C13 Ruan Xizhi

When the woman noticed the hooligans who had been pestering her had dispersed, she looked up at Dan Hengmo. Her initial impression was that he was strikingly handsome, and there was something familiar about him, as if she had encountered someone similar before. Beauty that was too perfect could be frightening.

It reminded her of a blooming poppy, its seductive allure containing a captivating poison, one that could make life unbearable after just one taste.

Ruan Ruan assisted the woman to her feet, the scent of alcohol on her was overpowering. How much had she drunk?

"Thank you," the woman said with a smile to Ruan Ruan. She was breathtaking, with delicate features and captivating peach blossom eyes, her high-bridged nose adding to her mesmerizing beauty. Such a woman could turn heads not only when inebriated but also simply by strolling down the street in broad daylight.

"Lin Yijing," Ruan Ruan said. Lin Yijing was a global celebrity, a stark contrast to Shi Xuerong, who was merely a national star known within the country. Lin Yijing, on the other hand, was a household name internationally.

Lin Yijing wasn't taken aback that Ruan Ruan recognized her. She returned the smile, unsure if Ruan Ruan would leak the story of her drunken escapades to the press, given her status as a perennial hot search topic.

Dan Hengmo observed Lin Yijing, the same woman who had been embroiled in rumors with his brother.

"Do you need my help?" Ruan Ruan offered. She was willing to assist only if Lin Yijing required it.

Lin Yijing shook her head, indicating she was alright.

Ruan Ruan didn't press further. Dan Hengmo used Lin Yijing's phone to call his own brother.

Across the city, Dan Hengyao stepped out of the shower and saw Lin Yijing's call on his phone, furrowing his brow. He had made it clear to her that their relationship was strictly professional, and they were not to acknowledge each other privately. So why was she calling him now?

"What's the matter?" Dan Hengyao's voice carried a hint of lethargy, a trait typical in his speech.

"I've come to collect your woman." Dan Hengmo ended the call abruptly. He had little patience for idle chatter with his brother.

He wouldn't have bothered to ring his brother if he wasn't concerned that his own partner might meddle and attempt to take the woman reeking of alcohol back to their home. He preferred silence.

The relationship between Dan Hengmo and Dan Hengyao was strained, often marked by scant conversation.

"Brother," Dan Hengyao finally responded after a pause. His sources had informed him that his brother had died over a fortnight ago. How could he be alive?

"Who are you calling?" Ruan Ruan disapproved of Dan Hengmo handling someone else's belongings without permission.

Dan Hengmo handed the phone back to Lin Yijing and departed with Ruan Ruan.

Informing Dan Hengyao of his survival seemed to be the correct decision. According to information from Qin Yu, Dan Hengyao had been searching for his body and covertly challenging the C Society.

Dan Hengyao had always been competitive, striving to outdo him in every aspect. To Hengmo, it was like child's play; he saw his brother as nothing more than a child.

He wasn't even fit to contend with the C Society; he himself had narrowly escaped their clutches.

"What are you thinking about?" Ruan Ruan inquired, noticing Dan Hengmo's prolonged silence, curious about his thoughts.

"I'm thinking about family," Dan Hengmo replied.

"Your parents?" Ruan Ruan assumed he must be an orphan to act so aberrantly.

"I have no parents." Dan Hengmo's expression chilled. To him, 'parents' was merely a term from the dictionary.

Ruan Ruan was taken aback by his cold demeanor. She thought to herself that only someone deprived of parental love could turn out so twisted.

At the entrance to Ruan Ruan's home sat a disheveled figure, fast asleep.

"Xizhi," she whispered, noticing the bruises on his face that clearly indicated a recent fight.

Dan Hengmo, having done his research on Ruan Ruan, recognized Ruan Xizhi on sight.

Ruan Ruan squatted down and gently shook Ruan Xizhi. Why was he here? Shouldn't he be in class at school?

Ruan Xizhi, four years Ruan Ruan's junior, attended university in City A. Though they lived in the same city, they were quite a distance apart. Ruan Xizhi wouldn't seek out Ruan Ruan without good reason.

Blinking away confusion, Ruan Xizhi's eyes focused on his sister, and he perked up instantly.

"What happened to your face?" Ruan Ruan demanded as she settled onto the sofa. She couldn't fathom anyone daring to bully her brother.

"Sis, you and Yuh Jinnian broke up," Ruan Xizhi blurted out. He was aware of Ruan Ruan's relationship with Yuh Jinnian, and he knew she was close friends with Shi Xuerong; he had met them both.

"Yeah," Ruan Ruan replied nonchalantly, not wanting her brother to fret over her.

"Sis, he cheated on you, didn't he?" Ruan Xizhi's fists tightened as he spoke.

"No, we just weren't compatible. What would you understand, you little rascal?" Ruan Ruan didn't want to burden Ruan Xizhi with her troubles. To her, he was still a naive kid.

"I don't believe that."

"Believe what you want. But tell me, how did you get that wound? Were you in a fight?" Ruan Ruan asked, her hands cradling his face, which was pale, making the injury appear more severe.

Ruan Xizhi pulled away from her grasp. At twenty, he was no longer a child, even if his sister still saw him as one.

"I'm taking you to the hospital. If your face is scarred, good luck finding a girlfriend," Ruan Ruan teased.

"No need. It doesn't hurt," Ruan Xizhi insisted, though his face was marked with bruises that clearly resulted from a beating.

Ruan Ruan touched the bruise near his eye, causing Ruan Xizhi to wince in pain. Dan Hengmo observed the siblings silently, a quiet presence in the room.

Their appearances were strikingly similar, yet Ruan Xizhi's eyes were larger with denser eyelashes, while Ruan Ruan's face was slightly smaller.

"Sis, I'm your real brother," Ruan Xizhi exclaimed.

Ruan Ruan shook her head, responding, "You were found by me. Want me to show you where I found you?" She had repeated this jest countless times from their childhood. Ruan Xizhi had once believed her, always trying to stay in Ruan Ruan's good graces, fearing she might decide to 'return' him.

The place where Ruan Ruan claimed to have found Ruan Xizhi was nothing more than the trash bin at the front door of their home.

Ruan Ruan observed the bruises on Ruan Xizhi's face, knowing that without treatment, he'd swell up like a balloon by tomorrow. She fetched some ice from the fridge for him and asked Dan Hengmo to whip up a bowl of noodles since they were out of instant noodles, which she had finished off herself.

"Sis, who's that guy? Your new boyfriend?" Ruan Xizhi couldn't help but gossip.

Ruan Ruan jabbed his face playfully and retorted, "A boyfriend for you, perhaps?"

Ruan Xizhi gave his sister a woeful look. He had always told her that men prefer gentleness, but she never heeded his advice. Now, it seemed her boyfriend had been swept away by her best friend.

Why was it that everyone else's sisters were so gentle and adorable, yet his own sister was so fierce?

Ruan Ruan left Ruan Xizhi to his ice pack and went to her room to call Yuh Jinnian, a number she knew by heart.

"Ruan Ruan, you..." Yuh Jinnian began.

But Ruan Ruan cut him off, "You hit my brother." She was fiercely protective of her family and would fight tooth and nail for them.

"It was Xizhi who started it," Yuh Jinnian defended himself, believing he had done nothing wrong.

Listening to Yuh Jinnian's voice, which she once found gentle, now only made Ruan Ruan feel nauseated.