Chapter 32

Ruan Xinyi paused for a moment. If it weren’t for the barely noticeable pause in Wen Xihan’s words, she might have actually believed her.

The smile on her lips remained as Ruan Xinyi said, “Since you don’t like white roses, I’ll send you other flowers next time.”

Wen Xihan tightened her grip on the umbrella. She furrowed her brows and called out, “Ruan Xinyi…”

“Elder sister.” Ruan Xinyi gently interrupted Wen Xihan and, without warning, pressed the pomelo she was holding into her hands. “Would you like to try some pomelo? These have been especially sweet these past few days.”

Before Wen Xihan could speak, Ruan Xinyi placed her index finger on her lips, signaling for her to remain silent.

“Sister.” Ruan Xinyi pointed to her chest. “Can you follow me here?”

After a few seconds of silence, Ruan Xinyi continued, “And please don’t reject me so quickly, okay?”

“Give me a chance, will you?”

At this point, the smile at the corners of Ruan Xinyi’s lips faded noticeably, becoming strained, making one feel reluctant to refuse her.

Wen Xihan gently bit the tip of her tongue and spoke in a slightly heavier tone, “Ruan Xinyi, if this is something destined to have no result, would you still choose to start it?”

But Ruan Xinyi replied, “But Sister, if you don’t try, how will you know that this is destined to have no result?”

Wen Xihan lowered the brim of her umbrella, hiding the darkness in her eyes. “I’ve passed the age where I can afford to lose.”

At thirty-one, she was no longer young.

When it came to love, Wen Xihan had once hoped, as a young girl, to experience that thrilling, reckless feeling.

Mutual affection is not easy to come by, and finding someone you like is even harder.

As she grew older and observed more, Wen Xihan’s mindset slowly began to change. Gradually, she started to think that her past ideas were completely childish.

Love cannot be forced, and now she could no longer afford to lose.

Perhaps she and Ruan Xinyi should just maintain their relationship as aunt and niece; that would be enough.

Ruan Xinyi slowly exhaled, her smile disappearing almost entirely. Her tone became serious and persistent as she asked the same question she had asked that night at the hotel: “Sister, do you know what ‘true love’ means?”

Before Wen Xihan could speak, Ruan Xinyi took a step back, laughing softly. “True love, the most sincere love, also requires the most earnest heart. Later, Sister Jingning asked me why I hadn’t brought it to drink. Sister Jingning is the owner of that bar.”

“I told her, that’s why it’s called true love. True love is for the person you like, because she is my true love.”

Wen Xihan sighed, her peach blossom eyes lowering. “Ruan... Ruan Xinyi, can we take a break from this for a while?”

In a place where Wen Xihan couldn’t see, Ruan Xinyi pinched her palm with her nails, restraining herself before replying, “Okay.”

---

After leaving the apartment, Wen Xihan drove directly to Qi Jingning's bar.

While waiting for the traffic lights, Wen Xihan glanced at the pomelo sitting on the passenger seat, tightening her grip on the steering wheel as she silently counted the last three seconds of the countdown, slowly pressing the accelerator.

When Wen Xihan arrived, Qi Jingning was backstage dealing with the inventory. Surprised to see her so early, and holding a pomelo, she glanced at the time and teasingly said, “Oh, a rare visitor! You come, but why bring something along?”

Wen Xihan rolled her eyes at Qi Jingning and sat down across from her, casually placing the round pomelo on the table. “Want to drink with me?”

Qi Jingning looked at her curiously for a moment, then, putting her work aside, asked with a gossiping tone, “What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?”

“What do you think?” Wen Xihan replied with a stiff face.

Qi Jingning laughed, mumbling, “How should I know? I’m not a worm in your stomach.”

She then stood up, bringing over some snacks and a bottle of white wine.

Just as Qi Jingning was about to open the white wine with a corkscrew, Wen Xihan suddenly said, “Switch to red wine.”

Qi Jingning chuckled, obediently switching to a bottle of red wine, pouring it into a decanter, and eagerly asked, “Miss Wen, who upset you? Fu Fangbai?”

The only person Qi Jingning could think of was Fu Fangbai, someone who might have been dumped and couldn’t let go, persistently pursuing someone who didn’t care.

If it were her, she would be annoyed too.

Wen Xihan took a few ice cubes and placed them into the wine glass absentmindedly, responding, “No.”

“Then who is it?” The red wine would need a while to decant, so Qi Jingning, with curiosity, took the pomelo that Wen Xihan had been staring at for a while.

As the pomelo rolled across the table, half of its skin detached, revealing the neatly arranged, plump pink pomelo flesh inside.

“Eh~” Qi Jingning was surprised and teased, “Is this a new variety? Where did you get it, Xihan?”

Wen Xihan didn’t respond, instead taking the pomelo from Qi Jingning’s hand, her brows slightly furrowed. She used the half-pulled pomelo skin to cover the fruit again, matching the cuts carefully.

Qi Jingning watched in curiosity, clicking her tongue. “It’s really hard to tell when it’s covered back up. Who gave this to you? They’re so thoughtful.”

Wen Xihan didn’t reply, instead peeling a piece of the pomelo and eat it in front of Qi Jingning.

“???” Qi Jingning instinctively reached out to grab a piece of fruit but was stopped by Wen Xihan, who protectively moved it out of reach.

Qi Jingning's curiosity deepened. “So, it really is from a suitor, huh?”

“Xihan, wow, you're already having a second spring¹ of romance?”

Wen Xihan choked on the remark, silently pushing the pomelo toward Qi Jingning and muttering, “It’s not a second spring.”

Under Wen Xihan’s watchful gaze, Qi Jingning picked up a piece of the fruit and asked, “Then who sent it?”

Instead of answering, Wen Xihan countered with a question, “If you knew a relationship had no future, what would you do?”

“Depends on how you see it.” Qi Jingning shrugged, speaking in a casual, almost rehearsed tone. “If you really like the person and don’t want to regret it later, then sometimes the outcome might not matter as much. And who’s to say there won’t be a future? Nobody really knows.”

“Like…” Wen Xihan murmured the word as if tasting it, then let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Curious, Qi Jingning raised an eyebrow, pointing to the pomelo persistently. “So, who sent it? Someone I know?”

Wen Xihan poured herself a glass of red wine, tilted her head back, and downed it in one go. With a faint smile tugging at her lips, she replied, “Yes, you know that person.”

Hearing her suspicion confirmed, Qi Jingning nodded knowingly but swallowed her words upon seeing Wen Xihan’s somber mood.

When it comes to relationships, especially involving mutual friends, Qi Jingning wisely chose to stay out of it.

Still, curiosity got the better of her. She refilled Wen Xihan’s glass and pressed, “By the way, who helped you out yesterday afternoon?”

Wen Xihan didn’t reply but glanced meaningfully at the pomelo on the table.

Qi Jingning swallowed hard. “Well, what a coincidence.”

Wen Xihan: “…”

---

Back at her apartment, Ruan Xinyi replaced the wilted eustomas in the vase and carried a small watering can to the balcony to tend to her plants.

Afterward, with time to spare, she changed into a fresh outfit and began a thorough cleaning of her home.

When she was finally done, Ruan Xinyi took a shower. Wrapping herself in a bathrobe and toweling her still-damp hair, she shuffled to the sofa in her slippers.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she continued drying her hair. Once it was mostly done, she went back to her bedroom, changed out of her bathrobe, tossed her dirty clothes into the washing machine, and sprawled on the couch to play on her phone.

After a while, she bit her lip and opened her chat with Wen Xihan.

Their last conversation was still stuck on a payment from an afternoon tea several days ago.

Hesitating, her finger hovered over Wen Xihan’s profile picture before she clicked on it to check her social feed. No updates. The three-day visibility limit still stood.

Switching off her phone screen, Ruan Xinyi stifled a yawn, slid her phone under a cushion, and decided to take a nap.

Her nap didn’t last forty minutes before the phone’s ringtone startled her awake.

Jolted, Ruan Xinyi almost rolled off the sofa. Gripping the edge for balance, she fished her ringing phone from under the cushion.

Seeing the caller ID, her drowsiness dissipated instantly.

“Hello, Mom?” Ruan Xinyi’s voice was soft and slightly sleepy.

Ruan Su paused for a moment, her tone unconsciously gentling. “Ruan Ruan, are you coming home for dinner?”

“Hm?” Ruan Xinyi checked the time and held the phone back to her ear. “Mom, are you there too?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Ruan Xinyi rubbed her nose and smiled. “Then I’ll come home.”

Ruan Su chuckled, the sound carrying a slight buzz through the phone. “Alright, I’ll wait for you.”

Hanging up, Ruan Xinyi stretched and massaged her slightly sore neck. After tidying up, she grabbed her car keys and left.

On her way back to the Ruan family villa, Ruan Xinyi stopped by a flower shop to buy a bouquet of carnations and lilies.

The shop owner handed her the wrapped flowers with a smile. “We’ve also just received some fresh daisy pots.”

Ruan Xinyi asked the owner to pick two pots for her.

After packaging the pots, the owner added a few packs of fertilizer as a gift.

---

At the Ruan Family Villa.

As soon as she stepped out of the car, Ruan Xinyi spotted Ruan Su sitting in a wicker chair in the front yard, reading a book.

Uncle Cheng greeted her warmly, “Young Miss.”

Ruan Xinyi carried the flowers and pots out, and Uncle Cheng stepped forward to help. Noticing Ruan Su glance their way, his smile deepened as he tactfully gave them space.

Ruan Su closed her book and gracefully set up a tea set in front of her. Boiling water, warming the teaware, filtering, steeping—each movement was elegant and precise.

Ruan Xinyi sat across from her.

Ruan Su poured her a cup of tea and gestured for her to drink.

“Thank you, Mom.” Ruan Xinyi sat properly, politely waiting for Ruan Su to take a sip before lifting her cup.

In contrast to Ruan Xinyi’s formal posture, Ruan Su sat more casually, her legs crossed as she teased, “Couldn’t give the flowers away? Or were they just conveniently bought?”

“???”

Realizing the implication, Ruan Xinyi flushed speechlessly.

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1. 第二春 (Second spring) - A metaphorical term for a new romantic relationship later in life, often implying a fresh start or rekindled romance.

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