Chapter 6

After lunch, Ruan Xinyi accompanied Ruan Su to the living room to watch TV.

Ruan Su enjoyed watching business and international news channels, while Ruan Xinyi sat upright on the sofa, watching with great interest.

About half an hour later, Ruan Su’s phone rang. She silenced it and stood up, walking toward the window.

Ruan Su was on the phone for nearly ten minutes. When she returned, her expression was somewhat cold. “Ruan Ruan, something came up at the company. You should rest early tonight; you don’t have to wait for me.”

Ruan Xinyi asked with concern, “Mom, what happened?”

“There were a few data discrepancies, but luckily we caught them early. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome.” After speaking, Ruan Su grabbed her jacket and hurried out the door.

Hearing the car engine start, Ruan Xinyi stretched her arm and yawned, changing from her previous upright posture. She slumped her shoulders, grabbed a cushion, and casually leaned back on the sofa.

She took out her phone, replied to a few unimportant messages, and then opened her email. Without hesitation, she clicked on a message she had received two hours earlier.

It was the interview result from Li Hai Group’s HR.

"Dear Miss Ruan, hello. We have carefully reviewed your information and feel that joining the logistics department may be underutilizing your talents. Would you consider other positions?"

Ruan Xinyi pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth and politely replied: "May I ask if there are any other positions available?"

Exiting her email, Ruan Xinyi casually clicked into the new employee group chat she had muted on the day of her interview.

There were over 999+ unread messages, but Ruan Xinyi naturally didn’t have the time to go through them all. She quickly scanned the current topic being discussed, and her gaze gradually grew more thoughtful.

"According to insider information, the number of intern positions has increased this year."

"They’ve actually expanded the recruitment?! Is this insider info reliable?"

"It’s probably 80-90% reliable. I heard that they hired a new general manager, and it seems she's an overseas returnee."

"[Whispering] My uncle, who works as a director, said the new general manager is a female—young, beautiful, and very capable."

"Let’s take a wild guess. Do you think the extra positions are for her assistants?"

"I don’t think so. If the higher-ups value her, they definitely wouldn’t assign newly arrived interns to her."

"…"

A new female general manager? Young and beautiful? What did that have to do with her?

Just then, a new message popped up in her email. Ruan Xinyi opened it and saw the HR’s reply: "There is one more position—manager assistant. In terms of overall qualities and capabilities, Miss Ruan, you are the most suitable for this position among the current interns. If you are interested, could we discuss it in person next Monday?"

Ruan Xinyi lightly bit her lip and vaguely replied: "Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you on Monday."

Ruan Xinyi wasn’t particularly excited about the assistant manager position, but she couldn’t deny that it was indeed a rare opportunity to challenge herself.

After thinking for a moment and weighing the pros and cons, Ruan Xinyi slowly shook her head.

Moreover, this was the first time in her 23 years that she had felt what it was like to be restless and uneasy…

She stayed on the couch until five o’clock. Then, Ruan Xinyi went to her room to change clothes, chose the most low-key car from the garage, and drove to the bar just as it was about to open.

Ruan Xinyi arrived early, and at this hour, there were no customers. The staff was busy counting the drinks and various glasses for the night.

After greeting everyone in turn, Ruan Xinyi took out a can of orange juice from the fridge, inserted a straw, and sat in the corner booth.

As the sky grew darker, more people gradually arrived at the bar, and the staff became busier.

Ruan Xinyi bit the straw, trying to find that figure in the crowd—someone who wasn’t very familiar, but whose presence she could spot at once.

The dazzling lights moved and flashed continuously. Ruan Xinyi closed her eyes, pressing her temples, trying to relieve the visual fatigue.

The woman hadn’t come, and she felt disappointed. Yet, at the same time, there was a small, indescribable sense of secret joy.

"Miss Ruan, what would you like to drink?" the female bartender asked softly with a smile, placing a glass on the bar.

She didn’t know when the orange juice had finished, but Ruan Xinyi pulled out the straw, propped her chin, and said weakly, “Sister Ke, I’ll have a glass of watermelon juice.”

Zhong Ke nodded and turned to make fresh watermelon juice for Ruan Xinyi.

"Thank you, Sister Ke." Ruan Xinyi smiled back, took a sip of the watermelon juice, and seemed to remember something. She asked, "Sister Ke, isn’t Sister Jingning here today?"

Zhong Ke shrugged lazily and replied, "The boss’s best friend is moving, and she went to help."

"Hmm?" Ruan Xinyi pinched the bridge of her nose. "I see..." The woman knew about the 'true love', so was it possible she was a member of the bar?

Seeing Ruan Xinyi looking distracted again, Zhong Ke opened her mouth, but just then a customer ordered two cocktails. She swallowed what she wanted to say, turning to prepare the drinks.

Soon, Ruan Xinyi’s watermelon juice was almost finished.

She glanced at the time, decided not to wait any longer, and stood up to bid Zhong Ke goodbye. Slowly, she walked out of the smoky bar.

The night breeze was a bit cool. Ruan Xinyi walked slowly, and when the smell of smoke and alcohol on her clothes had mostly blown away, she got back into the car. On the way back, she deliberately took a detour to buy a box of her sister Ruan Su’s favorite pastries.

Due to this delay, Ruan Xinyi didn’t get home until 10:30.

After parking the car, Ruan Xinyi gently opened the villa’s gate while holding the pastries.

"Where have you been? Why are you so late?" Ruan Su, sitting on the couch, asked emotionlessly. She had clearly been waiting for Ruan Xinyi for a long time.

Ruan Xinyi gave a dry laugh, raising her wrist and quietly replying, "I just went out to buy something."

When Ruan Su saw the pastries Ruan Xinyi was holding, her expression softened, and her tone became gentler. "Next time, come back earlier."

"Got it, Mom." Ruan Xinyi placed the pastries on the coffee table, half-whining as she complained, "I’m not a child anymore~"

As she said this, she opened the pastries and pushed them toward Ruan Su. "Mom, try this. It’s a new flavor."

The pastries were a bit too sweet. Ruan Su only ate two pieces and then stopped. She took a sip of warm water and calmly said, "Xinyi, the auntie made some porridge. I haven’t had dinner yet. Stay with me and have some."

Ruan Xinyi was momentarily stunned. She always had this strange feeling that her mother could see through all of her disguises.

Looking up, she met Ruan Su's deep, unreadable eyes, and Ruan Xinyi responded calmly, "Okay."

For the next two days, Ruan Xinyi went to the bar every night, waiting.

But without exception, she never encountered that woman again.

Not only that, but Ruan Xinyi also carefully checked the list of high-level members who knew about 'true love', but still found no useful clues.

Her index finger lightly tapped the table, and Ruan Xinyi couldn’t help but consider another possibility. Perhaps the woman was a friend of one of the members, and learned about her beloved through them…

With that thought, Ruan Xinyi felt a headache. She quickly drank the rest of her watermelon juice, and before she could put the empty cup down, Zhong Ke was already approaching with a small jug of watermelon juice to refill her.

"No need, Sister Ke," Ruan Xinyi stopped Zhong Ke. "I have to go."

Zhong Ke glanced at her watch, puzzled. "It’s still early. It’s only past nine. Why are you leaving so soon?"

Ruan Xinyi smiled and drawled, "I have to report to the company first thing tomorrow, then start my usual grind."

"I see," Zhong Ke said, and then, pretending to rush her, said, "You’d better go back now, or you might be late on your first day and end up getting on your boss's bad side."

"It shouldn't be that dramatic." Ruan Xinyi stood up slowly, half-jokingly saying, "If it is, then I’ll just quit and lie flat."

She waved her hand to Zhong Ke, her back inexplicably lonely. "I’m leaving, Sister Ke."

---

When Ruan Xinyi got home, Ruan Su still hadn't returned.

She went to the kitchen, soaked a bowl of cereal in yogurt, and after a couple of bites, she started reading messages in the group chat.

In the roommate group chat:

Jiang Yun: "Xinyi, Auntie is asking when we’re moving the dorm. When do you think you’ll be able to move?"

Ruan Xinyi replied: "Has the graduation ceremony been postponed to the end of this month? Did she mention a final deadline?"

Cheng Yue: "It seems the latest is the day after the graduation ceremony. But there have been people moving out these days too."

Ruan Xinyi took another spoonful of cereal, thought for a moment, and typed: "I should come back in two weeks to move."

Jiang Yun: "Okay, just call me and Cheng Yue if you need help."

Ruan Xinyi replied with a sticker and casually asked her two roommates about the results of their interviews.

Cheng Yue shared that she had already received an offer from a university abroad and was preparing to further her studies overseas. Meanwhile, Jiang Yun said her interview results weren’t out yet, but she was currently preparing for new interviews and exploring several options.

Taking a bite of freeze-dried strawberry, Ruan Xinyi let out a soft sigh, marveling at how quickly the four years had passed. In the blink of an eye, everyone was heading in their own direction.

"Miss Xinyi," Uncle Cheng's voice came faintly from behind.

Startled, Ruan Xinyi propped her elbow on the edge of the table and asked with lingering surprise, "Uncle Cheng, is something the matter?"

Uncle Cheng placed a set of keys on the table beside her and said in a warm tone, "These are the keys to the apartment."

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Ruan Xinyi picked up the keys and said thoughtfully, "The location’s not bad, but commuting in the mornings might be a little inconvenient."

Uncle Cheng smiled gently and replied, "Miss Xinyi, you can take a car from the garage, or I can arrange for a bodyguard to drive you."

"…"

Ruan Xinyi politely declined. "That’s too much. Uncle Cheng, just buy me a car for around 100,000 yuan for daily use."

"Around 100,000 yuan?" Uncle Cheng frowned slightly and hesitated before saying, "Are you sure that’s the budget, Miss Xinyi?"

He was concerned that Ruan Xinyi, who had grown up pampered, wouldn’t be comfortable in such a car. After all, the cheapest car owned by the Ruan family was worth millions. A car in the 100,000-yuan range would have a significant gap in both performance and comfort.

"Yes," Ruan Xinyi’s tone was firm. "The more low-key, the better."

Reluctantly, Uncle Cheng agreed. "Alright, Miss Xinyi."

Although he had agreed to purchase a modest car, the next day, Uncle Cheng still arranged for a bodyguard to drive Ruan Xinyi to the company.

To avoid being seen by her future colleagues, Ruan Xinyi asked the bodyguard to stop the car at the intersection just before the company. Taking her bag, she chose to walk the rest of the way.

Worried about her safety, the bodyguard drove slowly behind her until she entered the company gates, then turned the car around and left.

Taking a deep breath, Ruan Xinyi tidied her hair in the reflective surface of the elevator doors while waiting for the elevator.

At that moment, she caught sight of an all-too-familiar figure through the elevator’s mirrored surface.

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