Chapter 151 Is That It?

Yet all those past memories now seemed to have transformed into something entirely different.

The little boy from back then had vanished, replaced instead by the inexplicable Fang Xiaoyan.

Ruan Mianmian had no idea what unknown mysteries might be hidden within this Fang Xiaoyan.

In the dead of night, Ruan Mianmian turned over once again, unable to suppress her surging agitation.

Jiang Ce reached out from behind, pulling her into his arms, and murmured in a low voice, "Can't sleep?"

"Mhm."

Ruan Mianmian nodded, surprised to find that Jiang Ce was awake as well.

"Why aren't you sleeping either? Did I wake you up?"

Ruan Mianmian asked.

Jiang Ce opened his eyes, his ink-black pupils shrouded in tranquility, and slowly replied, "I was thinking about something."

Ruan Mianmian turned around, tucking herself into Jiang Ce's embrace, and asked, "About Fang Xiaoyan?"

"Yes and no."

A rare trace of irritation flickered across Jiang Ce's expression as he said, "I'm thinking about that retreating figure."

"A retreating figure?"

Ruan Mianmian fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "You mean the man who was talking to Fang Xiaoyan by the roadside?"

"Mhm."

Jiang Ce's breath was warm against her skin as he kissed the corner of her lips and continued, "There was something terribly familiar about him. It felt as though I'd seen him somewhere before."

"Oh, please~"

Ruan Mianmian twitched the corner of her mouth, instantly feeling that this plot twist was rather cliché.

Jiang Ce sighed, gently pressed her restless little head down, and said in a low voice, "Never mind all that. Let's go to sleep, shall we?"

"Alright."

Ruan Mianmian breathed in the familiar scent radiating from Jiang Ce's embrace and slowly closed her eyes.

Early the next morning, Ruan Mianmian tidied herself up and began preparing the things she would need for the concert that evening.

Which essentially meant pampering herself from head to toe so she would look utterly gorgeous.

With a sheet mask applied to her face, Ruan Mianmian sat quietly on the living room sofa, watching a variety show.

When Lechen appeared on screen, Ruan Mianmian chuckled and nudged Jiang Ce, saying, "Look! That's our little prince Lechen. Doesn't he look fresh and wholesome?"

Jiang Ce glanced over from a distance, his gaze chillingly cold. "Oh, really? Just him?"

"Hahaha."

Amused by his expression, Ruan Mianmian laughed out loud while reaching up to adjust the sheet mask on her face.

In her haste, she accidentally creaked it into a mass of wrinkles.

When Ah Kuan walked in and caught sight of this scene, his gaze lingered on Ruan Mianmian's face for a moment.

He asked, "Brother Ruan, what on earth are you doing? Your face is all greasy and slick..."

"This is a facial mask!"

Ruan Mianmian rolled her eyes, trying her best not to move her lips too much as she said, "You country bumpkin! Go away, shoo."

"Oh! Look at you, shedding your rustic roots!"

Ah Kuan continued to laugh. "Even our rugged tough guy is joining the ranks of the beauty-conscious."

Infuriated, Ruan Mianmian snatched up a slipper from the floor and hurled it at Ah Kuan, snapping indignantly, "I see you're getting more and more full of yourself!"

Ah Kuan ducked behind Jiang Ce, pulling a comical face at Ruan Mianmian.

The two of them were as childish as children could possibly be.

Ruan Mianmian pouted coquettishly at Jiang Ce, whining, "Brother Jiang, beat him up for me!"

Jiang Ce remained silent, steadying his composure before walking away slowly as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Ruan Mianmian: "..."

Ah Kuan shook with silent laughter nearby.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ruan Mianmian picked up the remaining slipper.

Throughout all this, Fang Xiaoyan had remained quietly shut inside her room, engaged in god knows what. Aside from timidly shuffling out for meals, she otherwise behaved completely like an invisible person.

Her presence had essentially dropped to zero.

Ruan Mianmian had originally hoped for a good show, but things seemed rather disappointing.

As evening approached, the time for Ruan Mianmian to meet up with Xiang Kui and the others drew near. She dressed neatly and headed downstairs, ready to leave.

To her surprise, Jiang Ce was also dressed in a sharp suit, looking exceptionally formal.

Ruan Mianmian walked up to him suspiciously and asked, "Are you heading out?"

Jiang Ce glanced at her and countered, "Is there a problem?"

"Well, no, but where are you going?"

With an arrogant expression, Jiang Ce replied, "Want to know? I simply refuse to tell you!"

"Tch... Childish!"

Ruan Mianmian rolled her eyes at Jiang Ce, then took dainty steps toward the front door.

At that exact moment, Old Zhang walked in from the entrance with a beaming smile. Spotting Ruan Mianmian, he stepped forward and said:

"Brother Ruan, Miss Xiang Kui is here to pick you up. She's right outside the gates and said she wouldn't come in—she wants you to go out and meet her directly."

"Got it."

Ruan Mianmian blinked with a smile, then strode out the door without looking back.

Only Xiang Kui was in the car; Xiang Nuan hadn't finished work yet. After picking up Ruan Mianmian, Xiang Kui would head over to pick up Xiang Nuan next, and the timing should work out just right.

Ruan Mianmian fastened her seatbelt, and Xiang Kui drove off.

"We'll go pick up my sister first, and then head to the stadium to rendezvous with Jiang Yao."

Xiang Kui said to Ruan Mianmian.

Ruan Mianmian raised an eyebrow and asked, "Jiang Yao is already at the stadium?"

A look of envy crossed Xiang Kui's face as she explained, "Didn't Jiang Yao know our little Lu? So she went ahead early, saying she was going to meet Shi Ye from OS. From what Jiang Yao hinted, they're going to collaborate on an upcoming project."

"A collaboration? Don't tell me they're playing a romantic couple?"

Ruan Mianmian's gossip radar instantly went off.

Xiang Kui pouted and nodded. "Precisely! A sweet little noona-dongsaeng romance! Thank goodness it's not our little Lu, otherwise I'd cry my eyes out!"

Xiang Kui expressed herself with such exaggeration that Ruan Mianmian couldn't help chuckling along.

Before long, they arrived downstairs at Hanhai Corporation. There were still a little over ten minutes left until six o'clock.

The two of them turned off the engine, parked in a roadside slot, and prepared to rest there for a few minutes.

Suddenly, Xiang Kui's face turned pale as she turned to Ruan Mianmian and said, "What should I do? I really need to pee."

"..."

Suppressing her laughter, Ruan Mianmian asked in return, "You're asking me? Do you expect me to conjure up a restroom out of thin air?"

"Uh... well then, can I..."

Xiang Kui opened the car door, looked around anxiously, and finally shifted her gaze back to Ruan Mianmian.

She asked, "Can I go inside Hanhai to use the restroom?"

"You're asking me?"

Ruan Mianmian blinked. Did she think Hanhai belonged to her family?

Xiang Kui continued, "I heard from my sister that you're Hanhai's largest shareholder. Even if you've resigned, you're still the largest shareholder. Surely it wouldn't be out of line for us to pop in for a quick bathroom break, right?"

"Well, no, I suppose not."

For the sake of Xiang Kui's health, Ruan Mianmian swallowed her pride and led the way toward the Hanhai building step by step.

Seeing Ruan Mianmian's familiar face once again, the young receptionist was momentarily stunned, staring blankly for several seconds before breaking into a smile and hurrying over.

"Director Ruan? What brings you here? Have you made an appointment with President Jian?"

Hearing the title 'Director,' a brief flash of awkwardness crossed Ruan Mianmian's heart, but she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she asked in a low voice:

"Is there a restroom on the ground floor lobby?"

The receptionist froze for a second before offering an embarrassed smile. "Of course there is."

With that, she pointed toward a corner not far ahead on the left. "Just follow the hallway past the right side of the lounge area, and you'll see it."

"Thank you."

Without wasting any more words, Ruan Mianmian grabbed Xiang Kui and hurried briskly in the indicated direction.