Chapter Thirty-Five: Missing You

"It doesn't matter," Ruan Mianmian shook her head. Although Yan Jiaxu's attitude was unpleasant, she didn't really care much. After all, they were not close, so his demeanor was of little consequence to her.

Still, Ah Kuan’s words of comfort warmed her heart. In fact, he could be counted as the first friend she had made here.

"Don’t worry. With my terrible temper, who would dare show me a harsh face?" Ruan Mianmian laughed.

Ah Kuan was startled for a moment, then broke into a grin. "That’s true, that’s true!"

With Li Man accompanying them, they headed upstairs and stopped before the room that had been prepared for Ruan Mianmian in advance.

"Miss Ruan, please go in and rest. If you need anything, just let us know."

Li Man handed her the room card. Ruan Mianmian took it with a word of thanks, and Li Man took her leave.

Once inside, Ruan Mianmian realized that this so-called luxury suite was indeed extraordinary; the artwork hanging on the walls alone was worth a fortune.

She glanced around briefly, then sat properly on the sofa.

Ah Kuan stood to the side and asked, "Brother Ruan, would you like something to eat?"

"No, I’m not hungry," she replied, then asked in return, "What did your boss go off to do?"

"Well..." Ah Kuan looked uneasy, clearly unable to say. Ruan Mianmian raised her eyebrows but pressed no further.

"Brother Ruan, there’s no need to worry about that. Just make yourself comfortable here. The boss will be back this evening," Ah Kuan said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll rest for a bit then."

Ah Kuan soon left the room, gently closing the door behind him. Ruan Mianmian, with nothing to occupy her, explored the suite and found it astonishingly large.

Without reservation, she called the front desk and ordered some fruit and refreshments, then settled back on the sofa to watch television.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Wearing slippers, Ruan Mianmian walked to the entrance and opened the door to find a young man dressed as a bellboy. She asked, "Can I help you?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Miss Ruan. Mr. Yan said he needs to see you. Would you please go down to the lobby reception area?"

Yan Jiaxu wanted to see her? What for?

Ruan Mianmian frowned, inexplicably reluctant, but in the end she nodded.

"Tell him to wait a moment, I’ll be right down."

She changed her shoes and took the elevator downstairs. But when she arrived at the reception area, there was no sign of Yan Jiaxu.

At that moment, Li Man materialized as if from nowhere and walked over to Ruan Mianmian.

"Miss Ruan, why did you come down? Is there something you needed?"

"Where’s your Mr. Yan?" Ruan Mianmian asked.

"Mr. Yan is in a meeting. He’s been very busy lately, barely keeping up. If there’s anything you need, you can tell me and I’ll see to it," Li Man replied.

Yan Jiaxu was in a meeting? Then why had he called her down?

Hearing this, a flicker of suspicion crossed Ruan Mianmian’s mind. "Just now, a male staff member told me Mr. Yan wanted to see me here about something."

"That’s impossible," Li Man replied with a smile. "Mr. Yan has been in a meeting the whole time. Apart from passing you at the elevator, he hasn’t left the conference room."

"Is that so? Then what on earth happened?" Ruan Mianmian was speechless, even doubting herself, wondering if she’d imagined the whole encounter.

"Never mind," she said at last. "After your Mr. Yan finishes his meeting, please ask him what this was about."

Li Man nodded with a polite smile, then escorted Ruan Mianmian back to the elevator.

"Please go back and rest, Miss Ruan. I’ll be sure to ask for you later," Li Man assured her with perfect courtesy. Though the incident had left Ruan Mianmian uneasy, Li Man’s kindness kept her from voicing any complaints, so she simply nodded in return.

As the elevator doors closed, the smile vanished instantly from Li Man’s face. She took out her phone and reported quietly, "Mr. Yan, Miss Ruan has returned. No, she suspects nothing. Please don’t worry."

When Ruan Mianmian returned to her door, she deliberately looked around. It turned out the penthouse suite was the only room on the floor—there were no other suites at all.

"If it wasn’t a mistake, then what was with that bellboy?" Ruan Mianmian was utterly baffled. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, and as she did, a sudden image flashed through her mind.

That bellboy had called her by name and said Mr. Yan wanted to see Miss Ruan—it had clearly been meant for her.

So there was no possibility of a mix-up.

A chill crept up Ruan Mianmian’s spine. She quickly went back to the door and locked it securely. Only then did she let out a breath.

She had no desire for anything else now—just sat on the sofa and pulled out her phone. She considered calling Jiang Ce, but was afraid of disturbing him at work.

After hesitating for some time, she finally sent him a message.

"When will you be back?"

The reply came swiftly: "It’ll be a bit later. What’s wrong?"

Ruan Mianmian felt her cheeks flush. She didn’t want to mention what had just happened, lest he worry, so she thickened her skin and replied with two words:

"Miss you."

After sending it, she hugged her phone, checking every few seconds, but this time the reply was not so prompt.

Ten minutes passed with no response.

Ruan Mianmian tossed her phone onto the table and slumped onto the sofa. Unexpectedly, a notification sounded.

She sat up at once and grabbed her phone, only to see a single word in reply: "Mm." Not a word more.

"What’s with this ‘mm’? Hasn’t your mother ever told you to reciprocate? I say I miss you, you should at least say you miss me too!"

Muttering to herself, she didn’t bother replying again.

Night soon fell. Ruan Mianmian stood before the vast floor-to-ceiling windows, savoring the last magical rays before sunset.

At this height, she felt as if she were among the clouds; everything below seemed illusory and unreal.

Suddenly, the shrill ringing of her phone broke the silence.

She glanced back at the device lying on the table, joy lighting her face, and hurried over. But when she saw the name "Jian Yanzhi" flashing on the screen, her smile froze instantly.

"What does he want with me now?" Ruan Mianmian looked utterly unwilling to answer.