Had a Fight?

Ruan Mianmian’s eyes seemed to be brimming with starlight, sparkling and vibrant, yet full of sincerity.

Jiang Ce fell for it almost instantly.

"Okay."

Jiang Ce pulled Ruan Mianmian into a tight embrace, a wave of deep emotion washing over his heart.

Early the next morning, Ruan Mianmian heard the news of Shen Qing’s impending return from Akuan.

"Really?"

Ruan Mianmian’s eyes shifted with a hint of amusement before she smiled and said, "Don't forget to fleece him good when he gets back."

"That goes without saying."

Akuan chuckled along, but a look of sentimental reflection quickly surfaced on his face as he turned to Ruan Mianmian and said,

"Brother Ruan, we really owe this to you."

"Me? I didn't really do anything."

Akuan continued, "Actually, Brother Qing was already filled with guilt to begin with, so even when the Boss sent him away, he had nothing to say. But we all knew Brother Qing actually wanted to come back all along."

Ruan Mianmian stepped forward, patted Akuan on the shoulder, and said, "You guys have a strong bond, I know that. But I'm not an unreasonable person either. Shen Ting's matter had nothing to do with him; I said that long ago."

The smile in the corners of Akuan's eyes deepened.

"Brother Ruan, do you have any plans for today?"

Ruan Mianmian shook her head and replied, "What plans could an unemployed vagrant possibly have?"

Akuan raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you find a job?"

"Yeah, but I'm still in the state of being unemployed."

Ruan Mianmian’s eyes held a smile as she continued, "Why? Could it be that you guys have some sort of arrangement?"

"Yes, yes."

Akuan scratched his head and said, "Brother Qing's flight is today; he should arrive by the afternoon. We're planning to throw him a welcome-back banquet tonight."

"A welcome-back banquet? How cliché can you guys get."

A trace of disdain flashed across Ruan Mianmian’s eyes before she continued, "If you ask me, you should just set up the barbecue grill and throw an open-air food stall gathering. That would be much more relaxed than anything else."

"You're right!"

Akuan slapped his forehead and laughed, "I think your idea is brilliant, Brother Ruan."

Ruan Mianmian withdrew her gaze, only to realize she hadn't seen Jiang Ce this morning.

So she asked, "Where's Jiang Ce? Did he go out?"

"You don't know?"

Akuan asked with a bewildered expression.

Ruan Mianmian countered, "Know what?"

Akuan replied, "There's a cocktail party hosted by the Zhong Group today, and the Boss rushed off to attend it."

***

The Zhong Corporation?

Zhong Yu's family, then?

This Jiang Ce, truly, he didn't even bother to give her a heads-up.

"Looks like he won't be coming back all day today."

Ruan Mianmian muttered to herself, then stood up and headed upstairs, leaving behind a final remark: "Call me when it's lunchtime, I'm going back to sleep."

Akuan: "......"

Sleeping again?

Brother Ruan has been awfully sleepy lately, hasn't he?

Could it be that I'm about to become an uncle?

Thinking this, Akuan shifted his gaze toward Ruan Mianmian's lower back, though regretfully, he couldn't see a thing.

Although Ruan Mianmian called it going back to sleep, she wasn't actually tired. She simply wanted to lie in bed and play on her phone.

At that moment, a WeChat notification popped up on her screen, and Ruan Mianmian tapped on it reflexively.

At first, she thought it was Jiang Ce, but to her surprise, it was Xiang Kui.

[Xiang Kui: Mianmian, what are you up to? Want to hang out and grab a bite?]

Ruan Mianmian blinked her eyes and finally replied: [Sure, where are you planning to go? I'm getting bored anyway.]

[Xiang Kui: Want to go to a bar?]

[Ruan Mianmian: At this hour? Are we going to a bar to drink Wangzai milk?]

[Xiang Kui: ...... That was a dry joke, I can tell.]

[Ruan Mianmian: What's wrong? Judging by your tone, you don't seem very happy.]

[Ruan Mianmian: ??? You could tell from that? Are you psychic?]

Ruan Mianmian raised an eyebrow. Xiang Kui hadn't denied her guess—could she really be unhappy?

[Ruan Mianmian: What happened?]

After the message was sent, Xiang Kui didn't reply for a long time.

Ruan Mianmian couldn't help but worry, yet she was afraid that calling would make it seem too abrupt, so she changed targets and opened Xiang Nuan's chat window.

[Ruan Mianmian: Xiang Nuan, what's wrong with your sister? Did she get into a fight with Chen Ci?]

Xiang Nuan replied quickly, sending a string of question marks.

Just as Ruan Mianmian thought she had guessed wrong, Xiang Nuan sent another message.

[You were able to guess that too? Amazing.]

"......"

Ruan Mianmian fell into a brief silence.

A moment later, Xiang Nuan's voice call popped up.

***

Ruan Mianmian lay on the bed, tilting her head up to accept Xiang Nuan's voice call.

Then, Xiang Nuan's stealthy, hushed voice came through the earpiece.

"Hello? Sister Mianmian?"

Ruan Mianmian raised an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you working?"

Xiang Nuan: "Slacking off in the pantry lounge."

Ruan Mianmian: "Not bad, knowing how to sneak away and slack off. Impressive."

Xiang Nuan chuckled softly and asked, "What's up? Did my sister come to you to vent?"

"Not really venting, I suppose. She just asked if I had time to hang out, and I could tell from her tone that she wasn't very happy."

"My sister is partly to blame for this, too."

Xiang Nuan suddenly sighed and said, "Although Chen Ci is very accommodating toward her, this latest incident was simply too terrifying. No wonder Chen Ci ran away from home."

Huh? Chen Ci ran away from home?

Ruan Mianmian licked her lips and asked, "What on earth happened?"

"Come to think of it, it's all because of that concert."

A concert?

Ruan Mianmian suddenly recalled the scene of Chen Ci hoisting Xiang Kui onto his shoulder that night. Did they end up fighting after that?

Still, Ruan Mianmian figured that Xiang Kui was an avid fan; surely she wouldn't start a massive fight just because she attended her idol's concert?

There must have been something else that happened.

Ruan Mianmian probed cautiously, "Did something else happen?"

Xiang Nuan: "Actually, I'm not too clear on the details either. I just know that the two of them had a huge argument over something, and the next day Chen Ci vanished. My sister completely panicked and frantically called Chen Ci over and over, but he just wouldn't answer.

You tell me, they aren't kids anymore, why are they still acting so childish? I honestly don't even know what to say."

Hearing Xiang Nuan's words, Ruan Mianmian silently bit the tip of her tongue.

"It's fine. You go back to work, I'll go check on Xiang Kui later."

"Thank you so much, Sister Mianmian."

After hanging up the phone, Ruan Mianmian tidied herself up, threw a casual "I won't be back for lunch" to Akuan, and drove away from Starfish Bay by herself.

Just as Ruan Mianmian had agreed on a meeting place with Xiang Kui and hung up, Akuan called back.

As soon as the call connected, Akuan asked impatiently, "Brother Ruan? Where are you going? You should at least take me with you."

"I'm driving right now to meet my girlfriends for lunch, why would I bring you along? Anyway, I'm hanging up, make sure you guys get everything ready for welcoming Shen Qing tonight."

Without giving Akuan a chance to react, Ruan Mianmian hung up the phone right then and there.

Halfway through her drive, while waiting at a red light at an intersection, Ruan Mianmian instinctively scratched at her collarbone—it suddenly felt a little itchy.