The Cunning CEO's Contract Wife

Chapter 179 A Belated Happy Birthday

In the hotel, Xiao Jingchen was working on documents at the table when the phone next to him suddenly rang.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He quickly grabbed his phone and glanced at the contact name on the screen, but his gaze dimmed.

He actually thought it was her calling...

A complex emotion flashed across Xiao Jingchen's face as he reluctantly pressed the answer button.

The next second, the old man's furious voice came from the phone.

"You bastard, where are you now? Get your ass back here right now."

The merciless insults darkened Xiao Jingchen's eyes, revealing a sharp edge.

"I'm on a business trip. Is something wrong?"

Xiao Jingchen's tone was indifferent, but it only made the old man on the other end of the phone even more annoyed.

"Business trip? I had no idea you'd learned to lie."

Old Master Xiao spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone very serious.

After all, he once single-handedly built the Xiao family into a powerful entity, and once he gets serious, he becomes a completely different person.

Even though Xiao Jingchen was very dissatisfied, he still responded softly.

The call was then abruptly ended.

Xiao Jingchen narrowed his eyes, changed the time he was supposed to return, and arrived at the destination early the next morning.

Ye Chuchu was initially reluctant, but when she was about to use the same trick again, she noticed Xiao Jingchen's impatient look and immediately swallowed all her words.

After all, she had already gotten what she wanted, and if she continued to cause trouble, it would only make Xiao Jingchen dislike her even more.

"Brother Jingchen, I can go back by myself. You go ahead and take care of your own business."

Having weighed the pros and cons, Ye Chuchu said these words pitifully, and then turned and left.

By the time Xiao Jingchen arrived at the old house, it was already broad daylight. The old man was already sitting in the living room waiting for him. When he saw him come in, he didn't hesitate to wave his cane at him.

"You bastard!"

Xiao Jingchen frowned, subtly shifting his body to the side, managing to dodge the attack.

"The old man must be bored out of his mind. He called me over in such a hurry just to scold me."

This nonchalant attitude further enraged the old man, who, in a fit of exasperation, slammed his cane heavily on the ground several times.

“I’ve said it before, if you don’t treat Ranran well, I’ll take all the shares back.”

"You actually dared to leave her alone yesterday, go out by yourself, and even mingled up with that Ye Chuchu in an ambiguous way. Do you really think I'm so old and blind?"

Since Lin Ran came into his life, Old Master Xiao has rarely lost his temper like this, and he rarely talks about the shares.

Xiao Jingchen doesn't like being threatened, not even by his own grandfather.

His eyes, sharp as blades, gleamed coldly as he looked at the old man with a sinister gaze.

"Are you getting senile? The Xiao family is in my hands now. Are you planning to take it away?"

"Even if you want to take it, you should ask the board of directors, not just make the decision on your own."

"After all... things are different now than before."

Xiao Jingchen spoke calmly, but every word he uttered struck the old man's heart with precision. The two were locked in a tense standoff, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

Perhaps dazzled by the old man's white hair at his temples, Xiao Jingchen frowned, sighed, and turned to leave.

The old man wouldn't cause trouble for no reason; the only possibility is that someone said something to him.

Thinking of the phone call last night, a thoughtful look flashed in Xiao Jingchen's eyes.

He returned to the villa without stopping, but his face darkened when he saw the situation in the living room.

"Where is everyone? Why is this place so chaotic?"

Xiao Jingchen's eyes were dark as he looked at the dirty and messy table, his eyes full of impatience.

Upon hearing his voice, several servants rushed out anxiously, and involuntarily shivered at the sight of his cold eyes.

"Master, you are back."

"Did I invite you here just so you could slack off? What are all these things on the table?"

Xiao Jingchen raised his chin, his displeasure evident in his eyes. The newly arrived servants were so frightened that they couldn't utter a word. In the end, one of the older servants stepped forward to explain.

“Young Master, Madam told me to rest for a day yesterday. These things... we’ll clean them up now.”

Hearing this explanation, Xiao Jingchen didn't say anything more. He lifted his leg and walked upstairs. As he left, he glanced at the table, but his gaze was drawn to the bowl of noodles, and he stopped.

This bowl of noodles was clearly made by Lin Ran himself, just like the one he brought him that night. If there was any difference, it was that there were a few more vegetable carvings.

Happy birthday.

The last word had been bitten off and was no longer legible, but Xiao Jingchen vaguely guessed what it meant, and a rare sense of panic crept into his heart.

He stood there hesitating for a while, then took out his phone and made a call.

He didn't care when the call was disconnected and continued calling.

Until the connection is established.

"Yesterday was Lin Ran's birthday?"

Xiao Jingchen felt his voice was inexplicably heavy, and there was no response from the other end of the phone for a long time. Just when he thought the call had been disconnected and was about to take a look, Xiao's housekeeper's voice came through.

"Yes, young master, yesterday was indeed her birthday."

Xiao Jingchen took a deep breath, responded softly, and then hung up the phone. He looked up at the messy table and felt a faint pang of pain in his heart.

He remembered Lin Ran's phone call last night, her hesitant attitude, and what he was doing after the call ended.

Xiao Jingchen's eyelashes trembled, and he quickly went upstairs, but hesitated for a moment when he grasped the doorknob.

How is he going to explain what happened last night?

Before I could think, I had already opened the door, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted out.

The numerous glass bottles scattered on the ground were enough to show Lin Ran's mood at the time.

He looked around but didn't see Lin Ran. He couldn't help but feel anxious. He hung the door and took a few steps inside. Finally, he saw the woman lying drunk on the balcony.

She was only wearing a thin nightgown, and she huddled up pitifully, reeking of alcohol.

He was also holding a wine bottle in his hand.

Xiao Jingchen squatted down, intending to carry her to bed, but unexpectedly woke Lin Ran up.

"Don't you dare take my wine!"

"This is mine, mine!"

Lin Ran, drunk, was much more childish than usual. She looked up at Xiao Jingchen with blurry eyes, and after a while, she reached out and poked his cheek with her finger and laughed.

"It's so pretty."

For some reason, Xiao Jingchen felt much better after hearing this. He chuckled and leaned closer.

"Happy birthday."