Chapter 207: What Are They Talking About This Time?!

Chapter 207: What Are They Talking About This Time?!

Over the past two days, Li Ruotai had spoken frequently with his father, Li Maoren.

Ever since Wu Chen had nearly gotten into trouble the previous morning, Li Ruotai had discussed these matters privately and in detail with him.

Apart from lying about Li Ruobing nearly being hurt, he had told the truth about everything else.

Li Ruotai could guess that if Wu Chen wanted to speak to Old Dao personally, Old Dao had to be useful against Ding Ruilong.

Normally, Li Ruotai would not have told his father so much about their efforts against Ding Ruilong.

But ever since Li Maoren had come to Donghai and held a private discussion with Wu Chen…

Before leaving, Li Maoren had given his son certain instructions.

Li Ruotai did not know the details, but he could sense the change in his father’s attitude.

He understood that the more trouble Ding Ruilong faced, the greater the possibility that the Li and Ding families would “break up.”

Then, that afternoon, after Wu Chen settled matters with Old Dao and Li Ruotai followed the ambulance back to the hospital, he called his father again.

He could not clearly explain everything that had happened, but he conveyed the essential point.

Li Maoren understood.

Wu Chen had dealt with Old Dao.

And through Old Dao, he now had a means of striking at Ding Ruilong.

Li Maoren cared greatly about that.

He wanted to know more as well.

So he had instructed Li Ruotai to ask questions.

If Li Ruotai could not get anything out of Wu Chen, he could call his father.

There was one thing Li Maoren understood.

Certain matters Wu Chen might be willing to discuss with him, but not necessarily with his son or daughter.

Precisely because the stakes were too high.

The more important the matter, the fewer people who should know.

Otherwise, if word leaked, the Ding family might make some extreme preemptive move.

In a sense, keeping the younger generation uninformed was also a means of protecting them.

Wu Chen glanced at Li Ruotai, then at the phone being held out to him.

He took it and raised it to his ear, smiling.

“Uncle…”

“A-Tai told me what happened,” Li Maoren said directly.

“A-Tai is standing beside me. Are you sure you want him to hear this, Uncle?” Wu Chen asked just as directly.

Li Maoren paused.

Then he fell silent for a moment.

Wu Chen’s meaning was…

This was something enormous.

“I’ll call you,” Li Maoren said.

Then he hung up.

Wu Chen lowered the phone, glanced at it, and handed it back to Li Ruotai.

Li Ruotai stared at him with a very peculiar expression.

He was a little dumbfounded.

What had Brother-in-law meant by that?

He and his father had clearly arranged this in advance.

So why did it now seem as though his brother-in-law and his own father had reached an understanding in a single sentence and decided he was not allowed to know?

It felt awful.

And not merely because he was curious.

For one instant, Li Ruotai even had the bizarre impression that his brother-in-law was closer to his father than he was—and he was the man’s actual son.

Ring, ring…

Wu Chen’s phone rang from the pocket of his pajamas.

He stood and pulled it out while turning toward the stairs.

After answering, the first thing he said was, “I’m going to the study.”

Li Ruotai watched him head upstairs.

After a moment of stunned hesitation, he hurried after him.

Wu Chen entered the second-floor study, closed and locked the door behind him, then walked toward the balcony.

Li Ruotai reached the study a moment too late.

He pushed down on the handle and tried to open the door, but it would not budge.

Locked from the inside.

What the hell?!

What were they talking about this time?!

Li Ruotai practically plastered himself against the door and pressed an ear to it.

He still could not hear any voices from inside.

Wu Chen had gone onto the balcony and closed the balcony door behind him.

Quite some time later—

“A-Tai? Darling?” Li Ruobing’s voice came from the first-floor living room.

There was still food simmering in the kitchen, but it did not need constant attention.

Li Ruobing came out of the kitchen, only to find both Wu Chen and her younger brother gone.

She looked around, then went upstairs.

In the second-floor hallway, she found Li Ruotai leaning against the study door, attempting to eavesdrop.

“What are you doing?” Li Ruobing asked, frowning as she approached. “What are you trying to listen to?”

“I can’t hear anything…” Li Ruotai turned toward his sister with a miserable expression.

“What can’t you hear?” Her frown deepened.

“Brother-in-law is talking to Dad. He won’t let me listen…” Li Ruotai lowered his voice, then pressed his ear to the door again.

He refused to believe he could not catch even the faintest sound.

Li Ruobing’s expression changed as well.

Talking again?

Another private conversation they were forbidden to hear?

It was very similar to last time.

What had changed was Li Ruobing’s state of mind.

Last time, she had desperately wanted to know and had been impatient to find out.

This time, she was not.

The previous experience had taught her that she could simply ask Wu Chen in private afterward.

There was no need to find some way to eavesdrop.

“Go downstairs. Your brother-in-law is still upset with you. If he comes out and catches you like this, how do you think it’ll look? Hurry up. Downstairs.”

Li Ruobing shot her younger brother a sharp look.

More than ten minutes later, when Wu Chen left the study and came downstairs, Li Ruobing had already returned to the kitchen.

Li Ruotai sat on the living-room sofa, looking as though he were tying his thoughts into knots.

What had they talked about?

They had not even used his phone. His father had called Wu Chen’s instead.

Were they afraid his phone might be recording?

Did they truly need to be that cautious?

The moment he saw Wu Chen coming downstairs, Li Ruotai stood.

“Brother-in-law…” he began.

“Ask your dad. See if he’ll tell you.” Wu Chen smiled, closing off the subject entirely.

With that, he did not even walk farther into the living room.

He went straight to the kitchen.

Several dishes that required long cooking times were nearly done.

Three dishes remained, all stir-fries. Since they cooked quickly, Wu Chen had deliberately left them until last.

He stir-fried two more dishes.

A little after seven, the food was brought to the table.

Dinner began.

Six dishes and one soup.

Every one of them had been made by Wu Chen.

Li Ruobing had only helped prepare the vegetables and watch the pots.

For three people, it was an exceptionally lavish meal.

And Wu Chen had not prepared only ordinary home cooking.

Take the sweet-and-sour Yellow River carp, for example.

It was not a dish the average home cook could make.

From its appearance alone, Wu Chen’s version looked as though it had come from the kitchen of a chef at a luxury hotel.

Li Ruotai ate distractedly.

His standards were different, and he had seen and tasted just about everything.

No matter how delicious the meal was, it could do little to distract him.

His head was filled with one question.

What had his brother-in-law discussed with his father?

From time to time, he drifted off even while eating.

Whatever Li Ruobing told him to do, he did.

When she told him to apologize to Wu Chen, he apologized.

Compared with her younger brother, Li Ruobing ate in mounting astonishment.

It was this good?

How could it possibly be this good?

It was not that she had never tasted excellent food.

It was because Wu Chen had made it.

That made it different.

Wu Chen was not a chef.

She had watched him cook earlier and already knew he was skilled, but she had never imagined that his cooking could be this exceptional.

Even in the ordinary details of daily life, Wu Chen possessed such formidable abilities.

In Li Ruobing’s heart, it made him seem different all over again.

Dinner ended a little after eight.

Seeing his sister and brother-in-law both in pajamas and looking completely at home, Li Ruotai understood that his sister probably intended to stay the night.

So, with unusual tact, he stopped imposing on them, said goodbye, and left.

A little after nine.

The lights in the villa’s living room were off, though the television remained on.

Wu Chen was watching the evening news.

Li Ruobing switched off the kitchen light and came out.

After Li Ruotai left, she had spent the entire time clearing the dining table and cleaning the kitchen.

She almost never did this kind of work herself.

But she had not done it today because she wanted to experience life as a housewife.

She would never become a housewife.

It was simply that…

Wu Chen had cooked.

So she should clear the table and wash the dishes.

To her, that was only fair.

In the dim room, lit by the shifting glow of the television, Li Ruobing walked over to the sofa.

She stood beside Wu Chen for a moment.

Wu Chen looked up at her with a smile.

Li Ruobing turned and sat directly in his lap, wrapping both arms around his neck.

“Hubby… it’s time for bed,” she said softly, smiling.

Her voice was actually sweet.

And she had actually called him hubby.

The look in Li Ruobing’s eyes as she gazed at Wu Chen…

She very clearly wanted something to happen between them.