Chapter 33

Ruan Xinyi picked up the teacup in front of her, concealing the slight twitch at the corner of her lips. With a calm expression, she said, “I’ve already sent it out.”

Ruan Su responded with a meaningful “Oh,” clearly skeptical.

The porcelain teacup lightly touched her pearly teeth as Ruan Xinyi lowered her gaze, sipping her tea with composed nonchalance.

Seeing her like this, Ruan Su couldn’t help but feel amused. Suppressing the urge to smile, she poured another cup of tea for Ruan Xinyi and said casually, “When you have time, come with me to visit Grandma.”

At these words, Ruan Xinyi’s head shot up abruptly, her expression hesitant, as though she wanted to say something but held back.

Ruan Su rested her hand on her wrist, gently placing the teapot down. Her tone was indifferent, as if she were mentioning an insignificant matter. “When I visited her the other day, I happened to run into your Aunt.”

Ruan Xinyi’s pinky trembled slightly before she tightened her grip on the teacup. Taking a sip, she asked softly, “My Aunt… she still goes to see Grandma?”

“Mm.”

As she spoke, Ruan Su kept her gaze fixed on Ruan Xinyi’s face, not missing a single change in her expression. “She left so abruptly back then. I wonder how she’s been all these years abroad.”

Ruan Xinyi furrowed her delicate brows and responded faintly, seemingly lost in thought. “Is that so…”

Ruan Su sighed lightly, her tone carrying a sense of relief. “You were only six or seven years old back then, so it’s normal if you don’t remember much.”

“Not necessarily.” Ruan Xinyi chuckled, placing her teacup down. There was a trace of inexplicable confidence in her voice. “Who knows? Maybe when I see Aunt again, it’ll all come back to me.”

Ruan Su, seeing through her but choosing not to comment, simply remained silent: “…”

Dinner was prepared by Aunt Zhou, and it was an exceptionally sumptuous spread.

Perhaps because Ruan Su was in a good mood, she uncharacteristically brought out a bottle of wine and poured Ruan Xinyi a generous half glass.

With the atmosphere set just right, the two chatted while eating, and before they realized it, the wine bottle was nearly empty.

Ruan Xinyi, now slightly tipsy, was in a pleasantly light-headed state. As she ate the fruit Aunt Zhou had brought out for dessert, her mind wandered, wondering if Wen Xihan had returned by now…

Sitting across from her, Ruan Su noticed her distracted expression and found it amusing. Tapping her finger lightly on the table, she excused herself after a few minutes, claiming she had work to attend to—a subtle way of “sending her off.”

Ruan Xinyi was only too happy to oblige. She quickly grabbed her bag, ready to head back to her apartment.

Ruan Su “symbolically”¹ escorted her to the door and instructed Uncle Cheng to arrange a driver for her.

Since Ruan Xinyi had been drinking, the driver also needed to take her car back.

Uncle Cheng, concerned for her safety, called for two bodyguards to accompany her home and reminded them to notify Ruan Su once they arrived, either by call or message.

Ruan Xinyi glanced at Ruan Su, who stood silently at the door with her arms crossed. She nodded and said, “Got it, Uncle Cheng~”

Uncle Cheng bowed slightly as he opened the car door for her and whispered, just loud enough for her to hear, “Young Miss, the Madam actually cares about you a lot.”

After saying this, Uncle Cheng stepped back, his loving expression softening his features.

Leaning against the car door, Ruan Xinyi waved at Ruan Su before getting in. “Mom, I’m leaving. Bye!”

Ruan Su maintained her stern expression, her shadow under the light making her face seem unreadable.

However, in a moment unseen by Ruan Xinyi, Ruan Su tilted her head slightly, letting out a soft chuckle through her nose.

Standing nearby, Uncle Cheng caught the chuckle and held back his own laughter. He silently stood by Ruan Su, watching as the black Phaeton’s taillights disappeared into the distance.

Ruan Su brushed an imaginary speck of dust off her shoulder and tilted her slender neck to look at the sparse stars in the night sky. “Uncle Cheng, when you have time, prepare a room for me to use as a studio.”

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On the way back, Ruan Xinyi didn’t sit idle. She used her connections to look into Fu Fangbai.

Seeing the message she received, Ruan Xinyi transferred the money without hesitation.

Turning off the screen, the car interior dimmed noticeably.

Ruan Xinyi pinched the bridge of her nose, her mind uneasy. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Fu Fangbai wasn’t as simple as he appeared.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t meddle in such trivial matters. But since this involved Wen Xihan, she had no choice but to intervene.

She could only hope she was overthinking things.

“Young Miss, we’ve arrived,” one of the bodyguards said as he parked the car smoothly in the lot.

“Mm.” Ruan Xinyi yawned, covering her mouth. Her voice carried a trace of hoarseness, and her eyes were faintly red. “Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s no trouble. It’s our duty.”

The bodyguards escorted her into the apartment building. While waiting for the elevator, Ruan Xinyi pulled out her phone and said to them, “It’s late. You can head back now.” She then dialed Ruan Su’s number.

The two bodyguards exchanged glances and left quietly once the elevator doors closed.

“Hello, Mom. I’ve arrived.” Ruan Xinyi pressed the button for her floor and switched the phone to her other hand.

“Mm.” Ruan Su’s cool, clear voice came through the receiver. “Tomorrow is Monday. Go to bed early tonight.”

“Mm-hmm,” Ruan Xinyi replied obediently. “You should too, Mom.”

On the other end, Ruan Su pursed her lips tightly, suddenly unsure of what to say.

Uncle Cheng, standing nearby, gestured frantically, silently suggesting, “Madam, ask something more caring!”

Ruan Su picked up her wine glass with one hand and swirled it gently. Her tone softened slightly. “If there’s anything troubling you, even work-related, feel free to tell me.”

Ruan Xinyi chuckled lightly. “Got it, Mom. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“…” Ruan Su took a big sip of wine, her expression stiffening. “Mm, then rest early.”

“You should also rest early, and drink less wine, Mom.”

The motion of hanging up the phone paused. Ruan Su asked, “How did you know I was drinking?”

Ruan Xinyi’s tone turned mischievous. “I was guessing, but now I’m sure.”

Ruan Su tossed her phone aside and muttered with a smile, “This little rascal.”

As she stepped out of the elevator and unlocked her door, Ruan Xinyi noticed that the door across the hall wasn’t fully closed.

Clicking her tongue, she picked up her phone and opened her chat with Wen Xihan. After some hesitation, she backed out and started scrolling through her social media feed instead.

She hadn’t scrolled far before stopping.

Qi Jingning had posted an update half an hour ago—a photo with no caption.

Ruan Xinyi frowned slightly as she opened the photo. Unlike the dim, shadowy ambiance of the bar, the image appeared much brighter and more tranquil.

At a glance, Ruan Xinyi recognized it as the lounge at the back of the bar.

Two wine glasses, a half-empty bottle of red wine, and several plates of snacks sat on the table. Although no one appeared in the photo, the grapefruit placed conspicuously beside the wine decanter caught her attention.

The reason was simple—it was the same grapefruit Ruan Xinyi had peeled for Wen Xihan.

Half of the grapefruit’s flesh was gone. The remaining slices, plump and translucent, were neatly arranged inside one half of the rind. Under the red wine’s glow, they resembled gleaming rubies.

Biting her tongue hard to refocus, Ruan Xinyi zoomed in on the photo bit by bit, her gaze finally resting on the reflection in one of the wine glasses.

Although no faces could be seen, the reflection captured the clothing of the person drinking.

Carefully comparing the reflections on both glasses, Ruan Xinyi tentatively deduced that the person sitting across from Qi Jingning was likely Wen Xihan.

Ruan Xinyi pressed her lips together, recalling the night they first met. Wen Xihan had seamlessly taken a seat in the corner of the bar. By all accounts, many people should have approached her for conversation the moment she sat down.

But when Ruan Xinyi looked back, not only was no one trying to approach Wen Xihan, but the space around her was unusually quiet… as if she had been talking with someone important earlier, and that person’s presence had deterred others.

Moreover, Wen Xihan wasn’t a familiar face, nor a bar member, which suggested she might be a close friend of the owner.

So, was she a friend of Sister Jingning?

The peculiar phone call from Qi Jingning that night and her subtle probing afterward now seemed to make sense.

Exhaling heavily, Ruan Xinyi trembled as she found Qi Jingning’s number and dialed it.

“Sister Jingning…” As soon as the call connected, Ruan Xinyi’s mind went blank. She stammered for a long moment but couldn’t get another word out.

“Hmm? Xinyi, what’s the matter?”

Qi Jingning’s surroundings were so quiet that Ruan Xinyi could hear her own increasingly rapid breathing and pounding heartbeat.

Swallowing hard, Ruan Xinyi hesitated before asking, “Are you still drinking?”

Qi Jingning paused briefly. “Not anymore.”

“No, I meant…”

“Sister Jingning, I saw your post on Moments,” Ruan Xinyi explained.

“Huh?” Qi Jingning, slightly tipsy, didn’t quite grasp her meaning at first.

Ruan Xinyi asked again, “Is she still with you?”

Qi Jingning swallowed nervously, glancing at Wen Xihan, who was resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Lowering her voice, she replied, “Yes, she’s here.”

Pressing the elevator button, Ruan Xinyi said softly, “Alright, I’ll come to pick her up.”

“Hmm? Sure.”

As she hung up, Qi Jingning sat there in a daze, slowly processing what she had just agreed to. Realizing what she had done, she glanced guiltily at Wen Xihan, who was eating grapefruit.

Mistaking the look as a request, Wen Xihan hesitated for a moment before splitting the grapefruit in two, handing the smaller half to Qi Jingning.

Qi Jingning awkwardly accepted it, clearing her throat before cautiously saying, “Xihan, tomorrow is Monday, right?”

“Yes,” Wen Xihan replied curtly.

“Will you be heading back then?” Qi Jingning asked tentatively.

Wen Xihan checked the time, then resumed eating her grapefruit. “I’ll stay a bit longer.”

Letting out a barely noticeable sigh of relief, Qi Jingning deliberated before adding, “Xihan, someone might be coming over soon.”

Wen Xihan’s eyelids lifted slightly. “Someone?”

“Yes,” Qi Jingning said with mock seriousness. “I think it’s important for you two to meet in person.”

“Oh,” Wen Xihan responded nonchalantly, assuming it was one of Qi Jingning’s friends. She didn’t mind meeting someone briefly.

Twenty minutes later, estimating that Ruan Xinyi would have arrived by now, Qi Jingning nervously revealed a bit more. “Xihan, actually… you’ve met this person before.”

“???” Wen Xihan, mid-sip of wine, almost choked. “We’ve met?”

Qi Jingning nodded and pulled up the photo from Moments, carefully explaining, “I just posted this earlier. There’s no one in the picture, just this setup, but somehow she figured out you were here with me and said she’s coming… to pick you up.”

Wen Xihan’s eyelid twitched. “Pick me up?”  

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1. 象征性 (symbolically) – Ruan Su sending Ruan Xinyi off in a "symbolic" manner means she did it out of politeness or as a gesture rather than a serious or emotional farewell.

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