Ruan Zixin’s heart skipped a beat; the good mood she’d felt from dressing up as a snowman was instantly ruined by this man.
She calmed down, her eyes dark, bright, and determined:
“Uncle, I’ve never thought about marrying you.”
She pronounced the word “Uncle” with great emphasis, as if she were deliberately reminding him.
Rong Junheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this little girl.
She knows she’s doing it on purpose, but she’s serious about not marrying me.
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. It seems I really am getting old—I can’t even handle a little girl.
“Could you tell me why?”
The two stood under a large, black umbrella. The muscles in the man’s forearm, which held the umbrella, were firm and well-defined; blue veins wound their way across the back of his hand, where he gripped the umbrella. His knuckles were prominent, and his veins bulged slightly, exuding a powerful presence.
He lowered his head and gazed intently into her deep, enigmatic eyes; his tone sounded casual, yet carried an air of intensity.
Ruan Zhi’s grip tightened slightly; only now, after the excitement had subsided, did her body feel the bone-chilling cold of the air. Wearing nothing but a thin crew-neck sweater on top, she couldn’t help but shiver.
Rong Junheng glanced at the touch of pink on the snowman, then reached out with his long arm, wrapped it around her shoulders, and led her inside.
“Let’s talk about it back in the room.”
In that moment when warmth enveloped her, Ruan Zhi froze, yet her instinct to draw in the warmth kept her from breaking free.
Even though he was also wearing only a sweater, the man didn’t seem to feel the cold—even the body heat radiating from him felt scorching.
He held her tightly in his arms as she moved slowly along with his steps.
Every now and then, her cheek brushed against his slightly muscled, firm chest, and the tip of her nose caught a faint, crisp scent—somewhat like tea, yet mingled with a hint of cigarette smoke; when combined, it was actually quite pleasant.
Amid the swirling snowflakes, a tall, stately man held an umbrella in one hand and held the woman tightly in his arms with the other, taking deep, deliberate strides that left their footprints etched deeply into the snow-covered landscape.
The visuals are so beautiful—it’s just like watching a romantic drama.
What was the plot again?
The cunning Big Bad Wolf transforms into a calm, steady old ox, luring the little white rabbit step by step back to the wolf’s den, where he devours it whole, leaving not even a bone behind.
Ah-Xing stood at the entrance with his arms crossed, and whistled.
“Mom Song, did you just realize today that the boss is really romantic and good with the ladies?”
Aunt Song patted him on the arm with a chuckle: “Keep your voice down—don’t let Mr Rong hear you.”
“What are you afraid of? Am I not even allowed to tell it like it is?”
Ah-Xing shrugged, looking completely unafraid, but as Rong Junheng’s figure drew closer, he chuckled twice and took off running.
Aunt Song shook her head with a smile and turned to go into the kitchen.
The warm, comfortable temperature in the living room helped Ruan Zhi recover, especially after she took a few sips of the brown sugar ginger tea that Mrs. Song had made, which warmed her right through.
Rong Junheng didn’t drink that stuff; he went upstairs, changed into some casual clothes, and came back down, bringing Ruan Zhi a women’s cashmere shawl.
“Put it on for now. We’ll have someone pick up the down jacket later to have it dried.”
The shawl is beautiful, with subtle pale gold patterns that give it an elegant and sophisticated look; you can tell the owner has excellent taste.
Ruan Zhi’s lowered eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she politely declined: “Thank you, but it’s warm inside, and I’m not cold anymore. There’s no need to get it dirty.”
“If it gets dirty, just wash it.”
Rong Junheng’s dark eyes swept over her aloof expression, and without a word, he pulled the shawl off her shoulders and draped it over hers.
Ruan Zhi was a little annoyed that he wouldn’t take no for an answer, but she couldn’t bring herself to yank the thing off and smash it in his face.
I had no choice but to pull my shawl tighter around me.
“I will not consider your proposal.”
Angered by the man, she began to speak her mind freely,
“I hate Rong Che for betraying me, but I don’t want that hatred to make the rest of my long life unhappy.”
“Hating someone is too exhausting. I want to save my energy and time for the things I want to do. I’m still young, and love… isn’t my whole world.”
She spoke nonchalantly, but a stinging pain she couldn’t suppress still lingered in her heart.
But she spoke her mind; she lifted her chin slightly and looked straight at Rong Junheng:
“In my eyes, marriage is sacred. A man who would betray me so easily doesn’t deserve for me to use my marriage to get back at him.”
Her life was saved at the cost of her parents’ lives—how could she give up on herself for a man who isn’t worth it?
One wrong move can lead to a string of mistakes; she couldn’t afford to make even a single misstep.
As she spoke, her eyes shone with clarity and wisdom; her pointed chin lifted slightly, elongating the line of her jade-white neck, and her almond-shaped eyes sparkled, making her look like a beautiful, aloof swan.
She is beautiful and alluring, yet she is unaware of it.
Rong Junheng leaned back against the sofa, his deep eyes fixed on her face, his expression unreadable, as his long fingers tapped lightly, on and off, on the knee of his right leg, which was crossed over the other.
Ruan Zhi spoke in one breath, feeling a little flustered under the man’s intense gaze.
She straightened her back even further and held his gaze without flinching.
Rong Junheng paused and parted his thin lips slightly:
“How do you know you won’t be happy if you marry me?”
“I was just out playing with you—weren’t you having fun?”
The man suddenly fired off a barrage of questions. Ruan Zhi was taken aback for a moment, and when she finally came to her senses, she felt inexplicably uneasy and uncomfortable.
The relaxed, happy mood from earlier now seemed as if he had caught her doing something wrong.
Her expression turned cold; she sidestepped his question and said in a low voice:
“I forgot to mention—aside from the reasons I mentioned—I don’t want to have anything to do with anyone in the Rong family anymore. I just want to stay as far away from you all as possible.”
Rong Junheng stared intently at her dark eyes, his gaze growing sharp, as if he were trying to pierce right through to her heart to see what lay within.
Under his relentless pressure, Ruan Zhi mustered her courage, unconsciously pursed her lips slightly, and spoke:
“Didn’t you say you’d make it up to me, that you’d do whatever I asked?”
The living room was completely silent.
A moment later, Rong Junheng’s deep, slightly magnetic voice finally rang out:
“All right, as you wish.”
Since she didn’t want to, he decided to let her have her way—he was magnanimous enough to do that.
It’s just that…
Don’t give him another chance…
He isn’t very patient either.
Ruan Zhi paused in surprise; the huge weight that had been pressing on her heart finally lifted.
She stayed at the villa for two days; aside from going downstairs to eat, she spent almost all her time in her room and didn’t see that man again.
But she knew he was very busy—either in video conferences or working in his study, taking calls—and he even had to stay up late at night to hold meetings with his subordinates overseas.
Whenever he has free time, he works out at the gym and practices boxing with Ah Xing.
I’d occasionally hear Mrs. Song mention a few things over dinner; it would have been hard not to know.
The weather forecast was pretty accurate; sure enough, it snowed for three straight days—the heaviest snowfall in Rongcheng in the past decade.
Traffic throughout the city has been significantly affected.
She spent three days in seclusion, enjoying a quiet and peaceful time.
It wasn’t until the fourth day, when the sun finally peeked out after a long absence, that my phone—which had been silent for several days—suddenly rang.
She glanced at the caller ID and calmly answered the phone:
“Uncle.”
“Xiao Zhi, where are you? Young Master Rong says you’ve been missing for a few days, and no one can find you anywhere. He’s waiting for you at the Ruan family’s house right now. Please come back right away.”
Ruan Xiuming’s stern voice was extremely deep, as if he were struggling to contain his anger.
“Uncle, tell him to go home. I’ll get in touch with him.”
A hint of sarcasm flashed across Ruan Zhi’s pale eyes.
How does Rong Che have the nerve to show up at the Ruan family’s house? He really isn’t afraid that news of his cheating will spread throughout the circle and become common knowledge.
Ruan Xiuming sensed something was off in her tone and asked tentatively:
“Tell your uncle the truth—did he do something to hurt you?”
Ruan Zhi pressed her lips together.
Ruan Xiuming suddenly understood, and his eyes flickered.
He sighed:
“Your uncle knows you’ve been wronged, but you can’t keep avoiding him forever. You should sit down with him and clear things up as soon as possible. After all, he’s the heir to the Rong family, and if this matter isn’t handled properly, it won’t do you—or our Ruan family—any good at all.”
“He won’t leave until he sees you. Where are you? I’ll have the driver come pick you up—this is the perfect chance to cut ties with him once and for all.”
After gazing thoughtfully for a moment, Ruan Zhi said softly, “No need to pick me up—I’ll go back on my own.”