Thank you.” Ning Ruohuan took it and moved to close the door.
Luo Yanzhi blocked it with a leg. She said to the butler, “Go down first.”
The butler was more than happy to leave. “Yes, President Luo.”
Since she couldn’t close the door and didn’t want to argue, Ning Ruohuan turned and walked back inside.
She turned on the phone and checked the edges.
Luo Yanzhi pushed the door open and followed her inside as if it were natural. “Sister still cares for me.”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have avoided her leg and would have slammed the door.
Ning Ruohuan didn’t respond.
Luo Yanzhi didn’t mind the cold shoulder. Just as she was about to speak again, she saw Ning Ruohuan Walk out of the bedroom.
Her brows furrowed, and a trace of impatience surfaced. “Where are you going now?”
The only response she got was the sound of the door closing.
Ning Ruohuan had avoided her.
Regaining her composure, Ning Ruohuan went to the study—a place of quiet.
She intended to use the phone to message Shi Wen, but then she wondered if Luo Yanzhi had installed any monitoring or eavesdropping software during the time the phone was away from her.
So, she planned to use the computer.
But then she thought, even if Luo Yanzhi had installed something, did she still need to care?
She opened the phone, her fingers tapping the screen. The interface changed; the “spam” warning vanished, and a normal message appeared. The sender was Shi Wen.
There was no need to pretend anymore.
Ning Ruohuan clicked on the message.
Boss, there’s a problem with the meeting between the Ning and Luo families. Luo Yanzhi… Boss, do you need me to come pick you up?
Shi Wen had deliberately avoided stating what the problem was.
It was to avoid making her sad.
The second sentence was a veiled way of telling her the outcome.
If the marriage candidate had been her, why would Shi Wen ask if she needed to be picked up?
Ning Ruohuan clutched her heart; it still throbbed with pain.
She typed: Yes, thank you for your hard work.
Shi Wen was waiting for her reply. In the blink of an eye, a message came back: Boss, I will arrive at your residence within ten minutes.
Ning Ruohuan replied through the palpitations: Okay.
She knew Shi Wen’s capabilities. Although she hadn’t bothered with the outside world these past few years, Shi Wen would occasionally report to her, so she knew a bit about the changing situation.
Even if Luo Yanzhi tried to trap her here, Shi Wen would have a way to take her away.
She closed her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several cameras placed in a display cabinet.
A few seconds later, she picked up the one in the middle and turned it on.
A low-battery warning popped up on the screen.
Ning Ruohuan instinctively moved her finger to the power button to change the battery. Just as she was about to press it, she snapped out of it, and her finger slid down the body of the camera.
Because of the low battery, the screen was dim, and the photos displayed looked as if they were covered in a thin layer of dust.
She stood there quietly, scrolling through from the first photo. Portraits and landscapes flickered by, one after another…
Beep, beep, beep.
The camera shut down automatically.
Ning Ruohuan smiled mockingly and put the camera back.
This camera was specifically for Luo Yanzhi; it was filled with photos she had taken. The most recent one showed a date from two years ago.
Downstairs, Luo Yanzhi was sitting in the living room, checking documents sent by her secretary on a tablet.
The butler stood in a corner of the wall, revealing just enough of herself so that Luo Yanzhi could see her and provide service at any time.
Suddenly, the butler received a message. She pressed a white decorative object on the side of her collar; a transparent wire connected to her ear flickered almost imperceptibly.
She held her fingers to her ear, a look of shock appearing in her eyes. After a moment, the butler hurried to Luo Yanzhi and bowed. “President Luo.”
Luo Yanzhi looked up and signaled with her eyes for the butler to speak.
The butler said respectfully, “The guards outside reported that several cars have stopped outside the villa. The person in the lead is demanding to see Miss Ning.”
Luo Yanzhi lowered her head and continued reading. “Miss Ning?”
She chuckled lightly, her eyes devoid of warmth, as she casually scrolled. “Do we know who it is?”
Since when did Sister know so many people?
The butler hesitated. “The people outside aren’t sure,” she said carefully. “But she looks a bit like the one from the Shi family.”
Luo Yanzhi snapped her head up. The butler was stung by the sharpness in her gaze and quickly lowered her head, not daring to say more.
A figure flashed across her vision, but before she could think, she heard Luo Yanzhi’s voice from in front of her: “Open the door.”
The butler hurriedly complied, and the villa door opened.
Multiple black cars were parked facing the main entrance. In front of the middle car stood a capable-looking woman, her face expressionless and her hands folded in front of her.
Shi Wen.
Luo Yanzhi recognized her instantly.
She was a rising star who had emerged seven years ago. With her unique vision and foresight, every project and industry she invested in was a massive success, making her a hot commodity in the business world.
The Luo family had extended an olive branch back then, but it had been rejected.
Over the last seven years, the Huan-Ning Group she founded had already begun to suppress many of the old-money families.
Some speculated that Shi Wen’s ability was related to precognition, but it was never confirmed.
She had appeared suddenly, risen suddenly, and her growth rate was staggering.
Does Sister know Shi Wen?
Luo Yanzhi suppressed the doubt in her heart and stood on the steps, a head taller than those on the ground. She called out to Shi Wen from a distance, “President Shi, what brings you here so suddenly today?” She looked around at the suited bodyguards. “And with so many people?”
She had collaborated with Shi Wen a few times; they weren’t strangers.
Shi Wen didn’t bother with pleasantries. She said directly, “Don’t misunderstand, President Luo. I’m just here to pick up… a friend. I’ll leave as soon as I have her.”
Luo Yanzhi narrowed her eyes. “President Shi has the wrong place. I don’t have your friend here.”
Shi Wen just looked behind Luo Yanzhi.
She had sent Ning Ruohuan a message before getting out of the car, letting her know she had arrived. As long as Luo Yanzhi didn’t restrict Ning Ruohuan’s movements, it would be fine.
The sound of an argument came from inside the door. Luo Yanzhi and Shi Wen turned their heads at the same time.
The butler’s words could be heard faintly: “You can’t go out.”
Followed by Ning Ruohuan’s voice: “Move.”
Shi Wen’s expression tightened. She waved her hand, and two bodyguards immediately stepped forward.
Luo Yanzhi took half a step forward. The space around her became unstable, the air currents scattering in disorder as her spatial ability manifested slightly.
The two bodyguards stopped warily and looked at Shi Wen, waiting for instructions.
Shi Wen said with a faint smile, “Since President Luo doesn’t intend to marry my friend, there’s no need to stop her from leaving. This would be considered holding someone against their will.”
Luo Yanzhi stood firmly in place. The conversation behind her reached her ears clearly. Ning Ruohuan’s calm tone agitated a certain nerve.
“Please let me through,” Ning Ruohuan said, still polite and unruffled.
Luo Yanzhi pursed her lips and glanced at Shi Wen, but spoke to the butler behind her: “Move.”
The butler stepped aside as if she had been saved.
Luo Yanzhi said with a mocking smile, “When did Sister meet so many people? And you’re friends with President Shi?”
Ning Ruohuan stopped. She ignored Luo Yanzhi’s mockery. “Am I not allowed to have my own friends?”
Luo Yanzhi was speechless, but mostly she felt anger at someone taking her person away right in front of her in her own home.
She took a half-step closer to Ning Ruohuan. “Don’t overdo it. Tell your friend to go back. This is between us; don’t involve unrelated people.”
Unrelated people. Ning Ruohuan wanted to laugh.
Ning Ruohuan said, “There is no ‘us’ anymore.”
Shi Wen immediately went to meet her as she came out.
With the three of them in close proximity, the pressure was suffocating.
Shi Wen said, “I’ve picked her up. President Luo, thank you for your trouble over the past few years. In the future, I will surely visit again to properly thank you for your ‘care’ of her.”
Upon hearing the news of the Ning-Luo meeting, her first reaction was anger toward Luo Yanzhi, followed by an uncontrollable heartache for Ning Ruohuan.
Now, seeing that Ning Ruohuan hadn’t changed much, she could finally feel at ease.
She wanted to call her “Boss,” but given Luo Yanzhi’s presence and knowing Ning Ruohuan didn’t want their connection known publicly, she changed the address: “Ning, let’s go.”
Ning Ruohuan nodded slightly.
Before she could take a step, she felt a pain in her wrist. The grip was so strong that a red mark quickly appeared on her skin.
Ning Ruohuan looked down. Her wrist was held firmly by a soft hand, making it impossible to move.
Shi Wen noticed this too. Her expressionless face cracked, but since Ning Ruohuan didn’t say anything, she couldn’t rashly separate them.
She stayed outside the safety zone, wary of Luo Yanzhi’s next move.
Luo Yanzhi’s dark eyelashes flickered. Her grip tightened.
Even though she held her in her palm, she had the illusion that Ning Ruohuan was like sand that couldn’t be grasped.
She suppressed her emotions and spoke softly, “Sister, stay.”
Ning Ruohuan gently pried her fingers away, her tone as steady as ever. “Let’s part on good terms.”
Stay for what? To watch Luo Yanzhi marry someone else and act like a loving couple in the eyes of the world?
She wasn’t so humble as to abandon her principles and dignity for an uncertain love.
Ning Ruohuan’s voice was as clear as flowing water. “I won’t interfere with your decision, and I ask that you respect my choice.”
Without staying any longer, she turned and walked away, carrying nothing.
Shi Wen left a “Have some self-respect” before following Ning Ruohuan and attentively opening the car door for her.
The black cars, as low-key as when they arrived, drove away in an orderly fashion.
Inside the car, the silence was thick. Shi Wen looked at Ning Ruohuan with concern, several times looking as if she wanted to speak but feared bringing up a painful topic.
When their eyes finally met, Ning Ruohuan said softly, “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
How could she be fine? Five years of time and love vanished in an instant. Shi Wen couldn’t believe the turmoil Ning Ruohuan must be hiding beneath her calm exterior.
She had no words of comfort.
Ning Ruohuan looked out the window. The familiar scenery and buildings receded and vanished from sight.
In the end, she still couldn’t find sincere affection.
Family was like this, and so was love.
It was no different from before.
Returning to Shi Wen’s residence, Shi Wen had already arranged for the room to be cleaned. The layout was simple, with only basic necessities, keeping the original style of the house.