Chapter 277: Chapter 277

When Le Tong woke up from her stupor, Ji Rui’s attitude had taken a complete 180-degree turn from before she fainted.

She was puzzled for a moment, but soon figured out that with Ji Rui’s means and connections, since he had already found out she was Baobao’s biological mother, it was certain he would have learned she was the bone marrow donor through other channels. That must be why he was treating her so well!

"Mr. Ji, Baobao is my biological son. Not to mention donating bone marrow for him, even dying for him is something I ought to do. This has nothing to do with you, so you don’t need to feel you’ve owed me anything for that."

After Le Tong adamantly refused the soup offered by Xiao Li, she noticed Ji Rui’s displeased expression and quickly decided to take the drastic measure, hoping to dispel Ji Rui’s intent to repay her for saving Baobao’s life with his own.

She had to make him understand that everything she had done was for Baobao and had nothing to do with him, Ji Rui.

Ji Rui’s expression became increasingly grim. Though he had expected to be humiliated by Le Tong, the always prestigious President Ji, who only ever had people eager to associate with him, had never experienced such a hasty severing of ties, as if he, Ji Rui, were some kind of dreadful plague.

But he couldn’t hide the coldness on his face—even so, he managed to restrain himself.

He knew Le Tong was angry and aggrieved, and since he was not good with words, any comforting or explaining words he might say could be misconstrued, and she probably wouldn’t like to hear them anyway. So, he decided to keep his lips sealed and let her vent all she wanted, hoping she would feel better afterward and wouldn’t treat him so coldly anymore.

Sitting in the chair, Ji Rui remained silent, making the rare correct decision that no matter what she said today, he would not argue.

With this mindset, his expression turned increasingly inscrutable, which frightened Xiao Li, who stood by and didn’t dare to breathe loudly.

Firstly, he was shocked by the fact that Le Tong was actually the biological mother who saved the young master.

Secondly, he was astonished by Le Tong’s audacity to openly retort at someone as tyrannical and domineering as Ji Rui.

He thought Le Tong, doing what she did, would at least get a reprimand from Ji Rui. After all, given Ji Rui’s current status, there weren’t many people within the Ji Family—or even domestically—who dared to show him any attitude.

Among those few who dared to challenge President Ji, he could only count the young master.

As he cautiously observed Ji Rui’s complexion, thinking about pleading for Le Tong, Le Tong continued to unabashedly admonish him.

"Of course, if Mr. Ji thinks I’m going to extort or blackmail you over this incident, you can rest assured! I don’t have that kind of intent. I’m just a small person, and I’m aware I can’t compete with you. I won’t do anything as foolish as throwing eggs against a rock." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel(ꜰ)ire.net

The indignation, grievance, and reluctance Le Tong felt upon awakening had all calmed down by now.

As she said, she’s just a small person. Knowing she has nothing to intimidate someone as overbearing and omnipotent as Ji Rui, trying to argue with him proves to be futile and only adds to her own frustrations.

Ultimately, she can now face Ji Rui calmly because she regards him as a mere stranger.

After his arbitrary accusations and scoldings yesterday, her heart has turned cold. The mutual understanding and budding feelings built up during their time of supporting each other were extinguished by his tirade.

Currently, Le Tong’s expectations of Ji Rui have reached the lowest point.

With no expectations, naturally, there is no anger.

Ji Rui originally decided today that no matter what she accused him of or berated him with, he wouldn’t justify or refute, but hearing her last words, he couldn’t help but feel restless.

"No, it’s not like that..." For the first time, Ji Rui understood what it felt like to be at a loss for words.

He couldn’t deny that he had indeed once thought of Le Tong as a vain woman trying to gain wealth through Baobao, but Doctor Dong’s words enlightened him, and combined with the report delivered by Mr. Huang, he fully realized he had been treating her unfairly all these months as if she were a petty person.

He hadn’t known that the real petty person wasn’t her but the corrupt self hidden within him.

Therefore, even if he told Le Tong he never thought of her that way, that kind of lie wouldn’t fool even a child, let alone someone as smart as her.

Le Tong glanced at him, interrupting his words, "Mr. Ji, it doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not. I’m very tired now and want to sleep. Can you please be quiet?"

After saying that, Le Tong lay down, pulled the quilt over herself, and turned her back to Ji Rui with her eyes closed.

The words of explanation that the eager-to-defend President Ji wanted to say were forced back in, and he could only helplessly stare at the back of Le Tong’s head in a daze.

Xiao Li, seeing his boss, the esteemed president, being shut out so plainly yet daring not to utter a word, suddenly looked at Le Tong on the bed with newfound admiration.

Recalling what Le Tong said about being Baobao’s biological mother, could it be that she and the president were once lovers?

The questions swirled in Xiao Li’s mind one after another, yet he didn’t dare to verify with the president, so he could only secretly suppress his gossiping instinct, handing the soup intended for Le Tong to Ji Rui.

"President, you haven’t had lunch yet. Have some soup first!"

Ji Rui waved his hand, "Take it to the kitchen and keep it warm. Let her drink it when she wakes up."

By "her," he naturally meant Le Tong.

After Xiao Li took away the bags of food, Ji Rui got up, returned to the sofa, and opened his laptop to handle work.

Though his eyes were on the screen, Le Tong’s face was lodged firmly in his mind. Some matters changed too abruptly, and it was only now that he had the time to reflect on them carefully.

Before he had to make that call to track down Baobao’s biological mother in search of compatible marrow, he wasn’t at all curious about the woman he had never met.

His knowledge of the woman was limited to what the agency had conveyed, which was just as he had requested: the woman was highly educated, intelligent, attractive, had no history of plastic surgery or unsavory lifestyle, and as for age, he hadn’t asked, nor had they mentioned it.

It was only now that he realized; Le Tong was only eighteen when she was pregnant with Baobao.

Eighteen, for many young people nowadays, is still a time of whimsical youth, isn’t it?

And yet she made such a reluctant choice to save her gravely ill mother.

Unintentionally, an image of a youthful Le Tong with a round face and pregnant belly flashed in Ji Rui’s mind—her eyes were as clear and bright as now, and her face bore a shy smile mixed with youthful innocence...

She was incredibly beautiful that way!

But this extreme beauty inexplicably pained Ji Rui’s heart...