“Don’t you think that’s a coincidence?”
Ruan Zhi gave a self-deprecating smile. “Come to think of it, it really is quite ironic.”
“I was so nervous and scared at the time that I didn’t even realize the woman in the elevator was Xia Shan. She had changed so much that even though her back looked familiar, it never occurred to me that it could be her—let alone that you and her had just gotten out of bed together.”
“And as for you, you were afraid I’d find out about your affair, so even when you noticed something was wrong with me, you didn’t care about me.”
Rong Che’s face went pale; he had a vague inkling of what was going on, but dared not dwell on it.
“Do you know why I was there?”
Ruan Zhi took a deep breath, suppressed the tight, aching sensation in her chest, and let out a wry laugh:
“At the same hotel, on the same night—just as you were making love to Xia Shan, I was in bed with another man… Only, you were having an affair, while I was drugged.”
Rong Che staggered slightly; the pain in his chest made his eyes bulge with rage, and his eyes turned bloodshot.
No wonder she didn’t want to see him those few days—so that’s why…
It’s all his fault.
That night when he got back from his business trip, he had planned to go see her, but a few of Xie Dongdong’s friends called him over, and then that bitch Xia Shan kept pestering him.
“Who did it?”
His deep regret turned into a raging fury, and his teeth chattered.
Ruan Ruan is his woman—how dare that man!
He instinctively assumed that the man who slept with Ruan Zhi was the one who drugged her.
“No matter who it is, it has nothing to do with you anymore. We’re breaking up.”
Ruan Zhi’s gaze was indifferent.
“…I’m not breaking up with you. I don’t care if you’ve slept with other men.”
Rong Che’s face betrayed his excitement; his chest rose and fell rapidly as he reached out to take her hand.
Ruan Zhi raised her hand to block the him, her expression as cold as ice. She fixed her gaze on his eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly:
“But I do care—I think you’re too dirty.”
Rong Che’s hand froze in midair; his eyes stung, and his voice came out hoarse and trembling:
“Ruan Ruan, please don’t be like this. I really do know I was wrong. I didn’t cherish you enough. Can we start over? Let’s go abroad—anywhere you want. Just the two of us. There’ll never be another woman again. Please don’t break up with me, okay?”
He truly regretted it; he thought she wouldn’t find out.
She was so well-behaved that every time he met her clear, bright almond-shaped eyes, he didn’t dare touch her.
The desires raging within him were savage and unbridled, like a ferocious beast that could never be sated, a bloodthirsty impulse.
He knew there was something wrong with him, but he just couldn’t control himself.
Her innocent, flawless beauty was like a poppy blooming with an enchanting fragrance; he forced himself to resist touching her, not wanting her to discover his ugly, evil side.
But that slut Xia Shan didn’t matter—he could take it out on her however he wanted.
What he regretted most was being too confident—he thought that slut wouldn’t dare disobey him.
A surge of agitation suddenly welled up inside him, racing wildly through his body; he gritted his teeth and forced it down.
Through her reddened eyes, Ruan Zhi shook her head, her voice cold and resolute:
“What’s done is done, and I just can’t pretend nothing ever happened.”
“Just go. Don’t come looking for me again—it’ll only make me dislike you even more.”
“……”
Rong Che went limp all over, feeling a stinging pain in his heart; he shut his eyes tightly and forced back the hot tears.
He won’t give up.
Once I track down that scumbag who dared to touch my woman and tear him to pieces, I’ll take care of Xia Shan and the bastard she’s carrying.
Once those annoying people are out of the way, Ruan Ruan will forgive him.
After a long while, as she watched him stagger away into the distance, Ruan Zhi slowly unclenched her fists.
When I returned to the living room, I met Ruan Jiajia’s contemptuous gaze.
“Dad, I told you she’s too dramatic. Even though Young Master Rong came to see her in person, she’s still acting all aloof. Does she really think Young Master Rong can’t live without her? Just wait until he gets fed up and dumps her—then let’s see where she goes to cry.”
“You sure do worry about me.”
Ruan Zhi gave her a faint smile, then suddenly changed the subject, her tone sharp and sarcastic,
“But when you had someone drug me, why didn’t you worry that Rong Che would dump me?”
“You…”
Ruan Jiajia was so furious she was speechless. She had no idea that in just a few days, Ruan Zhi had become so sharp-tongued.
Lin Qinglan tugged at her arm, signaling her to behave herself and not get into another argument with Ruan Zhi in front of Ruan Xiuming.
Sure enough, Ruan Xiuming narrowed his eyes and glared at Ruan Jiajia.
Ruan Zhi quietly watched the family of three, and before Ruan Xiuming could ask, she said softly:
“Uncle, Rong Che and I have broken up.”
“Auntie, Jiajia, you’ve gotten your way—so don’t set your sights on me anymore.”
Ruan Jiajia and Lin Qinglan stared in astonishment as Ruan Zhi walked upstairs. After a moment, Ruan Jiajia’s lips curled into a wide smile, and she whispered to Lin Qinglan:
“Hmph, I knew Young Master Rong would dump her sooner or later. I heard his father is back from Hong Kong—it must have been his opposition that made Young Master Rong break up with her. She thinks she can rise from a lowly bird to a phoenix? She’s dreaming!”
Lin Qinglan listened distractedly, her eyes fixed on Ruan Xiuming in his wheelchair.
The man gazed intently at Ruan Zhi’s retreating figure; though his expression was unreadable, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, creating an eerie and unsettling sight.
Her face went pale, and she clenched her fingers tightly as hatred welled up and spread through her.
*
At the far end of the second-floor hallway, Ruan Zhi returned to her room in the Ruan family home.
She hadn’t been back for about ten days, yet the room was spotless and still looked exactly as it had when she left.
The laptop on the desk was still open, and the unfinished book on the nightstand was still lying face down.
After looking around carefully, she lifted a corner of the mattress, took a key from the gap at the head of the bed, and opened the bottom drawer of the desk, where she found a locked box containing her most precious possessions.
That was the only thing her parents had left her; it was the happiest memory of her life.
But the next second, her eyes widened in surprise—the box was gone?
Something flashed through her mind, and she dashed out of the room.
In the living room downstairs, just as Ruan Jiajia was about to go upstairs, she heard a “clack-clack-clack” sound.
Next, Ruan Zhi came storming down the stairs, her face pale and her eyes filled with a menacing glint.
They bumped right into each other. Before Ruan Jiajia could even react, Ruan Zhi charged straight at her, grabbed her by the collar, and shoved her against the wall:
“Ruan Jiajia, give me back my stuff!”
“Ah—”
Ruan Zhi’s sudden outburst of anger scared Ruan Jiajia. “Ruan Zhi, what are you doing? Who took your stuff… Let go…”
Lin Qinglan was startled and quickly rushed over from the couch to angrily rebuke Ruan Zhi.
Ruan Xiuming’s eyes held a distant gaze; he paused for a moment before gliding over in his wheelchair.
Ruan Zhi was roughly pulled away by Lin Qinglan. Trembling all over, she stared intently at Ruan Jiajia, who was sobbing as she clung to Lin Qinglan:
“Did you take the box from my desk drawer? As long as you give it back to me, I won’t make a big deal out of this.”
In this house, no one but Ruan Jiajia would ever touch anything in her room.
After all, she’d done this kind of thing plenty of times before.
It wasn’t until they both started college that she began to tone it down.
After a moment of surprise, Ruan Jiajia shouted in outrage:
“What kind of bullshit box is that? Why would I want your stuff? I’ve never even been in your room—what proof do you have that I took it?”
“Xiao Zhi, do you even respect me and your uncle anymore?”
Lin Qinglan also shouted a stern rebuke from the side,
“If you lose something, you should look for it properly. Instead, you’re accusing Jiajia out of the blue and even laying a hand on her. After all these years of raising you, is this the best you can do?”
“Xiao Zhi, don’t get so worked up. Let’s talk this through calmly. If Jiajia really took something from your room, Uncle will see to it that justice is served.”
Ruan Xiuming gently urged Ruan Zhi.
As soon as she heard him speak, Lin Qinglan’s expression turned extremely grim.
Ruan Jiajia shouted at him in a hurt tone:
“Dad—I didn’t take her stuff.”
“Uncle, I’m going to call the police.”
By this point, Ruan Zhi had calmed down a little,
“I really can’t prove that Jiajia took it, so in that case, let’s leave it to the police to handle.”
“If Jiajia hadn’t taken it, I would have apologized to her…”
Ruan Jiajia’s eyes flickered slightly as she looked nervously at Ruan Xiuming.