Chapter 57

Wen Xihan pressed her lips together tightly and gave Ruan Xinyi a meaningful glance for a few seconds before turning sideways to grab her bag. "Let's go."

Ruan Xinyi, slow to react, asked, "Where to?"

"..." Wen Xihan swallowed and hesitated before asking, "Aren't you still hungry?"

Ruan Xinyi: "???"

Her delicate face flushed slightly as she quietly explained, "I'm full."

"I meant, where are you planning to go, sister?"

Wen Xihan slightly moved her jaw and replied in a cold voice, "Just browsing around."

It was still a bit too early to return to the hotel, and since the shopping mall was right downstairs, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see what this little rascal was up to.

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Ruan Xinyi's eyes. She restrained the joy on her face and nodded, speaking in a rather reserved manner. "Alright. I was just thinking about what to buy for my mom. It's the perfect time to see if there's anything suitable."

Upon hearing this, Wen Xihan looked deeply at Ruan Xinyi and said ambiguously, "I didn't expect you to be so considerate."

Ruan Xinyi chuckled, her eyebrows relaxing. She said with a touch of pride, "There are many things you wouldn't expect, sister~"

Wen Xihan remained silent.

Yes, there were indeed many things she hadn’t expected.

Compared to Ruan Xinyi, they weren’t so different after all.

She rubbed her temples heavily, then stood up, her voice flat. "Let's go."

After leaving the restaurant, the two didn’t waste time and took the elevator directly to the top floor of the mall.

The top floor was full of luxury stores.

Ruan Xinyi browsed through a few shops, but nothing caught her eye.

Until she walked into a jewelry store.

She wandered around the shop and stopped in front of a necklace display.

Her fingers lightly tapped the cool glass as she pointed to a simple necklace and smiled at the sales associate. "That one—can I see it?"

The sales associate, maintaining a professional smile, put on white gloves and carefully took the necklace out of the glass case.

Ruan Xinyi examined the necklace, then turned to Wen Xihan and asked, "Sister, do you think this would make a good greeting gift for my little aunt?"

Wen Xihan: "???"

Does this little rascal even know what she’s saying?

Wen Xihan’s lips twitched twice, her gaze turning slightly awkward. After confirming that Ruan Xinyi’s actions were truly without malice, she allowed her tense heart to relax—though her steps still faltered imperceptibly.

She slowly walked over to Ruan Xinyi, her expression cold and seemingly indifferent. "You mean, for your little aunt?"

"Mm." Ruan Xinyi nodded. She looked down at the necklace, not noticing the subtle pause in Wen Xihan’s words. "I haven’t seen my little aunt in a long time. She’s not much older than you, so I imagine her preferences would be similar to yours."

"..." Wen Xihan’s temple twitched again. She gave a neutral, unhelpful response. "It's fine."

Ruan Xinyi thought for a moment before looking at a few more necklaces. Wen Xihan’s evaluations remained the same:

"It’s fine."

"Not bad."

"Alright."

Ruan Xinyi: "…"

She placed all the necklaces that had been taken out together and asked Wen Xihan to choose. "Then, sister, help me pick the most beautiful one."

Wen Xihan, suspecting that Ruan Xinyi was doing this on purpose, asked with hidden meaning, "Wasn’t this supposed to be for your little aunt?"

Ruan Xinyi replied without hesitation, "I think your taste is better than mine. The one you pick will definitely be nicer than any I choose."

Wen Xihan pursed her lips and seriously examined the necklaces before selecting the one Ruan Xinyi had originally asked to see. "This one."

"Good." Ruan Xinyi smiled broadly and told the sales associate, "Please wrap it up."

"Of course."

While the sales associate was wrapping the necklace, Ruan Xinyi turned around and smiled at Wen Xihan. "Sister, now help me pick something for my mom. What would be a good gift for her?"

Wen Xihan: "…"

A shadow passed over her peach blossom eyes. When she raised her gaze again, her expression was perfectly calm. She nodded and said in a soft voice, "Alright. Then after this, help me pick something for my niece."

"Niece?" Ruan Xinyi asked in surprise. "Is that your sister’s daughter?"

"Yes, her." As she spoke, Wen Xihan kept her eyes on Ruan Xinyi, not missing any change in her expression.

"Sure." Ruan Xinyi happily agreed, showing no reluctance.

But in her heart, she was thinking, "Her niece? She must be around five or six years old."

A five- or six-year-old kid—picking out a gift should be easy, right?

Wen Xihan walked to a few more display cases, then pointed to a diamond-encrusted brooch. "This one would be perfect for your mom."

Ruan Xinyi followed her gaze. The brooch was beautiful, of moderate size, with a sapphire in the center that shimmered faintly. It had a low-key vintage feel. Just as Wen Xihan said—it was indeed perfect for Ruan Su.

Without hesitation, Ruan Xinyi directly asked the sales assistant to wrap up the brooch while handing over a black card.

The sales assistant respectfully accepted it, her smile unchanged, but her tone now held a bit more reverence. "Alright, please wait a moment."

Ruan Xinyi clapped her hands and turned around, resting her elbow on the glass display case. With a smile, she asked, "Do you know what your little niece likes?"

Wen Xihan adjusted her glasses, her peach blossom eyes flickering slightly, and answered honestly, "I don’t know."

"Is that so?"

Wen Xihan thought Ruan Xinyi was about to say something else, but to her surprise, the next thing she asked was, "Do you have any peace locks here?"

Of course, this question was directed at the sales assistant.

The sales assistant, well-versed in all kinds of customer requests, wasn’t surprised at all and kindly gestured, "Yes, they’re over here."

Ruan Xinyi affectionately hooked her arm through Wen Xihan’s and followed the sales assistant to the display case with the peace locks.

Wen Xihan: "???"

This little devil is serious?!

A peace lock?!

How did she come up with that idea?!

At that moment, Wen Xihan’s mind was in complete disarray, unable to describe it with words.

Seeing Ruan Xinyi carefully picking one out, especially when she innocently chose a pure gold peace lock with a large "福" (blessing) character engraved on it, almost half the size of her palm, she asked seriously, "Sister, how about this one?"

Wen Xihan: "…"

Wen Xihan imagined the scene and couldn’t bear to watch, turning her head away. "If you like it, then it’s fine."

Yes, it’s something you chose for yourself, not just something that’s ‘fine’ for you…

Ruan Xinyi weighed the peace lock in her hand, thinking for a moment, then furrowed her brow and said, "It seems a bit heavy. A child would probably get a sore neck from wearing it for too long, right?"

The sales assistant immediately responded, "We have smaller ones here."

Wen Xihan: "…"

She glanced at Ruan Xinyi’s slender, fair neck and silently turned her gaze away. It should indeed be smaller…

No, what am I even thinking…

The sales assistant brought out several smaller versions, all made of pure gold. The main difference was in the character engraving.

Ruan Xinyi selected the smallest one, with the character written in clerical script and two shiny golden bells hanging from either side. It looked nice, quite suitable for a five- or six-year-old child—festive.

She held up the peace lock, asking proudly, "Sister, how about this one?"

Wen Xihan swallowed, then asked cautiously, "Do you like this kind?"

Ruan Xinyi jingled the little bells, the sound mixing with the tinkling of the bells. Her voice was still clear: "It looks pretty!"

Wen Xihan silently counted to two, then said to the sales assistant, "Wrap it up."

Ruan Xinyi, wanting to show off a bit, said, "Let’s swipe together."

Wen Xihan politely declined and handed over her card, "No need. This is for my little niece."

The words "little niece" were stressed.

"Okay." Seeing this, Ruan Xinyi didn’t insist and sincerely said, "Looks like next time I should get your little niece something as a greeting gift."

Wen Xihan nearly stumbled, biting her tongue sharply, then smiled, "If you’re happy, that’s all that matters."

Ruan Xinyi: "???"

Wait, is she mocking me?

Ruan Xinyi didn’t dwell on the matter for too long, as the sales assistant quickly finished wrapping everything and handed her a membership card.

"Welcome next time."

Ruan Xinyi picked up the beautifully packaged bag and walked out of the jewelry store with Wen Xihan.

"Do you want to shop some more, sister?"

Wen Xihan pressed the button for the first floor in the elevator. "No more shopping."

She feared that if they shopped any longer, she’d be driven mad by this little rascal.

"Alright." Ruan Xinyi sounded regretful. "Shall we just head back?"

Wen Xihan looked at her leisurely. "Where else do you want to go?"

"I don’t want to go anywhere. Wherever you go, I’ll go," Ruan Xinyi answered, thinking she was being very clever.

Wen Xihan gave her an exasperated look, took off her glasses, wiped them with the cloth in her bag, and then put them back on.

After receiving the eye-roll, Ruan Xinyi stopped trying to be playful, took out her phone, and started locating a ride.

---

On the way back, neither of them spoke.

Until Ruan Xinyi swiped her card to enter the house, and Wen Xihan followed closely behind. As she closed the door, she suddenly asked, "You heard everything, right?"

Ruan Xinyi didn’t want to lie, so she nodded. "Yeah, I heard everything."

When Ms. Shen had given her that meaningful look before heading to the bathroom, she understood and quietly followed her.

"Do you have any questions?" Wen Xihan asked again.

Ruan Xinyi’s throat moved slightly, and after a long pause, she spoke softly. "Sister, do you like me?"

An eerie silence.

"Do you want the truth?" Wen Xihan’s voice was light, her glasses reflecting cold light, hiding the expression in her eyes.

"Mm." Ruan Xinyi clenched her hands, her face showing a hint of stubbornness.

"Actually, I’m not sure either." Wen Xihan took off her glasses, revealing her flirtatious peach blossom eyes.

She smiled, the corners of her eyes curling slightly, exuding endless charm. "But it’s undeniable, I do like you."

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone with you to the hotel that night."

"Everyone’s heart is made of flesh. How could I not be moved by your kindness to me?"

"Ruan Xinyi, you’re the best gift I’ve received in this broken year."

"So?" Ruan Xinyi’s fingertips trembled slightly, fearing that Wen Xihan’s next words would be something she didn’t want to hear.

Wen Xihan extended her right hand. "So, let’s start over."

Ruan Xinyi held her hand and gently shook it, seeing no sign of rejection. She then pushed further, asking, "Sister, can you hug me?"

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