Chapter 54

Wen Xihan had no idea what Ruan Xinyi was thinking. She simply assumed that Ruan Xinyi was feeling uncomfortable. Without a word, she quietly pulled down the hem of her clothes, covering her waist completely.

She rubbed her fingertips together, as if trying to erase the lingering warmth and softness she had just felt. But it was futile. A faint scent of roses still clung to the air around her—fresh and elegant, like a flower bud waiting to bloom after the rain, its dewdrops glistening. Soft yet alluring, it tempted one to pluck it.

Especially a flower bud with thorns so delicate they barely pricked. The kind best suited to be plucked along with its tender green stem and leaves, placed in an exquisite vase, and admired as it slowly unfurled—each petal blossoming into its full beauty, delicate and stunning, bringing a sense of satisfaction.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Xihan loosely clenched her hand into a fist, maintaining a gentlemanly posture, and forced herself to stop thinking about unnecessary things.

She paused, suppressing the ticklish sensation of Ruan Xinyi’s warm breath against her neck. Turning her head away somewhat awkwardly, she asked, “Still numb?”

“Numb,” Ruan Xinyi answered in a muffled voice, sounding inexplicably aggrieved.

Wen Xihan had no choice but to endure the sensation and continue supporting her for a few more minutes.

“How about now?”

Ruan Xinyi tentatively moved her leg. A bone-deep tingling shot through her, making her gasp sharply. Instinctively, she tightened her arms around Wen Xihan’s shoulders to steady herself as her upper body swayed.

Wen Xihan’s arm instinctively tightened around Ruan Xinyi’s waist, holding her even more securely.

The distance between them shrank further.

Soft and warm as jade, the faint fragrance of roses drifted between them, teasing Wen Xihan in a way that was both subtle and persistent. Yet the person in her arms remained completely oblivious—so pure, like an innocent child. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, as if genuinely distressed by the numbness in her legs, her frustration tinged with grievance.

This soft and meek appearance of Ruan Xinyi was no different from when she was a child asking for favors.

"Sorry, sister." Ruan Xinyi lowered her head, her voice carrying obvious guilt.

"It's fine." Wen Xihan subtly relaxed her grip, quietly putting a barely perceptible distance between them.

Ruan Xinyi slowly turned around, stiffly moving one leg forward. Once she steadied herself, she forced a weak smile and said feebly, "I feel much better now. Sister, let me walk on my own."

Wen Xihan stared at her for a few seconds, her thin lips pressing together slightly before she withdrew her gaze, gradually loosening her grip.

Of course, she didn’t let go completely—she simply maintained her original posture while keeping a bit of distance from Ruan Xinyi.

Feeling Wen Xihan had finally released her hand, Ruan Xinyi pinched her thigh, her smile growing even more forced. She struggled to suppress the disappointment in her eyes as she laboriously moved her legs, slowly and painfully making her way toward her room.

From Wen Xihan’s angle, Ruan Xinyi had her jaw clenched, her delicate profile tense. She looked as if she was relying entirely on herself, but in reality, she was stubborn and strong-willed—almost as if she was doing it out of sheer defiance.

After watching Ruan Xinyi struggle to take just two steps, Wen Xihan could no longer bear it. She stepped forward, wrapped an arm around Ruan Xinyi’s waist, and pulled her into her embrace. Keeping her expression neutral, she adjusted her breathing and stated matter-of-factly, "I’ll support you."

"This will be faster."

The two of them were nearly the same height, but since Ruan Xinyi’s legs were numb, she hunched slightly, making her appear a little shorter than Wen Xihan. Now, held like this, she was practically nestled in Wen Xihan’s arms—soft and delicate.

"Uh…" Ruan Xinyi stiffened for a moment, but when she accidentally glanced down and saw the hand loosely holding her waist, all her discomfort vanished in an instant.

She sniffled, lowered her head, and clutched at the fabric of her pants, carefully crafting her tone as she asked, "Sister… are you annoyed that I walk too slowly?"

Out of Wen Xihan’s sight, Ruan Xinyi did her best to suppress the smile tugging at her lips. Her slightly curled pinky trembled, and her slender shoulders quivered just a little—making her look utterly pitiful, weak, and helpless.

To be fair, she really did look convincing in this pitiful state. It was hard not to be moved.

But Wen Xihan still suspected Ruan Xinyi was faking it.

After all, this little troublemaker had used the same act to fool plenty of people as a child, only to grow up into the audacious brat she was now.

She looked like an innocent, harmless little rabbit—soft and easy to bully. But in reality, she was a cunning little fox, full of tricks and mischief.

"No." Wen Xihan’s voice remained as calm as ever, though her temple twitched almost imperceptibly.

Without changing her expression, she continued, "I just don’t want you to lose your balance and fall." If that happened, she really wouldn’t know how to explain it to Ruan Su.

Not that she was in much better shape herself right now.

"…" Ruan Xinyi exhaled heavily, grinding her molars. "I won’t. I’m not that fragile."

"Mm." Wen Xihan still didn’t let go, supporting Ruan Xinyi step by step toward her room.

Actually, after just three steps, the numbness in Ruan Xinyi’s legs had eased significantly. But Wen Xihan continued holding her as if she hadn’t noticed the improvement.

Such a rare opportunity—of course, Ruan Xinyi wasn’t going to waste it. She dragged her steps with exaggerated effort, pretending her legs were still terribly numb, walking at an excruciatingly slow pace. She was just shy of actually dragging her feet across the floor.

It wasn’t until they finally reached her room that Ruan Xinyi let out a long breath.

Just as she was about to reach for the doorknob, a slender, fair hand beat her to it, gently pushing the door open.

"Still numb?" Wen Xihan furrowed her brows as she glanced at Ruan Xinyi’s legs. Her tone was indifferent, but deep in her eyes, there was a trace of concern.

"Much better now." Avoiding Wen Xihan’s probing gaze, Ruan Xinyi dutifully patted her legs and spoke softly, "Thank you, sister. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve had a very close encounter with the floor today."

Despite her words, she made no effort to leave Wen Xihan’s arms.

"Mm." Wen Xihan didn’t seem to notice anything amiss and continued to support her as they moved toward the bed.

Perhaps because of the dim lighting, Wen Xihan couldn’t shake the feeling that this room was slightly smaller than hers. The layout was nearly identical, but the one notable difference was how much tidier this room was.

The little troublemaker had even replaced the bedsheets and comforter with her own and arranged everything meticulously. There wasn’t a single wrinkle in sight—a clear sign that she hadn’t yet laid on the bed or even sat on it.

So at this moment, as Wen Xihan eyed the pristine bed, a mischievous thought crossed her mind. She wanted to mess it up—to ruffle the sheets.

Ruan Xinyi obediently let Wen Xihan help her sit on the edge of the bed.

Perhaps Ruan Xinyi’s movement was too natural, or maybe Wen Xihan had already noticed something off about her legs earlier. Because the moment Ruan Xinyi sat down, Wen Xihan casually flipped her hair and let out a low, ambiguous chuckle. "Finally not numb anymore?"

The room wasn’t well-lit, and with Wen Xihan standing over her, Ruan Xinyi had to tilt her head back to meet her gaze. The dim lighting cast soft shadows on Wen Xihan’s face, highlighting her sharp jawline and the slight curve of her thin lips.

With her glasses obscuring her eyes, it was hard to discern her expression. But Ruan Xinyi guessed it was amusement.

Tilting her chin slightly, Ruan Xinyi met Wen Xihan’s gaze head-on, her long hair cascading over her shoulder in gentle waves. She smirked and said with composure, "Not numb anymore. Honestly, by the time we got to the room, it wasn’t really numb anymore."

Wen Xihan was briefly surprised by Ruan Xinyi’s honesty. But the next second, she heard the little troublemaker say, "I was actually surprised that you helped me today, sister. You’re not like my mom. Last time, when I got up from the couch and nearly collapsed because my legs were numb, she actually looked disappointed and said, ‘Huh? You didn’t fall?’ Tell me, is that something a real mother would say?"

Wen Xihan: "…"

"Aren't you afraid your dear mother will find out that you're slandering her like this in public?"

Wen Xihan swallowed silently, feeling a bit embarrassed. "President Ruan isn't that kind of person."

Ruan Xinyi sighed and shook her head, her tone filled with deep conviction. "No, you don’t understand her."

Wen Xihan: "…"

No, I actually understand her quite well. It’s you I don’t really understand.

She rubbed her temples, unwilling to deal with this infuriating little troublemaker any longer. Turning around, she headed out. "It’s past six. I’ll wait for you outside."

Hearing the soft sound of the door closing, Ruan Xinyi pouted. She got up and picked a light-colored, long dress from her neatly arranged wardrobe, then carefully selected a knitted cardigan to go with it.

After changing, she smoothed her long hair in front of the mirror and quickly applied a natural-looking, innocent makeup look.

Wen Xihan had been waiting in the living room for more than ten minutes. When she first caught sight of Ruan Xinyi, she was momentarily stunned by how convincingly harmless she appeared.

At that moment, Ruan Xinyi looked exactly like the woman in the photograph—her entire presence exuded innocence. Her gentle smile, clear and pure eyes, and fresh, elegant aura made her seem like a breath of spring air—warm and comforting.

That impression lasted right up until Ruan Xinyi opened her mouth.

"Sister, I'm ready."

Wen Xihan snapped back to reality, and when she looked at Ruan Xinyi again, all she saw in those eerily familiar eyes—so much like Ruan Su’s—was mischief, barely concealed behind a seemingly innocent gaze.

As expected, a little fox raised by an old fox.

"Let's go, then." Wen Xihan picked up her bag and stepped out of the suite first.

Ruan Xinyi followed a step behind, entering the elevator while checking the location of a Western restaurant she had pre-set on her phone. Then, she switched to a ride-hailing app. "The car will arrive in about two minutes. By the time we get downstairs, it should be just right."

Ding—

The elevator stopped on the next floor.

Seeing two people about to enter, Ruan Xinyi instinctively moved a little closer to Wen Xihan. She memorized the license plate of their ride and then casually switched back to a chat app, replying to a few trivial messages.

The two of them weren’t standing too close, but while texting, Ruan Xinyi didn’t bother to hide her screen from Wen Xihan. With just a quick glance, Wen Xihan caught sight of two pinned conversations.

One had a familiar profile picture—it was Ruan Su. Ruan Xinyi had saved the contact as [Mom].

The other contact, however, had her own profile picture, but the saved name appeared to be an emoji.

After finishing her messages, Ruan Xinyi turned off her screen and slipped her phone into her bag, giving Wen Xihan no chance to clearly see which emoji it was.

The elevator soon reached the first floor.

After the other two passengers stepped out, Wen Xihan casually leaned on her palm, her expression natural, as if she wasn’t fishing for conversation at all.

"What’s for dinner?"

Ruan Xinyi, however, decided to be playful, flashing a sly smile. Her bright eyes looked pure but carried a hint of mischief.

"Take a guess."  

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