Chapter 30

Ruan Xinyi didn’t notice Wen Xihan’s odd behavior. She gave a few brief responses on the phone before hanging up.

Wen Xihan, holding chopsticks, picked up the fried egg lying on the noodles and absentmindedly took a bite.

"Sister," Ruan Xinyi said softly as she put her phone into her bag. Smiling gently, she added, "You take your time eating. I’ll leave first."

Wen Xihan’s index finger unconsciously tightened. She looked up, her peach blossom eyes calm and deep, but she responded indifferently with a quiet "Mm."

Ruan Xinyi assumed it was because Wen Xihan was still in a bad mood after waking up. She slowly walked toward the door and, with a light smile, said, "See you, sister~."

Wen Xihan didn’t reply. It wasn’t until she heard the sound of the door closing that she slowly turned her head, staring blankly at the door, her eyes dim and distant, as though lost in thought.

After sitting in silence for a while, Wen Xihan suddenly set down her chopsticks and stood up.

She quickly walked to the balcony, forcefully drew open the curtains, and furrowed her brow as she looked at a black Maybach parked at the entrance of the neighborhood.

This car was one Wen Xihan had seen at the cemetery entrance the previous morning; it was Ruan Su’s car.

Soon, a familiar figure appeared in her line of sight.

Ruan Xinyi’s silhouette was slender and graceful, with long arms and legs. Her black coat today was particularly distinctive.

Wen Xihan saw her walk straight to the Maybach. The rear window slowly lowered slightly. Although she couldn’t make out the person inside, Wen Xihan knew Ruan Su was in the back seat—Ruan Xinyi’s mother and her sister.

Ruan Xinyi seemed to say a few words to Ruan Su before opening the car door and sitting down.

Then, the window closed, and the Maybach gradually disappeared from her view.

Wen Xihan stood on the balcony for a few minutes before turning back into the living room.

On the dining table, the bowl of noodles Ruan Xinyi had brought over earlier had become lumpy from sitting too long. Most of the broth had been absorbed, and the noodles were swollen, resembling something that had been left to ferment.

At the top, there was the fried egg, which had only been half-eaten.

Wen Xihan sat back down and picked up the fried egg, taking small bites.

Ruan Xinyi was a good cook. The noodles not only looked appetizing but also had a perfect balance of seasoning. Even though the noodles had become a bit mushy, it hadn’t affected the taste. However, the texture was far from what it had been when freshly made.

It was like certain things in life—no matter how good they may seem, time can change them.

---

In the back seat of the Maybach:

Ruan Xinyi glanced at Ruan Su, who was leaning back with her eyes closed, resting. She sweetly called, “Mom~”

Ruan Su barely lifted her eyelids and didn’t respond or say anything.

Ruan Xinyi cleared her throat and, with a bright smile, asked, “Mom, did you have breakfast?”

Ruan Su’s thin lips parted slightly, and she curtly replied, “I did.”

Ruan Xinyi sat up straighter and muttered in a low voice, “But I haven’t eaten yet…”

Ruan Su gave her a faint glance and, with her eyes closed again, told the driver, Uncle Cheng, “Uncle Cheng, go to Qinggui Yuan.”

“Sure, Miss.”

Qinggui Yuan was a famous dim sum restaurant in City A.

Sensing that Ruan Su might be holding some sort of grudge, Ruan Xinyi inexplicably felt guilty. She lowered her voice, trying to minimize her presence, “Thank you, Mom.”

In the spacious private room, after the waiter served the meal, they quietly left, closing the door behind them.

Ruan Xinyi picked up her chopsticks and casually asked, “Mom, would you like a little more?”

Ruan Su lifted her delicate chin slightly, crossed her legs, and, with a graceful movement of her white wrist, took a small bowl of porridge. She asked with an unreadable expression, “Why didn’t you eat breakfast?”

Ruan Xinyi picked up a salted egg yolk bun, took a bite, and, without skipping a beat, said, “I slept in a little and didn’t have time to eat.”

Ruan Su clasped her hands together on her knees. Even when crossing her legs, the movement radiated an elegance that seemed to come from the very core of her being—both graceful and proud, relaxed yet perfectly composed.

"Mm." Ruan Su asked, seemingly casually, "How's your pursuit of that person going?"

"Pff—"

"Cough, cough, cough—" Ruan Xinyi was caught off guard by Ruan Su’s sudden question and choked on her own saliva. She coughed several times before regaining her breath, covering her lips with one hand, her eyes slightly reddened, and her voice raspy as she said, "It's alright."

"After all, we're still in the pursuit phase."

Ruan Su gave a meaningful "oh" and looked at Ruan Xinyi with a deeper gaze.

Fearing Ruan Su might get overly curious, Ruan Xinyi hurriedly tried to brush it off, pretending to scold her, "Oh, Mom, the first thing I’ll do when I succeed is bring her to meet you! So, can you stop being so curious now? Whether she agrees or not is another matter..."

The corner of Ruan Su’s lips twitched imperceptibly, her long index finger lightly tapping her knee. In a serious tone, she said, "I’m worried you’ll be deceived."

Ruan Xinyi: "???"

She would be deceived? It’s more likely that she’s the one deceiving others…

Of course, Ruan Xinyi didn’t dare say this in front of Ruan Su, so she only silently complained in her mind, "Mom, I’m not a little kid. How could I possibly be so easily deceived?"

"Heh~" Ruan Su laughed cryptically, then corrected herself seriously, "I’m not curious."

Ruan Xinyi couldn’t help but feel that this sounded like a typical case of 'the thief crying 'stop the thief"¹. It was hard to believe, but at that moment, she had no choice but to pretend she believed her—fully and unquestioningly.

After all, they were mother and daughter, and Ruan Su could see through all of Ruan Xinyi’s little thoughts with just one glance. She raised a hand to rub her forehead, pressing her lips together as she said, "If I were really curious, I would’ve had someone check on it already." Otherwise, they wouldn't be having this conversation now.

Ruan Su didn’t say the latter part of her sentence, but Ruan Xinyi caught on.

When it came to personal space, Ruan Su had always given Ruan Xinyi plenty of room.

Her cold personality, coupled with the fact that she had only recently taken over the company and was too busy to come home, gradually caused Ruan Xinyi to become somewhat afraid of her—especially during the time when Wen Xihan had left. Every time Ruan Xinyi was alone with Ruan Su, she would be overly cautious.

It took Ruan Su quite a long time to slowly change this situation.

"Mom…"

Ruan Su added a crystal shrimp dumpling to Ruan Xinyi’s bowl and sighed lightly, saying, "If you’ve decided on her, just bring her back."

"Mm." Ruan Xinyi obediently nodded, half-jokingly saying, "Well, I have to catch her first."

"Ruan Ruan." Ruan Su chuckled, relaxed her posture in the chair, and crossed her arms, her eyebrows sharp with an undercurrent of lingering sadness. She spoke softly, "I heard you can cook?"

"Huh?" Ruan Xinyi asked in surprise, "Who told you that?"

Pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth, Ruan Su silently swallowed the words, "your aunt told me." She still had a mischievous side and didn’t want to reveal too early that Wen Xihan was actually Ruan Ruan’s aunt. Changing her tone, she said, "Uncle Cheng told me."

Ruan Xinyi suddenly understood. She had indeed mentioned to Uncle Cheng that she could cook, but she never expected him to share that information with her mother…

"Um, I only know how to make simple dishes..."

Ruan Su tapped her chin, raised an eyebrow as she remembered the table full of dishes Wen Xihan had sent her last night. With a hopeful tone, she said, "Then can you cook a few dishes for lunch today? I’d like to try your cooking."

"???"

Ruan Xinyi felt something was off. Scratching the back of her head, she responded, "Sure, alright."

Ruan Su smiled noncommittally, picked up a delicate porcelain spoon, and elegantly sipped her porridge.

Because of Ruan Su’s anticipation, Ruan Xinyi ended up cooking lunch herself.

Listening to the noise coming from the kitchen, Ruan Su’s mood was visibly better. After finishing her work in the living room, she sat on the couch, holding her laptop and looking at stocks.

In contrast to the peaceful atmosphere of the living room, the kitchen was a bustling scene.

When it was known that Ruan Xinyi would be cooking, Uncle Cheng was both alarmed and cautious. He followed her step by step, and with just a glance, he and the housekeeper, Aunt Zhou, reached a silent agreement. They busied themselves helping with this and that, intervening at every turn. They nearly took over all the tasks she had planned to do, treating her like some fragile little treasure, afraid she might hurt herself.

Ruan Xinyi was speechless. After washing her hands, she silently grabbed a kitchen knife from the rack.

Uncle Cheng hurriedly said, "Young Miss, put the knife down. Be careful you don’t cut yourself!"

Aunt Zhou echoed, "Yes, Young Miss, that knife is very sharp. If you’re cutting something, I can help."

Ruan Xinyi: "…"

Taking a deep breath, Ruan Xinyi put the knife on the cutting board and smiled, without showing her teeth. "Uncle Cheng, Aunt Zhou, are you so nervous because you’re worried I’ll blow up the kitchen?"

Uncle Cheng explained, "Of course not. We’re just worried you might hurt yourself."

"I see." Ruan Xinyi placed the free-range chicken she had prepared earlier onto the cutting board, switched the knife to a cleaver, and said half-jokingly, "Well, how about I blow up the kitchen for fun?"

Uncle Cheng wiped away nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "Young Miss, as long as you’re happy."

Forget about blowing up the kitchen—he wouldn’t mind if she blew up the whole villa.

Uncle Cheng had no objections, but Ruan Xinyi certainly did. With the two of them watching so closely, it made her nervous and stressed, and she had no idea how to proceed. She also didn’t want to show her clumsiness…

"Alright." Ruan Xinyi nodded, then gently pushed both Uncle Cheng and Aunt Zhou out of the kitchen. She said seriously, "Let me figure out how to blow up the kitchen on my own."

Uncle Cheng/Aunt Zhou: "???"

Before either of them could react, Ruan Xinyi swiftly locked the door.

The two looked at each other in confusion and knocked. "Young Miss…"

Of course, Ruan Xinyi wouldn’t open the door. Uncle Cheng had no choice but to turn to Ruan Su, who was sitting on the couch watching the show, and asked for help, "Miss—"

“...” 

Ruan Su propped up her leg, her fair and delicate ankle half-exposed. She said calmly, “Uncle Cheng, just let her figure it out on her own.”

“But...” Uncle Cheng’s expression wavered, his face filled with hesitation.

Ruan Su, however, remained composed. “It’s just a kitchen, not a battlefield.”

Uncle Cheng: “...”

Before long, the intermittent sound of chopping bones came from the kitchen.

Ruan Su shrugged and continued watching the red and green lines on her screen.

Uncle Cheng, still uneasy, stayed by the kitchen door, ready to step in and help Ruan Xinyi if needed.

Although he couldn’t tell exactly what was going on inside the kitchen, judging by the sounds and the gradually emerging aroma, it seemed promising enough to ease Uncle Cheng’s worries.

Glancing at the time, Ruan Su closed her laptop and casually sent Wen Xihan a message: [Ruan Ruan is cooking lunch today.]

Wen Xihan: […]

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1. 此地无银三百两 (The thief crying stop the thief) - It refers to a situation where someone inadvertently reveals the truth while trying to cover it up. It’s like trying to hide something but drawing attention to it instead.

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