Even though Rong Che quickly regained his composure, Ruan Zhi couldn’t help but feel suspicious deep down.
She just couldn’t figure out why a bracelet would cause such a strong reaction in Ah-Che, especially since he and Shan-Shan had never had any connection at all.
As she pondered, her hand unconsciously stroked the bracelet.
Her gaze unconsciously fell on the face of the man who was concentrating on driving.
I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I always get the feeling that beneath his gentle, jade-like exterior, he’s weighed down by a heavy heart.
As the black G-Class came to a stop, Ruan Zhi snapped back to her senses and saw the amusement park’s gate, which looked vaguely familiar; she felt a mix of emotions welling up inside her.
It was cold, and since it was a weekday, the amusement park was almost empty.
Rong Che took her by the hand and walked with her to the carousel.
“Do you remember our first date?”
Rong Che turned his head to look at her, a gentle smile playing on the corners of his lips.
“Mm-hmm.”
How could I forget? It was the first time I’d set foot in an amusement park many years after my parents passed away, and he was the one who took me there.
He said that the path her parents weren’t able to walk with her, he would walk with her from now on.
It was right here, sitting on the carousel, that I reached out and placed my hand in his.
He said that once he holds on tight, he’ll never let go for the rest of his life.
He will be her knight in shining armor for the rest of her life.
The sweet memories of the past were deeply etched in her mind, and the mere thought that such happiness would soon no longer be hers made even breathing a painful experience.
“How about we come here on this day every year from now on? And when we have kids, we’ll bring them along too.”
Rong Che cupped her face, leaned down, and gently pressed his forehead against hers, his gaze filled with deep, tender affection.
A mist of tears clouded Ruan Zhi’s downcast eyes. She wanted to say, “Let’s break up.”
But when it was time to speak, I was as mute as a fish—I just couldn’t get a word out.
A single tear fell onto Rong Che’s finger. Thinking the girl was crying tears of joy, his heart softened, and he let her bury her face in his embrace as she clung tightly to his neck.
His restless heart settled, at least partly.
The two didn’t leave the amusement park until the afternoon; they had ridden a few milder rides, and Ruan Zhi’s complexion had become much rosier.
“Let me take you somewhere—you’re going to love it.”
As soon as he got into the car, Rong Che smiled mysteriously.
“Okay.”
She smiled, asked no questions, and left everything up to him.
She had imagined several possible settings for a date, but she never would have thought it would be in the villa community that had just been handed over last year.
The car pulled up in the courtyard of one of the buildings. As she couldn’t help but look around out of curiosity, Rong Che wrapped his arms around her from behind, his breath brushing against her ear:
“Remember when I said I’d give you a happy, warm home? This is it. The house is in your name. Do you like it?”
Ruan Zhi was momentarily stunned; she turned around, her body stiff, and looked at him with a complex expression.
Rong Che felt his heart skip a beat for no apparent reason, and he took her hand:
“Want me to show you? I had someone design everything exactly the way you like it.”
It really is what she likes.
Every blade of grass and every tree in the courtyard, along with the vines climbing the walls—it’s not hard to imagine how beautiful it will be when spring arrives and the flowers bloom.
The interior features a minimalist yet cozy decor; you can tell that everything—from the artwork on the walls to the small ornaments in the corners—has been carefully selected.
Even the simple, elegant pattern on the bedroom curtains was just her style.
It’s safe to say that every aspect of this villa is exactly what she’d imagined her dream home to be.
She loved it to bits.
“This place was renovated six months ago, so you can move in anytime. The study is very well soundproofed, so you can focus on writing your screenplay in peace, and when you get tired, you can head downstairs to the yoga studio to practice yoga and relax…”
“Ah-Che…”
A shadow of gloom flitted across her eyes, and she was just about to speak.
“Ruan Ruan, I don’t mean to pressure you. Take your time to think it over, and let me know when you’ve made up your mind. By the way, I had dinner prepared—would you like to eat here tonight?”
The gentle light and hope in Rong Che’s eyes were almost too much to bear.
She told herself that it was better to get it over with than to drag it out—she couldn’t put it off any longer, and if she didn’t say it, it would only become more painful.
But in the end, the deep sense of guilt in my heart overcame my reason.
Ruan Zhi, it was just a meal—once we finished eating, it was all over.
But she never would have imagined that, halfway through a candlelit dinner, Rong Che would actually propose to her.
As she looked at the man kneeling on one knee before her, holding aloft a dazzling diamond ring, her eyes welled up with tears, and she was speechless for a long time.
“Ruan Ruan, will you marry me? I know I still have a lot of flaws, but I’m willing to change for you. I want to be the perfect husband in your eyes—to love you, spoil you, and treat you well for the rest of my life.”
Rong Che gazed tenderly at the girl, whose eyes were red and brimming with tears, and reached out to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes:
“Sweetie, don’t cry. Just nod your head.”
He nervously tried to make her laugh, but Ruan Zhi’s tears flowed even more freely.
Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief, a look of joy crossing his face, thinking she was simply overwhelmed with emotion.
Taking the opportunity, he took her slender left hand, intending to slip the ring onto her middle finger.
But just as he slipped the ring onto his finger, his cell phone in his pants pocket started ringing like crazy.
His expression darkened; no matter who was calling at such a critical moment, he didn’t want to answer.
“Go ahead and answer the phone first.”
Ruan Zhi spoke in a flustered, unnatural tone, trying to dissuade him, and just as he let go to reach for his phone, she curled her finger.
She held the ring in the palm of her hand; it dug into her skin, causing a sharp pain.
She didn’t notice the menacing glint in Rong Che’s eyes as he looked down at his phone.
When I looked at him again, he was holding his cell phone and had walked over to the side to take the call.
After waiting absentmindedly for about five minutes, he finally came over with a stern expression, his face full of apology and guilt:
“Ruan Ruan, there’s an urgent matter at the office. I have to rush back to handle it. Can you wait here for me? I’ll be back soon—an hour should be enough.”
Ruan Zhi looked surprised for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
Rong Che let out a sigh of relief, kissed her on the forehead, put on his coat, and hurried out.
Ruan Zhi watched his back for a long time, then opened her palm and stared, lost in thought, at the dazzling diamond ring.
It was just past 8:00 p.m., and the sky was growing dark; the courtyard was bathed in a warm, yellow glow, and it felt exceptionally peaceful.
Ruan Zhi didn’t know how long she had been waiting when her phone went “ding.” She glanced at the time and realized an hour had already passed.
She immediately opened WeChat, and when she saw the message Xia Shan had sent, she hurried back into the room, put on her down jacket, and tied on the scarf Rong Che had left behind.
Just as she was about to leave with her bag, she suddenly remembered something, went back, and stuffed the jewelry box on the table into her bag.
As she stepped out of the villa and was about to hail a cab, a beam of headlights shone toward her; she raised her hand to shield her eyes and took a step back.
Unexpectedly, the car pulled up in front of her, the driver’s side window rolled down, and Ah-Xing’s roguish face appeared:
“What a coincidence, little sis. Where are you headed? I’ll give you a ride.”
Ruan Zhi stared at him warily, her gaze unconsciously glancing toward the back seat.
Ah-Xing grinned from ear to ear:
“Don’t worry—Mr Rong isn’t in the car. I just happened to be in the area on some business. Hop in—it’s hard to catch a cab around here.”
Ruan Zhi glanced at her dim surroundings, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the rear door.
“10 Chun Yuan Road, thank you. Please hurry—I’m in a rush.”
Shan Shan said she was sick—she had been vomiting and had diarrhea, and felt completely weak—and since her boyfriend wasn’t in Rongcheng, she wanted me to go with her to the hospital.
“Well then, hold on tight.”
A Xing glanced at the girl, whose eyes were filled with anxiety, and shook his head from side to side, shedding a tear of sympathy for her.
Twenty minutes later, the Rolls-Royce came to a smooth stop at its destination.
Ruan Zhi said a grateful “thank you” and hurried into the residential complex.
She ran all the way up to the 26th floor without even catching her breath.
Shan Shan gave her the code for the front door.
As she entered the code to unlock the door, she was still thinking that if it was too serious, she’d have to call an ambulance to take Shanshan to the hospital.
As soon as the door opened and she took a step inside, she heard a “boom”—it felt as if something had exploded inside her head, all her blood vessels burst, and even her internal organs ached so badly they seemed to shift out of place.
On the living room sofa, in the very spot where she had been sitting just a couple of days earlier, her boyfriend lay half-reclined with a grimace on his face, his large hand—veins bulging—clutching the woman’s waist tightly.
The woman’s thin white shoulder strap hung down to her elbow; she stood facing the door, her eyes slightly narrowed and her face flushed.
A sound that seemed to be both pain and pleasure reached her ears clearly, accompanied by the man’s unfamiliar, ragged breathing…
Her head spun in waves of dizziness, and she clung tightly to the doorframe to keep from falling.
She thought she must be seeing things—otherwise, how could it be so absurd and disgusting?
One is her boyfriend, the other is her best friend—yet they’re having wild sex right under her nose?
Disgusting!
That’s so gross!!!
Her stomach churned violently, and she covered her mouth and gagged.
The next second, a scream echoed throughout the apartment.