Then, Xinyu simply told Ruolin, "Take care of yourself, I'll come see you another day," and left. She didn't even glance at Han Haoxuan as she left.
Chapter Forty-Seven
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When Ruolin saw Xinyu again, she found that she hadn't changed much. She was still as optimistic and cheerful as before, and her laughter was hearty. Moreover, there was indeed another man by her side—Chen Yang, Ruolin's own relative. The man affectionately put his arm around Xinyu's shoulder, and Xinyu nestled in his arms, giggling. She looked every bit the happy, content woman.
Ruolin realized she had been worrying too much. Xinyu was still the same carefree girl; she always had a way of finding happiness.
"What do you think? My man is great, isn't he? He's handsome and treats me so well. You really can't find one like him even with a lantern." Xinyu started praising the man beside her again.
“Of course it’s good! You studied art, how could your taste be bad?” Ruolin chimed in.
"When we get married, I'll definitely send you an invitation." Xinyu smiled as brightly as a flower.
Seeing Xinyu's radiant smile, Ruolin's guilt vanished completely. Otherwise, she would have felt that it was because of her that Xinyu and Han Haoxuan didn't end up together.
"Oh, by the way, when will your love story come to fruition? If you still like Mu Jingyan, tell him soon. If you like... other men, you should go after them too." Xinyu still didn't say Han Haoxuan's name, only referring to him as "other men."
"I'm still young, and I don't want to think about relationships right now. Life is full of troubles, why should I add to my own?" Ruolin said with a smile.
"You heartless bastard! I'm still waiting to eat your wedding candy, don't act like you're going to become a nun! A girl as good as you, it's such a waste if you don't date, I bet a lot of handsome young men would have to become monks because of you, right?"
"It's not as exaggerated as you say. The earth will keep turning even without me."
"Looks like you're beyond saving! Heavens above, earth below, which fairy sister can make Shen Ruolin fall into a beautiful love? In my next life, I'll be her maid."
Looking at Xinyu's exaggerated expression, Ruolin couldn't help but laugh.
On the surface, the two still seemed like sisters, but something had changed between them: before, they talked about Han Haoxuan the most, with Xinyu constantly referring to him; however, since Xinyu broke up with Han Haoxuan, she never mentioned his name in front of Ruolin, as if he had never existed.
If only we could truly erase a person's mark.
That day, when only Ruolin and Han Haoxuan were left in the ward, the atmosphere was deathly silent for a moment.
"Ruo Lin..." Han Haoxuan hesitated, his brows furrowed, and his expression showed great pain.
Ruolin turned her head to the side, refusing to look at him. Why should she pay attention to a man who had driven away her two best friends? She could tell that Xinyu and Mu Jingyan didn't welcome him.
"Don't do this..." Han Haoxuan's voice grew closer, it seemed he had already reached the bedside, "Can you say something? You're scaring me."
"Really? Is there anything else that Young Master Han could be afraid of? It's truly a blessing from heaven!"
"Do we... really have to be like this? Like hedgehogs, leaving each other covered in wounds?" Han Haoxuan's tone was helpless.
“If Amu accidentally hurt you, I apologize on his behalf.” Ruolin deliberately misinterpreted Han Haoxuan’s true intentions.
“Physical wounds may heal, but the wounds in my heart will stay with me forever. Ruolin… please look at me, okay?” Han Haoxuan almost pleaded, “Please…”
Ultimately, Ruolin softened and turned to look at Han Haoxuan.
"Let's be together, okay..." Ruolin heard him say this. His tone didn't sound like he was joking, and his eyes were full of affection and sincerity.
"Why?" Ruolin's lips twitched, and she actually smiled. But it was a smile that couldn't be described as happy.
“Because the person I love is you. Is that reason enough?” Han Haoxuan said, grabbing Ruolin’s hand and burying his face in her palm, murmuring, “I’ve tried to forget you, which is why I dated Xinyu, but that made me incredibly hypocritical, to the point that I started to hate myself. I had to act like a dutiful son in front of my parents and a good boyfriend in front of Xinyu. But with another girl in my heart, I simply couldn’t be devoted to Xinyu. Rather than hurting her, it’s better to let her go. Of course, perhaps she was also tired of continuing this relationship with me, which is why she broke up with me…”
"Don't be so confident in yourself. Xinyu broke up with you because she has someone else in her heart." Ruolin was clearly trying to embarrass Han Haoxuan on purpose.
Han Haoxuan simply raised his head slightly and smiled faintly, "That's for the best, then I won't feel so guilty." Then he returned to his original question, "You haven't answered my question yet, are you willing to be with me?"
"I'm sorry, I can't be with you," Ruolin replied without hesitation, then pulled her hand away from Han Haoxuan's.
Han Haoxuan looked at Ruolin in confusion: "Don't you really have any feelings for me at all? If you really don't, tell me now."
"...No." After only a few seconds of hesitation, Ruolin still clearly uttered those two words.
"I don't believe you, you're lying! There must be some reason why you won't accept me, right?" Han Haoxuan's eyes were already filled with sorrow.
Ruolin refused to look him in the eye, afraid of changing her mind after all the hard work she had put into it. She steeled herself, gritted her teeth, and said to Han Haoxuan, "Because I don't like you. The person I like is Amu. I'm sure you've heard this story, right? My crush since high school, Brother Mu, is Amu—the one you just kicked out of the ward. You deliberately tried to drive away the man I like. How could I like you? I hate you so much!"
Those last few words completely shattered Han Haoxuan's pride. It turned out that she not only didn't like him, she hated him!
"Alright... I wish you and your Mu-gege happiness." Han Haoxuan's smile looked so forced.
If it weren't for the fact that Ruolin was a patient, Han Haoxuan would have really wanted to smash the door.
As Han Haoxuan closed the door to the ward, Ruolin also tried to close the door to her heart that she had once opened to Han Haoxuan.
She didn't know what she was afraid of, and she couldn't accept Han Haoxuan's feelings. She originally thought it was because of Xinyu, but now that Xinyu had broken up with him, she was still hesitant.
Chapter Forty-Eight
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Days slipped by, and before we knew it, it was autumn.
After recovering, Ruolin wanted to secretly take a part-time job, but Mu Jingyan refused to let her go, and even dragged her out of the part-time job several times.
Ruolin once complained that Mu Jingyan had cut off her source of income, but Mu Jingyan dismissed it, saying, "A problem that can be solved with money isn't a problem. If you need money, I'll lend it to you."
Ruolin thought to herself, "You've already lent me the money your parents gave you for your wedding. If you lend it to me again, won't you go bankrupt? What a sin!"
On the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the magazine was going to hold a thank-you party at the Yuelai Hotel, and all the young talents who had appeared in the magazine were invited.
Ruolin initially wanted to find an excuse not to attend, but the editor-in-chief, Fang Qiang, said, "It doesn't matter if others don't go, but you absolutely have to go." Feeling indebted to the editor-in-chief, Ruolin couldn't refuse and had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
To be honest, Ruolin had never attended a thank-you party like this before. She was relatively new to the workforce, and even when she was just a process editor, she never had the opportunity to attend such events. If it weren't for the fear of seeing someone at the event, she would have been quite interested in seeing what a so-called thank-you party was like.
A lobby called "Lianyi Xuan" in the Yuelai Hotel.
The hall was brightly lit, and a rectangular dining table was set with wine glasses, red wine, pastries, dried fruit...
The scene setter put a lot of thought into it, not only decorating the hall with pink balloons, but also arranging a circle of candles around the hall. The candlelight swirled and lingered in the oval white candlesticks, creating a romantic and warm atmosphere.
When Ruolin entered, she found that quite a few people had already gathered in the hall. She lowered her head, intending to find a relatively dark corner to stay in. She hoped he wouldn't recognize her.
She hid herself very well, always hiding in the shadows and observing the guests, whether they were familiar or unfamiliar faces.
All plans fell through when she decided to go to the restroom.
Moreover, her entrance was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.
It was the first time she had worn such high heels, and they were borrowed from Xinyu at the last minute, so they didn't fit very well, making it a bit difficult for her to walk. To make matters worse, the neckline of the evening dress she had borrowed from Xinyu was quite low, and as she walked, she was only focused on lightly pressing her chest to avoid any accidental exposure, so she didn't care about anything else.
As she was about to leave the hall, she twisted her ankle. To make matters worse, she accidentally knocked over a wine glass belonging to someone next to her. "Clatter!" The glass fell to the ground, spilling liquid that immediately left several wet spots on Ruolin's dress.
"Shen Ruolin?" Qin Tianyi almost didn't recognize the woman before him. This was no Shen Ruolin he had ever seen before. She wore a sky-blue low-cut evening gown that perfectly accentuated her curves; her light makeup made her features even more striking. No wonder Han Haoxuan gave up such a wonderful girl like Xinyu for her; it turns out Cinderella really does transform into a princess.
As Qin Tianyi called out Ruolin's name, Han Haoxuan also came to Ruolin's side. He had been searching for Ruolin since he entered, but hadn't been able to find her. It turned out that she had changed her outfit today, and even he almost didn't recognize her.
"What happened to you? Are you hurt?" Han Haoxuan asked Ruolin anxiously, looking at the shattered glass on the floor.
"It's nothing," Ruolin replied softly.
"Your clothes are all wet, and you still say it's nothing. I'll take you outside to buy a new set." With that, Han Haoxuan pulled Ruolin out of the hall.
Fearing that she might cause trouble in the hall and attract the attention of her colleagues, Ruolin remained silent, letting Han Haoxuan hold her hand.
Not far from the lobby, Ruolin immediately shook off Han Haoxuan's hand: "It's best not to pull each other around in public."
“If we can’t be lovers, we can still be friends, right? Ruolin, we don’t need to make things so awkward.” Han Haoxuan said calmly, “If you insist on rejecting me like this, can I interpret it as your way of loving me? Because you love me, you are willing to avoid me, trying to forget me in this way.”
"..." Faced with Han Haoxuan's words, Ruolin found herself powerless to refute them. There was no way around it; Han Haoxuan always had the ability to see through people's hearts, especially her little schemes.
"I just hope you can see your own heart clearly, face it bravely, and not be afraid to accept love. Actually, love is not that scary."
"Thank you for your kindness, but you don't need to worry about my affairs. I can handle them myself." Ruolin smiled sweetly at him.
It was that one smile that ignited Han Haoxuan's wicked thoughts. She clearly liked him too, so why did she still feign composure and say, "My affairs are none of your business"? And her smile, so vivid, seemed to be subtly telling him, "Don't flatter yourself; you can't possibly enter my emotional world." She was clearly hypnotizing herself. No, he had to wake her up, awaken her love for him.
Han Haoxuan suppressed his urge to kiss her forcefully and said considerately, "Alright, I won't worry about that for you. However, as a friend, I don't recommend you wear such a revealing evening dress if you don't want to become the center of attention."
Ruolin couldn't help but laugh. She actually had no expertise in evening gowns; this one was the one Xinyu thought fit best after she tried on several at Xinyu's place. Ruolin had wanted to change it because of the low neckline, but Xinyu wouldn't allow it, saying it accentuated a woman's curves. Finally, Ruolin mustered the courage to wear it to the thank-you party, only to find the gown incredibly unlucky—it got soaked in the rain. And now, it was clinging uncomfortably to her skin. It seemed she was a born Cinderella; she always seemed to slip up when wearing elegant clothes.
"So, what do you want? As you just said, buy me a new one?" Ruolin finally looked up and faced Han Haoxuan directly.
"Yes, isn't your birthday coming up soon? We can have your gift in advance. Consider the dress I bought for you as my birthday present." Fearing that Ruolin wouldn't accept it, Han Haoxuan used her birthday as a pretext.
Ruolin was stunned. He actually knew her birthday was approaching! Who told him?!
"Don't ask me how I know. Nothing is impossible for a willing heart. I want to know there are many ways."
At this moment, Ruolin couldn't help but marvel at Han Haoxuan's ability to read minds.
In the end, Ruolin gave in, because she didn't want to be the center of attention. Wearing a soaking wet, low-cut evening gown to a thank-you party attended by so many important people would definitely become the laughing stock of gossipy women. Besides, if she had money in the future, she could always pay Han Haoxuan back for the new dress. Good heavens! Can't I please not owe so many people money?
When Ruolin walked into the venue wearing the light pink evening gown with pearlescent embellishments that Han Haoxuan had chosen for her, she unexpectedly became the focus of the entire event. This dress suited her petite figure better than the sky-blue evening gown she had just worn, and it also made her complexion look exceptionally good, fair with a rosy glow, making her truly captivating.
People kept coming up to toast Ruolin, jokingly saying to Fang Qiang, "You have such a beautiful reporter under you, why didn't you bring her over sooner so we could feast our eyes on her?" Ruolin couldn't refuse; she usually didn't drink at all, so she had no choice but to force herself to drink. She looked at Han Haoxuan with pleading eyes, hoping he would come to her rescue. He knew she couldn't drink.
However, he didn't seem to pay attention to her, and just kept drinking his wine.
At first, Han Haoxuan simply sat near Ruolin, drinking and observing her coldly. But later he couldn't sit still any longer. He wanted her to drink some alcohol so she would speak her mind, but he didn't want her to get completely drunk.
"Hey buddy, you can't treat girls like that. You should be more forgiving." Han Haoxuan walked over with a wine glass in his hand.
"So, Brother Haoxuan, you mean you'll drink this glass of wine for her?"
"Okay!" Han Haoxuan readily agreed, then took the wine glass from Ruolin's hand and drank it all in one gulp.
"Brother Haoxuan's drinking capacity is indeed impressive!" someone clapped.
"Please excuse my poor manners. You guys have fun first, I still have something to discuss with Reporter Shen." Han Haoxuan pulled Ruolin to a quieter corner.
"Silly girl, since you can't drink, don't you know how to refuse when people offer you drinks?" Han Haoxuan said, looking at Ruolin whose cheeks were flushed.
Ruolin felt a little dizzy and her vision was blurry. She said, "I can't drink anymore. Please take me home."
Han Haoxuan accepted this glorious and sweet task with almost a flattery.
Chapter Forty-Nine
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When the car arrived at Ruolin's residential area, Ruolin had already fallen asleep in the car.
Han Haoxuan didn't want to wake her, so he decided to find her house key himself. He then realized that in his haste to leave, he hadn't taken her bag; it must have been left at the venue. Han Haoxuan called Qin Tianyi and asked him to find her bag and give it to Fang Qiang.
"Don't go...don't go..." Ruolin suddenly began talking in her sleep.
"Okay, I won't leave." Han Haoxuan lovingly stroked her slightly flushed face, which was flushed from drinking alcohol, and said softly.