Chapter 1034: Chapter 612: Destined to Be Family, Clinging to Her Home Without Leaving (Part 3)
"Iâll walk you out." Yun Hezhi escorted her out of the neighborhood, reminding her to call him once she got home, and watched her hurry away.
He had originally thought that maybe he and Qi Zeyan could compete fairly, but matters of the heart are never fair. From the very beginning, they were never equal in Ruan Mengxiâs heart.
If Ruan Mengxi didnât like him, she would probably still have to brood over rejecting him, and Yun Hezhi didnât want to be that kind of person.
If affection has already become a burden, then the love gained from it would probably be tainted.
...
When Yun Hezhi got home, he had just tidied up the coffee table when he received a call from Tang Wan, inviting him to a full moon banquet.
"Send me the time and place in advance, and Iâll be there on time."
"No problem." Tang Wan laughed. "Did you have lunch with Xixi today? How was it?"
"Pretty good."
Ranting... was also pretty satisfying.
"Grandmaâs always praising your singing. How about performing something at the full moon banquet?"
"Mr. Tang, are you inviting me for drinks or asking me to perform?"
**
The two were chatting and laughing when Ruan Mengxi almost jogged back to her apartment complex.
She felt a bit uneasy on her way back. According to Yun Hezhi, if Qi Zeyan liked her, he should wait for her. But what if he left?
When she reached the bottom of the building, she found that Qi Zeyanâs parking spot had been taken by another car, leaving her feeling a sudden emptiness inside. She couldnât say why and let out a sigh.
Perhaps she was overthinking it. She sighed, went straight into the building, and with the heavy snow outside, she bowed her head and walked towards the elevator, brushing off the snowflakes clinging to her clothes and hair.
She didnât notice someone behind her, looking at her with a face full of resentment.
Qi Zeyan took a deep breath, glancing at his watch.
Two hours and forty-three minutes...
Ruan Mengxi was still brushing off snow, oblivious to someone approaching, until she reached the elevator and swiped her card to wait for it to go up. Through the elevatorâs reflection, she noticed someone coming up behind her.
Yet the reflection was blurry. She couldnât see clearly, only a black shadow with no sound of footsteps.
Her breath caught for a moment, and she glanced at the cornerâs surveillance camera.
Qi Zeyan had been waiting for over two hours. Growing more anxious, especially seeing her leisurely demeanor, he suddenly had the impulse to hug her.
He thought it through and then did it...
Unexpectedly, Ruan Mengxi suddenly turned her head, her long hair whipping him in the face, making his nose itch, and he sneezed at her.
...
Ruan Mengxi was stunned, and Qi Zeyan was just as shocked:
Damn, am I an idiot to be sneezing at a time like this?
It seemed that nothing romantic ever happened between them.
"You..." Ruan Mengxi, feeling a complex emotion, didnât finish her sentence before he interrupted her with another sneeze.
"Sorry." Qi Zeyan covered his mouth and nose.
"You havenât left?"
"I caught a cold," Qi Zeyan said bluntly.
"Then you should go to the hospital." Ruan Mengxi looked at his flushed face from sneezing and tried to hold back her laughter.
"I canât drive."
"Then Iâll call a driver for you."
"In this weather, if the car gets stuck halfway, wonât I be waiting to die?"
"Then what do you want to do?"
"The elevatorâs here. Letâs go to your place first." As soon as the elevator arrived, Qi Zeyan walked in first, and Ruan Mengxi followed behind him, but they stood left and right, with space for two more people in between.
"Do you need to stand so far from me?" Qi Zeyan frowned. Just now, she was so close with that scheming guy.
"You caught a cold and youâre carrying a virus."
"You... Achooâ" Qi Zeyan just got out a word before sneezing again.
When they got to Ruan Mengxiâs place, the hot pot smell lingered, the pungent scent of beef oil and chili hitting their noses, and Qi Zeyan sneezed countless times.
His hairstyle was messed up, and his slicked-back hair had a few strands standing up on his head, looking rather comical.
Ruan Mengxi tried hard to suppress her laughter. Qi Zeyan took a deep breath; he was sick, and yet she could still laugh?
Without knowing, a few strands of hair on his head were bobbing around.
"Change shoes and come in, sit by the radiator; itâs warmer there."
Qi Zeyan looked down at the shoes someone else had worn, snorted coldly, and instead wore Ruan Mengxiâs fatherâs slippers.
...
He had just spent some time in the cold wind. Ruan Mengxi made him some cold medicine, wrapped him in a blanket, and he napped by the radiator. After sweating, he felt much better.
Outside, the sky was completely dark, with only the howling wind swirling snow, beating against the windows.
Ruan Mengxi was watching a drama and cracking sunflower seeds, catching a glimpse of Qi Zeyan waking up, "Feeling better?"
"Yeah." Qi Zeyanâs voice was a bit hoarse.
"Itâs almost seven. When do you plan to leave?"
"..." Qi Zeyan gritted his teeth. Ruan Mengxi never treated him like this before. Whatâs with her now, always wanting to kick him out? "Iâm a bit hungry."
"I had hot pot for lunch and Iâm still not hungry." Ruan Mengxi lowered her head, cracking sunflower seeds, the crunching sounds especially irritating to him. "If youâre hungry, just go home and eat."
Qi Zeyan, who had been feeling much better, was now so angry his chest hurt, giving a severe cough.
"So hungry I canât move. Donât you have anything here to fill my stomach?" He decided to park himself here.
"There are some hot pot leftovers from lunch. You can check if thereâs anything you can eat."
Qi Zeyan was dumbfounded:
What the heck?
Am I supposed to eat the leftovers you and that scheming guy left?
Ruan Mengxi had an expression of indifference, as if saying "eat it or not; I donât care," leaving Qi Zeyan no choice but to drag his sick self to the kitchen.
Ruan Mengxi just kept cracking seeds, watching him leisurely, feeling both worried and amused.
"Alright, let me do it." Ruan Mengxi walked over, "Youâre sick, so eat something light..."
Seeing her personally making food for him, Qi Zeyan felt secretly pleased, but as he watched her profile, he remembered what Yun Hezhi had said, wondering why she was surrounded by such a scheming guy.
With Mengxiâs naive nature, she couldnât possibly outwit him.
Thatâs the kind of scheming and level that even involved shamelessly pretending to be a victim, and Mengxi, with her simple-mindedness, would eventually be eaten alive.
But he wasnât someone who gossiped behind othersâ backs. Besides, with such a melodramatic situation, even if he told Mengxi everything, she might not believe it.
While waiting for Ruan Mengxi, he had spoken with Jiang Jinsang, trying to glean some information about Yun Hezhi.
He ended up being "accused" by someoneâs evil nature and Jiang Jinsang.
Jiang Jinsang retorted with:
"Are you sure itâs just a cold, and you didnât burn your brain with a fever? How could you think of such a melodramatic thing?"
"..."
He was almost fuming, unable to just watch Ruan Mengxi suffer a loss.
Hesitating, he decided to at least give her a heads-up.
"Xiaoruan..."
"Hmm?"
"Are you close with that Yun Hezhi?"
"Weâve known each other for many years."
"Havenât you not seen each other for a long time? People change over time, donât they?"
"Yes, heâs become more talkative than before."
"Itâs wise to be more guarded with those youâre not too familiar with; donât easily bring people home, especially men."
Ruan Mengxi was well aware of what Yun Hezhi had done, so Qi Zeyanâs subtle hint was immediately understood, and she just smiled at him, "Boss Yun is a good person, Iâm not worried."
Qi Zeyan was infuriated, thinking she must have been brainwashed by that scheming guy.
This led him to make a silent decision:
To stay here and watch over her! To protect her.