Chapter 41

Wen Xihan’s voice was pleasant to the ear—clear and crisp, with a gentle, magnetic quality that made one feel at ease.

But at that moment, Ruan Xinyi couldn’t shake the feeling of unease rising in her chest.

To tell a lie, one needs countless others to cover it up.

Ruan Xinyi didn’t want to deceive Wen Xihan, but being caught so casually by her was a different matter.

Her lips twitched slightly, and Ruan Xinyi tried her best to keep her expression natural. She gave a sheepish smile, but the moment she met Wen Xihan’s deep gaze, she became flustered. She touched her nose and reluctantly asked, "How did you know, sister?"

Wen Xihan observed every change in Ruan Xinyi’s expression, raising an eyebrow. She suppressed the smile on her lips and replied softly, "I guessed."

But it wasn’t really a guess. After all, based on her understanding of Ruan Xinyi, this little brat had been pampered since childhood, and some habits were deeply ingrained. More importantly, when Li Mo came to pick her up, the parking space across from the apartment had been empty.

Moreover, from the photo Ruan Su had sent, it was easy for Wen Xihan to deduce that Ruan Xinyi must have driven back to Ruan's Family Mansion early that morning. It would take an hour to get here from there. If Ruan Xinyi hadn’t driven, Wen Xihan wouldn’t believe it for a second.

Ruan Xinyi: "..."

Wen Xihan lowered her gaze, suppressing the smile in her eyes. She then took a small bite of candy, letting the sweetness spread across her lips and teeth—sweet but not overly so, with a faint malt fragrance, filling her mouth with the familiar taste of memories.

Over the past ten years, A City had changed greatly, just like the person in front of her, who had changed so much that Wen Xihan almost didn’t recognize her.

Ruan Xinyi parked the car in the lot across from the lobster restaurant, which was a ten-minute walk away.

Wen Xihan ate the candy, walking neither fast nor slow, as though taking a leisurely stroll.

Ruan Xinyi, of course, couldn’t wait to chat with Wen Xihan the entire way. She wished the walk could last longer.

"Those two just now are my roommates. The taller one, with a somewhat cold look, is Cheng Yue, and the livelier one, who talks more, is Jiang Yun." Ruan Xinyi paused for a moment, then smiled and added, "By the way, they said they’ve seen you in the corridor. If you remember."

Wen Xihan had always had a great memory and recalled them as soon as she thought about it.

She hadn’t paid much attention back then, but now, with Ruan Xinyi’s mention, Wen Xihan could place them.

"Some impression," she said, tossing the last bit of candy wrapper into the trash.

"Cheng Yue is a top student. She’s been number one in our department for the past four years," Ruan Xinyi boasted without hesitation.

Wen Xihan glanced at her sideways and casually asked, "What about you?"

Ruan Xinyi smiled awkwardly and said, "I’m in the top three."

"..." Wen Xihan asked curiously, "Did you ever think about studying abroad?"

Ruan Xinyi smiled and said, "Cheng Yue has already received an offer from a foreign university, but my graduate school starts in two months."

Wen Xihan responded with a simple, "Oh," and didn’t press further. However, she thought back to what HR had said when she started her job: "This intern is the most capable among this batch and has also been accepted into A University’s graduate program. She’s coming for an interview just to experience it, even though her initial interview was with the logistics department..."

The logistics department interview seemed exactly like the kind of thing this little brat would do.

Wen Xihan also realized why Ruan Xinyi had suddenly switched to being an assistant. She also remembered an important detail—Ruan Xinyi was an intern for two months.

Two months. It wasn’t long or short, but with a quarter already passed, it felt like time was slipping by.

"Beep beep—"

Ruan Xinyi took out the car key, unlocked the car, and gently opened the passenger door. She smiled calmly and gestured for Wen Xihan to enter.

After Wen Xihan got in, Ruan Xinyi walked around to the driver’s seat. Once out of Wen Xihan’s sight, she wiped the sweat from her palms on her pants.

Wen Xihan buckled her seatbelt and noticed that Ruan Xinyi showed no intention of starting the car. She glanced at her suspiciously but didn’t rush her, silently waiting.

Taking a deep breath, Ruan Xinyi picked up a thermos cup from beside the armrest and drank to moisten her throat, gathering her words. She hesitated before speaking, "Sister, I just remembered that I had some wine during dinner..."

With a click, Ruan Xinyi unbuckled her seatbelt. "How about you drive?"

An eerie silence followed.

Wen Xihan pursed her lips and said, "Call a chauffeur."

She had drunk a little red wine with Li Mo at dinner.

"Okay." Ruan Xinyi took another sip of water, biting the inside of her lip. After two tries, she finally closed the thermos cup.

The chauffeur arrived quickly. Ruan Xinyi handed him the car key and sat in the back seat with Wen Xihan.

She poked Wen Xihan’s elbow with her finger and pointed to the storage compartment by the door. "There’s mineral water."

Not long ago, she had eaten candy, and the lingering sweetness on her lips was now overtaken by a thirst she couldn’t ignore.

She gratefully said, "Thank you."

Although the cold mineral water wasn’t as comforting as the warm water in the thermos, it helped ease Wen Xihan’s thirst somewhat.

Ruan Xinyi rolled down the window slightly and relaxed, leaning against the seat. With the dim light from the streetlamp, she gazed intently at Wen Xihan’s profile. "Sister?"

"Mm?" Wen Xihan responded, her slightly magnetic voice laced with an unexpected laziness.

As they reached a red light, the glow of the streetlight illuminated Wen Xihan’s face, softening her previously aloof expression. Her peach blossom eyes were mesmerizing, and her lips looked moist in the light, so much so that Ruan Xinyi found herself entranced.

Noticing Ruan Xinyi’s gaze, Wen Xihan leaned forward slightly, the streetlight casting a warm glow on her shoulders, making her dark hair shimmer. The tips of her hair curled subtly, like small hooks, making Ruan Xinyi feel a stir within her.

"Sister." Ruan Xinyi swallowed nervously, then called out again, her voice noticeably softer than before.

Wen Xihan squinted slightly, her senses heightened. "What is it?"

At that moment, the car started moving again. The streetlights outside flickered on and off, casting shadows that made Wen Xihan’s face appear somewhat obscure.

"Nothing much," Ruan Xinyi leaned back slightly, her hand accidentally brushing against a sunflower. The crinkling of its packaging paper made a sharp noise that echoed awkwardly in the car.

Ruan Xinyi quickly withdrew her hand, then thought better of it and shifted the sunflower aside. "I just wanted to ask if you wanted to rest for a bit?"

She patted her own shoulder and offered, "You can lean on my shoulder for a while."

"..."

As expected, Wen Xihan didn’t respond.

Ruan Xinyi guessed she was probably rolling her eyes at her, gracefully and unapologetically. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see it right now—she was missing out on how cute Wen Xihan looked.

Clearing her throat, Ruan Xinyi mumbled, "Are you really not going to lean on me?"

Wen Xihan shifted slightly toward the car door, her actions silently answering Ruan Xinyi’s question.

"Fine." Ruan Xinyi sighed and changed the subject. "Sister, did you go to the hospital with Ms. Li to see her daughter?"

Wen Xihan raised her eyebrows slightly, her tone calm. "How did you know?"

Ruan Xinyi replied truthfully, "I saw you when I passed by the hospital this afternoon."

"I wasn’t asking about that." Wen Xihan had meant to ask how Ruan Xinyi knew she had gone to see Ms. Li’s daughter.

"Uh…" Ruan Xinyi scratched the back of her head and lowered her voice. "Actually, the Li Family has kept that matter under wraps. I always thought she was still abroad, but two months ago, my mom took me to the hospital to see her, and I found out they brought her back."

After hearing this, Wen Xihan wasn’t surprised. Although the Ruan family wasn’t as powerful as the Li family, they were old friends. Ruan Xinyi had even been classmates with that person. It wasn’t strange for Ruan Su to bring her along to visit.

Wen Xihan nodded slightly, signaling that she understood, but didn’t press further.

The car fell silent again.

Ruan Xinyi wanted to chat but couldn’t find the right topic. After all, they had already covered most of it during their walk in the plaza. Now, seeing Wen Xihan resting her eyes by the window, Ruan Xinyi didn’t want to disturb her. She leaned back herself, taking out her phone to distract herself with messages from her dorm group.

A few minutes earlier, Jiang Yun had sent a message saying that she and Cheng Yue had arrived at the dorm, with a photo of Cheng Yue organizing her suitcase.

Ruan Xinyi replied with an [ok] emoji.

"Buzz buzz—"

The next second, more messages from Jiang Yun popped up:

"Xinyi, what's your relationship with that big sister?"

"Is she the one living across from you? I saw her with Cheng Yue that morning?"

"Let me think... what did you say again?"

"You said you thought your boss was the most good-looking!"

Jiang Yun sent a screenshot.

"[Oh. Then you haven’t seen my boss yet.]"

"[Or you can think of it like this: To me, my boss is the most good-looking.]"

Ruan Xinyi’s lips twitched. Before she could click on the screenshot, Jiang Yun seemed to have made a realization, and her shocked messages came pouring in:

"Wait a second, Xinyi!"

"Didn't you say your boss was the most beautiful, a perfect example of 'a glance that takes your breath away,' and you were so stunned you even changed departments because of her?"

"So Xinyi, your neighbor is your boss?!"

"@Ruan Xinyi, come out and say something, you just replied, and now you’re gone???"

Ruan Xinyi sent a string of ellipses.

"Jiang Yun: Hurry up and say it, is she or isn’t she?"

"Ruan Xinyi: Yes, I’m currently pursuing her."

Jiang Yun replied with a thumbs-up emoji.

"Sister, you're the best."

Ruan Xinyi shook her head and laughed. "Let me catch her first, then we’ll talk."

As they neared the apartment entrance, the driver slowed down and asked from the back, "Miss, should I drive in?"

"Drive in," Ruan Xinyi put away her phone. Once the car was inside, she pointed to a parking spot. "This one."

"Okay."

After the driver parked, Ruan Xinyi transferred the payment and took the business card he handed her, tucking it into the armrest compartment.

Wen Xihan was about to open the car door when Ruan Xinyi stopped her with a word.

"Sister."

The streetlight was obscured by branches, and the car stopped perfectly in the shadow. It was very dark inside.

Wen Xihan turned her head slightly, unable to see Ruan Xinyi’s expression, but she felt the little devil’s voice was somehow... alluring.

"Close your eyes, please?"

As she spoke, Ruan Xinyi gently placed her hand over Wen Xihan’s forehead, covering her eyes.

Wen Xihan didn’t move, but she didn’t stop her either.

A warm sensation brushed against Wen Xihan’s lips. Ruan Xinyi whispered, "What should I do? I think I’m starting to like you more and more."

At the moment Ruan Xinyi kissed her, Wen Xihan froze for a moment.

This wasn’t the first time Ruan Xinyi had kissed her; they had kissed many times that night, but it was the first time it felt so brief.

Ruan Xinyi’s breath was warm, sending a tingling sensation down Wen Xihan’s neck. Her breath carried a sweet, malty fragrance, soft and tender. Honestly, Wen Xihan didn’t dislike it. In fact, she found it strangely pleasant.

But Wen Xihan also realized something—Ruan Xinyi didn’t smell of alcohol.

So this little trickster had lied to her?!

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