Chapter 74
The twelve o’clock visit from Ruan Chi made Zong Mo have to worry. He was hesitating whether to make a call when that unique and familiar ringtone sounded at just the right time.
He immediately hung up the phone and quickly called back.
Ruan Chi: “…What are you doing?”
“I hung up on purpose,” Zong Mo said righteously. “Because I wanted to be the first to call you.”
The other end of the phone was quiet for a while.
“Are you busy?” Zong Mo asked.
“If I were busy, why would I be calling you?”
Zong Mo thought for a moment and also asked, “Did you not sleep at all last night?”
“Mm.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I am.”
“It was because you were comforting me that I cried like that, not because I was sad,” Zong Mo explained. “If you’re tired… why don’t you come back and rest early?”
“You can give me a video call.”
Zong Mo: …
What the hell? As if a video call with him was some precious panacea.
He didn’t mind making a video call, but his red and swollen eyes were really too silly, and he also preferred to talk face to face.
“If you’re not busy anymore, you should come back early,” Zong Mo said. “I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
“Mm.”
“CEO Ruan,” after a moment of silence, Zong Mo spoke again. “I want to stand on the same level as you. Is that the only way we can be a little more equal?”
“By being a celebrity?”
Zong Mo: …
That might not be achievable in a lifetime. He might as well hope for reincarnation.
Zong Mo let out a long sigh, “So difficult.”
“Then shall I donate ninety percent of my assets?” Ruan Chi asked.
Zong Mo: “Are you joking?”
“Mm, I am joking.”
Zong Mo didn’t know what to say and was about to urge Ruan Chi to come back early.
“I can give you half,” Ruan Chi suddenly spoke. “This time, I’m not joking.”
Zong Mo: ?
His brain went blank from the huge pie that had fallen from the sky. His face instantly turned red, but he couldn’t speak and even hung up the phone in a panic.
Ruan Chi: ?
Zong Mo, who had not seen much of the world, was panic-stricken.
When he had asked for a birthday gift, Ruan Chi had said he could give him anything valuable, even a mansion.
But these words just now, was it a matter of hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions?
Zong Mo calmed himself, called again, and asked, “Was that really not a joke just now?”
“What, do you hope it was a joke?”
Zong Mo didn’t know if he had principles or not. He just let out a “mm” without much thought.
After the “mm,” he was filled with regret.
He had really missed out on hundreds of billions!!
Ruan Chi only said, “If you hope it is, then it is.”
After hanging up the phone, Zong Mo was lost in thought for a long time. After a few dozen minutes, he called again.
“Are you busy now?”
“No.”
“CEO Ruan,” Zong Mo said seriously. “Don’t give me half of your assets.”
Ruan Chi: “Hmm?”
Zong Mo explained, “I don’t even know how to manage money. I only know how to deposit money in the bank. Giving it to me would be a waste. And I can’t handle your work either.”
Ruan Chi let out another “mm” and continued to listen to him.
“When are you coming back?”
“Around twelve-thirty,” Ruan Chi said. “Want to go out to eat? I’ll come back and pick you up.”
Zong Mo was stunned, “Hmm? I don’t have to cook anymore in the future?”
“I like to eat the food you make,” Ruan Chi said. “You can go out to eat when you don’t want to cook.”
“Actually, I also like to cook for you,” Zong Mo’s voice became smaller and smaller. “You should come back early.”
Ruan Chi came home as promised. The moment he entered, he said out of the blue, “You’re my first-in-line heir now. Are you happy?”
Zong Mo was shocked, “CEO Ruan, what did you do today?”
“Of course, I made a will,” Ruan Chi asked again. “Are you happy?”
Zong Mo hadn’t reacted yet and just nodded, “I am.”
Ruan Chi raised an eyebrow, “Happy that I made a will?”
Zong Mo: …
It must be that his crying last night had caused another misunderstanding!
Zong Mo said blankly, “Are you treating me like a son and coaxing me?”
Ruan Chi said seriously, “Besides children, a spouse is also a first-in-line heir.”
Zong Mo was stunned. The heat instantly rolled from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He had thought that Ruan Chi’s “marry me” before was a joke mixed in with word games, and he had also thought that this proposal had been written off with last night’s argument…
“How much longer do you want to stay here?” Ruan Chi continued. “The security measures here are not very good. It’s easy to be photographed by the paparazzi.”
Zong Mo was still a little reluctant to go back and changed the subject, “The paparazzi who photographed you last night, did they not try to sell the photos and videos to you?”
“Because they knew my identity, they asked for an exorbitant price,” Ruan Chi said calmly. “So I told them to scram.”
Zong Mo: …Even if they asked for an exorbitant price, could his CEO Ruan be short of that little money?
Ruan Chi had said before that being photographed by paparazzi was very annoying. Coupled with what Old Master Ruan had told Zong Mo, he asked, “Don’t you dislike showing your face in public?”
Ruan Chi: “It doesn’t matter anymore. If I’m not photographed this time, I’ll be photographed next time.”
Zong Mo suddenly felt a little sorry. He noticed that Ruan Chi was still wearing the same clothes from last night but had brought a briefcase back with him. So he asked, “What’s this?”
“The will,” Ruan Chi said.
Zong Mo: …
So why make a will at such a young age? It’s so unlucky!
Ruan Chi took out the contents of the folder, showed them to him one by one, and introduced them one by one, “A will can be changed, but I promise you, I won’t change it. You will be my only first-in-line heir in the future.”
Zong Mo: …
He didn’t care about this stinky money at all, let alone inheriting it in the form of an inheritance.
Just as he was about to refuse, Ruan Chi added, “I also bought myself a few high-value insurance policies. You are my designated beneficiary. Even if something happens to me, and my company really goes bankrupt, you can still get a huge amount of insurance money. Don’t worry.”
Zong Mo: It feels even more unlucky!!
“This is the transfer agreement for Xingcheng Entertainment,” Ruan Chi did not give him a chance to refuse and continued,
“I’ve transferred An Lan’s contract to the company’s name. From now on, you’ll be her real boss. Of course, you can also change your manager if you want. My acting work will also be handled by Xingcheng Entertainment. You can be considered my boss too.”
Zong Mo quickly interjected, “I don’t know how to manage a company at all. What if it goes bankrupt because of me?”
Ruan Chi smiled, “You don’t have to manage it. There will be a dedicated person in charge, and there’s me. You just have to sit and collect money.”
“And there’s the property transfer agreement,” Ruan Chi said, handing over another stack of documents. “The villa has also been transferred to your name. From now on, it’s me who’s living in your house.”
The value of the villa was of course far from the entire property, but Zong Mo was stunned for a long time.
“Isn’t this your and your parents’ house?”
Ruan Chi was slightly stunned, “How did you know?”
Zong Mo: …He’s exposed himself again.
But there was nothing he couldn’t say. He said directly, “Your grandfather told me.”
Ruan Chi was stunned again, frowned slightly, and muttered, “In just a dozen or so minutes, he actually told you all these things.”
Zong Mo: “Hmm?”
Ruan Chi: “Then you were still so nervous. He had already accepted you.”
Zong Mo: ?
So when he was in a panic, the seemingly old-fashioned old man had already accepted his male grandson’s wife in his heart?
“Accepted my… grandson’s wife?”
“Mm.”
“Does your grandfather know you like men?” Zong Mo asked in confusion. “Then why did you still make me wear women’s clothing when we were paying New Year’s visits?”
Ruan Chi: “I don’t know. The women’s clothing was just for his psychological comfort, and I also thought it looked good.”
Zong Mo: …As expected of a grandfather and grandson.
Only now did he find out about this matter. Zong Mo let out a long sigh of regret, “If we hadn’t had a fight, I could have seen him one last time.”
“Anyway, his last wish of seeing his grandson’s wife has been fulfilled.”
Zong Mo was still feeling sad for Ruan Chi, but this grandson was still talking about his improper grandson’s wife.
He retorted, “It’s not grandson’s wife!”
Ruan Chi smiled, “Mm, then what do you say it is?”
Zong Mo shouted silently in his heart: It’s grandson’s husband!
Although he had emphasized his husband’s identity countless times in his heart, at this moment, he was a little embarrassed and couldn’t say it out loud.
Ruan Chi had no such hesitation and said directly, “My wife?”
Zong Mo pondered for a moment and corrected, “It’s your husband.”
“Hmm?” Ruan Chi’s eyebrows slightly raised, as if he hadn’t heard clearly. “What is it?”
Zong Mo said with certainty, “It’s husband!”
“What is it?”
“Husband!”
Ruan Chi nodded, “Mm.”
Zong Mo: …?
Mm what?
Something seems not right.
He withdrew from this verbal battle, decided to recuperate and fight again next time, and first talked about business.
“The villa is your and your parents’ house,” Zong Mo suggested. “Why don’t you give me the large flat? I like to live there. Hmm… I don’t mean I want to move out.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“A smaller house, so we don’t have to call each other at home.”
Ruan Chi agreed at once, “Okay, I’ll give it all to you. We can go and live there often in the future.”
Ruan Chi seemed to be trying very hard to create an equal relationship for him.
Since he couldn’t change his personality, he would just throw money at it.
Zong Mo was stunned for a moment and suddenly felt a little like a Long Aotian. The kind who marries into a rich family and lives off his wife.
“Do you want to go out to eat now?” Ruan Chi asked.
Zong Mo looked at the time, “It’s almost one o’clock. Have you not slept for a day and a night?”
Ruan Chi: “Mm.”
Zong Mo first put aside the thought of going out on a date, took out the first-aid kit he had prepared in case of an emergency, and said, “Let me treat your wound.”
A night had passed, and the wound showed no signs of healing.
It was like a wound from holding a knife with his bare hand. A small band-aid couldn’t cover it at all. Zong Mo could only wrap it in a bandage, turning his whole hand into a zongzi. He looked up, both angry and helpless, “Are you still smiling? Doesn’t it hurt?”
“It hurts,” Ruan Chi said. “Good thing I didn’t really kill anyone. I don’t really want to go to jail right now.”
Zong Mo: …He didn’t really want to talk to this madman.
But going crazy couldn’t be eaten as a meal. He hadn’t slept or eaten much for a day and a night. He must be hungry and tired. He estimated that Ruan Chi would have difficulty holding chopsticks, so he took out a pack of biscuits and handed it over:
“Are you hungry? Eat some biscuits to fill your stomach first, then take a nap and rest?”
Ruan Chi: “Mm, okay.”
Zong Mo had slept for a few hours in the morning and was not very sleepy. He just lay on the side and kept him company.
Ruan Chi had indeed never really gotten angry with him. Being arrogant and prickly was Ruan Chi’s original appearance.
That was also good. Besides him, no one else would dare to get close to Ruan Chi.
It was just… his sleeping appearance was very deceptive.
But, he would definitely be a dutiful husband and put an end to the chance of a second person being deceived!!
Zong Mo propped his chin and watched for a while, then secretly poked Ruan Chi’s face.
He didn’t wake up.
He didn’t know if it was because he was too tired, or if he only slept so soundly when he was with him.
Then he pinched him again.
After pinching, Zong Mo took out his phone again and took several pictures of the sleeping Ruan Chi.
He was returning what Ruan Chi had done to him in kind. Now Ruan Chi also had leverage in his hands!
But it was daytime now. They hadn’t done anything and were both properly dressed.
Zong Mo thought for a moment, leaned down, and gently placed his lips on his, then took another two-shot with his phone.
He hadn’t had time to check the photo when he was grabbed by the back of his neck and pulled down.
Zong Mo: “Mm?”
“What are you doing…” Ruan Chi said in a hoarse voice. “Are you going to let me sleep or not?”
He was caught doing something bad. Zong Mo’s face heated up. He quickly said, “You sleep. I’m not sleepy. Then I’ll go out and stay there. I won’t disturb you?”
“Stay here. Don’t move.”
Ruan Chi rolled over and hugged the large human-shaped pillow with both his hands and feet.
Zong Mo resisted the urge to rub against the hair in his arms. He was held in this uncomfortable position and unknowingly fell asleep.
When he woke up, it was dusk. The afterglow of the setting sun extended into the room, like molten gold flowing on the bed.
Zong Mo suddenly remembered that when he used to live alone, because it was too quiet and no one disturbed him, he would sometimes accidentally sleep through his afternoon nap until evening.
And then, he would have a huge sense of loneliness, as if he had been abandoned by the whole world.
But at this moment, it was very warm.
He felt that Ruan Chi had slept enough and only then buried his chin in his hair.
Ruan Chi moved. He was probably still groggy. He first called out softly, “Zong Mo…”
Zong Mo: “Hmm?”
Ruan Chi murmured as if in a dream, “Don’t leave me again.”
Zong Mo’s heartbeat paused for a moment.
The warm body wrapped around him was like a vine, firmly binding him here. And these words were a small thorn that had grown out of thin air, piercing his skin without pain or itch, seeping into his flesh and blood, and flowing into his heart.
He couldn’t describe his feelings at this moment and could only promise in a deep voice like Ruan Chi, “Mm, I won’t ever again.”
