Perks as a Third Wheel

Yang Chen grabbed the phone. “Mom, what’s so important that you need to tell me right now?”

Guo Xuehua through the phone sounded like she was suppressing her anger as she spoke, “Tell me honestly son, what did you do to Qianni?”

“Qianni? What about her?” Yang Chen frowned in confusion.?She was perfectly fine just this morning. She even left for work with her mother,?he thought.

“Why are you asking me?! If it wasn’t because I had to leave the house to go get some groceries, I wouldn’t have known that she has been standing in front of our gate drenched from the rain since this morning.

“I asked her what had prompted her to do so but all she said was she was awaiting your return. What exactly did you do to that poor child?!” Guo Xuehua was furious and restless.

Yang Chen’s hand started trembling unconsciously. The initial confusion was instantly cooled off as he let out a depressing sigh. “Alright, I understand. I’m not completely sure, but I’ll head back now.”

Yang Chen hung up the phone and passed it back to Lin Ruoxi before he declared. “I’ll be taking the car back home. When you guys are done, call for someone to pick you up or follow Tang Wan’s car.”

Staring right at Yang Chen preparing to leave, Lin Ruoxi stood up and clenched onto Yang Chen’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”

Yang Chen’s entire mind was filled with the thought of Mo Qianni drenched in the downpour all by herself. It left him in an agitated state which prompted him to provide no further explanation. “I’m going back to meet Qianni, I’ll explain after this.”

Lin Ruoxi was instantaneously enraged. Coldly, she asked, “Just because Qianni wants to see you, you’ll leave me and Zhenxiu here?”

Her heightened pitch naturally gathered the attention of all present, leaving Zhenxiu particularly distressed.

Yang Chen’s fury likewise was fueled as he flung her arm away before taunting, “Feel free to think whatever you want. I don’t have time to explain!”

The abrupt burst of rage left not just Lin Ruoxi but also Tang Wan astonished.

Lin Ruoxi blankly watched as Yang Chen marched off. The determination in his gaze was as if he was ready to burn down the bridges he had been building all this while.

Lin Ruoxi nonetheless was unable to comprehend why her man would yell right at her face in front of everyone in the restaurant especially in front of Tang Wan.

Staring at Lin Ruoxi as her eyes started to get watery, Zhenxiu and Tang Tang were incredibly anxious but nonetheless remained tactless on ways to comfort her.

Tang Wan sighed ever so slightly as she reassured. “Boss Lin, I’m sure he has an emergency to deal with. You know there’s no way he’ll treat you like that otherwise.”

“The only reason he’ll get this agitated is for another woman,” Lin Ruoxi stoically replied while standing stiffly before turning towards Tang Wan. “Madam Tang, I believe I’ll need your help to take Zhenxiu back to the examination hall. I’m really sorry to bother you.”

“Sister Ruoxi..” Zhenxiu seemed to have something in mind but was halted by Lin Ruoxi.

Lin Ruoxi smiled bitterly as her fingers glossed through Zhenxiu’s silky hair. “All the best later okay? I’m fine. I’ll come over to pick you up later.”

Upon finishing her sentence, Lin Ruoxi took her bag and subsequently brisk walked out of the restaurant.

Watching Lin Ruoxi’s expressions as she left the venue, Tang Wan sighed from grief. “I guess being the third wheel has its perks too. At least I don’t have to deal with these problems.”

Right by the entrance was a white BMW making its way out of its parking spot. Just when Yang Chen was about to accelerate onto the road, a mesmerizing figure outright stood in front of his car.

Amidst the dull overcast sky, tiny drops of rain drizzled down, and in all of that was a stone cold heart of a dejected woman.

Yang Chen clenched his teeth, took a deep breath as he stared right into Lin Ruoxi’s gaze before leaning over to the side passenger seat to open the door.

“Get in.”

Lin Ruoxi was dead silent but still managed to keep her elegance while boarding the car.

Yang Chen was hardly interested to start a conversation but nonetheless wouldn’t decline if Lin Ruoxi insisted on tagging along. All he had in his mind right now was the heartbreaking image of Mo Qianni in the rain.

The car sprinted through puddles of water as it splashed to all directions, but with only one destination in mind.

More than ten minutes had passed before they reached their destination.

By the mansion, lush green scrubs extended beyond the metal barriers onto the pedestrian walkway. From the continuous rainfall, the sound of water droplets between the leaves left a vibe of serenity.

Because it was raining, it was extraordinarily peaceful. The lack of cars and people helped the atmosphere as well.

By the entrance located in the center of the garden was Mo Qianni in the same black two-piece uniform that she had worn this morning. She was standing in the exact same spot like a statue.

From the flash downpours throughout the morning, her hair was drenched and hung all over her body. Paired with her messy hair, her makeup revealed a disorganized and sorrowful woman.

Her clothes were drenched in water, latching onto her body. Mo Qianni was indifferent from the entire experience, with no sign of emotion.

Right by Mo Qianni stood Guo Xuehua with an enormous umbrella. Tears trickled down her cheek with sympathy for the girl.

Once she found out that Mo Qianni was drenched under the rain waiting for Yang Chen, she tried everything she could to bring her inside. But her efforts were in vain as the girl refused to move from the spot.

Her persistence was impossible for Guo Xuehua to overcome, which left her with the only option to run inside the house to contact Yang Chen. But Yang Chen did not pick up the calls, so she was left with no choice but to call Lin Ruoxi instead.

historical

After furiously taunting Yang Chen to make an immediate return, she instantly ran back out to shield Mo Qianni from the rain.

Even though Mo Qianni was drenched to her core, it might have made things slightly better for her.

Watching the gentle, down-to-earth girl distraught and beaten down, Guo Xuehua was at a loss at how to feel.

She wondered if it was her karma that had led all these problems to behold upon her own son.

If it was not for the fact that Yang Chen was already married, Guo Xuehua would have had Mo Qianni and Yang Chen register as a couple. Mo Qianni’s commoner background or her modest lifestyle never bothered Guo Xuehua. It was, however, her mediocrity that exhibited her gentle and warm personality towards being a decent wife.

But Guo Xuehua was also clear that it was not something she could manipulate.

Right at that moment, the rain stopped pouring. But it did nothing to alleviate the situation as the resounding silence was deafening

In a nearby garden, Ma Guifang came out of the porch and stared afar at her daughter standing by Yang Chen’s house. Her eyes were filled with endless pits of sorrow but she decided against going out. No words. No action. Only anticipation.

Before long, from the junction not too far away came a white BMW dashing towards the gate of the estate. Upon its arrival, the car skidded to a halt.

The driver’s side door was flung open as Yang Chen leaped off the car and took huge strides towards the woman drenched in rain.

Lin Ruoxi, who had managed to tag along on the ride back home, noticed the situation by her doorstep.

Mo Qianni’s eyes were filled with nothing but a void, her gaze fixated onto the bluestone grounds, seemingly unaware of Yang Chen’s return.

Yang Chen glanced onto the woman’s expression from the side, leaving him gut-wrenching in guilt. “Qianni, I’m here, what—”

He choked at his words. Yang Chen just couldn’t get his thoughts sorted out into words of comfort.

Mo Qianni reactively lifted her head as she elegantly turned towards Yang Chen. Her pupils were hollow and showed bottomless pits of despair.

“Whack!”

A deafening slap broke the tranquility.

Mo Qianni’s chilly hand was trembling from the aftermath. And on Yang Chen left cheek was a reddening patch of a handprint.