Chapter 28: When You Grow Up, Marry Me

“Bankrupt? What does that have to do with me?” Chen Rong stared at Chen Sheng in disbelief, then snapped, “Don’t you dare slander me! What kind of trouble could I possibly get into? I bet it’s you who’s caused some mess again and now you’re desperate to shift the blame!”

Ever since Chen Rong became Madam Ruan, she’d had her fill of cleaning up after Chen Sheng’s disasters. It seemed like every other day he’d get himself into some predicament and call her to pick up the pieces. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

“You? You still deny it?” Chen Sheng, shaking with fury, jabbed his finger at her nose and cursed, “I got the notice this morning. The other party mentioned you by name—said it was because you provoked someone you shouldn’t have, that the Chen family is facing retribution! And you still have the nerve to act innocent!”

“What? Who is this person?” Chen Rong was momentarily stunned.

Impossible!

Chen Rong thought to herself. Sure, she could be domineering at home, but outside, she was always careful to maintain the image of Madam Ruan. She knew her humble origins and was aware of the gossiping socialites who snickered behind her back. She would never risk embarrassing the Ruan family in public or give anyone reason to criticize her.

So when Chen Sheng brought it up, she was convinced it had nothing to do with her. It must be Chen Sheng’s own doing, and now he was trying to pin it on her.

But when Chen Sheng said her name had been directly mentioned, a flicker of panic crossed Chen Rong’s face.

“Think carefully! I’m telling you, this is far from over. My company went bankrupt because of you—you’d better help me fix this, or I’ll make a scene at the Ruan family’s company!” Chen Sheng accused, his voice frantic and desperate.

At this, Chen Rong’s heart skipped a beat. If Chen Sheng really made a scene at Ruan Group, who knew how furious Ruan Jianwen would be?

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Let’s talk inside. What exactly happened?” she said, leading Chen Sheng to the lounge to calm him down, grateful that the funeral parlor was still mostly empty.

“All right, that’s enough. Move along, nothing to see here.” The security guard was already shooing away the onlookers at the door.

Ruan Mianmian, who had been listening for a while, suddenly recalled the phone call Jiang Ce made last night.

“Was all of this your doing?”

She looked at Jiang Ce in astonishment. Though she never doubted his abilities, it would take immense power to bring a company to ruin overnight.

Jiang Ce’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “Are you satisfied?”

“Very satisfied!” Ruan Mianmian nodded eagerly—how could she not be? In truth, the Chen family were nothing but parasites, living off the Ruan family’s wealth.

Without the Ruans, Chen Sheng would never have become a company president; he’d be lucky to scrape by somewhere, struggling to survive.

And as for Chen Rong, she’d done everything she could to secure a position for Chen Jiayan at Ruan Group, and always used her status as Madam Ruan to drum up business for Chen Sheng’s company.

Now the company had collapsed—no doubt Chen Rong was feeling the sting.

“Serves them right,” Ruan Mianmian muttered, then stood and walked inside.

As the ceremony began, Ruan Jianwen and Ruan Mianmian greeted the arriving guests at the door.

The old master of the Ruan family had been a true business titan, founding the Ruan Corporation from nothing and bringing the family untold wealth and prestige.

Many had gathered today—descendants of his lifelong friends, as well as young entrepreneurs who once admired his legacy.

People from all walks of life were there, mourning his passing.

A wave of emotion surged through Ruan Mianmian. When she’d run away from home, it was only the old master who had kept her in his thoughts. She hadn’t even had a final chance to say goodbye.

By afternoon, the ceremony was winding down. Ruan Jianwen, exhausted and grief-stricken, was helped away to rest.

Chen Rong still hadn’t appeared, but at this point, no one had the energy to notice.

Ruan Mianmian guessed that Chen Sheng was proving difficult, and Chen Rong was busy dealing with him. With Chen Jiayan nowhere to be found, the three of them had probably clustered together.

When most of the guests had left, Ruan Mianmian approached Jiang Ce and said quietly, “Go ahead. This is why you came today, isn’t it? Grandfather would be glad to see you.”

Jiang Ce was always a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes.

Once Ruan Jianwen had gone to rest, Jiang Ce took the lead, busily managing everything inside and out. Some guests, unfamiliar with the family, even mistook him for Ruan Chenhan.

But that so-called eldest son of the Ruans, like his mother, had yet to make an appearance.

At that thought, a chill flashed in Ruan Mianmian’s eyes.

Jiang Ce straightened his sleeves—he had rolled them up earlier for convenience, but now every crease was smoothed, leaving him looking impeccably formal.

His gaze was solemn, with a touch of emotion Ruan Mianmian couldn’t quite decipher.

But she knew how much her grandfather meant to Jiang Ce—one of the few true elders in his life.

She was intimately aware of their bond.

As she watched, Jiang Ce approached the altar and bowed three times with utmost respect.

“This is my gift to you—as Jiang Ce,” he said softly. Then, kneeling, he added sincerely, “And this, on behalf of that reckless, ignorant boy I once was, is my gift to you.”

Ruan Mianmian’s eyes burned with sudden tears as memories flooded back—her first meeting with Jiang Ce.

She’d been only five or six, with pigtails and delicate, sweet clothes. Jiang Ce, three years older and a full head taller, wore tattered clothes and looked every bit the wild child.

Even then, Jiang Ce was as aloof as he was now, indifferent to everything. Despite his youth, his eyes were cold, and he was always talking about avenging his parents.

Back then, Ruan Mianmian was timid, but her grandfather insisted she play with Jiang Ce. She hadn’t had many childhood companions.

Jiang Ce, for all his height and long limbs, was hopelessly clumsy and bad at everything. Ruan Mianmian hated playing games with him—he was incompetent, always gruff, and their time together often ended in arguments or scuffles.

Jiang Ce never went easy on her, either. When he shoved her, he used all his strength, and she suffered more than a few bruises.

But later, he stopped bullying her—because she grew clever and stopped fighting back, choosing instead to cry and play the victim.

Every time she cried, Jiang Ce surrendered, helpless, letting her punish him as she pleased.

Not long after that, Jiang Ce left. Grandfather said he’d run off on his own and wouldn’t be coming back.

Although she never said so, Ruan Mianmian was sad for a long time.

She had no friends, except Jian Yanzhi, whom she’d liked since childhood, though he’d always disliked her.

So, really, Jiang Ce had been her first childhood friend.

Looking back now, she realized how blind her younger self had been—turning away from someone as good as Jiang Ce, and instead pining for Jian Yanzhi with all her heart.

“What are you thinking about?” Jiang Ce, having paid his respects, turned to see her wearing a plaintive expression.

Snapping back to reality, Ruan Mianmian gave a small smile and raised her head to ask, “Jiang Ce, do you remember when we were children, playing games, and you said you’d marry me when we grew up?”