Chapter 192: Kneeling Is Out of the Question

Chapter 192: Kneeling Is Out of the Question

Li Ruobing had said it with absolute bluntness.

Wu Yurong froze.

If anyone else had said such a thing to her, her smile might actually have widened, because it would have been so absurd.

But this was Li Ruobing.

Whether she meant it was not the point.

The point was that she was Li Ruobing.

If Li Ruobing was willing to say something like this, then she had already weighed every possible consequence.

Wu Yurong still had a smile on her face.

She pressed her lips together and let her gaze drift idly around the living room.

She had known Wu Chen would leave first. While they were showering he had told her he would let the women talk alone and that he was going home to sleep.

That suited Wu Yurong well enough.

She had been very worried that with all three of them present, if she came into conflict with Li Ruobing, Wu Chen might not take her side.

Most likely he would have taken Li Ruobing’s.

And if that happened—

Wu Yurong would feel wretched.

She was not afraid to compete with Li Ruobing over a man. This man was exceptionally worth competing for.

But if the man himself did not stand with her, if he plainly favored Li Ruobing and spoke for her, then Wu Yurong would find it very hard to face Li Ruobing afterward.

So talking alone was best.

The two women could lay everything out completely.

What Wu Yurong had never expected was that the forceful, domineering Li Ruobing would be this direct.

“Miss Li… I don’t understand. Why should I apologize to you?” Wu Yurong asked with a gentle, sweet smile.

As she spoke she walked to an armchair off to one side and sat down.

She even gave the strap of her nightgown a light tug, as though merely adjusting it.

Of course Li Ruobing could see the reddish-purple marks near her collarbone.

“If you’re going to sleep with my man, shouldn’t you at least give me a heads-up first?” Li Ruobing asked, looking at her.

This was one of the things that grew worse the more she thought about it. Wu Yurong had known, and she had done it anyway.

If she had been the sort of woman easily bewitched, that would have been one thing. It would simply mean she could not withstand Wu Chen’s methods, and the fault would not have been hers.

But Wu Yurong was not that sort of woman. Quite the opposite.

She had certainly thought through the consequences.

And decided there was no problem.

Nor had she shown any intention of hiding it.

Her position could not have been plainer.

“A word of warning… is that necessary?” Wu Yurong smiled at her. “Mr. Wu and I aren’t thinking about a future together. If Mr. Wu marries someday, the woman he marries obviously won’t be me. And I won’t remarry. We’re simply… enjoying life. It won’t interfere with your future with Mr. Wu, Miss Li.”

Wu Yurong was not afraid of Li Ruobing, but neither did she want pointless misunderstandings.

So she made herself clear.

“You’re not the first woman willing to be with Wu Chen, and you won’t be the last. There’s no difference between any of you.” Li Ruobing’s words could only be called harsh. “Ms. Wu, you should understand exactly why I need you to apologize.”

Wu Yurong knew that Li Ruobing did not care that Wu Chen had other women.

And yet Li Ruobing insisted on an apology.

Wu Yurong could imagine precisely what was going through her mind.

She understood.

What Li Ruobing wanted was an attitude from her. A declaration of where she stood.

“Miss Li, I didn’t expect you to have moments when you lacked confidence too,” Wu Yurong said with a soft smile.

The two women looked at each other.

Li Ruobing stayed expressionless for a moment.

Then she suddenly smiled as well, as though she found it amusing.

She smiled with confidence.

“Ms. Wu, why do you think I would lack confidence?” Li Ruobing asked, the corner of her mouth lifting.

“You felt pressure, didn’t you? Even Su Qingying couldn’t make you feel threatened, but with me… you’ve lost your confidence?” Wu Yurong’s smile was a shade wider than Li Ruobing’s.

She had read Li Ruobing’s state of mind very well.

“That’s right. I did, for a while!” Li Ruobing admitted it outright.

Still smiling, she went on, “Because I once saw you as a senior. I thought you were someone worth learning from. But now I understand. Ms. Wu—Wu Yurong—however much you used to hate men, however ruthless you were with them, in the end you can still fall for a man! And it took only one day! Last night… you were the one taking the initiative, weren’t you, Ms. Wu?”

Wu Yurong blinked and took a moment to work out what she meant.

“You think I’m not as singular as you imagined, so now you’re confident?” Wu Yurong asked, smiling.

“Not only that,” Li Ruobing replied.

She did not tell Wu Yurong what Wu Chen had just said to her.

“It seems—” Wu Yurong began to say something else.

At that moment the villa door opened. Chu Yan hurried in.

She carried a bottle of water in her left hand and a small black bag in her right. She walked quickly to the coffee table and handed both to Wu Yurong.

“Boss, what you asked for.”

“Mm. Go on,” Wu Yurong said gently as she took them.

Chu Yan hurried away, out of the villa, and closed the door behind her.

Right in front of Li Ruobing, Wu Yurong took a box of medicine from the bag.

Postinor-2.

She opened the box, drew out the blister pack, pushed a pill free, and closed her fingers around it. Then she picked up the bottle of water and twisted off the cap.

She took the pill.

Wu Yurong had told Chu Yan to buy the medicine yesterday, and in fact it had been bought long since.

The reason it only arrived now was that Wu Yurong had specifically instructed Chu Yan to deliver it while she and Li Ruobing were talking.

Li Ruobing sensed it too.

Whether the timing of the delivery had been arranged she could not say, but Wu Yurong taking the pill in front of her was absolutely deliberate.

Li Ruobing knew she was making a show of it.

She wanted Li Ruobing to understand all over again exactly what she had done with Wu Chen the night before.

“I hear from Mr. Wu that you and he still haven’t moved in together, Miss Li. Is that right?” Wu Yurong asked with a sweet smile once she had swallowed it.

It was a show of force, plainly.

“That’s right!” Something seemed to occur to Li Ruobing, and her smile grew.

“Wu Chen is a man no one can read! He’s extraordinary. He once told me he could become Su Qingying’s man in a single day. I didn’t believe him! But he did it. Su Qingying is perfectly happy to play the little woman for him! And with you, Ms. Wu, it was the same! I even believe now that Wu Chen is capable of getting any woman he wants within a single day. As long as he wants her, he can have her!”

Li Ruobing paused.

Then she said, with great seriousness:

“Including me.”

“Then why haven’t the two of you—”

Wu Yurong started to follow the thought with a question and broke off abruptly before finishing.

The smile faded sharply from her face.

She had suddenly grasped what Li Ruobing meant.

Wu Chen had done so much for Li Ruobing.

He was even laying plans to destroy the Ding family.

And yet he was in no hurry to possess her completely.

Not because he could not.

He simply did not want to yet.

Which meant he very likely wanted to win Li Ruobing’s heart first.

Only with Li Ruobing did he have that kind of patience.

Because he loved her more?

“Ms. Wu.” Seeing the smile leave Wu Yurong’s face, Li Ruobing stopped smiling too.

Expressionless, she said, “I’ll give you one more chance. Kneel down and apologize to me.”

“Miss Li, why be so aggressive?” Wu Yurong’s smile was very faint.

“Am I in the wrong?” Li Ruobing raised an eyebrow.

Wu Yurong had no answer.

She thought a moment, drew a deep breath, and stood.

Li Ruobing watched her.

Wu Yurong walked in front of her, and then all at once she lowered herself.

Li Ruobing’s eyes flew wide.

For a moment she was utterly stunned.

Because Wu Yurong had not knelt.