CH 14

Chapter 14: Chance Encounter

Today Ruan Zhizhi was distracted countless times at work. Fortunately, it was not discovered by her boss.

When she was about to finish for the day, she still hadn’t thought about whether or not to attend Shi Yan’s lecture at A University that evening. 

Previously, she had agreed with him to sit in on two lectures. But now her press release had already been revised and submitted. She’d successfully passed the inspection. Additionally, she subconsciously felt that if she continued contacting Shi Yan this way, the situation would become very dangerous.

Ruan Zhizhi was really afraid. But she was also older now. She didn’t want to—and wouldn’t—be a moth flying in the flame, dashing bravely without thinking of the dangers and disregarding any consequences just as she had seven years ago. She had already tried it once in the past, and the pain it produced was enough to be engraved in her memory for life.

Just as she was on a mental journey to outer space, it had finally reached the time to get off work at the company. The profession of a reporter had its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage was that work was very leisurely when there were no job matters. The disadvantage was that if there was huge news, regardless of if it was late at night or early in the morning, reporters had to arrive within the first moments of the scene and fight for the opportunity to interview and get the first dispatch. 

However, as a small reporter who hadn’t had a full position for very long, Ruan Zhizhi had yet to make big news on the scene. She basically only took over some criminal cases that had already been concluded.

“Zhizhi, what are you thinking about? Everyone’s gone.”

The one to speak was Lu Wanyi, one of the official reporters who had passed the internship with Ruan Zhizhi. Since the two were in the same internship training group previously, as a matter of course, their relationship was closer.

“I’m not thinking about anything, I’m just in a daze.” Ruan Zhizhi heard Lu Wanyi’s words and returned to her senses. She began to tidy up and prepare to go home. 

Lu Wanyi still had no intention of leaving. She stood in place and watched Ruan Zhizhi collect her things for a while. After a long time, she summoned the courage to issue an invitation: “Zhizhi, if you don’t have anything to do, let’s go have dinner together.”

Immediately after she said this, she wanted to take it back. People with discerning eyes could usually tell that Ruan Zhizhi didn’t like to deal with colleagues very much. No matter what she did, her face had an indifferent expression. It seemed that it was rare for her to make friends with others. Lu Wanyi didn’t know if it was because they’d previously been interns together and people of talent appreciated one another, or if it was because Ruan Zhizhi was beautiful. In short, Lu Wanyi just had a very good opinion of her. Therefore, she couldn’t help inviting her to dinner just now. 

Ruan Zhizhi’s action of packing her things stopped, and she looked up at her in surprise.

In the past, she’d always been accustomed to keeping to herself and being alone. In her memory, very few people took the initiative to approach her. In truth, she was a little overwhelmed by this favour, so she agreed without a second thought: “Of course we can.”

Seeing her respond so candidly, Lu Wanyi instantly showed a relieved smile: “That’s great, I know of a very authentic Japanese restaurant. It’s only three bus stops away from the entrance of our company. Very convenient.”

“Okay, let’s go together.”

While accepting, Ruan Zhizhi immediately felt a trace of something in her heart. She didn’t know if it was a sense of relief or loss. After all, in this way, she certainly wouldn’t be going to A University today. Nor would she see Shi Yan.

Strange. She obviously thought that she should be relieved, yet for some reason, in some place in her heart, she suddenly seemed to become empty.

Once the two walked to the bus stop, they waited for the No. 82 bus. After the bus arrived, they swiped their cards and got on. Since it was currently rush hour with everyone getting off work, the bus was packed with people. Neither of them minded, supporting themselves with the handrails as they stood in the bus aisle casually.

Ruan Zhizhi was originally worried that the ten minutes on the bus would be a little awkward. After all, the two of them had never gone out alone together. But when she really faced Lu Wanyi, she realized that she was completely overthinking it.

Lu Wanyi was really enthusiastic and proactive.

Previously, Ruan Zhizhi thought that Gu Nian already talked enough. But meeting Lu Wanyi today, she realized Gu Nian paled in comparison. For ten whole minutes, she spoke without stopping, covering a very extensive range of topics such as gossip, food, fitness, and finally her boyfriend.

It was not until they got off the bus at Binhai Road that Lu Wanyi reluctantly concluded, “In short, my boyfriend is good everywhere, it’s just that he’s too much of a male chauvinist.”

The Japanese restaurant was only a seven or eight minute walk from the Binhai Road bus stop. The two chatted while walking and arrived quite soon.

Lu Wanyi’s recommendation was pretty good. This Japanese restaurant did seem completely authentic. Although the area wasn’t large, they paid particular attention to the decor and service. Every table was separated by a curtain, which was quite nice, as it showed consideration to customers discussing private business.

The two chatted while eating. Due to their conversation during that brief ten-minute bus ride, Ruan Zhizhi now had an approximate understanding of Lu Wanyi’s character. Therefore, the current atmosphere was quite harmonious.

“What was I talking about just now when we were getting off the bus?” Lu Wanyi stuffed a piece of eel sushi in her mouth and asked inarticulately. 

Ruan Zhizhi broke into laughter: “You were saying your boyfriend is a huge male chauvinist.”

“That’s right.” Lu Wanyi swallowed the sushi in her mouth, took a sip of water, and cleared her throat before proceeding to complain. “No matter what I do, he has to be in control—from when I go out to see my friends to what colour of lipstick I wear. In short, he and I have been together for three years, but every day I live in deep water and scorching fire.”

“Then do you love him?”

“Of course. If I didn’t love him, then I wouldn’t put up with his bad temper.” Lu Wanyi pouted her lips, sighed, then added, “In fact, I can tolerate and endure all of these issues with his temperament. The only thing I can’t accept is that even now, he has no plans to marry me.”

Marry?

When Ruan Zhizhi heard these words, she raised her head once more and sized up Lu Wanyi’s appearance. She seemed to be twenty-five years old at most, dressed in Japanese and Korean-style clothing. Her eyes were large, and her long hair was braided into a bunch of fishtail plaits hanging down her back. She was wearing a loose shirt with a skirt. She had the appearance of a young girl. 

“You’re still so young, why are you thinking about things like marriage so early?” Ruan Zhizhi looked at her, unable to endure her curiosity.

This time it was Lu Wanyi who was baffled. “Soon I’ll be twenty-six years old. I’m already at the age to get married. Zhizhi, why don’t you want to get married? Is your boyfriend no good to you?”

“Uh…” When Ruan Zhizhi heard her question, she shook her head with some embarrassment. “I still don’t have a boyfriend yet.”

“What? You actually don’t have a boyfriend?” Lu Wanyi’s eyes were wide open, as if this was something completely incomprehensible. “You’re so beautiful and so capable at work, how can it be that you don’t have a boyfriend?” After speaking, she seemed to be a little deflated. She whispered as if talking to herself, “A few days ago I made a bet with Xiao Zhao, saying that you certainly had a boyfriend. I never imagined that one day I would be wrong.”

Indeed, a girl at Ruan Zhizhi’s age would definitely have a steady boyfriend even if she was not married with children. The last time her mother called her, she also specifically emphasized that no matter what, in the new year, she needed to find a boyfriend—even if it was a flash marriage, she didn’t care.

“Oh…I can’t explain it, I’m just left over. In any case, I’m not desperate to get married. Being alone is very good, at least I have lots of freedom.” Ultimately, Ruan Zhizhi could only get out with this kind of vague speech. 

Lu Wanyi didn’t agree: “Although I said such things, as a girl, you certainly still need a boyfriend to take care of you and love you dearly. If you ask me, your conditions are very good. If you plan to fall in love now, I bet there would definitely be many people pursuing you.”

“Forget it.” Ruan Zhizhi bowed her head and took a sip of coffee, then shook her head with complete disinterest. “For the time being, I don’t have any thoughts on this.”

After that, she kept her head lowered. For some reason, when her gaze passed through the rising steam of the porcelain cup, she absentmindedly seemed to see Shi Yan’s appearance.

She missed their appointment today. She didn’t know whether he would be displeased as a result, or if he had already forgotten that she was supposed to attend his lecture today.

Ruan Zhizhi thought of this and felt an indistinct regret. Even though she decided not to go today, she hadn’t informed him. In this way it seemed too impolite. Shi Yan would definitely think that she didn’t know etiquette.

“Today I’m really happy. Next time we have to come out for another meal.”

Once the dinner was over, Lu Wanyi patted her bulging belly with perfect satisfaction. She wholeheartedly stated that she hoped to establish a small friendship between colleagues with Ruan Zhizhi.

Ruan Zhizhi also really liked the other party’s disposition, so she directly nodded in agreement.

The two packed their things and walked away from their seats. Just after walking a few steps, they heard someone to their left shouting her name. The voice was somewhat familiar-sounding.

Ruan Zhizhi’s footsteps halted. She subconsciously turned to face the direction from which the voice came.

In the next second, she was astonished to see Chen Jiayan sitting by the window to the right, as well as Shi Yan beside him. 

Ruan Zhizhi’s heart was turbulent at this moment. As someone who had just missed an appointment for no reason, she really didn’t want to face Shi Yan now.

Not understanding the situation, Lu Wanyi immediately became excited: “Zhizhi, a handsome guy! Especially the one sitting on the left, he’s simply too handsome that he makes the Heavens angry.” After saying so, she took a closer look and said with some doubt, “Yi? That handsome guy seems to be looking at you, do you two know each other?”

If there was a hole in the ground now, Ruan Zhizhi would definitely jump into it without the slightest hesitation. But unfortunately, the reality was that both Chen Jiayan and Shi Yan had already seen her. She had no reason or means to directly turn around and leave. 

Ruan Zhizhi sighed. She could only walk towards their table with Lu Wanyi.

“Long time no see.”

Not daring to look into Shi Yan’s eyes, Ruan Zhizhi was forced to turn her head and greet Chen Jiayan first. After all, this guy was the warm-up king. With him there, the atmosphere wouldn’t be too awkward.

“It really has been a long time since we’ve seen each other. It’s been about two months since we came back from Yunnan. Zhizhi, you’re still so beautiful.” Chen Jiayan saw that her eyes were curved with a smile, and she still looked like brilliant sunshine.

After he finished speaking, his line of sight shifted from Ruan Zhizhi to Lu Wanyi who was standing at her side. “Who is this beauty here, is she your friend?”

“En, she’s my colleague. Today, we had some important business to discuss, so we made a dinner appointment at the last minute,” Ruan Zhizhi replied readily. She specifically emphasized the phrase “had some important business to discuss”, hoping that Shi Yan would hear it and understand why she missed their appointment.

Although this justification was so lousy, even she wasn’t convinced.

“Hi, hello everyone, I’m Zhizhi’s colleague. My name’s Lu Wanyi. It’s very nice to meet you.” As an outsider, Lu Wanyi didn’t perceive the awkward tone in Ruan Zhizhi’s voice at all. Therefore, she began to greet them. After all, the attractiveness index at this table was really too high.

“Wanyi? What a nice-sounding name.” Chen Jiayan greeted her with a smile and the two became quite familiar almost instantly. 

The only one who didn’t speak from beginning to end was Shi Yan, who sat by the window.

Ruan Zhizhi had spoken already, so she finally relaxed and glanced in his direction a few times. The other party’s eyebrows were lowered, his eyes drooping down. He was casually playing with the blue lighter in his hands. His long eyelashes covered his eyes, so she couldn’t make out his emotions.

This lighter had once been used to expel the cold for her on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. 

“Shi Yan, I’m truly sorry. Because of some last-minute matters today, I couldn’t attend your lecture.”

While Chen Jiayan and Lu Wanyi were hitting it off, Ruan Zhizhi pondered it and decided to apologize first.

“It’s fine.”

The other party didn’t seem to take it to heart and responded dully.

Ruan Zhizhi lifted her head to look at him. She confirmed that his expression didn’t look like he had any opinions, so she was relieved. Her state of mind when facing him also relaxed: “Yesterday I gave you banlangen, did you go back and take the medicine on time?”

Shi Yan seemed to be a little surprised that she still remembered this matter. Gazing into her eyes, his expression gradually softened, and he smiled faintly.

The two girls stood there and chatted with them for a while. Shi Yan and Chen Jiayan just happened to finish paying their bill. When they walked out of the restaurant, the two men insisted on sending the girls home. Since Lu Wanyi lived in the same neighbourhood as Ruan Zhizhi, it was also very convenient. Ruan Zhizhi nodded in agreement after a few symbolic rejections.

Shi Yan drove, Chen Jiayan sat in the front passenger seat, and Ruan Zhizhi sat in the back with Lu Wanyi.

Just now at the restaurant, Lu Wanyi had already unleashed her chattiness. Now, she was completely unable to hold back. She chirped nonstop, and with Chen Jiayan being the king of cheering on, the two conversed vigorously. The mood was extremely enthusiastic.

“Just now when we were eating, I told Zhizhi that girls have reached a dangerous stage after twenty-five. If they still don’t have a suitable partner to marry at this time, they will have to face the risk of becoming an older ‘leftover woman’.”

“Yeah, there are many female colleagues around me who got married at a young age. As a direct result of this, I still haven’t found a girlfriend yet.”

“You can’t find a girlfriend simply because your requirements are too high. The girls of today may seem materialistic on the surface, but so long as you are concentrating all your thoughts and efforts on her, over time, you will disarm her and she will surrender.”

“Really? But I think Zhizhi doesn’t seem like that.”

As soon as Chen Jiayan finished speaking, the two both looked at her. Ruan Zhizhi, whose head was quietly bowed as she was about to scroll through Weibo, heard her name and helplessly lifted her head: “I obviously didn’t say a word. This is truly getting shot even when lying down.”

Lu Wanyi let out a “pfft”. “Zhizhi is an exception. Just now, she told me that she has no plans to be in love for the time being. I don’t know how she thinks. Many twenty-five-year-old girls are even having children, but she isn’t worried or impatient.”

“Zhizhi’s conditions are good, even if it’s a few years later, it doesn’t matter,” Chen Jiayan replied with a smile. After speaking, he raised the volume of his voice and turned his head to ask, “Ah Yan, what would you say?”

Shi Yan seemed to be completely uninterested in the topic. He continued to look straight ahead and replied expressionlessly, “I’m driving.”

Ruan Zhizhi heard his voice and subconsciously looked up in the direction of the driver’s seat. 

One of the cuffs of Shi Yan’s sleeves was slightly pulled up. His hand was placed nonchalantly on the steering wheel while his eyes remained directly ahead. The side contours of his face were clear-cut, his silhouette graceful.

God really wasn’t fair. This man was still so attractive even when he was driving without saying a word.

The car slowly stopped at the gate of their neighbourhood. Shi Yan turned around to look down at Ruan Zhizhi, who was preparing to get out of the car. He said in a manner that only seemed to scratch the surface, “Twenty-five years old is the time to consider having a boyfriend, what do you think?”

Being stared at by the other party’s pitch-black pupils caused palpitations. Ruan Zhizhi felt inexplicably diffident in her heart. She revealed a rigid smile: “Professor Shi’s words make sense, I will consider it carefully.”

Consider it, like hell.

After a brief goodbye, the black Land Rover vanished. Lu Wanyi gazed at the direction the car was leaving in and couldn’t help but think out loud, “Tsk tsk, that handsome guy looks really difficult to get along with.”

Translator’s Note: I don’t want to spoil the story, but I feel the need to say this just in case. For those of you who are wary of Lu Wanyi’s boyfriend, please do not think this novel is normalizing or condoning this kind of behaviour! These are major red flags and there is more to it in future chapters.