RMM – Chapter 62 Suspicion

Xi Yuechen ordered some light food, which was quickly delivered. He picked it up and headed toward the inner room. Su Ruo hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon—she was bound to be starving. Better she eat something warm before her stomach started hurting.

As he pushed open the door, he saw Su Ruo blinking her large eyes at him, clear and bright with no trace of gloom. She seemed to be recovering well and showed a surprising resilience, which eased Xi Yuechen’s mind. He made a silent note of approval.

“Chief, what did you bring? Smells so good, I’m starving!” Su Ruo asked aloud without any awkwardness—she really was hungry.

But… she hadn’t washed her face yet. How was she supposed to eat like this? One glance at her body was enough to remind her just how intense last night had been. She had fully experienced how overpowering that medicine was. She must have clung to Xi Yuechen like her life depended on it… Even if she was in pain now, she had no one to blame but herself. She could hardly stand her own shame.

She kept telling herself: forget it, it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. Just consider it part of being a couple. Besides, she wasn’t even really conscious at the time.

“Come have some hot porridge,” Xi Yuechen said, placing the tray on the bedside table.

…How was she supposed to get up? Never mind the pain—she didn’t even have clothes!

“Um… I don’t have anything to wear…” Su Ruo said, a little embarrassed.

Xi Yuechen paused awkwardly, rare for him, then moved into action after a moment of silence.

Su Ruo stared wide-eyed as Xi Yuechen began undressing, utterly confused… What was he doing?

He took off his T-shirt and handed it to her. “Wear this for now. I’ll have them bring your clothes in a bit.”

Su Ruo looked at the T-shirt, then at Xi Yuechen’s face—and was surprised to see a hint of embarrassment on that usually unreadable expression.

His gaze deepened as she stared at him. She quickly took the shirt, suddenly very aware of the phrase “know when to stop”. It wouldn’t do to irritate him.

It hurt… even her arms ached. She could only imagine how bad the rest of her body was. She hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and put on the shirt, struggling a bit due to her injured hand.

“Chief, I’ll go wash my face. You start eating,” she said, lifting the covers and attempting to get out of bed.

But as soon as she stood, she let out a cry and collapsed back onto the bed, propping herself up with her hand—and pressing down on her wound.

“Hiss…” Su Ruo sucked in a sharp breath. The pain was overwhelming—legs, waist, everything hurt. But her hand throbbed the worst, a deep, searing pain.

Xi Yuechen, on the other side of the bed, hadn’t made it in time to catch her. Seeing her pale from the pain, he was alarmed. He quickly came over, took her hand, and examined it carefully. Thankfully, it wasn’t bleeding.

“Still hurt?” he asked, concern in his voice.

“Yeah, but not as bad.” The stabbing pain had faded into a persistent, dull ache, and her whole hand felt numb.

Xi Yuechen could tell from her expression that it still hurt, but he didn’t call her out. “Then let’s just eat like this.”

Eat without brushing her teeth? Su Ruo wrinkled her nose in disgust. “No, I want to brush.”

“I’ll help you,” he said, clearly unwilling to leave her alone.

She assessed her own condition, sighed, and reluctantly nodded. With his help, her body leaned almost completely against his—her legs trembling, unable to support her.

Internally, she cursed. What is this mess? All this trouble just because of that… And now I can’t even walk properly without being supported like an invalid.

Since she couldn’t get her hand wet or exert any force, brushing her teeth was out of the question. She had to settle for mouthwash. By the time she came back out, the porridge had cooled to the perfect temperature.

When they started eating, Xi Yuechen wouldn’t let her use her hands. He picked up the bowl himself to feed her. No matter how much she resisted, it was no use. But he clearly had no experience taking care of people, so the process was full of mishaps and Su Ruo’s constant yelps. It was a chaotic but touching little scene.

After eating, Xi Yuechen told her to call He Wen and ask her to bring over some clothes. There were no clothing stores nearby in this remote area.

Before He Wen arrived, a doctor came by to check Su Ruo’s injuries. While Xi Yuechen had already treated most of her wounds and removed the glass shards, he still brought in a doctor—whoever he’d managed to find—to conduct a full examination and proper bandaging. Only then did he feel reassured.

By the time He Wen arrived, the doctor had already left. Su Ruo glanced at her pitiful state, then at Xi Yuechen’s bare torso, and hesitated before saying, “Chief… I’ll give you your shirt back.”

She really didn’t want anyone else to see her like this. Xi Yuechen nodded in understanding. She asked him to turn around, and the soft rustling of fabric followed.

Xi Yuechen shook his head with a smile, then pulled the shirt back on. It was still warm and faintly scented from her body. For a moment, an image of her in his shirt flashed through his mind—small, delicate, and so very alluring.

He cleared his throat, shaking off the thought, and went to open the door for He Wen.

“Chief Xi… big brother,” He Wen greeted nervously. She reined in all her usual bravado in front of him.

“Come in.” Xi Yuechen didn’t mind their discomfort—he’d never been close to this group. If not for Su Ruo, he’d barely even nod to them in passing.

He Wen walked in, a bit stiffly, carrying the clothes she’d just bought. Face-to-face with Xi Yuechen, she was completely out of her depth… Where the hell was that brat Su Ruo?

Damn… this place is luxurious… she thought with awe. Shiyuan is even more mysterious than Muyou, and I’ve only been here a few times. This is the real upper crust—can’t believe I’m actually on the third floor…

Everyone knew the third floor was Gu Jiawei’s private territory—a place off-limits to outsiders. It was stunning.

She didn’t expect Xi Yuechen to be this close to Gu Jiawei. That man barely acknowledged anyone. This was really something.

“Just bought these?” Xi Yuechen’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Oh—yeah, I just got them. Ruoruo likes this brand,” she answered. Somehow, he seemed even more impressive now.

Xi Yuechen wasn’t familiar with Su Ruo’s preferences. As long as it looked good and comfortable, that was enough for him.

“Um, Chief… how is Ruoruo doing now?” He Wen asked, still worried after barely sleeping last night out of anger and concern.

“She’s fine now. No need to worry,” he replied coolly. She was just tired, that’s all.

He Wen was speechless. How are we supposed to communicate? This guy is like a block of ice. How does Ruoruo put up with him?

“Then… can I go in and see her?”

“No. She’s asleep. We’ll contact you when we return.” He rejected her with calm indifference—at this point, no one was allowed to see Su Ruo.

He Wen suddenly felt she should’ve just dropped the clothes at the door and left…

“Well then, I’ll go. I’ll check in on her once she’s rested.” This place really isn’t for a small-timer like me.

Xi Yuechen didn’t stop her. He walked her to the door.

“Oh—right, Chief. Ruoruo’s phone was found. Su Heng had it.” She didn’t know if he already knew, but mentioned it anyway.

Better get it back quickly. How else are we supposed to contact her? You want us to call you instead?

After He Wen left, she glanced at the grand, elegant estate of Shiyuan. When will I ever be able to come and go freely in a place like this?

Xi Yuechen picked up the bag and walked back inside, only to find Su Ruo already asleep. Seeing the exhaustion on her face, he quietly closed the door again and left.

She really is worn out. Let her rest properly.

Suppressing the softness in his heart, he recalled yesterday’s events. His expression turned cold.

Things hadn’t been peaceful for Su Ruo lately. And people needed to learn that anyone under his protection was not to be trifled with. Time to settle everything once and for all.

He stood at the window, eyes fixed on the distant scenery. The afternoon sun wasn’t too harsh. Its warm rays scattered across the tree branches, casting a peaceful, beautiful glow. Wisps of clouds stretched lazily across the sky.

He turned away. The lines of his face grew colder. He pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Pfft… My brother’s calling!” Xi Yuehui was chatting with Su Heng when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen—it was his older brother.

“Answer it! Ask about my sister!” Su Heng urged him.

“I’ve got a bad feeling…” Xi Yuehui looked uneasy.

“Don’t be such a drama queen. Just pick up! You didn’t even dare call him—now he’s calling you and you still don’t have the guts?” Su Heng gave him a swift kick.

Seriously, I have a bad feeling… But Xi Yuehui didn’t dare ignore the call. He blinked a few times and picked up.

“Hey… Bro.”

“Yuehui, how did the investigation into that Muyou matter go?”

Ah hell… I knew it wasn’t anything good. Xi Yuehui cursed under his breath. How was he supposed to explain that his sister-in-law had passed the matter to Liang Bo’an?

“Cough… Bro, it was Shi Hai—the son of Shi Yan, the new deputy director of public security—who orchestrated it. He colluded with Chief Liu to set it up.”

“Shí family? Go on.” Why would Muyou provoke the Shí family?

“Chief Liu’s kind of clueless. No idea what Muyou did to offend Shi Hai, but Shi Hai went to him for help. Liu had just been promoted, and Muyou wasn’t in his jurisdiction, so he didn’t know her background. Shi Hai convinced him she had no connections, and offered support. Liu wanted to climb up, so he agreed.”

“How did Muyou offend Shi Hai? How did Shi Hai find Liu? And how did Liu become chief?” Xi Yuechen asked three sharp questions.

Xi Yuehui paused, skipped the first two, and answered the last: “Liu was a nobody, but good at sucking up. He flattered his predecessor, who got transferred recently. Liu paid a hefty sum to take his spot, even though he had no network. Shi Hai reassured him, saying he’d have his back. Liu believed him.”

“Now the first two questions,” Xi Yuechen said, voice cold.

“Uh… Liang Bo’an looked into those…” Yuehui was sure his brother was frowning now. Thank god this was a phone call.

“Liang Bo’an?” Xi Yuechen’s voice dropped—surprised, and clearly displeased.

“He volunteered. Sis-in-law agreed.”

Silence.

Yuehui glared at Su Heng, who was still mouthing questions at him. Chill! Let me survive this first.

“Give me his number,” Xi Yuechen said, then hung up.

Phew… He didn’t say anything more. Hopefully that meant he wasn’t mad at me for not reporting earlier.

But… why did he want Liang Bo’an’s number? Was he planning a confrontation?

Yuehui shuddered. Damn, I think too much. Just send the number.

“Wait, you didn’t even ask about my sister?” Su Heng protested.

“Shut up. She’s fine. The real storm’s about to begin,” Yuehui replied, side-eyeing him.

“What storm?” Su Heng looked curious—and annoyed.

Back with Xi Yuechen, he looked at the text with the number and narrowed his eyes.

If he remembered right, Liang Bo’an was very fond of Ruoruo.

Not that he blamed her for trusting him—she probably thought of him as an old friend.

Which was fine by him.