Chapter 18: Reaching an Agreement

He had already entered the house, and no matter how much she tried, Xia Rusheng couldn’t push him out. She looked at Lin Yichen with a mix of helplessness and irritation, utterly baffled by what trick he was trying to play this time.

“Aren’t you going to invite me to sit?” Lin Yichen glanced around the villa. “How on earth did you manage to book such a nice place?”

Xia Rusheng didn’t bother to explain; she owed him no explanations.

“I’m letting you in is already more than enough. Stand if you have something to say; if not, leave. I need to rest.”

Lin Yichen clenched the ring box tightly in his hand, suddenly reluctant to hand it over so quickly. He took a few steps toward the bedroom, and when Xia Rusheng wasn’t paying attention, he dashed into her room and flopped onto the bed.

“Ah, this is comfortable,” he sighed contentedly, stretching lazily as he lay sprawled on her bed. “Don’t you think we’re a match made in heaven?”

“Even if I could stand what you say, heaven certainly wouldn’t. Don’t make heaven think it’s blind,” Xia Rusheng retorted mercilessly, grabbing a throw pillow and hurling it at him. But that shameless fellow refused to budge.

“I think you misunderstood me. You don’t seriously believe I’m engaged to you because I like you, do you?”

Xia Rusheng sensed there was more beneath his words and gradually calmed down. “Then what exactly do you mean?”

Lin Yichen stopped teasing and got up to pour himself a cup of tea. Leaning against the desk, he said, “Getting engaged to me doesn’t necessarily mean marrying me. Even if we do get married, I won’t interfere with your private life. You’ll get half of my assets. If you want a divorce, I’ll agree anytime. Before the engagement, we can sign an agreement—I'll use the engagement to keep my secrets, and you’ll gain the backing of the Lin family. It’s mutually beneficial. What’s wrong with that?”

Xia Rusheng hadn’t expected him to say that. She asked, “Then why not find Xia Yu?”

“I don’t like working with idiots,” Lin Yichen said bluntly.

That line pleased Xia Rusheng immensely. “Sounds not bad, but in the end, it’s the Xia family who benefits, not me. Why should I sacrifice myself?”

Lin Yichen tapped lightly on the desk behind him. “I can help you reclaim your mother’s inheritance.”

That struck Xia Rusheng right in the heart. She desperately needed that inheritance. Without it, she had no solid financial foundation for her revenge.

“From my investigation, that inheritance is still in your grandmother’s hands. You and your grandmother have a strained relationship. If she really doesn’t want to give you the inheritance, she has many ways to hold onto it. The old Madam Xia is no ordinary person; she won’t let go of what she holds easily. Besides, Tan Li and her daughter have been eyeing the inheritance you’re supposed to get. Given your current situation, you can’t reclaim it by yourself.”

Xia Rusheng fell silent for a moment. It seemed Lin Yichen had done thorough research on the Xia family, and everything he said was grounded in reality.

“Engagement sounds good, but I have one condition.”

A sly smile flickered across Lin Yichen’s face. “If it’s within my power, I’ll agree.”

“I want to have my mother’s inheritance in hand before the engagement. Otherwise, why should I trust you?”

Lin Yichen put down his cup. “That’s easy. I can offer you more than that. Just wait and see the show.”

After saying this, he reverted to his previous lazy, rogue demeanor and stretched out on Xia Rusheng’s bed again. “I’ve been on a plane for hours and I’m exhausted. Just let me stay tonight. You know I like men; I won’t do anything to you.”

Xia Rusheng tugged the blanket, dragging Lin Yichen to the floor with a loud cry.

“You’re so heartless! I flew all night just to see if you were getting better, and you treat me like this? I’m at least your fiancé. Can’t I get some special treatment?”

His words struck a chord. Was he really flying back just to check on her fever? Though she only half believed it, even if it was a lie, she suddenly wanted to indulge herself in that comforting fiction.

“You sleep there,” Xia Rusheng pointed to the long sofa, handed him a blanket, and then crawled into her own bed.

Both were exhausted, and they quickly fell asleep. But before dreams could fully take hold, faint doorbell chimes echoed through the villa.

“Xia Xia, go answer the door,” Lin Yichen murmured from the sofa, wrapped in a blanket. The sofa was cramped; he had finally found a comfortable position and didn’t want to move.

“You’re just squatting here. Be responsible and go,” Xia Rusheng snapped, burying her head deeper in the covers. She couldn’t hear it! She wouldn’t hear anything!

The two fell into a prolonged standoff, neither budging. After a while, the doorbell stopped ringing. Xia Rusheng thought the ordeal was finally over, but then the door clicked open by itself, and with a snap, the lights switched on.

Xia Rusheng lay in bed for a few seconds before suddenly sitting up.

“Miss Xia, you’re still awake.” Manager Yang pushed a food cart in, his smile a bit stiff.

Xia Rusheng blinked, still a little dazed, looking at Manager Yang’s tousled hair. “Manager Yang, don’t you need to rest at this hour?”

Manager Yang stifled a yawn. He wanted to rest, but had just barely lain down when the big boss called and jolted him awake. He was helpless.

“The food cart was tipped earlier, so I had the kitchen prepare a fresh meal and made some ginger soup. Miss Xia, you’re still weak. Though it’s late, at least have something to eat and drink the ginger soup to warm up. I heard the temperature will drop sharply again tomorrow.”

Xia Rusheng accepted Manager Yang’s kindness and quietly ate in the dining room. But when she saw the meal set clearly for two, her face involuntarily flushed.

“Well, I’m just letting him stay one night. There’s nothing between us.”

She didn’t know why she felt the need to explain, but felt compelled to do so.

The moment Lin Yichen’s name came up, he smelled the food and drifted out of his room. He had been busy with his schedule and promotions all day, skipping lunch and dinner. The airplane food was barely edible, so he was starving.

“Oh, Director Lin is here too,” Manager Yang said politely, without a trace of surprise.

“Where my Xia Xia goes, I’ll follow,” Lin Yichen said and immediately focused on his food, ignoring Manager Yang entirely. Xia Rusheng was too tired to argue with his nonsense. She fetched a pair of chopsticks and bowls for Manager Yang so he could join them.

Manager Yang showed no awareness. From mealtime through afterward, he kept talking, using a dozen subtle ways to suggest Lin Yichen find another place to stay. But Lin Yichen cleverly dodged each with feigned ignorance. In the end, Xia Rusheng herself had to step in and evict him.

She didn’t care about others’ opinions, but inexplicably, she didn’t want him to misunderstand her.

After Lin Yichen left the villa, Xia Rusheng finally fell into a peaceful sleep and sweet dreams. She never knew that not far from the villa, a silver-gray Bentley had been parked, watching over her until the light in her room finally went out, only then did it leave.