Han Haoxuan's gaze made Ruolin feel like she had nowhere to hide. This was really getting to her; she was supposed to be interviewing him, so how did it become his interviewing her?
“I’m sorry, I can’t comment,” Ruolin replied, then tried to speak calmly. “If Mr. Han thinks I’m not suitable for this interview, he can just say so. There’s no need to beat around the bush. I’m here today to conduct this interview with you face to face with the utmost sincerity. I hope we can communicate well and have a successful interview.”
"Is that so?" Han Haoxuan uttered softly.
"Yes. So, please cooperate with me, Mr. Han, and let's get straight to the interview, okay?" Ruolin didn't want to dwell on personal matters. After all, she was here for work.
“Alright then. Please ask your question, Reporter Shen,” Han Haoxuan said in a deep voice.
Fortunately, Han Haoxuan did not make things difficult for Ruolin during the subsequent interview, and everything went smoothly.
Finally, Ruolin asked Xinyu the question she was interested in: "This question might involve your personal privacy, but it's something our readers are particularly interested in. It's just..." Ruolin paused; she didn't really want to be a paparazzi, but for Xinyu's sake, she had to go for it. "Have you ever had a girlfriend before? What's your ideal partner like?"
"Oh? Is this a question only that readers care about?" Han Haoxuan scoffed.
"What do you mean?" Ruolin asked, puzzled.
"Don't you care?" Han Haoxuan raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice.
"...If it's inconvenient for you, you don't have to answer."
"Perhaps if someone else asked me, I wouldn't have answered. But the person asking is you, even though you're using the reader's name. I had quite a few relationships when I was young and impetuous, but those feelings have almost vanished in my memory now. Maybe it's because too much time has passed, or maybe the love wasn't deep enough. The most memorable one was my girlfriend in college; that relationship lasted three years, but..." Han Haoxuan seemed to drift into reminiscence, but he quickly regained his composure, "I suppose I don't need to elaborate on what happened next. If my relationship with her hadn't ended, there would be no need for blind dates, right?"
"..." He mentioned blind dates. Ruolin's only blind date was one where she went in place of a friend.
"As for my ideal partner, I care more about a feeling. The person who can make my heart flutter would be my first choice," Han Haoxuan answered succinctly.
"But feelings are often the most unreliable thing. Sometimes feelings are just an illusion. The intensity of love can only burn for a while, and over time it will fade into familial affection. In that case, would you still believe in your feelings?"
"Why not?" Han Haoxuan asked in return.
"Would you care about your future partner's family background and education?" This was actually a question Ruolin wanted to ask herself, not one that was in her prepared interview outline.
"I don't care. Because these are all external things. What's the use of these things if the relationship isn't harmonious? I'm not sleeping with my family business and academic certificates in my arms, am I?"
"So you believe that the Cinderella fairy tale actually exists?"
"Of course. Otherwise, princes from many countries wouldn't marry ordinary women who are unknown. Even if a prince has such a high title, he is still a mortal, isn't he? Besides, I've never considered myself a prince. Why are you asking this? Do you think you're Cinderella?" Han Haoxuan seemed to see through Ruolin's thoughts.
"No, no," Ruolin hurriedly denied.
At that moment, the phone on Han Haoxuan's desk rang.
"Mr. Han, shouldn't you be preparing for the meeting at four o'clock this afternoon?" It was Secretary Zhang calling.
Han Haoxuan glanced at his watch and then said, "We can postpone it a bit. I'll let you know when the interview is over."
"Go ahead and take care of anything you need to do. The interview is over. I should go back and prepare my interview transcript." Ruolin turned off the recorder and got up to leave.
"Wait a minute." Han Haoxuan stood up, walked closer to Ruolin, and then casually brushed the hair from her forehead back.
Ruolin's face flushed red instantly.
"You've lost weight. Take good care of yourself and don't overwork yourself." Han Haoxuan looked at Ruolin with loving eyes.
Ruolin felt her heart pounding happily!
She needed to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible, so she said politely, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Han. I have to go now."
"I send you."
"No."
Despite Ruolin's repeated refusals, Han Haoxuan insisted on escorting her to the entrance of the building.
This move shocked the female employees of Han Haoxuan's company. What kind of charm did that woman possess that made President Han personally come downstairs to see her off? Not only that, but he even postponed the company meeting.
Secretary Zhang Qin was the person closest to Han Haoxuan in the entire company, and she vaguely sensed the reason for his recent frown. She had never seen Han Haoxuan look at a woman with such reluctance and longing.
Chapter Twenty
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Every Friday night, Ruolin would call her mother; that was her family phone time.
But this Friday night, no one answered the phone. Ruolin felt uneasy. Usually at this time, her mother would be home waiting for her call; why wasn't she there today?
She tried to reassure herself that perhaps her mother had just gone to the bathroom.
So, after a while, she dialed home again.
As a result, no one answered the phone!
Ruolin paced anxiously in her room after several unsuccessful attempts to call.
Finally, in a moment of inspiration, she called her neighbor and learned that her mother had collapsed and been taken to the hospital emergency room. The neighbor had already called Ruolin's younger sister, Ruowen, who was studying in City B, but because they didn't know the specifics of the illness yet, they hadn't called Ruolin, who was out of town, for fear of worrying her.
Ruolin thanked her neighbor several times before calling Ruowen.
Just then, Ruowen learned about her mother's condition from the hospital. Receiving a call from Ruolin, she choked back tears and said, "Sister, the doctor said Mom has a heart problem and needs bypass surgery... I'm so scared... and the doctor said the surgery will cost about 100,000 yuan..."
"Don't worry, I'll go buy the tickets in a bit and try to get home as soon as possible." Although she was also anxious, Ruolin tried her best to comfort her sister.
After calming her sister down, Ruolin hung up the phone and called her editor-in-chief. She explained the situation at home and said that the interview with Han Haoxuan might be delayed, and she would need to take a few days off.
The editor-in-chief was a reasonable person and immediately granted Ruolin her leave.
Fortunately, it wasn't peak ticket-buying season, and Ruolin managed to buy a train ticket for that evening without any problems.
The next morning, when the train arrived in City B, Ruolin got off the train with dark circles under her eyes. Her mother was sick, and she was extremely worried, having not slept well all night.
Ruolin has always been a filial daughter, and her mother has suffered so much for her and her sister all these years. Ruolin has worked hard in D City all for the sake of her family, wanting her mother and sister to have a better life and never have to worry about food, clothing, or tuition again. But things rarely go as planned. While she was still striving to achieve her goals, she heard the news of her mother's illness. How could she not be anxious?
After leaving the train station, Ruolin took a taxi directly to the hospital where her mother was staying.
When Ruolin entered the ward, her mother, Zhou Li, was lying quietly in bed, still fast asleep, her face pale and haggard. Her younger sister, Ruowen, was leaning over the bed, her face turned to the side, so her features were obscured; it seemed she had been keeping watch over her all night.
Afraid of waking the other patients, Ruolin walked very quietly to the bedside. She squatted down quietly next to her sister, looking at her mother on the hospital bed. She looked much thinner than before, and the corners of her eyes were covered with fine wrinkles, like winding streams crisscrossing around them.
Ruolin's heart ached, and her eyes stung. Her mother had raised her and her sister with great difficulty, worrying about them constantly, and now illness had struck her mother. Ruolin felt fate was too unfair, but she still had to accept this reality and find a way to raise the money for the surgery.
Ruowen stirred, seemingly waking up, and slightly opened her eyes. Seeing Ruolin, she was about to speak when Ruolin put her finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
They walked out of the ward and sat down on a bench in the hospital. Ruowen felt a tingling sensation all over her body, and her arms were almost numb from being supported by her head. She gently massaged her arms with her hands.
"Sister, you're back so soon?" Perhaps because she had just woken up, Ruowen's tone was a little muffled.
Although Ruolin had said she would buy tickets last night, Ruowen still hadn't expected her to return so soon. Ruolin must have been exhausted from the journey last night, looking like she hadn't slept well; her eyes were dark-circled, and even her clear eyes held a hint of weariness, yet she was deliberately trying to stay alert. Ruowen felt a pang of heartache for her sister's appearance, tears welling in her eyes, but she forced herself not to let them fall. At this crucial moment, her mother's health was the most important thing.
Ruolin pulled Ruowen's arm and gently massaged it, saying, "I rushed back overnight. How is Mom now?"
"The situation is relatively stable," Ruowen said softly, then hesitated for a while before saying, "It's just a matter of the surgery fees."
"I'll figure out the surgery fees. You just focus on your studies." Ruolin patted Ruowen's shoulder, a faint smile on her face, as if to tell Ruowen not to worry.
Ruolin didn't want this to interfere with Ruowen's studies, since she was still in high school and already under pressure to take the college entrance exam. She just wanted to bear this hardship herself, no matter how difficult it was, she would bravely face it alone.
When Ruowen said on the phone that the surgery would cost 100,000 yuan, Ruolin was really shocked. She had only been working for two years and had very little savings. She really didn't know where she could raise so much money.
Although Xinyu's family was well-off, it wasn't money she earned herself. Therefore, Ruolin only borrowed 30,000 yuan from Xinyu. Xinyu was a spendthrift, and Ruolin found it difficult to ask for such a large sum. But after learning the situation, Xinyu agreed without hesitation, telling Ruolin to let her know if she needed any other assistance. She even said that if the medical conditions in City B were inadequate, Ruolin could come to City D for treatment. She would introduce Ruolin to the best cardiologist in the city, reassuring her.
Ruolin felt very gratified to have such a sincere and supportive friend.
As for the remaining money, Ruolin hadn't yet figured out how to raise it, and she was feeling somewhat anxious.
When Ruolin entered the ward again, Zhou Li was already awake and lying quietly in bed. When she saw Ruolin, her eyes seemed to suddenly brighten, and she quickly sat up. Ruolin went over and placed a pillow behind Zhou Li's back so she could lean against it.
"Ruolin..." Zhou Li was so excited to see Ruolin that she didn't know what to say. It had been several months since she'd seen Ruolin, and of course she missed her daughter!
"Mom, I'm back." Ruolin leaned down and gently nestled against Zhou Li's chest. Leaning against her mother's chest, she seemed to have rediscovered a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt like she had returned to her childhood, like a child who loved to snuggle into her mother's arms, as if she had nothing to fear when she was in her mother's embrace.
"Child." Zhou Li gently stroked Ruolin's head with her calloused hands, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Mom, just stay here and rest. I'll figure out how to make money," Ruolin said, looking up.
“We’ve really been a burden to you all these years,” Zhou Li sighed and said softly.
"Mom, what are you saying?" Ruolin said in a slightly reproachful tone. She sat up straight, looked at Zhou Li's worried face, and continued, "Mom, we are family, don't say such things. I can earn money outside and have some savings, so you don't need to worry."
"Sigh!" Zhou Li sighed heavily again. She knew all too well that it wasn't easy for Ruolin to be alone out there. Even if she had savings, it wasn't much, let alone enough to cover Ruolin's expensive medical bills during her hospitalization.
“Mom…” Ruolin held Zhou Li’s hand and said in a drawn-out tone, “Don’t worry.” She made an expression as if it was no big deal.
In truth, where could Ruolin find a solution? She and her sister had borrowed a lot of money from relatives for their school fees, some of which they hadn't even paid back yet. How could she possibly borrow more? At that moment, she desperately hoped that a kind person could help her out of this urgent crisis, but she knew in her heart that this was just wishful thinking, because there's no such thing as a free lunch.
She was extremely worried and anxious, but she told herself she absolutely couldn't show her vulnerability in front of her mother. She needed to be strong in this situation; if even she collapsed, how would the family survive? She didn't dare imagine it. She just kept telling herself to raise the money for the surgery as quickly as possible, doing everything she could.
She is only now truly understanding what it means to feel powerless.
Chapter Twenty-One
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All day long, Ruolin stayed by Zhou Li's bedside, almost never leaving her side.
During this time, she went to the doctor to ask about her mother's detailed condition. The doctor said that she needed to rest for a week before the surgery could be performed. This meant that she had to raise the money within a week.
Looking at her mother's aged face, Ruolin felt a pang of sorrow. At that moment, she desperately wished her father were by her side, offering her a shoulder to lean on, a little comfort. But it was all just a pipe dream. She could only swallow her sorrow alone, slowly soothing and melting it away, silently transforming it into boundless inner strength.
That night, Ruolin told Ruowen to go home and rest, while she stayed at the hospital all night, unable to sleep soundly and waking up several times. She felt very tired, but just couldn't fall into a deep sleep. Perhaps it was uncomfortable lying on the edge of the bed, or perhaps she had something on her mind. In any case, when she woke up in the morning, her eyelids felt heavy, as if she couldn't open them.
Seeing her daughter's exhausted appearance, Zhou Li felt sorry for her and urged her to go home and get some sleep. Ruolin initially declined, but after Zhou Li's persistent coaxing, she obediently agreed. Then she called Ruowen and asked her to come to the hospital to take care of her mother.
After getting everything in order, Ruolin gave Ruowen a few instructions and then took the bus home.
Ruolin didn't know how many stops she had traveled, but she dozed off on the bus. When they reached the final stop, the driver reminded her to get off, and she realized she had missed her stop. She inwardly groaned in despair.
Unfortunately, she wasn't familiar with this stop. She looked around anxiously, wondering if she should take this bus back, when a clear voice rang in her ear: "Chen Ruolin?" There was a hint of surprise in the voice.
Ruolin felt that the voice was very familiar, as if it were the voice she used to love to hear. She turned her head, and sure enough, she wasn't mistaken; it was him.
His face was still as handsome as ever, now with a touch of mature charm, radiating an invisible allure that made him even more captivating than at last year's gathering. His casual suit accentuated his tall and imposing figure. He looked at Ruolin, a flicker of delight in his eyes.
Although Ruolin was overjoyed to see him at this moment, she found that her gaze no longer darted away, and she no longer blushed and felt uneasy whenever she saw him as before, as if the person standing in front of her was just an ordinary old classmate.
The man who had left a deep impression on her during her youth, she felt no spark when she saw him this time. Even Ruolin herself found it somewhat unbelievable. Had she grown up, or had time so powerfully erased the feelings of her first stirrings of love? Or perhaps there was some other reason?
Back then, her unrequited love was beautiful, pure, and innocent, like a clear lake, perfectly transparent, and he was the most beautiful reflection on its surface. She quietly swayed in the heart of her dream lake. She swayed and swayed, until one day, she realized the reflection had shattered, ripples spreading in the wind. Only then did she understand that a reflection is ultimately just a reflection; no matter how long she stayed by his side, she could never touch him, and in the end, he was carried away by the wind, leaving not a trace.
So, when it came time to choose a university, he applied to K University, while she applied to D University, which was far away from him. She wanted to forget him through time and distance.
The feelings she hid for so long and so deeply remain vivid in her memory. Back then, she didn't understand; she thought that since she only had eyes for him, she would one day win his heart. Now she realizes how naive and ridiculous her previous thoughts were. Love isn't one-sided; it's about mutual affection.
Although she was willing to have a crush on someone and even enjoyed the sweetness of secretly liking them, a one-sided love is ultimately too lonely and devoid of warmth; wallowing in it is pointless. Perhaps, without realizing it, she gradually distanced herself from this lonely one-sided love affair.