seat.”

“I’ll be leaving after a few words,” Ren said indifferently.

Victoria’s heart ached briefly as she realized that the man was here for another purpose, and not as a friend like she originally thought. “Go ahead.” She took a deep breath as she waited for Ren to speak.

“Did you say something to Ruka recently?” Ren asked with his somber gaze on Victoria, his tone slightly interrogative.

Victoria already had a hunch about what Ren was going to say. Once she confirmed her hunch was true, her excitement instantly turned into bitterness and sorrow. “Ren, just how inferior to Ruka do you think I am?” Her eyes welled with tears of resentment and jealousy. She wanted to know from the man himself why she had lost to Ruka.

“I’m warning you once more: Outsiders have no right to meddle in the affairs between me and Ruka. If you fill her mind with nonsense behind my back, then you better be ready for the consequences.” Ren warned Victoria as he glared at her, as though he knew what she had done.

As the color drained from her face, Victoria became as pale as a sheet. In the end, she only let out a pained choke as she held onto her desk. With a sorrowful gaze, she watched the man about to take his leave. Reluctant to give up, she cried out to him. “Ren, Ruka is your sister’s goddaughter. Just look at the age gap between the two of you. If people find out about your relationship with her, your reputation will be negatively affected. I’m only doing all this for your own good!”

Stopping in his tracks, Ren shot a sharp glare at Victoria and said coldly, “Just what exactly have you said to Ruka?”

“I told her to leave you alone. I told her not to ruin you. I said all that because I love you.” Victoria’s emotions grew intense. “You haven’t the slightest idea just how much I love you. Yet, you couldn’t even be bothered to look at me. Ren Husson, why do you think I would bother telling Ruka off like that? I just don’t want to see your shine fade to gray.”

Frowning, Ren kept his gaze tinged with chills on Victoria. “Victoria, since we’ve known each other for so long, I’m only telling you this once: Don’t interfere with my affairs.” Then, he left the room.

After the assistant watched Ren and his men leave, she suddenly heard crying sounds coming from the office. Startled, she opened the door to find Victoria slumped on the floor, crying with a pained expression. “Miss Parfait, what happened?” She was completely taken aback, as she thought Victoria had a chance to get together with Ren. However, looking at the situation, she knew there was no longer any possibility for them to get together.

When Ruka returned to her office with her eyes slightly swollen, she heard Michelle say from outside the office, “Mr. Husson’s car is leaving with the guests! And here I wanted to take a few more glances at him!”

Slightly stunned by what she heard, Ruka thought, Did he leave?

“With how busy he is with his schedule, do you think he’ll be free to just stand around for you to steal glances at?” Inara rolled her eyes. “You think he’s some celebrity that you can get an autograph from?”

“Where do you think I can get a copy of his autograph?” Michelle actually did have such thoughts in mind.

“In your dreams. Do you really think you’ll be able to get Mr. Husson to give you his autograph?” Then, Inara complained, “Is the powder you’re using expired? Just look at how oily my face is.”

“Ruka, how are you so calm? Aren’t you excited that Mr. Husson has graced us with his presence?”

Michelle couldn’t be bothered with Inara, so she turned her attention toward Ruka.

With her eyes lowered, Ruka replied, “I’m not. Didn’t he just pass by the office just now?”

“That’s right! But, why was he here just now? Strange.” Michelle had a puzzled expression.

Soon, evening came and it was almost time for the employees to knock off. Ruka started to feel anxious. She thought she needed to find a different place to stay, as she couldn’t intrude on Ren’s place any longer. Thus, she called Rita and told her that she might stay the night at her place, to which the latter was very welcoming. When it was time for Ruka to leave, she decided to spend the night at Rita’s place before finding a suitable time to pack her things from Ren’s house.

Just as Ruka left the lobby with her bag in tow, a tall bodyguard by the side called out to her. “Miss Singed, I am under Mr. Husson’s instructions to bring you home.”

Startled, Ruka asked, “Bring me home?”

“Yes.”

After a brief moment of thought, Ruka waved her hand and said, “Thank you, but I’ll be staying at my friend’s place tonight.”

“Miss Singed, please inform Mr. Husson personally. I’m just following orders here,” the bodyguard replied in a serious tone.

Ruka knew that she shouldn’t make things difficult for the bodyguard, but she didn’t want to call Ren as well. Suddenly, she remembered she had previously gotten Elijah’s number, so she decided to have him be the messenger instead. Taking out her phone, she then dialed Elijah’s number.

“Hello, Miss Singed.” The call got through rather quickly.

“Elijah, please tell Mr. Husson that I won’t be going home tonight,” Ruka said politely.

“Miss Singed, I also have some news for you.”

“What is it?” Ruka was slightly surprised.

“Sir has been admitted to the hospital.”

“Huh? He did?” Ruka widened her eyes in shock and asked hurriedly, “Did something happen to him?”

“His condition worsened, so he needed to be hospitalized.” Elijah answered before he continued, “If you come and visit him, or maybe even take care of him for a while, I’m sure Sir would be very happy.”

“I…”

“He’s in a bad mood now.”

“I’m afraid it’ll only worsen his mood if I do.” Like a child who had just done something wrong, she bit her lips and was afraid of going home.

“Why would you think so? If Sir were to see you, he would immediately become better even if he didn’t take his medicine. Is the bodyguard with you now? Tell him to send you over here.” Saying that, Elijah ended the call.

With her phone in hand, Ruka was stunned briefly before she raised her head and said to the bodyguard, “Please bring me to the hospital.” With a nod from the bodyguard, he then gestured for Ruka to follow him to his car.

On the way to the hospital, Ruka was filled with worries. Why did his condition worsen? He still looked fine back in the conference room just now. Just like that, she stewed in her worries all the way to the hospital.

With guards posted in every corner of the place, the hospital Ren was admitted to was anything but ordinary, so much so that even she had to register several times just to enter the hospital.

Elijah came and escorted her to a ward on the sixth floor. There, he knocked on the door before he said to her, “Sir is inside here. Miss Singed, please.”

Ruka nodded and was about to turn the door handle when Elijah continued in a whisper, “Miss Singed, Sir is in a bad mood now. Please try not to agitate him. Also, he hasn’t had much to eat today, so please persuade him to eat something.”

Listening to the assistant’s instructions, she was briefly stunned before she nodded as a response.

Then, she gently opened the door and entered the ward.

Although this was a hospital, the ward Ruka entered was a private VIP suite. On top of that huge white bed, Ren was sitting with a document in hand while hooked up to the IV drip. When he noticed that she was the one who had entered the ward, he continued to read his document after taking a glance at the woman.

“Mr. Ren, are you okay?” she asked in concern while walking over to his side, her eyes examining the color of the man’s face.

“I’m fine,” he answered indifferently.

“Do you still have a fever?” Ruka continued asking while subconsciously reaching her hand out to his forehead to measure Ren’s temperature, to which he said nothing and allowed it to happen. She discreetly heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that he was at a relatively normal temperature.

Noticing the fruits by the bedside, she asked, “Do you want an apple? I’ll peel them for you.”

“I don’t feel like it.” Ren refused.

“Then, what do you feel like eating?” Ruka asked as she blinked and thought back on Elijah saying that he hadn’t eaten anything today.

The man on the bed then stared deeply at her, as though he was trying to bore through her with his gaze.

As she was just waiting for Ren to answer her question, she hadn’t expected to find him staring straight at her in response. Why is he staring at me? It’s not like I brought any food with me.

Then, he answered hoarsely, “You.”

Ruka was first stunned by the man’s word. When she realized what he meant a few seconds later, her face grew as red as a tomato.

Looking at her turning red, Ren smiled and said, “Bring me some porridge.”

She then left in a hurry and came back soon after with a bowl of nutritious chicken porridge in hand.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she handed the bowl to him and said, “Here, the porridge you wanted.

Eat up.”

“Feed me,” Ren demanded.

Ruka placed the bowl of porridge on the table beside and asked somewhat bashfully, “Did you injure your hand?”

He replied, “No, but I want you to feed me.” His eyebrows slightly raised, as though he was implying that he would not eat unless she fed him.

Left without any other choice, she abided by his wishes as she felt it was fine feeding a patient. Next, she pulled a chair closer to the bed and took the bowl of porridge. “Alright. I’ll feed you, so sit closer to me.”

With one hand on the edge of the bed as support, Ren scooted and leaned closer to her to make things easier for Ruka.

As the porridge was still somewhat hot, Ruka took a spoonful of porridge and blew on it before she fed the man. Content with the treatment, Ren ate with a smile so wide that his one-sided dimple appeared.

“Is it too hot?” she asked.

“It’s fine,” he answered with his eyes locked on Ruka’s face. With how close she was to him that he could smell her fragrance from her, it felt as though she was secretly leading him into temptation.

However, Ruka only concentrated on feeding the man. Only when she was halfway through the bowl of porridge did she realize that Ren had been staring at her. Blushing inadvertently, she said, “Don’t just stare at me.”

Smiling, Ren asked, “Where else should I stare if not you?”

“Anywhere else but me,” Ruka answered while feeding the man another spoonful of porridge. When she noticed the bowl of porridge was close to empty, she felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.

Just then, a knock came from the door. Before Ruka could react, Elijah entered intending to give the important documents in his hand to Ren. However, when he noticed Ruka feeding the dignified vice president, he was baffled for a moment before he quickly turned his back on them and went out the door. On his way out, he turned his head to the two and said, “Please, continue.”

With Ruka’s face as red as a tomato right now, she roughly placed the bowl of porridge in Ren’s hands and said, ” Eat it yourself. I’m done feeding you.” Then, she turned her back on him, stewing in embarrassment.

Looking at Ruka’s bright red face, Ren stifled his laugh and said, “Everyone around me knows about me liking you, so there’s nothing for you to be ashamed of.”

Ruka blinked and stared at the man. “Why do they know?”

“Some things don’t need to be said. They have eyes themselves after all,” Ren answered. Then, he finished the last spoonful of porridge elegantly.

As the man was done with his meal, Ruka proactively went and cleaned up the bowl for him. Just then, her phone rang. Realizing that it was Caspian who had called her, she felt a tug at her heartstrings.

She then said to Ren, “I’m going out to take a call.”

As the man’s insight was keen, Ren could guess who the caller was with a glance. In an unpleasant tone, he asked, “Is it from the boy who confessed to you today?”

Ruka nodded, albeit with a guilty conscience. “Yeah. I don’t know what he wants, so I’ll have to answer the call,” she answered while she was on the way out of the room.

“Answer the call here,” Ren ordered sternly. He wanted to know just what that boy was planning with this phone call at such a time.

Left without any other choice, Ruka went near the windows and answered the call. “Hello.”

“Hey, Ruka. It’s me. Have you had dinner yet?”

“Yeah,” Ruka replied. She didn’t want to give him the opportunity to invite her out for dinner.

“It’s a Friday night, and tomorrow’s the weekend. I heard there’s a popular movie showing tonight. Do you want to go watch it together?”

As Ruka expected, Caspian did call her to invite her out. Inviting someone to watch a movie was one of the ways a date would go for the younger generation. Nonetheless, she refused politely, “Sorry, I have something going on tonight, so I can’t go watch it with you.” Since she was focused on the phone call, she was oblivious to the fact that Ren had gotten out of bed and silently came behind her. It was when she noticed a shadow looming over her did she turn around in surprise.

However, it was all too late, as Ren snatched Ruka’s phone from her hand. As she let out a small gasp, he said coldly on the phone, “Stay away from her.” His voice was filled with intimidation.

“Who are you?!” Caspian asked angrily. Since he was still young and rather impetuous, he was naturally upset when the pleasant conversation he had was interrupted by someone’s warning.

“I’m her boyfriend,” Ren answered as he enunciated each of his words slowly before he ended the call.

Widening her eyes in disbelief, Ruka thought, Not only did this guy just give Caspian a warning, but to even go as far as pretend to be my boyfriend?!

Then, Ren unhappily tossed Ruka’s phone onto the couch. Although he was unwell, he still exuded an arrogant and dignified presence. At this moment, with his lips tightly pursed, he gave an icy glare at Ruka. “Are you really going to accept his confession?”

Feeling an overwhelming sense of oppression from Ren, Ruka subconsciously took a step back. “This is my personal affair. Please, don’t ask me about it, okay?”

“Do you think that I’ll allow you to go out with him?” Ren asked sullenly.

Listening to the man’s tone, Ruka felt the urge to rebel against him. “Ren Husson, just who do you think you are? Besides my parents, no one else has the right to oppose whoever I choose to be with!” she retorted with her voice raised. Is this man planning to ruin his reputation?

Perhaps because he hadn’t expected the docile Ruka would refute him so vehemently, Ren was somewhat taken aback.

Ruka gasped slightly. Her eyes were filled with determination as she pursed her red lips. “I know you’re someone in a high position, but you have no right to intrude on my freedom to be with who I want. I have the right to like any person I wish, and that person isn’t you.” After she was done talking, she decided to leave the place. Since she had decided to cut off the ambiguous relationship she had with him, then she had to walk the talk.

Furthermore, Ruka had also taken into account what Victoria said to her. As the latter was madly in love with Ren, Ruka couldn’t discount the possibility of her going crazy and dragging his name through the mud out of resentment. As Ruka had treated him as one of her older relatives throughout her life, the taboo feelings she felt only grew stronger. She never needed someone else to point out what was wrong with their relationship, as she knew that the relationship between them wasn’t just unreasonable, but it was also both unethical and immoral.

Looking at the girl who took her bag and was about to leave, Ren was like a lion who had instantly had its strength cut off. Although he stood in an upright posture, his body was stiff, his eyes bleak. He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his hands started to bulge. Just as the girl was about to open the door, he cried out, “Ruka, don’t go.” Even if he was a powerful man standing on top of the world, all that power and prestige meant nothing in the face of the girl, as just a few words from her was enough to shatter his calm composure.

Ruka stopped in her tracks and had her will weakened upon hearing Ren’s voice that seemed as though he was begging her. “What else do you want?” Ruka asked in a softer tone than before, but still kept her back at him. “If there’s nothing else, then I’ll be staying over at my friend’s place tonight.”

“I do. I need you to stay here and take care of me.” The man’s deep voice sounded.

“Not only are there so many nurses around, but there are even your men and bodyguards here. I’m sure there are more than enough people here who will take good care of you,” Ruka retorted.

“The only person I want is you,” Ren replied with his voice turning hoarse at the end.

Just what does this man want from me? Ruka’s heart was in complete disarray.

Before Ruka could think of how to reject the man, Ren had passed her by, opened the door, and shouted, “Elijah, come.”

Elijah instantly heeded Ren’s call as he appeared by the door. “Sir, what are your orders?”

“I want to go home. Settle the paperwork for me to be discharged,” said Ren.

“You mustn’t. The hospital director said you must be hospitalized overnight so that the hospital can check on your condition.” Elijah immediately rejected Ren’s request.

As Ren had been experiencing refusals over and over again today, he grew slightly irritated as he grumbled, “I’m the one making the calls here. Go and prepare the car.” After that, he said to the girl behind him, “You shouldn’t bother your friend, so just come home with me.”

Ruka was dumbfounded by what Ren said, since it was precisely because she didn’t want to share a room with him that she decided to stay the night at Rita’s place. So, she refused. “I’m not going with you. I want to stay at my friend’s place tonight.”

Words couldn’t describe how terrible he looked right now. His expression forbidding, Ren vented his anger on Elijah, the man who was currently stuck between a rock and a hard place. “Why are you still standing here? Get a move on!”

Ruka was also startled by the man’s words. Just what is wrong with this man?!

Although he was trembling with fear, Elijah straightened himself for Ren’s sake. “Sir, since your heart is showing symptoms of arrhythmia, the director has advised you to stay the night in the hospital so that they can monitor your condition.”

As Elijah’s words immediately captured Ruka’s attention, she immediately asked, “What’s wrong with his heart?”

Even though the person in question was just in front of her, Ruka asked Elijah instead. This made a certain someone to look askance at her with a surge of displeasure rising inside him.

“Miss Singed, may we talk as we walk?” Elijah was much bolder than Ruka, as he asked for her to leave a certain someone’s side.

After Ruka took a glance at the clearly displeased man beside Elijah, she simply left the ward and shut the door behind her. As she walked beside Elijah, he explained to her, “This afternoon when Sir had just returned to the White House, he suddenly said that he wasn’t feeling too good with his heart. After a series of tests in the hospital, the hospital director decided to keep him here for one day to monitor his condition. Miss Singed, please. You have to persuade Sir to stay the night here. He’ll definitely listen if it’s you saying it.”