Divorced from the Cold CEO Who Lived by the Rules (GL, ABO) - Chapter 2
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- Divorced from the Cold CEO Who Lived by the Rules (GL, ABO)
- Chapter 2 - I Don't Want to Do It
The air instantly fell into silence.
Facing Jiang Ruan’s reaction, how could Xu Zhen not guess the answer?
A trace of weariness surfaced on her face. “Alright, I’m driving now. You should head back early.” As Xu Zhen attempted to speak, Jiang Ruan decisively cut her off. “I don’t want to discuss this with you tonight. I’m tired.”
“Take my car,” Jiang Ruan finally said. “I’ll have the driver take you home.”
Her tone was firm, and Xu Zhen, unable to refuse, nodded in agreement.
Jiang Ruan’s car was spacious. With the partition raised, everything in the front was blocked off. Xu Zhen leaned back against the seat, her gaze fixed on the rapidly receding nightscape outside the window, her mind blank.
In truth, their relationship hadn’t always been this strained.
Though it had been a whirlwind marriage, the two had treated each other with respect and courtesy. The occasional warmth and care had even led Xu Zhen to believe that, if she held on for a few more years, the distance between her and Jiang Ruan would shrink, bringing them closer.
Even if they couldn’t match the passion of deeply affectionate lovers, at least they wouldn’t be so distant and cold.
Of course, reality had proven her naive. In the third year of their marriage, when Jiang Ruan’s unrequited love her so-called “white moonlight” returned to the country, the news exploded that the two shared a 100% compatibility rate.
Both the Jiang and Xing families held significant influence in S City. For such established families, matters concerning their children’s marriages were treated with utmost seriousness. Compared to personal happiness, the interests and alliances of the family were far more important.
Xu Zhen didn’t want to dwell on why Jiang Ruan had impulsively married an ordinary Beta like her. What concerned her more were Xing Yan’s subsequent moves and tactics.
With childhood friendship, close companionship, and the bond of growing up together, Xing Yan had won effortlessly.
Jiang Ruan was gentle, patient, indulgent, and utterly devoted to Xing Yan, willing to pluck the stars from the sky for her. It was a side of Jiang Ruan that Xu Zhen had never seen in their three years of marriage.
Xu Zhen wasn’t afraid of Jiang Ruan’s usual coldness, which made her feel like a stranger. What she feared was the stark contrast between them, knowing she had lost completely.
She still remembered when Xing Yan first returned. Despite her busy schedule, Jiang Ruan had carved out large chunks of time to accompany her, displaying a tenderness that was startling.
Xu Zhen had once tried to salvage her marriage, to win back Jiang Ruan’s affection. She had clumsily tried to please her, submitting to her every whim, and when that failed, she had begged pitifully for more of her time.
But without exception, all her efforts had failed.
In front of her legally wedded wife, Jiang Ruan had unhesitatingly chosen Xing Yan.
That clearly ill-intentioned Omega who had shattered her marriage.
Xu Zhen had fought back, of course crying, making scenes, even threatening self-harm. But to Jiang Ruan, all of it was just unreasonable drama. “Xing Yan and I are just friends. Stop making trouble.”
The first time she heard this excuse, Xu Zhen had argued back, trying to call out Jiang Ruan’s heartlessness. But after hearing it repeatedly, she no longer had the energy to speak.
If Jiang Ruan was convinced that she and Xing Yan were innocent, what was the point of arguing?
Every quarrel was just a waste of breath.
Now, Xu Zhen had no desire to make a scene anymore. It served no purpose other than to make her look like a clown.
Xu Zhen’s pupils gradually lost focus, she was utterly exhausted. Her love life was in shambles, her career was hitting roadblocks. She had never considered divorce before, but after seeing the scandal Jiang Ruan was involved in today, her perspective shifted.
Perhaps letting Jiang Ruan go would be the best choice for both of them.
Jiang Ruan and Xing Yan were perfectly matched in social status, shared mutual affection, and represented what society considered the ideal Alpha-Omega pairing. Their union would receive universal blessings.
Unlike Xu Zhen, who faced constant malicious rumors about only marrying Jiang Ruan for money.
Similar tabloid articles appeared almost daily, Xu Zhen herself had come across hundreds. She found it laughable—couldn’t she have simply married Jiang Ruan for that stunning beauty?
But with Jiang Ruan’s beauty came endless complications. Closing her eyes, Xu Zhen knew it was time to retreat.
Leaving now wouldn’t be too humiliating, nor would it completely ruin her reputation. She might even leave some positive impression, preserving her future career prospects.
As she silently weighed her options, the car came to a stop.
Xu Zhen opened her eyes and glanced outside. “Why are we at your place?” she asked, brows furrowing with displeasure.
Jiang Ruan corrected her, “Our home.” The woman exited first and stood waiting by the car door. “You’re staying here tonight.”
“No.” Xu Zhen remained firmly seated. “Take me home.”
“It’s already very late.”
“If you hadn’t acted on your own, I’d be home washing up by now. You’re the one who wasted my time.”
A stalemate ensued, neither willing to yield.
Jiang Ruan gazed at her intently. “Since we’re already here, you might as well take the gift I prepared. It won’t take much time, will it?”
She dared mention gifts?
Xu Zhen scoffed inwardly. “Fine.”
She wanted to see exactly what gift Jiang Ruan and Xing Yan had prepared together for her.
Stepping out of the car, Xu Zhen deftly avoided Jiang Ruan’s offered hand. The brief hesitation and lowered lashes in the dim light concealed Jiang Ruan’s unreadable expression.
Xu Zhen knew this marital home intimately. She breezed through the garden but stopped at the entrance. “I won’t go in. Have someone bring the gift out.”
“That might be difficult,” Jiang Ruan said, catching up behind her. “It’s rather large.”
Xu Zhen eyed her skeptically. “Is that so?”
“Madam!” Housekeeper Zhao rushed over excitedly. “You’re finally back! Why are you just standing there? Come in and change your shoes! Young Miss had me prepare imported ingredients for a romantic Qixi dinner, she said it’s perfect for candlelit couples’ time. I finished cooking hours ago, but you two were so late…”
The enthusiastic housekeeper took Xu Zhen’s hand, making refusal impossible. During Xu Zhen’s difficult period after Xing Yan’s return, when Jiang Ruan and others ignored her moods, only Housekeeper Zhao had patiently counseled and comforted her like a wise elder, never leaving until her spirits lifted.
Xu Zhen was forcefully ushered into the house by Butler Zhao. Clad in slippers, she walked forward and soon saw the candlelit dinner that had reportedly been prepared with great care for an entire day.
The walls were adorned with black and pink balloons, while fresh flowers covered the entire dining table and floor. Under the dim glow of candles and scented wax, the scene did evoke a sweet, blissful feeling in one’s heart.
Yet Xu Zhen merely observed it all with a detached gaze, showing little reaction.
Puzzled, Butler Zhao glanced back at Jiang Ruan, who shook her head slightly. Taking the hint, the butler tactfully withdrew.
Once alone, Xu Zhen turned abruptly, her tone impatient. “So this is the so-called gift you mentioned?”
“No,” Jiang Ruan denied, then gestured with her chin toward a corner where something lay hidden beneath a drape. “That’s the gift I prepared for you.”
Xu Zhen didn’t hold high expectations. Striding over, she yanked the black cloth away with force.
In an instant, a golden humanoid figure gleamed before her eyes.
Xu Zhen’s eyes widened in disbelief—a life-sized statue of herself?
“Solid gold. Do you like it?” Jiang Ruan’s voice sounded behind her. Xu Zhen reflexively turned, her emotions tangled in complexity. When she remained silent, Jiang Ruan took it as tacit approval. “Let’s eat.”
“Haven’t you been working overtime and missed dinner?”
Jiang Ruan reached for Xu Zhen’s hand, but the latter tried and failed to pull away.
Truthfully, Xu Zhen could no longer decipher Jiang Ruan’s intentions. On one hand, she acted as if nothing had happened between them, yet on the other, she remained entangled with Xing Yan. Was she, like those men, scheming to have her cake and eat it too?
Xu Zhen’s feet rooted to the spot. Jiang Ruan turned back to her. “Later, I’ll help load that 48kg solid gold statue into your car.”
Jiang Ruan had conceded repeatedly. Refusing further would be ungrateful.
Besides, who would turn down gold?
Xu Zhen silently took her seat at the table.
Jiang Ruan was cold by nature and rarely spoke much. Apart from brief interactions about trivial matters, their meetings were usually devoid of meaningful exchanges. Thus, the meal passed in near silence.
The occasional clink of cutlery against plates was barely louder than the faint sizzle of the candles.
As a celebrity, Xu Zhen had to watch her figure. She ate sparingly, stopping after a few bites. Noticing this, Jiang Ruan set down her fork. “Finished?”
“I’m full.” Xu Zhen stood, her gaze lingering on her fifty-million-yuan statue, now faced with a dilemma.
Jiang Ruan’s car seemed ill-suited to transport it, and the uneven roads risked scratches or dents. Xu Zhen had no intention of letting it get damaged.
As she pondered a solution, Jiang Ruan spoke up. “Old Li is off today. Once he’s back at dawn tomorrow, I’ll have him deliver it to you.”
“Thanks, then.” Xu Zhen replied, ready to leave.
Suddenly, a hand seized her wrist, holding her back. Xu Zhen turned, locking eyes with Jiang Ruan before suddenly smirking. “I thought you genuinely wanted to give me a gift.”
Her lips curled with sarcasm. “Given our current relationship, you still have the mind for, that?”
Jiang Ruan showed no trace of embarrassment or shame. “Don’t you want to?”
“No.”
“Liar.” Jiang Ruan closed the distance between them. “You used to love it when I—”
Gazing into Xu Zhen’s cold and distant eyes, Jiang Ruan’s voice abruptly halted before abruptly changing the subject. “I had my assistant send over some new season clothes recently. Why don’t you go upstairs and pick a few?”
“You think I need your clothes?”
“It’s different.” Jiang Ruan shook her head. “You’ll understand when you see them.”
Xu Zhen had no intention of going, but Jiang Ruan wouldn’t take no for an answer. After repeated refusals and attempts to leave, Jiang Ruan simply swept her up in a bridal carry, leaving Xu Qin no choice.
Xu Zhen sighed silently. Fine, since she was already here.
She wanted to see just what made these new clothes so special—were they studded with diamonds or lined with gold?
The elevator took them to the walk-in closet, where Jiang Ruan set her down. “They’re in the cabinet ahead. Open it.”
Xu Zhen complied. When the cabinet door swung open, her eyes froze on the unexpectedly revealing, thin, and sensual fabrics inside. These were clearly…
“Which one do you want to see me in?”
Warm, fragrant breath brushed against Xu Zhen’s ear, sending an uncontrollable shiver through her.
She tried to pull away, but Jiang Ruan cornered her in the confined space. Under the bright lights, Xu Zhen could even see the faint down on the woman’s face.
Jiang Ruan’s intense gaze, filled with unmistakable affection, was dangerously misleading to Xu Zhen.
The familiar scent of an Alpha pheromone enveloped her, the wintry wilderness after a prairie fire, ashes mingling with the open fields. It was her favorite.
Xu Zhen’s mind grew hazy. She realized Jiang Ruan was letting her pheromones take control.
“I don’t want to do this.” Steeling herself, Xu Zhen reiterated, lifting her chin in clear refusal. “I’m tired.”
Jiang Ruan’s eyes darkened. Unlike Alphas and Omegas, Betas had no distinct pheromone scent they were as ordinary as humans from the old days.
But Xu Zhen was different.
Jiang Ruan could easily catch her sweet, fresh fragrance.
Like early summer peaches, green tinged with red, their juice tart yet sweet, the aroma filling her senses.
“Just once.” Jiang Ruan’s hands slid up, the warmth of her palms seeping through thin fabric, almost feeling the bl00d boiling beneath Xu Zhen’s skin.
Xu Zhen swallowed hard. “No.”
“Not even once.”
She loved Jiang Ruan’s pheromones, just as Jiang Ruan loved her inexplicable scent. Often lured by Jiang Ruan’s pheromones, the usually composed Xu Zhen would flush, unable to resist.
Certain she was about to make another mistake, Xu Zhen pushed her away.
But as she passed by, the intoxicating fragrance suddenly intensified, shattering her hard-won resolve.
Something soft and maddening brushed against her lips, a sensation like silk or jelly, dizzying and inseparable.
After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Zhen took control, gripping the back of Jiang Ruan’s head and kissing back with fierce abandon