Ye Chen noticed Song Ruyu’s nervous demeanour and smiled, “Miss Song, you seem much more reserved than when we last met. This is China, you don’t need to be overly tense or formal. No one will harm you here.”
Song Ruyu, hearing Ye Chen’s magnetic voice and seeing his reassuring smile, nodded flusteredly.
However, she knew Ye Chen had misunderstood her.
Her reserve wasn’t due to anxiety about the unfamiliar environment, but because seeing him again, their roles and her feelings towards him had shifted significantly.
Ye Chen, oblivious to such subtleties, didn’t grasp why she was nervous. Feeling the sensitive location wasn’t suitable for lingering, he said to Song Ruyu, “Miss Song, let’s get in the car, we can talk on the way.”
Song Ruyu quickly replied, “Yes, Mr. Ye.”
By then, Ye Chen had already opened the front passenger door for her.
Song Ruyu’s heart raced like a startled deer, her face flushing as she sat in the car, legs pressed together, hands clasped, still somewhat uneasy.
After Ye Chen got in and started the car, leaving the airport en route to central Shanghai, he asked Song Ruyu, “Miss Song, is this your first time in China?”
“Yes!” Song Ruyu nodded emphatically, saying, “I’ve always wanted to visit China, but I’ve never had the chance.”
Ye Chen nodded, “Shanghai is China’s most economically developed city, with the highest GDP. It’s probably also the most fashionable and globally connected city in China. On our way back, you can take in the city’s night views. If there’s nothing pressing tomorrow, I can take you around to experience the charm of China’s largest metropolis.”
Song Ruyu asked nervously, “Mr. Ye, if I appear on the streets of China, won’t that cause trouble for you?”
“No,” Ye Chen said calmly, “Sometimes, by anticipating our enemy’s moves, we can evade their threats. Wu Feiyan might guess a hundred places you could be hiding, but she’d never think of the streets of China.”
Song Ruyu nodded lightly, then cautiously asked, “Mr. Ye, is the Marquis of Dingyuan in Shanghai at the moment?”
Ye Chen waved a hand, “No, Yun Ruge is in Jinling. I don’t know if you’ve heard of that city. It’s not far from Shanghai, about a three-hour drive.”
Song Ruyu asked again, “Does Mr. Ye usually reside in Shanghai?”
Ye Chen laughed, “I don’t live here. I actually live in Jinling too.”
Song Ruyu, touched, said, “Then it must have been quite an effort for Mr. Ye to come to Shanghai just to pick me up. I’m truly flattered…”
“Not really,” Ye Chen said candidly with a smile, “I happened to be working here for a few days, and they arranged for you to fly here, so I came to pick you up.”
He glanced at her and added with a smile, “I’ll be working in Shanghai for a few more days, so you’ll stay with me for now. Once I’m done, we’ll head to Jinling together. I’ll arrange for you to meet Yun Ruge, and if you’re willing, you can live together.”
Song Ruyu’s beautiful face was filled with astonishment, “Mr. Ye, someone as capable as you, why would you need to work? Is there anyone in the world who could afford to hire you?”
Ye Chen smiled, “I live with two identities. One is the me you see now, who doesn’t need to work for anyone. But in Jinling, I have my family and friends who don’t know my true identity. To them, I’m just a hardworking man earning a living for his family.”
Song Ruyu asked in surprise, “Mr. Ye, you’re married?”
“Yes,” Ye Chen nodded, “I’m married.”
Song Ruyu, still astonished, recalled his earlier words and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Mr. Ye, does your wife not know your true identity?”
Ye Chen shook his head, “She doesn’t.”
“Goodness,” Song Ruyu exclaimed, “Mr. Ye, you hide it so well, just like the men in our Song family.”
Ye Chen, not very familiar with the specific roles the Song family played in the Poqing Society, asked, “What’s with the Song family men?”
