“Ruan… Ruan?!”
Xia Shan let out a startled cry and frantically tried to get off Rong Che, but the more she panicked, the harder it was to get up.
Rong Che, who had been lost in his desires, felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him; the blood in his veins seemed to freeze. He shoved Xia Shan away and, with trembling hands, pulled up his pants.
Ruan Zhi stood frozen at the doorway, watching the two of them make fools of themselves with a sense of self-torment.
Perhaps only by feeling more pain will she be able to truly see these two for who they really are.
“I’m sorry, Ruan Ruan. I’m sorry. I don’t know why things turned out this way either…”
In her panic, Xia Shan slipped on Rong Che’s white shirt and hurried over to apologize and beg for forgiveness.
Shee reached out to take Ruan Zhi’s hand, but she swatted her hand away.
“When did this start?”
Ruan Zhi’s body trembled slightly, and her blank gaze swept over the two of them.
Rong Che, bare-chested and hastily pulling on his coat, looked alarmingly pale; he wanted to approach her but didn’t dare.
His lips trembled as they opened and closed, and finally came to rest.
Caught red-handed in the act, she had witnessed the ugly side of him giving in to his desires—no matter what he said, it all seemed hollow and meaningless.
“…Half a year ago, on the night of his birthday, he got drunk with Xie Dongdong and the others and mistook me for you…”
Xia Shan wept in shame, her voice choked with emotion.
Half a year already?!
Huh, what was I doing that night?
Ruan Zhi’s head was buzzing, and her heart felt as if it were being torn and tugged by a hand, causing her intense pain.
“That night I had a bad cold and a fever, so I was resting at home. You said it wouldn’t be any fun hanging out with them without me there, so you went home to sleep…”
Her murmur reached Rong Che’s ears; a sharp pain pierced his heart. He clenched his fists and, with tears in his eyes, pleaded:
“Stop talking, Ruan Ruan. It’s my fault. You can punish me however you want…”
“The first time was a case of mistaking someone while drunk, but what about the second and third times? You can’t possibly have only slept together these two times in the past six months.”
Ruan Zhi pursed her lips, her voice trembling slightly. “Did you just mistake me for someone else because you were drunk? Then you really must be blind.”
Faced with the sarcasm in her red-rimmed eyes, Rong Che was at a loss for words.
“Ruan Ruan, don’t blame Ah-Che. It’s my fault—I was the one who went looking for him. He didn’t want to betray you. It’s all my fault…”
With tears in her eyes, Xia Shan took full responsibility for what had happened.
With a sharp crack, a slap landed hard on her face.
“You’re a slut! You knew full well he was my boyfriend, yet you still went out of your way to hit on him. I treated you like a best friend, but you treated me like a fool.”
Watching Xia Shan put on an act, Ruan Zhi felt an intense sense of disgust and revulsion.
Xia Shan was momentarily stunned by the blow; she covered her face and sobbed, repeating “I’m sorry” over and over.
Rong Che’s eyes were bloodshot, and his face alternated between pale and ashen.
With trembling hands, Ruan Zhi forcibly ripped the bracelet off her left wrist and hurled it at Xia Shan:
“This whole thing—you did this on purpose to make me sick, didn’t you? You deliberately invited me to the place where you two were having an affair to celebrate, just to watch me stand there like a fool wishing you happiness. Are you really that smug about it?”
A dense, prickling pain radiated from the center of my chest.
For half a year, those two have been sleeping together behind my back countless times, only to turn around and put on an act in front of me.
One plays the role of a caring, loyal best friend.
One who plays the role of a boyfriend with unparalleled depth of feeling.
And yet I was still naively kept in the dark, and because of an accident, I was so tormented and distressed that I nearly broke down.
Little did she know that he had already betrayed her.
Hehe… Haha… That’s ridiculous.
Tears trickled down the corners of her blood-red eyes, but she quickly wiped them away by tilting her head back.
“Ruan Ruan, don’t be like that.”
Rong Che watched her as she bit her lip tightly, struggling to hold back her tears, and his heart ached terribly for her.
He stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and slapped himself in the face with it:
“You can hit me or yell at me—whatever you want—but please don’t hurt yourself, okay? Hit me…”
“Let go—I think it’s gross!”
Ruan Zhi was caught off guard when he grabbed her hand; as her palm pressed against his face, the image of his ferocious expression, driven by desire, flashed through her mind.
And those hands of his had just been all over Shanshan…
“Ugh—”
Rong Che froze, staring at the girl who had vomited all over him, his light brown eyes brimming with anguish.
Xia Shan’s red lips curled into a smile, and the gleam in her eyes suggested she was quite pleased with the current situation.
Ruan Zhi threw up every last bit of that dinner, yanked the scarf off her neck, and casually tossed it onto the floor, which was covered in vomit.
Then she dug out a jewelry box from her bag.
“I’ve already touched this ring. Do you still want it?”
Her slender fingers clutched the engagement ring, and her cool eyes met Rong Che’s.
The ring shone brilliantly yet felt cold and blinding; Rong Che felt as if a knife had pierced his heart.
The sweetness of the day is still fresh in hismind, but now he’s ruined it all.
“…That was a gift from me to you…”
The words “engagement ring” stuck in his throat; he couldn’t bring himself to say them.
How could Ruan Zhi not know what he was trying to say? She shifted her gaze and locked eyes with Xia Shan, who looked deeply guilty.
Holding the ring, she held it out:
“Don’t you like using my stuff? Here, it’s a gift. Do you want it?”
“……”
The dazzling, blinding light stung Xia Shan’s eyes, and the jealousy deep within her heart twisted and grew out of control.
That was the ring Rong Che bought in Beijing to propose to Ruan Zhi—it was worth a million.
Just like that bracelet, it was engraved with Ruan Zhi’s name.
Of course she wanted it, but she wanted even more for Rong Che to buy it for her himself—one engraved with her name, Xia Shan.
“Ruan Ruan, I know I’ve wronged you, but you can’t humiliate me like this.”
Xia Shan was on the verge of tears.
Ruan Zhi let out a derisive laugh, and as her grip loosened, the ring suddenly fell into a pool of vomit.
“Xia Shan, this is what really insults you.”
“If I don’t want something, I’ll throw it away—I won’t leave it for you.”
“Want it? Go ahead and pick it up.”
Xia Shan’s face contorted, and her bright red fingertips dug deeply into her flesh.
Seeing that she had finally let her guard down and stopped putting on an act, Ruan Zhi shot her a cold glance before turning her attention to Rong Che, who was staring blankly at the floor:
“Do you know why I’m here?”
Rong Che slowly raised his eyes.
“Ask her.”
Ruan Zhi raised her chin slightly toward Xia Shan, her smile not reaching her eyes,
“Maybe she likes having people watch her have sex.”
Rong Che’s expression suddenly darkened; his eyes blazed with fury as he glared at Xia Shan, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces.
That bitch—I’ve warned her so many times, but she really isn’t afraid of dying.
Ruan Zhi didn’t want to watch them tear each other apart, so she took a deep breath and said calmly:
“Rong Che, let’s break up.”
“Remember, I’m the one who dumped you—I don’t want you.”
Rong Che’s heart skipped a beat, and by the time he realized what was happening, Ruan Zhi had already turned and walked out the door.
He panicked and took off running after her, but just as he reached the door, someone grabbed him tightly:
“Don’t go, Ah-Che. I’m pregnant with your child.”
“……”
Xia Shan’s voice was loud with anxiety and tension; even Ruan Zhi, standing in front of the elevator, could hear her.
A faint twinge of pain stirred in her heart, which had long since grown numb to pain, and a wry smile played at the corners of her mouth.
As soon as she stepped into the elevator, it was as if all her strength had been drained from her, and she curled up in a corner of the elevator.
In a shadowy spot at the base of the apartment building, Ah-Xing was leaning against the front of his car, braving the cold wind, having just finished a cigarette, when he saw a petite figure stumbling out of the main entrance.
He exhaled, flicked the cigarette butt off with his fingers, hurriedly got into his car, started the engine, and slowly followed the girl.
It wasn’t until he’d driven alongside her for a while that he sped up to pull even with her and rolled down his window:
“Little sis, what a coincidence—we’ve run into each other again.”
His distinctive greeting snapped Ruan Zhi out of her daze for a moment; she stopped in her tracks, turned her head, and stared intently at him.
“That look in his eyes…”
Ah-Xing blinked. “Did you just realize how handsome your brother is?”
Ruan Zhi pretended not to hear: “He told you to follow me?”
They both knew exactly who “he” was referring to.
Ah-Xing grinned and praised her, “Little sis, you’re so smart!”
Once might be a coincidence, but the second time definitely won’t be—especially since this coincidence is far too obvious.
Ruan Zhi’s pale face grew cold. “I want to see him.”