Chapter 54
Ever since Cheng Lydia was driven away by Duan Hannah’s driver, Shen Ron has been feeling a little uneasy. Although the driver was Chinese, he was a stranger to Cheng Lydia, so was it really okay to leave her in the hands of a stranger?
He glanced quietly at his wristwatch, it was after eleven, she should have been back at the hotel by now, right?
“Ron, it’s your turn.” Duan Hannah urged, then surveyed him with a smile, “Why the distraught look? It’s not like you’re distraught after losing just this much, is it?”
“Ron’s going to be diligent in his examination of the family now.” The other man snickered with a chuckle.
Shen Ron didn’t pay any attention to their jibes, and with a light smile on his face, he pulled out his cell phone to dial after playing a card, and to his surprise Cheng Lydia’s phone was actually off.
He called the hotel room again and there was no answer, then called the front desk and got a response that Cheng Lydia hadn’t returned.
Shen Ron put down his phone to stare at Duan Hannah and asked, “Is that driver of yours back yet?”
“It was added early in the morning yah, just dropped off a couple of guests.”
“Are you sure he sent my wife back to the hotel?” Shen Ron pushed the cards in front of him and sounded a lot more serious.
Seeing his serious face, a table of people immediately rose up in silence.
Duan Hannah opened her mouth and asked the maid to call that driver, who stole a glance at Duan Hannah and said with an apologetic face, “I’m sorry Ron, I just had a problem with my car on the way back to the hotel to take Mrs. Shen, but I stopped a taxi for her and let her go back on her own.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” Shen Ron leapt up from his chair, yanked his coat off the front of the chair and headed for the door.
Duan Hannah chased him out and said after him, “Ron you don’t have to worry so much, Ms. Yang isn’t a child anymore.”
Shen Ron turned his head and gave her an indignant look as he pulled open the car door, “She doesn’t know the place and she doesn’t speak Japanese, she’s worse than a child.”
Shen Ron practically sped all the way to the hotel, got out of the car and made his way up to the floor where the suite was in the shortest possible time, and when he pushed the door in and saw that the empty suite was furnished exactly as he had left it that morning, he was finally convinced that Cheng Lydia really hadn’t come back.
He immediately turned back to the first floor again and dialed Cheng Lydia’s cell phone while getting into the car, and the response he got was still off. The anxiety in his heart couldn’t help but add a few more points.
Driving along the road leading to Yamamoto’s house, there were no more pedestrians on the road because it was too late, but the snowflakes outside the car window were getting denser and the air was getting colder, and Cheng Lydia’s figure, however, never appeared.
Shen Ron called Duan Hannah again to seek out where the driver had dropped Cheng Lydia off, and when he learned that he had gotten off near Roppongi, he turned right around and headed in the direction of Roppongi.
At this time of the day, the bustling Roppongi had also gradually cooled off. After pulling over to the side of the road, Shen Ron scanned the surroundings numerous times before finally stopping his gaze on the Mori Building in front of him.
Cheng Lydia is so fond of seeing the snow and night scenery, could she have gone up to the observation deck above?
In time for the building to clear out, Shen Ron bought his ticket and got on the elevator to the top floor.
It was close to twelve o’clock, and the people on the observation deck were gradually dispersing, leaving only a few couples watching the night scene. cheng Lydia stood quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at the bright starlight below.
It was indeed lonely to watch the night scene alone, but she still did not want to leave, surrounded by the beautiful night scene, as beautiful as a dream. She does not want to leave, perhaps subconsciously she does not want to return to reality, does not want to be a stand-in for Yang June again.
She felt footsteps slowly approaching behind her, but she did not turn around, nor did she care, for she could not have imagined that someone would be coming for her in the here and now.
It wasn’t until her body warmed and she felt herself being swept into a firm arm that Cheng Lydia was stunned for a moment, twisting her head to look at the large palm holding her shoulder, the scar across her wrist that was so familiar.
She turned back in surprise, sizing up the unexpected appearance of Shen Ron, and asked with a look of surprise, “What are you doing here? Aren’t you playing cards?”
“How can I be bothered to play poker when you don’t return to your hotel and your phone is off?” Shen Ron looked out the window at the beautiful night scene and spoke in a calm tone.
His body smelled faintly of wine, his hair was a little tousled, the black fur collar of his coat was starred with some crystalline snow that had not yet had time to melt, and his shoulders were a little wet, so at a glance he had come in a hurry from the snow.
Cheng Lydia couldn’t help but feel a little touched inside, was he worried about her and cared for her?
“Sorry, I just took a picture on my phone and it ran out of battery.” She said apologetically. “And, I thought you’d be playing through the night.”
“In your mind, I’m such an irresponsible person?”
“No. …” Cheng Lydia shook her head a little, a little sheepishly.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
In fact in her mind, Shen Ron was such an irresponsible person, only to her of course. She didn’t expect him to worry about her, to care about her, to come out looking for her, thinking that no one was looking for her anyway, so she turned her phone off and slipped it into her pocket, casually.
“Why don’t you go back to the hotel and stay there on such a cold day?” Shen Ron looked at her frozen little face, his tone tinged with reproach.
“Just happened to see this building when I got off the bus, as it were, and came up. ”
“Not country for gambling?” He asked.
“What’s the bet?” She asked rhetorically.
“Tonight at the party.”
“Oh.” So that’s what he was referring to, Cheng Lydia smiled helplessly.
Although she was depressed and uncomfortable this evening, she wasn’t angry with Shen Ron because of it, after all, Shen Ron had a point, this kind of thing couldn’t be explained clearly in a moment, and she couldn’t let him tell the group at the party about the feud between him and her, that would probably take all night.
“Is that … Duan Hannah your suitor too?” Cheng Lydia asked hesitantly, her gaze falling on his chest, where the cream stains could still be seen on the mocked shirt.
So obviously spiteful and taunting that a fool could see it.
Shen Ron didn’t feel anything at all and wasn’t going to hide it, tightening his arm around her shoulders, “She was the class flower in our class and the school flower, very popular with the boys at the time, chased me for a while before I rejected her and ran after Gu William, eventually even Gu William rejected her and later emigrated with her parents to Japan and married into the Yamamoto family a few years ago.”
No wonder …!
“And she went after Gu William?”
“Well, Gu William will always be 2nd where I’m concerned, which is why he hates me so much.”
“Why would he ever be 2nd?”
“As fate would have it.”
“Actually … to put it in a way you don’t like, he’s no worse than you.” Cheng Lydia couldn’t help but say.
The smile on Shen Ron’s lips lingered, and he glared down at her with a displeased look.
“Knew you’d be mad.” Cheng Lydia laughed.
“Is that any way to talk about your husband?”
“I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
“Next time you say something like that I won’t spare you.” Shen Ron redirected his gaze to the brightly lit window and smiled blandly, “He retired early tonight, and I thought he’d come running to you again and abduct you.”
Cheng Lydia stole a glance at him, was that why he was in such a hurry to find her?
Gu William had not run to pester her, and had done nothing but consign a bit girl to send her a folding umbrella. And this folding umbrella … was in her bag at the moment.
She unconsciously squeezed the bag in her arms and stopped speaking.
Half the time, before whispering to him, “Let’s go back.”
He still managed to give the impression of a few inebriations, even though he seemed quite sober on the surface.
But Shen Ron shook his head, “I haven’t seen enough of it properly.”
“It’s going to start clearing at one o’clock.”
Shen Ron lifted his wristwatch and looked at it, it was almost one o’clock and he had to give up, “Well, it’ll wait until next time.”
He released her and draped the coat he was wearing over her body after taking it off before he swept her along in the direction of the elevator.
Back at the car, Cheng Lydia turned to him and said, “I think you’re a little drunk, so I’d better let me drive.”
“Good for you.” Shen Ron got into the passenger seat and leaned back in his seat muttering, “A little drunk indeed, I just lost a bunch of money playing cards, hard to believe I still managed to find you in this prosperous in the metropolis, is this fate from heaven?”
Shen Ron suddenly leaned forward, his long, slender arms hooked around Cheng Lydia’s neck to pull her to his heels, his red lips brushing hers, “What do you say?”
“Shen Ron you’re drunk.” Cheng Lydia instinctively stepped back.
“What’s wrong?” He looked at her evasive look.
“This is a public place.”
“Oh.” Shen Ron let go of her and retreated to his seat.
Cheng Lydia pursed her lips uncomfortably, pulled her seatbelt and started the car, driving slowly in the direction of the hotel.
It was late at night and the snow had stopped.
Cheng Lydia drove the car with extra care, only to return to the hotel to find Shen Ron asleep on the side, she ripped off her seat belt and nudged his arm to wake him up from his sleep.
Shen Ron opened his eyes in a daze and scanned his surroundings, “Here?”
“Hmm.” Cheng Lydia responded.
Locking the car, the two walked together in the direction of the elevator, which went straight to the floor where the presidential suite was located.
Back in the bedroom, Cheng Lydia poured Shen Ron a glass of water on the table to remind him to drink it before taking her robe and going into the bath set to take a shower.
Shen Ron shook off his somewhat sleepy brain and took out his phone to charge it, plugging in the charger and finding Cheng Lydia’s phone on the table, as he did, he helped her plug in Toby as well and pressed the on button.
When the phone turned on, Shen Ron’s finger accidentally touched the text message shortcut, the mailbox unfolded, and he saw at a glance the number that belonged to Gu William.
The message above was extraordinarily brief, but full of longing: when will you buy me a shirt at Asakusabashi too?
Shen Ron smiled faintly and swept his eyes up in the direction of the bathroom, returning quickly after a slight hesitation: in another life.