Chapter Nine: A Narrow Road for Fated Rivals

Ruan Mianmian returned to her own room. Leaning against the door, she hugged her arms and slowly sank to the floor.

“I promise you, from now on, we owe each other nothing.”

Jiang Ce’s icy reply echoed again and again in her mind, making her heart feel as though it had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

She remembered the relief on Jiang Ce’s face after saying those words, and pain stabbed through her heart. The person she had believed would always be there for her had grown to detest her this much.

So, is there really no time left to change the timeline?

No!

Impossible!

Ruan Mianmian slapped her cheeks. She couldn’t give up now. Jiang Ce was her only hope. Whether or not his heart still had room for her, she refused to abandon him.

Clinging to the last shred of faith, Ruan Mianmian climbed into bed, her mind full of wild imaginings as she drifted into sleep.

Early the next morning, Old Zhang personally brought her a hearty breakfast. As she ate, she listened to the commotion outside, uncertain what was happening.

“What’s going on out there?” she asked, cheeks puffed as she looked at Old Zhang across the table.

For a moment, Old Zhang’s smile faltered, then he chuckled, “Miss Ruan, just enjoy your meal. Why worry about so much? Eat and rest well afterward.”

Ruan Mianmian paused, unsure but sensing vaguely that something was happening—something that concerned her.

“Grandpa Zhang, if something’s happened, just tell me. Why hide it?” she said, setting down her chopsticks. Jiang Ce had agreed last night to let her stay; surely he wouldn’t go back on his word by morning?

Old Zhang looked troubled, but then explained, “It’s like this, Miss Ruan. The young master’s injuries are quite serious. Dr. Li advises that he should stay in the hospital for observation for a while.”

Hearing this, Ruan Mianmian felt a pang of worry, but Old Zhang continued,

“So, this morning, Xiao Li took the young master to Beishan Sanatorium, where he’ll stay for the next few days.”

Jiang Ce moved out?

Ruan Mianmian’s face darkened instantly. All this talk about medical observation was just a pretext—he simply didn’t want to see her. And they made it sound so proper.

She wasn’t a child; she could see through such simple tricks. Old Zhang’s hesitant demeanor only made it clearer what had transpired.

Jiang Ce just didn’t want to see her, so he found an excuse to move away.

The thought made her lose her appetite. She muttered an “oh,” stood up, and told Old Zhang, “I’m done eating. I’ll go back to sleep for a while.”

Perhaps she didn’t realize how thickly her words brimmed with grievance.

All those promises—giving his life for hers—were empty after all!

Ruan Mianmian remembered the vow Jiang Ce once made in front of her grandfather, and her anger flared even hotter.

“Then rest well, Miss Ruan. If you need anything, just ask Ah Kuan and the others; I’ll have them keep you safe at all times,” Old Zhang said, smiling as he left the room.

Ruan Mianmian glanced at the tightly closed door. She guessed that the Ah Kuan Old Zhang mentioned was the person who had been guarding her door all along.

At this thought, she was unsure how to feel. To be honest, she wasn’t certain what Jiang Ce was thinking anymore.

“Ah! What a mess!” she complained, then flopped back onto the bed. Just then, a knock sounded at the door. She got up to open it, only to find Old Zhang had returned.

“What is it? Has something happened?” she asked.

Old Zhang replied, “Miss Ruan, did you leave something at the hospital? They just called to say they found something in your previous ward.”

Could it be her handbag?

Ruan Mianmian nodded, “It must be. I left in such a hurry, I didn’t bring anything. Do I need to go pick it up? I can get ready now.”

Old Zhang shook his head. “No need, no need. I’ll send someone to fetch it. Your injuries aren’t healed yet; you should rest at home. Leave this to me.”

Ruan Mianmian glanced at her hands, still wrapped in bandages and gauze. Though the wounds had scabbed, her movements were still clumsy.

She thanked him, “Thank you.”

Soon, barely half an hour later, Ah Kuan arrived with her handbag.

“So fast?” Ruan Mianmian stared at the small bag dangling from Ah Kuan’s hand, looking a bit comical.

Ah Kuan scratched his head and grinned, “The hospital heard Miss Ruan was at Starfish Bay, so they sent someone to deliver it. No need for us to fetch it ourselves.”

So that’s how it was.

Ruan Mianmian’s face remained calm, but inside she was a little shocked. Jiang Ce’s influence was clearly formidable now—just hearing she was at Starfish Bay, the hospital sent someone to deliver her bag personally.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the bag and nodding to Ah Kuan.

Ah Kuan added, “By the way, Miss Ruan, the hospital staff said your phone has rung many times. You should check it. I’ll be outside the door—just call if you need anything.”

“Alright.”

Once the door closed, Ruan Mianmian curiously pulled out her phone. Who could care enough to call her so many times at this hour?

She unlocked it and was startled to see over thirty missed calls—most were from someone named Sister Ting, the rest unimportant.

Who was this Sister Ting?

Ruan Mianmian didn’t immediately recall, but since someone had called her so many times, she ought to call back and check—it might be something important.

She dialed the number and waited for a long time without an answer. Just as she was about to hang up, the call connected.

“Ruan Mianmian, where the hell have you been? Skipping work without permission will get you fired! Do you even want this job?”

The voice on the other end launched into a tirade, impatient and harsh. Ruan Mianmian was momentarily stunned, but then remembered who ‘Sister Ting’ was.

Sister Ting, whose name was Shen Ting, was a department manager at Jian Yan Zhi Company, and Ruan Mianmian was a minor supervisor under her.

Back then, Ruan Mianmian had ignored her family’s objections and resolutely followed Jian Yan Zhi to Jiangcheng to start a business, joining his company as a department supervisor.

But ‘supervisor’ was just a nominal post, assigned as a sinecure—she wasn’t involved in daily operations, but she enjoyed the work nonetheless.

However, Sister Ting had often bullied her before.

“Enemies always cross paths,” Ruan Mianmian muttered under her breath.