That's just Xinyu's personality; she's always ready to stand up for what's right. Ruolin chuckled, "We're very happy, don't worry about us. I'm even waiting to eat your and Shen Yang's wedding candy!"
"You get married first, and then we'll follow closely behind."
Ruolin felt warm inside after reading Mu Jingyan and Xinyu's text messages, and her mood improved considerably. Having friends like these makes life feel complete.
Han Haoxuan returned home around 3 a.m.
Upon entering the room and turning on the lights, one could see Ruolin curled up on the sofa, covered only by a thin blanket.
Han Haoxuan walked over and saw that she was still frowning while sleeping, and couldn't help but blame himself for not taking good care of her.
"Ruolin, you'll catch a cold if you sleep on the sofa." Han Haoxuan gently nudged Ruolin.
"Ah? You're back?" Ruolin, who hadn't slept soundly, sat up and looked at Han Haoxuan. Han Haoxuan looked slightly tired. Had he seen his ex-lover and had endless things to talk about, resulting in a sleepless night?
"Something came up urgently, and my phone died, so I didn't tell you right away. I'm sorry, Ruolin, it won't happen again." Han Haoxuan sat down next to Ruolin and held her hand tightly.
Ruolin glanced at the wall clock: "You've been out almost all night, spending the whole night with clients?"
"Yes, those clients are particularly difficult to deal with, but the company has a large volume of business, so we can't afford to offend them. However, I promise, next time I'll try to spend less time with them and more time with you." Han Haoxuan remained calm and composed while lying, showing no sign of panic.
"What a shrewd businessman! He doesn't even need to think before he lies." Ruolin scoffed inwardly.
Ruolin threw herself into his arms, breathing heavily, and smelled the scent of alcohol and women's perfume on him, which further confirmed what Ruolin had seen at the KTV.
"You smell like a woman's perfume. Are you doing something bad behind my back?" Ruolin looked up at Han Haoxuan and said, half-jokingly.
"How could that be? You're the only one in my heart. Touch here." Han Haoxuan pressed Ruolin's hand to his chest, but Ruolin pulled her hand away.
"Go take a shower, I'm tired and need to rest," Ruolin said, carrying her blanket towards the bedroom.
"Okay." Looking at Ruolin's retreating figure, Han Haoxuan felt even more guilty.
In fact, Han Haoxuan didn't spend any time with clients; he spent the whole night with An Qian.
When Anxi left so resolutely, Han Haoxuan never imagined she would come back to him.
In the afternoon, Han Haoxuan had arranged to meet with a client to discuss cooperation matters, but one of the client's representatives turned out to be An Qian, whom he hadn't seen for several years. Compared to before, her appearance hadn't changed much, except that her clothes were more mature, and she was dressed like a professional woman, without the naivety of the past.
Han Haoxuan was quite shocked when he saw Anxi. It's true what they say, you never know where you'll meet someone in life!
When their eyes met, Han Haoxuan was captivated by those familiar, clear eyes, unable to look away for a moment. Those eyes bore a resemblance to Ruolin's. Did he like Ruolin only to find a shadow of Anxi in her? He asked himself.
"Long time no see, how are you?" Han Haoxuan only came back to his senses when Anxi smiled and extended her hand.
"It's fine. How about you?" Han Haoxuan also reached out and shook her hand. Her hand was still so soft and delicate. He had once said that he would cherish such soft and boneless hands until old age, but she did not give him that chance.
“Oh, so you two know each other. Doesn’t that make our cooperation easier to discuss?” said Du Cheng, another representative from the other company.
"Yes, she's an old friend of mine," Han Haoxuan said, feigning calmness. However, he was already wondering whether his meeting with An Qian was deliberately arranged or an unintentional reunion. For some reason, he hoped it was the former—that An Qian had initiated the discussion of the collaboration simply to see him. But he quickly dismissed this thought, because if she wanted to see him, she wouldn't need to go to such lengths; she could simply come to him directly.
The cooperation talks went smoothly, and the two parties quickly signed a cooperation agreement.
Han Haoxuan suggested that they go to the city's most famous KTV to sing that night, and Du Cheng readily agreed, as did An Qian.
In the KTV room, Anxi sang Fish Leong's "The Pain That Breathes": "...Missing you is a pain that breathes, it lives in every corner of my body, humming the songs you love hurts, reading your letters hurts, even silence hurts. Regret is a pain that breathes, it flows in my blood and rolls back and forth, regretting not being considerate hurts, hating not understanding you hurts, wanting to see you but not being able to hurts the most... If only we could start over."
As she sang with deep emotion, tears streamed down her face. Han Haoxuan saw the seemingly strong but actually fragile Anxi again and couldn't help but reach out to wipe away her tears.
"Why haven't you called me even once in all these years?" Anxi's tone was full of resentment.
"..." Han Haoxuan was a little confused. She was the one who wanted to break up with him in the first place, and he tried to win her back, but she wouldn't even look at him. He really thought she had fallen for someone else. So, it seemed inappropriate for him to contact her again later, right?
“These past few years, I haven’t had a good time living alone abroad, because I can’t help but think of you,” Anxi said softly, then stroked Han Haoxuan’s hand. “During the years we were apart, did you think of me?”
Of course I thought about it, especially the year you left. But then I realized that missing you was useless, so I simply numb myself with busy work.
"Let's talk outside. The air conditioning is too strong here, it's a bit stuffy." Han Haoxuan subtly brushed An Qian's hand away. Actually, he was considering that it wouldn't be convenient for them to talk with Du Cheng present.
The two arrived at a relatively quiet and secluded corner.
“Didn’t you used to like collecting lighters? This is a limited edition Zippo that just came out. I’m giving it to you.” Anxi took Han Haoxuan’s hand, opened his palm, and placed a small, exquisite lighter in his palm.
"I don't have that hobby anymore, and I've quit smoking. But I'll accept your gift for now."
"Quit smoking? That's unlike you. You've changed so much," Anxi exclaimed. "So, have you given up your love for me too?"
"Pretty much. I have a girlfriend now, and I give almost all my love to her."
"Really? I don't believe it. I've seen that girl; she looks a bit like me. You're not looking for a stand-in for me, are you?" Anxi wasn't annoyed at all; in fact, there was a hint of smugness in her voice.
"You were following me?" Han Haoxuan asked.
"No, it was after I returned to China that I went to the place where we used to live to see you. I happened to see you and her coming back from get off work."
"Oh, I thought you wouldn't care about my life anymore after you left! Did you come back this time hoping to see me make a fool of myself? To see me all alone? But you were disappointed, weren't you?"
"I know it was wrong of me to leave you back then. I don't expect your forgiveness. But I don't want you to live by finding my shadow in others. Because that's not love. You're with your current girlfriend because you haven't forgotten me, right?"
"Don't be so arrogant, I've long forgotten about you."
"Then prove it to me..." Before Han Haoxuan could react, Anxi had already pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his.
Han Haoxuan's rationality told him to push An Qian away and have nothing to do with his ex-girlfriend anymore, but this kiss made him lose control because he suddenly remembered his first kiss.
It was after evening self-study that the two went for a walk in the small garden on campus. On the stone bench by the artificial lake, he hugged Anxi and kissed her. Her response was a little awkward, but it made him unable to resist.
Years later, he still remembers that kiss, and all those first moments of love with Anxi.
After a passionate kiss, Ansie told him that leaving him was not her intention, but rather that his mother had approached her and forced her to leave him.
Han Haoxuan knew his mother Xu Ling's usual way of doing things, so he believed her.
However, time has passed, things have changed, and what's the point of dwelling on the past? He could only gently embrace her to comfort her.
"Let's get back together, okay?" Anxi asked Han Haoxuan, looking up at him.
“It’s impossible. We can’t go back.” Han Haoxuan sighed. “I can’t let her down. She loves me very much.”
"But I love you too!"
"The person I love now is no longer you. I'm sorry." Han Haoxuan rejected her without reservation.
Anxi's tears streamed down her face. She truly understood what it meant for "some people to be missed forever."
Afterwards, Han Haoxuan planned to drive home, but Anxi cried and begged him to stay with her, emphasizing that it was just for one night. She said she had a lot to say to him and stressed that she just wanted him to stay with her and listen to her.
After all, they were once lovers, so Han Haoxuan couldn't bear to refuse and had no choice but to take Anxi home and listen to her nagging.
Later, Anxi got sleepy and fell asleep on his lap.
He carried Anxi to the bed, settled her in, and then hurried home.
He had never come home this late before. He knew Ruolin would be suspicious, but he couldn't say he was late because he was listening to his ex-girlfriend pour her heart out. That would only make Ruolin more anxious. So, he lied and said he was with a client. In fact, Anxi really was his client now.
However, he felt guilty after lying.
Sincerity is essential between lovers, but why can't he even do this most basic thing?
Chapter Sixty-Four
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In the bedroom with a bedside lamp on, Ruolin lay on her side on the bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling extremely sad.
Han Haoxuan didn't blush or skip a beat when he lied just now, looking every bit the expert liar.
Besides this, did he tell her any other lies?
Accompanying clients? Ha! Do you need to kiss clients to accompany them? Besides, you smell of women's perfume and you're back so late. It's probably more than just kissing, isn't it?
When Han Haoxuan came into the room after taking a shower, Ruolin still had her back to him and didn't even glance at him.
Usually, they would either shower together and go to the bedroom to rest together, or Ruolin would shower first and wait for him. As soon as he entered the room, she would sit up, smile at him, and say, "Are you done showering?" Then he would smile and reply, "Yes, I'm very clean. Do you want some?" Then Ruolin would say, "You're so annoying," with a woman's unique shyness.
However, today, Ruolin's posture clearly indicated that she did not welcome him at all.
"Honey, I'm here." Han Haoxuan snuggled into the covers.
Ruolin kept her eyes closed and remained motionless, pretending to be asleep.
Seeing that Ruolin didn't react, Han Haoxuan turned to his side, looked at her, and found that she was asleep. He then stopped talking and lay down as well.
Then, Ruolin felt one of his arms reach out and gently embrace her. He whispered, "If you're angry because I came home late today, I apologize. In the future... I'll try my best to turn down clients."
He's still lying! Still saying he's with clients?
Ruolin wanted to turn around and confront him, but when he said, "I'm tired today too, let's sleep together," Ruolin didn't know what to say, and arguing in the middle of the night wasn't a good idea. So, she had no choice but to restrain herself and continue pretending to be asleep.
He said he was tired; of course he'd be tired after all that lovemaking! Ruolin sneered inwardly.
I only slept for a short while before it got light.
Ruolin had been in a state of semi-consciousness all night, but she has now woken up.
Han Haoxuan was still fast asleep, his thick, long eyelashes drooping down obediently, covering his handsome face like butterfly wings. He looked so handsome and harmless while sleeping, as innocent as a child, that she couldn't bring herself to get angry with him.
Looking at Han Haoxuan's sleeping face, Ruolin could only feel heartbroken.
After waking up, Ruolin couldn't fall back asleep, so she got up early and went to the living room.
I drew back the curtains, and half of the sun's face was already peeking over the horizon.
As dawn broke, her heart remained in the darkness.
Actually, last night, she sat on the living room sofa waiting for Han Haoxuan, hoping he would give her a reasonable explanation. Little did she know that his reason was still to accompany a client.
Should she press for answers, or remain silent?
If Han Haoxuan confesses everything under her questioning, does it mean that a war will break out between the two of them, and their relationship will end as a result?
Remaining silent is numbing yourself and can temporarily prevent a war between two people from breaking out.
Han Haoxuan woke up at nine o'clock in the morning, a full hour later than usual.
"Ruolin!" Han Haoxuan called out as he got dressed and got out of bed.
There was no response.
That's true, Ruolin should be at work by now.
But usually, if he wanted to sleep in, she would pull back his covers and force him to get up and take her to work. Why did he go to work alone without saying a word today?
Han Haoxuan got dressed and walked into the living room.
On the dining table were Han Haoxuan's usual breakfasts, with a note under one of the bowls: "You came home late yesterday and must be very tired. I didn't have the heart to wake you up. Besides, you don't have to clock in like I do for work. I don't know when you get up, but I still prepared breakfast. If it gets cold, remember to heat it up before eating."