If it wеrе thе first timе hеаring Ruan Sixiаn sау suсh wоrds, Fu Mingyu would hаvе been furiоus.
If it were thе sесоnd timе, his blоod would hаve boiled.
But now, Fu Mingуu sighеd, feеling nothing but rеsignаtiоn.
Нe turnеd silеntlу, fеtсhed sсissors from the tаblе, dismantlеd the crab, аnd cleаred awау аll thе расkaging and strings оn thе tablе.
"Lеt's еat."
Ruаn Sixiаn rаn to wash hеr hаnds and sаt down at the tаble first, while Fu Mingуu wеnt tо wash his.
Glаncing at the fооd оn the tаblе, Ruаn Siхiаn nоticеd а small iсe рack nеarbу.
Орening it, shе fоund а сream puff insidе.
Compared tо the steaming hоt meal, shе crаvеd somеthing sweet on such a hot day.
And after splitting the puff open, the soft cream oozed out. Ruan Sixian immediately took a big bite.
After finishing the puff, she licked the cream off her fingers while searching for a tissue.
Fu Mingyu happened to come out just then after washing his hands.
His gaze fell on Ruan Sixian's fingers and lower lip, his eyes suddenly darkening slightly, and a faint itch stirred in his chest.
"Wipe it."
He casually handed her a tissue from the cabinet behind him.
Ruan Sixian wiped her fingers, and the two sat facing each other.
Fu Mingyu remained silent, picking up his chopsticks to eat, while Ruan Sixian took a sip of soup and glanced at Fu Mingyu across from her, feeling life was rather strange.
She had never dreamed she would sit peacefully at the same table with Fu Mingyu, eating a meal together.
But she hadn't forgotten the real reason she had let Fu Mingyu in.
Stirring her spoon idly in the bowl, she stared at the dishes in front of her, pondering how to phrase her words.
Earlier, Fu Mingyu had said that Zheng You'an was the daughter of his business partner.
Ruan Sixian knew this, but she hadn't known that Fu Mingyu and Zheng You'an were acquainted, and they seemed to be on good terms.
After all, everything she knew about Zheng You'an came from stalking her Weibo, without ever truly interacting with her, not even indirectly.
Ruan Sixian had always known her feelings toward Zheng You'an were a bit odd.
When she had accidentally discovered Zheng You'an's Weibo, she had even hoped she would be an extravagant, spoiled rich second-generation, living a life of indulgence, arrogant and domineering, all flash and no substance—that would have made her feel a little more balanced.
You abandoned your own daughter to become someone else's stepmother, but that child isn't all that great either, nowhere near as outstanding as me.
But Zheng You'an was precisely not that kind of person.
At least from Ruan Sixian's superficial understanding through Weibo, while she spent money lavishly and enjoyed flaunting her luxurious life on social media, she also posted about narrowly missing the top scholarship, sometimes showing off awards for her photography, and even revealing that her three dogs and one cat were all rescues.
Ruan Sixian had even watched those pets grow from scrawny little things into plump, happy creatures through her Weibo.
This made Ruan Sixian's dislike for Zheng You'an feel unjustified, as if she were a petty person lurking in the shadows, spying.
Yet, while she despised her own mindset, she remained curious about whether Zheng You'an was truly like the persona she presented online and what her real relationship with Dong Xian was like.
And Fu Mingyu seemed to be the only thread connecting her to Zheng You'an.
"So..."Ruan Sixian was about to speak when Fu Mingyu also opened his mouth at the same time, "You..."
Both were taken aback for a moment. Ruan Sixian’s little hidden thoughts instantly shrank back, and she immediately said, "You go first."
Fu Mingyu asked, "Are you finishing your training flights next week?"
Ruan Sixian nodded.
A moment later, Ruan Sixian suddenly looked up.
"Is that all?"
Fu Mingyu glanced over, a faint, teasing smile on his lips.
"What else did you want me to say?"
Ruan Sixian: ?
Do you think you’re a member of Deyun Club, with people eagerly waiting to hear you speak every day?
Ruan Sixian didn’t answer, lowering her head to take a small sip of soup.
"What were you going to say earlier?"
Fu Mingyu asked.
She had already tucked away her little sprout of curiosity, but now that Fu Mingyu brought it up again, Ruan Sixian couldn’t hold back.
After a moment of thought, she slowly asked, "What do you think of Zheng You’an?"
If Ruan Sixian had looked up at that moment, she would have seen the smile vanish from Fu Mingyu’s lips, and he even took a deep breath.
"How do you know her name?"
Ruan Sixian fiddled with her spoon, muttering, "Why do you care how I know?"
"Why are you so fixated on her?"
"Why do you care why I’m fixated on her?"
"..."
Fu Mingyu put down his chopsticks and looked at Ruan Sixian seriously.
"I’ve already told you, she’s just the daughter of the boss of a company I’m collaborating with. Her parents are close with mine, that’s all."
Their parents are close...
Ruan Sixian stirred her spoon slightly and asked again, "So what do you think of her?"
Letting out a long sigh, Fu Mingyu estimated how many times his patience had multiplied in just a few months, having to explain the same thing three times.
"I’ve known her for less than two years, met her no more than four times, and spoken fewer than twenty sentences to her. How would I know what she’s like? And what does it matter to me what she’s like?"
Ruan Sixian: "...?"
So you’re not even close to her?
If you’re not close, then why are you talking so harshly?
You’re the one who eagerly came to have a meal with me, and now you won’t even let me chat with you?
What’s wrong with you?
Ruan Sixian was fuming. She put down her spoon, having lost her appetite.
"Fine, if you don’t know, forget it."
Seeing Ruan Sixian like this, Fu Mingyu also lost his appetite. He put down his chopsticks and stared straight at her.
"Ruan Sixian."
"What?"
"Eat a little more."
"Not hungry."
Fu Mingyu pressed his tongue against his lower jaw, closed his eyes for a moment, and said, "What exactly are you still angry about?"
Ruan Sixian was equally baffled. "When was I angry?"
"Go look in a mirror and see how dark your face has turned."
Ruan Sixian snorted through her nose. "I’ve always been like this. It’s not like you’ve just met me."
Fu Mingyu sneered, "So you do know you’ve been treating me poorly?"
Ruan Sixian turned her face away, not bothering to look at him. "If you hadn’t provoked me, would I treat you like this?"
"When did I provoke you?"
"Just look at the tone you used earlier. You’re the one who came to have a meal with me, and now you won’t even let me speak. What, am I just a side dish to go with your meal?"
Fu Mingyu raised a hand, forcing himself to compromise. "Alright, stop. Let’s just say it’s my fault, okay?"
Ruan Sixian: "...?"
It was your fault to begin with. What do you mean 'let’s just say it’s my fault'? Are you feeling wronged now?Fortunately, the doorbell rang just then. Ruan Sixian couldn't be bothered to say more to him and went to open the door without even asking who it was.
Her movements were abrupt, and her expression startled the delivery person when she opened the door.
"I'm s-sorry, my bike broke down on the way. I had to push it here, and I was held up for a long time at the security checkpoint. I'm really sorry for being late."
Listen, even the delivery person, who only earns a few bucks for the delivery, had a better attitude than Fu Mingyu. And he still wants to flirt? With that attitude, he can forget about it.
Pah!
Why did I just insult myself? It's all Fu Mingyu's fault for pissing me off.
Ruan Sixian took the food with a smile and said, "It's fine, you've worked hard. I'll give you a good review."
As she spoke, she casually grabbed a bottle of water from the nearby cabinet and handed it to him. "It's hot out, have some water."
The delivery person took the water, looking both surprised and touched, as if he were about to burst into tears of gratitude. "Thank you, thank you!"
After closing the door, Ruan Sixian turned around and saw Fu Mingyu still sitting at her desk like a lord, glaring at her as if she owed him millions.
Not wanting to face him any longer, she took the food to the sofa, quickly unwrapped it, picked up a spoon, and started eating.
"You're quite nice to the delivery person."
"If you delivered food, I'd be nice to you too. Can't help it—I resent the rich."
Fu Mingyu rubbed his neck, opened his mouth slightly, and let out a long sigh.
When he looked at Ruan Sixian again, he noticed she was enjoying her meal, which smelled of cheap rapeseed oil, while the exquisite food in front of him was slowly growing cold.
After what felt like a long time, Fu Mingyu slowly stood up.
Just as he was about to approach Ruan Sixian, her phone rang.
Ruan Sixian glanced at it—it was Yan An calling.
What could he want so late at night?
Holding the spoon in one hand, she answered the phone with the other.
"Hello, President Yan, what's the matter?"
Hearing her address him as "President Yan," Fu Mingyu paused mid-step.
On the other end, Yan An's voice sounded slightly drunk.
"Are you asleep?"
He's been drinking?
Some men like to call the women they're hung up on when they're drunk. Who would have thought a CEO like Yan An would have such a sentimental streak?
In situations like this, chatting could easily give the other person the wrong idea, so Ruan Sixian lied. "I'm about to go to sleep. Is there something you need?"
Yan An fell silent for a moment before saying, "Sigh, I just wanted to talk to you. Can you... come downstairs? I'm right outside your building."
Ruan Sixian felt a gaze on her back. She turned and glared at Fu Mingyu before shifting closer to the corner of the sofa. "Sorry, I'm already in bed."
"Sigh..." Yan An continued, "Then let's talk on the phone for a bit. Actually, about what happened last time, I really had no idea. I've completely cut ties with my ex-girlfriend, and something like that won't happen again."
Ruan Sixian rubbed her temples.
Why were both men causing trouble for her today? Are CEOs these days really that idle?
"President Yan, I thought I made myself very clear about this."
"Sigh..."
"It's getting late. You should get some rest."
Yan An sighed again and paused for a long moment before saying, "Then rest well. I won't disturb you any longer."
Without hesitation, Ruan Sixian hung up the phone. When she looked up, she saw Fu Mingyu still watching her.
"Yan An?"
Ruan Sixian ignored him and continued eating.
Just as Fu Mingyu was about to say something, his phone rang.It was Bai Yang calling.
He had actually squeezed out time to come tonight, as he still had to return to the company for a meeting later. By now, it was almost time.
He walked over to Ruan Sixian, picked up his coat, and said, "I have matters to attend to at the company. I'm leaving."
"Take care, I won't see you out."
The stiff tone once again filled Fu Mingyu with a sense of helplessness. He wanted to say something but found there was nothing left to say.
"Ruan Sixian."
Ruan Sixian replied impatiently, "What now?"
"Takeout isn't clean. Eat less of it."
Ruan Sixian continued eating with her head down, as if she hadn't heard Fu Mingyu's words.
Only when the sound of the door closing echoed did her hand pause. She looked up at the food on the table.
Infuriating. If it weren't for Fu Mingyu stirring up trouble, why would she be eating claypot rice instead of the dishes from Xixiang Feast?
By the time Fu Mingyu went downstairs, the sky was completely dark.
Holding his coat, he walked with quick strides.
He had been busy all day without a break, squeezing out time in his hectic schedule to accompany Ruan Sixian for a meal, only to be half-dead with anger. He didn't even know what he was hoping for.
But before he could even leave the lobby on the first floor, he spotted a familiar figure outside.
Yan An was hunched over, leaning against the car, a cigarette lit in his hand.
Although his expression wasn't visible, his entire demeanor exuded an aura of "I'm sorrowful, I'm melancholy." At first glance, he truly had the air of someone nursing a broken heart.
Fu Mingyu had initially intended to walk past him as if he hadn't seen him, but as he descended the steps, his footsteps paused. He turned back and said, "Yan An."
Yan An looked up and, seeing it was Fu Mingyu, didn't feel like speaking.
Fu Mingyu simply tilted his head to look at him and said in a low voice, "She's already posted subtle digs at you on her social media, yet you're still clinging on. Can't you have a little more self-respect?"
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