Pampered by Short-Lived Bigshot-Chapter 976 - 581: Take Responsibility for Her—A Thief’s Bite Cuts Deep (Part 2)
"You didn’t expect it?" Zeyan isn’t slow in some matters, "Did someone bring this to you?"
"You went to the bridal shop today to try on dresses and were followed by a reporter. He directly tailed you to the apartment. There’s no property here under your name, but there is an apartment registered under Ruan Mengxi’s name. You should know, once the news gets out, how the reporters will write about it, right?"
The old man clasped his hands behind his back, surveying the bedroom once more.
"The news reached you?"
"For so many years, you’ve never been involved in scandals or tabloid news. This reporter didn’t dare to report recklessly, so he handed the information to me first. I had to spend a little money on it."
The reporter didn’t dare to report indiscriminately, for fear of offending the Qi Family, whose businesses extend into the entertainment industry and have considerable influence in the news sector. Moreover, by bringing the news to the Qi Family, he might receive some compensation.
"This reporter probably got some gossip somewhere, hearing that Xiaohuo and his wife would be there. Originally aiming for them, he accidentally stumbled upon you."
As they spoke, the old man strolled around the bedroom.
"What’s going on with you and Xiaoruan?"
"Do you like that girl?"
...
"She and I are just ordinary colleagues, at best you could call us friends," Zeyan explained.
Actually, the soundproofing of the room wasn’t great. Xiaozhu, sitting in the living room, could vaguely hear the conversation inside, although it was intermittent and hard to make out clearly.
Suddenly, the old man shouted loudly, startling him to the point that his soul nearly left his body.
"Absolute nonsense, confused!"
"If this information hadn’t gone through me, do you know what the consequences would be once it spread?"
"You and Jiang Xiaosi can already cause some minor rumors, let alone with Xiaoruan? To you, it doesn’t matter—everyone is wary of our family and wouldn’t dare say anything rash. But that child Xiaoruan will be thrust into the spotlight."
"Without me saying, you should know how your relationship will be misconstrued, right? A single man and woman living together in one house—how are you going to clarify that..."
The old man glared at him.
Zeyan frowned, "We are not living together!"
"You still dare to talk back?"
"I’m just..."
"Then tell me, when the media firmly claims you have an inappropriate relationship, what will you do? Even if you clarify, maybe some will believe you, but no one would dare gossip in front of you."
"What about Xiaoruan? Once the news is out, she’ll be pointed at and judged her entire life."
"Explain to me, how do you tell her parents that you’re living under one roof with their daughter and nothing happened? Who would believe that?"
Even if the storm blows over, as long as Zeyan has any romantic development, Ruan Mengxi will be dragged up again and slandered.
Zeyan hadn’t thought much at the time, but recalling how rumors spread about him and Jiang Chengsi, he understood his grandfather’s concerns.
"Grandfather, I didn’t consider it thoroughly."
"Usually you’re not one without discretion," the old man sighed deeply, "After all these years in business, you should know better than I do..."
"Once bitten by a snake, you’re three years afraid of ropes."
"You’ve got thick skin, but don’t drag the girl down with you."
Zeyan remained silent.
He indeed acted without enough consideration this time, but... was it really necessary to call him thick-skinned?
The old grandfather examined him, "How’s your leg?"
After all, he was still his grandson and cared about him.
"It’s fine. After some rest, I should be able to move around freely."
"Looks like you’re doing well here; you even seem to have gained some weight."
"..."
"Actually, if the issue did come out, I have even thought about how to handle the PR," the old grandfather sat down by the bed.
"How to handle the PR?"
"Just say the two of you are dating."
Zeyan took a deep breath, knowing his grandfather couldn’t come up with any good ideas, "You’re afraid of affecting her reputation if people find out, and yet if I date her, it wouldn’t affect it?"
"Surely, it’s you clinging onto her place because she’s your assistant and can’t refuse. If anything happens, would you think of hiding behind a woman instead of taking responsibility?"
Upon hearing this, Zeyan became unhappy, at least as a man, feeling suddenly emotional.
"Who said I would hide behind a woman!"
"Why are you shouting at me, showing off your loud voice?"
"..."
"Actually, Xiaoruan is quite nice, and the house is kept spotless," the old man clicked his tongue, "Qiqi, seriously, you have no feelings for her?"
"Grandfather..."
"I tell you, this girl must either be bullied by you to the point of obedience, or she’s interested in you," the old man’s eyes were sharp.
Zeyan had constantly been thinking about this lately and was momentarily startled by his grandfather’s bluntness.
"She likes me? Where do you see that from?"
"A girl, especially a single woman living alone, wouldn’t casually let a man move into her home. It’d be inconceivable to invite a wolf into her home so recklessly. If she dares to let you in, doesn’t that tell you something?"
"She trusts me, and besides, I paid."
His grandfather nearly choked with anger, his face turning red.
He could almost split his head open to see what was inside.
How did he come to have such a blockheaded grandson?
"She tolerating you for so long means she’s quite indulgent of you. I noticed earlier when she entered, she seemed in a pretty good mood, indicating she’s happy living with you. You should get what I mean."
"When you were in the hospital, Xiaoruan looked after you very diligently."
"If you have no feelings for her, I hope you’ll make things clear. If neither of you means anything, it’s better to address it now than to let issues arise in the future."
Zeyan nodded, "I know what to do."
The old grandfather sighed, "After we eat, you’re coming back with me."
"Go back with you?"
"What’s the matter, you still don’t want to leave? I tell you, if you two switched roles and it was my granddaughter living with a man, claiming nothing happened, I’d just break your legs first."
"..."
"You, boy, you’re going to be the death of me, and sooner or later, you’ll get what’s coming to you," the old man snorted coldly. "If you weren’t my grandson, knowing you well, you’ve been living at the girl’s place for so long, and now you say you’re just colleagues and friends?"
"You’re just a scoundrel."
"..."
Zeyan knew, even though they were innocent, they couldn’t withstand the wild fabrications of reporters.
**
Ruan Mengxi was choosing groceries, midway through, she received a call from Tang Wan.
"Fifth Brother and I are at home already," Tang Wan called just to report peace, "Where are you? It’s so noisy around you."
"Shopping at the supermarket, going home to cook."
"Xixi, aren’t you spoiling him too much?"
"Am I?"
"You just need to know the boundaries yourself. If anything happens, reach out to me any time."
Jiang Jinsang saw her hang up and still be in a daze, just as he was about to speak, she suddenly touched her belly, "Fifth Brother, the baby moved again."
In fact, she had felt fetal movements quite early on. Jiang Jinsang also wanted to feel it, but every time he reached over, her belly stopped moving.
Tang Wan immediately grabbed his hand, placing it on her belly...
As always, there was no response.
"The movement just now was really strong," Tang Wan coughed twice, "Not sure why, but it stopped moving suddenly."
"It’s okay, I’ll go cook. What do you want to eat?" Jiang Jinsang couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.
Was this kid doing it on purpose? Even her mother and grandmother had felt it before; Jiangjiang and Taotao had also touched it, but only he...
No response at all.
