“Come in.”
The man’s deep, husky voice came through the door. Ruan Zhi drew in a breath, lowered her gaze, and pushed open the study door.
Behind a dark, vintage-style desk, the man was bent over, scribbling on the surface.
He was wearing a grayish-brown knit cardigan over a white striped shirt, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses with thin chains hung on his high nose bridge.
Gone was his former cold, domineering demeanor; now he exuded an air of refined elegance and nobility, with a hint of allure shining through his languid composure.
At first glance, Ruan Zhi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Do you need something from me?”
In a moment of distraction, the man looked up, and his almond-shaped eyes behind his glasses seemed even more profound.
Ruan Zhi quickly lowered her gaze, letting her eyes rest lightly on his chin.
“Um, Mr. Rong, I was wondering…”
“Aren’t you going to call me ‘Uncle’ this time?”
Rong Junheng raised an eyebrow slightly, set down the paintbrush in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and gazed at her with great interest.
Ruan Zhi blushed slightly and smiled sweetly:
“If that’s what you’d like to hear, I can keep calling you that.”
Since he has a son as old as Rong Che, he must be in his forties by now—so what’s wrong with calling him “Uncle”?
“Uncle Rong.”
When she smiled, two dimples appeared on her cheeks, giving her a lively appearance; her voice was soft and gentle, a far cry from the gloom and disarray of the past few days.
A faint glint flickered in Rong Junheng’s eyes, and his chest heaved—she had infuriated him so much that he couldn’t help but laugh.
He took off his glasses with one hand, letting them fall naturally across his chest, then suddenly stood up and walked toward her.
Ruan Zhi’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively took a step back, looking just like a little rabbit that sensed danger approaching. She took another step, then turned around, her eyes wide with alertness, watching warily and waiting for the right moment to act.
Rong Junheng found it amusing and stopped two steps in front of her.
“You’re still afraid?”
“Anyone would be afraid.”
Ruan Zhi tilted her chin slightly. “Aren’t there times when you’re afraid?”
That’s a good question.
Rong Junheng slipped his hands into his pants pockets, looked down at her from above, pondered for two seconds, and replied earnestly:
“Of course there have been times.” But not many.
I’ve never been afraid of gunfire or bullets, but the one time I was truly scared was when that woman died.
The man’s sudden silence made the atmosphere feel a little awkward. Ruan Zhi gathered her thoughts and quickly got down to business:
“I checked, and the snow has been cleared from the road on Zitan Mountain. Could you ask Ah-Xing to drive me out of here now?”
Rong Junheng snapped back to his senses and said calmly, “All right.”
After saying that, he turned around, picked up the cell phone on his desk, and called Ah-Xing.
Ruan Zhi watched quietly.
His voice was neither hurried nor slow—it was steady and firm. After speaking briefly, he hung up the phone, bent down to take a black card from the drawer, and handed it to her.
“Ah-Xing is waiting for you downstairs. Here’s my phone number—if you run into any problems you can’t solve, feel free to contact me.”
Ruan Zhi lowered her eyelashes to rest on his hand. His skin was very fair, and the black, gilded business card holder held between his slender fingers looked exceptionally mysterious and elegant.
This is the second time I’ve seen a business card like this.
The first one was given to her by Ah-Xing.
This time, he gave it to me himself.
As her thoughts wandered, her hand reached out slowly, and her lips moved slightly: “Thank you.”
“You won’t throw it in the trash again, will you?”
Ruan Zhi felt her ears burn; she quickly stuffed the business card—which felt hot to the touch—into the pocket of her down jacket and turned away.
“I’m leaving.”
Watching her retreating figure as she walked with slightly hurried steps, Rong Junheng’s thin lips curled slightly, and he turned back to continue drawing on the blueprint.
*
The Ruan family lives in a villa community halfway up Zitan Mountain, about ten to fifteen minutes down from the summit.
Ah-Xing may seem like a slacker, but he drives very steadily—and didn’t say a word the whole way.
Only after the car had come to a stop outside the Ruan family villa and Ruan Zhi had gotten out did he suddenly roll down the window, lean out, and grin:
“Little sis, do you mind if I tell you the truth?”
Ruan Zhiwei paused and looked at him. “What did you say?”
A Xing’s smile grew even broader: “I think that, compared to Young Master Che, Mr Rong is a better fit for you.”
“……”
It happened so suddenly that by the time Ruan Zhi realized what was going on, Ah Xing—who had been spouting nonsense—had already turned the steering wheel and sped off.
So when Ruan Zhi walked into the Ruan family living room and saw Rong Che, who was surrounded by Ruan Jiajia and Lin Qinglan and wearing a cold expression, Ah-Xing’s words suddenly popped into her mind for no apparent reason.
Rong Junheng’s face also came to mind.
She found herself instinctively comparing the two faces.
In the end, I have to admit that Rong Che really isn’t as handsome as his father…
“Ruan Ruan…”
Rong Che’s hoarse voice, filled with surprise, suddenly rang out.
Ruan Zhixin felt a twinge in her heart just as Rong Che strode toward her and gripped her shoulders tightly.
As if afraid that his emotional outburst might startle her, he took a deep breath and smiled gently:
“Ruan Ruan, where have you been these past few days? I couldn’t reach you by phone, and you weren’t at your apartment either. You have no idea how worried I was.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything stupid.”
Ruan Zhi’s voice was very soft.
The night I found out he was cheating on me, I blocked all of his contact information.
Her gaze swept over the mother and daughter standing behind him, ready to watch the show, and her uncle, who was looking at her with deep concern.
“Let’s go outside and talk.”
Watching the petite figure push his hand away, turn her head, and walk out, Rong Che’s forced smile turned bitter, and he followed her with heavy steps.
The snow in the Ruan family’s backyard hadn’t been completely cleared yet, but the ice in the fish pond had already melted. Standing on the veranda, Ruan Zhi could see several goldfish swimming back and forth just by looking down.
“Ruan Ruan…”
Rong Che leaned in, his voice pained and pleading. “I know I was wrong. Will you forgive me?”
Ruan Zhi turned and gazed at him.
It was still that same youthful, handsome face, as smooth as jade, but his eyes and brows—which had always radiated vitality—now looked haggard and pained.
The stubble on his chin looked like it hadn’t been shaved for two or three days; even though he had tidied up his appearance a bit, he still looked somewhat disheveled.
“Ah-Che—”
Her voice was very soft—so soft it sent a chill down his spine. “How am I supposed to forgive you for betraying me?”
“If you don’t love me, just tell me—I can handle it…”
“I love you—how could I not love you!”
Rong Che interrupted her with concern, his face filled with urgency,
“I was momentarily blinded by temptation—I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again. Believe me, I won’t contact her anymore. I told her to get lost…”
“Don’t you want the baby she’s carrying either?”
Ruan Zhi’s casual remark instantly silenced Rong Che.
“baby…”
His face was pale, and his lips moved slightly: “I’ll take care of it.”
Although the Rong and Huo families have few heirs, how could a child conceived by a lowly woman possibly be worthy of being born into the Rong family?
Ruan Zhi met his gaze; the fleeting glimpse of cruelty and coldness in his eyes was all too clear.
A chill crept over her heart, and she gently rubbed a card tucked into her pocket.
“Rong Che, there’s no future for us. I made that very clear that night.”
“How could you possibly think that I’d still want you after seeing you sleep with another woman with my own eyes?”
She curled the corners of her lips. “I should count myself lucky that I haven’t slept with you yet—otherwise, just the thought of sharing a man with Xia Shan would make me sick to death.”
Rong Che’s mind went blank for a moment; it seemed he was recalling that night when she had thrown up all over him.
“Actually, there’s something else I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
A faint smile flitted across Ruan Zhi’s face, but her tone remained extremely detached.
Rong Che had an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
“That night, I had actually planned to break up with you.”
Rong Che’s jet-black pupils contracted, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched.
“Do you remember the morning after you got back from your business trip? We ran into each other at the hotel.”