Chapter 13

Seeing that Wen Xihan had fallen silent and her expression had visibly grown colder, Ruan Xinyi, with a keen sense of propriety, said, "Well then, General Manager Wen, we won’t disturb your meal any longer."

After speaking, she pulled Zhou Xuan toward the two empty seats near the window that had just become available.

Zhou Xuan had been listening to the conversation earlier but was completely confused. She glanced back at Wen Xihan, who was at the window settling the bill, and hesitantly asked, "Xinyi, you and General Manager Wen… it feels like you two knew each other before, right?"

Ruan Xinyi rested her chin on her hand, though her peripheral vision remained on Wen Xihan. "Well, I wouldn’t say we knew each other. It was just during the first few days of my job. I saw her at a bar, and she’s such a beautiful and elegant woman, so I invited her for a drink."

Sighing, Ruan Xinyi continued, "I didn’t expect that she also worked at Li Hai Group, and that she’s my boss…"

"No wonder." Zhou Xuan nodded as if she understood but was still a bit surprised. "But Xinyi, I can’t believe you actually went to a bar. I would never have guessed."

Judging by appearance alone, Ruan Xinyi seemed like the perfect "good child" parents always talk about—young, beautiful, pure, energetic, and capable. Plus, her gaze had the innocent clarity typical of a recent graduate. Zhou Xuan always felt she was the type of person who would never go to a bar.

A well-behaved, almost impossibly perfect girl—that had been Zhou Xuan’s first impression of Ruan Xinyi.

"Sister Zhou, you’re exaggerating," Ruan Xinyi said with a bashful smile. She pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth and explained softly, "I worked part-time at a bar for a while, and that night, I went with my roommate."

Hearing the word "part-time," Zhou Xuan started to piece things together. No wonder Ruan Xinyi was so capable, and her admiration for her grew a little more.

At that moment, Wen Xihan had finished paying and was walking toward them with her tray.

Whether by coincidence or not, there were no vacant, suitable seats left in the cafeteria, except for a single seat behind them. Given Wen Xihan's current direction, it was likely she would sit there.

"Xinyi, you’re really amazing," Zhou Xuan complimented sincerely.

Ruan Xinyi picked up the clear soup next to her and took a sip, giving Zhou Xuan a subtle look.

Confused, Zhou Xuan turned to glance back and immediately saw Wen Xihan, only a few steps away, her face completely expressionless.

"…" 

Zhou Xuan was so startled that she quickly turned her head back, holding her chopsticks and lowering her head to quickly eat her lunch.

Ruan Xinyi, however, remained poised as a mountain, her elbow resting casually on the table, a perfectly fitting smile on her delicate face, her gaze unwaveringly following Wen Xihan.

Wen Xihan slowly furrowed her brows, not sparing Ruan Xinyi a single glance, and quickened her pace to pass by.

Actually, Ruan Xinyi wasn’t looking at Wen Xihan; she was staring at the food on Wen Xihan’s plate.

One meat and two vegetables: sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed pumpkin, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes—everything was on the sweeter and lighter side.

Just as she had guessed, Wen Xihan liked her food a bit sweeter.

When Zhou Xuan had almost finished eating, Ruan Xinyi wiped her mouth with a napkin, took out a pack of chewing gum from her bag, and pulled out three pieces, handing one to Zhou Xuan.

"Thank you, Xinyi."

Ruan Xinyi tore open the gum wrapper, smiled slightly, and replied, "You're too polite, Sister Zhou."

In the cafeteria, diners were expected to clear their own trays, and the tray collection area was at the back near the wall. To get there, one had to pass by Wen Xihan, unless one deliberately chose to avoid her.

Clearly, the second option hadn’t crossed Zhou Xuan’s mind. She stood up with her tray and, as she passed Wen Xihan, greeted her as a regular subordinate.

Wen Xihan nodded in response.

Ruan Xinyi, following Zhou Xuan’s lead, greeted Wen Xihan casually as well. Meanwhile, her fingers, holding the chewing gum, subtly curled, and she slid past Wen Xihan’s side without drawing attention.

Hearing Ruan Xinyi’s voice, Wen Xihan froze for a moment, furrowing her brow and casting a strange look at her. Her expression was one of wanting to say something but holding back, and she finally gave a cold nod.

Ruan Xinyi smiled gently and restrainedly, striking the right balance of distance in her tone as she said, "Take your time eating, General Manager Wen. Sister Zhou and I will head back now."

Wen Xihan murmured a faint "mm," her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

A few seconds later, Wen Xihan noticed the extra piece of gum on the table.

Thinking back to Ruan Xinyi’s subtle action with her hand earlier, Wen Xihan frowned and glanced ahead.

Ruan Xinyi and Zhou Xuan had already placed their trays down and were about to exit the cafeteria.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Xihan casually ate a few more bites, then stood up to clear her tray, preparing to return to her office.

But just as she reached the door, Wen Xihan suddenly stopped, quickly turned back to her previous seat, raised her wrist, and took the forgotten gum from the table.

---

In the elevator, Ruan Xinyi chewed her gum, thinking about whether she should make tea in the break room after returning to the office or just order takeout.

"Xinyi," Zhou Xuan called out softly, "We have more than two hours for lunch. If you live close by, you could go home for a rest."

With a light press of her tongue, Ruan Xinyi moved the gum to one side and smiled, asking, "What about you, Sister Zhou? Are you going home?"

Zhou Xuan shook her head. "It's too much trouble going back and forth. Most colleagues in the office prefer to nap at their desks."

With experience, she shared, "If you want to nap in the office too, Xinyi, you could buy a soft pillow online. It makes it more comfortable to lie down."

Ruan Xinyi chewed the gum for a moment, then seriously asked, "Zhou Jie, can I buy a folding bed instead?"

"???" Zhou Xuan's lips twitched. "The company rules don’t specifically say you can’t, but no one has ever bought a folding bed so far."

Perhaps worried Ruan Xinyi might actually be the first to do so, Zhou Xuan added, "And even if you buy one, Xinyi, there’s no space to put it in the office."

Ruan Xinyi smiled and explained, "Sister Zhou, I was joking. I won’t really buy one."

However, Zhou Xuan’s comment reminded her that it might be a good idea to prepare some soft cushions or a neck and shoulder massager, since sitting at a desk all day could become uncomfortable.

About a third of the colleagues who had finished their lunch were back in the office, mostly working on their tasks, with only a small group chatting.

After chatting with Ruan Xinyi for a few more words, Zhou Xuan continued to work on the files she hadn’t finished in the morning.

Feeling bored, Ruan Xinyi picked up her phone and started playing a game. To avoid disturbing others, she had turned the phone to silent mode.

Half an hour later, the noise in the office had dropped to a minimum. Even the sound of uneven keyboard typing had quieted down.

Ruan Xinyi stretched lazily with her phone in hand, planning to play one more round before stopping, but when she glanced up, she noticed Wen Xihan coming out of the elevator holding a can of yogurt.

Perhaps trying to avoid being seen drinking yogurt, Wen Xihan walked with unusually small steps. As soon as she exited the elevator, she subconsciously glanced toward the office to confirm no one had seen her. After seeing no one, she strode toward the windowsill by the stairs.

Because Ruan Xinyi hadn’t confirmed her action in time, the system had detected her inactivity and kicked her out of the game.

She didn’t mind, closing the game and picking up a magazine to cover her face, though her attention was fixed on the tall, slender, and captivating figure she could see reflected in the hallway’s shiny tiles.

Ruan Xinyi kept her eyes on the reflection for as long as Wen Xihan stood outside.

Eventually, the figure in the tiles moved, and Wen Xihan, expressionless, walked back inside.

By this time, most of the colleagues had pulled out their pillows and were lying down for a quick nap at their desks. Plus, Wen Xihan had intentionally quieted her movements, so very few people noticed her entering.

Ruan Xinyi, pretending not to notice, flipped a page of her magazine, covertly and boldly studying Wen Xihan through the cover.

When she noticed a smear of milky white on the corner of Wen Xihan’s lips that she hadn’t managed to wipe away, Ruan Xinyi raised a hand to her own lips, suppressing a laugh with a soft cough.

She hadn’t expected that the aloof and cold General Manager Wen would secretly hide in the corridor to drink yogurt.

This unexpected cuteness was simply too adorable!

Hearing Ruan Xinyi’s cough, Wen Xihan paused imperceptibly, then walked straight back to her office without looking at her.

Ruan Xinyi closed the magazine, picked up her phone, leaned back in her chair, and after a moment’s hesitation, opened the pinned chat window.

However, as she considered what to say, she found herself stuck. After several minutes of deleting and retyping, she still couldn’t think of a good opening.

Calling her General Manager Wen? But it's already after work hours...

Calling her "sister"? She doesn't seem to like that much... Maybe I should take it slow and approach it gradually, like boiling a frog in warm water?

As Ruan Xinyi pondered this, Wen Xihan, sitting in her office, had already noticed everything.

Although Ruan Xinyi had changed a lot, she still maintained certain habits, like unconsciously biting her thumbnail while deep in thought, her brow furrowed, and an expression of impatience on her face.

It was only at moments like this that her true emotions would show.

But seeing Ruan Xinyi like this, it was clear she was probably typing a message to someone...

Wen Xihan picked up her cup and brought it to her lips, but then something suddenly crossed her mind. Hesitating, she picked up her phone, opened the chat with Ruan Xinyi, and tapped on it.

Sure enough, the top message read [The other party is typing...]

She paused mid-swallow and almost choked on her drink.

After regaining composure, she stared at the chat with a complex expression. Her finger hovered over the screen, sliding back and forth before finally deciding to send a question mark.

Normally, she would have deleted Ruan Xinyi from her contacts by now.

But this was Ruan Xinyi, her little niece...

The chat, which had been silent, suddenly came alive with a question mark. Ruan Xinyi nearly dropped her phone in surprise.

She cautiously glanced at the closed office door and was about to play dumb and reply with a question mark when Wen Xihan sent another message.

Wen Xihan: [Is something wrong? Image.jpg]. The attached image was a screenshot showing [The other party is typing…].

"..." Ruan Xinyi hesitated for two seconds, doubting her entire life. She quickly pushed aside her previous hesitation and boldly replied, [Ah, I just wanted to tell you to look in the mirror. There's something at the corner of your mouth...]

"???" Wen Xihan frowned and opened the front camera. When she saw the yogurt at the corner of her mouth, her face darkened slightly. She wiped it off with a tissue but still felt unsatisfied. She went into the restroom to wash her face.

With both hands braced on the sink, Wen Xihan gritted her teeth in frustration. This little brat... she really can’t be left alone for too long.

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