Chapter Sixty-Two: You Dare Follow Me

The shrill ringing of a phone pierced the air. Jian Yanzhi’s phone was vibrating on the table, but he hesitated to answer. Ruan Mianmian stole a glance and caught sight of the name “Chenxi” on the screen—it seemed Song Chenxi was calling to check up on him.

“Aren’t you going to answer? Why don’t you pick up?” she asked, turning her head back again, utterly unconcerned.

Jian Yanzhi glanced at her for reasons unknown, his gaze difficult to decipher, but Ruan Mianmian, her head bowed, failed to notice. The ringtone eventually ceased, and Ruan Mianmian saw that Jian Yanzhi had set his phone back on the table. He had hung up.

She rubbed her nose, feeling a strange sense of unease she couldn’t quite place. Before she could dwell on it, Jian Yanzhi’s phone rang again, insistent and unrelenting.

This time, Ruan Mianmian quickly stood up. “I’m going to the restroom,” she said, not bothering to see how Jian Yanzhi reacted before she left on her own.

A trace of irritation flickered in Jian Yanzhi’s eyes, but he nonetheless brought the phone to his ear.

In truth, Ruan Mianmian didn’t need to use the restroom; she simply wanted to see what brought Jiang Ce here tonight.

“Director Ruan, where are you heading?” Wu Ketian spotted her and came over to greet her.

“It’s nothing,” Ruan Mianmian replied with a smile. “It’s my first time here, so I thought I’d have a look around.”

Wu Ketian smiled bashfully. “Thank you for earlier.”

“Don’t mention it. I didn’t really do anything to help,” said Ruan Mianmian. She knew Wu Ketian’s family circumstances were difficult, so she’d just offered a helping hand out of kindness—it wasn’t a big deal.

“You get back to work. I’ll just wander a bit,” Ruan Mianmian said as she prepared to leave. Then, as if something had just occurred to her, she turned back. “By the way, did you see where your boss went?”

Wu Ketian paused before replying, “I think he went to the VIP lounge on the third floor. I just saw him take a friend upstairs.”

The VIP lounge on the third floor?

“Thank you,” Ruan Mianmian said with a smile, then headed toward the so-called VIP area.

The bar had three floors. The ground floor was for drinking and entertainment; the second floor was similar but quieter and had private rooms more suitable for business discussions. The third floor, apart from Chen Ci’s personal lounge, was reserved for entertaining special guests. Only Chen Ci’s close friends or those of considerable status in Jiangcheng could gain a space there.

After ascending to the second floor, Ruan Mianmian found it difficult to go any higher. Not only were there people stationed to guard the way, but security patrolled constantly. The secrecy was airtight.

Seeing such precautions, Ruan Mianmian couldn’t help but click her tongue in surprise. It wasn’t as if they were running some shady operation—was all this really necessary? Left with no alternative, she slipped into the restroom corridor. Since she couldn’t get to the third floor, she might as well head down.

Unexpectedly, just as she reached the corridor leading to the restrooms, she caught sight of a familiar figure. However, the person disappeared into the men’s room, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to follow. She decided to wait at the corner; once he came out, it would be easy to handle.

Sure enough, footsteps soon approached. Ruan Mianmian crouched in the corner, waiting for him to pass.

“Ah Kuan!” she called out coldly, startling him so much he shuddered.

“Brother Ruan?” Ah Kuan’s face registered surprise and a hint of embarrassment. He covered his awkwardness with a sheepish grin.

Ruan Mianmian raised an eyebrow. “You’ve really got guts now, haven’t you? Actually daring to follow me?”

“Well…” Ah Kuan hesitated awkwardly. “Boss just wasn’t at ease. Besides, this Mr. Chen is a friend of Boss’s too, so Boss just came to check on a friend.”

“That’s all?” Ruan Mianmian was surprised—Jiang Ce had come here because of her?

Ah Kuan chuckled. “Brother Ruan, how did you end up up here?”

“It’s nothing.” Ruan Mianmian shook her head. “Take me upstairs for a look, will you?”

“Alright…” Ah Kuan sounded hesitant, which Ruan Mianmian immediately picked up on.

“Is there someone else up there?” she asked.

Ah Kuan pressed his lips together, lowering his voice. “Sister Ting is here too.”

Shen Ting as well? Ruan Mianmian’s expression darkened instantly.

Ah Kuan hurried to placate her. “Brother Ruan, don’t misunderstand. Boss doesn’t mean anything by it. Actually, Sister Ting has been working with Mr. Chen from the start. This time Boss just wants her to keep working with him.”

What? Jiang Ce had come to arrange work for Shen Ting?

There was something tangled here that Ruan Mianmian couldn’t quite sort out. She wasn’t sure whether she’d forgotten some minor plot point from the book, or if these were events that were deliberately left unwritten, absent from the details.

Either way, she had no recollection of any of this.

Ah Kuan, seeing her silent, thought she was angry. “Brother Ruan, that’s really all there is. Boss truly didn’t know she was in Jiangcheng. None of us did. This was all Sister Ting’s own idea!”

He spoke sincerely, and Ruan Mianmian had no reason to doubt him.

“Fine, you all carry on. I’m heading back downstairs.”

“Brother Ruan…”

Without another word, she made her way back down. By the time she returned to her seat, Jian Yanzhi had finished his call.

They sat in silence, both looking somewhat grave.

Ruan Mianmian had lost all interest in staying. “Let’s go. There’s really nothing here for me.”

Jian Yanzhi nodded, but made no move.

She stood by, watching him, until he suddenly looked up and, with unexpected solemnity, said, “Next week is Grandfather’s birthday. He’s been asking about you. Will you come with me?”

Grandfather?

Jian Yanzhi’s grandfather?

Ruan Mianmian recalled that his grandfather, Jian Xiu, was a kindly old gentleman who had always treated her like his own granddaughter. Jian Xiu and her own grandfather, Ruan Cheng, had once been comrades in arms, and later went into business together, blazing a trail in Lan City.

She remembered, as a child, how the two elders had hoped to arrange a marriage between her and Jian Yanzhi, but Ruan Jianwen had always opposed it, and Jian Yanzhi himself had never liked her much, so the matter faded away.

It had been a long time since she’d seen the old man. She had missed seeing her own grandfather before he passed, and the thought filled her with regret.

“All right, just let me know when,” Ruan Mianmian agreed.

Jian Yanzhi smiled, then rose to leave with her.

Once in the car, Ruan Mianmian said, “Take me back to the office. My car is still there.”

Jian Yanzhi checked the time, frowning. “It’s so late. Why don’t I just take you straight home to your apartment?”

He still didn’t know that, aside from the few days she’d fallen out with Jiang Ce, she’d hardly returned to her apartment at all lately.

Ruan Mianmian shook her head. “I need my car for work, don’t I?”

Jian Yanzhi replied, “I’ll pick you up downstairs first thing tomorrow morning!”