Ning Ruohuan held a book she was halfway through, the quiet of the study broken only by the occasional rustle of turning pages.
Outside was gloomy, but inside remained bright and warm.
Ever since the day of their near-argument, the atmosphere between her and Luo Yanzhi seemed to have fallen into an indescribable state.
Raindrops beat rhythmically against the windowpane. Ning Ruohuan looked up from her book and closed the window, which had been left open just a crack.
Counting the days, the date for the Ning and Luo families to finalize their wedding schedule was fast approaching.
When the two families first arranged the political marriage, various factors had prevented them from setting a specific date. Over the past few years, as the Ning family’s influence waned, the date had been pushed back repeatedly. It wasn’t until recently, with shifting circumstances making further delays impossible, that the Luo family finally relented.
A flicker of warmth surfaced in Ning Ruohuan’s eyes. She still harbored expectations for Luo Yanzhi. In her eyes, although Luo Yanzhi was arrogant and sometimes spoke without thinking, she hadn’t done anything truly unforgivable; everything remained within the realm of what Ruohuan could accept.
Before meeting Luo Yanzhi, she had heard far harsher words and witnessed much uglier scenes.
She let out a soft sigh. Her phone, placed to the side, had been ringing incessantly. Ning Ruohuan watched the traces of water wandering down the window for a moment before finally answering the call.
“Ruohuan, why did it take you so long to pick up?” a voice on the other end suppressed its dissatisfaction.
Ning Ruohuan replied tonelessly, “Mom, the ringer was off. I just saw it.”
Ning Lan didn’t dwell on it, asking tentatively, “Are you with Yanzhi?”
Ning Ruohuan walked to the bedside and pushed the window wide open, letting the wind and rain lash against her face. “I’m not.”
“You’re at home?” Learning that Luo Yanzhi wasn’t there, Ning Lan’s tone became much more aggressive. “How many times have you come back these past few years? Do you even care about me as your mother, or about this family?”
Ning Ruohuan listened in silence.
“Forget it, I won’t lecture you.” Realizing her tone was off, Ning Lan softened slightly and cut straight to the chase. “Regarding your wedding date with Luo Yanzhi—has she said when it will be?”
Ning Ruohuan said, “Not yet. Aren’t we waiting for both families to discuss it together before finalizing it?”
Ning Lan’s voice dropped significantly as she spoke to someone beside her. Ning Ruohuan caught a few stray words, but they weren’t clear.
A slight frown creased her brow, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. If she hadn’t misheard, that sounded like her younger cousin’s voice.
Her relationship with her cousin was average at best. Before she moved in with Luo Yanzhi, they wouldn’t even trade glances when they met; they only performed the act of sisterly affection in public.
Having not seen each other for years, Ning Ruohuan wasn’t sure how to play the part. Fortunately, she could pretend she hadn’t heard the other girl’s voice and didn’t know she was there.
About half a minute later, Ning Lan’s voice returned. “Ruohuan, are you free in the next few days? I have something to discuss with you.”
The schemes plotted in person were always more hurtful than those over the phone. Watching a relative belittle you like a blade was worse than the clean break of a telephone line. Ning Ruohuan found an excuse: “Mom, these next few days probably won’t work. I have things to do here. When it’s time to discuss the wedding date with the Luo family, I’ll go over with Yanzhi.”
Something in that sentence must have displeased someone on the other end. Ning Ruohuan heard a dispute break out, followed by a faint clattering sound. After a moment, a deep male voice appeared. “Ruohuan, it’s me.”
Ning Ruohuan tucked the book back onto the shelf and hummed in acknowledgment. After a few seconds, she slowly added the title: “Grandfather.”
Ning Yuan’s cane thumped loudly against the floor. Unlike Ning Lan, his stance was forceful. “I don’t care what your reasons are. Get back here right now!”
Ning Ruohuan: “…And if I don’t?”
“You—” Ning Yuan was choked off for a moment before shouting with full vigor, “Ning Ruohuan, the candidate for this marriage…”
“Sister.” The study door was pushed open, cutting Ning Yuan off.
Luo Yanzhi’s tall, slender figure appeared in the room. Seeing Ning Ruohuan on the phone, she tilted her head and smiled. “Did I interrupt you, Sister?”
Despite her words, she walked over and unceremoniously pressed down on Ning Ruohuan’s wrist to glance at the caller ID on the screen.
“Hello, Auntie Ning,” Luo Yanzhi greeted the person on the other end with a beaming smile.
Ning Yuan choked, but reacted quickly, saying charitably to Luo Yanzhi, “Oh, it’s Yanzhi.” He handed the phone to Ning Lan and said kindly, “Yanzhi is saying hello to you.”
A mocking curl touched Ning Ruohuan’s lips.
Knowing it was Ning Yuan speaking, Luo Yanzhi said politely, “Hello, Grandpa Ning. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to visit. Please accept my apologies. Next time, Sister and I will come to see you together.”
Ning Yuan chuckled heartily. “Good, good. Grandpa welcomes you anytime. You youngsters enjoy each other’s company; I won’t disturb you any longer.”
After a few more pleasantries, the call ended.
Luo Yanzhi casually released Ning Ruohuan’s arm. Her slender fingers slid across the unlocked phone, quickly scanning the call logs.
Most were logs with her, so there was nothing suspicious.
She swiped up and noticed an unread message in the inbox, clicking it instinctively.
Below the red dot were “spam” messages marked in crimson text.
Ning Ruohuan’s expression shifted slightly. “Have you seen enough?”
Luo Yanzhi clicked the message; it was indeed mindless junk—garbled letters and numbers. She took Ning Ruohuan’s thumb to press the power button, and the screen went dark.
She said with a smile, “Sister, you should click on fewer of these messy things. It would be bad if your phone got a virus.”
It was only two in the afternoon; Luo Yanzhi had returned home remarkably early today.
Luo Yanzhi explained, “I left a document at home. I was going to have my secretary fetch it,” she paused, a sweet line rolling off her tongue effortlessly, “but I missed you, Sister, so I came back myself.”
She leaned in close to Ning Ruohuan, her exquisite features magnifying in the other’s amber eyes. Her moist red lips pressed down in a brief, light kiss.
Their breaths mingled. Ning Ruohuan’s throat moved, but she hadn’t forgotten Ning Yuan’s interrupted sentence. She braced her hands against Luo Yanzhi’s shoulders, applying slight pressure to separate the woman who was nearly clinging to her. Looking into the other’s puzzled eyes, she asked, “Yanyan, aren’t you going to ask me why they called?”
Luo Yanzhi let her hand slide down the other’s arm. Her fingers brushed against a hard object on Ning Ruohuan’s finger. She looked down to see a diamond ring reflecting the cold light.
Covering the ring with her palm, Luo Yanzhi looked up and smiled gracefully.
“The affairs and arrangements of your family, Sister… it is not my place to intervene.”