Whеn Ruаn Siхiаn еmеrged from thе еlеvаtоr again, Fu Mingуu’s сar had just disаppеаrеd frоm hеr sight.
Stаring in the direсtion the car had gonе, Ruаn Sixiаn lost hеrsеlf in thоught fоr a mоmеnt.
In thаt minutе, shе wondеred when she’d find thе timе to gеt a driver’s licеnse and buу a cаr, sо shе wоuldn’t hаvе tо wait for ridеs undеr such sсоrсhing sun in the futurе.
Thеrе was no hеlрing it—June tеmperaturеs had soarеd tоо quicklу, leaving no timе fоr аdjustment. Jiаngсhеng wаs а furnаcе оf a сity, аnd this intense hеat wоuld реrsist until Oсtоbеr.
Оnly the eаves of the securitу booth offеred anу shadе аt the еntrance, so Ruan Sixian stood there waiting for her ride.
As soon as she settled in, someone else appeared beside her.
At first, she only noticed the familiar-looking uniform the person wore. When she glanced back, both of them froze for a second.
Ni Tong, pulling her flight case, met Ruan Sixian’s eyes for a moment before looking away.
After several minutes of silence, Ruan Sixian spoke first.
“Do you live here too?”
“…No.” Ni Tong’s gaze drifted everywhere except at Ruan Sixian. “My best friend lives here.”
Ruan Sixian gave an “oh” and fell silent again.
Soon, her phone showed that her booked ride was about to arrive, and she could head to the intersection to board.
Before leaving, she glanced back at Ni Tong. “Did you manage to book a ride?”
Ni Tong checked her phone. It was rush hour, and she was still in line with over forty people ahead.
“…No.”
“Come on.” Just then, Ruan Sixian’s ride pulled up. She waved at Ni Tong. “If you keep waiting, you might end up late again.”
“…I won’t. I left two hours early today.”
“Fine.” Ruan Sixian started walking ahead. “Then you can keep baking in the sun.”
Though the eaves blocked direct sunlight, they couldn’t shield against UV rays.
Those who worked at high altitudes were usually extra cautious about sun protection, or their skin would age quickly.
Ni Tong hesitated for two seconds between waiting in the blazing sun and hitching a ride with Ruan Sixian before quietly following with her flight case in tow.
She’d checked this week’s flight schedule yesterday, and as luck would have it, next week there was a chartered flight for national team athletes—and both she and Ruan Sixian were assigned to that very flight.
Since they’d have to cooperate anyway, what was the point of staying at odds?
Once in the car, the two sat at opposite ends without a word.
Ruan Sixian kept her eyes on her phone, while Ni Tong stole a few glances at her.
Ni Tong still couldn’t shake what happened in the elevator last time, but with their upcoming collaboration in a couple of days, she figured it was best to ease the tension beforehand.
What should she say…
Licking her lips, Ni Tong suddenly blurted out, “Are you really pursuing President Fu?”
“…”
Ruan Sixian looked up, not at Ni Tong, but directly at the driver. “Driver, please pull over. Someone needs to get off.”
“Hey, wait!”
Ni Tong panicked. “We’re in the middle of nowhere! How could you do this?”
“That’s just how I am.” Ruan Sixian shot her a glance. “Either keep quiet.”
Ni Tong seethed but didn’t dare retort, shifting closer to the car door instead. She thought to herself that she should’ve never gotten into this car in the first place.
The rest of the ride passed in silence. When they arrived, Ni Tong hauled her flight case out and looked back—only to see Ruan Sixian already far ahead.
“What kind of person is she…”
Dragging her flight case indignantly, Ni Tong caught up, parting ways with Ruan Sixian at the elevator entrance.
Ruan Sixian was off duty today, but there was a mandatory safety lecture for all pilots and crew members not on flights.Having their break time taken up, many people felt resentful. The lecture was dull, and the expert rambled on for hours. By the time it finally ended at noon, there was no chance to catch a nap.
During the lecture, Ruan Sixian sat next to a maintenance technician, and they chatted quietly for a bit. To her surprise, they had attended the same high school, though he was a few years ahead of her—he had already graduated by the time she started her first year.
"Are you heading back at noon? Want to grab lunch in the cafeteria together?" the technician asked as they left.
Ruan Sixian declined. "I have something to do this afternoon."
"Alright."
Ruan Sixian always walked with her eyes fixed straight ahead. As they neared the elevator, the technician suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"What—"
Before she could finish, she saw a group of people heading straight for the elevator from the other side.
Leading them was Fu Mingyu, one hand in his pocket, his back slightly hunched as he looked down at the iPad Bai Yang was holding out for him. His pace was unhurried, and the seven or eight people following him wore serious expressions.
Pulled back two steps by the technician, Ruan Sixian moved aside from the elevator entrance.
She watched as Fu Mingyu passed by her, stepped into the elevator, and turned to face outward. His gaze remained cool and indifferent, unchanged even as the elevator doors closed.
Well, that’s good, Ruan Sixian thought. He’s finally settled down.
After leaving World Airlines, Ruan Sixian hailed a taxi. Passing by a familiar flower shop, she asked the driver to stop for a moment.
She got out and walked to the shop entrance, where the owner immediately greeted her. "Buying flowers?"
"Please make me a bouquet of lilies," Ruan Sixian said. "Make sure they’re fresh and blooming."
"All our flowers are fresh and blooming."
The shop had pre-arranged lilies, and the owner picked one out for her. "It’s 158, but I’ll charge you 150."
"Alright, thank you."
With the flowers in hand, she got back into the car. The driver glanced back and asked, "Visiting someone?"
Ruan Sixian closed her eyes and hummed in agreement.
The car slowly made its way toward the outskirts.
The mountain road was winding, and the driver took it slow, swaying for nearly an hour before reaching the destination.
After getting out, Ruan Sixian walked into the cemetery with ease and found the grave.
From a few meters away, she had already noticed a bouquet of flowers placed in front of the tombstone. As she approached, she confirmed it was a fresh bunch of lilies.
Ruan Sixian bent down, picked up the bouquet, and tossed it behind the tombstone.
As the flowers hit the ground, a few scattered and lay sprawled.
Looking at them, she sighed, picked them up again, and placed them back in front of the tombstone. Then, she set her own bouquet beside it.
She took a newspaper from her bag, spread it on the ground, and sat cross-legged on it, staring at the photo on the tombstone for a long time.
The man in the photo smiled faintly, his gaze gentle and his features handsome. Like Ruan Sixian, he had narrow eyes, a high nose bridge, and even the curve of his lips was identical.
After sitting quietly for a while, Ruan Sixian took a small box from her bag and held it in her palm.
"Dad, these are my epaulets."
She opened the box and placed it in front of the tombstone.
"Three stripes now, and in another two years, it’ll be four."
After saying a few words, she fell silent, unsure of what else to say.
Several minutes later, she spoke again. "It’s such a shame you never got to fly. If you had held on a few more years, maybe you could have flown on a plane I piloted, and I could have taken you abroad to see the world."The sun blazed overhead, and even the wind carried heat, yet in this desolate cemetery, a chill lingered persistently.
Ruan Sixian sat with her head bowed for a long time, a few leaves drifting to rest at her feet.
She picked one up, rolling it between her fingers, and said, "Dad, don’t think of airplanes as these huge machines—once they’re up in the sky, they’re just like this leaf. You wouldn’t know, but last week on a return flight, we almost ran into a cumulonimbus cloud. Thankfully, the captain was skilled and managed to navigate around it, but it still scared me half to death. Those things are terrifying."
The wind rustled through the weeds, producing a soft, whispering sound.
Ruan Sixian’s voice grew slightly hoarse. "And these past few nights, the wind has been especially strong, howling outside my window. I keep thinking someone’s climbing over the wall, even though I live on the tenth floor now and the neighborhood has security. It’s like I’m still back at our old place, where thieves would often climb through windows to steal things."
"Ah, never mind all that. You probably don’t even know what a cumulonimbus cloud is." Ruan Sixian rubbed her eyes and pulled a book from her bag. "Let me read you some poetry."
A stray piece of joss paper, likely left by some mourner, drifted on the wind and landed on Ruan Sixian. Unaware, her faint, raspy voice continued intermittently in the quiet cemetery.
Behind her, the wind never ceased, and the trees remained restless. Clouds gathered and dispersed in the sky as the bright sun gradually dimmed, quietly descending behind the western hills with the passage of time.
When the clock struck seven, the entire afternoon had slipped away. Two elderly caretakers wandered around with brooms, their cloth shoes treading softly on the grass, the sound surprisingly clear.
Meanwhile, at the Jiangcheng State Banquet Hotel, starlight and lamplight intertwined, casting a shimmering glow. Outside the dark golden doors, four waiters in tailcoats stood in a row, raising their white-gloved hands to guide guests into the opulent, gilded interior.
Inside, the hall was brilliantly lit, with fresh pale pink lilies everywhere—wrapped around pillars, blooming on tables, clustered beside pastries. The space was a riot of colors, while the melodies of cello and piano drifted through the air. The murmur of guests’ conversations, lively yet orderly, created a strangely harmonious atmosphere.
A black Bentley slowly pulled up to the entrance, and two waiters immediately stepped forward, opening both car doors.
Fu Mingyu stepped out first, waiting briefly as He Lanxiang emerged from the other side and took his arm. Guided by the tailcoated attendants, they made their way inside.
Before even setting foot inside, He Lanxiang’s gaze swept the room, quickly spotting the guest of honor.
She muttered under her breath, "I knew it. She’s dressed all in plain colors again, standing there looking delicate and fragile, making me seem like a gaudy peacock with all this makeup."
Fu Mingyu offered his hand to help her up the steps, not bothering to look at the person in He Lanxiang’s line of sight.
He Lanxiang lifted the hem of her lake-blue custom mermaid gown and glided gracefully forward.
The appearance of the mother and son immediately drew the attention of many guests, including the hostess.
As Dong Xian approached, He Lanxiang whispered, "She’s not even wearing lipstick today. It almost looks like it’s my wedding anniversary instead."
Fu Mingyu kept his eyes forward but replied softly, "If you dislike her so much, perhaps you shouldn’t attend her dinners in the future."
"That won’t do. My gallery still needs to collaborate with her."
With that, He Lanxiang’s expression shifted as if flipping a switch, and she put on a bright smile as she stepped forward. "Mrs. Zheng! Your dress is absolutely stunning today!"Seeing this, Fu Mingyu rubbed the space between his brows and followed.
After exchanging pleasantries with He Lanxiang for a while, Dong Xian turned to look at Fu Mingyu beside her. "I received the necklace you sent. I really like it. You went to a lot of trouble."
"What trouble did he go to?" He Lanxiang chimed in. "I was the one who picked it out. He doesn’t understand these things."
Fu Mingyu nodded from the side, agreeing with his mother.
Once the greetings were over, He Lanxiang and Fu Mingyu naturally went their separate ways, as they moved in different social circles.
A waiter carrying a tray passed by Fu Mingyu. He took a glass, turned around, and looked back, catching sight of Dong Xian standing shoulder to shoulder with He Lanxiang. For a moment, his mind went blank.
He focused his gaze, and from her profile, he saw the shadow of another person, rippling in his heart, eventually turning into a wave of irritation.
That irritation had been surfacing frequently these past few days—when he closed his eyes to rest, when he ate alone. It was elusive, intangible, more agitating than the stifling heat.
Meanwhile, He Lanxiang watched a woman approaching Dong Xian gracefully and smiled. "It’s been a long time since I’ve seen You’an. I didn’t see her at the last art exhibition either. Where has she been?"
Dong Xian, with Zheng You’an holding her arm, clicked her tongue and sighed. "She’s grown up and can’t stay at home anymore, always running out. During the last art exhibition, she went to Australia with her teacher for inspiration. She only returned yesterday."
"That’s how it is when children grow up." He Lanxiang pointed toward Fu Mingyu ahead. "Mine is the same. He’s hardly home for a few days all year. Next week, he’s going to Spain on a business trip. Who knows how long he’ll be gone this time."
Upon hearing this, Zheng You’an asked, "He’s going to Spain next week?"
"Yes, why?"
Zheng You’an pursed her lips without speaking. Dong Xian glanced at Fu Mingyu and said, "You’an is also going to Spain next week, but this time she’s not going with her teacher. She insists on going alone, and I can’t stop her."
"That’s great." He Lanxiang looked Zheng You’an up and down, thinking to herself that her son was always flying around, so what was there to stop? But what she said was, "You’an studies photography, so she’ll have to travel all over the world in the future. You’ll get used to it."
Dong Xian replied, "But she’s still a girl. I’ve never let her go to such a faraway place alone before. I’m always worried."
He Lanxiang, having no daughter, couldn’t relate to Dong Xian’s feelings and could only casually brush it off. "There’s nothing to worry about. She’ll have drivers to pick her up and drop her off everywhere. It’s perfectly safe."
With the conversation reaching this point, Dong Xian casually asked, "How is Fu Mingyu getting there?"
This time, Fu Mingyu was going to inspect the operations of the Spanish branch. With many people accompanying him, they would naturally take a private flight.
Hearing this, Dong Xian suggested taking Zheng You’an along, so she could feel more at ease.
It wasn’t a big deal, and regardless of what He Lanxiang thought, she had to agree on the spot.
Afterward, however, she felt a twinge of worry, afraid that Fu Mingyu would be unhappy and blame her for making the decision without consulting him.
But when Fu Mingyu learned about it, he showed no particular reaction.
It was just one more person to bring along, as if it were an extra piece of luggage. He wouldn’t spare a single thought on such matters.
On Wednesday morning of the following week, Ruan Sixian strode ahead, pulling her flight case. The entire crew moved quickly.
Since it was a chartered flight, they needed to board at the business terminal. Although there were no casual passengers along the way, the distance was much farther.Ni Tong and the cabin crew struggled to keep up, muttering under her breath, "Why walk so fast..."
But unexpectedly, Ruan Sixian heard this and turned to look at her. "Are your legs short?"
Ni Tong’s eyes widened at that. "I’m 1.7 meters tall without shoes, okay!"
"I’m also 1.7 meters," Ruan Sixian said. "How come I’m so much faster than you? Isn’t it because your legs are short?"
Ni Tong couldn’t argue back, too angry to speak, and could only force a stiff smile.
Her expression, however, made Ruan Sixian laugh. Slowing her pace, she walked beside Ni Tong, unconsciously falling back into the habit she’d picked up from the men at the flight academy of teasing girls. "Have you ever measured your proportions? Are your legs even a meter long?"
"Mine are 1.1 meters!"
"I doubt it. I’d say at most 95 centimeters."
Ni Tong rolled her eyes and turned away, ignoring her.
Ruan Sixian didn’t tease her further.
As the group rounded a corner, they suddenly saw seven or eight people approaching from the opposite direction.
Though still about ten meters apart, Ruan Sixian recognized the man leading the group from afar—it was Fu Mingyu.
That same aura of arrogance, as if he owned the world—who else could it be?
The only unusual thing was the woman walking beside him.
She wore a nude pink dress, her long hair flowing, with a white woven hat atop her head, looking as if she were out for a leisurely stroll.
Ruan Sixian curled her lip.
Going out with a woman and bringing so many people along—didn’t he mind all the extra lightbulbs?
No wonder he’d seemed so busy lately, barely visible. Turns out he was busy accompanying a woman. No wonder he looked a bit haggard recently—probably genuinely worn out.
As the two groups drew closer, their gazes met. Ruan Sixian calmly shifted her eyes away, pretending not to see him, a mocking smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
Unfortunately, the lead pilot stopped to greet Fu Mingyu, forcing Ruan Sixian to halt as well.
The moment she looked at Fu Mingyu, her peripheral vision caught sight of Zheng You’an beside him.
Her expression froze, and the smile on her lips slowly faded.
Zheng You’an was slender, with a delicate neck adorned by a lustrous pink diamond that made her skin appear even fairer and more delicate. Her bird-like legs beneath the dress were clad in stiletto heels, exuding a fragile beauty that marked her as a princess raised with utmost care.
Ruan Sixian’s gaze flickered slightly. She pressed her lips tightly together, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. Though she wanted to look away, she couldn’t help but study her.
In truth, this was the first time she had ever seen Zheng You’an in person.
Before, she had only occasionally browsed her Weibo, glimpsing into her daily life.
There was a hint of voyeurism in it, a dark corner of her heart that Ruan Sixian had always buried deeply.
She wanted to see if her mother, who had left to become someone else’s mother, was doing a good job.
And the evidence showed she always did.
Zheng You’an had likely long accepted Dong Xian and had found in her the maternal love she had been missing.
Seeing her posts about traveling abroad, photos with her cats and dogs, and pictures from birthday parties—that was how Ruan Sixian recognized her the first time they met today.
Lost in thought for a moment too long, even Zheng You’an noticed her lingering gaze and instinctively took a step back.
Fu Mingyu, who had been briefly chatting with the pilot, seemed to sense something and looked toward Ruan Sixian, just as she forcibly shifted her gaze away.
But Ruan Sixian didn’t want him to notice anything, so she turned her head away, looking into the distance.But at the moment their gazes met, he still caught the complex emotions in Ruan Sixian's eyes.
After a few words were exchanged, the two groups headed toward their respective boarding gates.
After walking a few steps, Fu Mingyu suddenly turned back and saw that Ruan Sixian, who was always poised and upright, now appeared somewhat lonely from behind.
"What's wrong?"
Zheng You'an asked.
"Nothing." Fu Mingyu turned and continued walking.
Once on the plane and climbing to cruising altitude, all the employees heading to Spain together were busy with their respective duties, not idling even on the flight.
The only one with nothing to do was Fu Mingyu.
He had plenty of materials in front of him but hadn't been able to focus on them.
His mind kept returning to the way Ruan Sixian had looked at Zheng You'an earlier.
And her retreating figure.
Suddenly, a burst of music from beside him interrupted Fu Mingyu's thoughts.
Zheng You'an covered her iPad apologetically and said, "Sorry, my headphones weren't plugged in properly."
Fu Mingyu glanced at her face.
A moment later, it suddenly dawned on him.
The pent-up frustration in his chest vanished in an instant.
After a while, he picked up his phone and forwarded a news article to Ruan Sixian.
At this time, Ruan Sixian hadn't taken off yet.
The news was a heavy rain warning for the area where Ruan Sixian was about to land.
A few minutes later.
[Fu Mingyu]: Remember to bring an umbrella.
Ruan Sixian : President Fu, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to bring your girlfriend along and still care about me?
Seeing this message, Fu Mingyu finally confirmed his suspicions.
A soft snort escaped his nose as he curved his lips into a smile.
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