Chapter 1422 - Amiss
Chapter 1422 Amiss
As if recalling something, Zhang Ru said, “Ms. Hwang, are you saying that Yang Chen…”
“Yes. Thanks for informing me, Professor Zhang. I’ll have my people keep a close eye on this person. Also, I’ll run a background check on him,” Hwang Suyeon replied.
Still, Zhang Ru could not feel at ease. She was shocked at the revelation. After all, she was a powerless woman in a foreign country. At the thought of this, fear washed over her.
At the same time, Yang Chen was lying in the king bed of the Presidential Suite in the Hilton Hotel. While looking at Jane, who was tidying her hair in front of the mirror, he smiled and said, “You’re pretty enough to skip those steps.”
Jane said nothing and continued to comb her hair before adjusting her scarf and collar to look as presentable as possible.
“I’m doing this out of respect for others,” said Jane when she was ready to leave. “All right. Let’s meet your darling Zhenxiu.”
Awkwardly, Yang Chen replied, “Why did you say it like that? I only see her as a sister.”
“Really?” Jane was not buying it.
Yang Chen wanted to say “yes” but could not utter that word when he met Jane’s eyes.
She seemed to have seen right through him.
With a contented smile, Jane pulled him out of bed and pecked him on the cheek. “Come on. Stop staring into space.”
Dejected, Yang Chen nodded. It seemed like he was constantly losing the upper hand whenever he was with her.
At that moment, Yang Chen’s phone rang.
He was startled to see the number. Immediately after he answered the call, he said, “Why are you calling me? What’s going on with the Meng clan this time?”
A gentle voice was heard from the other end. It was Jiang Xiaobai.
“Uh, Mister Yang, it’s not about the Meng clan.”
“What is it then?” Yang Chen was puzzled. But I haven’t been causing any trouble these days.
Sounding embarrassed, Jiang Xiaobai said slowly, “It’s… my personal matter.”
Yang Chen doubted his ears for a second. Intrigued, he asked, “Your personal matter? What does it have to do with me?”
“Have you met a woman that goes by the name Zhang Ru? She has a small face, and she’s pretty good-looking,” asked Jiang Xiaobai in a low voice.
“Zhang Ru? How did you know who I’ve met?” questioned Yang Chen with a frown. Even if he could not use his divine sense, he would not have overlooked it if someone had been monitoring him.
Jiang Xiaobai let out a sigh before saying, “She’s… she’s my wife…”
Yang Chen’s lips twitched a few times before he broke out in laughter. “Jiang Xiaobai! You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Bitterness was evident in Jiang Xiaobai’s voice. “Mr. Yang, I’m being serious. Zhang Ru and I are from the same hometown. We met at university and dated for four years. We got married after we graduated from university. However, because I was rarely home and was not honest with her, she thought I didn’t care about our family. So, she distanced herself from me. A few years ago, she left to further her studies in the UK and had just returned two months ago. But she was quickly dispatched to a research center in Seoul.”
Yang Chen pretty much had a full grasp on the whole situation. Since Jiang Xiaobai was a highly valued personnel in the National Security Bureau, it made sense that he had to keep secrets from his wife. Yet Zhang Ru suspected him and thought he did not care about her.
“Are you guys divorced?”
“Uh… To be exact, we’re separated,” Jiang Xiaobai stammered.
Hearing this, Yang Chen had a sudden realization that he was in the same situation as Jiang Xiaobai. The only difference was that he still had other women, while Jiang Xiaobai was technically single.
“Fine. Spill, why are you looking for me?” Yang Chen’s tone was slightly softer.
Jiang Xiaobai immediately recounted the entire story to him. “Mr. Yang, Xiao Ru may be paranoid, but she’s not a bad person. Maybe she just looks up to Princess Jane too much. She might overstep the line… But…”
“Fine, I got it. I won’t do anything to her for your sake. Unless she goes too far and pisses me off… We’re in Korea, and it’ll be easy for me to kill anyone who crosses me. No one can do anything about it,” said Yang Chen with a smirk.
Jiang Xiaobai gulped and wanted to say something else, but Yang Chen hung up before he could do so.
Jane, who had been listening to their conversation, was guffawing.
“I didn’t know Zhang Ru’s married. He sounds like a pretty nice person, though.”
Yang Chen simply shrugged. “Behind every successful man, there stands a woman. I hope it’ll be the same for him.”
As they chatted happily, the couple left the hotel hand in hand. Once they hailed a taxi, they headed toward the Parks’ residence in Gangnam district.
After getting in the taxi, Yang Chen and Jane exchanged a meaningful glance with each other.
“Did you sense it too?”
“Yeah,” said Jane. “My student has already sprung into action. I think they asked the police to monitor us.”
Jane was professionally trained, so it was easy for her to pick up signs of someone watching them.
“This sure happened out of the blue!” Yang Chen was exasperated. “I thought we could discreetly get closer to the Buddhist relic, sarira. However, now we need to put in more effort to do so.”
“This means that my student cares a lot for me,” Jane announced proudly.
Yang Chen gave her a boop on the nose. Oh well, we’ll have to wait till we see the sarira anyways. Besides, we still can’t confirm its location
Around half an hour later, the taxi arrived at the Parks’ residence. It was already evening by then.
When Yang Chen walked to the gate, the bodyguard blocked his way and asked in Korean, “May I know who you are looking for?”
Since the Parks had replaced the previous bodyguards, the newcomers could not recognize Yang Chen.
“Please inform Ms. Zhenxiu that Yang Chen is here to meet her,” Yang Chen said calmly.
The bodyguards conversed through the walkie-talkie. Soon, the gate was opened. However, the person who had come out to greet them was not Zhenxiu but her maid, Eunjung.
Eunjung was startled to see them standing at gaze. A complicated mix of emotions flashed across her eyes, but she quickly smiled at them warmly and welcomed them. “Mr. Yang, Ms. Jane. We weren’t expecting a visit from you two. Welcome, please come in.”
It was impossible to stop them from entering the villa since they were the Parks’ saviors.
Upon entering the familiar living room, Yang Chen glanced around and asked, “Zhenxiu isn’t home?”
Hanging her head low, Eunjung replied, “Mr. Yang, Ms. Zhenxiu is having a class with Sir… I think-”
Before she could finish her sentence, Park Cheon’s hearty laugh rang out from the floor above.
“Haha! Mr. Yang, Dr. Jane. What a pleasure to have such honorable guests in our house. My apologies for the late welcome!” Park Cheon walked down the stairs. He was dressed in a grey sweater. Judging from his glowing face, the medicinal pill Yang Chen had given to him must have been effective.
Following behind him was Zhenxiu.
It had been almost six months since they last met. Zhenxiu had grown into a beautiful young lady.
Her long black was tied up while her bangs framed her small face. She looked much more mature now. The bloodline of the prestigious family shone through her graceful bearing.
Although she was only dressed in a plain dress, she still resembled a princess. The old Zhenxiu who used to sell snacks on the street was long gone.
Despite her young age, her facial features were comparable to Lin Ruoxi.
Yang Chen stared at her with a dazed expression, shocked to see the change in her appearance. Zhenxiu was already beautiful before this, and yet she managed to transform into such an attractive lady.
The environment sure influenced people’s behavior. To achieve all this in less than a year, Park Cheon must have spent a lot of effort and brought her to mingle with various people in the upper-class social circle.
Somehow, Yang Chen couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss.
“Zhenxiu, Mr. Yang, and Dr. Jane are here to visit you. They’re big shots, so you should thank them properly,” Park Cheon said with a smile.
Zhenxiu’s gaze lingered on Yang Chen for a while, but she did not seem excited to see them. Instead, she simply smiled gracefully and nodded as a greeting.
“It’s been a long time, Mr. Yang, Dr. Jane.”
Yang Chen’s heart wrenched at that. Zhenxiu’s voice was distant. She was just doing lip service!
Only then did Yang Chen realize what was amiss—she did not call him “Brother Yang” excitedly, nor did she run over to hug him!
What happened? She’s Zhenxiu, but she’s no longer the Zhenxiu that I know!
There was a catch in his voice when he said, “Zhenxiu, are you all right? Why are you being so polite suddenly? You called me Mr. Yang.”
Yang Chen forced himself to sound calm while clenching his fist. Still, his smile seemed forced.
“Mr. Yang is my grandfather and my savior. You deserve my respect.” Zhenxiu had a faint smile on as she met his gaze.
Fear crept into his mind, for he was afraid that the Zhenxiu he knew had disappeared. If that was true, Yang Chen doubted he could accept it.