Chapter 25

“You’re too late. It’s already been taken care of.”

Hearing Wen Xihan say that, Ruan Xinyi paused momentarily. But soon, she pieced together the entire situation.

No wonder Wen Xihan had seemed so composed earlier, exuding an air of calm detachment, almost aloof. Ruan Xinyi had thought it was just her personality, but now it was clear—she had already planned her way out.

Looking back, Ruan Xinyi realized her earlier actions might have been a little meddlesome.

“Click—”

Ruan Xinyi fastened her seatbelt, leaning her back against the seat and tilting her head slightly toward the window. On the surface, she appeared to be watching the buildings slowly retreat outside, but in reality, she was intently listening to Wen Xihan’s phone conversation.

“Really? I was afraid I’d call too early, so I waited two minutes before dialing,” Qi Jingning said, her tone filled with surprise. She then asked, “So how did you handle it? Fu Fangbai doesn’t seem like someone who’s easy to deal with.”

Wen Xihan glanced briefly at Ruan Xinyi, who sat silently, ‘looking out the window.’ Pressing her lips together, she replied, “It’s too complicated to explain right now. I have something to take care of. I’ll tell you in detail later.”

Though curious, Qi Jingning was someone who understood boundaries. “Alright, take care of your business first. We’ll talk later.”

“Okay,” Wen Xihan said, ending the call. She turned the steering wheel and slowly drove toward the parking lot exit.

After paying with a fingerprint scan, Ruan Xinyi put away her phone. As she casually brushed her hair back, Wen Xihan’s cool gaze fell upon her.

“Thank you,” Wen Xihan said.

She was referring to Ruan Xinyi preemptively scanning to pay the parking fee.

Ruan Xinyi smiled slightly, discreetly tucking her phone into her bag. Her tone was considerate as she replied, “I saw you were on the phone, so I thought I’d handle the payment. Besides, you treated me to coffee earlier; paying the parking fee is just a small gesture.”

Wen Xihan’s throat bobbed slightly. She gave Ruan Xinyi a deep look and said in her usual calm tone, “Where’s the shop? Navigate for me.”

“Sure~” Ruan Xinyi responded cheerfully, giving Wen Xihan directions out loud.

While waiting at a red light, Ruan Xinyi reached into her bag. The rustling sound of plastic wrapping filled the air.

The bag contained two handfuls of milk candies that Ruan Su had packed before they left.

Hearing the sound, Wen Xihan turned her head to glance at Ruan Xinyi, her expression unreadable.

Still rummaging in her bag, Ruan Xinyi noticed Wen Xihan looking at her. She immediately adjusted her hand into a loose fist, stopping the rustling sounds entirely. Flashing a sweet smile, she said in an innocent tone, “Sister, the light’s green.”

“…” Wen Xihan pressed her lips tightly, her face pale. She didn’t say a word, simply stepping on the accelerator and driving forward.

Seeing Wen Xihan’s slightly tense jawline, Ruan Xinyi stifled her laughter. She carefully adjusted her movements, quietly pulling two milk candies from her bag.

The rustling sound of plastic was much quieter than before. Ruan Xinyi quickly unwrapped a milk tablet candy. Taking the opportunity as she raised her hand to point the way, she naturally fed it to Wen Xihan’s lips. “This way.”

Wen Xihan turned the car onto the road Ruan Xinyi had indicated. Instinctively, she parted her lips for the candy. Just as she realized something felt off and tried to pull away, Ruan Xinyi seized the moment and slipped it into her mouth.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel, gripping it firmly. The tip of her tongue pressed against the candy as her expression visibly cooled.

Ruan Xinyi unwrapped another candy for herself, popped it into her mouth, and, with her cheeks slightly puffed, smiled mischievously. “Sister, does it taste good?”

For a moment, Wen Xihan was distracted. Her tongue curled slightly, rolling the candy to the edge of her teeth. With a light bite, she broke off a third of it. Instantly, a rich, creamy flavor spread through her mouth.

“It’s alright,” Wen Xihan replied with a neutral expression.

But memories from the past surged uncontrollably.

It was the first day Ruan Ruan went to kindergarten. The little girl refused to go no matter what. When her whining didn’t work, she started crying pitifully.

Ruan Su, utterly exasperated, was on the verge of giving in and letting Ruan Ruan stay home. Instead, she crouched down and coaxed, “Auntie has to go to school too. Do you want to take Auntie to school?”

Children are simple-minded, and Ruan Ruan, without a hint of doubt, gripped her aunt’s hand excitedly. “Yes, I want to take Auntie to school!”

And so, Ruan Ruan was coaxed into the car headed for kindergarten. It wasn’t until they arrived that she realized what had happened. She clung to her aunt’s leg, refusing to get out.

Ruan Su sighed, crossing her arms as she watched the scene unfold.

At the time, Ruan Ruan was so obedient—nothing like she was now.

She patted Ruan Ruan’s head and asked, “Why don’t you want to go to kindergarten?”

Ruan Ruan pouted, looking upset. “Because… I won’t see Auntie anymore.”

“I want to go to the kind of school Auntie goes to.”

Ruan Su unwrapped a candy and fed it to her, coaxing, “Be good. Auntie will come to pick you up this afternoon, okay?”

Ruan Ruan’s teary eyes lit up with hope. “Really? Auntie, if you’re lying, you’re a bad dog!”

She even held out her pinky for a promise.

Ruan Ruan’s tiny pinky was soft and delicate. They made a pinky promise and sealed it with a thumbprint, finally soothing the little girl’s tantrum.

Before entering the kindergarten, Ruan Su sneakily slipped two candies into Ruan Ruan’s bag while she wasn’t looking. “Go on in now. See you in the afternoon.”

“Bye, Auntie~”

Kindergarten ended half an hour earlier than their classes. That afternoon, although Wen Xihan had taken time off, she was still late picking up Ruan Ruan.

Ruan Ruan was puffed up with anger and refused to speak to her, even after getting in the car. Busy returning a call to a teacher, Wen Xihan didn’t soothe her right away.

At a red light, the sound of rustling came from Ruan Ruan’s bag. Curious, Wen Xihan turned to look. She saw the little girl unwrapping a milk candy and feeding it to her.

After feeding the candy, Ruan Ruan sulked in her seat, her fair little face puffed up. Though she stared out the window, she kept sneaking glances back at her aunt—adorably awkward.

Suppressing her laughter, Wen Xihan finished her call. Ruan Ruan eventually scooted closer, hesitantly asking, “Does the candy taste good?”

With a straight face, Wen Xihan replied, “It’s alright.”

It wasn’t until later that she learned Ruan Ruan had saved the candy especially for her. The kindergarten only handed out one piece at lunch.

“Is it just alright?” Ruan Xinyi bit into her candy and, with a teasing grin, said, “My mom gave it to me.” Her tone implied, It’s not my fault.

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Wen Xihan gripped the wheel tighter, her tongue pressing against the roof of her mouth. After a long pause, she voiced a question she’d pondered for ages. “You don’t seem to like sweets much?”

Ruan Xinyi shrugged and echoed Wen Xihan’s earlier words. “It’s alright.”

“I wouldn’t say I dislike sweets, but I eat them less often because I don’t like overly sweet things.”

For once, Wen Xihan initiated the conversation, so Ruan Xinyi couldn’t help but keep it going, even bringing up another topic. “But my aunt is like you—she loves sweets.”

Wen Xihan gave her a deep, meaningful look. “You have an aunt?”

“Yep,” Ruan Xinyi scratched the back of her head, furrowing her brow as she recalled. “She’s only a few years older than me. I haven’t seen her in over a decade. I don’t even remember what she looks like.”

Breathing slightly heavier, Wen Xihan shifted her jaw but said nothing.

Noticing the sudden coldness in the air, Ruan Xinyi glanced at the now-silent Wen Xihan and hesitated. “Sister, what’s wrong?” Did she say something wrong?

“Nothing.” Wen Xihan’s tone was calm, though laced with an almost imperceptible edge.

Ruan Xinyi: “…”

Faced with three forks in the road ahead, Wen Xihan asked curtly, “Which way?”

After parking, Wen Xihan followed Ruan Xinyi into the dessert shop with an impassive face. Once the order was placed, Wen Xihan quickly paid and turned to leave.

But Ruan Xinyi caught her wrist before she could. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her phone rang urgently, like a life-or-death summons.

At the familiar ringtone, Ruan Xinyi froze. After glancing at the clock on the wall, her smile turned resigned. She pulled out her phone with an air of resignation.

“Hello, Mom~ What’s up?” she answered in the sweetest, most syrupy voice.

Wen Xihan shivered at the saccharine tone. But seeing Ruan Xinyi’s guilty, cornered expression, she suddenly wasn’t in such a rush to leave. In fact, she was curious to see how this little imp would handle the situation.

Sure enough, after all this time, the only person who could truly rein Ruan Ruan in was her mom.

Ruan Xinyi, clutching the phone in one hand and Wen Xihan’s arm in the other, pushed her into a seat. She shot her a pleading look while replying to Ruan Su on the other end, pretending to be clueless. “Of course not, Mom~ How could I forget something so important? It’s just that I…”

Ruan Su chuckled lightly and interrupted her, “Where are you now?”

“Uh…” Ruan Xinyi mumbled vaguely, lowering her voice. “I’m still at the mall. Mom? Can you hear me? Uh, the signal in the theater isn’t great. Mom, I’ll hang up now—”

Before Ruan Su could respond, Ruan Xinyi hung up the phone so quickly that it was like lightning striking.

She put her phone away and suddenly met Wen Xihan’s faintly amused gaze. Flustered, Ruan Xinyi turned her head away, pressing a hand to her lips and awkwardly coughing.

“The theater signal isn’t great?” Wen Xihan asked calmly. Her tone was casual, but a playful glint flashed in her peach-blossom eyes.

After all these years, Wen Xihan hadn’t realized that Ruan Ruan (Ruan Xinyi’s nickname) could lie. Judging by how smoothly she carried it off, it was clear she’d done this many times before.

Ruan Xinyi sniffled, keeping her head down. When she finally raised it, her eyes were slightly red, and her lips curled into a bitter smile. Her voice carried a strained helplessness as she said, “Actually, my mom wanted me to go with her to a banquet today.”

Wen Xihan raised a delicate brow, intrigued. Ruan Xinyi continued, “But calling it a banquet feels too polite. Honestly, it’s more like a large-scale ‘imperial consort selection.’¹”

Wen Xihan: “???” Imperial consort selection? Did this girl even know what she was saying?

Ruan Xinyi grabbed Wen Xihan’s hand, her expression earnest as she added, “Sister, do you think I could jump into a pit like that? Obviously not! So, Sister, could you take me in tonight? I’m afraid my mom will send someone after me later. This concerns my lifelong happiness!”

Wen Xihan: “…”

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1. 选妃现场 (Imperial consort selection) - It refers to the ancient Chinese practice where emperors would choose consorts through a formal selection process. Ruan Xinyi jokingly compares the banquet to such a process.  

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