Xie Wanyin did not want to show weakness in front of him, so she quickly sent a voice message.
“I'm on a date with my boyfriend and tapped it by accident. Don't worry, I don't have time to mess around with you. It was just an accident.”
She decided it was better not to see it and be bothered by it. After sending the voice message, she left the group chat.
The moment she exited, a friend request popped up.
A mocking smile touched Xie Wanyin's lips, and she rejected it without hesitation.
Early the next morning, Xie Wanyin went to the dance training center.
Ever since her left leg had been injured, she could no longer take the stage, but she still could not help wanting to stay a little closer to it.
After much consideration, she had ultimately chosen to work in logistics at an international dance training center.
It was called logistics, but in reality, the job involved some sales work as well.
The children who came there to study were all from wealthy families—essentially, they were the children of some of the richest people around.
Knowing that she had a background in dance, the owner had offered her a high salary to come work there, giving Xie Wanyin a considerably more comfortable financial situation.
But the moment she clocked in that day, she sensed that something was off.
Xie Wanyin stopped one of her colleagues. “What’s going on today?”
“Nothing much. But a new dance teacher started today, and I heard she’s incredibly talented.” Her colleague smiled. “Apparently, the boss hired her at a high salary. She won several second-place prizes in international competitions back in the day!”
Xie Wanyin’s heart skipped a beat. She had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Yuan Qian came toward her enthusiastically. “Sister Wanyin, I didn’t know you worked here too.”
Seeing that the two of them knew each other, the colleague left, giving them some privacy.
As soon as she was gone, Yuan Qian extended her hand. “I’m the new dance teacher. That’s wonderful, Sister Wanyin. We’ll be working together from now on.”
Xie Wanyin did not move. She simply watched her in silence.
Yuan Qian did not feel embarrassed. She withdrew her hand with a smile. “Sister Wanyin, there may be some misunderstandings between us. I know you don’t like me because of what happened during the earthquake.”
“But I still want to thank you. I never thought I’d be able to persevere and continue down the path of dance, but every time I think about how your left leg wasn’t treated in time because of me, I feel terribly guilty.”
At that point, her voice weakened, and her eyes reddened.
“That’s why I thought that, even if it was for your sake, I had to persevere on this path of dance.”
Xie Wanyin was practically nauseated.
What did she mean, for her sake?
How sanctimonious.
Yuan Qian clearly knew everything. How could she have the nerve to say something like that?
Unfortunately for her, three years had passed, and Xie Wanyin was no longer the person who could be provoked so easily.
Xie Wanyin let out a mocking laugh. “There’s no need to thank me. After all, how could a runner-up thank the champion? I should be thanking you instead. If it hadn’t been for you back then, perhaps I would have been the one taking second place.”
She walked over to Yuan Qian and curved her lips. “Thank you for entering the competition and losing to me, allowing me to win a championship that was truly deserved.”
Yuan Qian’s eyes widened, and a trace of disbelief flashed through them.
Her pupils contracted sharply. “You…!”
Only after she spoke did she realize that quite a few people nearby were watching them.
Yuan Qian could only forcibly swallow her anger, biting down hard on her lower lip. “Sister Wanyin, did I say something wrong? That’s not what I meant. I’ve always been worried about your injury.”
She had not expected Xie Wanyin to refuse to take the bait, much less to remain so calm.
Three years ago, just a few words would have been enough to make Xie Wanyin lose her temper and quarrel with Zhou Ruotan.
Or could it be that, over these three years… Xie Wanyin had truly let go?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
No one knew better than Yuan Qian how much Xie Wanyin had loved Zhou Ruotan back then.
Unease appeared on her face, and the smile in her eyes faded, leaving only deep contempt.
Yuan Qian tried to catch some unusual emotion on Xie Wanyin’s face.
Unfortunately, there was nothing.
No sorrow, no joy—as though every one of her actions had long since been seen through.
Xie Wanyin’s gaze was calm. Without looking at her again, she walked straight past her.
When it was time to get off work, Xie Wanyin returned to her seat, intending to finish dealing with the remaining tasks.
For some reason, the office suddenly became lively.
“I can’t believe it, Teacher Yuan. You look so young, but you’re already married?”
“Teacher Yuan, you and your partner look so well matched. A classic handsome man and beautiful woman!”
Xie Wanyin’s gaze turned toward them against her will.
It was a wedding photograph.
Her heart gave a painful jolt when she saw that the other person in the photograph was Zhou Ruotan.
Xie Wanyin felt as though an invisible hand had ruthlessly seized her heart, leaving her barely able to breathe.
So she still had not completely moved on.
Her five fingers dug deeply into her palm, pressing out several deep, nearly invisible red marks.
“It’s not that exaggerated.” Yuan Qian smiled shyly. “This was taken yesterday. It took us a long time to choose the wedding dress, too.”
She suddenly paused, as though remembering something. “Oh, right, Sister Wanyin, don’t you have a boyfriend too? Do you have any plans to get married recently? When are you going to bring him around for us to see?”
Xie Wanyin raised an eyebrow, guessing that Yuan Qian had also seen the chat history in the group the day before.
Of course. Yuan Qian was the group owner. How could she not have seen it?
She smiled. “I’ll bring him around when I have time.”
“Really? I’d like to see him too.”
The familiar voice came from behind her, like a sharp blade stabbing viciously into her chest, bringing excruciating pain.
Xie Wanyin froze in place. A chill seeped through every limb and bone in her body, leaving her unable to move.
She turned around and saw a handsome, refined face marked by indifference.
Zhou Ruotan’s brows were drawn tightly together, his jaw tense, and his expression unpleasant.
“Brother Ruotan, what brings you here?” Yuan Qian cried out in surprise and ran over, skillfully wrapping her arms around his.
“Teacher Yuan, so this is your partner? He’s even more handsome than in the photograph!”
Yuan Qian smiled. “Brother Ruotan, they’re all my colleagues.”
Zhou Ruotan did not speak. He stared straight at Xie Wanyin, his narrow eyes radiating a cold light, as though he wanted to see through her completely.
When he failed to respond for a long time, Yuan Qian resentfully bit the flesh of her lip and asked in a gentle, considerate tone, “Brother Ruotan, you still haven’t said why you came here today.”
Only after a long while did Zhou Ruotan come back to himself.
He glanced at Xie Wanyin’s expressionless face, then at Yuan Qian. “Today is your first day at work. I was worried about you, so I came to take a look.”
“Teacher Yuan, your partner is really so doting,” one of their colleagues teased despite herself. “In all my years of working, this is the first time I’ve ever seen it.”
Another colleague asked, “Teacher Yuan, since you’ve already taken your wedding photographs, when are you getting married?”
Yuan Qian’s expression stiffened.
Zhou Ruotan’s brows tightened, and he blurted out, about to refute her.
He and Yuan Qian were nothing more than siblings. Nothing else was possible.
“Brother Ruotan.” Yuan Qian gently tugged at him and whispered, “I just told everyone that we’re getting married. Today is my first day at work, and I don’t want everyone to dislike me.”
Zhou Ruotan’s eyes darkened. Then his gaze shifted, landing on Xie Wanyin’s cold expression, and his anger abruptly shot straight into his nerves.
Did she really not care about him at all?
His voice turned cold. “Soon.”
As Zhou Ruotan spoke, his gaze never left Xie Wanyin.
Even he did not know what he was expecting.
Perhaps he expected anger to appear on Xie Wanyin’s face… or something else.
He had not intended to come that day. But after learning that Xie Wanyin also worked there, he had come over as if possessed.
He had barely let any expression on Xie Wanyin’s face escape him.
Yet Xie Wanyin remained unchanged. Her expression was impassive, and when she saw him arrive, she had shown no more than a moment of astonishment before turning around and continuing with her own work.
His clenched hand tightened until his nails dug in. Zhou Ruotan’s face turned livid, his eyes dark enough to frighten anyone, while his swollen temples throbbed violently.
Crack—
Some emotion was surging violently inside his chest.