Everything in the surroundings became deathly silent. Occasionally, a withered, yellowed leaf, swept up by the wind, would flutter down and land between the two of them.
In Ning Ruohuan’s amber eyes, a dark undertone of the same hue was hidden. Her heart suddenly tightened, as if imprisoned in an invisible space, then forcibly thrown high and slammed heavily against a hard object, shattering into countless pieces.
She looked at the person she had shared a bed with for five years, her face pale, murmuring the words the other had just spoken: “Just playing around?”
It turned out everything was her one-sided wishful thinking. In Luo Yanzhi’s eyes, she was merely a plaything.
And how could a plaything dare to hope for more?
The question Ning Ruohuan hadn’t been able to solve now had an answer.
From beginning to end, Luo Yanzhi had never treated her as an independent person with her own agency. In the other’s eyes, she was nothing more than an accessory, a plaything to be used for amusement at any time.
How could a plaything hope for more?
Indeed, who had given her the delusion? The delusion that Luo Yanzhi would marry her.
Ning Ruohuan’s lusterless eyes scanned Luo Yanzhi from head to toe. Before long, she found the answer: weren’t all her yearnings derived from the illusions created by the person standing before her?
Luo Yanzhi kept a stiff face. Hearing Ning Ruohuan’s counter-question, that sensation of losing her grip on something she owned struck again. She couldn’t help but clench her fingers, saying coldly, “There is still room for discussion regarding this matter.”
As long as Ning Ruohuan went back with her, subsequent matters would be easy to handle.
“President Luo can discuss it however she likes.” Ning Ruohuan stepped back half a pace with a sense of release, widening the distance between her and Luo Yanzhi. She hooked a stray lock of hair hanging by her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “But I don’t have time to listen to your future marriage plans. Shi Wen, see the guest out.”
“President Luo, please.” Shi Wen, fearing Luo Yanzhi might do something to Ning Ruohuan, had been vigilantly standing nearby.
When she heard Luo Yanzhi say those words, she was so angry she almost threw her out personally. But since Ning Ruohuan hadn’t spoken, she had endured the discomfort.
Now that Ning Ruohuan had spoken, she wouldn’t be polite to Luo Yanzhi. Seeing that Luo Yanzhi wasn’t moving, she waved her hand coldly. “President Luo, please have some self-respect. If word gets out that you came to find Ning, how will you explain it to your future fiancée?” she asked mockingly. “Does your fiancée know you’re so half-hearted?”
Ning Ruohuan turned and entered the villa.
The camera case on the ground was ignored by everyone. Luo Yanzhi pressed her pale finger against the bridge of her nose. “No need for President Shi to worry. No matter what I am, it is still more decent than President Shi’s seamless transition.”
Having said that, she turned and left.
“President Luo, wait.” Shi Wen’s voice came from behind.
Luo Yanzhi paused and turned her head.
She saw Shi Wen staring at her expressionlessly, her dark pupils like those of a venomous snake. She stepped forward several paces and lowered her voice: “President Luo doesn’t actually believe that defeating the other descendants of the Luo family and gaining control of the Luo Group within a mere two years was due to your own ability, does she?”
“Boss,” Shi Wen called out cautiously to the woman sitting on the balcony reading a book.
the autumn breeze brushed past her slightly pale cheeks. The color had not yet fully returned, making her look somewhat fragile.
Ning Ruohuan looked up from the pages. She inserted the bookmark, closed the book, and placed it on the small table in front of her.
Habitually, she kept her legs together. Her white canvas shoes added a touch of brightness to the quiet environment. “What is it?”
Shi Wen’s lips opened and closed several times, but she couldn’t get a complete sentence out.
The impact of Luo Yanzhi’s words was too strong. Even hearing it made her feel heart-stricken and angry, let alone for Ning Ruohuan, who had spent five years on Luo Yanzhi and placed all her emotions on her.
Ning Ruohuan’s current calmness made Shi Wen uneasy. She had no experience in emotional matters and could offer very little comfort.
She simply shut her mouth and shook her head silently.
Instead, Ning Ruohuan gave a slight smile. “I know what you want to say. It’s meaningless now.”
She avoided Shi Wen’s searching gaze, stood up, and leaned against the wooden balcony railing, letting her emotions flash quickly through her eyes. “It’s just timely cutting of losses.”
How could it be as light as her words? Under her clothes, the veins on Ning Ruohuan’s arms were taut as she stared numbness into the distance.
She changed the subject. “Seal those cameras up. Actually, forget it. Just handle them however you see fit.”
Shi Wen: “…Okay.”
The phone chimed several times.
Shi Wen’s eyes instantly moved to the rectangular screen nearby. She frowned, instinctively wanting the sound to disappear.
She guessed it was a message from Luo Yanzhi.
Ning Ruohuan didn’t react as strongly. She quietly picked up the phone. What caught her eye was a notification for a picture.
The sender was labeled as “Xie Miao.”
It was that like-minded person. Ning Ruohuan pondered for two seconds and clicked on the message. As the interface jumped, it opened the chat after unlocking.
Xie Miao had sent a photo of the signs above the airport. Above the picture was a text message.
Sister Ruohuan, I’m back.
Do you want to have a real-life meetup?
Ning Ruohuan was amused by her phrasing. Her lips curved as she typed back: When?
Xie Miao: Do you have time now? We can have a meal and then go to the riverside to take photos. I was organizing my photo albums a few days ago and realized I’ve never taken photos of the river view in S City. For a local born and raised in S City, that’s really a fatal blow!
Ning Ruohuan: Okay, I’ll come pick you up
She precisely needed to clear her head and find something to distract herself.
Shi Wen watched Ning Ruohuan’s expression nervously, hesitating several times before finally being unable to resist asking, “Boss, is it… is it from that person?”
Over these years, she had witnessed her boss’s “love brain.” If the person who just made her smile really was Luo Yanzhi, Shi Wen would have nothing left to say.
As if knowing Shi Wen’s subtext, Ning Ruohuan turned off the phone and said seriously, “I told you, timely cutting of losses.” She walked out. “Drive me to the airport to pick up a friend.” After taking two steps, she suddenly remembered something. “You haven’t been to the company or worked for two days.” She teased with a smile, “Has something difficult happened at the group?”
Shi Wen: “…No. I’ve temporarily left it to the subordinates.”
Ning Ruohuan understood that Shi Wen was staying for her sake. She acted as if nothing was wrong: “Fine, as long as it doesn’t delay anything.”
Shi Wen became her exclusive driver.
Ning Ruohuan sat upright in the back seat. In the dim environment of the car, she inexplicably thought of Luo Yanzhi again.
A thorn that has been stuck for years is not so easily removed; it had already grown deep into the bone. She closed her eyes, and the day she first met Luo Yanzhi involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
The sun was just right, the breeze was gentle, the girl’s sincere feelings, her truthful eyes…
Was it all fake?
Ning Ruohuan unconsciously fell into a spiral of overthinking.
Outside the car, multicolored lights illuminated the city that should have been shrouded in darkness. Horns blared constantly as spots of light gathered and dispersed, then gathered again.
“I like Sister the most. I want to be with Sister for a lifetime.” Luo Yanzhi had leaned on her lap, saying moving words and complaining about her troubles. “Those old-timers at the company always use their seniority to make things hard for me. I even have to smile and ask them for advice. It’s so annoying.”
“Sister, I’ll take care of you,” Luo Yanzhi had said, her eyes sparkling.
The scene shifted. Luo Yanzhi leaned against the wall, casting a lazy glance at her: “Didn’t I say I liked you the most? What more are you dissatisfied with?”
“Someone who relies on me to be kept?”
Back and forth it went. Ning Ruohuan couldn’t distinguish which was the most real Luo Yanzhi, or perhaps they were all facets of her. As time passed, her most malicious nature was gradually revealed.
The light ahead turned red. When the car stopped, Ning Ruohuan wasn’t paying attention and her upper body lurched forward slightly, pulling her chaotic thoughts back to reality.
She realized she had thought of Luo Yanzhi once again, and a hint of exhaustion appeared in her eyes.
Ning Ruohuan opened the car’s small refrigerator, took out a drink, and pressed the metal can against her cheek.
Sister Ruohuan, I’m wearing a black sweatshirt and a red baseball cap. I checked, and no one around here is wearing a hat. You’ll see me as soon as you arrive! — Xie Miao.
It was followed by a large “peace sign” emoji.
Ning Ruohuan received the message just as she arrived. She looked up and immediately saw a girl in the crowd with a red baseball cap, sitting half-perched on a suitcase. A mirrorless camera hung around her neck, and she was holding her phone, looking around occasionally.
She had never met Xie Miao, but Xie Miao occasionally posted selfies on her social feed, so Ning Ruohuan had an impression of her appearance.
Ning Ruohuan: I’m here. Look up.
The girl sitting on the suitcase looked up.
Ning Ruohuan stood before her: “Xie Miao?”
The girl was stunned for a moment, blinked, and said tentatively: “Sister Ruohuan?”
The signal was confirmed. Ning Ruohuan took over Xie Miao’s suitcase: “It’s me.”
Xie Miao suddenly reached out her hand: “First meeting, please take care of me.”
Ning Ruohuan didn’t understand the sudden formality, but she still shook her hand: “…Okay.”
She asked warmly, “Are you tired? Should we eat first, rest, or go straight to the riverside?”
She had asked Shi Wen to book a restaurant before coming.
“Let’s go straight to the riverside,” Xie Miao said with a grin. “I ate before coming, I’m not hungry yet. Oh, by the way, I heard a rumor that there’s a drone show at the riverside tonight. If we’re late, we might miss it. Did you know, Sister Ruohuan?”
Xie Miao checked her watch, afraid of being late. Perhaps because they had known each other for years online, there wasn’t the usual awkwardness of meeting a netizen for the first time.
She opened her backpack, took the camera from around her neck, and put it inside. “I was afraid someone would be dressed like me, so I specifically kept the camera out to make me easy to find. Now Sister Ruohuan will never fail to find me!”
Ning Ruohuan was amused by her lively tone. Before she could speak, a small bag of cookies was pressed into her arms: “I made them myself, they’re super delicious!”
Ning Ruohuan took them, caught between laughter and tears.
The simple, solid-colored packaging had no printing. There was a serrated edge for easy opening. Ning Ruohuan cooperated and tore it open, taking out one piece. it was a round ring-shaped cookie with scattered black dots on it.
They appeared to be chocolate chips that had melted in the oven, spreading dark halos around them.
The sweetness was just right. Ning Ruohuan nodded. “Very delicious.”
Xie Miao agreed as they walked: “Right? Some people are like ‘casting pearls before swine’; they even said it was too sweet. What a waste of my cookies.”
Ning Ruohuan smiled and shook her head.
There were about a dozen cookies in the bag, and they were finished quickly.
Arriving at the airport parking lot, Shi Wen immediately opened the trunk, took the suitcase from Ning Ruohuan, and put it inside.
Xie Miao poked her head out and whispered to Ning Ruohuan, “Sister Ruohuan, is this your…” she mouthed the word, “fiancée?”
Ning Ruohuan was stunned, then smiled and said, “No, she’s a good friend.”
Shi Wen turned around at that moment and nodded politely to Xie Miao: “Hello.”
Xie Miao: “Hello! I’m Xie Miao.”
Her overly active demeanor made Shi Wen look at her a few more times before coming to a conclusion.
She’s a normal person.
The Boss finally has a normal friend.