Wen Ruan stood frozen.
He Yanci???
How did he get here?
And still in his bathrobe!
This is bad, really bad.
He Yanci, as if nothing were amiss, remained in his previous position, one long arm propped on the edge of the sofa behind Wen Ruan, his tall frame leaning slightly forward as he greeted Min Qing softly, "Good evening, Aunt Min."
"Good… evening. You two…" Min Qing glanced at He Yanci in his black bathrobe behind Wen Ruan. "Oh dear, Wen Ruan, why didn't you tell me that Yanci was here?"
Min Qing, feeling somewhat awkward, had just been thinking of matchmaking Wen Ruan with Fu Jingbai, and now, in the next moment, He Yanci appeared on the screen in a bathrobe.
Wen Ruan was just as speechless. Who could have known that her mother would bring up such matters, let alone that He Yanci would show up in her room.
"Aunt Min, it's not Wen Ruan's fault," He Yanci said with a slight smile at the corner of his lips. "I brought her out to have some fun and didn't inform you in advance. I'm sorry to have worried you."
"???"
Wen Ruan couldn't fathom why He Yanci would say that. Wouldn't it have been simpler to just clear things up?
Now her mother's overactive imagination would surely run wild.
"No, no, it's fine, really," Min Qing chuckled awkwardly, giving Wen Ruan a stern look. "Wen Ruan, make sure you don't delay Yanci's work. Be considerate, do you hear me?"
"..." Wen Ruan.
"Anyway, Yanci, I thought Wen Ruan was just playing around with me. Never imagined she was sneaking over to you like this."
"Mom, it's not what you think—" Wen Ruan's explanation was cut off by He Yanci's calm voice. "Aunt Min, she's very well-behaved, she wouldn't do anything reckless."
"..." Wen Ruan.
Min Qing was visibly relieved and continued chatting with He Yanci for a while before hanging up the video call.
After the video call ended, Wen Ruan asked, "How did you get here?"
He Yanci stepped back from behind her, walked around the sofa, and sat opposite her, his face unreadable as his steady voice rang out, "I finished my shower and couldn't find you, so I came looking. Your door wasn't locked, and I knocked, but you were too engrossed in your video call."
Alright.
That was a reasonable explanation—she just hadn't heard him.
She couldn't really blame him for entering unannounced.
"Did your mother not know that you came out under my name, or did you just not tell her?" He Yanci's voice suddenly lightened with a laugh. "Did you find Fu Jingbai?"
Wen Ruan didn't understand why he was laughing. It was unsettling, but she didn't dwell on it. She began to explain, "The original plan was to bring you out, but I didn't expect that my mom is a fan of Teacher Fu. His words carry so much weight." She omitted the part about her not intending to involve He Yanci.
"Oh, is that so?" He Yanci's lips curved with a faint smile.
That smile made Wen Ruan feel something unsettling, a sense of pressure, and a strange aftertaste of dread.
She realized that when He Yanci wore glasses, he seemed like a well-groomed young master who strode in with the light; but when he removed them, his gaze was like a deep, silent pool, mysterious and unfathomable.
Her heart clenched slightly. "Yes, yes, exactly. Didn't you have something to say to me?"
"Nothing."
"..." Wen Ruan.
The atmosphere dropped to an all-time low.
Wen Ruan rolled her fingers nervously, letting out a quiet sigh.
After a moment, she asked, "Do you like Fu Jingbai?"
"Ah?" Wen Ruan lifted her eyes to meet his. He was propped up on one arm, staring at her with fathomless eyes, his tone cold.
"You don't want to accept your family's arrangement because of him?" A faint smile lingered on his lips, but it lacked any warmth.
Wen Ruan disagreed with his words, feeling as if he was implying that he would have accepted the arrangement if it were up to him. Everyone was just putting up with the situation, yet now he was trying to pin it on her.
"Your taste is really poor," he scoffed.
"???"
"A man who hugs and holds countless women—what's so good about him?"
"That's just acting, it's part of his job," she replied, refusing to entertain any career discrimination.
Besides, Fu Jingbai's roles were mostly written by her, and she knew perfectly well that he wasn't really involved with other women.
Those were his leading ladies.
Her leading ladies.
He Yanci studied her for a moment before rising. "I'll consider it."
Consider what?
Ending their families' unspoken engagement?
That, Wen Ruan was sure, was the only thing they had been delaying.
Since it was finally out in the open, Wen Ruan felt the need to clarify her side, otherwise, she might end up with the reputation of being the one who started and abandoned everything.
She called out to him, "Mr. He."
He Yanci paused.
Wen Ruan spoke firmly, "Everything between us has always been arranged by our families, and has nothing to do with anyone else." There was no affection between them, and forcing them together would only lead to mutual dislike—a result she was most unwilling to face, especially since He Yanci had never liked her.
"I understand," he replied after a pause, a faint smile curling on his lips. His voice was indifferent. "You don't have to worry about the relationship between our families. No matter how bad things are between us, we won't harm the harmony of the families. Don't worry about your grandfather either; I'll take care of it. As for your grandfather, we won't bring it up for now."
Wen Ruan thought that once He Yanci left the room, the oppressive feeling would dissipate, but to her surprise, it lingered. The air still carried the faint scent of his light wood incense, which, at that moment, felt suffocating. She had trouble breathing.
She quickly turned on the air purifier and opened the window, the heavy feeling in her chest finally easing.
She recalled his last words: What could possibly be "not good enough"?
Ever since she was little, He Yanci had never given her a pleasant look.
It was written plainly on his face—disgust.
It was always her being unreasonable, constantly clinging to him.
Forget it, it was all in the past. Since He Yanci said he would solve it, it would surely be resolved.
Wen Ruan shook her head, not wanting to think about it any further.
She opened her laptop, ready to revise the points raised in the meeting.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but she remained motionless, lost in thought. Not a single word was edited.
She wasn't sure what she was thinking, her mind completely blank.
Her phone vibrated for who knows how long before she finally snapped out of her daze.
She checked her phone: dozens of missed calls from Min Qing.
The phone rang again, and Wen Ruan answered. "Why didn't you answer your phone?"
"I didn't hear it," Wen Ruan replied.
"Is Yanci there with you?"
Wen Ruan sighed in frustration. "Mom, his room is next door."
Min Qing exhaled in relief. "That's good. The hotel isn't great, so don't do anything foolish."
Min Qing paused, then said, "Wait a minute... You two have been together for several days now, right? Don't tell me... are you two together now?"
"..." What foolishness? Together? There's nothing happening between them.
Min Qing continued, "You know, I ran into Song Yanhua a few days ago in the mall. She seemed hesitant to say something. Now I get it—you and Yanci are in Jicheng, and I don't know why you're hiding it."
Min Qing complained, "If you're serious about being with Yanci, you need to be careful with Fu Jingbai. Don't do anything reckless."
Wen Ruan was too exhausted to argue. "Mom, I really don't know why you think I'm involved with Teacher Fu. He's just a friend. He called you because I've been feeling a little stir-crazy at home and wanted to get out of the house." She said this to prevent any further misunderstandings.
She didn't care how Min Qing kept going on in the phone. "And, about He Yanci—nothing happened. We just ran into each other by chance."
Min Qing sensed something was off. "Wen Ruan, tell me, is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"There's nothing wrong. I'm fine." Wen Ruan took a deep breath and calmly added, "Mom, I want to go back to the south for a while."
"Back to the south?