Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1061-1070

In the past few days, everything had been messed up, from their relationship to her feelings, as if nothing was under her control. She had even got to know Ren from a new perspective. She was shocked to find out that he always had feelings toward her that he had never said to her.

Meanwhile, Victoria smiled bitterly. Did that mean she had guessed it right? Had Ren fallen for Ruka first? This discovery hit her like a truck. How gently would Ren treat the girl that he liked and accepted?

At this moment, Ruka’s cell phone rang. When she glanced at it, her heartbeat immediately stopped. It was a call from Ren. At the same time, she took a glance at the time. It was already eight forty.

She said to Victoria, “Miss Parfait, I’m going to take a call.”

Managing to guess who it was, Victoria nodded. Ruka then took her phone and went outside to answer.

She walked all the way out of the restaurant to a parking lot in a garden by the door and took a deep breath to relax herself before she answered the call. “Hello?”

“Haven’t you finished eating yet?” Ren’s low and magnetic voice sounded from the phone.

“We have, and I will take Miss Parfait home soon because she’s drunk. Then, I’ll go to my friend Rita’s house tonight, so don’t wait for me!” Ruka smiled.

“Why are you going to your friend’s house?” he immediately questioned.

“I’ve already promised her that I’ll stay over at her house tonight. She’s too lonely from being at home all alone, so she asked me to spend some time with her.” Ruka offhandedly came up with an excuse.

However, he obviously didn’t believe her reason and scoffed in a low voice. “Are you keeping your distance from me after you listened to something Victoria said to you?”

Ruka felt embarrassed. How did he know?

“Of course not! I just promised my friend that I’d spend time with her. Don’t think too much about it.” Ruka continued to try to run with her excuse.

“Ruka, no matter what others say to you, you don’t need to worry or be afraid when you’re with me. Understand?” Ren’s voice was deep, powerful, and full of a sense of security.

Ruka’s chest suddenly tightened. Though he had clearly expressed nothing, it still felt like he was hinting at something aggressively. They weren’t even together yet! Wasn’t he going to ask her for her opinion?

“Mr. Ren, I… I really respect you as an elder. Ever since I was a child, you’ve always been a role model that I admire. My parents hope that I will learn from you and become an outstanding person, and I’m also trying to do the same… I—”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear this.” His voice was low and gentle, yet strong and compelling.

Ruka blurted out a bunch of words in a panic, but to him, they were all pointless, so he didn’t mind interrupting her.

Meanwhile, she fell silent. She felt as if there was a net that was wrapping around her tightly, causing her to lose her breath.

She subconsciously let out a sigh, her breathing quickening as she asked, “Then, what do you want me to do?”

The other end suddenly fell silent for a few seconds before Ren’s deep and hoarse voice slowly sounded. “Fine, you can stay at your friend’s house tonight. Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

Ruka bit her lip, feeling powerless. It seemed that he would always give her room to relax when it was the most appropriate. In fact, she really wanted to lay everything out with him and talk to him about what happened in the past two days. Darn it! How could he not even give me a chance?

Ruka didn’t notice that there was a black car parked next to her, and a pair of intense and unpredictable eyes were staring at her from inside, watching her frustration and the way she patted her forehead and sighed.

“Sir, aren’t you going to comfort Miss Singed?” In the driver’s seat, Elijah asked curiously.

“No.” Ren loosened his tie. If he got out of the car now, he would only scare her, because she was now like a frightened bird and only thought about fleeing from him.

He could guess what Victoria had said to her, but Ruka was too young and had too many worries and doubts. Besides, the feelings between them weren’t strong enough to give her the courage to flock to him like a moth would to a flame.

Ruka, who had no idea that a certain man was watching everything she did at the moment, raised her head with a speechless expression and let out a few sighs before she turned toward a small tree next to her and began to grab the leaves as if she were venting her emotions.

When the man in the car saw her actions, the corners of his mouth raised into a smile. Is this the way she vents her emotions? How childish. It was only after Ruka had pulled out all the leaves in front of her that she returned to the private room. Upon pushing the door open, she saw Victoria lying on the table and rushed over. “How are you feeling now, Miss Parfait?”

“Ruka, I’ll take you home! I feel so dizzy.” Victoria did drink too much, and she felt rather terrible at the moment.

“Okay. Give me a second. I’ll take you home after I settle the bill.” Saying that, Ruka left to pay for their meal.

After she was done, she returned to the room and picked up Victoria’s bag. Then, she stretched out her hand to help Victoria get up. As Victoria was still able to walk, the two of them left with half of Victoria’s body leaning on Ruka’s body. Ruka found it difficult to support Victoria, and because Victoria staggered as she walked, as soon as they left the restaurant gate and went to the parking lot, Ruka suddenly tripped over Victoria’s leg.

Before Ruka could scream, she collapsed onto the ground while holding onto Victoria. Instantly, she felt a severe pang of pain in her knees, probably because she had hurt her knees when she fell. Just when she was about to get up to help Victoria, she suddenly heard the sound of a car door, and she couldn’t help but look up.

Upon seeing a tall and handsome figure walking toward them against the light, Ruka felt her heart getting caught in her throat as her beautiful eyes widened. It’s him? Why is he here? She suddenly recalled that there was a car parked here just now. Had he been in the car all the time? At that thought, she yearned to bury herself into a hole.

“Are you all right, Miss Parfait?” Elijah came over to help Victoria up.

In front of Ruka, a large palm with distinct joints stretched out as Ren made to pull her up. Stunned, she sat on the ground and looked at his outstretched palm. Then, without giving him her hand, she resolutely stood up by pushing herself off the ground, while Ren looked at her solemnly with an intense gaze.

Just then, two arms suddenly wrapped around Ren’s back. It was Victoria. She had sobered up. She pushed away Elijah’s hand to hug Ren without a single care in the world.

“Ren… You’re finally here… I waited so long for you…”

Elijah frantically stood next to her and offered, “Miss Parfait, I’ll take you home!”

Ren’s eyebrows furrowed as he pried Victoria’s tightly clasped hands away with his large palm. He turned around and held her shoulders, not allowing her to get any closer to him.

“Victoria, you’re drunk. Go home and get some rest.” His stern voice sounded.

“I don’t want to… I don’t want to go anywhere. I just want to hug you…” After speaking, Victoria struggled against his hands again, trying to fall back into his arms, but Elijah hurriedly stood in front of Ren. As Victoria had her eyes closed since the beginning, she didn’t realize that she was hugging Elijah’s waist. She even buried her face in his chest.

“Ren, I really like you. Can you not treat me so coldly…”

Just as Ruka was watching the show from the side, a large and overbearing hand dragged her in the direction of the car. She hurriedly turned her head and looked toward Elijah and Victoria with an inexplicable feeling of worry until she suddenly remembered that Victoria’s bag was still in her hands. At that thought, she quickly broke away from Ren’s hand and delivered the bag to Elijah. Only then did she turn around and return to the car.

Ren personally opened the car door for her, and when she got in the car, she was about to look back when a low male voice sounded above her. “Why aren’t you going in?”

As Ruka was still in a daze, he became even more displeased. “What are you looking at?”

Then, Ren’s aggressive and large hand landed on the back of her head as he pushed her into the back seat irritably. As soon as Ruka sat down, he got inside as well and said to the bodyguard in the driver’s seat, “Drive.”

“What about Elijah?” Ruka asked worriedly. After all, it didn’t seem good to leave him alone to deal with a situation like this.

“He can handle it,” Ren replied indifferently. Clearly, he was a little jealous that Ruka was so concerned about his assistant.

He turned his head to look at her, and his long arm suddenly reached past her chest, shocking her. Then, when she saw the man pull the seat belt around her and fasten it, she felt her heart warm from the sense of security that he brought her.

Ruka pursed her lips and looked at the scenery outside the window. Suddenly, she thought of something and couldn’t help but turn her head to stare at the man next to her. “Were you in the car when I came out to answer your call just now?”

Ren narrowed his eyes. Then, he lightly nodded, not denying her words.

“You…” Ruka was immediately embarrassed. She recalled the way she had pulled the leaves out to vent her emotions. Had he witnessed everything? How shameful.

Furious, she turned away and looked out the window, but her face flushed red involuntarily.

He looked at her quietly for a few seconds. When his gaze fell on her hand that was resting on her knee, he naturally reached out and covered her hand with his.

Taken aback by his actions, Ruka instinctively tried to break away, but he held onto her slender hand bossily, not allowing her to do so. Her heart raced faster, but she didn’t dare to forcefully pull away. After all, there were two bodyguards sitting in front of her, and she still had to protect his pride as a vice president.

Hence, she ended up being held in his strong grip. As the heat of his palm pressed onto the back of her hand, it also spread into the depths of her heart. She felt as if she were hiding from the world and secretly carrying an emotion that was passionate yet unaccepted.

If he wasn’t a vice president and was just a regular businessman, or even working under any other profession, they wouldn’t need to consider what others thought before they did anything. However, with his distinguished background, any small stain on him would be amplified to the extreme. Even if they were not related by blood, their relationship was still taboo solely because she was raised as a goddaughter by Scarlet’s side. If someone used this issue to blame him for being immoral, it could obliterate all of his achievements.

How could Ruka risk ruining everything he had? She was too unworthy and insignificant to destroy such an excellent man like him!

As she battled with herself, a layer of sweat had already formed in her palm. Thinking that it was a good opportunity to break away from his grasp, she pulled her hand away when he wasn’t noticing and pressed it to her chest, not giving him another chance to hold her again.

Ren’s gaze fell on her face, and there was a dull pain in his chest. This girl really was avoiding him.

Just then, the bodyguard drove the car into Ren’s villa.

Ruka said to Ren, “Can I ask your bodyguard to take me to my friend’s house?”

Ren, who was about to get out of the car, froze for a moment before he turned his head and said, “They’re busy.”

“It’s just half an hour away,” Ruka pleaded.

“No. Now get out of the car.” Ren refused to let her leave.

Hence, Ruka got out of the car helplessly and watched as his bodyguard drove out of the iron gate while she stood in the empty garden in a daze.

When Ren took a few steps and realized that she wasn’t following him, he subconsciously looked back at her. Then, he turned around and stretched out his long arm to hold onto her wrist before leading her back to the direction of the hall.

For some reason, Ruka felt a gush of hurt wash over her. Her eyes stung with tears as she struggled against him. “Can’t you respect me for a moment?”

Ren turned to look at her. “Respect what?”

“Why are you so sure that I’d like you back just because you like me? Are you just that confident?” Ruka raised her head as all kinds of feelings surged in her heart, and her eyes began to turn red.

Ren’s lips twitched. Though the way he looked at her was still gentle, his gaze was intense and morose as if covered with a layer of dust.

Ruka’s breathing was caught in her throat as she found it difficult to ignore the emotions in his eyes. She lowered her head and continued, “Let’s just continue with our original relationship! No matter what, you’ll only be my uncle. You’re a highly ranked vice president while I am just an ordinary civilian. There… won’t be anything between us.”

Saying that, Ruka quickly walked in the direction of the hall with her head lowered, leaving behind the man in the yard.

She had not walked far when Ren’s tall figure suddenly bent down as he covered his chest with a large palm as if he was fighting the pain in his heart. When she didn’t hear any footsteps behind her, she couldn’t help but turn back to take a look. Instantly, she was so shocked that she ran back to him.

“What’s wrong?” she asked frantically.

With a hand on his waist, Ren struggled to straighten his back as he replied hoarsely, “I’m fine.”

Ruka didn’t believe him. He didn’t look like he was fine! Besides, he was holding onto his chest. Was he having any heart problems?

“Should I contact Elijah?” She was truly panicking, both of her hands holding onto his arm tightly.

“Didn’t you want to leave? I’ll call the bodyguards back and let them take you home now.” Ren spoke in a low voice, his back straightening as if he really were fine.

However, Ruka refused to leave even if he wanted her to. She shook her head and insisted, “I’m not leaving. I want to take care of you.”

At her words, Ren’s lips curled upward indistinguishably. He nodded and agreed, “All right. Help me back to the hall so that I can rest.”

Ren wasn’t pretending that his chest was aching. When she resolutely said those words to him earlier, there was indeed a sharp pain that shot through his heart. He didn’t expect she would have such a big effect on him, enough to make his chest ache with just one sentence.

In the end, he had underestimated how important she was to him. He smiled bitterly on the inside, feeling helpless. This unrequited love had started from him, but this girl didn’t know anything, so he couldn’t blame her for wanting to escape. To her, his feelings were both oppressive and pressuring.

In the hall, Ruka hurriedly poured him a glass of water. “Quick, have a drink! Do you have a bad heart because you’re usually too busy and don’t get enough rest?”

As Ren took the glass of water from her, he replied, “It’s really nothing.”

He didn’t want this girl to think that he was some sort of old geezer. He was already older than her in the first place, so it bothered him to hear her saying that he was in poor health.

Ruka looked at his face. Even if someone said he was in his late twenties, nobody would suspect it at all. He really did look young.

“Do you want to know what happened to me earlier?” Ren looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“Yeah! Tell me.” Ruka listened to him with a serious expression.

“Your words made me so angry that my heart started hurting.” He pushed the blame onto her without any hesitation.

Ruka’s eyes widened slightly, and she pointed at herself. “Me?”

Ren nodded. “Yes, you.”

Ruka immediately recalled what she had said to him just now. Did he hurt himself from anger just because she had rejected him and said that there was no possibility for anything to happen between them in this life?

“I’m sorry,” Ruka instantly apologized, her mind filled with guilt and remorse. She might have spoken a little too harshly.

“I should be the one apologizing. It was because I didn’t respect you and didn’t tell you my feelings for you in advance that I scared you,” Ren apologized to her instead.

Ruka raised her head, unable to look directly into his scorching eyes all of a sudden. She pursed her red lips, then replied after a while, “Can we stop talking about this? I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing and make you angry again.”

He blinked, his eyes locking onto her. “Then, when are you planning to talk to me so that you wouldn’t make me angry?”

Ruka caught her breath slightly, realizing that this problem could not be avoided. If that was the case, would he get angry regardless if she talked about it now or a year later?

“You should like someone else! When you find someone else you like, we wouldn’t have to talk about this anymore,” she suggested.

Ren’s eyebrows furrowed. If he could like someone else, would he wait until now? His feelings weren’t a matter as simple as shopping at the store. He couldn’t just like something else at the drop of a hat.

“Okay, let’s not talk about it today. We’ll save it for later.” Thinking that he still had work to deal with, Ren got up and planned to go upstairs.

“Mr. Ren, is your body really okay?” Ruka asked worriedly behind him.

The man suddenly paused in the middle of straightening his suit gracefully and turned to stare at her, correcting her words, “Don’t use honorifics when you talk to me in the future.”

Ruka was rendered speechless. Was there anything wrong with respecting him?

“Got it.” She responded seriously.

“I still have to work, so you should go back to your room and rest.” After Ren finished speaking, he immediately took off his suit jacket. Underneath, he was wearing an elegant three-piece suit that consisted of trousers, a shirt, and a vest. The suit made his body look slender, handsome, and strong, and it didn’t seem like he was in bad health at all.

When Ruka went back to the room, she wondered how Victoria would feel when she found out that she was holding Elijah in the end.

After taking a bath, she lay on the bed and skimmed through a book. Though its contents were educational and important, she just couldn’t seem to learn anything as her mind was full of what Victoria had said earlier. She was forced to wonder if the consequences were really that serious.

Just then, Ruka’s phone beeped with a notification from a text message. When she picked it up, she saw it was from her mother.

‘Ruka, are you asleep? I heard that you’re staying in Mr. Husson’s house. You have to know your manners and follow the rules. Don’t disturb his work and his life, all right?’

Ruka pursed her lips into a smile as she replied, ‘Mom, I haven’t slept yet! Let’s talk over the phone instead!’

Soon, her mother, Claire Belmont, called her. Ruka answered the call. “Hello, Mom?”

“I thought you were asleep! It’s already ten. Why haven’t you slept yet? How’s your work?”

“I’m still an intern. Mom, when are you and Dad coming back?”

“We have eight days of holiday for Christmas this year, so your dad and I decided to come back to spend it with you.”

At her words, Ruka counted the date and said happily, “There’s still half a month until Christmas!”

“Yes, so we’re planning to head back home. Oh, that’s right, now that you’re staying in Mr. Husson’s house, you have to always be careful. You can’t disturb his work.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll be careful.”

“Yeah. Mr. Husson treats us well. When he went abroad last time, he came to us for an examination. Not only did he care about your dad and I, but he also brought us a lot of gifts. We were very moved.”

Claire’s tone was full of gratefulness.

Ruka’s chest tightened when she saw how much her parents respected him when she had just made him so angry that his chest started hurting. At the thought, she couldn’t help but have a guilty conscience.

“Ruka, you should sleep earlier and fight for a chance to stay in the Translation Department,” Claire encouraged.

“Okay, I know, Mom. I’ll do my best.”

“Okay. Don’t stay up late now. Hurry up and sleep.” Saying that, Claire hung up the phone.

Ruka lay down on the bed with her face buried in the blanket. Her mind was full of Ren, and she didn’t know what to do.

On one end, there was what Victoria had said to her, and on the other hand, there was her parents’ respect for Ren. How could she catch feelings for him? Ah, whatever! Ruka felt that she had no resistance for Ren at all. Just two kisses from him had made her completely forget about her one-sided crush that had lasted three years. However, he was just so charming that it was shocking. If he was a little more aggressive, Ruka felt that she would only let down her guard. No woman could resist this man making a move on them, let alone a naive girl like her. When she sat up, her face was flushed, and she didn’t know if she was nervous or if it was something else, but she suddenly had the urge to head outside for a drink.

She didn’t know if it would disturb Ren’s rest either. Ruka thought about the last time she bumped into him when she went downstairs for a drink and was immediately kissed by him in the hallway. She wondered if the same would happen if she bumped into him again this time. However, if she didn’t drink any water, how would she be able to sleep that night? She might even start looking for some water in her sleep.

Ruka suddenly felt that she was being ridiculous. Why was she so afraid of him? Suddenly, she came up with another idea.

He just had chest pain earlier. Was he fine now? What if he fainted in the study or his room and there was no one around him to notice it?

Ruka immediately got out of bed and put on her woolen shoes before rushing out. She went straight to the study where Ren might be and gently turned the door knob, but he was no longer inside.

Was he back in his room? With a strange burst of courage, Ruka sped toward his bedroom.

When she reached the door of his bedroom, she took a deep breath. Thinking that making sure of his safety was the most important thing no matter what, she knocked on the door.

However, when the door was opened from the inside, what Ruka saw was not a fully-dressed man, but a man who had just taken a shower, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair was still dripping with water, and her gaze immediately landed on his strong muscles and distinct six-pack.

“Ahh!” Ruka hurriedly covered her face and turned her back to him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose. I was just worried about you, so I came to check on you.”

Ren’s lips curled upward, causing his charming dimples to appear. This woman was quite brave for daring to knock on his door late at night. This material belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

“Aren’t you here to see me? Why aren’t you looking?” His deep and seductive voice sounded from behind.

Ruka shook her head. How would she dare to look?

“Hiss…” All of a sudden, she heard him hiss under his breath in pain.

Ruka instinctively let go of the hand that was covering her eyes and turned to look behind only to see a handsome face with a somewhat cheeky smile. He was just acting.

“You…” Ruka felt both angry and frustrated.

“Come in.” Ren’s voice was slightly hoarse, and it was gentle yet bossy.

Of course, Ruka didn’t dare to go in! The atmosphere around him felt too dangerous, and she didn’t want to…

Before she could finish thinking about it, he reached out and grabbed onto her slender arm, his force causing her whole body to stumble into his broad chest, and the door behind her slammed shut soon after. All she could smell was the minty fragrance of his freshly showered body, as well as his masculine scent. Her breathing quickened, and her brain was buzzing as she didn’t know how to react. Should she push him, or should she allow him to hold her like this?

“Would you like to have a drink with me?” Ren asked her in a low voice, before letting her go.

Ruka looked up at the wine cabinet next to the couch in the bedroom, where there was an open bottle of red wine. It seemed that he had a habit of drinking red wine before going to bed.

“I-It’s fine.” She waved her arms in refusal. The atmosphere was already strange, and if they drank any wine, she wouldn’t be able to deal with it.

“Are you afraid that I’d eat you?” Ren curled his lips and smiled. “Although I really want to, I’ll respect your wishes.”

He also meant that as long as Ruka agreed, he would do anything.

Ruka’s blush spread to the tip of her ears. Then, she opened the door and fled, not forgetting to look back over her shoulder to remind him, “I won’t be drinking the wine. Also, you should drink less and

rest early. If you have any problems, please contact me immediately.”

Saying that, Ruka closed the door and fled back to her room, while the man sighed a little helplessly. Why can’t she stay put in her room? Why must she show up in front of me? Did she think that I’m not taking enough cold showers recently? If I take any more cold showers, I’m really going to fall sick because of her. At that thought, Ren moodily took a sip of wine.

When Ruka went back to the room and closed the door, she was still thinking about whether she should lock her door, but she decided that Ren wouldn’t come over in the middle of the night. She still believed in his character. After a long day of being scared, shocked, and tired, she fell asleep not long after she lay down on her bed.

In the middle of the night, she woke up at the sounds of voices. She couldn’t help but sit up in shock and listen carefully to the movement outside. There was indeed someone having a conversation.

She was so startled that she quickly lifted her blanket and got up. What was wrong? Did something happen to Ren? She hurriedly opened the door, only to see that the lights in the villa were already on. She saw Elijah standing in the hallway at a glance and asked in a panic, “Elijah, what happened to him?”

“Mr. Husson suddenly has a high fever.” Elijah looked worried as well.

Ruka looked in the direction of the bedroom and asked, “Can I go in to see him?”

“You can.” Elijah nodded.

Ruka hurriedly went over in her pajamas. When she opened the door and peeked inside, she saw Ren sitting on an incline in bed with an IV drip in his arm. Next to him, there was a middle-aged doctor chatting with him.

As soon as Ruka entered, Ren’s eyes widened and he said to her, “Go back to your room.”

Ruka asked worriedly, “Are you all right?”

His voice turned a little frustrated. “I told you to go back to your room. Didn’t you hear me?”

Ruka couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. She was so worried about his health, but why was he scolding her?

After the middle-aged male doctor glanced at Ruka, he quickly lowered his gaze, pretending to be looking at the IV drip equipment next to him.

Seeing her bite her lip, her big eyes full of hurt, Ren softened his voice and said, “Go back to your room and change your clothes before coming over.”

Ruka suddenly recovered her senses and lowered her head to see that she was not wearing anything underneath. Although she was wearing a set of long cotton pajamas, two bumps were still faintly visible.

It was only then that she realized why he had gotten angry. She hurriedly wrapped her arms around her chest in embarrassment and went out. When she passed Elijah, she lowered her head and walked into the room quickly. Her hurt had disappeared all of a sudden, and she even felt like laughing. He had gotten angry just because of this?

After changing her clothes with a red face, she left her room again and asked Elijah, “Is Miss Parfait all right?”

He nodded a little awkwardly. “I sent her home.”

Ruka didn’t ask any more questions. From the half-closed door, she heard the doctor instruct, “Sir, you should pay attention to your body and take hot showers as much as possible.”

“How did you know that I was taking cold showers?” Ren asked huffily.

“I guessed. Otherwise, it’s impossible for your body to get such a high fever all of a sudden. If you have time, sir, you should find a proper girlfriend instead of always working!” The doctor smiled, brushing over the topic.

Ren chided with a smile, “Silas, you should mind your own business.”

“You leave me with no choice. I didn’t want to make a trip in the middle of the night in this cold weather to give you an IV drip either.” Silas obviously had a good relationship with Ren, and he began teasing him very naturally.

As Ruka listened to their banter, her beautiful eyes widened slightly. This man still took a cold shower in this weather? However, what did taking a cold shower have to do with getting a girlfriend? Soon after, she figured it out, and her face turned red in an instant.

When she entered the room again, the IV drip needle had already been removed from Ren, and he was pressing onto his wound with a cotton swab while the doctor next to him, Silas, was packing his medical box. Ruka stood by his bed with worry in her eyes.

“All right, I’ll be leaving first. I’ll be back tomorrow at ten.” After Silas finished speaking, he said to Ruka, “Miss Singed, please take care of him. If he still has a high fever, you can use alcohol to help him cool down physically, and then let me know.” After speaking, he put down a bottle of alcohol. “I prepared this. Just use a towel and wipe it onto him.”

Ruka hurriedly nodded. “All right. I’ll definitely take good care of him.”

“Oh, right. Remember to let him take this medicine later.” Silas placed the prescribed medicine on the table. “He has to take it again in four hours.”

Saying that, Silas turned his attention to the man in bed. “We’ll be leaving first.”

“Okay. I won’t see you out,” Ren replied.

After Ruka sent Silas out, he informed Elijah of the situation, and the two headed downstairs while chatting. Ruka followed them downstairs as well to bring Ren a glass of warm water to take with his medicine. Then, Elijah reminded her again that she should call him as soon as possible if anything happened and gave her his number.

Once she had sent them away and prepared a glass of water, Ruka rushed back upstairs.

Ren had already gotten out of bed. With a gray robe with golden lining wrapped around his tall figure, he looked like a member of royalty.

Ruka brought the glass of water to him. “Drink some water and take your medicine.”

Ren took the glass from her and turned around to sit down on the couch. As he cooperatively finished his medicine, she sat next to him and watched him, a flash of pain appearing in her eyes.

“You should go back to sleep.” He turned to look at her.

She shook her head. “No, I have to take care of you.”

“I’ll be fine after I finish the medicine.” He noticed that she was still sleepy, and he didn’t want to take up her sleep time.

“That won’t work either. The doctor asked me to look after you.” Saying that, Ruka shifted her body to sit next to him, and she placed her pale and small hands on his smooth and full forehead, where there was still a hot layer of sweat. She touched her own forehead in comparison, and sure enough, he was burning.

“You’re still burning up. Do you need me to physically cool you down?” she asked.

The corner of Ren’s mouth curled upward as he nodded. His high fever made his handsome face flush, and his eyes were bleary under the dim light. With his smile, his dimples appeared, giving him a masculine charm.

As if it had knocked into something, Ruka’s heart immediately began racing. She pursed her red lips and stood up. “I’m going to get a towel.”

After she found a clean towel, she dampened it and returned to the couch, where she poured some alcohol onto it. However, she didn’t know which part of his body she had to wipe.

At the same time, Ren slowly loosened his night robe and stretched out his hand to pull the front of his robe open, revealing his solid and seductive chest as he said to her hoarsely, “Wipe here.”

Ruka’s brain buzzed and she blushed. She reached out and wiped the towel on his chest, but she hardly dared to look at him. As she wiped, an arm suddenly wrapped forcefully around her waist, causing her to fall into his arms, and her face crashed into one side of his chest.

“D-Don’t disturb my work,” Ruka warned with a stern expression. She propped herself up on his chest and continued to wipe it, while at the same time moving the towel up his sharp collarbone to rub at his neck.

Ren was already this sick. Why was he still messing around?

However, he still insisted on teasing her. He leaned his head against the back of the couch lazily, causing his handsome face to be fully exposed to the light as he studied her face in close proximity with an intense gaze.

Ruka was focused on her task, so she ignored his presumptuous eyes. She just wanted to quickly lower his body temperature. However, she wasn’t aware that her current distance and her hands that were wiping were not helping to lower his heat anymore, but making it worse instead.

He reached out to brush her bangs behind her ears. Then, his gaze fell on her pink lips. His tongue stuck to his cheek, as if he were a dangerous feline that was ready to hunt.

As soon as she finished wiping and was about to get out and pour a little more alcohol onto the towel, both of her wrists were caught in his grip, and she was flipped over soon after. With his scorching body, he pressed her onto the couch and locked her lean arms above her head. Soon, a sense of danger struck her as his handsome face approached her.

“Re—” Before she could finish calling his name, he immediately kissed her, and his hot lips seemed to be more enthusiastic than usual.

Ruka instinctively closed her eyes and tried her best to adjust her breathing in an attempt to receive his kiss. She had no idea how to kiss, so she lost her breath during the first two times. However, she seemed to be more proficient this time, for some unknown reason.

As they kissed, she slowly became groggy, as if she was infected with his symptoms. Her breathing gradually became rapid, her face flushed, and her lips were dominated by his passion. Finally, she realized the danger she was in.

She suddenly stiffened and blushed as she gritted her teeth, and pushed him. “No… Ren…” Since their intimate actions made her terrified and anxious, Ruka voiced her protest.

Ren was also panting badly, and his body, which was already burning, felt even hotter now. He propped himself up with his hands, but did not let her escape immediately. As Ruka pushed his chest with her small hands and felt his heat and his strong heartbeat, her palms turned sweaty.

“A-Are you alright?” Ruka was worried that if Ren kept this up, he might faint from the heat.

He was already burning up. If he did something like this, wouldn’t he burn up even more?

“What do you think?” His voice was so hoarse that it made her tremble.

Ruka looked into his eyes, where she saw a strong restraint holding back the danger that was about to overflow from him. She subconsciously twisted her body in an attempt to get out, but he only warned her, “Don’t move around.”

Ruka pursed her dry lips. No matter how much she looked, she couldn’t tell what he wanted. She only felt like his gaze was dark and hard to read.

Just then, he lowered his head even more, causing her to turn her head away in shock, fearing that he would kiss her again.

However, Ren only placed his mouth against her earlobe with a soft laugh and said in a low voice, “Ruka, let’s date each other!”

Ruka took a deep breath, thoroughly stunned, and her mind turned completely blank. He was asking her to date him?

“No… we can’t.” She couldn’t think at all, and could only reject him immediately.

“Why not?”

“Because… Because you’re too significant of a person, and it stresses me out. Besides, if I date you, you can’t hold my hand like everyone else, and you can’t shop or go to the movies with me, or eat with me… Besides, you don’t have any time to spare for me…” Ruka’s voice became quieter and quieter as she thought that her excuses sounded too weak.

Ren suddenly felt a laugh bubble in his chest, and his eyes were full of exasperation as he stared at her. Was she actually rejecting him because of these reasons? It really broke his heart. “Who said I can’t go shopping and watch movies with you?” He curled his lips and smiled. “I can do anything you want.”

His words were doting yet bossy.

Ruka was still dizzy from the kiss when she felt the danger emanating from his body. He had been only wearing a thin robe in the first place, so all of his reactions were extremely obvious.

She bit her lips and asked, “Can you let me get up so we can talk?”

Ren suddenly pressed his body onto hers. “I like talking like this.”

“You’re acting like a hooligan,” Ruka said with a red face.

In the end, Ren still soft-heartedly let her go. He looked extremely sexy as he panted slightly with his robe wide open.

“I need time to think about dating you.” Ruka calmed down a little, and didn’t immediately refuse him, but she couldn’t blindly agree as there were many factors that she had to consider. Victoria’s words were still ringing in her ears. “You don’t want to ruin everything he has, do you?”

Of course Ruka didn’t want to, and she even hoped that he would remain firmly in his position and achieve greater success, because he had done a good job for the country and the people.

“Okay. Give me an answer on Christmas.” Ren gave her a deadline. He didn’t want to wait too long as he had already waited enough.

“Let me wipe your body again!” Ruka was still worried about his condition even though he bullied her.

“I’ll do it myself! If you do it, I really can’t control myself.” Ren’s intense gaze landed on her.

Ruka understood what he meant, and her pretty face flushed even more. He barely said anything, but he had also made everything clear.

“You can always call me if you need anything.” Ruka said as she got up before she instructed, “Make sure to drink more water.”

After Ruka left, she hurried downstairs to drink a large glass of water herself, then sat on the couch in the hall with a glass in her hands. She was still feeling a little confused, recalling what he said just now —”Ruka, let’s date each other!”

When she returned to her room, she couldn’t fall asleep anymore. Half an hour later, she went back to his room as she was worried about him. She gently turned the doorknob and looked inside, only to see Ren’s sleeping body on the big gray bed. She treaded lightly to his bed and reached out to measure the temperature of his forehead. Fortunately, the heat had subsided a little, and he was not burning up as much as before. Then, she carefully tucked him in before leaving.

At dawn, Ruka was roused awake by her alarm clock. She glanced at the time and realized groggily she still had to get up and go to work.

When she went downstairs, she saw that Elijah was already waiting for her by the door. She greeted him, “Good morning, Elijah.”

“Miss Singed, a bodyguard will send you to work later. I’ll stay behind to take care of Mr. Husson.”

“All right. Take good care of him.” With someone taking care of Ren, Ruka could go to work with peace of mind.

As soon as Ruka arrived at the Translation Department’s office, Victoria’s assistant instantly came over from the entrance. “Ruka, Miss Parfait’s looking for you in her office.”

Ruka knew what was going on as well and she took a deep breath before walking to Victoria’s office.

In the office, Victoria’s face had been drawn all morning. Her complexion was a little pale, and the look she was giving Ruka contained a hint of exasperation.

“Didn’t you promise to take me home last night? Why did it turn out to be Elijah? Where did you and Ren go?” Although Victoria had been drunk, she remembered everything.

Ruka apologized, “I’m sorry, Miss Parfait. You were so drunk last night that you fell down while I was helping you, so I could only ask Elijah to take you back.”

Victoria was looking annoyed at this moment. She clearly remembered that it was Ren she hugged last night. However, she was holding onto Elijah during the whole ride. Even if Elijah was considered an excellent young man, she only had Ren in her heart.

“Then where did you go with Ren after you left? Did you go to his house?” Victoria couldn’t help but ask.

Ruka frowned. “That is my personal life. I don’t think I need to answer that question.”

From Ruka’s reaction, Victoria could guess that they had gone to Ren’s house together.

She looked at Ruka’s pure face and sneered, “You said you weren’t in a relationship, but I don’t believe it anymore. How could there be nothing between you and him when you spent the night together?”

Ruka’s face suddenly heated up, but her expression still remained calm. She raised her head and said, “Miss Parfait, you’re insulting me. My relationship with Mr. Husson and whether or not we have anything between us shouldn’t bother you, right?”

Victoria’s sharp eyes narrowed. “Are you ignoring what I said last night? If you dare to ruin Ren, I won’t forgive you. Ruka, you can like anyone as long as it isn’t him. Don’t you realize he’s your elder?”

Ruka closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She didn’t need Victoria to remind her anymore about their relationship.

“Thank you for your reminder. I’ll handle my own matters myself.” Saying that, Ruka turned around and left.

Victoria gritted her teeth in anger. Ruka had been obediently listening to her last night, but why did she suddenly dare to refute her today? Was Ren helping her?

Ruka returned to the office, feeling confused all of a sudden. Victoria’s words sounded in her ears like a warning—”Are you trying to ruin him?”

If they really got together, would she ruin him? As Ruka was immersed in her own thoughts, Michelle and Inara chatted about a TV series they watched on the previous night in front of her.

“Is the editor insane? Putting the uncle and his niece in a relationship? Doesn’t the editor know how immoral that is?”

“It’s just a TV show. Besides, they’re not related by blood. Why’re you taking it so seriously?” Michelle replied.

“That doesn’t work either. I think the uncle and his colleague are a better pair. I just don’t agree with him dating his niece. Most of the comments were objecting to this too. Isn’t this wrong?” Inara insisted resolutely.

Ruka’s breathing caught in her throat. Inara’s words seemed to be reminding her of something.

“You’re right about that. If this was in reality, everyone would definitely not be able to accept it. Either way, I wouldn’t be able to.” Michelle agreed.

“If anyone dares to do this in reality, I’ll teach them a lesson,” Inara said with a hostile expression.

Ruka’s heart jolted sharply, and she looked at Inara again. As Inara happened to be opposite her, she couldn’t help but frown and asked, “Ruka, why are you being so nervous?”

“I’m not!” Ruka shook her head.