Chapter 43 - Chapter 43 What Is It About Her That I’m Not?

After speaking, she glanced at Lu Jingyuan cautiously. Yet his expression remained indifferent, not a flicker of change. Had she been wrong? Did this man actually have no feelings for Ruan Xingchen? As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Fang Xinxin felt a surge of secret delight. The elevator stopped at the 11th floor. This time, Fang Xinxin did not follow him up to the 12th, nor did she say anything more. Putting on the look of an obedient young girl, she said goodbye to Lu Jingyuan and stepped out. The elevator doors closed again, and silence returned. Lu Jingyuan's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. If she had kept talking, he feared he would have thrown her out without hesitation. When Lu Jingyuan returned to his apartment, it was empty, with exam papers scattered all over the coffee table. Not seeing the person he wanted to see, his brows knitted together once more. He strode over and tidied the messy papers. Loosening his tie, he was about to go to his room to change when the doorbell rang. Lu Jingyuan turned back to the entrance, opened the door, and stared at the visitor with a cold expression. Fang Xinxin was a little intimidated by his look, but forced herself to stay calm. She forced a sweet smile and held out a fruit basket toward him, her voice deliberately soft and gentle. "These are fruits my mom bought for me. I have too many to finish alone… Uncle, please take them." Lu Jingyuan looked down at the basket full of fruit. After a moment, he spoke in a cold, emotionless tone. "I don't like girls who overestimate themselves." With that, he waved a hand and slammed the door shut. The loud bang echoed through the empty corridor, making it clear he was deeply annoyed. Fang Xinxin stared at the closed door, replaying his words in her head. The color drained from her face, and her pale lips trembled. He had finally spoken to her. But all he said was that he disliked girls who were overconfident. He was calling her delusional. Fang Xinxin's hands loosened, and the fruit basket fell to the ground, fruits rolling everywhere. A wave of overwhelming grievance surged up. Even with her thick skin, she could not bear to stay any longer. Covering her mouth, she turned and ran into the elevator. Inside the apartment, Lu Jingyuan came out after changing clothes and called the property management downstairs. "Send someone to the 12th floor to clean the corridor." Ruan Xingchen and Lu Xiaobai were having a great time shopping at the downtown square, completely unaware of what had happened at the apartment. Before heading back to Wutong Apartments, they even stopped by a cake shop to buy a tiramisu for Lu Jingyuan. Lu Xiaobai looked at Ruan Xingchen speechlessly. "When did you start caring so much about my uncle?" Ruan Xingchen paid, took the delicate box holding the tiramisu from the server, and then seriously thought about the question. After a moment, she finally came up with a reasonable answer. "Because Uncle is a good person." He had given her a part-time job, helped her deal with troublemakers, let her study at his place, patiently tutored her when she was stuck, and even made her a glass of milk every morning and night. Sure, he was a little lewd, a little perverted… but Ruan Xingchen thought she might never meet a better employer in her life. Lu Xiaobai's mouth twitched inwardly. Just wait till he's had his way with you—we'll see if you still think he's a good guy! She had once secretly hoped to put a stop to her uncle's interest, but now even she thought older men weren't so bad. And seeing how Ruan Xingchen felt, stopping them from developing something nice would just be wrong of her. After leaving the cake shop, Lu Xiaobai did not go back with Ruan Xingchen. They parted ways at the subway station. Ruan Xingchen returned to Wutong Apartments alone and went straight up to the 12th floor. As she stepped out of the elevator, she saw a cleaner mopping the hallway and paused in surprise. She had lived here long enough to know cleaners usually came at five or six in the morning, to avoid disturbing residents and blocking the way. Why were they here now? She greeted the cleaner, then took out her key, unlocked the door, and walked in. Closing the door behind her, she glanced around the living room and spotted Lu Jingyuan sitting on the sofa, looking down at his laptop. She quickly changed her shoes and trotted over. "Uncle, Uncle! The cleaner's here at this hour. It's so weird." Lu Jingyuan was silent for a moment. "Probably slacked off this morning." But the girl had only asked casually; she didn't really care why. Holding the fancy little cake box with both hands, she held it out to him, her big dark eyes sparkling. "Uncle, I bought this especially for you. Try it!" Lu Jingyuan closed his laptop and took the box from her. He set it on the coffee table and opened it. Inside was a slice of tiramisu. Lu Jingyuan looked up at Ruan Xingchen. Under her eager gaze, he picked up a spoon. "How is it? Is it good?" Ruan Xingchen acted like a child begging for praise, staring intently at his face, afraid to miss the tiniest expression. Lu Jingyuan found it rather amusing. Looking at her, he could almost believe she had made the cake herself. But the packaging made it clear she hadn't. His gaze shifted slightly. "Want a taste?" "I already ate—" The last word died on her tongue as the man suddenly reached out, pulled her close, and kissed her without warning. A rich, smooth, faintly bitter flavor, along with the man's unique scent, spread across her tongue, stimulating her taste buds and every pore in her body. Suddenly, a sharp urge washed over Ruan Xingchen. Her body tensed, then her legs trembled. She shoved Lu Jingyuan hard, turned around, and sprinted toward the bathroom. "Sorry, Uncle! I really need to pee!" Lu Jingyuan: "…" Ruan Xingchen knew how embarrassing this was. But once she pulled down her pants and squatted down, she couldn't deny how relieved she felt. When she came out of the bathroom, she suddenly dared not look at Lu Jingyuan. Lu Jingyuan beckoned her over. "Come here." Ruan Xingchen pressed her lips together. Though she looked reluctant, her feet moved toward him on their own. She thought he would take advantage of her again like before, but he showed no sign of it. He simply pressed several papers into her hands. "Today's assignment." Ruan Xingchen stared at him blankly. That's it? Lu Jingyuan raised an eyebrow, a faint smile in his dark eyes. "Disappointed?" "Am not," Ruan Xingchen mumbled, hugging the papers and sitting down facing the coffee table. She heard a low chuckle behind her, then a warm hand rested on top of her head. "Get into University C, and I'll take you somewhere fun." Ruan Xingchen's eyes lit up instantly. She turned back, looking at him excitedly. "Where are you taking me, Uncle?" "Where do you want to go?" "Anywhere?" "Then… I'll think about it." "Study first." Lu Jingyuan tapped her forehead lightly. "If you don't get in, you'll repeat the year." Ruan Xingchen deflated immediately. Repeating a year would be so humiliating. That evening, after dinner, Ruan Xingchen was about to clear the dishes when Lu Jingyuan said suddenly, "I'm going on a business trip starting tomorrow, for a while." Ruan Xingchen froze, turned her head, and looked at him quietly. The man went on. "The college entrance exam is next week. Don't slack off while I'm gone." Ruan Xingchen bit her lip and stared down at her chopsticks. "When will you be back?" "Before your exam results come out." Meaning Lu Jingyuan would be gone for nearly a month. Ruan Xingchen said nothing more. She silently gathered the bowls and chopsticks and carried them into the kitchen. They hadn't known each other long, but Lu Jingyuan had been nothing but kind to her. Add to that he was Lu Xiaobai's uncle, and a sense of dependence had grown without her noticing. Now, right when she was about to take the most important exam of her life, he was leaving. There was no way she could feel happy about it. After walking out of the kitchen, Ruan Xingchen went to the coffee table, picked up the thick stack of papers, and without looking to see where Lu Jingyuan was, said listlessly, "I'm heading down." Lu Jingyuan walked over from the wine cabinet, picked up the keys from the coffee table. "I'll walk you down." Ruan Xingchen neither agreed nor refused. Once the door was closed, Lu Jingyuan took the papers from her hands, held them in one arm, and placed his other strong hand gently on her shoulder, leading her toward the stairwell. The whole way was silent. When they reached the 11th floor, Ruan Xingchen pulled his hand off her shoulder in a small fit of pique and took the papers back. She was about to head down the stairs when her waist was suddenly gripped tight. She was pulled back and pressed against the cold wall. A kiss filled with the man's unique scent claimed her lips roughly, yet gently enough not to hurt her. Ruan Xingchen looked at his face so close, her eyelashes trembling slightly. After a short while, her free hand slowly lifted, small fingers clutching tightly at his clothes. Sensing the little girl in his arms yielding, he tightened his hold around her. Fang Xinxin had gotten hungry late at night and was about to go downstairs to buy something to eat when she opened her door. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the scene in the stairwell and froze completely. What a blinding sight it was. She had worked up the courage to create chance encounters, fawned over him again and again, even subtly badmouthed Ruan Xingchen in front of him… and now it all felt bitterly ironic. The man she liked, the one who had been cold to her and mocked her for being delusional, was now passionately kissing the girl in his arms—the very girl she hated most. Fang Xinxin quietly closed the door, turned her back to it, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads. Why? Why did Ruan Xingchen get everything good, while she had nothing? She was just some motherless kid, an illegitimate daughter who couldn't even see the light, no matter how rich her father was. What was it about Ruan Xingchen that she, Fang Xinxin, was not?