Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"I kindly offered to give you some pointers, but if you refuse to listen, fine! Why are you snapping at me?"

Ni Tong felt that someone like Ruan Xian was sometimes simply unreasonable. Clutching her cramping stomach, she walked into the living room, plopped down onto the sofa, and felt her stomach ache even more.

Ruan Xian brought the brown sugar water over and plunked it right in front of Ni Tong.

Unwilling to drink it, Ni Tong turned her face away. "I don't want to drink this..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she watched Ruan Xian pull her arm back, tilt her head, and down a large mouthful all by herself.

The entire sequence of motions was smooth and fluid, accomplished in one continuous breath without the slightest hesitation, leaving Ni Tong completely dumbfounded.

"Suit yourself."

After speaking, Ruan Xian even sat down, holding her phone in one hand and the brown sugar water in the other, taking occasional sips as if she were leisurely drinking tea.

She completely ignored the patient right beside her.

Ni Tong felt wronged, but she couldn't win an argument and her stomach still hurt, leaving her with no choice but to curl up in a pitiful ball.

Suddenly, she felt Ruan Xian move at the far end of the sofa. Thinking her foot had brushed against Ruan Xian, she curled up even tighter, striving to maintain zero physical contact with Ruan Xian.

It was terrifying.

Ni Tong decided that she must never provoke Ruan Xian in the future; this woman was crazy enough to dare curse out the boss, so there was no telling what she might do to her.

She definitely couldn't win a physical fight. Ni Tong had heard that Ruan Xian's physical fitness scores were exceptionally high.

Catching Ni Tong's movement out of the corner of her eye, Ruan Xian chuckled softly, stood up, and went back to the kitchen to pour a fresh cup of brown sugar water.

"Drink it now, or it'll get cold."

Ni Tong took the cup, buried her head in it, and chugged it all down. The moment she set the bowl back down, Ruan Xian handed her a tissue.

"Thank you."

She murmured softly, but received no reply from across the table.

The two of them sat in silence, occupying the sofa like that.

An hour later, Ni Tong received a call from her mother.

"Ah... I'm heading out, then." Ni Tong grabbed her belongings and stood up. "I'm mostly better."

Without even lifting her head, Ruan Xian asked with zero sincerity, "Do you want me to walk you down?"

"No, no, my mom's here to pick me up."

Ni Tong slipped into her shoes and grasped the door handle. "Thanks for today."

Ruan Xian uttered another completely emotionless "Don't mention it."

Ni Tong figured that although Ruan Xian spoke with a frosty chill, her heart was still warm, so right before leaving, she wanted to impart a bit more of her own man-hunting experience to her.

Before she could even open her mouth, however, she heard Ruan Xian remark, "How old are you that you still need your mom to pick you up? You're already at the age where you could be a mother yourself."

"......?"

What business is it of yours? I'll always be a baby!

After Ni Tong used a very deliberate, perfectly controlled door-slamming sound to express her impotent rage, Ruan Xian finally raised her head and glanced at the door.

The apartment instantly plunged back into silence. A few minutes later, Ruan Xian walked over to the balcony and indeed spotted a middle-aged woman holding hands with Ni Tong as they walked outside.

She felt that what she had just said sounded far too petty—she was practically radiating the vibe of a vicious female supporting character in a novel.

And unable to control herself, that very same female supporting character clicked into Zheng You'an's Weibo profile once again, a full month later.

As it happened, Zheng You'an had posted a new update ten minutes ago, consisting of three photos.

The first photo captured the blue skies and white clouds outside through an airplane window.

The second photo showed a silk scarf neatly folded inside a gift box, embroidered with the character "Xian" [娴], accompanied by a caption written in colorful font: "The silk scarf designed by Mom~"

Seeing this, Ruan Xian let out a silent sigh.

Flipping to the third photo, it displayed the interior of an aircraft cabin.

It wasn't a full shot, showing only a corner of a seat where Bayang's silhouette was faintly visible.

She wasn't even his girlfriend yet, but even as a non-girlfriend, he let her fly on his private jet, and even as a non-girlfriend, he took her along to play in Spain.

Ruan Xian flipped over on the sofa, decided to stop replying to Fu Mingyu's messages, and went back to playing Candy Crush.

The peak summer shipping season arrived right on schedule. Coupled with Jiangcheng hosting an exposition, World Aviation ramped up its transport capacity by adding and increasing the frequency of numerous routes.

With the weather turning foul recently, massive passenger flows collided with atrocious weather conditions. Ruan Xian was spun around in a dizzying blur, her flight hours packed to the absolute brim while strictly maintaining mandatory rest limits.

Today's flight happened to encounter a thunderstorm, requiring the crew to submit a written report within ten days. Because Ruan Xian was on the verge of graduating from her supervised training phase, the captain simply took her and the first officer to draft the flight report right there in World Aviation's Flight Operations Department, teaching them hands-on.

By the time she finished and stepped outside, the sun had already set, leaving only a lingering streak of rosy twilight to illuminate the clouds.

Once today was wrapped up, she had two days of rest ahead of her.

It took her a mere two seconds to map out her itinerary for the next two days.

——Eat well, hit the gym, and then lie down at home.

Unless the Earth exploded, absolutely nothing could coax her out of her home.

As she walked toward the elevators, she glanced up at the ten world-time clocks hanging on the wall.

It was already close to eight o'clock.

Above the clocks displayed the current date.

It was Saturday.

She had a lingering feeling that someone had mentioned Saturday earlier.

She paused in front of the elevator.

That exact second of hesitation allowed Bayang, who had been out looking for her, to catch sight of her figure.

Seeing that she was about to step into the elevator, Bayang hastily shouted from behind, "Ms. Ruan!"

Ruan Xian didn't register it for a moment and stepped into the elevator cabin, while the captain up front pressed the door-close button.

Bayang frantically yelled "Ruan Xian" once more, his voice loud enough that passing employees turned their heads to look.

The captain immediately hammered the open-door button, and Ruan Xian poked her head out. "What is it?"

Bayang waved from afar. Seeing that she didn't budge, he hurried over to the elevator entrance.

"President Fu wants you to come to his office."

"Me?" Ruan Xian asked. "Is something the matter?"

The captain and first officer behind her also chimed in, "Is it about today's thunderstorm? I've already drafted the report."

Bayang said it wasn't that. "He just wants Deputy Ruan to come over for a moment."

The gazes of the captain and first officer instantly converged on Ruan Xian.

Ruan Xian's back tightened.

What kind of scheme was this dog of a man trying to pull now?

However, this was World Aviation, and Fu Mingyu had summoned her to his office; she had no grounds for refusal.

Stepping out of the elevator, Ruan Xian followed Bayang into another car.

This was her very first time entering Fu Mingyu's office.

Passing through an automatic glass sensor door, she saw two rows of workstations lining the hallway where four assistants were seated.

Noticing Bayang bringing Ruan Xian over, two of them raised their heads with curious glances.

Yet their eyes quickly withdrew the moment Bayang pushed open the door to Fu Mingyu's office.

When Ruan Xian stepped inside, Fu Mingyu was in the middle of shedding his suit jacket by his desk.

Seeing Ruan Xian arrive, his movements paused slightly. He glanced back, said nothing, and continued pulling off the half-stripped jacket.

As he stretched his arms backward, the muscular contours of his chest faintly rippled beneath his dress shirt.

Unaware of Ruan Xian's gaze, he set the jacket down, loosened his tie with his right hand, and sat down by spinning his chair around with the other.

If one were to block out that face, Ruan Xian thought, and didn't know it was Fu Mingyu, that scene just now would actually be quite sexy.

Still, judging by his demeanor, he didn't seem to have any serious business to discuss.

Sure enough, the next second, he spoke up: "Didn't check your phone?"

"Didn't look," Ruan Xian asked. "What is it?"

Spinning a pen in his hand, Fu Mingyu let his gaze fall onto Ruan Xian's face, sweeping over her lightly before saying, "I have a video conference in a moment. Wait for me here, and I'll take you out to dinner afterward."

Ruan Xian: "......?"

She stood frozen for several seconds, utterly failing to process what Fu Mingyu was up to.

Just as she opened her mouth to ask, the phone on Fu Mingyu's desk rang.

Ceasing to look at her, Fu Mingyu answered the call while simultaneously opening the laptop before him, instructing in a tone of command, "Wait for me outside for a bit."

Since he was genuinely about to get busy, Ruan Xian refrained from saying more and turned to walk out.

The door behind her clicked shut automatically, cutting off the sound of Fu Mingyu's voice.

A reception lounge was located outside, where a female assistant brought over a cup of tea and invited Ruan Xian to sit down for a moment.

Mechanically taking the cup and taking a sip, Ruan Xian had barely let her weight settle onto the sofa when her brain suddenly cleared up.

Why on earth should she wait just because Fu Mingyu told her to?

Besides, this wasn't even official business—he had said they were going out for dinner! This had nothing to do with work; this was her personal time!

Had her brain short-circuited just now?

It must have been because she was inside the office where the atmosphere was too solemn, and with Fu Mingyu sitting behind his desk, it had instilled a sense of hierarchical subordination, causing her to obediently walk out and wait.

Ruan Xian felt like she had been played.

Take her out to dinner, my foot. Did she lack legs or a mouth of her own?

Moreover, the more she thought about it, the weirder it felt.

Going out for dinner together?

Why? They didn't seem to be on terms where they could casually make dinner dates, did they?

She hadn't made any errors or omissions at work either, and today's thunderstorm was primarily handled by the captain; it had nothing to do with her.

Unable to puzzle it out, Ruan Xian furrowed her brow tightly, every question plastered clearly across her face.

Startled by this, the female assistant hurried over to ask, "Is the tea too hot?"

"Huh?" Ruan Xian snapped out of it and shook her head. "No, the temperature is just right..."

Relieved, the female assistant smiled and said, "That's good then. I won't disturb you any further."

After the assistant left, Ruan Xian took out her phone, scrolled through WeChat, and sure enough, saw that Fu Mingyu had sent her a message an hour ago.

[Fu Mingyu]: I'm back. ?

Why would he report to her just because he came back?

Putting down her teacup, she stood up and faced the door to Fu Mingyu's office as an instinctive realization slowly bloomed in her heart.

Ruan Xian was far too familiar with this kind of courting intent from men; she wasn't so dense as to guess wrong about this.

So, Fu Mingyu—was he trying to hit on her?

That dog of a man Fu Mingyu—he came back from abroad with another woman just a moment ago and now he was running over here hot on her heels to hit on her?!

And using that commanding tone, no less?!

Half an hour later, Fu Mingyu emerged from his office.

A sweeping glance revealed no one else present aside from the four assistants.

Looking toward the female assistant in charge of reception, Fu Mingyu asked, "Where is she?"

The assistant stood up, hesitated for a second, and said, "Deputy Ruan said she's not waiting for you anymore and left first."

Though Fu Mingyu had already guessed as much, hearing the assistant state it outright still made him rub the bridge of his nose.

The female assistant secretly sized up his expression, feeling immensely grateful that she had altered the phrasing slightly when relaying what Ruan Xian had actually said.

——"Tell your President Fu to go eat by himself!"

Upon returning home, Ruan Xian didn't even have the energy to change out of her uniform. Kicking off her shoes, she collapsed straight onto the sofa.

Staring up at the ceiling, she felt so angry her lungs ached.

After cursing Fu Mingyu one hundred and eighty times in her heart, the sound of the doorbell interrupted her from reaching the one hundred and eighty-first.

Sitting up, Ruan Xian called out, "Who is it?"

A strange voice sounded from outside: "Your takeout has arrived."

Recalling that she had indeed ordered takeout before returning home, Ruan Xian sprang up in one fluid motion and hurried to open the door.

Yet standing at the threshold wasn't someone in a yellow delivery uniform, but a man dressed in a sharp black suit.

Holding two large bags, the person handed them over to Ruan Xian.

"Your takeout. Please enjoy your meal, and have a wonderful time."

Ruan Xian blinked in confusion. She had ordered claypot rice—had the restaurant actually cooked an entire calf for her given these two massive bags?

"Did you deliver to the wrong place? This isn't what I ordered, right?"

"Minchen Mansions, Building 3, Apartment 1601. Ms. Ruan Xian, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's not wrong. This is your takeout."

Taking the two bags, Ruan Xian closed the door and carried them to the dining table. Pulling out two wooden food boxes from inside, she saw the characters "Xixiang Banquet" carved onto the lids.

She recognized this as an upscale Chinese restaurant nearby, but she certainly hadn't ordered from it.

Just as she was hesitating, the doorbell rang again.

This time, without asking, Ruan Xian walked over to check the security monitor.

"......"

It was Fu Mingyu.

Sure enough, this takeout had been ordered by him.

Staring at Fu Mingyu through the monitor screen, Ruan Xian left the door unopened.

When no door-opening ensued after a long while, the person outside pressed the doorbell once more.

Ruan Xian nodded to herself.

Fine, let's see what you're up to.

She pulled the door open, propped one hand against the doorframe, and stood blocking Fu Mingyu's path.

"President Fu, is something the matter?"

Fu Mingyu's suit jacket was draped over his arm, his tie had been removed, and the top two buttons of his shirt were unfastened. With his gaze lowered, the usual sharp edge to his aura was gone, replaced instead by a hint of fatigue.

"Has the takeout arrived?"

His voice sounded slightly raspy too.

"It's here," Ruan Xian said. "What game are you playing?"

"Didn't I say we were having dinner together tonight?"

"Hold on, that's not what I mean. You just came back from a vacation in Spain with your girlfriend, and now you're coming over to ask me out to dinner—what's the deal?"

"I already told you, she is not my girlfriend."

Having flown for over a dozen hours, held a video conference upon arriving at World Aviation, and then driven straight here, Fu Mingyu hadn't caught a single moment of rest all day when calculated from start to finish.

Faced with Ruan Xian's accusatory tone, even he couldn't believe he was actually exercising the patience to explain himself once more.

When women got jealous, they really were impossible to placate.

"She is the daughter of a partner company's boss. This trip to Spain was for business, and she simply hitched a ride on my flight."

Ruan Xian paused. An "oh" slipped past her lips, and she said nothing more, though her eyeballs were darting around as if she were plotting something.

Taking a deep breath, Fu Mingyu slowly let it out. Fearing she would drag the topic back to Zheng You'an, he decided to strike first.

"The takeout is here. Are you still not going to let me in?"

Ruan Xian didn't move.

Fu Mingyu didn't move either.

After a brief standoff, the fingers Ruan Xian had hooked against the door slowly relaxed.

It was just a meal; nothing could go wrong.

She sidestepped, and Fu Mingyu strode right inside.

Placing his jacket on the sofa, he turned toward the table, opened the boxes, and laid out the dishes one by one.

Though his movements were actually quite swift, they possessed a deliberate, unhurried grace, making it look as though he were arranging exquisite works of art rather than mere food.

Ruan Xian walked over and took a peek.

The dish selection was quite rich, featuring a balance of meat and vegetables. A mouth-watering aroma wafted into the air, accompanied by wisps of curling steam.

As for the other box, it surprisingly contained four plump, heavy Chinese mitten crabs.

Picking up one of the crabs, Ruan Xian set about untying the cord wrapped around it.

However, the restaurant's knot-tying technique was remarkably intricate. After struggling with it for ages without managing to loosen it, she muttered, "Why on earth is this tied so tight?"

Fu Mingyu glanced at her.

"Go get the scissors."

"Oh."

Putting the crab down, Ruan Xian turned to hunt for scissors, only to catch sight of Fu Mingyu's suit jacket draped over her sofa.

Pausing in her tracks, Ruan Xian said, "You're leaving as soon as you finish eating."

It was a statement of fact, not a question.

Hearing this, Fu Mingyu halted his movements and turned his head to look at her.

"Otherwise?"

Ruan Xian: "......?"

If you have something to say, just say it—what are you smiling for?

"Otherwise I'll tie you to a straw boat to catch arrows."