Chapter Thirty-Eight: Unwilling to Lose Jiang Ce

2:00 a.m.

“Boss, Miss Ruan... she boarded a flight back to Jiangcheng.”

When Jiang Ce heard his subordinate’s report, the files in his hand slipped to the floor in an instant. He snapped back to his senses, a trace of mockery flickering in his eyes.

So it was true—these past days had been nothing but a carefully woven lie, and he had been foolish enough to believe it.

Jiang Ce’s expression grew dark as thunder. Everyone in the room fell silent, none daring to utter a sound for fear of provoking his wrath.

He slowly bent down to pick up the documents, his voice indifferent. “Let’s continue the meeting.”

Beside him, A Kuan couldn’t help but shake his head. This incident had dealt a blow to the boss far greater than any before. Outwardly, he seemed calm, but A Kuan had noticed his knuckles turning white with restrained tension.

Were it not for his iron self-control, the boss might have already exploded.

Miss Ruan—she had gone too far this time. How could she be so heartless?

But A Kuan knew, from this day on, the name Ruan Mianmian would be a taboo among them all, never to be mentioned again.

...

Ruan Mianmian caught the red-eye flight, boarding the plane on an empty stomach. She ordered an in-flight meal but found it tasteless.

Before leaving, she had sent Jian Yanzhi a text with her flight information and then turned off her phone.

She wasn’t sure if Jian Yanzhi had told the truth, but if he had, at least she was spared some trouble.

Returning this time, Ruan Mianmian had made up her mind: no matter what, she would not let Shen Ting off the hook. Whatever the outcome, she would see her anger vented first.

Lan City was not far from Jiangcheng. By the time Ruan Mianmian landed and checked the time, it was already past 3 a.m.

At that hour, the arrival hall was nearly deserted. Ruan Mianmian carried only a small handbag, with no other luggage.

She was halfway out when she spotted a tall, refined figure waiting not far away, eyes fixed on her.

Jian Yanzhi had really come.

Ruan Mianmian walked over. The two exchanged a glance without a word. She simply followed him out and got into his car.

“I wasn’t able to attend your grandfather’s funeral. I’m sorry,” Jian Yanzhi spoke first.

Ruan Mianmian leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, her tone cool. “It’s fine. You’re not one of the Ruan family.”

Jian Yanzhi said nothing more. The car was wrapped in silence. He could tell she was in a foul mood. Though he didn’t know what had happened, he wisely kept quiet.

The drive was wordless. Jian Yanzhi delivered Ruan Mianmian to the apartment arranged for her by the company.

Opening her eyes, Ruan Mianmian glanced around in confusion, suddenly recalling she still had this place in Jiangcheng.

“Thank you.”

She didn’t say much more, opened the door, and headed toward the apartment.

Jian Yanzhi caught up, blocking her path, a half-smile at the corner of his mouth. “Aren’t you going to invite me up for a while?”

“Would you please look at the time?”

Undeterred, Jian Yanzhi replied, “Well, I didn’t check the time before coming to pick you up, did I?”

...She had walked right into that one.

A flicker of impatience flashed in Ruan Mianmian’s eyes. She scrutinized Jian Yanzhi from head to toe. He was still the same person, yet seemed less sharp than before.

“Jian Yanzhi, don’t get the wrong idea. I honestly have no feelings for you anymore, so please respect yourself.”

Jian Yanzhi’s lips curled into a smile, ignoring her words entirely as he said, “I understand how you feel. I don’t dislike you as much as I used to, and because of that, I’ve decided from now on we should be friends. After all, we did grow up together.”

Ruan Mianmian stared at him in surprise. She never imagined she’d hear such words from Jian Yanzhi.

“Friends?” she echoed, thinking it over.

“Yes,” he affirmed.

“That might not be such a bad idea,” she nodded, tacitly agreeing.

“Good, it’s settled then. Go upstairs and get some rest; I should head back, too.”

With that, the grown-up Jian Yanzhi revealed a smile so pure and innocent that, for a moment, it seemed they had returned to childhood.

Ruan Mianmian gazed at him intently. “Can I go back to work?”

Jian Yanzhi was a little surprised, then smiled. “Of course! You’ve made invaluable contributions.”

“Good. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

With that, she turned briskly and strode toward her apartment.

Watching her easy, genuine manner, Jian Yanzhi found himself momentarily dazed.

It seemed, over the years, he had truly overlooked her growth. He hadn’t realized she had turned into such a fine young woman.

Jian Yanzhi felt a strange, inexplicable happiness at this sudden realization.

Back in the apartment, Ruan Mianmian surveyed her surroundings, both familiar and strange. For a while, she felt disoriented.

Too much had happened today. She needed a good sleep, and would sort out the tangled mess of events once she woke.

...

Ruan Mianmian slept till the sun was high. When she opened her eyes and checked her phone, it was already ten in the morning.

She ordered breakfast in bed, then got up and tidied herself quickly. Once her food arrived, she curled up on the sofa, hugging her laptop.

She ate as she reviewed the plot.

Although she couldn’t be sure if every main storyline would unfold as before, she was determined to avoid the pitfalls where she could.

By her own analysis, her relationship with Jiang Ce was now teetering on the edge, neither broken nor intact.

Yet, for some unfathomable reason, Jian Yanzhi was now showing interest in her—a twist that never appeared in the original story.

The USB drive incident had happened inevitably, but the events surrounding it had diverged greatly from the book. In the original, the USB was given voluntarily, but now everything had been thrown into chaos by Shen Ting, with Ruan Mianmian made the scapegoat.

There were differences between the two situations. If possible, Ruan Mianmian still hoped she could clear up Jiang Ce’s misunderstanding about her involvement.

Though she hadn’t known Jiang Ce very long, she had truly felt his care for her.

She didn’t want to lose him, even if he never loved her again.

Ruan Mianmian scratched her head in frustration. No matter what, she first had to find proof she wasn’t responsible. The quickest way was...

Get close to Jian Yanzhi, and while she was at it, give Shen Ting a taste of her own medicine!

Ruan Mianmian dialed Jian Yanzhi’s number.

“I want to go back to work tomorrow,” she said. “But I don’t want to return as a department head. As the primary shareholder of Hanhai Group’s branch, I want you to make my status clear at the company. Can you do that?”