23

The next afternoon, Wen Yixin held Qin Ruan's small luggage bag, which contained only a few pieces of clothing and dresses, making it quite light.

Qin Ruan glanced at her, walking slowly, and extended a hand toward Wen Yixin, "Sister Wen, let me carry that."

"No need," Wen Yixin shook her head with a smile. "We're almost there, and besides, it's not heavy."

"Alright." Qin Ruan didn't press the issue further and continued walking quietly with Wen Yixin along the shaded path in the neighborhood.

There were few people around, mostly those walking their dogs or elderly women taking a stroll together.

Whenever they passed someone walking a dog, Qin Ruan's gaze would linger a little longer.

Wen Yixin noticed and couldn't help but ask, "Do you like dogs?"

"Not really, I just find them cute with all that fur," Qin Ruan replied.

"I see. I thought you might like them," Wen Yixin said.

Qin Ruan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked, "What about you, Sister Wen?"

"I like them. I like both cats and dogs," Wen Yixin smiled, then added, "But I prefer cats a little more."

"Why's that?" Qin Ruan asked curiously.

Wen Yixin thought for a moment, "Cats aren't as noisy, and you can often cuddle them in your lap."

Hearing this, Qin Ruan couldn't help but ask, "Do you want to get a cat?"

Wen Yixin was momentarily taken aback before shaking her head, "I haven't really thought about it."

She enjoyed watching videos of cats, but actually getting one was something she hadn't seriously considered, especially with how much they shed.

Qin Ruan simply replied with an "Oh" and didn't ask further.

She glanced around, realizing they were near the Qin family's home, and her already slow steps became even slower.

Wen Yixin matched her pace.

But no matter how slow they walked, they eventually reached the end of the path.

Standing outside the Qin family's building, Wen Yixin handed Qin Ruan her luggage bag and gently said, "Send me a message when you get inside."

Qin Ruan nodded.

Wen Yixin patted her on the head, "Go on up."

"Goodbye, Sister Wen," Qin Ruan waved. "I'll keep in touch these next few days."

Wen Yixin smiled and watched as Qin Ruan's figure gradually disappeared from sight.

Only after she could no longer see her did Wen Yixin lower her gaze and slowly turn to leave.

At the Qin family home.

Qin Ruan arrived at a rather awkward time because as soon as she walked in, she saw the other three family members—Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin, and Qin Yi—having a meal in the living room.

They also noticed her.

Qin Yi was the first to speak, sounding excited, "Sister, you're back! Perfect timing, come join us for lunch."

Mrs. Qin scoffed, setting down her chopsticks as she remarked sarcastically, "I didn't expect you'd come back."

Compared to Mrs. Qin's snide remark, Mr. Qin was more composed. He adjusted the silver-rimmed glasses on his nose and looked at Qin Ruan, "Since you're back, you might as well join us for lunch."

Qin Ruan tightened her grip on the luggage bag, "No need, I've already eaten."

Mr. Qin glanced at the bag in her hand, and his gaze lingered on her increasingly beautiful face for a moment before he nodded, "Then go put your things away in your room and come back out later. I have something to discuss with you."

"I understand." Qin Ruan responded and headed towards her room.

After Qin Ruan left, Mr. Qin turned to Qin Yi, "Yi Yi, are you sure your sister has been staying with that Wen teacher these days?"

Before Qin Yi could answer, Mrs. Qin interjected, "Where else would she go? After all, that Wen woman dragged Qin Ruan away that day. It's not like she would just abandon her."

"Why are you asking about this?" Mrs. Qin directed her question at Mr. Qin.

"It's just a casual question," Qin Zhengyang adjusted his glasses. He had heard some rumors suggesting that the Wen teacher might be related to the Wen family, so he wanted to see if Qin Yi knew anything.

After all, Qin Ruan might be more open with Qin Yi than with them, so Qin Yi might know things they didn't.

This was Qin Zhengyang's reasoning, though in reality, Qin Ruan treated all three of them the same, albeit with a bit less hostility toward Qin Yi.

"I think so. I saw Sister with Teacher Wen once when I was out," Qin Yi replied. Remembering the situation, she couldn't help but add, "Teacher Wen seemed very protective of Sister."

…

In her room, Qin Ruan casually placed her luggage on a nearby chair before sitting on her bed and taking out her phone.

She opened WeChat and clicked on the pinned chat.

"Sister Wen, I'm home."

"What about you?"

At that moment, Wen Yixin was still walking home. Hearing the notification, she pulled out her phone and, seeing the message from Qin Ruan, couldn't help but smile.

"I'm still on my way."

After sending the message, Wen Yixin couldn't resist opening the camera and recording a short video of her surroundings to send to Qin Ruan.

Qin Ruan opened the video and watched it, then replied with a simple, "Be careful on the road."

Wen Yixin: "Okay."

With that, their conversation paused for the time being.

Qin Ruan clicked on Wen Yixin's profile picture, opening her Moments. It was mostly empty, with only a few words at the top, "Only showing posts from the last month."

She pursed her lips, put down her phone, and began unpacking.

A while later, there was a knock on the door, followed by Qin Yi's voice, "Sister, have you finished unpacking? Dad asked me to call you. He's waiting in the study."

"I know." Qin Ruan placed the last piece of clothing in her wardrobe, closed the door, and walked out.

Qin Yi was still waiting in the doorway.

Qin Ruan glanced at her, said nothing, and walked past her.

In the study, Qin Ruan knocked on the door before turning the handle and stepping inside.

Qin Zhengyang sat behind the desk. Seeing her enter, he closed the file he was reading and looked up at her.

Qin Ruan stopped a few steps away and said softly, "You wanted to see me."

Qin Zhengyang tapped his fingers on the desk, his gaze sharp as he addressed Qin Ruan in a seemingly conversational tone, "You've been graduated for some time now. What are your plans for the future?"

Qin Ruan's heart skipped a beat, and she met Qin Zhengyang's gaze, "What do you want me to do?"

Hearing this, Qin Zhengyang chuckled briefly and replied succinctly, "It's simple."

"Just accompany me to a few social dinners over the next few days."

Qin Ruan frowned slightly, suspicious, "Is that all?"

Qin Zhengyang nodded, "Of course."

"You're still Yi Yi's sister, and half a member of the Qin family. Why would I do anything to harm you?"

Qin Ruan remained unconvinced by Qin Zhengyang's self-serving words, lowering her head slightly, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

"Wait." Qin Zhengyang called out just as she was about to leave.

When she turned back to him, he continued, "I heard you've been staying at a friend's house lately."

"Since you've been imposing on them, it would be polite to invite them over for a meal sometime."

Qin Ruan lowered her gaze, fully aware that he had ulterior motives beyond simply inviting Sister Wen for a meal, and responded tactfully, "She might not be available."

Qin Zhengyang's expression stiffened slightly.

Qin Ruan didn't wait for his response and left the study.

As she passed through the living room, Qin Yi intercepted her, "Sister, what did Dad want to talk about?"

"Just a small matter," Qin Ruan replied casually.

Meanwhile, when Wen Yixin returned home, she paused, taking in the quiet surroundings.

Even though only one person was missing, the house suddenly felt much emptier.

Wen Yixin sat down on the sofa and turned on the TV. The sound of the television breaking the silence in the room finally made her relax a little.

She picked up her phone and sent a photo of the living room to Qin Ruan, adding, "I'm home."

Remembering how Mrs. Qin had treated Qin Ruan before, Wen Yixin sent another message, "How are things there? They didn't give you a hard time, did they?"

Qin Ruan replied quickly, "No."

She opened the picture Wen Yixin had sent and, amidst the dim light from the TV, could vaguely make out Wen Yixin lounging on the sofa.

A small smile appeared on Qin Ruan's lips as she quietly saved the photo.

After saving it, she hesitated for a moment before typing a message, but then she deleted it.

Wen Yixin noticed the "typing" indicator disappear without any new message and asked, "What were you going to say?"

Without giving Qin Ruan a chance to deny it, Wen Yixin added, "I saw that you were typing just now."

Qin Ruan was taken aback, surprised that Wen Yixin had noticed.

Not only that, but it also meant that Sister Wen hadn't left their chat and was waiting for her reply.

Was she really waiting for her message?

With this thought, Qin Ruan felt a light flutter in her heart.

After a moment, she bit her lip and retyped the message she had previously deleted, telling Wen Yixin about Qin Zhengyang asking her to attend some dinners.

Wen Yixin frowned slightly, "What kind of dinners?"

Qin Ruan: "I'm not sure yet."

To reassure Wen Yixin, she added another line, "I'll be careful."

She knew that any dinner Qin Zhengyang invited her to couldn't be a simple one. After all, she wasn't Qin Yi, nor was she Qin Zhengyang's biological daughter, so it was unlikely she'd be invited to a straightforward dinner.

She didn't refuse, wanting to see what Qin Zhengyang was up to.

Wen Yixin pondered for a long time before replying, "Let me know when you're going, including the time and place."

Qin Ruan: "Okay."

Wen Yixin left the chat, found Wen Miaoling's contact in her list, and sent her a message, "Miaoling, has your dad been busy lately?"

Wen Miaoling was surprised to receive a message from Wen Yixin and responded with a cute sticker before replying, "About the same as usual. Busy with the same stuff every day."

"Why are you asking, Sister?"

Wen Yixin: "I need his help with something."

After sending the message, Wen Yixin quickly opened her contacts and called a number.

The phone was answered almost immediately, "Yixin, what's up?"

Wen Yixin: "Uncle, I need a favor."

The middle-aged man on the other end laughed heartily, "We're family. Just tell me what you need, no need to be so formal."

Encouraged by his words, Wen Yixin didn't hesitate and explained, "I need you to help me look into something about the Qin family in K City."

"Sure," the man agreed quickly. "I'll send the information to your email once I have it."

After a pause, the man seemed to consider something and asked cautiously, "Do you want your brother to know about this?"

"If he helps, you might get the information faster."

Wen Yixin paused for a few seconds before replying slowly, "No, not yet."

"Alright then," the man sighed.

Wen Yixin didn't dwell on the topic, thanked him, and ended the call.

It was then that she noticed a new message from Qin Ruan.

Qin Ruan: "Sister Wen, have you gone to bed?"

Wen Yixin: "Not yet, I was busy with something."

"But I'm about to wash up and go to bed."

Qin Ruan: "It's still early. Why not watch some TV?"

Wen Yixin: "It feels weird sitting in the living room alone."

"It's too quiet."

Qin Ruan paused for a moment before slowly typing, "I'm not used to it either."

"I'm not used to not having you around, Sister Wen."

Qin Ruan truly wasn't used to it. She had become accustomed to relaxing around Wen Yixin, so now that she was back at the Qin house, she felt out of place.

For some reason, reading this made Wen Yixin's earlier feelings of emptiness vanish.

"I'll come to see you in a few days," Wen Yixin replied. While Qin Ruan was away, she had some things to take care of. Once she was done, she planned to meet up with Qin Ruan.

Of course, she preferred if she could bring Qin Ruan back to stay with her. She enjoyed spending time with Qin Ruan much more than being alone.

Qin Ruan: "I'll be waiting for you, Sister Wen."

Wen Yixin couldn't help but smile as she checked the time, realizing it was time to take a shower. She started to type a goodbye message to Qin Ruan.

But as she typed her name, her finger accidentally hit the wrong key.

It spelled out "Qin Soft."

Seeing these words, Wen Yixin's fingers suddenly froze, and she couldn't help but think back to the incident in Qin Ruan's room the previous day.

She remembered how she had nearly encircled the blushing Qin Ruan, who had been too flustered to speak properly.

She had pushed that memory aside, but seeing these words brought it back to the forefront of her mind.

Her lips turned slightly red as she quickly deleted the words and typed out a proper farewell. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the words before she sent the message, "Qin Ruan."

"I'm going to take a shower now. You should get some rest too."

After sending the message, Wen Yixin stared at Qin Ruan's name in the chat, her gaze flickering.

She hadn't expected Qin Ruan's name to align so strangely with a phrase that, when rearranged, could mean something quite different.

Qin Ruan, Qin Soft.

If the words were in a different order…