Volume 1 Chapter 13 You Are the Other Woman
Li Minglan turned his head. “No reason. By the way, I’m back today. Don’t you have anything to give me?”
Ruan Wan blinked in confusion.
After a moment, she actually thought of something and lowered her head to rummage through her bag.
Li Minglan pretended not to know that Ruan Wan was going to give him a pen.
He cleared his throat and said in an impatient tone, “Found it yet? I’m tired and want to go upstairs to sleep. I already told you, don’t think I’ll like you even if you give me… Wait, bills?”
Yes, Ruan Wan handed him a stack of bills.
She explained, “These are receipts for electricity, water, gas, property fees, and so on. I’ve been paying all the expenses since we got married three months ago. But I think, since we’re husband and wife after all, we should split the costs from now on.”
Li Minglan gritted his teeth. “Is that all?”
Ruan Wan thought for a moment. “There’s also Aunt Zhao’s salary, but since I hired her and you don’t stay here often, you don’t need to split that.”
Li Minglan: “…”
He took a deep breath, his chest still feeling tight, and opened his mobile banking app to transfer money to Ruan Wan. “I’m not so petty as to make you split these miscellaneous expenses with me. Is one million enough?”
Ruan Wan nodded. “That should be enough. Please remember to add a note: voluntary gift.”
Li Minglan: “…”
After transferring the money, his entire demeanor turned gloomy.
Seeing Ruan Wan about to return to her room, he stepped onto the stairs first, childishly squeezing past her to reach the bedroom, then slammed the door shut.
But Ruan Wan didn’t care at all.
After receiving the money, she was in a great mood.
The warm lamplight shone on her face, illuminating her delicate features and faint dimples.
She returned to her bedroom, took a shower, and comfortably held her laptop. After replying to the racing team’s offer that was competing to recruit her, she created a new document and solemnly typed the words “Resignation Letter” on the keyboard.
Soon, she would return to the industry she loved.
With Li Yuan stepping in to tell the old master the truth about the “fake pregnancy” and “fake marriage,” even if the old master got angry, he wouldn’t do anything to her out of respect for Li Yuan.
She would soon break free from the role of “Li Minglan’s cannon fodder ex-wife,” stay away from the main storyline of the male and female leads, and become the one and only Ruan Wan again.
Late at night.
She lay on her pillow and enjoyed a rare, peaceful sleep.
Thursday.
Weather forecast: Sunny.
The sun was bright, and the sky was clear and cloudless—Jiangcheng hadn’t seen such good weather in a long time.
In the morning, as soon as Ruan Wan went downstairs, she saw Li Minglan having breakfast.
He leisurely took a sip of black coffee. “You don’t need to drive today. I’m heading in the same direction, so I’ll have the driver take you. After you finish work, we’ll go to the airport together.”
“As you say.”
Ruan Wan smiled, her usual good-natured self.
Li Minglan stared at her for a while. Seeing her gentle smile still lingering on her face, it was as if yesterday’s unusual behavior had just been his own illusion.
Ruan Wan sat at the dining table and picked up a piece of toast spread with butter.
Actually, she didn’t really like Western-style breakfasts.
Usually, Aunt Zhao would make a variety of breakfasts like noodles, wontons, or steamed buns, paired with a bowl of sweet porridge, which warmed her up completely.
But Li Minglan didn’t like them, so whenever he stayed over, Ruan Wan would ask Aunt Zhao to change the breakfast menu.
After eating half a slice of toast, Ruan Wan didn’t feel like having any more.
Across from her, Li Minglan cast a leisurely glance. “Eating like a bird, huh? No need to eat less just because I’m here. Take Shen Zhizhi, for example—she wouldn’t…”
He abruptly stopped, realizing he had mentioned a name he shouldn’t have.
Ruan Wan was exasperated by Li Minglan’s overconfidence but still played along, reacting as a “wife hearing her husband compare her to another woman.”
Her dark brows furrowed slightly. “Shen Zhizhi? The girl from the underground parking lot at MixC?”
“None of your business.”
Li Minglan suddenly stood up, his expression turning cold.
When the two of them shared a car later, he remained silent the entire time, dropping Ruan Wan off a kilometer away from the magazine office.
This was a bridgehead—hard to hail a taxi, with no buses or subways in sight.
Ruan Wan didn’t argue and got out of the car.
She knew Li Minglan well—childish, impulsive, and utterly self-centered… She couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath and decided to walk to work.
Fortunately, just after stepping out of the car, she ran into Li Jing.
Li Jing had her hazard lights on and was parked by the roadside. “Guangguang, it really is you! Why did you get off here? Did your ride-hailing driver ditch you? How awful!”
Ruan Wan shook her head. “It wasn’t a ride-hailing driver. It was my husband.”
Li Jing was surprised.
But she didn’t press further, warmly inviting Ruan Wan into her car and handing her a bag of steamed buns.
“Talk about a coincidence! My mom made these buns today—green bean and braised pork filling. She specifically asked me to bring you some. Who knew I’d run into you on the way? Eat them while they’re hot—they’re delicious!”
“Love you! Thank your mom for me~”
Ruan Wan took the bag and took a small bite. The soft, fluffy dough steamed with heat, soaked in glistening, savory broth.
“Good, right?” Li Jing asked with a smile.
Ruan Wan leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes contentedly. “Mhm, really good!”
Ruan Wan carried the buns all the way to the office, munching as she went, and bumped straight into Gao Yue.
Gao Yue’s eyes were bloodshot, but when she saw Ruan Wan, they gleamed with an eerie excitement.
Li Jing jumped in fright. “Zombies! There’s a zombie in the office!”
Hearing this, other colleagues rushed out to see what was happening.
Gao Yue: “…”
She had taken an overnight slow train back.
She did look half-dead.
But that wasn’t important. She had come back early specifically to gloat over Ruan Wan’s misfortune!
“Our editorial department doesn’t have zombies, but it does have homewreckers.” Gao Yue insinuated, then turned to Ruan Wan. “Team Leader Ruan, you said you’re married, but how come none of us have ever seen your husband?”
Ruan Wan: “Afraid you’d get ideas, that’s why.”
Gao Yue: “…”
Pfft—
The colleagues couldn’t hold back their laughter.
Gao Yue’s face flushed red with anger. “Ruan Wan, I saw it with my own eyes today—you were dumped on the side of the road by your so-called ‘husband’ on your way here! What’s the matter? Is your husband too shameful to be seen, or are you?”
She was practically calling Ruan Wan a homewrecker outright.
Tension filled the air.
Just then, Lin Yuying stepped forward, her voice soft and soothing. “Xiao Yue, if Guangguang doesn’t want us to meet her husband, she must have her reasons.”
Her words sounded like an attempt to mediate but felt more like adding fuel to the fire.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz—”
At that moment, the vibration of a phone interrupted their back-and-forth.
It was Ruan Wan’s phone ringing.
Two words flashed on the screen: Husband.
Everyone instinctively fell silent.
Ruan Wan was about to step aside to take the call when Gao Yue grabbed her wrist.
“Team Leader Ruan, is there something we shouldn’t hear? Or is it someone else’s husband?”
Amid the tussle, Gao Yue kept provoking her, even going so far as to answer the call without permission and turn on the speakerphone.
The office fell silent.
As soon as the call connected, a deep, pleasant male voice sounded, tinged with urgency.
“Ruan Wan, where are you? I turned back but didn’t see you.”
It was Li Minglan.
Ruan Wan glanced at the stunned Gao Yue and replied gently, “I ran into a colleague who offered me a ride. I’m already at the office. If you have things to do, please go ahead.”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Li Minglan on the other end continued, “What time do you finish work tonight? I’ll come pick you up.”