The Arrogant President's Cute Assistant - Chapter 165 - Reconciliation

“Let go of me…” Ye Ranxi whispered as she struggled gently, not daring to raise her voice for fear of waking her grandmother.

Ling Xiaonai, knowing she wouldn’t resist much, tightened his grip. Their eyes met, and neither knew what to say; the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned ambiguous.

Hearing a groan from the hospital bed, Ye Ranxi quickly broke free from his hold and hurried to grasp Zhang Ying’s hand tightly. “Grandma, I’m here… Xiaoxi is here.”

“Xiaoxi…” Zhang Ying’s condition had stabilized, and she looked significantly better than before.

Ling Xiaonai, standing at her side, softly called out, “Grandma.”

“It’s fine, I didn’t mean to trouble you all,” Zhang Ying said with a hint of guilt in her eyes. At her age, she felt that her passing wouldn’t matter much, but she was concerned about burdening these young people.

Ye Ranxi scolded her gently, “Grandma, what are you saying?”

As long as her grandmother was alive and well, she was already very happy. Why talk about being a burden?

“Grandma, are you hungry?” Had she been asleep for so many days? Ye Ranxi felt worried about her exhaustion. She brought over the bowl of congee she had just bought. “Do you want me to feed you?”

“Okay.” Zhang Ying nodded, and Ye Ranxi carefully scooped up a spoonful of congee. When she saw her grandmother drink it, she finally sighed in relief.

After finishing the congee, Zhang Ying drifted back to sleep. Ling Xiaonai returned to his diligent work at the desk, his serious demeanor captivating Ye Ranxi’s attention. When she noticed him glancing her way, she quickly averted her gaze.

Suddenly, her phone rang, breaking the awkward silence. Ye Ranxi quickly took out her phone and saw it was Qian Yexue calling.

“Xiaoxi, where are you?” Qian Yexue had been home for several days and hadn’t been able to reach Ye Ranxi. Thankfully, she got through today; otherwise, she would have thought something terrible had happened.

“I’m at the hospital.”

“Are you sick?” Qian Yexue’s voice tensed up as she stole a glance at Pei Yuanyi beside her. It was all his fault! He had insisted that Ye Ranxi shouldn’t be left alone at the station, and now something happened.

Pei Yuanyi looked innocent; he had only slowed down Ling Xiaonai’s recovery just a bit… He was just trying to create a good opportunity for them to reconcile. Why was all the blame being placed on him now?

“Not at all!” Ye Ranxi lowered her voice, fearing that she might disturb her grandmother’s rest. “Grandma had a heart attack, so I’ve been at the hospital with her.”

Grandma? Qian Yexue was even more surprised; when did she get a grandmother?

Just as she was about to ask for clarification, she suddenly realized that this wasn’t the right time. Qian Yexue tucked away her curiosity. “Xiaoxi, do you want me to come over and help?”

She knew that being alone there would be difficult, and having someone else around would provide support.

As soon as Qian Yexue finished speaking, Pei Yuanyi shot her a meaningful glance. Ling Xiaonai was still there; if she went over, wouldn’t she just be causing trouble? The couple needed to work things out on their own.

Ye Ranxi smiled and shook her head. “No need, Grandma’s condition has stabilized now. Just take care of the house for me.”

After that, Qian Yexue hung up. Pei Yuanyi looked at her and broke into a sly grin.

“It looks like Xiaoxi probably won’t be coming back…” Pei Yuanyi had already taken Qian Yexue to her doorstep, and finding out that Ye Ranxi wasn’t home only pleased him more.

It seemed that Qian Yexue would be going back with him again. He was getting used to having her around, and suddenly losing one companion felt a bit odd for him.

Qian Yexue shot him a disdainful glance; it was true that men were creatures who thought with their lower bodies.

“Otherwise, just come back with me.” Pei Yuanyi laughed as he wrapped an arm around her, only to be waved off by Qian Yexue.

“You can go back on your own.” With that, Qian Yexue stepped inside her home, but to her surprise, Pei Yuanyi followed her in.

Since Qian Yexue wasn’t going back with him, what was stopping him from staying here? That was how Pei Yuanyi felt.

“You…” Qian Yexue was about to get angry when suddenly her body was pulled into a solid chest.

“Talk less and do more,” Pei Yuanyi said smugly as he lifted her, heading toward the stairs.

It was daytime, and considering what happened last night… Qian Yexue suddenly felt like she was inviting trouble into her home.

In the hospital room.

Grandma’s condition had improved significantly over the past few days. With proper care, she would probably be discharged in a few days.

Despite this, Ye Ranxi still felt a bit anxious. After all, heart disease was no joking matter; if her grandmother were to have another episode while she wasn’t by her side, how dangerous would that be?

Thinking of this sent a wave of fear through Ye Ranxi. If she hadn’t happened to return to her hometown, her grandmother might have left this world just like that.

The nurse helped Zhang Ying switch the IV bag and was startled to see Ye Ranxi. “You-you’re the famous designer Ye Ranxi, aren’t you?”

She had just seen an article about her in a fashion magazine the day before, and in real life, Ye Ranxi was even more beautiful than in the photos.

“Yes, that’s me.”

The nurse was a girl in her twenties, and she was over the moon to meet the renowned designer. She quickly pulled out her notepad. “Could you please sign this for me?”

Ye Ranxi felt a sense of honor for the first time being recognized as a celebrity. She took the pen from the nurse’s hand and gracefully wrote her name.

“Thank you!” The nurse beamed as she clutched the signed note and hurried away. Watching the nurse’s exaggerated excitement made Ye Ranxi smile.

“Xiaoxi, when did you become a designer, and such a famous one at that?” Zhang Ying inquired.

Ye Ranxi felt a little shy when the topic came up. “Oh, I’m just an ordinary designer. I love designing, so I became one.”

“If your parents knew you had become such a well-known designer, they would be very happy. It’s too bad they can’t see it now…” Zhang Ying sighed. The deepest sorrow in the world must be a parent bidding farewell to their child.

Ye Ranxi knew her grandmother was remembering painful memories again, so she held Zhang Ying’s hand and comforted her. “It’s okay, you have me with you now, right? So you need to get better soon. Grandma, can we live together once you’re well?”

She didn’t want her grandmother to live alone; if anything happened, she would regret it for the rest of her life. After thinking for a long time, Ye Ranxi truly wished to bring her grandmother to stay with her so she could keep an eye on her.

Zhang Ying still disagreed. “You have your own life, and I can take care of myself, so don’t worry about me. By the way, where did Xiaonai go?”

“He just took a call and stepped out. He probably has some important work to attend to,” Ye Ranxi replied casually. Just then, Ling Xiaonai walked into the room. Hearing his name mentioned, he approached and stood silently behind her without saying anything.

Ling Xiaonai was still the same as before-not very talkative.

Zhang Ying reached out her hand, and Ling Xiaonai offered his in return. She placed his hand over Ye Ranxi’s and tightly clasped their hands together. “As long as you two are happy together, Grandma will be very pleased.”

“Grandma, we will be,” Ling Xiaonai replied first. Ye Ranxi was at a loss for words, standing there in a daze, feeling shy about pulling her hand away.

Ye Ranxi felt Zhang Ying’s gaze fixed on her, and under her grandmother’s pressure, she nodded in agreement.

“Grandma needs to rest now. Xiaonai, if you have work to attend to, you can leave; you don’t need to worry about this old woman,” Zhang Ying said.

Although Zhang Ying didn’t know much about Ling Xiaonai’s background, she could guess that he came from a prominent family. It was somewhat of a burden for him to spend so much time taking care of her during this period.

This made her wish even more for Ye Ranxi and Ling Xiaonai to be together. If he didn’t genuinely care for Ye Ranxi, why would he be so kind to her?

“Grandma, you just need to rest well,” Ling Xiaonai assured her, his strong gaze bringing her comfort, as if he were vowing to take good care of Ye Ranxi in the future.

Perhaps due to the numerous IV fluids she had received, Zhang Ying felt increasingly sleepy and soon drifted off.

Once Zhang Ying’s eyes were closed, Ye Ranxi tried to pull her hand away with some force, but Ling Xiaonai held it tightly.

During this time, they hadn’t had much physical contact, but his gaze seemed to draw her in… Ye Ranxi wanted to escape, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t.

“Xiaoxi, do you still not believe me? There’s nothing going on with Wen Nuan and me,” Ling Xiaonai said.

He had been by her side for a while; did she really still doubt him?

Ye Ranxi remained silent for a long time before finally nodding reluctantly. “Okay, if things really are as you say, I’ll trust you one more time.”

Hearing her willingness to trust him, Ling Xiaonai’s eyes lit up with a surprise she had never seen before, almost glowing with joy.

“Xiaoxi…” He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Ye Ranxi gasped in shock, fearing that she might wake up her grandmother, and covered her mouth to stifle any sound.

Her grandmother had once told her that the most important thing for a woman in life is to find someone who treats her well. She knew this all too well. However, the weight of past grievances made it hard for her to let go. Losing her parents, losing her child-while time had dulled those pains, it didn’t mean she had forgotten. Each time she recalled those memories, it felt as if her heart were being sliced by a knife.

What did it matter if they reconciled now? Even if they were together, she still harbored thoughts of revenge. Knowing Ling Xiaonai’s personality, once he knew the truth, he would surely destroy her. At that point, they truly wouldn’t be able to go back to how things were.

Perhaps it was better this way. Before she brought destruction to Ling Xiaonai, what was wrong with letting herself live a little more freely? In a mutually destructive scenario, she might lose everything, but at least she would still carry the memory of a beautiful time.