"Ruan Ruan, come here and sit with me for a while. Let's talk," Min Qing said, pulling off her face mask and tossing it into the trash.
Wen Ruan sat down beside her mother.
"Did Yan Ci not escort you home tonight?" Min Qing handed her freshly washed grapes.
"He's probably on a business trip," Wen Ruan replied. A few days ago, when he dropped her off, she vaguely heard him mention something about a business trip, but she wasn't entirely sure.
Wen Ruan took the fruit peeler and skillfully peeled the grapes. The sweet and sour taste of the grapes was refreshing.
Min Qing watched her daughter, who seemed unfazed, and sighed deeply. After a long moment of silence, she hesitated before speaking.
Wen Ruan peeled a sweet grape and fed it to Min Qing. "Mom, if you have something to say, just say it. Keeping it to yourself makes me uncomfortable."
Min Qing, clearly not in the mood to enjoy the grapes, found them tasteless despite their sweetness. After a brief pause, she asked the question that had been on her mind, "You two are serious, right? You're not hiding some chaotic marriage agreement from us, are you?"
Lately, their relationship had been going well. Even when Yan Ci was busy, he still found time to drop Wen Ruan off at home.
But if she were to be honest with herself, she had never felt completely at ease. It seemed so sudden—what happened to the days when they appeared indifferent to each other? Now, they were suddenly planning to get married.
It was hard to understand.
"...Of course it's serious, Mom. Why would you think otherwise?" Wen Ruan answered, her expression calm, though she felt a tiny bit guilty.
Min Qing's anxiety didn't seem to ease, and she sighed again. "Let me put it this way, I've been watching a drama lately. There's a young couple in it, and their situation is quite similar to yours and Yan Ci's. Their parents are pressuring them to marry, and behind their backs, they made some ridiculous marriage agreement. Basically, they never intended to live a proper married life."
"The worst part is, in front of both families, they acted like the perfect couple. But when they were alone, they were like strangers. After getting married, they didn't even live under the same roof. Every time they met, it was like an appointment, like they were meeting a client. Their lives were a complete mockery. The husband even had someone else on the side, and the wife had to turn a blind eye because of their 'agreement.' Can you imagine how painful that must be for the girl's parents if they found out?"
"..."
Wen Ruan's heart skipped a beat. What kind of drama was her mother watching? It almost sounded like she was describing her own marriage to Yan Ci.
She tried to calm herself and forced a smile. "Mom, I've told you before not to watch those dramas, they make you overthink. And look, now you're projecting it onto me. Is my charm really that lacking?"
Min Qing knew exactly how beautiful her daughter was, how perfect her qualities were in every aspect. But... sigh, she still couldn't shake the unease.
"Ruan Ruan," she said, still troubled, "Let me tell you something. Yesterday, I met up with a few friends for afternoon tea, and I felt awful the whole afternoon. Do you remember Mrs. Zhang, the one who praised your piano playing? Her daughter's also a beautiful girl, right? Well, just a few days ago, she bumped into her son-in-law in a mall, and he was with another woman, even buying her a ring. Mrs. Zhang slapped him in the face right then and there. Later, she found out her daughter and son-in-law had secretly made an agreement where they'd each live their own lives after marriage. It broke her heart. She cried so hard, we didn't know how to comfort her."
"..."
Wen Ruan couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Was her mother somehow predicting the future? Still, she tried to comfort her, "Mom, that's someone else's problem. Didn't you always say that Mrs. Zhang's son-in-law was a man who couldn't be tied down?"
"And look at me and Yan Ci," Wen Ruan continued, her voice light. "I'm not someone who enjoys going out, I've been kept under wraps by you all my life. Yan Ci is your perfect choice for a son-in-law, and you've always been so wise. What trouble could possibly come from him?"
Min Qing laughed, reassured by her daughter's words, but still not entirely at ease.
"Are you really not hiding anything from me?" Min Qing asked, taking Wen Ruan's hand gently. "Ruan Ruan, you're my precious little girl. You have to promise me, don't do anything foolish. If you're unhappy in the future, it'll break my heart."
"Mom, don't worry! You know I've always been close to Yan Ci. Sure, when we were younger, he found me a bit annoying, but over time, he's been completely charmed by me. He can't live without me now!" Wen Ruan joked, relieved that Yan Ci couldn't hear her exaggerations. Otherwise, he'd probably give her a cold look.
Min Qing smiled, though she remained somewhat doubtful, and didn't press the matter further.
Wen Ruan yawned dramatically, pretending to be exhausted.
Min Qing frowned, concerned. "Alright, enough talk. I've told you so many times to take care of your health and not run to the hospital all the time. You must be tired now. Go rest upstairs. You've got a lot to do soon, with the wedding and all—choosing rings, wedding photos, and so on."
The next morning, Wen Ruan heard a knock on her door. The knock was gentle, not urgent, so she knew it wasn't her mother or Aunt Lin. But who could it be?
She reluctantly rolled out of bed, stretching for a few minutes before finding her glasses on the nightstand and slipping them on.
With half-closed eyes, she shuffled through the living room and opened the door.
Through the narrow slit of her barely-opened eyes, she saw a tall, handsome man in a suit!
What the...!!
Wen Ruan instantly woke up from her sleepy daze.
"You... weren't you on a business trip? When did you come back?" She stammered, utterly startled by his early appearance at her doorstep.
Yan Ci, who had not expected to see her looking like this, was momentarily taken aback but then grinned, finding it unexpectedly cute.
To fix his curly hair, Wen Ruan had used several pink curlers. She was wearing a thick, soft sleepwear with long bunny ears hanging off her back. It was... too adorable.
Yan Ci raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke with a teasing tone, "Didn't we agree last night to try on wedding rings today?"
Last night—Wen Ruan tried to recall. Oh yes, that was mentioned. She vaguely remembered Yan Ci sending her a message, but she hadn't paid much attention due to her writer's block and had only replied with a casual "okay."
Yan Ci's gaze lingered on her.
Wen Ruan quickly glanced down at herself.
Oh no!
What was she wearing?
Ah, no... her image was totally ruined!
She was always so meticulous about her appearance. How could this be happening now?!
"Wait a minute!!" She yelped.
Bang—
She quickly slammed the door shut, leaving Yan Ci on the other side.
"..."
Yan Ci, bewildered, didn't say anything, but Min Qing happened to walk up the stairs at that moment and witnessed the scene.
She couldn't help but laugh. "Yan Ci, you know, Wen Ruan's wake-up time was set by the health expert I hired for her. She really should've gotten up earlier to get ready."
"It's alright, I arrived too early," Yan Ci replied in a calm, polite tone.
Min Qing, always fond of Yan Ci, was even more pleased by his early visit. "Did you have breakfast, Yan Ci?"
"Not yet," he answered. He had just arrived straight from the airport.
Min Qing's heart softened. "You go wait downstairs, I'll make sure something's arranged."
"It's fine, Aunt Min, I'm not in a rush," Yan Ci said, waving her off with a smile.
"Don't worry, don't worry. You go ahead and wait for her downstairs," Min Qing urged him with a warm smile.
Yan Ci nodded politely and followed Min Qing downstairs.
Once they were gone, Wen Ruan let out a sigh of relief, but she couldn't help feeling embarrassed. She had just ruined her entire image in front of Yan Ci!