The atmosphere in the Su's old residence was especially lively.
It was the New Year and everyone especially wore something nice and festive. The sounds of laughter and chatting were heard from their neighborhood as well.
Su Ruan walked over to join their family for breakfast. Her stepmother, Xia Ru Yan greeted her and motioned her to sit down.
The family had their New Year's breakfast together. Su Ruan ate her food quietly while observing the happy atmosphere between the family members.
Her stepsiblings were chatting happily with her father about their school and her stepmother would speak and inserted a few words to praise her kids.
Su Ruan's gaze shifted to her father. She could also see the proud look on his face as he continued to listen to his stepchildren's achievements.
The four of them looked like a complete family. Meanwhile, she could only watch everything from the side.
Su Ruan could only coax herself that her stepsiblings were still young and they had a lot to tell. However, it could not stop her from feeling like an outsider. It made her feel lonely.
If it was not for her paternal grandparents, Su Ruan thought that she would not be brave enough to join them for a meal.
Her father was not a bad parent. Her relationship with her father had always been good ever since she was a little child. This was one of the reasons why she had willingly followed her father after the divorce.
Her father, Su Yu, was a good father. However, after he was remarried, whenever he was with his stepchildren, his attention would always focus on them.
Su Ruan lowered her head to hide her disappointment. A second later, she looked up again when her grandmother placed her favorite dish on her bowl.
The two exchanged a look and Su Ruan could only force a smile to assure her grandparents that she would be alright.
After having her breakfast, Su Ruan escaped by taking her grandfather in the garden for a walk. She finally stopped as they reached the small fish pond.
Su Ruan grabbed the small bottle on the shelf and watched as her grandfather feed the koi fishes.
The fishes rushed over to eat and suddenly, Su Ruan found herself lost as she watched the ripple of the water.
"Su Ruan."
Her grandfather's soft voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Su Ruan flashed him a smile and helped her grandfather to clean his hand with a wet tissue.
She turned around to throw the used tissue into the wastepaper basket and when she looked at her grandfather again, the old man was holding a red packet in his hand.
"Quickly take it before the others would see it," Su Yan urged.
Su Ruan took the red packet and was surprised to find that it was thick. She hide the red packet in her pocket and leaned over to kiss him. "Grandfather, thank you."
"Un." The old man nodded in satisfaction. "Don't let the other know about this."
The two of them continued to chat a little bit and Su Yan asked, "When are you planning to head back to Capital City?"
The smile on her face stiffened. Su Ruan had not told her grandparents that she no longer had a job in Capital City. Her grandfather was still recovering after he had fallen down the stairs a few weeks ago. She did not want them to worry.
"I'll stay around for a few more days," Su Ruan said. "Grandfather, even if I went back to Capital City this early, the department I was working at would still be closed. Everyone was taking a long break for this festivity."
A soft sigh escaped him. Since his granddaughter would often take a long break for the New Year holiday, Su Yan did not find anything strange when he heard her words.
However, he was still worried over this one granddaughter.
It was not as if he did not notice the look on Su Ruan's face during breakfast.
Each time that Su Ruan comes back, she would only force herself to be strong as she watched the family of four. However, there was nothing that he could do about it. Su Yan had reminded his son to never neglect Su Ruan. But Su Yu had always thought that Su Ruan was a good daughter and grown enough to look after herself.
Su Yan thought that he could only compensate Su Ruan by giving her endless love. However, how can a grandparents' love be the same as parents'?
"Just tell me when you are heading back," Su Yu said. "I will let your grandmother prepare a lot of your favorite food for you. Take them back to your apartment and share them with your friends.
Su Ruan smiled and hugged her grandfather. "Thank you. I know that you and grandmother loved me the best."
After taking a short walk, the two of them went back into the house.
The stepsiblings were in the living room, playing games on their phones.
Su Ruan went into the kitchen to take a drink before she pulled out her phone.
There were a few messages from her friends, all wishing her a happy new year.
Su Ruan replied to them one by one and later, her eyes stayed on Yu Zhi Yi's name for a long time. She had gotten his message last night but she still hasn't replied to him.
As she thought of the scene and the words that Yu Zhi Yi's fiance had said to her, Su Ruan knew that she needed to distance herself from this man.
They… could no longer be as close as they used to be. Su Ruan finally clicked on his message and replied to him.
Before she could slide her phone back into her pocket, the notification rang, signaling that there was a new message.
It was Yu Zhi Yi again.
"It took you long enough to reply."
"Sorry. My phone was out of battery."
"Your family did not make you sad again, right?"
In the past, Su Ruan was used to telling Yu Zhi Yi about her family relationship and how they would make her feel each time they gathered for the New Year. However, this time, she did not feel like doing so.
"It's the same. But I am already used to it." Su Ruan included a few smiling faces.
"How long are you going to stay in F City? When you get back, we should hang out together again."
Su Ruan reread the message over and over again and finally replied, "I'm planning to stay here longer. I'm not sure when I will return to Capital City."
After she sent that message, Su Ruan slid her phone into her pocket and heaved a long sigh. Her mood plummeted after this brief conversation with Yu Zhi Yi.
Su Ruan walked out, intending to join the others to watch the television. Just then, her phone started to ring. A deep frown appeared on her face as she wondered why was Yu Zhi Yi this persistent when she had finally decided to move on.
However, the caller ID told her that it was not the person she had expected to be.