"Whу аrе уоu оn your рhоnе nоw?" Zhеng You'an askеd, hеr eyеs brimming with tears аs shе lооkеd аt Ruan Sixiаn. "Can't you show me а littlе resрeсt?"
"...I'm just rерlуing to а mеssаgе."
Ruаn Sixiаn was exhаustеd, hungry, аnd sleepу, fighting back а yawn аs shе stооd uр. "I nееd to use thе rеstroоm."
"Whу dо yоu alwауs have tо gо to thе bathroom?"
Zhеng You'an frownеd in аnnоyаnce befоrе burуing her fасе in hеr аrms аnd cоntinuing tо crу.
Ruan Siхian slipрed intо thе rеstroоm with hеr рhоne and sent а message to Fu Mingуu.
[Ruan Sixian]: Аre yоu herе уet?
[Ruаn Sixian]: Hurry up!
Fu Mingyu : Don’t rush, just a few more minutes.
After sending the message, Ruan Sixian used the restroom. Within minutes, someone had already taken advantage of her absence.
From a distance, she saw a man in a floral shirt and skinny jeans leaning over Zheng You'an with a drink in hand.
"Hey beautiful, drinking alone?"
Zheng You'an looked up, her face still streaked with tears, appearing utterly pitiful.
The man’s heart instantly stirred. He naturally sat down beside her and whispered in her ear, "Oh dear, why are you crying?"
Having grown up sheltered, Zheng You'an had never encountered such a situation before. Her mind went blank as she stared at the man across from her, his shirt dazzling her eyes.
The man in the floral shirt had zero resistance to a beauty with such an expression and reached out to wrap his arm around her.
But before he could touch Zheng You'an’s shoulder, someone grabbed his arm.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The man in the floral shirt turned around and saw Ruan Sixian staring coldly at him.
Well, today’s my lucky day—another stunning beauty.
"I was just comforting this lovely lady," the man in the floral shirt said with a smile, withdrawing his arm, his gaze lingering on Ruan Sixian’s face. "You two are together?"
Ruan Sixian didn’t want to cause trouble at Bian Xuan’s bar, so she opted for words over action, speaking calmly, "Yes, is there something you need? If not, we’ll be leaving."
"Don’t go so soon, it’s still early. Let’s have a couple of drinks together," the man in the floral shirt said, leaning closer to Zheng You'an again. "Why are you crying, beautiful? Did you get your heart broken? Tell me about it, I’ll help you feel better."
Ruan Sixian sat down on the sofa opposite, crossing her arms. "I’ll tell you why. Today, she broke the leg of a man who tried to hit on her, and now she’s scared of going to jail. That’s why she’s crying."
Zheng You'an: "...?"
The smile on the man’s face froze. After a few seconds, he forced a dry laugh. "Heh, you’re quite the joker."
"I’m not joking," Ruan Sixian said, flexing her hands. "I have a lot of experience in this area, so she came to me for advice."
Then, she tilted her head and looked at the man in the floral shirt. "Want to help us brainstorm?"
If he still didn’t catch Ruan Sixian’s meaning, he’d be an idiot. The man gritted his teeth, grabbed his drink, and walked away, muttering under his breath, "A real thorny rose."
Ruan Sixian ignored his tacky description and handed a tissue to Zheng You'an.
"Wipe your face, your eyeliner is smudged."
Zheng You'an took the tissue but instead covered her mouth and gagged.
Ruan Sixian jumped to her feet. "Seriously? You’re throwing up after just a little alcohol? I thought you had a high tolerance."
With vomit rising in her throat, Zheng You'an rushed toward the restroom, managing to explain, "I’m throwing up because that guy disgusted me!"
Ruan Sixian hurried after her but was shut out at the door.Zheng You'an certainly didn't want anyone to see her vomiting—how embarrassing. The first thing she did after entering was turn on the faucet to mask the sound of her retching.
Ruan Sixian knocked on the door. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just need to throw up for a bit."
Since that was the case, Ruan Sixian didn't feel like crowding the cramped bathroom either.
It was at this moment that Fu Mingyu arrived.
He pushed the door open, glanced around, and not seeing Ruan Sixian, headed toward the bar counter.
Bian Xuan, who was wiping glasses, looked up and saw him. Her eyes lit up briefly before she felt a sense of familiarity.
Tilting her head, she studied him carefully and suddenly had an epiphany.
Fu Mingyu showing up here—Bian Xuan wasn't naive enough to think he came for a drink. What else could it be besides picking up Ruan Sixian?
"President Fu?"
Fu Mingyu happened to stop right in front of the bar counter. "You know me?"
Of course she did.
Bian Xuan teased with a smile, "You don't know me, but I know you very well."
Just as Fu Mingyu was puzzled, Ruan Sixian walked over with a dark expression, glaring daggers at Bian Xuan. "Don't you have anything to do?"
Bian Xuan immediately stifled her laughter, pretending to swirl a glass. "I'll go attend to the customers."
With that, she scurried away, leaving only Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian at the bar.
He pondered Bian Xuan's words—it probably meant what he thought it did.
So, did Ruan Sixian often mention him in front of her friends?
His mood improved even more. He looked down at her, a smile in his eyes. "Did you drink?"
"No." Ruan Sixian sniffed. "Did you drink?"
Fu Mingyu nodded. "Yes, I had a business dinner tonight."
Hearing this, Ruan Sixian asked, "So you came here in the middle of it?"
If that were the case, she'd feel a bit guilty for interrupting Fu Mingyu's important matters.
After all, it was only good for her if World Airlines did well.
"No, I was already home. What did you need?"
"Oh, Zheng You'an is vomiting inside."
Fu Mingyu paused. "Zheng You'an?"
"Yeah," Ruan Sixian said. "She's drinking here because of you. If you don't get her out of here, I won't be able to go home and sleep tonight."
After a brief silence, Fu Mingyu's expression gradually cooled.
So, she called him over because of Zheng You'an?
He had drunk quite a bit at the business dinner earlier. When the driver asked where to go, he instinctively chose Mingchen Apartments, which were farther than Lakeside Mansion.
The reason was simple: he suddenly wanted to see Ruan Sixian.
Just like the countless inexplicable thoughts that had popped up recently, there was no particular reason—he just suddenly wanted to see her.
Even though he knew she wouldn't be pleased to see him, he didn't mind. In fact, he found her occasional outbursts rather amusing.
As for why he couldn't just text—since he couldn't see her in person, hearing her voice would be good enough.
That was Fu Mingyu's simple thought at the time.
So when she said, "Forget it if it's not possible," his face instantly darkened.
Fortunately, the next second, she added, "Come find me now."
Sitting in the car, Fu Mingyu watched the neon lights outside the window, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
She really did want to see me after all.
And at a bar, no less.
After drinking, the person she wanted to see was me.
But now that he was here, Fu Mingyu realized it might not be what he thought.
He tilted his head slightly and asked, "What's wrong with her?"Ruan Sixian didn't notice the change in Fu Mingyu's expression and said with a hint of teasing, "You go apologize to the woman you made cry yourself. I won't help. I'm going home to sleep."
Fu Mingyu certainly knew how he had "made" Zheng You'an cry, but he didn't want to deal with it at all right now.
So Ruan Sixian had urgently called him over not because she wanted to see him, but just to make him clean up Zheng You'an's mess. Her tone was so detached, as if he were completely unimportant, as if she didn't care at all about his interactions with other women—even deliberately pushing him toward them.
Suddenly, he felt like he was making a fool of himself.
"I've made plenty of women cry. If they come looking for trouble themselves, am I supposed to apologize to each and every one?"
After saying this, he suddenly realized something was off.
When he looked at Ruan Sixian, sure enough, her expression had changed.
Fu Mingyu frowned, regretting his words, and softened his tone. "That's not what I meant."
Ruan Sixian glared at him. "Does the word 'apology' not exist in President Fu's dictionary?"
Fu Mingyu admitted that part of what Ruan Sixian said was right.
Since reaching adulthood, he had rarely made missteps. His status and position meant apologies were few and far between.
Yet in the months since remembering Ruan Sixian, he had thought about apologizing several times. But every time he saw her cold, disdainful look, he found it hard to speak up.
Only now did Fu Mingyu realize that the incident was still a thorn in her heart. If they didn't clear the air, it would remain a permanent knot for her.
"I'm apologizing to you now," he suddenly said, almost without further thought.
Ruan Sixian was momentarily stunned. She saw him slightly bow his head, looking into her eyes as if trying to convey something.
"I misunderstood you before. I'm sorry."
"You..." Ruan Sixian was somewhat incredulous. "You remembered?"
"Yes," he continued. "Can you forgive me? If not, make a request. I'll do whatever I can."
Ruan Sixian stood frozen, unsure how to react.
She had imagined countless times this bastard Fu Mingyu humbly apologizing to her, and herself turning away with effortless coolness.
But now that the day had actually come, her feelings weren't what she had expected. There was no sense of triumphant revenge.
Thinking back carefully, it seemed it was because she hadn't dwelled on the past in a long time.
Yet every time she saw Fu Mingyu recently, she still opposed him, still fought with him. But she knew very well it wasn't because she was angry about what happened before.
It seemed more like an instinctive, childish behavior—like a grade-schooler.
"Don't just stay silent," Fu Mingyu's voice sounded by her ear. "What do I need to do to make you feel better?"
As soon as he spoke, Ruan Sixian's mind grew even more chaotic.
Because she realized she had actually stopped being angry a long time ago—and admitting that felt utterly humiliating!
Just then, Zheng You'an emerged from the restroom.
Ruan Sixian frowned and said, "Take Zheng You'an back first. She drank too much and threw up in the bathroom."
Fu Mingyu felt a heavy weight in his chest, sighed, and turned to walk toward Zheng You'an.
When he pulled Zheng You'an to the car door and tried to push her inside, she struggled fiercely."Hey! Don't touch me! I can get back by myself, my driver will come pick me up!"
Since she refused to go inside, Fu Mingyu couldn't move her either. He could only say sternly, "Behave yourself, don't cause me any more trouble."
"Who's causing you trouble? Fu Mingyu, let me tell you, I've never been treated like this in my entire life!" She waved her arm in front of Fu Mingyu. "From now on, Zheng You'an is cutting all ties with you! You go your way, I'll go mine! No—you take the narrow, treacherous path, I'll take the broad, smooth road! Anyway! We'll have nothing to do with each other from now on!"
Fu Mingyu was irritated and didn't want to argue with a drunk any longer, so he called the driver over to deal with her.
"Take her home. Let me know when she's safely back, and don't let her get out of the car on the way."
"Don't pretend you care about me! I'm telling you, I know you don't like me at all. Do you think I like you? Do you think everyone in the world likes you? You're overthinking it! Plenty of people don't like you!"
That line—"Plenty of people don't like you"—pierced Fu Mingyu's heart like a needle.
Fu Mingyu ignored Zheng You'an and turned to go back inside.
At the same time, Ruan Sixian sat at the bar, propping her chin in her hand, lost in thought.
Just then, the man in the floral shirt from earlier suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a rose he had bought somewhere, and unexpectedly offered it to Ruan Sixian.
"Hey beautiful, your friend left? Sitting alone at the bar?"
Ruan Sixian didn't even glance at him, saying coldly, "Go away, don't bother me."
After speaking, she picked up the orange juice in front of her to take a sip, but the floral-shirted man suddenly snatched her glass away. Grinning with a mouthful of yellowed teeth, he said, "If you're upset, you should drink even more. How about I buy you the signature Sunset Boulevard here?"
Ruan Sixian took a deep breath and turned to look at him.
The floral-shirted man hopped onto another barstool. Catching sight of Ruan Sixian's fair, slender fingers, he felt an itch and reached out to touch them.
"I can't stand seeing a beauty looking so troubled. Come on, when you meet a kindred spirit, a thousand cups are too few—let's start with one?"
Lowering her gaze to the plump hand he had placed on hers, still rubbing incessantly, Ruan Sixian felt her anger reaching its breaking point.
"I'm warning you for the last time—I don't want to cause trouble for my friend, but if you keep harassing me, I won't hold back."
She pulled her hand away, glanced at the man's beer belly, and sneered, "If it really comes to a fight, you're definitely not my match. Believe me?"
Naturally, the floral-shirted man didn't believe a woman could do anything to him. He grinned and tried to put his arm around her shoulder. "Oh? Really? Want to fight? Where should we start?"
Just then, Bian Xuan arrived. Seeing the scene, her face immediately turned cold. "Sir, please show some respect, or I'll call the police."
In the end, the floral-shirted man was threatened away by Bian Xuan's stern expression.
Ruan Sixian turned back around and continued propping her chin in her hand, lost in thought.
"What's wrong?" Bian Xuan asked, noticing Fu Mingyu was gone. "Did he leave?"
"Yeah, I had him take Zheng You'an home."
"Letting him take another woman home—you're really something."
Ruan Sixian clicked her tongue, about to retort, when suddenly a hand reached over and patted her shoulder again.
"Are you annoying?!"
After she spoke, the person behind her still showed no intention of leaving. The hand on her shoulder did let go, but then it grabbed her wrist instead.Ruan Sixian couldn't take it anymore. Did I do all those fifty-kilo arm presses for nothing? Were my pull-ups all in vain? If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll never learn that not every woman is someone you can harass?
She gathered her strength for a second, turned around, and slapped him.
The sound of the slap echoed throughout the entire bar.
The glass in Bian Xuan's hand instantly fell to the floor, and she stared wide-eyed at the scene before her.
Meanwhile, Ruan Sixian stood frozen in place, her mouth half-open, her palm still burning with a lingering, searing pain.
Ruan Sixian was completely stunned, her mind buzzing, and she even forgot to blink.
Fu Mingyu pressed his lips tightly together, his dark eyes fixed intently on Ruan Sixian.
A red palm print slowly appeared on his fair cheek, tracing down to his jawline.
"Feel better now?"
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