Chapter 22

Ruan Xinyi pretended not to notice Wen Xihan. She picked up her bag and said softly, “Sister Zhou, don’t say that. It’s me who’s been pining for that person.”

When Zhou Xuan heard this, she became even more confident in her statement. “Well, he really is blind. What kind of person is he? Someone as wonderful as Xinyi, and he doesn’t like her? I’m sure he’s not a good person…”

At this point, Zhou Xuan spoke with a tone of relief, "Ruan Xinyi, it's a stroke of luck that you didn’t end up with him. Truly!"

"..." Wen Xihan kept her gaze straight ahead, her expression indifferent, holding her cup as she walked into the break room.

Ruan Xinyi gently bit her lip, drawing out her words as she called, "Sister Zhou~"

Knowing that at this age, one’s pride is fragile, and with Ruan Xinyi’s overly coquettish tone, Zhou Xuan immediately changed the topic. "Ah, Ruan Xinyi, go home early after work and take the weekend to rest."

"Mm." Ruan Xinyi’s gaze drifted past the break room, her beautiful eyes lowered, hiding her emotions. "Well, Sister Zhou, I’ll leave first."

Zhou Xuan still had some work left to finish and smiled as she waved to Ruan Xinyi. "Okay, hurry up and go."

Slowly starting her car, Ruan Xinyi glanced at the opposite lane as she left the company parking lot. Her hand on the turn signal briefly paused, but she decided to lower it instead of raising it.

The flower shop was just across from the company, not far away.

Ruan Xinyi parked her car and stepped inside.

"Hello, what would you like?" The shop owner smiled at Ruan Xinyi, recognizing her.

"A bouquet of lisianthus." As she spoke, Ruan Xinyi’s gaze paused on a lily the owner was arranging.

Putting down the scissors, the shop owner wrapped the lisianthus and handed it to Ruan Xinyi, mentioning the price.

While paying, Ruan Xinyi parted her lips slightly, hesitated, and asked, "Um... do you take flower orders here?"

"Yes, we do." The shop owner’s expression softened as she smiled brightly. "What kind of flowers would you like to order?"

Ruan Xinyi glanced at the glistening lilies and silently placed her fingerprint to complete the payment. "Next time." Then, holding the bouquet of lisianthus, she left the shop.

However, as soon as she stepped out of the flower shop, she turned back, and the wind chimes at the door jingled.

She swallowed lightly, paused, and said, "I’ll also take a bouquet of carnations."

After leaving the flower shop, Ruan Xinyi didn’t return to her apartment but went straight to the Ruan Old Mansion.

The rush hour traffic was stop-and-go, and by the time Ruan Xinyi arrived at the old house, it was nearly 7:30 p.m.

"Miss." Uncle Cheng kindly opened the door for Ruan Xinyi, his eyes warm as he spoke. "Your mother is waiting for you in the living room."

"Got it." Ruan Xinyi, holding the flowers, walked lightly. "Uncle Cheng, could you please get me a nice vase?"

Uncle Cheng’s eyes filled with a smile as he gently responded, "Sure, Miss."

As Ruan Xinyi entered the living room, Ruan Su was sitting on the sofa, flipping through an album resting on her lap.

The album's cover was a bit worn, and the photos inside had yellowed with time.

Ruan Su flipped through it slowly, taking her time, her expression somber, the emotion on her face one of nostalgia and complexity that Ruan Xinyi couldn’t quite understand.

"Mom." Ruan Xinyi gently placed the carnations on the coffee table in front of Ruan Su, calling her softly.

"Mm." Ruan Su turned the page, glancing at Ruan Xinyi. Her eyes lingered on the lisianthus in Ruan Xinyi’s arms for a few seconds, but she didn’t say anything, lowering her gaze to the album again.

"Miss, here’s the vase you asked for." Uncle Cheng came in with a beautiful gilded glass vase, asking where she wanted it placed.

"Let’s put it here." Ruan Xinyi took the vase, placed it carefully on the coffee table, and sat down opposite her mother. "Thank you, Uncle Cheng!"

Uncle Cheng smiled and placed the trash can next to Ruan Xinyi before going off to attend to his own tasks.

Opening the lisianthus, Ruan Xinyi carefully arranged the stems, placing each one in the vase in order.

Seeing how detailed and patient Ruan Xinyi was, Ruan Su stopped looking at the album and, with interest, watched her arrange the flowers.

"???" As soon as Ruan Xinyi looked up, she met her mother’s inexplicable gaze. Feeling puzzled, she asked, "Mom, why are you looking at me like that?"

"The weather’s nice today," Ruan Su said, her words carrying a subtle meaning.

"Emmm..." Ruan Xinyi instinctively looked outside. By this time, the sky had darkened, and the sunset had completely faded. What was "nice weather" to her now?

She could only awkwardly follow along, "The weather’s been pretty good these past few days."

A light, ambiguous laugh escaped from Ruan Su’s throat. She raised her wrist, lightly brushing her fingers over a carnation’s petals. Without much emotion, she said, "It’s rare to see you buy flowers."

Ruan Su put her fingers back down, returned her gaze to the album, and nonchalantly turned the page. Her voice remained light, with no hint of mockery. "The weather’s so good, the sun’s about to come up from the west."

Ruan Xinyi: "..."

"I’m not wrong, am I?" Ruan Su closed the album, crossing one leg and watching Ruan Xinyi with curiosity.

Her eyes were light, warm, but always made Ruan Xinyi feel as though she were being seen right through.

After placing the last lisianthus in the vase, Ruan Xinyi suppressed all her thoughts and smiled. "Looks like I’ll need to buy flowers for Mom more often."

Ruan Su laughed softly, stood up with the album in hand, and ruffled Ruan Xinyi’s hair, murmuring, "Ruan Ruan, you’re really starting to look more and more like her..."

"Ah?" Ruan Xinyi was confused.

Ruan Su had already retracted her hand and was heading upstairs with the album. "When you’re done, get ready for dinner."

During dinner, Ruan Su casually asked how Ruan Xinyi’s work had been.

Ruan Xinyi smiled and replied, "It’s been fine. After all, I’m in the logistics department, so it’s not too busy. The colleagues are easy to get along with, and the boss is not only nice but also very easy on the eyes."

"Mm." Ruan Su served a bowl of chicken soup to Ruan Xinyi, then asked, "How about school?"

"Thanks, Mom~" Ruan Xinyi took a sip of the soup, smiling as she said, "Once I finish moving the rest of my things from the dorm, there won’t be much left to do."

Ruan Su’s eyelids flickered slightly, and with an unwavering tone, she said, "Tomorrow evening, the Ye family is having a dinner party. You’re coming with me."

Ye family dinner party?

Ruan Xinyi furrowed her brows slightly and asked tentatively, "Has Ye Mingzhe returned?"

Ruan Su gave a small nod.

Ye Mingzhe, the only son and sole heir of the Ye family, had been studying abroad for the past two years. On the surface, this banquet was to welcome him back, but the real purpose was clear—it was an event to choose a suitable marriage partner for him, a disguised matchmaking gathering.

"I understand," Ruan Xinyi responded reluctantly, planning to go through the motions tomorrow and find an opportunity to sneak away.

Ruan Su glanced at her with a knowing look, her eyes filled with growing curiosity.

---

The next morning, before Ruan Xinyi had even woken up, Ruan Su had already put on her black coat and was ready to head out.

Uncle Cheng asked softly, "Miss, are you going to see Madam?"

Ruan Su exhaled, her brows furrowing slightly with a touch of sorrow. "Yes, and I’ll also visit her along the way..."

Uncle Cheng hesitated for a moment before saying, "I’ll go with you, Miss. It’s been a long time since I visited Madam."

The black Maybach slowly drove out of the city, eventually stopping in front of a cemetery on the outskirts.

Ruan Su stepped out in her black coat, stopping by a nearby flower shop to buy two bouquets before entering the cemetery: one of carnations, the other of roses.

Uncle Cheng stood at the cemetery entrance, his back slightly hunched, the white hairs at his temples particularly noticeable. "Miss, you go in. I’ll wait for you outside."

Ruan Su nodded and walked deeper into the cemetery, holding the flowers in her arms.

She placed them in front of two tombstones and stood silently for a long time before speaking softly, "Ruan Ruan is 23 this year."

"The little girl has grown up, found someone she likes, and is becoming more like you..."

Behind her, the faint sound of footsteps approached. Ruan Su tilted her head slightly, quickly wiped her eyes, and turned around.

"Sister—" It was Wen Xihan, holding a bouquet of daisies.

Ruan Su forced a smile. "Xihan, long time no see."

Wen Xihan gently placed the daisies beside the carnations and stood next to Ruan Su. Her tone was filled with deep apology. "Sister, I’m sorry... I’ve only just returned..."

Ruan Su quietly said, "I thought you’d return home first."

"Sister—"

Ruan Su continued, "When you left, Ruan Ruan kept asking about you every day, asking when Auntie would come back. But as time passed, she stopped asking. You know, kids forget easily. Sometimes, I wonder, if you don’t come back soon, will Ruan Ruan forget about you..."

Wen Xihan smiled bitterly. "Sister, Ruan Ruan has already forgotten me."

Ruan Su chuckled softly and said without mercy, "Serves you right."

She then asked, "Have you seen Ruan Ruan?"

"Mm." Wen Xihan explained, "I’m working at Li Hai Group now, and Ruan Ruan just so happens to be my subordinate."

"Logistics?" Recalling what Ruan Xinyi had said, Ruan Su frowned and disagreed. "You might as well work at Ruan’s."

Wen Xihan rubbed her forehead, helplessly saying, "Sister, I’m not in logistics."

"Ruan Ruan was initially assigned to logistics, but she was later transferred to be my assistant."

Ruan Su pursed her lips and then chuckled. "She’s really grown up and has her own secrets."

"That girl didn’t even tell me about the transfer, just said her boss is not only a good person but also quite easy on the eyes."

"No wonder she was willing to transfer out of logistics."

Wen Xihan: "..."

"Sister, can you not tell Ruan Ruan that I’m her boss?"

"Of course." Ruan Su had a slight mischievous streak. "I’m curious to see how Ruan Ruan will react when she finds out."

Wen Xihan didn’t respond, but inside, she wondered how her sister would react if she found out about the wild events that had transpired between her and Ruan Ruan that one night...

"By the way, Xihan," Ruan Su continued, "Could you keep an eye on who Ruan Ruan has been spending a lot of time with lately?"

"Huh?"

Ruan Su lowered her brows and said, "Last night, Ruan Ruan bought me a bouquet of lisianthus."

Wen Xihan was even more confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It’s important." Ruan Su lowered her gaze to the roses, softly saying, "I know her. The fact that she bought those lisianthus is probably just incidental."

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