Chapter 180-1: Alice in Wonderland
When Yang Chen said the word “date,” Lin Ruoxi was evidently caught off guard, she cautiously stared at Yang Chen without a word.
Yang Chen just thought of it as Lin Ruoxi being unaccustomed to receiving such an invitation. He was too forward and said it out of the blue, so he quickly took it down a notch and said, “Is it too soon? Then how about we just go out for dinner?”
Lin Ruoxi faintly shook her head, then softly asked, “Do I need to change clothes?”
“Change into what?”
“What clothes should I wear on a date?” Embarrassed, Lin Ruoxi asked.
Yang Chen finally understood. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go on a date, she just didn’t know how to date. Therefore, he gently smiled and said, “You don’t need to change, you’re fine as you are. But the car has to be changed, it has to be me who brings you for a date, not you driving me for a date.”
Lin Ruoxi nodded with an uncertain heart and drove the car. She drove the red Bentley all the way to where Yang Chen had parked his car. They then got out of the Bentley and entered that white M3.
“Where are we going?” It was her first time going on a date, so Lin Ruoxi was a little nervous, and she spoke with a softer tone.
Yang Chen’s interest was piqued. His normally cold wife had suddenly turned into a shy, young girl experiencing her first love. How could he withstand such an attack? He had the urge to reach out and pat her head, but he was also afraid that she would suddenly throw a temper. He lifted up three fingers and said, “I’m going to give you three choices: watch a movie, go shopping or visit an aquarium. Which do you prefer?”
Lin Ruoxi’s eyes immediately lit up. She thought for a bit before replying in a voice that carried traces of anticipation, “Then let’s go to the aquarium. I’ve never been to one. I like tropical fishes, they’re really pretty.”
“It’s too late now, the aquarium’s going to close soon. Pick something else,” Yang Chen said.
“Then… the shopping centre. Let’s go look at the shopping centres owned by my company. It’ll be a surprise inspection.” Lin Ruoxi settled for the next best thing.
Yang Chen shook his head, “Shopping? That’s way too exhausting for me. Don’t take me for a fool. I know that you women won’t even care about the men once you start shopping.”
Lin Ruoxi’s brows furrowed together, “Then where should we go?”
“To the movies then! We can just sit down and watch, how great.” Yang Chen smiled as he spoke.
Lin Ruoxi bit her lip as her frustration rose. She puffed up her cheeks and protested coquettishly, “Then why are you still giving me choices!? Couldn’t you just tell me that we’re going to the movies from the start!?”
Yang Chen grinned, “Aren’t I showing some democracy? I gave you three choices; isn’t it possible that you might have picked watching a movie as your first choice? If you didn’t pick it, I who drive the car will control where to go to, so it’s still my choice in the end. Isn’t this what all leaders do? Aren’t you a leader yourself? You should be familiar with it then. Democracy, democracy, hehe…”
“You scoundrel! I’m getting off, why don’t you go and have a date by yourself!” A layer of frost covered Lin Ruoxi’s pretty face as she made a move to get out of the car.
Yang Chen laughed, “It’s too late!”
Right after he finished speaking, the BMW squealed with its tires intensely rubbing against the ground, the car burst out of the car park like a bullet!
Lin Ruoxi who was about to release her seat belt became stuck on her seat due to the sudden g-force!
“Are you mad! I want to get off!”
“My wife, what did you say? I can’t hear you!!” Yang Chen laughed out loud.
On the road that was sandwiched between neon lights, the car drove on it like a streak of white and red, the roaring engine shocked all surrounding pedestrians.
As there were fewer cars in the vicinity of the exhibition centre which had wide roads, the car kept speeding up. Later on on the expressway, he was even able to pull up the handbrake and drift on several bends!
“Lunatic! Stop! Stop!! Crazy guy! Crazy……”
After Lin Ruoxi continued screaming for a while, she could no longer care about stopping Yang Chen. She was afraid that one little mistake could cause the car to smash into the railings, so she covered her face with her hands, sitting there like she had resigned to fate. Allowing her body to sway with the inertia of the car……
Although it wasn’t her first time going through Yang Chen’s racing-like driving, Lin Ruoxi still felt like her soul was being pulled from her body in all directions. This feeling of going at the speed where life hangs on the edge was something that couldn’t be experienced by watching movies.
Only when they had reached an area where there was more traffic flow did Yang Chen slow down the car, and did Lin Ruoxi slowly lower her hands and sigh in relief.
Feeling her heart beating rapidly without any control, Lin Ruoxi didn’t even have the strength to scold Yang Chen anymore. She just looked at him quietly, as if she could strangle him with her gaze.
Yang Chen didn’t seem to mind her at all, “Don’t look at me like this, I just feel that it’s a pity that you do not experience the fun of driving when you have such a good car. Since you’re so young, I’m letting you experience the thrills of speed.
“I do not need such a mad experience.” Lin Ruoxi’s face was pale, and her teeth were clenched as she spoke.
“That wasn’t a mad experience. My driving skills are good. I don’t mean that I drive fast, I mean that while driving faster than others, I drive safer than anybody. If someone with terrible driving skills drive, no matter how slow that person goes, that person would still end up knocking into something. I believe in myself, and hope you can believe me too.” Said Yang Chen.
Lin Ruoxi sarcastically smiled, “Someone who doesn’t even have a driving license is telling me that he drives safer than anybody, just which part of you should I be believing in?”
Chapter 180-2: Alice in Wonderland“Look here, madam(monk-style). You’re once again overly attached to appearances. A driving license is merely a piece of paper, and is at most a slightly firm piece of paper. In this world, the education certificate that people spend ten to twenty years to attain can no longer prove the true education level of the person, and it can even be faked. Do you think that a driving license that can basically be attained in a month would prove anything?” Yang Chen said with a smile.
Lin Ruoxi snorted and looked away, “I won’t debate with you, all you speak of are fallacies.”
“Well well(monk-style), fallacies are also a form of reasoning, this falls in line with Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, so why can’t it hold up?”
Since she was a child, there had never been a man who spoke to her with a jesting tone like this. While finding it rather amusing, she turned back and asked, “Do you wish to become a monk?”
[TL: Yang Chen called her “女施主” or madam, which is a form of address to ladies only used by monks. He said “善哉善哉” which is a common phrase for monks which doesn’t really have a better translation than “good,” but I used well well since it fit the context better.]
Yang Chen placed a hand on the steering wheel while his other hand rubbed his chin, “Being a monk is pretty good too. I reckon that a monk’s biggest regret is that despite seeing the body of a nun, they had never seen the body of a lady. I’ve seen a woman’s body, so if I can see a nun’s, I’ll be complete.”
It took a long time for Lin Ruoxi to think about what those words meant, but when she did, her cheeks immediately blushed, and she uttered “rogue” before she looked away from him.
When they arrived at the car park at Zhonghai Cinema, Lin Ruoxi took out her phone, and asked Yang Chen, “What do you want to watch? I’ll get Wu Yue to book a booth.”
“Book a booth?” Yang Chen was perplexed, “What booth?”
“Isn’t it necessary to book a booth when watching a movie?” Lin Ruoxi replied.
Yang Chen asked in detail before understanding that Lin Ruoxi had always been watching movies alone in a VIP booth on the second floor, while her tickets were always booked beforehand by Wu Yue. All she needed to do was to present her identification card, and a specialized employee would lead her in.
It seemed like this chick had never ever seen a movie the normal way before.
“That’s not necessary. Get off, we’ll go to the cinema, and I’ll buy the tickets. Book what booth? Are you watching the movie or the heads of other people when sitting on the second floor?” Yang Chen laughed and said.
Lin Ruoxi wasn’t used to this, but she took her bag and followed behind Yang Chen.
There were many people around, majority were young men and women in pairs that came to watch a movie. Lin Ruoxi found it fresh to be in such a lively environment.
When they arrived at the main entrance of the ticket office, there were two rows of movie posters. Yang Chen pursed his lips, then said, “Take your pick, which do you fancy?”
Lin Ruoxi swept her gaze at the posters, and her eyes were fixated on the poster of 《Alice in Wonderland》, she then glanced at the other posters, shook her head, and said, “Anything is fine, you choose.”
Yang Chen snickered inside, for it seemed like she didn’t dare to express which she actually liked for fear of being mocked for her “childish” tastes. Feigning a thoughtful hum, he said, “Let’s watch 《Alice in Wonderland》 then, the poster looks pretty good.”
“Okay!” Lin Ruoxi immediately approved with a smile.
Yang Chen mischievously looked at her, which led her to realize that she had revealed what she actually wanted, so she blushed and looked away.
When Yang Chen bought the two ordinary tickets for the movie, the two walked into the cinema. There were several beverage and popcorn shops in there, and Yang Chen bought a bucket of popcorn and two cups of orange juice before they entered the theatre.
Lin Ruoxi sat on an ordinary seat in the middle of the theatre. She looked at the many men and women who sat around her who were waiting for the movie to start, and found them speaking to each other softly.
When a paper bucket of popcorn was suddenly placed in front of her, Lin Ruoxi turned her head, and Yang Chen looked at her in the darkness, “Here, hold this, you didn’t have dinner, fill your stomach with this.”
“No need, I’ve never eaten this previously.” Lin Ruoxi softly said.
“My lord wife, would you please do me the honor?” Yang Chen spoke like he was hoaxing a child to eat.
Lin Ruoxi pouted, took the bucket of popcorn, and put a popcorn into her mouth…… It was sweet, fragrant, and crispy. It had been too many years since she last ate this, Lin Ruoxi couldn’t help but eat another.
Seeing her eat with relish, Yang Chen placed the orange juice by Lin Ruoxi’s seat, “If you get thirsty, have some juice, be careful not to choke.”
Lin Ruoxi felt warmth inside. A cheap ticket, cheap seat, cheap food and beverage, and such a noisy ambience. These were all things that she had never even thought about personally experiencing, but such an environment was much enjoyable than she had thought.
Did it feel special because it was a fresh experience, or was it because there was someone to watch the movie with her?
Lin Ruoxi sucked on the straw and drank the orange juice. While she was immersed in this experience, 《Alice in Wonderland》 began showing on the big screen.
Seeing Alice in that fantasy world, on the entertaining journey that felt both real and dream-like, Lin Ruoxi recalled some words that she heard from some drama……
“There’s a disease called the Alice in Wonderland syndrome, it’s like the visual illusion when a telescope’s front part is turned towards you, and like being in a fairy tale world everyday. It’s a magical yet pitiful syndrome.
I have definitely got that syndrome, otherwise, why is it that whenever I’m with this man who has no redeeming traits, the time that I spend with him feels like a fairy tale?”
These words were always remembered by Lin Ruoxi, but she was never able to experience it herself. Yet, this feeling and this situation made these thoughts surface.
As she thought about it, Lin Ruoxi felt her cheeks burning up. They were rosy……
How embarrassing, how embarrassing! Since when have I become so shameless! How can I even think of such corny words……
But she couldn’t stop herself from occasionally glancing at the man beside her, and immediately lowering her head every time she did.
Is this chick alright? Why is her face so red? Does she have a fever?
In the darkness, Yang Chen took note of Lin Ruoxi’s queer behavior, and his head was filled with questions……