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His movements as he stood up were not quick, but they carried a sluggish power that cut through all the noise.

Everyone's gaze was subconsciously drawn from the perfect couple on the stage to him.

"Please wait a moment, Mrs. Lu."

Upon hearing Xu Jia's voice, Lu Yan stopped in his tracks and instinctively tightened his grip on Lin Ruoyin's arm.

Lin Ruoyin's heart skipped a beat, and she was forced to stop in her tracks, watching Xu Jia helplessly from Lu Yan's arms.

He strode onto the stage, step by step. His dark suit carried a chilly aura as he walked.

Finally, Xu Jia stood in the center of the stage, forming a tense triangle with Lu Yan and Lin Ruoyin. His aura was oppressive, instantly tearing apart the previous warmth and sweetness.

He first glanced at Lu Yan's wary face, a fleeting look as if he were passing over an insignificant obstacle. Then, his gaze locked firmly onto Lin Ruoyin.

From his angle, he could clearly see the alexandrite on her neck, its gold, green and deep red colors flowing eerily under the close-up light; he could see the pallor that was hard to conceal beneath her carefully applied makeup; and he could catch every subtle, uncontrollable tremor of her eyelashes.

His gaze was deep, seemingly calm on the surface, yet churning beneath with unseen undercurrents. Lin Ruoyin felt her fingertips grow cold, and even breathing became difficult, as if that gaze were piercing her soul.

“You look beautiful today,” he said, then paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on the gemstone around her neck, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“As old acquaintances,” he continued, turning his gaze to Zhou Hui. Zhou Hui understood, and opened the side door next to the banquet hall stage. Two hotel staff members pushed a cart covered with a deep burgundy velvet table into everyone’s view.

There was a painting on the table, currently covered with a matte black cloth.

"Just a little something," he said, looking at Lin Ruoyin again. "Happy birthday."

After he finished speaking, Zhou Hui stepped forward and slowly lifted the cloth covering the painting.

The moment the painting was fully revealed, a restrained murmur arose from the surroundings.

The image captures an extremely private moment.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor. Paint tubes and brushes lay scattered beside the easel, and the air seemed to carry the scent of turpentine intertwined with the passage of time.

In the center of the image, a young woman is curled up on a sofa, fast asleep. She is covered with a large, light blue shirt that clearly belongs to men, revealing her slender ankles beneath. Her long hair is spread like seaweed on a white pillowcase, and her face is relaxed and gentle in her sleep.

What makes it impossible for any discerning person to remain calm is that even though such a sweet expression is rarely seen on the original face, the charm of the woman in the painting is still very easy to recognize.

It is Lin Ruoyin.

The brushstrokes are characteristically delicate and gentle, typical of Xu Jia's early works. The handling of light and shadow is exquisite; sunlight dances on the woman's hair, eyelashes, and bare shoulders and neck, gilding them with a fuzzy golden edge. The entire painting exudes a tranquil, unguarded relaxation and trust. It evokes a sense of profound contemplation, prompting reflection on the closeness and deep gaze the painter once shared.

Xu Jia's gaze shifted from the familiar yet distant sleeping face in the painting to Lin Ruoyin in front of him.

He frowned, because he noticed that her body seemed to be trembling slightly.

At the same time, Lu Yan's face flushed red, veins throbbed on his forehead, and his arm around Lin Ruoyin stiffened like iron. He stared intently at Xu Jia, his eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and embarrassment, almost bursting forth. He opened his mouth, wanting to retaliate, but found that any words would seem pale and powerless in the face of this seemingly polite but actually malicious gift, and might even make things worse.

As for Lin Ruoyin, she looked at the painting of herself sleeping under his shirt and recalled the peaceful and beautiful times she had shared with him.

At this moment, he meticulously prepared this gift and deliberately chose this occasion to tear open their most private past, making her suffer humiliation in front of everyone.

At this moment, Lin Ruoyin deeply felt how much Xu Jia hated her.

A strong sense of nausea, accompanied by dizziness, suddenly surged to the top of my head. Before my eyes were Xu Jia's cold face, Lu Yan's distorted expression, the blurry, swaying faces below the stage, the tranquil sleeping face in the painting... all the light, shadow, and sound began to spin, overlap, and peel away wildly.

Her legs went slightly weak.

"Ruoyin?" Lu Yan immediately felt the swaying and sudden loss of strength in his arms. He temporarily suppressed his anger towards Xu Jia, turned his head to look at her, and found that her face was as white as paper and her lips had lost their color.

"What’s wrong with you?"

Lin Ruoyin closed her eyes, trying to dispel the darkness, but to no avail.

Lu Yan immediately put his arm around her, saying, "Let me help you to rest."

As he walked, he glared at Xu Jia fiercely, his eyes filled with warning.

Xu Jia stood still, without moving.

He watched her staggering steps and how she could only walk with Lu Yan's support, and somewhere in his heart, with each unsteady step she took, a dull ache came from her chest.

...

After the birthday party ended, I returned to the Lu residence, and it was nearly midnight.

The subtle fragrance of the car air freshener failed to dispel the chill emanating from Lin Ruoyin. She remained silent the entire way, her eyes closed, utterly exhausted. Lu Yan glanced at her profile several times, wanting to say something, but he succumbed to the invisible barrier surrounding her, merely loosening his tie in frustration.

The car stopped in front of the mansion. Lu Yan got out first, walked around to the other side, and opened the car door for Lin Ruoyin.

Lin Ruoyin opened her eyes and got out of the car.

We went upstairs in silence.

Lin Ruoyin headed straight for her bedroom, but was stopped by Lu Yan at the door.

"Ruoyin."

She stopped walking, but didn't turn around.

Lu Yan stood under the warm yellow wall lamp in the corridor. His expression was not clear in the shadows, but the unease and suppressed emotions in his voice were very obvious: "I'm sorry for tonight."

Lin Ruoyin turned her head slightly, waiting for what was to come.

“I shouldn’t have…” Lu Yan paused, seemingly searching for the right words, his tone tinged with regret and a hint of barely perceptible grievance, “I shouldn’t have invited him without discussing it with you. And I never expected… he would send that kind of thing.” He spoke the last few words through gritted teeth, “making you uncomfortable.”

Lin Ruoyin remained silent for a few seconds before slowly turning around to face him. Her face was expressionless, but deep in her eyes lay an undisguised weariness.

“Lu Yan,” her voice was soft but clear, “let’s talk.”

Lu Yan was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to take the initiative to talk, and nodded.

The two did not go into the bedroom, but sat down in the small living room at the end of the corridor.

Lin Ruoyin didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "The root of tonight's events isn't what he gave us, but why you invited him in the first place."

Lu Yan frowned, and the words of rebuttal almost came out, but under Lin Ruoyin's calm gaze, he swallowed them back and looked away somewhat unwillingly.

“I know you’re angry and feel that he’s targeting the Lu family and you.” Lin Ruoyin’s tone was as calm as if she were analyzing a business matter. “But some methods can’t solve the problem; they can only make things worse. By inviting him to an event like today, you’ve essentially brought your personal grudges to the forefront, given him leverage, and provided everyone with an opportunity to watch the show.”

"He provoked me first!" Lu Yan finally couldn't hold back, his voice rising slightly, filled with resentment. "Look at what he's done. Stealing projects, poaching people, and today he even tried to disgust me with that kind of painting! Am I just supposed to put up with it?"

Looking at him, Lin Ruoyin suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness. She knew that Lu Yan was not a bad person at heart, but his way of handling problems always carried this straightforward, naive approach without considering the consequences.

“Lu Yan,” she softened her tone, offering a weary admonition, “business competition naturally has its own rules and methods for dealing with it. But what’s the point of mixing personal emotions and past grievances into public social situations and responding to him in this way, other than making the situation more awkward and giving us all fodder for gossip?”

She looked him straight in the eye and said frankly, "There was indeed a past between him and me. But that was a long time ago, and it ended a long time ago. I don't want that past to be brought up again and again, to become a bargaining chip in your rivalry, and I don't want it to be scrutinized under everyone's gaze."

Lu Yan was speechless after hearing her words. He opened his mouth, wanting to say that he invited Xu Jialai not to compete with him, but to show off their "affection" in front of him, to dampen his spirits, and to prove that he was the winner... But these words seemed pale and naive under Lin Ruoyin's calm gaze at this moment.

He lowered his head sullenly, his fingers unconsciously picking at the velvet fabric of the sofa.

"...I understand." After a long while, he finally spoke in a muffled voice, his tone still carrying a hint of resentment, but his promise was sincere, "It won't happen again. I promise you, I will never do something like what happened today again."

"Mm." Lin Ruoyin looked at his tightly pursed lips, responded, and stood up. "I'm tired, I'm going to rest first."

“Okay.” Lu Yan also stood up, watching her walk towards the bedroom. He hesitated for a moment, then said, “I asked the kitchen to heat up some milk. It should be ready soon. I’ll have someone bring it up to you.”

"No need," Lin Ruoyin said without turning her head. "I can't drink it. You should get some rest too."

The bedroom door closed gently.

Lu Yan stood there, looking at the closed door, feeling a sense of pent-up frustration and a hint of... loss that he himself couldn't fully understand.