The Mafia's Rose Married The CEO

Feng Xuan had just pulled out the shrimps and vegetables from the oven when she heard the front gate open and the car stopping in front of their door. Feng Xuan had already started plating the food but when she was done, she still hadn't heard Qing Chen come in.

She jogged to the front door, pulling it open only to see Qing Chen lightly limping, a hand pressed against his c.h.e.s.t and his face all bruised up.

"Qing Chen!" she rushed to his side and held onto him. They walked until Feng Xuan was able to let him rest on the sofa. "What happened to you?" she asked, taking in the state of him. His bottom lip was cut and there was a bandaid on his left brow. The corner of his lip was purple with bruise.

Qing Chen offered her a smile that she didn't take. "I just sparred with Qing Lok for a moment."

Even his voice was strained, like he was having trouble breathing.

"Now," he said. "Can we have dinner in the bedroom?"

Feng Xuan quickly nodded, letting Qing Chen wrap an arm around her shoulders as he hauled himself off the couch. "Why? Did you guys fight?"

"No," he answered. "We're just playing around."

"Playing around? I'm pretty sure you bled today. You two were playing to that point?"

Unintentionally, Feng Xuan pressed on his side as she took some of his weight. Qing Chen hissed under his breath from the pain. "Okay, not exactly."

"Just how badly were you beat? Didn't you defend yourself?"

"Wasn't allowed to."

"Why not?!"

"Bedroom first," he said.

With that, Feng Xuan rushed to get Qing Chen to the bedroom, half dragging him up the stairs. Qing Chen bit back his groans of pain. Once he was on their cloud-like bed, he finally allowed himself to sigh.

"I'll bring up dinner first before you talk?" she suggested.

"Yes, but can you please get me a change of clothes?" he said, moving and wincing as he made a move to remove his coat.

Feng Xuan, seeing as her husband was in struggle, reached out and helped him to slip out of the garment. There was even a few drops of blood on his white shirt. Feng Xuan started on the buttons and was half-way through them when she realized what she was doing. Her hands froze for a second before she continued, just biting back her shame and hid her burning face.

She pulled the shirt from the waistband and inch by inch worked to remove it as gently as she could. Not much bruises were visible on Qing Chen's back as most of them were covered by his tattoo.

Feng Xuan tried to, but she couldn't help her eyes as they traveled slowly to Qing Chen's pale skin and the ridges on his stomach, over his broad shoulders and the patches of violet and blue. He looked like a beaten angel.

Feng Xuan tore her gaze away from him and rushed to the other bedroom for Qing Chen's clothes. She stared at the lamp all the while helping him with the shirt. Once he was dressed, she rushed downstairs for their dinner.

"Wooh!" she breathed out, her hands were shaking a little. What was this she was feeling that was burning on her c.h.e.s.t and seemed to spread like wildfire to the rest of her body?

She climbed up the stairs with a huge tray in front of her and entered their room. "Care to tell me now what happened?" she asked as she handed Qing Chen a bowl of food.

"I already told you what happened," he said. "I was sparring with Qing Lok. It's the truth."

"You said something about not being allowed to defend yourself."

Qing Chen was silent for a moment, just eating and chewing. And then he said, "My father was disappointed that it this got really and affected the company. Another reason possibly is that I needed my wife to solve this."

"Does he have a problem with women?"

"No," he said quickly. "It's just that he expected more from me."

Feng Xuan nodded. "But you solved it."

"That's the thing," he said. "I am not allowed to be immobilized in these kinds of situations. It reflects badly on my decision making." Feng Xuan was about to say something when Qing Chen spoke again. "Nevertheless, this was my punishment."

Feng Xuan's face contorted, remembering the smiling face of Qing Zihao and the air of familiarity that he always seemed to carry with him. "I never took your father for a violent man."

Qing Chen chuckled though there were no emotion behind it. "You don't know half of it."

Feng Xuan's eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Did he hurt you and your brother when you were younger?"

"No! Never," Qing Chen sighed like he didn't really want to explain "Just made us spar with each other. We have to pick someone our own size. If you pick someone smaller than you, then that's just bullying. There would be no credit for it."

"But you are hurt!"

"It's fine, wife," he grumbled and set aside his already finished plate. "I've seen worse days."

"Really?! That bad?"

Qing Chen looked at her with a smile. "There was one time that I was badly beat up I thought I was already going to die. To know strength, you have to know pain and weakness first. This? This is nothing compared to the other times I made mistakes and Qing Lok beat the crap out of me. I was lucky today he already used up most of his stamina and strength when I arrived in our house."

"But what happened wasn't your fault!"

"It is, partly. But mostly it was because I let this thing get this big. It even reached the media. It will take weeks to make the stock market rise again." Then another thing he was worrying about. "I'm sorry," he said to Feng Xuan.

She looked alarmed. "For what?"

"You just got back in Chengshi and your name was filling every possible column in magazines and newspapers. And not in the good way."

Feng Xuan's eyebrows frowned and she made a mocking sad face. "Oh no, poor Feng Xuan. I should've known Qing Chen would be no good for her. Oh, poor girl, they were not even married for a year and her husband had already cheated on her. She might not be a good wife... and all that crap, you mean? Pft." She smiled at him, and he couldn't believe how she could look this peaceful despite everything. "A lion does not concern herself with the opinion of a sheep. I hardly care on what they have to say. They don't know anything. What's important is that we're still together."

Before he could stop himself, Qing Chen's hand reached for Feng Xuan's cheek. He truly was blessed to have such a strong wife. His thumb c.a.r.e.s.sed her soft skin. "You're not of the lions anymore. You're one of the dragons."

Feng Xuan smiled. "Of course," she said. She set down her own bowl on the nightstand, recalling the topic they were talking about earlier. "Do you mean, you were the one who executes Qing Lok's punishments too?"

Qing Chen shrugged a shoulder—and wished he hadn't for there was a shot of pain that shook his body. "Believe it or not, it really teaches us not to make the same mistakes anymore."

Feng Xuan had gotten this glossy look on her eyes, like she was feeling melancholy.

Worry filled Qing Chen's c.h.e.s.t. "Aw, wife. Are you sad?" he asked, reaching and touching her cheek.

"Just… I can't imagine the pain you're feeling right now. It feels like I can feel it in my own body."

That brought a small smile on his lips. "There's nothing to worry about. The only thing you should be sad for is that I wouldn't be able to hold you while you're sleeping for a few days."

After clearing and washing up, they were both lying on the bed again. Feng Xuan was on her side, looking at Qing Chen's side profile. He couldn't really sleep on his right side as most of the bruises were there.

She had about a thousand questions about what they were talking about. "But why? Why does your father had to use violence to reprimand you both?"

"Well, we're not exactly kids anymore. We don't get sad if he would take our favorite toy. He couldn't really stop us from leaving the house. He couldn't cut our allowances. But he still have power over us."

"And if you disobey?"

"Then this is what you get."

"What if you refuse to beat Qing Lok?"

"Then another man who is far more brutal will beat my brother. At least we have compassion for each other. We know when we need to stop. It's better my brother than a stranger." Qing Chen turned his face to look at her. "Is it scaring you?"

"I'm fine," she answered. "That makes a little sense."

Softly, he said, "You must know, I will never treat our children like this. As much as possible I don't want to put them through this."

"Children?"

"Won't we have them?"

Then Feng Xuan felt like all her inside turned to marshmallows and melted. "We will."

"I wasn't really raised by my father, Feng Xuan. It was mostly my mother until she died when I was seventeen. It was only just then that I had really become my father's son, if you get what I mean. I am not cut out for this."

"Not cut out for violence?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Who is?"

Qing Chen's lips straightened to a hard line. "There are people who see it as a tool for power. I am not promising you that I will never be that person. Just know that I everything I will do, it is to keep you and my family safe, alright?"

He wished he hadn't said it because of the fear that shadowed in Feng Xuan's eyes. But he couldn't take that fear away. As long as he was there and handling the mafia matters, they would never be a hundred percent safe.

If Qing Chen wouldn't rise up and take power, they would live their whole lives looking over their shoulders.