The wet wipe clutched in her palm had turned from cool to warm, its moisture seemingly evaporated, leaving it dry and parched as it occasionally brushed against the woman’s porcelain-white skin.
The security guard shift changed. The kind soul who had opened the window to offer Ning Ruohuan a sliver of cool air asked in surprise before leaving, “Your friend still hasn’t come out? Did you bring your phone? Why not give them a call and ask?”
Ning Ruohuan said softly, “I’ve already sent a message. She’ll be here in a moment.”
The man didn’t press further. “Alright then, I’m heading off first.”
Ning Ruohuan nodded with a smile. “Okay. Hope to see you next time.”
She picked up her phone to check the time; it was already twelve o’clock. She opened her chat interface with Luo Yanzhi again, but the record remained stuck on the single word she had sent: Okay
Ning Ruohuan lowered her eyes. Under her gaze, the phone screen gradually dimmed and then locked.
At that moment, a dull roar rumbled as a bright red sports car appeared in her field of vision.
Wan Yunxin’s vibrant long hair flew in the wind. With sunglasses perched on her face, she exuded an air of effortless chic.
The security personnel recognized the newcomer and hurried to open the gates.
Just as she was about to drive in, Wan Yunxin caught a glimpse of someone standing nearby. The figure looked somewhat familiar, prompting her to take a second look.
Ning Ruohuan’s gaze met hers without evasion.
The next second, the car door opened. Wan Yunxin smoothed her long hair and stood leaning against the sports car at a slant, her fingers hooking her sunglasses as she tilted her chin toward Ning Ruohuan.
Ning Ruohuan: “…”
Seeing that this person had no intention of greeting her first, Wan Yunxin stopped posing. She casually tossed her sunglasses onto the passenger seat and stepped forward with her long legs, asking in surprise, “Sister Ruohuan, why are you here? Does Yanzhi know?”
The scent of her perfume was too heavy. Ning Ruohuan took a step back imperceptibly and said calmly, “Waiting for Yanyan.” After a pause, she added, “She knows.”
Wan Yunxin raised an eyebrow, her eyeliner flicking upward with the movement. “I see. It just so happens I have some business with Yanzhi. Let’s wait together.”
Having said that, she took two more steps forward and turned to stand side-by-side with Ning Ruohuan.
Ning Ruohuan: “…”
Her breath was filled with that cloying fragrance.
After standing for two minutes, Wan Yunxin couldn’t take it anymore. She pressed the back of her hand against her forehead, her temples throbbing violently. Finally, she couldn’t resist asking, “Sister Ruohuan, when is Yanzhi coming down?”
Ning Ruohuan replied, “She’s in a meeting. She’ll come down once it’s finished.”
Wan Yunxin: “Oh…” She asked casually, “How long have you been waiting here?”
Ning Ruohuan was silent for a moment. “Not long.”
Wan Yunxin nodded and couldn’t help complaining, “It’s freezing hot. Sister Ruohuan, let’s go wait in the car.”
Ning Ruohuan hesitated, but Wan Yunxin had already walked a few steps ahead. Seeing that the other wasn’t following, she half-turned and signaled for her to come along with a look.
The temperature inside the car was very low. Having been out in the sun for a long time, the sudden drastic change in temperature caused Ning Ruohuan’s brows to knit almost imperceptibly.
Wan Yunxin, on the other hand, looked quite comfortable. She leaned back against the seat with satisfaction, but then, feeling it wasn’t comfortable enough, she irritably punched the back of the seat. “Broken car, no consideration for user experience at all.”
A faint, almost non-existent curve played at the corners of Ning Ruohuan’s lips as she stared ahead wordlessly.
She always gave off a sense of tranquility, as if nothing could provoke a major change in her expression. She was like a statue endowed with a specific look, never to be altered again.
At some point, Wan Yunxin grew quiet, her gaze unconsciously drifting to Ning Ruohuan’s profile.
Even while sitting, Ning Ruohuan’s back was as straight as a board. Unlike her, who was slumped and boneless against the seat.
She suddenly felt a pang of envy toward Luo Yanzhi.
It’s just a pity she has no supernatural abilities… Wan Yunxin squinted her eyes unconsciously, sighing in her heart.
“Sister Ruohuan, can you help me check if something got into my eye? It’s a bit itchy,” Wan Yunxin said, facing Ning Ruohuan directly.
Hearing this, Ning Ruohuan turned her head and stared seriously into Wan Yunxin’s eyes. After a short while, she shook her head. “There’s nothing there.”
Wan Yunxin rubbed her eye and blinked hard twice. The sensation—a mix of pain and itchiness—persisted. She opened her front-facing camera, pointed it at her eye, and pulled at her eyelid. “It feels like some dust got in. Sister Ruohuan, please check again for me.”
Ning Ruohuan tightened her grip on the wet wipe in her palm and nodded. “Alright.”
Wan Yunxin’s upper body naturally leaned closer to the person in front of her, widening her left eye to reveal the faint blood vessels on her eyelid.
Ning Ruohuan held her breath and leaned forward, observing meticulously.
Wan Yunxin felt a gentle breeze brush against her face, and then, a soft puff of air touched her eye. The cool, crisp scent of the person before her wound around her in delicate threads.
For a moment, she forgot her original purpose, staring intensely at the person so close to her, her breathing slowing down.
Ning Ruohuan pulled back to the original distance. “Miss Wan, is that better?”
Wan Yunxin snapped back to reality and lowered her hand with a smile. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly saw someone standing by Ning Ruohuan’s window. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she instinctively recoiled, her body hitting the driver’s side door to keep from collapsing in an ungraceful heap.
“Luo Yanzhi! Can you not stand there without making a sound? It’s terrifying!” Wan Yunxin patted her chest and complained. “I’m very easily frightened. If you scare the life out of me, how are you going to compensate me?”
Ning Ruohuan’s nerves jumped violently. She turned her head and met Luo Yanzhi’s eyes.
Through the layer of glass, Luo Yanzhi watched the two inside the car with a faint, inscrutable smile. She curled her finger and tapped twice on the window.
The car door opened, and Ning Ruohuan stepped out.
Luo Yanzhi gave her a meaningful look. Then, she leaned against the car door, one foot on the ground and the other knee resting on the seat in a languid, casual posture.
She asked Wan Yunxin, “Why are you here?”
Wan Yunxin was still immersed in her previous act. “Can’t I come to see you? Where’s the compensation for scaring me?”
Luo Yanzhi stared at her fixedly, the corners of her mouth curling. Wan Yunxin felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine and quickly changed her tune. “Fine, fine, I won’t make you pay, okay?”
She moved directly to the business at hand. “Isn’t it about the previous cooperation between the Luo and Wan families? I just came over to go through the motions.”
In recent years, the Luo Corporation had made significant gains in supernatural research. It could be said that the vast majority of “acquired” ability users obtained their powers with the help of the Luo Corporation. This meant the Luos controlled a substantial portion of ability users, and the resulting interests and benefits were immeasurable.
Countless people wanted a piece of the pie, and the Wan family was undoubtedly one of the first to board the Great Ship of Luo.
Wan Yunxin had no intention of staying long. “I’m leaving. If my mom mentions this tomorrow, remember to tell her I showed up.”
Luo Yanzhi gave a hum of affirmation and stepped away from the car.
With a roaring sound, the bright red sports car disappeared from their sight.
Ning Ruohuan let out a breath. “Yanyan, are you finished with your work?”
Luo Yanzhi looked at her, her exquisite features relaxing into a shallow smile. She took the initiative to hold Ning Ruohuan’s hand. “I’m finished. You’ve been waiting a long time, right, Sister?”
Ning Ruohuan’s answer remained the same. “Not long. It’s so late and you haven’t eaten yet; you must be starving. What would you like to eat? I saw a mall nearby; shall we go there?”
“Whatever Sister decides is fine. I’ll accompany you.”
Ning Ruohuan noticed that Luo Yanzhi didn’t eat much. She merely picked at each dish for the sake of appearances before stopping.
She asked, “Is the food not to your taste?”
These dishes were Luo Yanzhi’s favorites. Why was she eating so little today? “Or did you encounter a problem at work?”
Luo Yanzhi used her chopsticks to place a piece of chopped chili fish onto Ning Ruohuan’s plate. “I’m not very hungry. You eat, Sister. I’ll serve you.”
The crimson hue was so intense that just looking at it made one feel the heat of the chilies.
And Ning Ruohuan rarely ate spicy food.
“Yanzhi? What’s this? Didn’t get enough to eat just now? You came here for a second round?” A voice cut in.
The piece of fish Ning Ruohuan had just picked up was put back down as she looked toward the speaker.
The newcomer had long black hair tied up, looking capable and confident. Her brows were filled with a touch of laughter and familiarity. In a few seconds, her tall figure stood beside the dining table.
Ning Ruohuan had to look up.
“Cousin,” Luo Yanzhi greeted the newcomer. “I’m accompanying a friend for dinner. Do you want to join us?”
The woman waved her hand. “You two eat. I’m about to head back. I saw you from outside and decided to come by.” She teased, “I thought my presence made you uncomfortable, which is why you only had a few bites before stopping, only to run here for an extra meal.”
Luo Yanzhi chuckled lightly. “How could that be?”
“Alright, you two carry on. I’m leaving. Come back to the old manor when you have time; Grandmother and the others miss you.”
“Okay.”
Ning Ruohuan didn’t hear the subsequent words very clearly. The food before her suddenly lost its flavor. The tender fish meat was broken by her chopsticks, lying lonely on the plate.
A sense of bitterness welled up in her mouth. Her throat bobbed as she asked, trying to sound natural, “You’ve already eaten?”
Luo Yanzhi crossed her hands. “Yes.”
Ning Ruohuan, unwilling to give up, asked, “Weren’t you in a meeting? How did you have time to eat?”
Luo Yanzhi’s long, curled eyelashes fluttered as she said simply, “The meeting ended early.”
Ning Ruohuan: “…I see.”
After a moment, Ning Ruohuan asked again, “Accompanying a friend for dinner?”
Luo Yanzhi had told her cousin she was “accompanying a friend,” yet their relationship was clearly much closer than that.
She asked with a trace of bitterness, “Are we… just friends?”
Luo Yanzhi asked in return, “Does it matter, Sister? As long as you and I know, what does it matter what outsiders think?”
But she is your cousin.
The words almost escaped her, but Ning Ruohuan forced herself to hold them back.