Chapter Seventy-Seven: Are You Satisfied Now?

“In truth, Tingting had been in Lan City all along. Later, she snuck into Hanhai’s headquarters. When our boss found out, he tried to stop her, but I managed to talk him around. After that, Tingting stayed at Hanhai,” Shen Qing recalled. “But this time, when she followed Jian Yanzhi from Lan City to Jiangcheng, none of us had a clue. No one expected what happened at Moonlight Manor. Still, she’s not bad at heart—just stubborn, that’s all.”

Ruan Mianmian understood what Shen Qing was getting at, and what he wished to convey.

“Shen Qing, there’s no need to beat around the bush. I know Shen Ting likes Jiang Ce. Everything she did to target me was simply because of her feelings for him.”

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Shen Qing’s face. In a low voice he said, “But, Ruan, our boss’s heart has always been with you. We all know that. I promise I won’t let Shen Ting trouble you again, so I hope…”

“You don’t have to say it. I already understand your purpose in coming,” Ruan Mianmian replied coolly. “As I’ve said before, as long as she doesn’t provoke me, I have no problem with her. But if she tries to take advantage of me or target me, I won’t hold back.”

Shen Qing’s visit today was nothing more than a plea on Shen Ting’s behalf.

Ruan Mianmian wasn’t foolish. Ever since Shen Ting had humbled herself to seek a truce, Ruan Mianmian had sensed something. Most likely, Jiang Ce had decided Shen Ting should return to Lan City. But Shen Ting wanted to stay.

At this thought, a trace of irritation stirred within Ruan Mianmian. She looked at Shen Qing, her emotions inscrutable.

“Shen Qing, I can’t control who your sister likes. But if she tries to play tricks, don’t blame me for refusing to tolerate her.”

Ruan Mianmian was never afraid of a direct confrontation. And if someone wanted to play dirty, she would accept the challenge—so long as that person was prepared to face the consequences.

Shen Qing’s face turned ashen. He nodded. “I understand.”

Ruan Mianmian stood up, intending to leave, but then suddenly remembered someone.

She turned back and asked, “Is Yan Jiaxu close with Shen Ting?”

Shen Qing was taken aback. “Brother Yan?”

After a brief pause, Shen Qing nodded. “They are indeed quite close. Why do you ask?”

Ruan Mianmian shook her head in silence and left.

Ever since she’d seen Yan Jiaxu at Moonlight Manor, she’d had a gut feeling that he harbored some inexplicable hostility toward her. At first she’d dismissed it, thinking perhaps he just had a difficult temperament. But after the incident with the USB drive, she’d begun to feel uneasy.

Even if Shen Ting disliked her, she was far away in Jiangcheng and wouldn’t easily have a hand in what happened at Moonlight Manor. Now that she thought about it, perhaps Shen Ting had an accomplice there, which was why everything had gone so smoothly for her.

Putting it all together, Ruan Mianmian realized she still had unfinished business to settle.

With a nameless anger churning in her chest, she returned to her room on the second floor. But then, on a sudden impulse, she changed direction and headed for the room at the end of the corridor.

“Boss, you’re really sending Brother Qing back to Lan City?” The door to Jiang Ce’s room was ajar, and A Kuan’s shocked voice was clearly audible.

Ruan Mianmian’s footsteps halted at once when she heard this.

“Not just him. Shen Ting, too,” Jiang Ce’s cold voice responded, filling the room with silence.

A Kuan was surprised, but he understood. The boss knew everything Shen Ting had done. If she hadn’t targeted Ruan, perhaps he would have let her stay in Jiangcheng. But her actions had implicated Brother Qing as well.

A Kuan sighed. “Should we tell Ruan about this?”

Outside the door, Ruan Mianmian held her breath, wondering what Jiang Ce’s answer would be.

Jiang Ce’s expression was chilly, but when he thought of a certain someone, a trace of gentleness softened his gaze. He said lightly, “Forget it. Telling her won’t change anything. Better not to trouble her with it.”

“Understood.”

At that moment, Ruan Mianmian pushed the door open and entered, standing gracefully at the threshold. “Is all this really necessary?”

“Ruan? When did you get here?” A Kuan was startled, pointing at her in surprise.

Jiang Ce was a little caught off guard as well, but he quickly regained his composure, betraying no emotion. He glanced at A Kuan, who understood at once and quietly left the room.

With the door closed behind them, Ruan Mianmian remained where she was.

Jiang Ce leaned back on the sofa, exuding a lazy ease. His eyes were cool as he asked, “How long have you been here?”

“Just now.”

Jiang Ce fixed her with a steady gaze, then crossed one long leg over the other, patting the seat beside him in silent invitation.

Ruan Mianmian didn’t move. Instead, she said, “This matter has nothing to do with Shen Qing. Why make him leave?”

She wasn’t saying this out of magnanimity, but because she believed each person should be responsible for their own actions. Shen Ting’s deeds were her own; Shen Qing shouldn’t be dragged down with her.

Jiang Ce raised his brows, his face inscrutable. He turned to look at Ruan Mianmian. “You want him to stay?”

Huh? Was that the point?

Ruan Mianmian explained, “Whether he stays or goes is up to you. I just think it’s unnecessary to implicate Shen Qing for what Shen Ting has done.”

Besides, wasn’t he your right-hand man? Would you really get used to it without him?

Ruan Mianmian doubted it.

Jiang Ce’s lips curled in a faint, ambiguous smile. Ruan Mianmian felt unsettled by his expression.

“What’s with that look? Did I say something wrong?” she asked, perplexed by the unpredictability of his mood.

Unexpectedly, he glanced at her with his trademark coldness and asked out of the blue, “Who is he?”

“What? Who is who?” Ruan Mianmian was stunned, unable to react at first.

Jiang Ce’s gaze was icy, fixed on her as if she’d committed some unforgivable crime.

Ruan Mianmian narrowed her eyes, carefully considering his words. Suddenly, she realized where she’d heard this tone before.

Wasn’t this the same question he’d asked her outside the hospital, about the guy who’d chatted her up for her WeChat?

So he was still hung up on that?

What a strange thing to fixate on!

Ruan Mianmian bit her lip in disbelief, then walked over to Jiang Ce.

“Watch carefully,” she said, a smile breaking through her frustration. She took out her phone, found the WeChat contact of the man who’d approached her, and—right in front of Jiang Ce—deleted him.

“Is that satisfactory now?”