36

A gentle breeze blew across the river, causing the water to ripple under the sunlight, reflecting shimmering waves. Wen Yixin raised her hand to shield her eyes, feeling momentarily dazed.

"What's wrong, Sister?" Qin Ruan's concerned voice came from beside her.

Hearing the voice, Wen Yixin's fingers twitched slightly. She lowered her gaze, collecting her scattered thoughts, and replied gently, "It's nothing."

She lowered her hand, her voice soft, "It's just that the sunlight is a bit too bright right now, so I was blocking it."

Qin Ruan pondered for a moment and then lifted her head from Wen Yixin's shoulder to look at her. "Why don't we go back inside and sit for a while? We could probably find a seat by the window, and it wouldn't be much different from standing here in the breeze." Though she enjoyed leaning on Wen Yixin like this, she cared more about how Wen Yixin felt.

Wen Yixin lowered her gaze, about to respond, when her handbag suddenly emitted the sound of a ringing phone, "Wake me up…"

She opened her handbag and took out her phone. Seeing the caller ID, she froze for a moment.

Qin Ruan glanced at the phone screen in Wen Yixin's hand: Wen Yiheng.

Is it someone from Sister Wen's family?

She looked up at Wen Yixin. "Aren't you going to answer?"

Wen Yixin pursed her lips. Before she could reply, the ringing stopped. However, before long, the phone started ringing again.

Sighing softly, Wen Yixin told Qin Ruan, "I'm going to step aside to take this call. You go inside and find a seat to wait for me."

With that, Wen Yixin turned and walked to a quiet corner. She answered the phone hesitantly, "Brother…"

Qin Ruan watched her walk away but didn't immediately go inside. Instead, she stayed where she was, occasionally glancing over at Wen Yixin as she took the call.

On the other end, a man sat at his desk, spinning a black pen in his hand as he looked at a photograph on his desk. He began, "I heard you're in K City. When are you coming back?"

Wen Yixin hesitated. "I don't know. I don't have any plans to return at the moment."

The man paused his pen and slowly asked, "Is it because of what happened before that you're unwilling to come back?"

Wen Yixin was silent for a moment before she replied, "No."

She then added, "I just like living here. It's quiet, and no one bothers me."

Her words were met with silence from the other end.

The man put down his pen and glanced at a stack of documents and photos of young people on his desk. "I'm calling today because Grandfather gave me some profiles of potential candidates and asked me to pick a few for you to meet."

Wen Yixin raised an eyebrow. "Is he trying to arrange a marriage meeting for me?"

Wen Yiheng recalled the backgrounds of the people in the profiles. "Perhaps. Or perhaps not."

"Grandfather's intentions are always hard to read."

Wen Yixin remained silent.

"I'm not planning to return anytime soon, so let's just forget about meeting them."

She finished speaking, but the person on the other end didn't respond immediately.

Wen Yixin's expression tensed slightly. She spoke softly, "Brother, can you help me with this?"

Wen Yiheng chuckled lightly. "It's rare for you to ask me directly for help instead of going to someone else."

Hearing this, Wen Yixin realized that her brother was aware of her previous request to their uncle to investigate the Qin family. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she was about to say something when she heard him speak again, this time with a reassuring tone.

"Don't worry, I'll help you."

Wen Yixin's tense expression relaxed. "Thank you, Brother."

Wen Yiheng responded with a hum before speaking again in a more serious tone, "Yixin, when you decide to come back, just let me know. And if you need help with anything, you can always come to me."

"We Wen family members should never be bullied outside."

"I understand. Thank you, Brother."

After hanging up the phone, Wen Yixin turned around, ready to head back in the direction she had come from. But when she lifted her gaze, she saw Qin Ruan still standing where she had left her, waving and smiling brightly.

Wen Yixin was momentarily stunned. When she came to her senses, she found herself smiling in response.

She walked back over and, upon reaching Qin Ruan, couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you go inside to wait for me?"

Qin Ruan looked up at her and smiled. "There were too many people inside. I was worried you wouldn't be able to find me."

Wen Yixin chuckled, gently patting her on the head. "How could that happen?"

"No matter where you sit, I'd always find you."

"Next time, if something like this happens again, just find a place to sit and wait for me, okay?"

"Okay. I just wanted to wait for you." After speaking, Qin Ruan looked at Wen Yixin and asked, "What were you talking about on the phone?"

Wen Yixin smiled, half-joking as she replied, "Oh, it seems like someone at home might want to set me up on a blind date."

A blind date...

The words echoed in Qin Ruan's mind, making her response slow. "Will you go?"

"No." Wen Yixin dismissed the idea casually, showing no interest at all.

Seeing this, Qin Ruan's nervousness eased a bit. She tentatively asked, "Why not?"

Wen Yixin shook her head. "No particular reason. I just don't want to."

"Besides, I've never been in a relationship before. What's the point of going on a blind date?" She ended with a laugh.

Qin Ruan's eyes lit up. "Sister Wen, you've never been in a relationship?"

"No," Wen Yixin chuckled, looking at Qin Ruan's bright eyes. Her own gaze filled with curiosity as she asked, "What about you?"

"Have you ever been in a relationship?"