Chapter 74 - 75: Ruan Family

Uncle Zhang listened to the conversation between Ruan Xingwen and Zhang He, and then looked at Yu Yue’s pitiful expression, laughingly saying to Yu Yue, "You guys come to Uncle’s restaurant to eat, and you still expect to pay? Just leave after eating; no need to pay. It’s on Uncle." Yu Yue quickly waved his hand, "Uncle, I’m just joking with them. How could I let you spend money on us!" "Yeah, Uncle, we ate quite a lot. How could we let you do a losing business?" Zhang He interjected from the side. "Young lady, it’s not easy for you to make money nowadays. It’s just one meal; Uncle can afford it." Hearing Uncle Zhang call her young lady, Zhang He’s eyes lit up, and she liked Uncle Zhang even more. "Uncle, you can just call me Zhang He." "Look at that, you have the same last name as me. We can consider ourselves family, and Uncle won’t take your money!" Zhang He regained her thoughts, which were slightly floating due to Uncle Zhang’s address, and quickly said, "Uncle, you also said we’re family. Even brothers settle accounts clearly! I won’t argue with you; here’s the money for the meal, make sure you take it!" After speaking, Zhang He tugged Yu Yue by the collar, gave Yu Xiaozhe and Ruan Xingwen a look to "meet outside," and then walked out without heeding Uncle Zhang’s call. Ruan Xingwen and Yu Xiaozhe received Zhang He’s gaze and also quickly followed out. When they reached the door, Ruan Xingwen turned back and shouted to Uncle Zhang, "Uncle, keep the money safe, and we’ll come back for noodles sometime!" Uncle Zhang looked at the now grown-up Ruan Xingwen, and it seemed as if he saw the little kid who used to laugh brightly beside his parents. Alas, good people don’t last long. The parents of Ruan Xingwen, Ruan Jingxi and Xu Wan, were quite famous in their neighborhood during their lifetime. Ruan Jingxi was handsome and charismatic, and Xu Wan was gentle as jade. Both treated people with elegance, seemingly not from an ordinary background, but rather from a noble family. Unfortunately, their sudden passing in a car accident only took away two friendly neighbors. But for Ruan Xingwen, his world had collapsed. Thankfully, the child was strong and persisted alone, completing his studies, and has now made something of himself. Uncle Zhang sighed; this child is still the same as before. They’re all neighborhood folks, always helping when they can. He doesn’t have much ability, just waiving some meal bills when Ruan Xingwen came to eat. After a few times, Ruan Xingwen seldom came anymore, and each time he did, he left money and hurried away, afraid Uncle wouldn’t take his money. Not thinking about it further, Uncle Zhang took the money and got back to work. Ruan Xingwen and the others came early when there were few people. Now it was the dining peak, and Uncle Zhang had no time to think about anything else. Outside, the group was thinking of finding a less crowded place to digest their food, as they all ate quite a bit. But because their appearances were too noticeable, even with Yu Xiaozhe wearing a mask, many still focused their gazes on him, and the number wasn’t small. Hearing people around whispering about whether Yu Xiaozhe was the real one, Ruan Xingwen thought they should leave quickly, or they’d be surrounded soon. Obviously, the other three had the same thought. So, they quickly headed into the neighborhood. "I don’t like going out with you; it’s always a hassle!" Zhang He complained to Yu Xiaozhe. Yu Yue nodded in agreement beside her. Yu Xiaozhe rubbed his temples helplessly. He didn’t like it either, but his fame was too high, and he was quite recognizable. Not to mention, his height of 1.9 meters made him quite literally stand out in a crowd. "Should we find a place to sit and talk about the contract?" Zhang He suggested. Ruan Xingwen pondered where nearby would be suitable for discussing matters. But after thinking for a long time, he realized there was no such place around, so he felt a bit troubled, unsure of what to decide. Seeing his difficulty, Yu Xiaozhe was about to speak when Yu Yue spoke first. "Xingxing, shall we go to your house? There’s nowhere suitable nearby for discussion." After speaking, he secretly winked at Yu Xiaozhe. If his brother really got together with Xingxing, he’d have to thank him for being such a selfless "matchmaker"! Otherwise, relying on his brother himself, it would never happen. Unexpectedly, Yu Xiaozhe did not mind Yu Yue’s interruption but rather gave Yu Yue a satisfied look. Zhang He also knew the brothers’ little schemes and went along with it: "Is that okay, Xingxing? Is it convenient to discuss the contract at your place?" Ruan Xingwen had intended to suggest they go to his house to talk, but he felt awkward directly inviting them. If it were only Yu Yue and Zhang He, it would be fine, but there was also Yu Xiaozhe, who made him feel a bit uneasy. "If it’s inconvenient, never mind. I drove here; we can chat at the company in my car," Yu Xiaozhe proposed. Zhang He didn’t mind; it didn’t matter where they discussed, as she had already decided to sign up with Ruan Xingwen, this treasure, although she didn’t know his level yet. Thinking about how strange it was, Zhang He found it amazing that someone could be so unlucky that even his screen time was mostly side or back views in shows?! In any case, Zhang He found Ruan Xingwen fascinating, with a face that could become immensely popular, yet in reality, was extremely unlucky. This gave Zhang He an urge to go all out, wanting to see whether her years of ability could overcome Ruan Xingwen’s extreme bad luck! Yu Yue looked at his brother disapprovingly, feeling he was hopeless! "It’s convenient! I was just thinking my place is a bit messy, felt a bit embarrassed, hehe." Ruan Xingwen decided to be honest since he thought Zhang He was someone worth befriending, besides the teasing. Normally, Ruan Xingwen would lead the group home, but Yu Yue took over this task. "Xiao Yue, have you been to Xingxing’s house?" Zhang He asked. "Yeah, I’ve been there once. Xingxing lives on the fifth floor. It’s tiring to climb..." Yu Yue didn’t notice Yu Xiaozhe narrow his eyes when he heard he had been to Ruan Xingwen’s place. But Zhang He noticed, so she asked a question, thinking of helping the silly brother cover up. Who knew the silly brother was indeed silly, not realizing anything. Unperturbed, Yu Xiaozhe sped up a few steps, positioning himself between Ruan Xingwen and Yu Yue, separating Yu Yue from clinging to Ruan Xingwen. This action relieved Ruan Xingwen, who had trouble refusing Yu Yue. Ah Yue was too enthusiastic, and he couldn’t handle it. Ruan Xingwen pursed his lips and explained, "The floor is a bit high. My parents bought this house over ten years ago, and I never had the heart to sell it." Zhang He saw that Ruan Xingwen didn’t want to go into more detail, so she changed the subject, "How is the fifth floor high? It’s clearly because you lack exercise! Look at your arms, Ah Kai will dislike your fatness sooner or later!" Hearing Zhang He call him fat, Yu Yue bristled instantly, "He won’t! He’s the one who fattened me up; how dare he dislike me?!" The reason for Yu Yue’s outburst when called fat was simple; he actually had gained weight, eight pounds to be precise!