Chapter 26

Wen Xihan's temple twitched slightly, and she just wanted to pull her hand away.

Noticing her intention, Ruan Xinyi not only didn’t loosen her grip but tightened it even more, looking at Wen Xihan with a pleading expression, as though she were her only lifeline. With a pitiful tone, she said, "Sister, good sister, please, take me in just for tonight. Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda~ My happiness for the rest of my life depends on you!"

Wen Xihan: "..."

Something felt strange. What did she mean by her happiness depending on her?

Could it really be this exaggerated? No, wait, she wasn’t without a place to go—so why should she let her stay tonight?

Wen Xihan felt like Ruan Xinyi was setting her up.

Her temples throbbed again. Wen Xihan furrowed her brows and said, "Let go first."

Ruan Xinyi eased her grip slightly and bargained, "Then you promise me first."

"Promise you what..." Wen Xihan was almost led astray by Ruan Xinyi's words, but just a little thought made it clear that it was impossible. After all, Ruan Su would never do such a thing.

Thinking this, Wen Xihan's face darkened, and she pulled her hand back.

"Sister—" Ruan Xinyi murmured, her eyes fixed on Wen Xihan with a longing look.

She hadn’t said a word, yet it felt like she'd said everything.

Pitifully, it was hard to harden one's heart against her.

Wen Xihan, who was about to get up, paused, took a deep breath, and stepped back. "I can’t take you in tonight."

Ruan Xinyi blinked her eyes innocently, "Sister, what are you thinking? I just need you to be my shield. I’m afraid my mom’s going to start calling me non-stop."

"...” Wen Xihan turned her head, using the action of drinking water to suppress the complex emotions in her eyes.

---

A few minutes later, the waiter brought the afternoon tea they’d ordered.

Ruan Xinyi enthusiastically pushed the desserts in front of Wen Xihan. "Sister, try this. Their desserts are really delicious."

Wen Xihan glanced at the black coffee in front of Ruan Xinyi, looking down at the small metal spoon she handed over. She hesitated for a moment before reluctantly taking it.

The desserts Ruan Xinyi had ordered were similar to the afternoon tea they had ordered the other day—small, exquisite, and most importantly, exactly to her taste.

"Miss, your order is complete." The returning waiter gently placed a cappuccino on the table.

Ruan Xinyi politely replied, "Thank you."

"Enjoy your meal."

Ruan Xinyi conscientiously pushed the cappuccino in front of Wen Xihan, her eyes filled with a smile, and she spoke in a gentle tone, "Sister, how is it? Is it delicious?"

Wen Xihan held the small spoon, furrowed her brows, and glanced at the black coffee in front of Ruan Xinyi, unable to detect the tone of her voice. "Aren’t you eating?"

Ruan Xinyi's smile remained. "I’m fine with just this. All these are for you, sister."

"..." Wen Xihan was speechless, beginning to suspect the little brat was out of her mind. She only drank black coffee, yet was making her eat so many sugary, high-calorie treats. Was she trying to make her gain weight?

Thinking this, Wen Xihan pushed one of the desserts toward Ruan Xinyi, saying firmly, "You ordered it, you eat it."

Ruan Xinyi looked surprised, taking the small fork and asked with expectation in her eyes, "Sister... are you concerned about me?"

Wen Xihan: "???"

Halfway through the dessert, Ruan Xinyi's phone rang again.

The familiar ringtone, like a death knell, rang again and again, irritating Ruan Xinyi's nerves.

Fearing it might disturb the other guests, Ruan Xinyi quickly silenced the phone, holding it in her hand. She cleared her throat twice, carefully prepared her tone, and then answered, "Hello, Mom?"

Ruan Su immediately asked, "Where are you now?"

"Uh." Ruan Xinyi lowered her voice and replied, "I’m in the bathroom."

There was a brief silence from Ruan Su, and it was unclear whether she believed it or not. She asked helplessly, "When are you coming back?"

Ruan Xinyi pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, hesitating, and stammered, "Maybe, or perhaps, if nothing goes wrong..."

"Mm?"

Ruan Xinyi glanced at Wen Xihan, who was sitting silently across from her. With sudden determination, she said seriously, "Mom, I have something very important to do right now. I definitely won’t be back for a while."

Ruan Su was puzzled, and her tone became more meaningful. "An important matter? What could be so important?"

"Well..." Ruan Xinyi swallowed, then quickly blurted out, "It's about chasing someone—"

Wen Xihan reacted too late to cover Ruan Xinyi's mouth. The little imp swiftly hung up the phone, raised her wrist, and nonchalantly tossed the phone aside with a flourish.

"...."

"You..." Wen Xihan hesitated, her beautiful brows furrowing tightly, her peach blossom eyes filled with complexity.

As expected, she knew this little brat’s so-called shield wasn’t so simple.

"Shield? Didn’t we agree on that?" Ruan Xinyi said, half-serious, half-joking, her smile carefree, as though everything she’d said before was just a joke.

At that moment, Wen Xihan suddenly found herself unable to understand her.

However, one thing was very clear to Wen Xihan: Ruan Xinyi wasn’t joking. She was telling the truth, with no half-hearted humor in it. It was a typical Sima Zhao’s¹ heart—she practically wanted everyone to know.

Had Wen Xihan known that Ruan Xinyi’s “shield” meant this, she definitely wouldn’t have stayed for another second.

But now...

Wen Xihan took a deep breath, tightened her grip on the small metal spoon in her hand, and calmly continued eating the dessert in front of her.

Ruan Xinyi rested her chin on her hand, watching Wen Xihan’s reaction intently, especially when she saw that the latter simply continued eating the dessert without a change in expression. Her smile gradually faded, and her fingers slowly curled as she stirred her black coffee absentmindedly.

---

Meanwhile, after Ruan Xinyi hung up the phone for the second time, Ruan Su scoffed lightly, expressionless as she placed her phone on the vanity and closed her eyes slightly.

The makeup artist, waiting by the side, stepped forward to continue her work.

A few minutes later, Ruan Su slowly opened her eyes, her fingertips lightly tapping on the armrest of the chair. She frowned and addressed the assistant sitting across from her. "Can you check where Ruan Xinyi is right now?"

The assistant stood up and replied, "Alright, Ms. Ruan."

Before the assistant could leave, Ruan Su stopped her, her voice clear and cold. "Forget it, no need to check."

The assistant silently returned to her seat.

Ruan Su lightly tapped the armrest, raising her chin slightly, signaling the makeup artist to continue.

Though Ruan Su was curious about Ruan Xinyi’s so-called "pursuer," she knew very well that Ruan Xinyi dared to openly tell her only to provoke her. She couldn’t fall into Ruan Xinyi’s trap, and besides, it wasn’t the right time to make a move.

Ruan Su knew Ruan Xinyi’s character all too well. She feared this "pursuit" wouldn’t go smoothly, and of course, she would watch the drama unfold. But she had to wait for this little girl to suffer a little before stepping in.

---

Ruan Xinyi sipped her black coffee slowly, the rich aroma mixing with the bitter taste of the coffee, but she drank it without a change in expression, as if savoring some exquisite delicacy, her demeanor full of enjoyment.

The desserts on the table had mostly been eaten by Wen Xihan, with the only one remaining in front of Ruan Xinyi barely touched—she had only eaten a third of it.

Wen Xihan pressed her lips together, silently glancing at the ceramic wristwatch on her wrist.

Setting her coffee down, Ruan Xinyi reached for the small metal fork and elegantly began eating her dessert.

She ate slowly, her movements delicate and graceful, almost pleasing to watch.

Just as Wen Xihan was hesitating whether to leave first, Ruan Xinyi gently set her fork down and spoke before her. "Sister, are you heading back to the apartment later?"

Wen Xihan couldn’t quite grasp her meaning, but cautiously nodded.

Ruan Xinyi wiped the cream from her lips with a napkin, then picked up her remaining black coffee. She gently tapped the rim of the cup with her teeth, her gaze gentle and harmless, her deception palpable. "Then, could you give me a ride on your way?"

Wen Xihan: "..."

She wanted to say no, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Not only were they neighbors, but there was another subtle relationship between them, so it was difficult for Wen Xihan to refuse, both in terms of reason and emotion.

Wen Xihan still didn’t speak, only nodding slightly, much less than before.

Ruan Xinyi’s eyes curved into a smile, and she continued to eat the dessert slowly, licking her lips. "As a reward, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight."

Wen Xihan’s gaze showed a fleeting change, but she didn’t respond, merely gesturing toward the desserts on the table, leaving Ruan Xinyi to interpret it herself.

Ruan Xinyi nodded as if in realization. "Right, you must not be very hungry after all that dessert."

"Mm." Wen Xihan was about to say that she’d just head home later, but Ruan Xinyi didn’t give her a chance to speak, chattering away. "But we can’t skip dinner, can we? How about this: we go to the supermarket and buy some ingredients, and I’ll cook dinner."

Her tone was so sincere, so genuine, that Wen Xihan couldn’t help but be a little surprised. "I didn’t know you could cook."

There was a hint of surprise, but also an unspoken compliment. Ruan Xinyi’s ears turned pink, and she shyly explained, "Well, I learned a bit when I worked part-time during university."

Part-time job?

Wen Xihan’s temples twitched slightly. This little brat really just spouted whatever came to her mind. She couldn’t help but wonder how her sister would react to hearing this, as if the Ruan family were on the verge of bankruptcy.

In recent days, Wen Xihan’s breakfasts had all been prepared by Ruan Xinyi—exquisite and healthy, with a taste that was not inferior to anything from a restaurant.

To be honest, after eating so many days of her cooking, Wen Xihan was starting to think she might not be able to adjust back to the food from outside.

Wen Xihan merely replied with a neutral "Oh."

"Sister, can I?" Ruan Xinyi softened her tone, almost whining as she subtly shook Wen Xihan’s arm.

Wen Xihan leaned back slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then politely declined. "It’s too much trouble."

Ruan Xinyi had anticipated this and immediately replied in a casual, joking tone. "If it’s too much trouble for you, then let me treat you to dinner outside. After all, you’ve already treated me to afternoon tea and even gave me a ride home—that’s the real trouble, right?"

Wen Xihan: "..."

Everything was spilled by this little brat, leaving her no room to retreat.

Wen Xihan glanced at her and stood up, preparing to leave.

Ruan Xinyi quickly followed. "Where are you going, sister?"

Wen Xihan paused slightly and then spoke softly, "Aren't we going to the supermarket?"

"Oh," Ruan Xinyi replied. She turned back to drink the last bit of coffee in her cup before quickly catching up.

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