“Sorry, little sis, but you can’t leave until Mr Rong gets here.”
Ah-Xing turned off the TV and, with a carefree air, spread his hands at Ruan Zhi,
“I’m just a regular worker; whether I get to eat or not depends on Mr. Rong’s mood.”
With that innocent, almost provocative look on his face, Ruan Zhi gritted her teeth and turned to rush toward the suite’s door.
Ah-Xing paused for a moment, then grinned even wider as he stood up and strolled leisurely after her.
Ruan Zhi watched as her hand reached the doorknob; seeing that Ah-Xing hadn’t caught up to her, she was overjoyed.
But the very next second, a faint “beep” sounded from outside the door; her expression changed, and she quickly let go and stepped back.
The door was pushed open.
A tall man wearing a crisp black suit coat walked in slowly.
Seeing Ruan Zhi standing at the doorway with a wary look in her eyes, his chiseled, stern face showing no sign of emotion, he stopped in his tracks and calmly slipped off his gloves.
He tilted his chin slightly toward Ah Xing, who was standing behind her: “You go out first.”
“See you next time, little sis.”
As Ah-Xing walked past Ruan Zhi, he waved cheerfully.
“……”
Ruan Zhi pressed her lips together and looked away; no one wanted to see him again, and there would certainly be no chance to do so.
After the door closed, the suite was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“Come sit down.”
Rong Junheng took a step forward; he was afraid that if he didn’t move, the girl would turn to stone right where she stood.
“No, thank you, Uncle… Uncle, let’s just talk about it here.”
Ruan Zhi quickly turned to the side to call him back; when he paused and turned to look at her, she hurriedly added:
“It’s getting late, and Ah-Che is still waiting for me to call him when I get home.”
Uncle again?
Rong Junheng raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze fixed on Ruan Zhi’s deep, dark eyes.
As Ruan Zhi met his piercing gaze—which seemed to see right through everything in the world—her heart tightened more and more, and a sheen of sweat began to form on her clenched palms.
Seeing how she was clearly overly nervous yet trying to appear calm, Rong Junheng snorted inwardly.
“Little girl, you don’t need to keep reminding me of who I am.”
The word “uncle” sounded stiff and awkward to him, and it grated on his ears.
Ruan Zhi: “……”
If I don’t remind him, how can I distance myself from him and make him understand where to draw the line?
As their eyes met, the stubbornness in Ruan Zhi’s gaze made Rong Junheng sigh helplessly; he pinched the bridge of his nose.
As he gazed at Ruan Zhi again, his expression returned to its usual indifference:
“You and Xiao Che aren’t a good match. Find a time to break up with him as soon as possible.”
“……”
Ruan Zhixin felt a lump in her throat, and then a surge of inexplicable anger welled up inside her; she glared at him:
“Did you make sure to keep Ah-che here on purpose so he’d break up with me?”
“No.”
Rong Junheng gave her a deep look and agreed without hesitation.
Ruan Zhi was still fuming when she saw him slowly unbuttoning his suit, then taking off his overcoat and suit jacket before turning to hang them on the coat rack in the corner.
Overcome with excitement, she followed him step for step:
“Then what gives you the right to say we’re not right for each other and tell me to break up with him?”
“Just because we slept together?”
As soon as the words were spoken, the air froze.
Rong Junheng paused as he was unfastening his shirt cufflinks, turned around, and looked down at her from above.
Her flawlessly porcelain-white face, tilted slightly upward, was flushed with a rosy glow, and her eyes shimmered with a gentle radiance.
Realizing he had said the wrong thing, a flash of frustration crossed his furious face.
He suddenly reached out and cupped her cheek, rubbing the pad of his thumb against the spot where a scratch had been just a few days earlier.
It no longer has its original delicate texture.
He wiped it vigorously and said in a calm voice, “You haven’t told Xiao Che about what happened that night, have you?”
The scratch is deep; it won’t heal in three days.
She’s still wearing such thick makeup—I’m afraid she’s not in her right mind.
Ruan Zhi was so startled by his sudden movement that she nearly lost her mind; she froze in place, her heart pounding wildly.
Upon hearing this, her flushed face suddenly turned cold, and she slapped his hand hard:
“That’s between him and me—it’s none of your business.”
Rong Junheng gripped her slender wrist with his other hand, leaned in close, and fixed his slightly piercing, narrow eyes firmly on her panicked gaze:
“How is that not my business?”
“The fact that you didn’t tell him about what happened that night proves that you’re afraid he’ll find out. Since you didn’t say anything, don’t ever bring it up again—unless you want him to know…”
He paused, his eyes darkening, and said slowly:
“You slept with his father.”
Ruan Zhi’s pupils contracted, and the color gradually drained from her face; her slightly trembling eyelashes concealed the bitterness in her eyes.
The moment she laid eyes on this man tonight, she knew she would never be able to come clean with Ah-Che.
Even…
“What excuse do you want me to use to break up with him?”
Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her face looked utterly shattered, yet she asked him in the calmest tone imaginable.
A hint of surprise flashed across Rong Junheng’s deep eyes. He released the wrist he had been gripping so tightly that it was burning hot, straightened up, and stepped back to a safe distance.
“Uncle, that night wasn’t just my fault. You could have easily pushed me away, but you didn’t!”
Ruan Zhi sneered, digging her fingertips into her flesh.
“Why should I be the one to go to him and break up with him now? You’re his dad—you go talk to him and tell him not to be with me.”
“You’re trying to maintain your image as a good father, so you’re pressuring me, aren’t you?”
“For no reason at all—how am I supposed to tell him that?”
“You’re saying I tell him I slept with another man—and that man is your father? Let’s break up, then.”
This man carried himself with an air of authority, and the moment he opened his mouth, he issued a command.
What gives him the right?
The girl’s flushed face, her gently rising and falling chest—even her almond-shaped eyes, which were fixed on him, seemed to be shooting sparks.
Rong Junheng watched quietly as she took it all out on him, then suddenly spoke up:
“I’m sorry—I didn’t think it through. I didn’t realize how difficult this would be for you.”
It was indeed his oversight.
In that case, let’s try a different approach.
She might be deeply hurt, but that’s better than being kept in the dark and knowing nothing.
Only after experiencing pain will she gain a deeper understanding of people.
His sudden apology left Ruan Zhi speechless.
Before she could speculate about his thoughts, she heard him say again:
“Go home. I know you don’t want Ah-Xing to walk you home, so I’ll have him call you a cab. As for tonight, just pretend I never said anything.”
After saying that, he rolled up the cuffs of his black shirt, turned around, pulled his cell phone out of his coat, and called Ah-Xing.
Ruan Zhi found herself staring absently at the muscular forearm as he made the call.
What does he mean?
Even after Ah-Xing walked her to the hotel entrance and she got into a taxi, her mind was still in a daze, replaying that man’s every word and action over and over.