The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 719 - 622: Uninvited Guest

Ye Rui stepped out of the ward to call Leng Shaoqing, her fair face brimming with a smile of happiness.

What this man had done for her had always been so touching and surprising. He had quietly traveled back from abroad, just to take care of Ye Lin’s affairs for her. Apart from him, no one else could have persuaded the Qin Family to drop the lawsuit against Ye Lin. Similarly, he must have promised the Qin Family great benefits.

The call connected after not too long, with some noisy background. She could vaguely hear people talking.

"Did I interrupt your work?" Ye Rui immediately whispered an apology, "I thought it was your lunch break."

"I’m at a lunch meeting." As he spoke, Leng Shaoqing rose from his seat and walked out of the private room. Leaning against the wall outside, he casually lit a cigarette, "What’s up?"

Hearing the noise in the background fade away, Ye Rui knew he had gone to a quiet place: "Nothing much, just... thank you."

"No need for thanks." He took a puff of the cigarette, his lips curving slightly, "Feeling better now, willing to eat?"

Ye Rui playfully retorted: "I’m not a machine, of course I need to eat. I just didn’t have an appetite yesterday."

He chuckled, and amidst the white smoke, his phoenix-like eyes appeared misty and deep.

"Then I won’t disturb your lunch meeting anymore."

"Have you eaten?"

Ye Rui: "Not yet."

"Come join me, I’m in a private room at Xiangshan Club."

"No need, I’m at the hospital with Dad. I’ll go out and buy some takeout to eat with him later. You go ahead and eat, don’t worry about me."

"Alright then."

Just as Leng Shaoqing was about to hang up, Ye Rui suddenly stopped him, "Shaoqing."

"Hmm?"

Ye Rui, holding the phone, looked around to make sure no one was there, then kissed the microphone, "I love you."

After she spoke, she didn’t wait for Leng Shaoqing to respond, and hung up the phone like she had done something guilty, touching her face to find it had turned bright red.

Leng Shaoqing stared blankly at the phone, not expecting her to confess so straightforwardly, bold yet shy as she hung up. She must be covering her blushing face with a silly smile right now.

Leng Shaoqing didn’t notice the spreading smile at the bottom of his eyes, instead he gestured to call over a waiter.

Ye Xiangzhong said he wasn’t hungry, so Ye Rui didn’t rush out to buy food. She peeled an orange and watched the news on TV with Ye Xiangzhong.

"Rui, Shaoqing’s birthday is coming up soon, right? I’ve prepared a birthday gift for him."

"What gift?" Ye Rui asked curiously, feeding a peeled orange to Ye Xiangzhong’s mouth.

Ye Xiangzhong smiled mysteriously, "Although it’s not as valuable as your African violet, it’s something Dad specially bid for at an auction. He likes to smoke cigars, doesn’t he? It’s a box of fine Cuban cigars, handcrafted by a master, limited edition worldwide."

Ye Rui was moved by Ye Xiangzhong’s thoughtfulness, but also felt a bit sad. The Leng Family was wealthy and distinguished, beyond the reach of the Ye Family. So, when she married Leng Shaoqing, Ye Xiangzhong was happy but also cautiously ingratiating, fearing that she might be wronged in the Leng Family due to her background. He was not only courteous and attentive to Leng Shaoqing’s parents, but also meticulous and careful with Leng Shaoqing, his son-in-law.

"Dad, Shaoqing treats me very well." Ye Rui’s words meant to tell him that he didn’t need to be so humble before the Leng Family. She, Ye Rui, loved Leng Shaoqing for the person he is, not for his prominent family background.

"Dad knows." Ye Xiangzhong chuckled, "Spending a little money for peace of mind is also worth it."

While the father and daughter were talking, there was a knock on the door, followed by a Xiangshan Club uniformed waiter appearing at the doorway.

"Madam, this is the lunch sent by Mr. Leng. Please enjoy." The waiter set down the dishes from the lunch box onto the table one by one in front of their surprised faces. There was not only food but even a very carefully packaged ice cream.

Leng Shaoqing knew that Ye Rui loved Xiangshan’s ice cream the most.

"You enjoy, I’ll head back now." The waiter left politely.

Ye Rui approached the table and felt the boxes; they were all hot, obviously freshly made and delivered right away. The ice cream was packed meticulously, with no signs of melting.

"Shaoqing is really considerate." Ye Xiangzhong said happily, "Rui, he is really good to you, you need to cherish that."

Ye Rui touched the outer shell of the ice cream; though cold, it warmed her body, as well as her heart, like fire.

~

In a blink, Leng Shaoqing’s birthday arrived, and since it wasn’t a weekend, he went to his company early in the morning.

When Ye Rui woke up, Leng Shaoqing had already left, and she was annoyed she hadn’t been able to give him his birthday gift first thing in the morning.

Thinking of the gift, Ye Rui immediately got up, opened the wardrobe, and took out a shirt.

This was dyed with the flowers of the African violets that she had personally grown. It was a pale violet color that simply couldn’t be bought or seen on the market. Even the crystal buttons on the shirt had specimens of violet leaves wrapped inside, flourishing in wild abundance.

With her flowers and the craftsmanship of a top-tier clothing master, this priceless shirt came into being. Just like the African violet, it was one of a kind in the world.

Ye Rui hung the shirt back with satisfaction, waiting to give Leng Shaoqing a surprise when he returned home in the evening.

After washing up, Ye Rui began to get busy in the kitchen. Today, all the dishes were personally cooked by her, with the kitchen staff only assisting her.

For today’s family banquet, she had taken a week of cooking lessons at a chef’s shop.

In the afternoon, around four o’clock, the guests started to arrive one after another, while Leng Shaoqing was still at work. The Leng corporation finishes at five, and he did not leave early; it’s said he had two important meetings today, but he assured several times he would leave the office on time after work.

Since Ye Lin was no longer facing jail time, Luo Huafang had become much more restrained and was quite polite to Ye Rui. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Ye Xiangzhong had just left the hospital, but his physique had recovered its robustness, chatting and laughing with the butler in the backyard.

Soon, Leng’s parents arrived.

"Wow, I can smell the fragrance the moment I entered the yard." Leng’s mother, wearing a bright red knitted sweater, didn’t look out of place in her sixties, her meticulously maintained face hardly bearing any marks of aging.

"Mom, Dad, please come in." Ye Rui, still wearing an apron, hurriedly ushered the elderly couple inside.

"Rui, did you really cook yourself?" Leng’s mother was surprised, as in her eyes, a young lady like Ye Rui should be someone whose delicate hands never touched spring water.

Ye Rui, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched her head: "Mom, you’re not allowed to make fun of me later. I’ve just learned this recently."

"It’s the thought that counts." Leng’s mother patted her hand and followed her into the kitchen, looking around curiously: "What dish is this going to be?"

"This is mock duck." Ye Rui introduced with enthusiasm: "It looks and tastes like duck meat, but it’s actually a pure vegetarian dish."

"And this one?"

"This is Buddha’s Delight, named after the gathering of the eighteen Arhats."

Leng’s mother was thrilled: "Then tonight, I must have a good taste of this Buddha’s Delight."

"Rui is really thoughtful, knowing you like vegetarian food, she has us all eating vegetarian too." Leng’s father said with a chuckle.

Leng’s mother gave him a look: "Rui prepared Mei Cai Kou Rou (steamed pork with preserved vegetables) for you. I can even smell it."

"There’s Mei Cai Kou Rou?" Leng’s father instantly showed a look of anticipation, "The one who knows me is Rui indeed. Didn’t let me end up nibbling on vegetable leaves with this old lady."

"When is Shaoqing coming back?" Leng’s father glanced at the clock: "It’s almost five."

"He said he would leave the company right on time after finishing work at five, and he should be home around sixish."

At this time, Ye Xiangzhong called out to Leng’s father to play chess, and Ye Rui pushed Leng’s mother out: "Mom, you go watch TV. There’s fumes here, and it’s bad for your bronchitis to inhale them."

Ye Xiangzhong and Leng’s father had already set up the chessboard.

Leng’s father made a move and said jubilantly, "Dear in-laws, our Leng family has married a virtuous and sensible good daughter-in-law."

"Not at all, not at all, this is what she should do." Hearing Leng’s father praising Ye Rui, Ye Xiangzhong was grinning from ear to ear.

"Every few days she makes pastries and sends them over. Knowing her mother-in-law has bronchitis, she specially sun-dried some floral tea for treating it. My wife has been drinking it for half a month and her bronchitis has improved. Those flowers and plants, in our eyes, are just for decoration, but in Rui’s hands, they become something edible, useful, and even medicinal."

"Shaoqing is a good kid too, treating our Rui so well. For these two children to come together is also fate, a blessing for us as the older generation."

Ye Rui was busy in the kitchen, occasionally glancing at the watch. She wanted to serve all the dishes before Leng Shaoqing got home so everyone could eat while the dishes were still hot.

At six o’clock, Ye Xiangzhong and Leng’s father had been playing chess for a while now, each with wins and losses.

"It’s almost time for dinner, let’s go over."

Ye Xiangzhong, who was chatting with Leng’s mother, asked Luo Huafang, "Where’s Ye Lin? Why hasn’t he arrived yet?"

"Soon, soon, he just called saying he’s on his way."

As soon as her words fell, the doorbell rang outside. Luo Huafang smiled and said, "Here they are, they’ve arrived."

The butler opened the door, indeed it was Ye Lin who came, but he brought someone else. Seeing this person, both Luo Huafang and Ye Xiangzhong’s expressions changed.

Ye Rui was placing the pork dish on the table, looking towards the door: "Ye Lin is here...." She hadn’t finished her sentence when she saw Qin Youyou following behind Ye Lin, her face immediately fell.

Ye Lin quickly said, "This is my friend Qin Youyou, she heard that today is my brother-in-law’s birthday and wanted to come over to celebrate his birthday."

Ye Xiangrong was trembling with anger but didn’t make a scene due to the presence of Leng’s parents, only glaring at Luo Huafang.

Luo Huafang’s face couldn’t hang on either; she clearly hadn’t forgotten how the Qin family mother and daughter had humiliated her last time, kneeling to them.

Everyone wore various expressions, only Leng’s mother, unaware of the real situation, smilingly said, "Since she’s Ye Lin’s friend, then come on in quickly. It’s time to eat; let’s enjoy the meal together."

Qin Youyou immediately greeted them courteously: "Hello Leng’s Mom, hello Leng’s Dad.