Тhе summеr rаin wаs аs unprediсtаblе аs а woman's temреr, arriving without wаrning.
Si Xiaоzhеn саrеfullу parkеd her car in the parking lоt аnd toоk the еlеvаtоr up.
Whеn shе rаng thе dоorbеll, Ruan Sixian hаd just finishеd eаting and was clеaring the tаble.
As Si Хiаоzhеn wаlkеd in, shе saw a lаrgе amоunt оf lеftovеrs on thе tаble.
Thе dishеs, barеly touchеd, still looked frеsh аnd vibrаnt. Ruan Siхian opеnеd thе refrigеrаtоr tо рut hаlf of thеm аwaу but soоn realizеd it was аlmоst full.
Si Хiaоzhеn саme over tо help her transfer thе food into smаller bowls, аsking, "Why did уоu ordеr so much food for yourself?"
She picked up a plate and glanced at it. "And it's from West Chamber Banquet—you're splurging."
"Someone else ordered it," Ruan Sixian said. "I wasn't eating alone."
"Who came over?" Si Xiaozhen closed the refrigerator and turned to see the clay pot rice on the coffee table. "Why is there clay pot rice too?"
Ruan Sixian wiped the table briskly, avoiding the question. "What brings you here? Hand me the trash can."
Si Xiaozhen complied, still muttering, "There was an accident on the overpass today. I thought the traffic might be jammed for a long time, and with the heavy rain, I decided to stop by your place for a break. Oh, I just saw our North Airlines President Yan outside."
Ruan Sixian let out an "oh," and Si Xiaozhen pressed further, "Is he still chasing after you?"
Then, Si Xiaozhen paused. "Wait, did you just have dinner with him?"
"No, of course not. I already made things clear with him. He just called me tonight after drinking too much—we didn't meet up."
Ruan Sixian finished cleaning the table and headed to the kitchen, tossing over her shoulder, "The one who came over for dinner was Fu Mingyu."
By the time she finished washing her hands and returned, Si Xiaozhen was still standing frozen in place, wearing an expression that screamed, "You've got to be kidding me."
"What's wrong?" Ruan Sixian asked.
"What's wrong?" Si Xiaozhen shot back. "President Fu came to your place for dinner?"
"Yes, it was him. You heard right."
"Why did he come over?"
Ruan Sixian hesitated for a moment.
Why did he come over?
Because I think he wants to hit on me.
"...To discuss work."
"...?"
Si Xiaozhen stared blankly for a while before uttering a syllable to express her disbelief.
—"Huh?"
"You discuss work at home?"
"No, I was too tired today, so he came here for my convenience."
Si Xiaozhen nodded, half-convinced, and after a moment of thought, gave Ruan Sixian a knowing look. "President Fu is really considerate of his employees."
Ruan Sixian shot her a glare, and Si Xiaozhen immediately straightened up. "Then why does it look like you two barely ate?"
"That's not the point. I was so annoyed today."
"Huh? About what?"
Ruan Sixian pulled Si Xiaozhen to sit down and recounted what had happened that day, explaining why the table full of food was barely touched.
She realized her memory was unusually sharp today—she managed to replay their conversation word for word.
But.
As she reached the end of her retelling, her voice gradually softened. Finally, she touched her chest and asked cautiously, "Was I in a bad mood today?"
"I don't know about your mood, but I think President Fu was incredibly patient."
Now, calmly reflecting on it, she realized it might indeed be true.
Ruan Sixian touched her lower abdomen again. "Is my period coming soon?"
Without waiting for Si Xiaozhen's reply, she opened her period tracking app to check—and sure enough, it was.
Ruan Sixian quietly bit her fingernail.Beside her, Si Xiaozhen was still chattering away, "Why did you suddenly lose your temper like that? Although his tone wasn't great, I think you just transferred your annoyance with Zheng You'an onto him. Sigh, I really think you're just..."
Halfway through her sentence, Si Xiaozhen glanced at Ruan Sixian's expression and stopped, leaving the last four words unspoken.
Others might not understand, but she believed she knew Ruan Sixian well enough.
Since she was fourteen, Ruan Sixian had lived alone with her father. When her father passed away from illness when she was eighteen, she went to another city for university all by herself. The money her father left behind was barely enough to cover her four years of tuition, and she had to work part-time to support herself. With few relatives and unwilling to live with her mother, a stunning beauty without money or connections actually had it a bit tougher than ordinary people, because there were always ill-intentioned people watching.
Such circumstances forced her to be more independent than others and made it harder for her to trust people easily. She often processed many emotions alone, presenting a picture of serene beauty to the outside world.
But after living like this for so long, once she encountered a container that could unconditionally hold all her emotions, she recklessly poured all her temper into it.
So Si Xiaozhen thought she had simply grown accustomed to Fu Mingyu always tolerating her endlessly, thus venting her annoyance with Zheng You'an and her anger toward Dong Xian all onto Fu Mingyu.
In other words, as the saying goes...
"Are you done?" Ruan Sixian asked after waiting a long time without hearing Si Xiaozhen continue. "What were you going to say about me?"
"I think you're just..." Si Xiaozhen suddenly sped up her speech, "taking advantage of his favor to act willfully."
"What did you say?"
"I said you're taking advantage of his favor to act willfully! Taking advantage of his favor to act willfully!"
As her words fell, the room suddenly fell silent.
Ruan Sixian looked at Si Xiaozhen, the two of them staring at each other, neither speaking.
Only Ruan Sixian herself knew that her heart briefly stirred.
"What nonsense are you talking?" Ruan Sixian rolled her eyes. "You learn a few idioms and can't wait to show off."
Si Xiaozhen shrugged, also rolling her eyes and forcing a dry laugh. "Suit yourself. I'm not leaving today. I'm going to take a shower first."
After taking two steps, she turned back and said, "I suggest you could read Nonviolent Communication."
"Why are you so talkative today?"
"Alright, alright!!"
Si Xiaozhen dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut with a "bang."
The living room fell quiet.
Ruan Sixian slowly curled her legs up on the sofa and, as if guided by some whim, opened Baidu to search for Nonviolent Communication.
She flipped to the table of contents.
Chapter One, "Letting Love Flow into Life."
Chapter Two, "What Obscures Love?"
What kind of book is this?
What's with all this love talk?
Ruan Sixian angrily closed the webpage and started playing a match-three puzzle game.
She failed the same level several times—what a boring, pointless game.
Ruan Sixian exited the game, opened WeChat, and scrolled through her Moments feed. Surprisingly, she saw Fu Mingyu had updated his status for the first time.
He had shared a link—"Asia's Largest Hangar Officially Topped Out at Jiangcheng New Airport, World Airlines' Jiangcheng New Airport Base Construction Enters New Stage."
What a calm, self-restrained workaholic.
Maybe I should give him a like. After all, I did lose my temper at him today, probably because my period is coming.
Ruan Sixian moved her finger, feeling like it still wasn't sincere enough.Although she often bristled at Fu Mingyu, fairness was fairness—today he really was quite innocent.
So Ruan Sixian left another comment: 【Like】【Like】【Like】
She rubbed her nose, thinking Fu Mingyu definitely wasn’t the type to reply to social media posts, especially not to such meaningless comments.
After waiting a while, there was indeed no response.
Ruan Sixian suddenly realized she had never actually looked at Fu Mingyu’s social media feed before and wondered what someone like him usually posted.
She clicked into it.
Five months ago: "World Airlines Holds Spring Route Product Promotion Conference"
One year ago: "World Airlines HCC Opens to the Public, Revealing the Secrets of Efficient Summer Operations at Jiangcheng Hub"
Two years ago: "World Airlines and Qatar Airways Sign Memorandum of Understanding, Reaching Code-Sharing Cooperation"
Great, the CEO persona remains intact.
At the young age of 28, he’s living like he’s 48.
After exiting his feed, Ruan Sixian hesitated briefly but still sent him a message.
A reply came quickly.
Ruan Sixian : I was in a bad mood today, didn’t mean to take it out on you.
After waiting a few seconds, Ruan Sixian saw the status bar at the top display "typing..."
But after waiting a while longer, all she got was: "In a meeting. Noted."
"..."
Fine.
The next day happened to be Si Xiaozhen’s day off. Since she was already here, she naturally wouldn’t let Ruan Sixian off the hook and dragged her out.
Ruan Sixian was tired and didn’t feel like moving much, so they went to see a movie in the afternoon.
Afterward, as Si Xiaozhen wished, they went for hotpot.
"Ugh, I’m so full. Let’s walk around a bit. Bian Xuan’s place won’t even be open yet if we go now."
"I want to go home!"
"Don’t ruin the weekend mood."
Si Xiaozhen insisted on going to the three floors below to look at clothes, trying on outfits from every store she saw, taking four or five pieces into the fitting room at once.
While waiting for Si Xiaozhen, Ruan Sixian sat on the sofa playing on her phone.
She played a few rounds of a match-three puzzle game, scrolled through her social media feed, checked her Taobao shipping updates, and Si Xiaozhen still hadn’t come out.
Bored, Ruan Sixian opened Weibo again and scrolled through all the new notifications.
Sometimes it felt like a habit—after checking Weibo, she would click into Zheng You’an’s profile from her "recent visits."
Just yesterday, Zheng You’an had updated her Weibo, sharing a photo of a celebrity autograph.
"Ahhhhhhh!!! My mom went abroad for an exhibition and actually got me an autographed photo!!! Ahhhhh!!! I love my mom!!!!"
Right then, Si Xiaozhen came out of the fitting room wearing a black dress and stood in front of Ruan Sixian.
"How does this look?"
Ruan Sixian turned off her phone screen and nodded. "Looks good."
"Okay, then I’ll take this one. No more overthinking."
Si Xiaozhen ran back into the fitting room to change.
Ruan Sixian turned her phone back on but didn’t continue browsing, exiting Weibo instead.
On the way to Bian Xuan’s shop after buying clothes, Si Xiaozhen noticed Ruan Sixian seemed down.
"What’s wrong?"
Ruan Sixian walked slowly.
The night market was bustling and lively, the smell of cooking oil wafting everywhere, full of life and a great way to unwind.
"Nothing, just a bit tired."
As they neared Bian Xuan’s shop, Si Xiaozhen hesitated for a moment and said, "Should we head back instead?"
Looking up, they could already see the sign for Bian Xuan’s bar.Ruan Sixian shook her head. "Since we're already here, let's go sit for a while."
Si Xiaozhen hesitated, then nodded. "Okay... There's a band performing tonight. We'll stay for a bit."
As soon as they pushed the door open, Bian Xuan walked past them carrying a tray.
"You're here? Quick, help me tidy up the bar—it's a mess!"
Without waiting for a reply, she walked off.
Ruan Sixian and Si Xiaozhen obediently went to clean up the bar.
About ten minutes later, Bian Xuan walked over with a smile, squeezing in between Si Xiaozhen and Ruan Sixian. "Today, I'll treat you to a new drink. It hasn't been released yet—you'll be the first to try it."
Her movements were swift and precise as she mixed the drink, added ice, and shook it. In no time, she produced two glasses of orange-colored liquor.
"Brand new creation—Sunset Boulevard. Want to try?"
Si Xiaozhen took the first sip.
"How strong is this?"
"Hmm..." Bian Xuan thought for a moment. "Probably about the same as Long Island Iced Tea."
Si Xiaozhen nearly choked.
"Long Island Iced Tea? That's strong liquor! Why does this taste so sweet?"
"How is it? Not bad, right?" Bian Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Female customers will definitely like it. Strong enough, yet smooth."
"It's okay." Si Xiaozhen couldn't resist taking another sip, then turned to Ruan Sixian. "Do you want to try some?"
Ruan Sixian took the glass and drank a large gulp. Only after swallowing did she blink slowly. "Is this really alcohol? Why is it so sweet?"
Hearing two girls say the same thing, Bian Xuan grew uncertain. She took a sip herself and said awkwardly, "Oh, I added too much honey..."
"..."
"..."
"Just think of it as honey water! Good for the skin and complexion!"
Bian Xuan was about to pour it out. "Forget it, I'll make another one."
"Don't waste it. Give it here."
Ruan Sixian reached out her hand. "This is about all I can handle anyway."
Bian Xuan was more than happy to oblige, handing the drink to Ruan Sixian before turning to Si Xiaozhen. "I'll make you another one."
Soon, the band began performing, and the bar's atmosphere grew lively.
Si Xiaozhen held her drink, sitting at the bar and humming along to the entire song with the band.
"Hey, this resident singer is kinda handsome, just a bit short. If only he were taller..." As she spoke, she glanced at Ruan Sixian. "How did you finish it already?"
Si Xiaozhen picked up the empty glass in disbelief and shook it. "Even though it tastes like honey water, it's still alcohol! Alcohol!"
It was too late now—the person in front of her was already flushed.
"Mmm... it's pretty good."
Ruan Sixian propped her chin on her hand and smiled at Si Xiaozhen. "Why aren't you drinking?"
Si Xiaozhen: "...Are you in a bad mood today?"
Ruan Sixian shook her head with a smile. "No, not at all."
"Tell me honestly—is there something you can't share with me?" Si Xiaozhen reached out and touched her face, which felt warm. "Did your mom contact you?"
Ruan Sixian still shook her head. "No, she didn't."
Si Xiaozhen fell silent, just looking into Ruan Sixian's eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
That "No, she didn't" made her heart ache.
"It's okay, Ruan Ruan." Si Xiaozhen gently smoothed her hair. "Let's go. I'll take you home."
"We're leaving already?"
"Come on, let's get some rest early, or you'll feel dizzy."
"Okay."Ruan Sixian didn't want to stay any longer either; she just felt dizzy and lightheaded. Grabbing her bag, she stood up.
Si Xiaozhen reached out to support her, but Ruan Sixian waved her hand away.
She wasn’t so drunk that she couldn’t walk after just one drink.
But Si Xiaozhen still wasn’t entirely at ease and took a taxi to drop her off at the entrance of Mingchen Apartments.
"Take it slow on your way back."
Ruan Sixian waved at the car window. "Yeah, you head back early too. Let me know when you get home."
"Okay."
Since they were already at her doorstep, Si Xiaozhen didn’t have much to worry about. Besides, she had seen Ruan Sixian drink before and knew that although her alcohol tolerance wasn’t great, she wouldn’t completely lose her ability to move or think.
Moreover, when she drank, she became soft and gentle.
Watching the taxi drive out of sight, Ruan Sixian turned and headed home.
The night breeze was pleasant, and under the glow of the streetlights, swarms of tiny insects danced in circles, reminding her of the alley she lived in as a child. The brightest streetlight always attracted the most mosquitoes and bugs, and Ruan Sixian would instinctively avoid it whenever she passed by.
But sometimes, she wouldn’t notice and would walk right into the swarm, startling herself.
Just like now.
Ruan Sixian hastily stepped back and walked around it.
After a few steps, she glanced back.
When she was little and didn’t watch where she was going, Dong Xian would gently pat her head but never scold her.
She had always been a very gentle mother, so kind-tempered that even the neighbor’s children envied Ruan Sixian.
She never yelled at or hit her child, nor did she say anything unpleasant after seeing exam results.
She always patiently explained things.
What child wouldn’t envy such a mother?
So Ruan Sixian actually envied Zheng You’an too.
She had always envied her.
Taking the elevator upstairs, Ruan Sixian leaned against the wall at the elevator entrance for a moment.
She rarely drank and didn’t know that it was actually unwise to be exposed to wind after drinking.
Especially for someone with low alcohol tolerance like her—the breeze blowing against her head made the dizziness feel even heavier.
With her head lowered, she slowly walked to her door. The motion-sensor light had already turned on, and there was a figure standing with their back to her.
Ruan Sixian squinted to get a better look.
Fu Mingyu.
What was he doing here?
While Ruan Sixian was still stunned, Fu Mingyu turned around, saw her, and walked toward her.
He stopped just a step away from her.
Just as Ruan Sixian was about to ask, he suddenly leaned in close—so close that she could feel his breath.
"You’ve been drinking?"
Fu Mingyu slowly straightened up and looked at Ruan Sixian.
"Yeah."
"Why are you drinking again?"
Again?
She had only drunk twice this year—once when she graduated from flight training and had a gathering with her classmates, and once today. How could that be considered "again"?
Ruan Sixian kept her head down and didn’t speak.
The motion-sensor light went off due to their silence, and with her vision blurred, all she could sense was Fu Mingyu’s scent.
Ruan Sixian felt the atmosphere was a little strange, so she stomped her foot to turn the light back on and whispered, "I’m in a bad mood."
From Fu Mingyu’s angle, he could only see Ruan Sixian’s lowered eyelashes casting faint shadows under her eyes.
He softened his voice and asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Just in a bad mood."
"Still angry?"
Ruan Sixian looked up at him, her eyes misty, cheeks flushed, lacking her usual sharpness.
"What are you doing here?"
"I sent you a message, but you didn’t reply.""Oh, I didn't check my phone. Did you need something?"
Fu Mingyu's gaze settled on Ruan Sixian's face, examining her carefully, and noticed a fallen leaf caught in the hair by her ear.
He reached out to remove it and asked at the same time, "Are you still angry?"
The scent of fir from him drifted closer to Ruan Sixian with this movement.
She was slightly taken aback. Fu Mingyu's wrist flashed before her eyes, but the lingering scent of fir remained for a long time.
"Huh?"
Ruan Sixian asked, "What am I angry about?"
"Zheng You'an."
Ruan Sixian opened her mouth, feeling a sudden pang in her heart.
At the same time, she was puzzled. Did Fu Mingyu know something?
She looked at Fu Mingyu with confusion. "Why would I be angry with her?"
Fu Mingyu lowered his gaze to look at her, his expression thoughtful.
"Then why have you been sulking these past few days?"
Ruan Sixian carefully pondered his words.
Angry with Zheng You'an?
Sulking?
Could it be...
After thinking for several seconds, a wave of heat rushed to Ruan Sixian's head.
So, all this time, Fu Mingyu thought she was jealous?
Jealous of Zheng You'an?
Jealous of him?
"Were you... a plate in your past life? Is that why your face is so big?"
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