The hand holding the letter tightened until her knuckles turned white.
Even now, after everything that had happened, her muddle-headed father was still thinking about that woman who had deceived him for half his life.
Liu Shufen.
Just hearing the name made a cold light flash through Ruan Wen’s eyes.
In her previous life, she had never understood why her father had favored Liu Shufen and her daughter so much.
He had trusted them, protected them, and practically handed over everything the Ruan family owned.
By the time he finally learned the truth, it was too late.
The Ruan family was ruined.
She herself had been trapped in a living hell.
And now, according to the letter, he was still blaming himself and still missing that woman.
A wave of bitterness rose in her chest.
For a moment, she did not know whether to feel angry or sad.
A knock suddenly sounded at the door.
“Ruan Wen?”
It was Lu Jingheng’s voice.
She quickly folded the letter and tucked it away.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
Lu Jingheng stepped inside carrying a plate of freshly cut fruit.
His ears were still slightly red from the breakfast disaster.
“I asked Mom to help. This time I didn’t touch the stove.”
His serious expression made Ruan Wen almost laugh.
She accepted the plate.
“Thank you.”
Only then did Lu Jingheng notice that something seemed off about her mood.
The smile in her eyes was gone.
Her face looked calm, but there was a trace of loneliness that he could not ignore.
His heart tightened.
“Did something happen?”
Ruan Wen hesitated before shaking her head.
“Nothing important.”
If it had been anyone else, the conversation would have ended there.
But Lu Jingheng remained standing.
He scratched the back of his head.
“Look, I know you don’t like talking about your troubles.”
“But if there’s something bothering you, you don’t have to handle it all alone.”
His voice was awkward but sincere.
“We’re… at least friends, right?”
Ruan Wen froze.
Friends.
No one had ever used that word with her before.
In her previous life, she had devoted everything to her husband and family, only to be betrayed.
After her rebirth, she had built walls around herself, refusing to rely on anyone.
Yet this man kept trying to step closer—not out of calculation, not out of obligation, but simply because he cared.
The room fell quiet.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the dust motes drifting in the air.
After a while, Ruan Wen finally spoke.
“My father sent word.”
Lu Jingheng immediately became attentive.
“He’s doing alright physically.”
“But he still hasn’t let go of someone who hurt our family.”
A complicated expression crossed her face.
“Sometimes I wonder whether some people are born incapable of seeing the truth.”
Lu Jingheng listened quietly.
Then he said something completely unexpected.
“Maybe he sees it.”
Ruan Wen looked up.
“He just doesn’t want to accept it.”
Lu Jingheng leaned against the desk.
“My grandfather once had a comrade who trusted the wrong person and lost everything.”
“Everyone around him knew he was being deceived.”
“But he kept pretending he didn’t.”
“Not because he was stupid.”
“Because admitting the truth meant admitting he’d wasted years of his life on the wrong person.”
His voice was calm.
“Sometimes accepting reality hurts more than living with a lie.”
Ruan Wen stared at him.
For the first time, she realized that beneath his straightforward and occasionally clumsy exterior was someone who understood more than he let on.
Lu Jingheng shrugged.
“Anyway, that’s just my guess.”
“If your father really misses that woman, then that’s his problem.”
“You don’t owe him your life.”
“You don’t owe anyone that.”
The words struck her harder than he knew.
You don’t owe anyone that.
In her previous life, she had spent years sacrificing herself for other people.
Her father.
Her husband.
Her family.
Everyone except herself.
For a brief moment, the heaviness in her chest eased.
“Thank you.”
The words slipped out naturally.
Lu Jingheng blinked.
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
“You thanked me.”
Ruan Wen immediately regretted it.
“Forget I said anything.”
“No chance.”
His grin widened.
“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
Looking at his ridiculous expression, Ruan Wen finally couldn’t help smiling.
The sunlight outside grew warmer.
And for the first time since reading the letter, the bitterness in her heart no longer felt quite so overwhelming.