Chapter 328: Chapter 328

"Hmm!" Ji Rui pinched a piece of pastry and popped it into his mouth, but his gaze remained fixed on her face, showing no intention to look away.

Le Tong reflexively raised the back of her hand to wipe her mouth, "Is it dirty?"

Ji Rui shook his head, "No."

Their simple and meaningless conversation made Le Tong increasingly awkward and unnatural. Fortunately, she held a plate and a cup in her hands, or else she really wouldn’t know where to place her limbs.

Le Tong lowered her head, pretending to be engrossed in eating the pastry. As her mind gradually calmed down, she began pondering the implications of Ji Rui’s earlier words.

What anniversary was he talking about? Or was it just an excuse he used to deal with those rich and handsome guys?

Baobao said this man had something important to discuss with her. What exactly was this so-called important matter?

He readily admitted that he was a fool, but in what context? In terms of work, he was terrifyingly shrewd, so maybe the ’foolishness’ was confined to personal matters?

Yet, even the simplest of questions left Le Tong baffled. In the end, she subconsciously ate over half the pastries on the plate, but none of the seemingly simple questions had a definite answer.

Even though she couldn’t find a definite answer, she didn’t plan to ask Ji Rui.

Because she didn’t have the courage to delve into these questions deeply.

Intuitively, she felt these answers might affect her current situation with Ji Rui. If revealed, their relationship would either become closer or more distant.

But she felt that the current relationship and distance were the most reassuring for her. She just wanted to maintain the status quo without making any changes.

Ji Rui’s thoughts clearly differed from hers.

In the past, he had always circled around Le Tong, never thinking of taking a step forward, not because he had no thought for her, but because he had not yet understood his own feelings.

Now, after this deliberate provocation by his son, the dead end he used to find himself in when thinking of Le Tong suddenly exploded open, instantly clearing his vision. The scene ahead was clear and obvious!

Having seen his feelings clearly, Ji Rui took a bold step without hesitation. He wanted to cross over the fallen wall to pursue the beautiful scenery beyond the alley.

Unlike his firm determination, Le Tong was hesitating; more accurately, she was retreating.

"I’ll go see if Baobao wants some pastries!" Le Tong obviously heard his call, yet she didn’t even glance at him and stood up, walking directly towards the bedroom.

Ji Rui’s long arm reached out and pulled her back. Le Tong glanced down at his hand and softly said, "Baobao just got discharged; he gets hungry easily..."

Even though she mentioned Baobao, Ji Rui still had no intention of letting her go.

"He had a glass of milk and won’t go hungry, and there are instant foods in the bedroom. If he really is hungry, he’ll get something to eat. You don’t need to worry."

Ji Rui had enough confidence in Baobao’s self-care and survival ability.

"Come sit with me and let’s have a chat." Ji Rui exerted a little more force, trying to pull her back.

But Le Tong seemed like her feet were rooted in the ground. She bit her lip and decisively replied, "Mr. Ji, we have nothing to talk about."

Ji Rui seemed to have anticipated her reaction, and neither got angry nor impatient; he simply looked up at her.

"Even death row inmates get a suspended sentence. Besides, I’m just a bit foolish, not deserving of death! I mean no harm, just want to have a casual chat with you."

Having said this much, if Le Tong refused again, it would seem she was putting on airs.

Considering that he was now once again her employer and her largest creditor, even if she wanted to put on airs and be pretentious, she knew now was definitely not the appropriate occasion.

The rational part of her mind successfully prevailed. She took a few steps back and sat down again at her original spot, with a respectful and earnest demeanor facing Ji Rui.

"Mr. Ji, speak, what’s the matter!"

Ji Rui was naturally uncomfortable with her completely distant attitude.

But he also knew that these consequences stemmed from the seeds he had sown with his long-standing reckless treatment of her. Regardless of how bleak and broken the situation was, he had to fix it himself, bringing order and restoration.

"Le Tong, I’m sorry!" Ji Rui, who had always been high and mighty, like a small wife, sincerely apologized to Le Tong.

If he wanted to mend the relationship, the first step was to be sincere about his attitude!

Le Tong was taken aback, "Mr. Ji, you haven’t done anything to me, why are you apologizing?"

It seemed Le Tong had been oppressed for so long that, when given a chance to turn the tables, she felt unaccustomed and uneasy!

"I apologize for everything I did to hurt you in the past!"

Ji Rui looked at the bewildered Le Tong, gritted his teeth, and compressed and packaged all his past wrongdoings, since it wasn’t possible to apologize for each one individually, he started with a general apology. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel✦fire.net

Though this apology was a bit late, it was better than never!

After all, isn’t the saying ’better late than never’ meant just for this?

Le Tong finally understood Ji Rui’s intentions, "Mr. Ji, it’s all in the past, why bring it up now?" But she didn’t show any delight, instead replying somewhat perfunctorily.

It wasn’t that she was pretending to be foolish; the fact was if she showed she understood everything, this man would push for forgiveness, and then demand their relationship to progress further.

Le Tong indeed understood Ji Rui well.

From Ji Rui’s standpoint, in his relationship with Le Tong, he had always maintained a position of superiority and control.

If their relationship remained as it was, he could completely disregard his past misdeeds, and Le Tong neither would nor could do anything about it.

Moreover, the key point was that he held Baobao as a trump card. As long as Le Tong wanted to maintain a normal relationship with Baobao, even if she endured the insults, she wouldn’t and couldn’t criticize his excessive behavior.

But now, he intended to bring up all the past mistakes he had committed to own up to them, signaling he no longer wanted to maintain the current relationship.

He wanted to break the status quo and establish a whole new relationship.

And this new relationship, for him, might be exhilarating and wonderful, creating a sense of eagerness.

But for Le Tong, this new relationship was fraught with danger and traps, where a single misstep could lead to a catastrophic fall into an endless dark abyss.

Ji Rui stared at her unblinkingly, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

He couldn’t deny that Le Tong’s reaction left him quite defeated!

Internally, he clearly understood her reaction; he couldn’t blame her at all. The predicament was entirely his own doing, brought upon by his own actions, and she couldn’t be blamed in the slightest!

Even if it were a dog, always slapped by its owner, it wouldn’t immediately trust just because an owner suddenly offers a bone.

Besides, she’s a person!

And a very smart one who greatly understood self-protection!