Chapter 29

"Do you remember?" 

Ruan Xinyi pinched the stem of the rose. The small thorns that hadn’t been cleaned off pricked her palm, causing a sharp pain. At the same time, it made her mind become clearer.

She fixed her gaze on Wen Xihan, her eyes calm and her voice gentle: "Do you still remember what I said back then?"

Wen Xihan pressed her lips together. Although she was a bit drunk, her mind was still clear enough, not to the point where she couldn’t recall anything. The words Ruan Xinyi had said that day still clearly echoed in her ears.

"How would you know it’s impossible if you don’t try?"

"After all, that night, your body didn’t tell me this…"

"How would you know it’s impossible if you don’t try?" Ruan Xinyi smiled faintly, saying it as if it were easy, "Sister, don’t you think so?"

Wen Xihan’s mind wandered for a moment. She tugged at the corner of her lips, avoiding Ruan Xinyi’s intense gaze. She spoke in a low voice, "You’re only twenty-three, and I…"

"Sister." Ruan Xinyi could already guess what Wen Xihan would say next, so she didn’t give her the chance to finish. Grabbing Wen Xihan's hand, she placed it over her own chest, asking seriously, "Can you feel it?"

"What?"

"My heartbeat." Gently applying pressure to Wen Xihan’s hand, Ruan Xinyi pressed it firmly against her chest, making the sensation even clearer.

"It’s speeding up."

"Because I’m nervous."

Ruan Xinyi gradually loosened her grip and spoke pointedly, "So, sister, you have to follow where this goes..."

Her long lashes fluttered slightly. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes lowered, concealing the emotions in Wen Xihan’s gaze. Two seconds later, she slowly withdrew her hand.

Ruan Xinyi gently placed the rose she had been holding into Wen Xihan's hand. As she raised her hand, a small drop of blood appeared where the thorn had pricked her palm.

The redness was too obvious and glaring for Wen Xihan to ignore.

Almost instinctively, she set the rose aside, grabbed Ruan Xinyi’s hand, and furrowed her brow as she looked at the drop of blood.

Ruan Xinyi wanted to pull her hand away, but Wen Xihan held it tightly, gripping her wrist with a slightly serious expression.

Realizing this, Ruan Xinyi had no choice but to relax, allowing Wen Xihan to examine her hand. Tentatively, she spoke, "Sister, I don’t know if it’s just my illusion, but sometimes I feel like you…"

Wen Xihan raised her eyes, extended her hand to grab a tissue from the cabinet, and, with delicate movements, gently wiped away the blood. Her slender brows lifted, and an indescribable charm played in the corners of her eyes as she said, "Sometimes, what?"

"Just treat it as me being overly sensitive," Ruan Xinyi said, her gaze flicking away from Wen Xihan for a moment. She hadn’t wanted to miss a single change in her expression, but unexpectedly, it was she who felt embarrassed and looked away first. "Hmm, I feel like sometimes you’re very indulgent with me, just like now…"

At this point, Ruan Xinyi inexplicably gained some confidence. She stared directly at Wen Xihan and asked in a low voice, "Does this mean I still have a chance?"

Wen Xihan: "..."

The action of wiping the blood paused for a moment, and then, through the tissue, Wen Xihan pressed heavily on the bleeding spot.

"Ow! It hurts!" Ruan Xinyi cried out, her delicate brows furrowing in an expression of intense pain. However, how much it actually hurt, only she knew.

Wen Xihan changed the pressure to a gentle rub, and when no more blood appeared, she released Ruan Xinyi's hand, her tone indifferent: "Remember to disinfect with iodine."

Ruan Xinyi murmured, "I don't have any at home..."

"Then don't bother," Wen Xihan said expressionlessly.

"Oh," Ruan Xinyi lowered her head and stared blankly at the small wound in her palm.

It had hurt a lot when it happened, but it only left a shallow cut on her palm. If one didn’t look closely, it was easy to miss.

Such a shallow cut didn’t really seem to require iodine.

While Ruan Xinyi was lost in thought, a piece of kiwi suddenly appeared in front of her.

The hand holding the fork was elegant, with long, slender fingers and delicate wrists— it was Wen Xihan’s hand.

"Sister—" Ruan Xinyi hesitated.

Wen Xihan asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Yes!" Ruan Xinyi leaned forward and bit into the kiwi.

Wen Xihan’s lashes were long, and the light diffused around their slightly curled tips. In their gaze, the halo spread across her deep-set brows and eyes, deepening the tenderness in her peach blossom eyes.

In that moment, Ruan Xinyi suddenly had the illusion that perhaps she wasn't being overly sentimental...

The kiwi was very sweet, full of juice, refreshing and tasty— just the way Ruan Xinyi had prepared it for Wen Xihan.

But since Ruan Xinyi wasn't particularly fond of sweet foods, it was a bit overwhelming. Yet, the piece in her mouth was fed to her by Wen Xihan.

Lingering in the sweetness on her lips, Ruan Xinyi found herself wanting a second piece...

But unfortunately, Wen Xihan didn’t offer more, so Ruan Xinyi swallowed the lingering sweetness silently.

Wen Xihan had only eaten half of the fruit plate before she couldn’t continue.

Ruan Xinyi naturally took over, offering her a bottle of yogurt she had opened.

Wen Xihan accepted without hesitation, especially when she noticed Ruan Xinyi was eating the leftover fruit without being picky. Her mood became subtly complicated.

After taking a sip of yogurt, Wen Xihan cleared her throat: "I should go back now."

Ruan Xinyi was momentarily stunned, her lips parted as if to say something but then held back, replying softly, "Okay."

She actually wanted Wen Xihan to stay. After going through several reasons to keep her here in her mind, none of them seemed right. Yet, another voice inside urged her to say it—what if she stayed, testing whether she might indulge her? After all, she had taken the rose with her!

After walking Wen Xihan to the door, Ruan Xinyi took a deep breath. As Wen Xihan turned to open the door, Ruan Xinyi stepped forward and hugged her from behind.

"Ruan... Ruan Xinyi?" Wen Xihan murmured, as Ruan Xinyi placed her chin on her shoulder, her breath laced with a faint smell of alcohol, making Wen Xihan shrug her shoulders uncomfortably.

"Sister." Ruan Xinyi's arms wrapped around Wen Xihan's waist, her voice soft and hoarse. "Won't you stay tonight?"

Fighting the itching sensation on her neck, Wen Xihan turned her head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Ruan Xinyi embraced her carefully and softly kissed her earlobe.

It was a tender, tentative kiss.

The warmth was so soft that Ruan Xinyi felt a flutter in her heart, but before her lips could reach Wen Xihan’s cheek, Wen Xihan turned her body and gently pressed her finger to her lips.

As an adult, Wen Xihan understood Ruan Xinyi's unspoken intention.

Honestly, when the person saying this changed from Fu Fangbai to Ruan Xinyi, she wasn’t at all repulsed. However, what bothered her was that it was coming from Ruan Xinyi’s soft lips...

Wen Xihan gently pushed Ruan Xinyi away, shaking her head in refusal: "No."

She took a step back, distancing herself from Ruan Xinyi. "It's late. Rest early."

"Mm." Ruan Xinyi smiled faintly, raising two fingers to press against Wen Xihan's lips, then slowly moved them toward her own lips. "Goodnight kiss."

"Take care, sister. Goodnight~"

Wen Xihan responded slowly, "Goodnight."

After gently closing the door, Ruan Xinyi leaned against it, rubbing her face vigorously, whispering, "Goodnight..."

She felt unusually clear-headed, not a bit dizzy, and even felt like having another bottle of white wine.

---

On the other side, Wen Xihan collapsed onto the couch as soon as she entered the room.

She rested her forehead for a while before propping herself up.

The rose she had bought was sitting on the coffee table, bright and fresh. The bag of snacks she had bought at the supermarket was still at Ruan Xinyi’s, forgotten to be brought back.

Wen Xihan picked up the rose, gently running her thumb along the stem, and carefully removed the small thorns. She then found a small vase and placed the rose inside.

A vase with a rose, almost as if it didn't need any arrangement, the bright color added quite a bit of life to her otherwise quiet home.

---

The next day, Ruan Xinyi woke up early. With time still on her side, she changed into her sportswear and went for a morning jog around the neighborhood. As more people began to head out, Ruan Xinyi draped a towel around her neck and walked home slowly.

After taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, Ruan Xinyi cooked a bowl of clear soup noodles.

After preparing the noodles and packing the snacks Wen Xihan had left behind, Ruan Xinyi walked across the hall and gently knocked on the door.

Two minutes later, the door opened.

A gust of wind from the door made Ruan Xinyi’s hair flutter lightly.

Wen Xihan was still wearing her pajamas, and her long hair, which reached her waist, was a bit messy. Her eyes were heavy with fatigue, and the expression of just having woken up was clearly visible. It seemed likely that she had been woken from her sleep by the sound of someone knocking on her door.

Ruan Xinyi, deeply familiar with the feeling of being woken from a deep sleep, felt a tinge of guilt and spoke up, “I made some breakfast…”

She then picked up the snacks she had briefly placed on the floor. “And I brought some snacks…”

Wen Xihan pursed her lips and remained silent, staring at Ruan Xinyi for a while before turning and heading into her room.

Ruan Xinyi, holding a bowl of noodles in one hand and snacks in the other, walked in slowly, making sure to close the door with her foot as she entered.

Wen Xihan had gone somewhere, and Ruan Xinyi placed the noodles on the dining table. She set the snacks aside and immediately noticed the roses on the coffee table.

The roses were arranged in a small vase. After a night, they seemed to have bloomed even more vibrantly.

Ruan Xinyi took a quick look around the living room. The overall decor was simple and neat, with few added items, giving the space a cold, tidy feel. It didn’t feel like a home; it felt more like a temporary place to stay.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Ruan Xinyi turned around and gave the person a gentle smile.

Wen Xihan had gone to the bathroom to freshen up. Her red lips and fair skin, along with slightly damp strands of hair, gave her a refreshed look. The tiredness in her eyes had mostly faded, leaving behind a subtle, almost intoxicating softness in her peach blossom eyes.

“Good morning, sister.”

The water droplets on her delicate jawline slid down and fell to the floor. Wen Xihan nodded slightly and responded, her tone neither warm nor cold: “Good morning.”

Ruan Xinyi pulled out a chair for Wen Xihan. “Sister, come sit and eat the noodles.”

“Thank you.” After washing her face, Wen Xihan looked much better than when she had opened the door. When she took the chopsticks from Ruan Xinyi, her gaze fell on the palm of her hand, where a faint red mark appeared. It wasn’t swollen or inflamed—just a slight dot, blending in with the surrounding skin.

The sound of a phone ringing came from Ruan Xinyi’s bag. She placed a tissue in front of Wen Xihan before calmly answering the call. “Hello, Mom.”

“I’ll be down in a minute. Wait for me for two minutes.”

Upon hearing this, the remaining traces of sleepiness in Wen Xihan immediately vanished.

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The author has something to say:

General Manager Wen is actually quite conflicted. She has never been in love or experienced the passionate, thrilling feelings that young people often associate with love. Of course, things might still get chaotic in the future.

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