Тhis rеstrооm hаd оnly two stаlls. Оnе dооr was opеn аnd unocсupied, whilе thе оthеr wаs thе sourcе of the furious outburst just moments аgо.
Just as Ruаn Sixiаn hеsitаtеd betwееn using thе tоilеt or wаshing her hands first, the stаll dоor wаs suddenly pushеd opеn from the insidе.
А wоmаn stоrmеd оut, strode tо thе sink, and bеgаn wаshing her hаnds while hоlding hеr phonе bеtweеn her ear аnd shoulder. "No, nо, dоn’t уou dеfend him. Let me tеll уоu, therе’s wау mоrе tо it than thаt. Fоrget it, I’m still аt World Аirlines right now. I’m tаking my tеаm аnd leаving immеdiаtеly—I won’t staу a second longеr. I’ll tell you еverything оver drinks tоnight. Whаt? You hаve something on? Just cancel it! Does it have to be today? Fine, fine, I’m hanging up."
As she finished speaking, she also finished washing her hands. Leaning over to grab a paper towel, she accidentally dropped her phone.
Thud. It sounded like a brutal impact.
It seemed that when luck was against you, even the smallest tasks became obstacles. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and even felt the urge to stomp on the phone.
Ruan Sixian stood frozen beside her.
It was Zheng You’an.
Zheng You’an eventually bent down to pick up her phone. As she straightened up, Ruan Sixian handed her a paper towel.
Seeing Ruan Sixian, Zheng You’an froze, not taking the towel for a long moment.
At that moment, both were equally stiff.
Ruan Sixian couldn’t have imagined, even if she racked her brains, that the person cursing Fu Mingyu in the stall was Zheng You’an.
And Zheng You’an surely regretted her impulsive rant about her boss at World Airlines, only to be overheard by an employee.
A subtle awkwardness spread between them, enveloping them both in an invisible tension.
Ruan Sixian broke the stalemate first, casually stuffing the paper towel into Zheng You’an’s hand.
"The floor is dirty. Wipe it off."
"Thanks," Zheng You’an said, wiping her phone while pretending to be nonchalant. "Your blush looks really nice. What brand and shade is it?"
"...It’s from the heat."
"Oh."
Who would have thought that Fu Mingyu, the heir of an airline, standing at 187 cm tall with a face that perfectly aligned with contemporary women’s aesthetic preferences, would single-handedly overturn the lavish feast bestowed upon him by fate, dodge the barrage of arrows shot by Cupid, and successfully teach modern women that looks aren’t everything when it comes to men.
As Fu Mingyu’s subordinate, a humble employee reliant on his wallet for survival, Ruan Sixian couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.
Zheng You’an, who had already taken a step out of the restroom, suddenly turned back, flustered and annoyed. "What are you laughing at?"
Caught again.
Ruan Sixian felt a bit frustrated, but her amusement outweighed her frustration. She pressed a fist against the corner of her mouth, trying to hide her smile.
"Was I laughing?"
Now Zheng You’an wasn’t just flustered—she was genuinely angry.
"Did you hear me?"
Ruan Sixian nodded, stifling a laugh. "I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose, but you were just too loud."
Zheng You’an glared at Ruan Sixian, who found it even funnier. "I was wondering who had the audacity to curse our President Fu at World Airlines. So it was you. I thought you liked him before."
"Who would like such a two-faced, arrogant jerk!"
Ruan Sixian narrowed her eyes at her. "Is that so..."
Zheng You’an, feeling a bit defensive under her gaze, stubbornly lifted her chin. "Okay, fine. I did like him a little before, but not anymore. Who would like such a lunatic!"After speaking, she paused for a moment. As if driven by a woman's intuition, she tilted her head and looked at Ruan Sixian.
"Do you like him?"
The smile on Ruan Sixian's face vanished instantly. She sneered, "Who would like a narcissist like him? Am I crazy?"
As her words fell, a strange silence filled the small bathroom.
Zheng You'an actually detected a hint of dislike in Ruan Sixian's tone.
She studied Ruan Sixian curiously and asked, "Really or not?"
Ruan Sixian felt she had said too much today, and there was no need to explain herself to Zheng You'an, so she turned to leave.
Zheng You'an grabbed her arm. "It's rare to meet someone who dislikes Fu Mingyu. Come on, let's go for drinks tonight?"
"...Probably not."
"Come on, my treat."
"No, I have plans tonight."
"What plans? Are they important? If not, just cancel them."
It seemed this lady was still a bit pushy.
But at that moment, Ruan Sixian hesitated.
On one hand, her feelings toward Zheng You'an had always been somewhat unclear, and her curiosity was hard to suppress.
On the other hand, she was genuinely curious about how Fu Mingyu had managed to offend this young lady so badly.
She wondered if it was the same way he treated her—always with remarks like, "You might as well dream."
As she approached Bian Xuan's bar, Ruan Sixian was still lost in confusion.
She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she was actually sitting at the same table drinking with Zheng You'an, all because of Fu Mingyu.
Zheng You'an had already finished more than half of her drink, while Ruan Sixian had barely taken two sips of her juice.
"It was your World Airlines who called and invited me for the shoot. I prepared everything, and I even turned down an exhibition recently. Now they say they're replacing me just like that? What gives?"
"It's not like I begged them to let me shoot for them. I'm busy too! And given the relationship between our families, he didn't even spare me that little bit of face. Is he slapping me or my dad? I've never been treated like this in my life!"
Hearing the commotion, Bian Xuan took the opportunity to bring over some snacks and winked at Ruan Sixian.
Ruan Sixian cleared her throat. "I need to use the restroom."
Zheng You'an waved her hand impatiently. "Hurry back. I'm feeling really frustrated."
"Okay."
Ruan Sixian exchanged a glance with Bian Xuan, and the two headed to the restroom together.
"Who is she? Your friend? I've never seen her before."
"Zheng You'an."
"Sounds familiar." Bian Xuan scratched her ear and suddenly exclaimed, "How did you get mixed up with her?"
The reason was too embarrassing to explain. Ruan Sixian gritted her teeth before finally saying, "Fu..."
Before she could finish the next two words, Bian Xuan cut her off. "This is also related to Fu Mingyu?"
Ruan Sixian rolled her eyes. "She was the one in charge of taking my photos. We just got acquainted."
"Oh, I see." Bian Xuan chuckled awkwardly. "I thought it was because of your President Fu again."
Ruan Sixian was about to leave, but Bian Xuan pulled her back.
"But does she know who you are?"
Based on their recent encounters, Ruan Sixian was certain she didn't.
"She definitely doesn't."
This made Bian Xuan's heart twist. "You still haven't visited them over there?"
Ruan Sixian shook her head.
Bian Xuan thought to herself, it seemed her mother hadn't mentioned her there either."You still haven't contacted your mother at all?"
Expecting an affirmative answer, Bian Xuan was surprised when Ruan Sixian said, "Not exactly."
Leaning against the wall, Ruan Sixian tilted her head back and sighed. "She's been sending me money all along."
Without waiting for Bian Xuan to ask, Ruan Sixian continued, "Over the years, she's been transferring money to me, every two or three months."
"How much?"
Ruan Sixian shot her a look. Was she obsessed with money?
"Didn't pay much attention. All in all, probably two or three million."
"...?"
Bian Xuan gasped in disbelief. "That's just too much, you rich woman! When I asked to borrow money from you the year before last, you said you didn't have any."
"I really didn't have any at the time," Ruan Sixian said. "I never touched the money my mother sent me."
"But why?"
Bian Xuan had long wanted to ask this question. "So many families have divorced parents—it's perfectly normal. Your parents seemed to have parted amicably, right? No ugly fights, and she remarried four years after the divorce. What's the big deal? Why are you so bothered?"
Ruan Sixian looked up at the ceiling, her eyes misty, her emotions unclear.
After a moment, she simply shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about this. I'm heading over."
Bian Xuan was curious but helpless. When it came to this topic, if Ruan Sixian didn't want to talk, no one could pry it out of her.
After sitting down, Ruan Sixian picked up the earlier conversation. "Why did he replace you?"
"He said my style wasn't suitable."
Ruan Sixian muttered, "He studied management—what does he know about this?"
"Exactly!" Zheng You'an slapped the table several times in succession. "When I called to ask him, he said something about it being too delicate and not grand enough. What nonsense! No one has ever said that about my work. Last year, I even won an award for my photos of the animal migration in Africa! Not grand enough? He just doesn't understand photography at all!"
Ruan Sixian stroked her chin thoughtfully as Zheng You'an continued, "And that time I took photos for you guys, the payment wasn't even enough to buy a bag, but he said I didn't do a good job."
Just then, Ruan Sixian's phone buzzed with a message from Fu Mingyu.
Fu Mingyu : You're not home yet?
Nodding in agreement, Ruan Sixian quickly replied with a "?"
"And also, that time I hitched a ride on his flight to Spain, he ignored me for over ten hours. It felt like he treated me like, like..."
She struggled to find the right word, and Ruan Sixian chimed in, "Like checked luggage?"
"Exactly!" Zheng You'an grew animated and started slapping the table again. "Looking back now, I don't know how I put up with it."
At the same time, Fu Mingyu called.
Seeing the caller ID, Ruan Sixian felt an inexplicable panic, as if she were about to be caught gossiping behind someone's back.
She immediately hung up and sent a message.
[Ruan Sixian]: What is it?
Fu Mingyu : Answer the phone.
[Ruan Sixian]: It's not convenient. Can't you just text?
[Ruan Sixian]: Fine, forget it then.
"And there are so many things from before," Zheng You'an chattered on without pause. "Every time we met in the past, before I could even do anything, he'd keep his distance, like... it felt like..."
"Like he thought you were really into him?"Zheng You'an nodded vigorously, her features all scrunched together. "Yes, yes, yes! It's like I'm forcing myself on him or something."
Ruan Sixian deeply agreed with this point and nodded calmly.
But after more than an hour had passed, Ruan Sixian was already struggling to stay awake, holding back tears from exhaustion.
Sis, you've been ranting for over an hour, going back and forth over the same few things: Fu Mingyu doesn't appreciate your work, he has no taste, no discernment, he's a big pig's trotter. He ignores you, but tomorrow you'll make him regret it, and I haven't even had dinner yet.
That was bad enough, but after repeating herself so many times, Zheng You'an actually started crying, burying her face in her arms.
"I've never been treated this badly in my entire life."
Ruan Sixian immediately straightened her back.
A woman ranting about a man isn't scary; what's scary is when she starts crying. There's no way this will end in less than three or four hours.
The sudden clarity made Ruan Sixian pull out her phone and send a message to Fu Mingyu.
[Ruan Sixian]: This can't be left like this. Come find me right now.
You're the one who made her cry, so you deal with it yourself. Why should I suffer?
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