Outside the window, the wind and rain whispered softly, leaving damp trails winding across the diamond-patterned glass. Inside, the hazy glow of the lights enveloped the two people standing opposite each other.
Several feet separated them.
Hua Feng’s dark eyes, still and tranquil as a deep pool, rested on her lowered eyelids.
She really was a very beautiful girl.
She wore a sky-blue qipao embroidered with auspicious ruyi patterns and featuring a phoenix-fairy collar. It was simple, clean, and delicately charming without being excessive.
Her thin eyelids were tinged with pink, her eyelashes long and thick, and her skin as fine and smooth as white porcelain. Her thick, jet-black hair was pinned up at the back of her head, revealing a smooth, fair forehead.
Standing there with her graceful figure, she seemed to carry the lush, moist fragrance of greenery after the rain, enveloping him from head to toe.
She was, at first glance, a quintessential classical beauty.
But she seemed somewhat different from the image in his memory.
In truth, Hua Feng’s memories of her were already extremely vague.
Setting aside that accident that should never have happened, his impression of her was extremely one-dimensional:
A girl about the same age as A-Yao;
Very fair skin, with a hint of baby fat in her cheeks;
Shy and quiet.
That was all.
After two years apart, she seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight, the baby fat in her cheeks gone. Yet she had become considerably more lively.
Hua Feng looked at her and asked, “Have you graduated already?”
His voice was pleasant to listen to, steady and mellow, carrying a composed, tranquil quality.
But阮佳期’s heart trembled.
That voice had lingered in her dreams countless times.
Afraid of revealing any flaws, Ruan Jiaqi hid the turmoil raging inside her and merely gave a small nod in response.
Seeing her reaction, Hua Feng fell silent for a moment before asking, “Is your uncle and his family doing well?”
“They’re all doing well.”
Her voice was soft and gentle, her gaze remaining lowered the entire time.
Then Hua Feng fell silent.
The conversation came to an abrupt end.
Ruan Jiaqi had no idea that the anxiety and panic she thought she had hidden so well were, in Hua Feng’s eyes, as obvious as pebbles beneath a clear stream.
He watched as the lively, spirited girl from moments ago instantly reverted to the quiet, taciturn figure he remembered whenever she was alone with him.
She answered every question stiffly, as though she were being questioned by a dean of students.
It wasn’t that Hua Feng particularly preferred lively girls.
It was simply that the relationship between husband and wife had become so distant. Even though he had expected it, there was still an indescribable awkwardness.
So Hua Feng ended the small talk about her daily life.
His gaze shifted downward, landing on the faint reddish marks around her snow-white neck.
Against her pale skin, they looked almost frighteningly vivid.
His brows furrowed slightly. His gaze swept over her delicate chin and pearly earlobe, and his eyes darkened almost imperceptibly.
“A-Yan really went too far.”
Hua Feng’s voice was low. “I’ve already disciplined him. If he ever dares to act out of line with you again, call my assistant directly.”
Ruan Jiaqi pursed her lips and said softly, “Okay. I understand.”
Hua Feng withdrew his gaze and walked toward the sofa. He casually picked up his suit jacket, pulled a bank card from his card holder, and held it out to her.
“There’s ten million yuan on this. Take it and use it. Once the rain stops, have the driver take you away.”
Ruan Jiaqi’s eyes shot up, and a surge of urgency rushed through her heart. Without thinking, she took several steps forward.
Hua Feng lowered his eyes.
She grabbed the corner of his suit jacket.
Her fair fingertips were like freshly peeled water chestnuts, carefully pinching a tiny piece of fabric, as though she were afraid of upsetting him. Her grip was so light it was almost imperceptible.
Noticing his gaze, Ruan Jiaqi hesitated. Then her hand loosened, releasing him, and she lowered her head as she took half a step back.
A trace of helpless panic lingered in her fingertips.
Hua Feng lowered his gaze and quietly studied the expression on her face.
The man was tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a strong, solid back. Standing against the light and looking down at her, he radiated the cold, deep, imposing presence unique to a mature man.
Her eyes were crystal clear, so transparent that he could see straight to the bottom.
Standing so close, he caught the scent of his little wife.
A faint sweetness, like peony blossoms.
Very pleasant.
Disappointment was unmistakable in Ruan Jiaqi’s voice, and she sounded as though she were about to cry.
“…Could you please not send me away?”
Hua Feng raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on her face.
“Send you away?”
Ruan Jiaqi paused, tiny sparks of tears glimmering in her eyes.
“Isn’t this money… to pay for my trip away?”
Hua Feng was suddenly amused by her and laughed. His cold, sharply defined features relaxed.
“Ten million for travel expenses?”
“Are you planning to travel to the moon?”
She stared at him blankly for a moment, her ears warming from his teasing.
Outside, the rain grew heavier, pattering against the lush green banana leaves and cherry trees beneath the eaves.
Hua Feng placed the card in her palm and said calmly, “It’s compensation for you.”
Compensation?
Ruan Jiaqi lowered her head and stared at the little card in her palm.
Just because Hua Yan had grabbed her by the neck once, she could receive this much money?
“Don’t you like the house at Jinlan Residence?”
Hua Feng suddenly asked for no apparent reason.
Her lips moved slightly as she understood.
The words he had said earlier—“Have the driver take you”—weren’t meant to send her away. He had meant to have someone take her to Jinlan Residence.
The system appeared at precisely the right moment this time.
Its lazy, half-hearted tone carried a hint of tsundere annoyance.
【The house the male lead gave you two years ago is currently occupied by your uncle and his family. There’s no room left for you.】
【And, by the way, a friendly reminder: If the host doesn’t seize every opportunity to win over the male lead, you’ll DIE. A VERY. MISERABLE. DEATH. at the end of the story~】
Ruan Jiaqi immediately shook her head firmly at Hua Feng.
“I’m not going anywhere else. I’m staying here.”
Hua Feng frowned slightly.
“You don’t want to leave?”
She nodded vigorously.
Hua Feng gave her a long, searching look.
Apparently, A-Yan had truly frightened her.
“Move into the master bedroom tonight. Don’t stay in that servants’ room anymore.” His tone was indifferent.
That meant he agreed.
Before Ruan Jiaqi could even feel happy, she instinctively froze.
The room she had been staying in… was actually a servant’s room here?
…That room with its private bathroom, marble bathtub, walk-in closet, and even a balcony was merely where the servants stayed?
How astonishing.
People in this world really did live far too well.
“What happened to your wrist?”
Hua Feng seemed to ask casually, after merely glancing at it.
His sudden question brought her back to reality, though a trace of dazed confusion still lingered in her eyes.
She looked like a slightly wooden little porcelain doll.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just accidentally scraped it.”
Ruan Jiaqi instinctively covered her wrist.
“Did A-Yan do it?” Seeing her reaction, Hua Feng’s brows furrowed again.
Oh, this was…
If that was the case…
Ruan Jiaqi nodded despite her guilty conscience.
【Character deviation -5】
In an instant, Ruan Jiaqi felt as though the Queen Mother of the West had happened to pass by while taking a stroll and casually fed her a divine elixir.
Rich vitality surged through her body, nourishing her from head to toe. All the discomfort she had been experiencing disappeared in an instant, and even the faint wound on her wrist miraculously vanished.
Afraid Hua Feng would notice, she hurriedly hid that hand behind her back.
Seeing her nod, Hua Feng snorted coldly. Suppressing the anger in his eyes, he took out his phone and quickly sent a text message.
Although she had no idea what the message said, Ruan Jiaqi had a feeling…
Hua Yan was probably about to suffer again.
She did feel rather sorry about it.
But honestly, who could resist opening their mouth when a divine elixir was being fed directly to them?
Sigh.
She really was too wicked.
There was a saying: If one weren’t a sinner, how could one possibly end up in a place like this?
Apparently, she really did have a talent for doing evil.
“Why is your face suddenly so red? Are you sick?”
At some point, Hua Feng had stepped half a pace closer, his voice suddenly right beside her.
Feeling guilty like a thief caught in the act, Ruan Jiaqi instinctively widened her eyes.
“Um… Is my face really that red?”
Maybe she had simply gotten too much nourishment.
The next second, the back of his cool fingers lightly brushed against her forehead, as fleeting as a dragonfly touching water, before immediately pulling away.
“A little.”
The hazy light fell across Hua Feng’s handsome features, adding a few touches of gentle serenity to his otherwise stern face.
Their eyes met.
A subtle atmosphere spread through the silence between them, like a faint, elusive fragrance lingering and intertwining in the air.
Looking at the man before her, Ruan Jiaqi’s heart filled with a fluttering, lovestruck feeling, yet it was accompanied by an unbearable ache.
“I’m not sick. I’m just really happy.”
Her eyes curved into crescents, her vision slightly blurred. Almost with a silly smile, happiness spread across her face. Her entire body was immersed in the relief of having found him again, along with a secret sweetness and warmth.
Although the time and space had changed, and their identities were different, Ruan Jiaqi was willing to believe that he was still the same man.
Hua Feng looked at her. Deep within those tranquil black eyes, something seemed to freeze for the briefest moment.
“It’s getting late. Go take a hot bath, then get some rest early.”
“Okay.”
Ruan Jiaqi answered brightly. Then, as though suddenly remembering something, her shy gaze dropped. Her eyes were nevertheless dazzlingly bright, her cheeks flushing like the evening sky, while the smile at the corners of her lips resembled a tiny peach blossom.
A young girl’s feelings were as clear and visible as spring water.
Hua Feng’s gaze lingered briefly on her completely unguarded smile.
Something flickered deep in his eyes, vanishing as quickly as rain trails rippling across a glass window before his usual profound calm returned.
Bonus Scene:
Outside the study.
Hua Yan and Hua Yao were huddled together, one clutching his butt and the other cradling a little hand swollen like a pig’s trotter. They pressed themselves against the door, ears perked as they secretly listened.
Big Brother had already dealt with the two of them.
Surely that wicked woman would be next!
Hmph, hmph, hmph.
Ten minutes later, Hua Yan’s phone rang.
It was Hua Feng’s assistant.
“Young Master Hua, Mr. Hua just asked me to pass on a message. He said you don’t need to sleep tonight. You’re to kneel in the east wing of the old residence for the entire night.”
Hua Yan & Hua Yao: ═͟͟͞͞(꒪⌓꒪*)