Chapter 45 - Chapter 45 You Get Out With Her

The Jiang residence. As soon as Jiang Heng stepped into the living room, Mrs. Jiang came down the stairs. He called softly, "Mother." "Mm." Mrs. Jiang nodded, sat down on the sofa, took the warm tea handed to her by a servant, sipped lightly, then asked, "You went to see Ruan Xingchen, didn't you?" Jiang Heng said nothing. Mrs. Jiang glanced at him and went on, "I heard you've been breaking up with Ruan Shuqing lately?" Jiang Heng's face tightened. "Yes." Mrs. Jiang closed her eyes and said nothing more. Only when Jiang Heng was upstairs and about to disappear around the corner did she speak calmly, "Shuqing is a nice girl, in my opinion." Jiang Heng frowned and strode to his room. The first weekend after the college entrance exam. Lu Xiaobai left the Lu mansion and invited Ruan Xingchen to go shopping. The two girls wandered down the commercial pedestrian street. Lu Xiaobai was practically buzzing with energy, dragging Ruan Xingchen from shop to shop. Before long, both were loaded down with bags. And nearly everything was for Ruan Xingchen. To be exact, Lu Xiaobai had insisted on buying it all for her. When Lu Xiaobai tried to keep going, Ruan Xingchen quickly held her back. "Xiaobai, Xiaobai, that's enough. We can't carry any more." Lu Xiaobai blinked. "It's fine. I'll have my driver come pick us up later. We can put everything in the trunk." Was that the point? Ruan Xingchen's face darkened. She pulled Lu Xiaobai to the side of the road so they wouldn't block people. "Xiaobai, what's wrong with you today? Why are you buying me so much stuff?" The last time Lu Xiaobai had gone crazy buying things for her was years ago. Back then, it was because the principal had let her skip straight into high school. Lu Xiaobai had been so happy she'd dragged Ruan Xingchen out shopping. But this time… the exam results hadn't even come out yet. Lu Xiaobai looked at Ruan Xingchen, and her smile slowly faded, replaced by intense reluctance and sorrow. Seeing her expression, Ruan Xingchen's heart sank. "Xiaobai, what's really wrong?" Tears instantly welled up in Lu Xiaobai's eyes. After a while, she managed to steady her voice and said quietly, "Ruan Luoli, I applied to University A." Ruan Xingchen froze. The noisy chatter around her seemed to fade away, and the sun no longer felt so harsh. Her mind replayed Lu Xiaobai's words over and over. Once she fully understood what they meant, Ruan Xingchen realized Lu Xiaobai was saying goodbye. She'd known they would part eventually, but she hadn't thought it would happen so soon. Though her heart felt heavy and sad, Ruan Xingchen forced a smile, her face pale as she said softly, "That's great. I heard University A is even better than University C." "I'm leaving for City A tomorrow, morning flight." Lu Xiaobai's voice cracked as tears streamed down her face, her eyes red. "Ruan Luoli… this time, I might not be back for a really long time." Before, whenever Lu Xiaobai went to City A, it was to visit her mother. And because she missed Ruan Xingchen, she never stayed longer than a week. But this time she was going to study. She had no idea when she could come back. Seeing Lu Xiaobai cry, Ruan Xingchen sniffled and sobbed quietly too, even as she tried to comfort her. "It's okay, Xiaobai. Study hard. When you're super successful and become a big boss, you can spoil me." "You idiot, Ruan Luoli!" Lu Xiaobai cried harder, tears pouring down her face. "Do you have any idea how worried I am about you?!" Ever since Ruan Xingchen's mother passed away, Lu Xiaobai had practically taken care of her. When her mom died, Lu Xiaobai had stayed by her side day and night, ignoring her family's objections. When Ruan Xingchen had her first period, Lu Xiaobai taught her step-by-step how to use sanitary pads and explained why girls had their periods. When she got her first love letter a little older, Lu Xiaobai had told her seriously about boundaries between boys and girls, and explained the differences between love, family, and friendship. When she was wronged, Lu Xiaobai never hesitated to confront whoever bullied her—then lectured her afterward… From age six to eighteen, twelve full years, the little girl had held the other little girl's hand through every minute, every day, every year. They weren't blood-related, but to Lu Xiaobai, Ruan Xingchen was as important as family, an irreplaceable part of her life. How could she bear to leave her? How could she not worry? She was so naive, so easy to trick. While Lu Xiaobai cried in front of her, Ruan Xingchen stared back, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, unable to get a single word out. She hated leaving Lu Xiaobai too, but she knew Lu Xiaobai deserved the best in the world. She couldn't hold her back. On that blazing sunny afternoon, the two girls stood on the street, crying like fools as they looked at each other. Kind passersby stopped to ask if they were okay, some handed them tissues, a few offered gentle words. After a long while, Ruan Xingchen wiped her tears and tried to sound casual. "Don't worry about me, Xiaobai. I'm cute, awesome, and tough. No one's gonna bully me. I'll call you all the time. And when break comes, I'll come visit you in City A." Lu Xiaobai forced a smile too and held out her pinky. "Promise." "Promise." Ruan Xingchen linked her pinky with Lu Xiaobai's, her tear-streaked face bright and innocent. "Pinky swear, never break it… liars are puppies." "You're a piggy." Lu Xiaobai laughed through her tears, linked arms with Ruan Xingchen, and kept walking. "Alright, let's keep shopping." Still shopping? Ruan Xingchen glanced at the bags hanging from her arms and her face fell. "Ruan Luoli, when I'm gone, if anything happens, go find my uncle." "Okay." "If even he bullies you, call me right away." "Okay." Nighttime. Still sniffling, Lu Xiaobai finished packing, then called Lu Jingyuan. Lu Jingyuan was busy somewhere; the phone rang many times before he answered. His deep, tired voice came through the speaker. "What is it?" Lu Xiaobai sniffled. "Uncle, I'm leaving for City A tomorrow, morning flight." "Mm." "Uncle, while I'm gone, look after Ruan Luoli for me. Don't let anyone bully her." "Mm." "And don't you bully her either, or I'll come back and fight you!" "Got it." Only after getting Lu Jingyuan's promise did Lu Xiaobai feel relieved. Her uncle could be mean sometimes, but he never broke his word. Still, she wasn't entirely comfortable leaving Ruan Xingchen with him. Even a blind person could see how he felt about her. But precisely because he cared, he would truly treat her well. Besides, compared to the playboy Jiang Heng, Lu Jingyuan was far more reliable. On the morning Lu Xiaobai left for City A, she refused to let Ruan Xingchen see her off. Her reason: it wasn't like they'd never see each other again, just a longer separation. No need for a tearful, dramatic goodbye. That night, missing Lu Xiaobai terribly, Ruan Xingchen cried until dawn, then finally fell into an exhausted sleep. It was the weekend, so Fang Xinxin didn't have school and was sleeping in too. The morning was peaceful until around nine o'clock, when urgent doorbell ringing drifted in from outside. Fang Xinxin pulled the blanket over her head and kept sleeping. Ruan Xingchen sat up with dark circles under her eyes, ruffled her messy hair, and got up to open the door. The bell kept ringing insistently as she walked through the living room. Still half-asleep, Ruan Xingchen reached the entrance, pulled the door open—and instantly jolted awake. She blurted out, "Did the exam results come out already?" Ruan Shuqing's face darkened. She pushed past Ruan Xingchen into the apartment, stood in the entryway, and glared at her. "Ruan Xingchen, I'm asking you—did you let some poor trash relatives move in here?" Ruan Xingchen hesitated slightly, then thought for a moment. "I do have a relative staying here." As for whether she was poor or not… she had no idea. Seeing Ruan Xingchen admit it, Ruan Shuqing lifted her chin, shoved her roughly aside without taking off her shoes, and stormed inside. She checked Ruan Xingchen's room first, then walked to the other door and kicked it hard. Loud bangs echoed, making Ruan Xingchen's heart jump. But she didn't step in to stop her. She knew Ruan Shuqing well: the more you fought her, the worse she got. She didn't want a fight first thing in the morning. A moment later, an angry female voice came from inside. "Who is that?! Are you crazy?!" Ruan Shuqing's expression turned even uglier. When the door opened, she charged straight in and shoved the girl inside hard. "Bitch! Who the hell are you calling crazy?!" "Ah!" Fang Xinxin fell to the ground and snapped fully awake. Rage flared inside her. She looked up furiously at the girl in front of her and shrieked, "Who are you? How dare you hit someone?!" "Who am I?" Wearing ten-centimeter high heels, Ruan Shuqing stepped steadily toward Fang Xinxin, looking down at her with haughty disdain. "This apartment belongs to my father. Who do you think I am, miss?!" Fang Xinxin's face drained of color. This girl said the apartment was her father's… so she was Ruan Xingchen's father's other daughter—the real young lady of the Ruan family? Satisfied with Fang Xinxin's horrified expression, Ruan Shuqing turned back to Ruan Xingchen standing in the doorway and huffed, "My father took pity on you and bought this place for you to live in. He never agreed to let you move your poor trash relatives in too." Ruan Xingchen's face paled, and she pressed her lips tightly together. For some reason, a terrible feeling rose in her chest. Ruan Shuqing continued, her tone arrogant and domineering, "Ruan Xingchen, you brought this on yourself. Don't blame the Ruan family for being heartless. Since you love hanging out with your poor cousin so much… you get out of this apartment with her!"