Shen Mianmian spoke indifferently, "I’ve always been this way and never hid anything from Brother He. I don’t mind if you relay what I’ve said to him."
Ruan Yiqian suddenly burst into laughter, "After all that, the fool is me. It seems I’ve meddled too much. My apologies."
"There’s no right or wrong in this case, and I understand since you care deeply for your sister," Shen Mianmian said, with a touch of envy, "Miss Cheng is very fortunate to have so many people cherishing her."
Truly, one should not compare oneself with others. Some are born as darlings of the heavens, adored by everyone, while others toil hard for much but only receive scant return.
Ruan Yiqian suggested meaningfully, "You are also very lucky."
How could a girl from a small mountain village be connected with them if she weren’t quite lucky?
"My luck has all come from my own efforts, and it’s been incredibly hard," Shen Mianmian said with a bitter smile.
Ruan Yiqian’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his heart skipped a beat; he wondered if he was seeing things. He thought that Shen Mianmian’s bitter smile bore some resemblance to his mother when she was young.
Ruan Yiqian suddenly felt that Shen Mianmian had not had it easy and that it was somewhat inappropriate for him to come and say these things to her. She was a young woman who had come a long way.
He stood up, "There’s news about my sister. I have to go to Licheng, so I’ll leave now."
Shen Mianmian also stood up, surprised, "There’s news about Miss Ruan? That’s urgent; go take care of it! Now that you know where I live, if you want to chat again, you’re welcome to come over any time."
Since she hadn’t broken up with Brother He, Cheng Xining surely wouldn’t let things go easily. It wasn’t unusual for Ruan Yiqian to come looking for her.
Ruan Yiqian was amused by her words and suddenly developed a certain admiration for her magnanimity. Regardless of whether she harbored any resentment towards him, she maintained a good outward appearance.
Suddenly, a thought struck him and he asked, "Mianmian, do you know about Xiaonan and my sister’s situation?"
"I’ve heard a bit," she replied. A spoken marriage engagement could be considered a joke between the elders. If she took that seriously, she and Brother He would never be able to be together. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Perhaps thinking of his sister, Ruan Yiqian smiled, clearly from the heart, and very charming.
"When Xiaonan and my sister were young, the elders would often joke that when they grew up, our families would become in-laws. Xiaonan, who has always been cold to everyone since childhood, would show special patience and temper towards my sister. He said he liked her eyes and never objected whenever the adults spoke in front of him about him marrying her when they’d grow up. I think, if my sister hadn’t disappeared, the two of them would have been a lovely tale. He certainly wouldn’t have rejected her the way he rejects Xining."
In other words, Shen Mianmian didn’t stand a chance.
"..." Shen Mianmian pressed her lips together, "Brother Ruan, what are you trying to say by telling me this?"
"I just reminisced a bit and spoke out of turn. No other meaning," Ruan Yiqian looked at Shen Mianmian. Perhaps because of that momentary illusion, he felt a sense of closeness towards her and said, "If things don’t work out between you and Xiaonan and you find yourself in trouble, you can come to me. If I can help, I will do my best."
"Thank you." Shen Mianmian could tell that Ruan Yiqian was serious and not merely being polite, but she still declined, "However, I don’t think I will come to you for help. Although I was not angry about what you said before, I do mind it to some extent."