Chapter 69 - 70: An Accidental Encounter Downstairs

At eight ten in the morning, the alarm on the phone rang right on time by the pillow. Ruan Xingwen fumbled for the phone with his eyes closed, habitually pressed the off button, and snuggled back into the quilt. October mornings are full of chill; it’s definitely the warmest under the covers, Ruan Xingwen thought, half-asleep. Just as he was about to fall asleep again, he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have agreed with Mr. Yu to sign the contract today. Ruan Xingwen sat up abruptly in bed, then fell back down again. Ouch, got up too fast, feeling dizzy. Surprised by his own clumsiness, Ruan Xingwen steadied himself and sat up again, genuinely awake this time. Ruan Xingwen picked up the phone and glanced at the time—it was only eight fifteen. With this timing, there was definitely enough time; after all, he wasn’t a girl and didn’t need to spend so much time primping. He remembered a time at Tianyu when Li Li had a birthday, and Little Yuan invited him out to buy a gift. Originally planned to go out at ten, but Little Yuan dawdled until after eleven. He thought Little Yuan wasn’t planning to go anymore, but it turned out that Little Yuan said she felt the makeup she initially applied didn’t match the outfit she wanted to wear that day, so she redid it. At this moment, Ruan Xingwen was immensely grateful to be a guy. A simple freshen-up followed by facial care, a fundamental skill developed as an artist—taking good care of one’s face. "Time for breakfast," Ruan Xingwen thought. He had changed his clothes after washing up, so he grabbed a jacket and prepared to go out for breakfast. Should he have soup dumplings or pan-fried buns today? Too many choices can be quite troubling! Before Ruan Xingwen could make a choice, at the intersection inside the community, he saw a very familiar-looking, rare black Maybach. Familiar to what extent... he had just ridden in it these past couple of days. Could it be Mr. Yu?!! Thinking of this possibility, Ruan Xingwen quickly sped up and walked to the front of the black Maybach, gently tapping on the car window. "Brother Ze, you..." The car window slowly slid down, revealing an unfamiliar face. "Sorry, wrong person," he apologized and was ready to leave. After all, mistaking cars and people is quite embarrassing. The person inside the car, however, called out proactively, "Don’t leave yet, wait!" Ruan Xingwen turned back, curiously looking at the woman inside the car, "Uh, do you need anything from me?" The woman opened the car door and stepped down. After closing the car door, she leaned lightly against the car body, "You must be Ruan Xingwen, right?" Ruan Xingwen nodded; turns out she knew him. Could she be a fan? Does he still have fans now? Seeing him nod, the woman continued, "Hello, let me introduce myself, I’m Zhang He, Yu Xiaozhe’s manager." Ruan Xingwen was slightly taken aback, as Zhang He’s reputation in the industry was quite intimidating. Not only because she’s the agent of the movie star, but Zhang He’s skills are truly top-notch. However, Ruan Xingwen didn’t expect Zhang He to be so attractive in person. It’s not that he was prejudiced; he had always heard that Zhang He was somewhat "tomboyish," and in occasional photos, she wore suits with a cold expression. It was only upon meeting her that he realized he had greatly misunderstood Zhang He’s appearance. Zhang He was clearly in the sexy and charming category. Upon hearing Zhang He’s self-introduction, Ruan Xingwen quickly bent over and gave a junior’s salute, "Hello, I’m Ruan Xingwen." Following that, he heard Zhang He say, "I heard Mr. Yu wants to sign a contract with you, so I thought I’d come along to have a look. Coming somewhat suddenly, I hope you don’t mind." Ruan Xingwen waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, it’s perfectly fine." He looked around again, still seeing no sight of Yu Xiaozhe, and tentatively asked, "Sister Zhang He, is Mr. Yu not here?" Having stayed up all night, without much energy left, Zhang He habitually reached into her small handbag intending to grab a cigarette pack but remembered she was in front of her "future boss’ wife" now and decided against being too "uninhibited." She covered up by brushing away the stray hair at her ear. "Just call me Sister He. Mr. Yu was afraid of coming too early and disturbing your sleep, so he went to see his grandfather," Zhang He replied truthfully to Ruan Xingwen’s question, as there was nothing necessary to conceal. "Hmm? Mr. Yu’s grandfather also lives in this community?" Zhang He became a bit curious, "What? You don’t know? Didn’t he bring you back before? Didn’t tell you?" "Mr. Yu indeed brought me home once conveniently, but wasn’t that Yu Yue’s grandfather’s house? Mr. Yu’s grandfather lives here too?" Ruan Xingwen was still somewhat perplexed. Listening to Ruan Xingwen say this, Zhang He knew where the confusion lay, "Let me clarify, Yu Yue’s grandfather and Yu Xiaozhe’s grandfather are the same person." Ruan Xingwen still had a face full of "I don’t understand." "Hmm, Yu Yue’s mother is Yu Xiaozhe’s aunt." Ruan Xingwen nodded, he knew this. "Yu Yue’s father is..." Before Zhang He could finish, a deep voice sounded from behind Ruan Xingwen. "Xingxing." Ruan Xingwen turned around, indeed, this deep voice—it had to be Yu Xiaozhe. "What are you two talking about?" Yu Xiaozhe asked, though his gaze only met Ruan Xingwen. Zhang He curled her lips slightly, a hint of disdain, without speaking. Ruan Xingwen had to answer himself, "Just talking with Sister He about Ah Yue." "Hmm? What about Xiao Yue?" Zhang He got impatient, "Ah, it’s just that Xingxing doesn’t understand why your grandfather and Xiao Yue’s grandfather are the same person." She stamped her feet lightly; it was rather cold, and dressed only in a work dress, Zhang He felt somewhat uncomfortable. Noticing Zhang He’s predicament, Ruan Xingwen took off his jacket and handed it to Zhang He, "Sister He, here, cover yourself a bit." Zhang He paused, smiled, and accepted it, "Xingxing is thoughtful, much better than that big ice cube." Due to her strong demeanor, it had been many years since anyone paid attention to the fact she was also a woman, also in need of affection. Zhang He looked at Ruan Xingwen with a trace of gentleness in her eyes. Contrary to her initial thoughts, Zhang He now felt a measure of fondness for Ruan Xingwen. A simple gesture can reveal much about a person’s character. Ruan Xingwen is a kind, gentle young man. Ignoring her sarcasm, Yu Xiaozhe merely asked, "Are you cold yourself? Don’t catch a cold." This sentence was clearly directed at Ruan Xingwen. Zhang He rolled her eyes with frustration, almost rolling them to the sky. Oh dear! A friend known for over twenty years couldn’t compare to barely known sweetheart! Forsaking friends for attraction! Pfft! Ruan Xingwen also noticed the "turbulent undercurrent" between the two, smiling as he scratched his back head, "Luckily I grabbed a jacket on the way out, just happened to have it for backup, didn’t think it would actually come in handy." This jacket was indeed picked up on a whim. After freshening up and changing clothes, he happened to see it as he passed the coat rack and grabbed it casually. "Hmm, that scores better than some people!" "As long as you’re not cold." Two voices sounded at the same time, with Ruan Xingwen sandwiched between them, glancing at this one and that one. He chuckled softly. Didn’t expect Mr. Yu to have such a childish side.