Chapter Nineteen: The One I Like

Ruan Mianmian let out a cold laugh and retorted, “Are you trying to tell me how to act?” Jian Yanzhi’s breath caught in his throat. Facing Ruan Mianmian’s unyielding indifference, he felt a surge of anger rise within him.

“Ruan Mianmian, if you want to throw a tantrum, that’s your business. But the shares in the Jian family are not yours to give away as you please!”

A tantrum?

Did Jian Yanzhi really think she was acting out just to spite him?

“Jian Yanzhi, you truly have no self-awareness.”

Ruan Mianmian had no patience for further argument. She said plainly, “Let me make this clear: these shares are mine. I’ll sell them to whomever I wish, and you have no say in it, nor will you ever.”

“Mianmian, that’s where you’re wrong.” Song Chenxi stepped forward, chiding her. “Even if you hate Yanzhi, you shouldn’t take it out on the company’s shares. Whatever the issue, let’s talk it over. You should return the shares to Hanhai headquarters.”

Ruan Mianmian actually laughed in disbelief at this. Leaning back in her chair, contempt flickered in her eyes.

“Song Chenxi, do you really think I’m doing this to get back at him?”

Song Chenxi spread her hands, her meaning clear. “Isn’t that what you’re doing?”

“Ridiculous.”

Ruan Mianmian let out a scornful laugh. “Let me tell you, from the day I was kidnapped, I gave up on Jian Yanzhi. Now I’m eager to draw a clear line between him and me. Otherwise, why do you think I’m so anxious to transfer my shares?”

Jian Yanzhi was furious, shouting, “Ruan Mianmian, do you even know what you’re saying?”

Ruan Mianmian nodded, a faint smile on her lips. “I suggest you stop living in your own delusions. Jian Yanzhi and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. I hope you’ll let me sign the transfer agreement with Manager Zhou in peace.”

Shock slowly surfaced in Jian Yanzhi’s eyes. It seemed he had never realized that this time, Ruan Mianmian was truly determined to leave him.

He’d always thought that, just like before, a mere gesture would bring her shamelessly back to his side.

His fingers tightened painfully around the transfer agreement, but he seemed oblivious.

Ruan Mianmian stood abruptly, snatched the agreement from Jian Yanzhi’s hand, and flipped to the last page, ready to sign her name.

But suddenly, Jian Yanzhi, as if possessed, seized her wrist in a death grip.

“Ow! What are you doing?” Ruan Mianmian cried out in pain, glaring at him in accusation.

“Come outside with me!” Jian Yanzhi didn’t wait for her response but dragged her toward the door. Song Chenxi wanted to follow, but seeing Jian Yanzhi in such a state, she froze, letting him lead Ruan Mianmian away right before her eyes.

A’Kuan rushed after them, blocking Jian Yanzhi’s way, but Ruan Mianmian turned to him and said,

“It’s alright. Wait here for me. There are some things I need to say to him.”

A’Kuan hesitated, then nodded and stepped aside.

Ruan Mianmian wrenched her hand free and strode toward the exit. Jian Yanzhi’s hand was left empty, and with it, a tremor ran through his heart.

He watched her retreating, cold silhouette and suddenly realized the woman who had once vowed to follow him for life might truly be gone.

He gathered himself and followed her outside.

The two stood wordlessly by the roadside. Thankfully, the shade here spared them the harsh sunlight.

“I’ll say this first: whatever happens, I will sell my shares in Hanhai. Don’t think you can stop me.” Ruan Mianmian spoke first, giving him no chance to question her.

“Alright,” Jian Yanzhi replied, surprisingly agreeable. This caught Ruan Mianmian off guard. She glanced up at him, only to find his gaze fixed on her with an unreadable expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, suddenly uneasy.

Jian Yanzhi averted his eyes and asked quietly, “Tell me, what do you want this time? A handbag? Clothes? Or do you want to go out for dinner and drinks with me?”

What?

A cold smile spread across Ruan Mianmian’s face. His easy acquiescence had made her think Jian Yanzhi had finally come to his senses, but clearly, he was still clinging to that idea.

“Jian Yanzhi, don’t you think this is laughable? Or do you believe that I, Ruan Mianmian, can only live for chasing after you?”

Who did he think he was? Ruan Mianmian didn’t regard him at all.

Jian Yanzhi’s head snapped up, his eyes full of confusion. “But it was always like this between us. You obviously…”

“Obviously what? That I liked it? That I enjoyed the way you treated me?”

Ruan Mianmian licked her lips in exasperation. She suddenly thought to herself, the author must not have been in their right mind—how else could a man like this be the protagonist?

“Jian Yanzhi, it’s all in the past. The Ruan Mianmian you knew is gone. Now, I only wish to draw a clear line between us.”

With that, she turned to leave, but Jian Yanzhi was relentless. He caught her hand again and asked, “Then tell me, what will it take for you to come back?”

“Come back? Are you out of your mind?” Ruan Mianmian laughed in disbelief. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with Jian Yanzhi—he used to find her clinginess unbearable, so why would he want her back now?

“Yes. What if I say, I want you to come back?” His eyes were suddenly serious, filled with longing.

Perhaps he didn’t know what had come over him, or maybe it was seeing her indifference that stirred something stubborn within him, prompting him to ask such a preposterous question.

Ruan Mianmian arched an eyebrow, studying his face with amusement. If she were the Ruan Mianmian of the past, she might have lost her mind with joy at these words.

But now, it was all too late.

Her expression was calm. With no lingering attachment to Jian Yanzhi, she didn’t need to consider his feelings.

“Jian Yanzhi, let me say it again—I no longer love you. There is another man in my life now, someone who deserves my affection. I want to be with him.”

A sneer flashed in Jian Yanzhi’s eyes. He glanced back at the café, at A’Kuan, and said with disdain, “Him?”

Ruan Mianmian couldn’t possibly have such poor taste. That man showed her concern, yes, but Jian Yanzhi had seen the way she looked at someone she truly liked, and he was certain this was not it.

Of this, Jian Yanzhi was supremely confident.

Unexpectedly, Ruan Mianmian shook her head. “Not him, but… him.”

She slowly lifted her hand, pointing past Jian Yanzhi to the figure behind him. A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she spoke softly, “He’s the one I like.”

At the intersection ahead, a refined and distinguished man stood silently, his face expressionless, perhaps even grim.

Yet the moment he appeared, he captured all of Ruan Mianmian’s attention.

That man was Jiang Ce.