Chapter 99: You Mean Everything to Me

Yang Chen drove hurriedly to the Rose Bar, abruptly stopping at the entrance with a screech of brakes, drawing the attention of passersby.

Exiting the car, Yang Chen swiftly entered the bar, which was relatively empty at this early hour.

Inside the dimly lit bar, variously dressed individuals sat solemnly. Upon seeing Yang Chen enter, they stood up and nodded respectfully to him.

These people were Rose's trusted confidants in the Hongjing Society, well aware of Yang Chen's close relationship with Rose and his potential influence within the society.

Xiao Zhao, with a round face, stood at the corridor, and upon seeing Yang Chen approach, he came forward with a somber expression. "Brother Yang, Sister just went to sleep; there's no immediate danger."

Yang Chen's expression didn't lighten upon hearing that Rose was safe. "Xiao Zhao, tell me what happened. How did Rose get shot?"

Xiao Zhao looked somewhat remorseful as he said, "It's because our defense measures weren't good enough, or perhaps we were too careless..."

It turned out that just last night, as part of the Hongjing Society's acceptance of a surrender from a faction associated with the Western Alliance, Rose, as the president, naturally went to formally accept their allegiance.

However, unexpectedly, among the surrendering faction's leaders, one suddenly changed his mind and pulled out a small pistol from his pocket, firing at Rose from close range!

Though Rose was skilled in combat, she wasn't immune to bullets like Yang Chen. Although she moved her body as soon as she could, the bullet, which was initially aimed at her heart, still hit her abdomen!

Chaos ensued immediately afterward. The members of the Hongjing Society swiftly executed the assassin, but Rose, despite her wound, managed to leave the scene. However, once she got into the car, she fell into a semi-conscious state due to blood loss and pain.

"In fact, with Sister's experience over the years, she should have sensed the danger before that bastard pulled out the gun..." Xiao Zhao said with pain in his eyes. "But Sister has been too tired lately, sleeping less than four hours every day, constantly holding meetings with subordinates, making plans, and leading us to expand our territory... So her physical condition hasn't been good, and she didn't react in time... It's our fault for being useless, only good at fighting, and not being able to help Sister. Instead, she has to worry about everything..."

Yang Chen took a deep breath, patting Xiao Zhao's shoulder without saying a word, and then walked straight to Rose's room.

The number of bodyguards along the way had multiplied several times, indicating that everyone in the Hongjing Society was extremely nervous. After all, without Rose, the Hongjing Society would lose its brain, and it would collapse instantly!

Walking into the room, there was a faint smell of disinfectant mixed with the original fragrance, making it somewhat peculiar.

Standing in the room was a petite figure, unexpectedly, it was Chen Rong, the younger sister of Chen Bo, whom Yang Chen had personally brought here.

Chen Rong was wearing a white women's shirt and black close-fitting cropped pants, which made her look charming and elegant. Her light makeup added a touch of fashion to this young girl from the mountains. Compared to the rustic girl he had seen a few days ago, it was like night and day, but her clear eyes remained unchanged.

Chen Rong was holding a basin of water with a white towel inside, which seemed to have just been used to wipe Rose. When she saw Yang Chen enter, her eyes reddened, "Brother Yang... Sister Rose..."

"I know," Yang Chen forced a smile. "Don't worry, the doctor has already been here."

Beside the large bed where Rose lay, a drip stand had been set up, and two bottles of medicine were slowly infusing.

After all, for Rose, home was the safest place, so she would never go to the hospital, only receiving treatment in her own room.

Chen Rong said sorrowfully, "The bullet has been removed, but the wound is said to take a long time to heal. She almost lost her life... Sister Rose is a good person. I really hope nothing happens to her."

"Since you've come to take care of her, you should know Sister Rose's true identity..." Yang Chen sighed. "Would you blame me for bringing you here?"

"No!" Chen Rong shook her head hastily. "I know, even though Sister Rose... has a hidden identity, she's been very kind to me, and to everyone here. Everyone takes good care of me... I'm already very content. Don't worry, Brother Yang, I won't tell my brother. I think he would understand."

Seeing Chen Rong's sincerity, Yang Chen felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that Rose hadn't made the wrong choice. Perhaps having this girl by her side was a good choice; she needed a companion, as well as a suitable assistant, or even a successor.

"You can leave now, I'll take care of things here," Yang Chen smiled.

Chen Rong obediently nodded and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Approaching the bedside, Yang Chen bent down and looked at Rose, who was already asleep.

The beautiful woman at this moment appeared pale, her lips even slightly cracked, devoid of the radiance of the past. Her delicate eyebrows were furrowed lightly, as if she was having an unhappy dream or experiencing pain.

Yang Chen felt a pang of anguish as he slowly reached out to touch the rose's cheek, gently stroking it. It felt cool to the touch, but it pierced Yang Chen to the bone.

Suddenly, the rose's eyelashes trembled lightly, slowly opening her eyes.

At this moment, the rose's gaze seemed somewhat cloudy, but her eyes were firm and steady as she looked at Yang Chen, revealing a faint smile, softly asking, "Do I look ugly now?"

Sitting at the edge of the bed, Yang Chen calmly replied, "Someone once said that if a man sees a woman sick in bed and still loves her, then the man truly loves that woman... But now, I feel that statement isn't entirely accurate."

"Am I really ugly, then?" Rose asked with a touch of sadness in her smile.

Yang Chen shook his head, "My precious Rose, even when you're sick in bed, you are stunningly beautiful. Any man would adore you, let alone someone like me, a shameless flirt."

The transformed Rose couldn't help but chuckle, but as soon as she laughed, she winced, drawing in a sharp breath due to the pain from her wound.

"Don't move, it would be bad if the wound ruptures," Yang Chen hurriedly cautioned.

Rose sighed with disappointment, "It's all because I was too confident. I always thought I could hold on, but when that person pulled out the gun last night, I realized I was too exhausted... My sensing ability has deteriorated so much... If it were before, I wouldn't have been injured so easily..."

"Don't push yourself so hard. If there's any difficulty, you can tell me. I don't want to see you hurt again," Yang Chen said earnestly.

Rose bit her lip, "I know, I know that even if you were alone, you could handle everything. But I don't want to just be a woman who relies on you to rise in status. I don't like feeling like a vase. I hope I'm valuable to you."

"Situ Qiangwei!"

Yang Chen's gaze burned into the woman, and suddenly he sternly called out Rose's full name. Rose's heart trembled, seeing the anger in Yang Chen's eyes, she felt somewhat scared and couldn't find words to say.

"To me, you're not just valuable, you're invaluable!" Yang Chen declared. "You're invaluable to me!"

Tears welled up instantly in Rose's eyes, overflowing and dampening the pillowcase. She felt her blood boiling throughout her body, but apart from sobbing softly, she couldn't utter a word.

She had given everything just to hear these words, hadn't she?

Yang Chen chuckled lightly, took two tissues from the bedside table, and gently wiped away the tears streaming down Rose's cheeks. "Why cry? I didn't scold you or hit you. I just spoke my mind. You know, when I heard you got shot, even the buns I had in my mouth felt like bullets. It was as if I had swallowed a bullet myself... It was then I realized how important you, this demon, are to me."

"And let me tell you, from now on, you're not allowed to get hurt. If you get shot again because of these stupid things, I'll capture you and keep you like a canary in a cage, no matter the cost," Yang Chen threatened.

Rose pouted, "I won't dare anymore."

Yang Chen continued to wipe her tears and couldn't help but smile. "Was what I said too cheesy? Actually, I didn't think much, I just felt it."

Rose smiled gently, shaking her head. "I like your cheesiness."

After wiping away the tears, Yang Chen pondered quietly for a moment and asked, "Rose, sweetheart, where exactly are you injured?"

"I can't explain it. You can see for yourself..." Rose's pale face blushed slightly as she spoke.

"You're tempting me even when you're like this," Yang Chen chuckled and gently lifted the thin blanket covering Rose's body.

As he lifted the blanket, Rose's body was revealed, dressed in loose white button-up pajamas. It could be vaguely seen that beneath the pajamas, from her chest down to her abdomen, there was a bandage tied, indicating that medication had been applied there.

After observing for a while, Yang Chen began unbuttoning Rose's clothes.

Rose suddenly realized something and shyly said, "Honey... Even though I'm like this, you still want... Can't you wait until I'm better?"

"What are you thinking?!" Yang Chen couldn't help but smirk. "I want to help you heal. If we were to do that, wouldn't I end up killing you?"

"Healing?" Although curious about what he meant, Rose knew she had misunderstood Yang Chen's intention and felt her cheeks flush.

Despite having been "frankly honest" with each other several times, as Yang Chen unbuttoned her clothes one by one, revealing the creamy-white skin of her chest beneath, Rose still felt too shy to look and turned her head away.

Although Yang Chen felt a hint of strangeness in his heart, he knew this wasn't a playful matter, so he didn't pay too much attention.

After unbuttoning her pajamas, what came into view was Rose's smooth, toned abdomen, without a trace of excess flesh...