Chapter 29. Development System

After Feng Xue said "I think so", Ruan Tang suddenly felt mixed emotions, relieved and sad.

She picked up her glass and clinked it with Feng Xue, saying: That's great.

What she meant was that she'd never truly loved anyone before. Perhaps she was afraid of that instinct, the fear of letting down her guard in the desire for happiness and companionship, only to be abandoned without warning. In the past, colleagues who wanted to fall in love had looked to her as a relationship guide. She had a knack for it, defining men as creatures to be manipulated at will, analyzing and proposing strategies. But in that moment, she suddenly realized that it wasn't that she disdained love, but rather that she was afraid to approach it.

Although she felt that Feng Xue was the absolutely safe tree hole, she still did not continue with the topic.

In the evening, when Ruan Tang came out of the shower, she saw that the door of her room was ajar and Feng Xue was lying on her side with her legs bent on her small bed. Suddenly, she felt an inexplicable cute contrast.

This was the first time she observed a sleeping man from this angle. He usually looked more mature than Jia Yingjun and Wu Jiahao. It might be because he was too rational and calm in his daily life, always playing the role of the one responsible for taking care of others in a group of people. But at this moment, he looked like a child, making people inexplicably want to hug him.

Before Ruan Tang had time to sort out her complicated thoughts, her mother grabbed her hand that was on the door handle and dragged her back to the master bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Ruan Tang said in pain, shaking her wrist.

Ruan Tang's mother lowered her voice: "I'm asking you, where are you two at now? No matter where you are, you can't sleep in the same room with him until you get married. Do you understand?"

Ruan Tang laughed: "How can I sleep in such a small bed?" She said, turned around, got into the big bed and closed her eyes.

"A big bed won't do!" Ruan Tang's mother also lifted the quilt and lay down in it, twisting her shoulders and continuing to instruct her.

"Hmm," she agreed with her eyes closed, then suddenly sat up. "Why don't you come with me to Beijing for a few days, so that Old Li won't bother you again."

Ruan Tang's mother turned off the lights, turned around and said: This is how my life will be, you can't learn from me. You were born before your father and I got married. You have to have a scale in your heart, don't be like me.

Ruan Tang's eyes became hot, and she subconsciously leaned over to hug her mother's waist and hugged her from behind. As far as she could remember, they had not had such formal physical contact for many years.

"Mom, it's been nearly twenty years. It's time to move on. We can't be influenced by that man anymore. You and I are both like this. Why should we not deserve happiness just because he made a mistake? You can't think that this is how our life will be. Just find a man who doesn't cause me any trouble. You can't do that. Me too. We both have to do our best to make ourselves happy and live a good life." Ruan Tang's voice trembled with excitement.

Ruan Tang's mother didn't say anything, so she let go of her hand and turned her head away. After a while, she seemed to see her mother's shoulders shaking slightly in her sleep.

The next morning, after breakfast, Ruan Tang's mother urged the two of them to return to Beijing quickly, saying not to delay their work. She also packed a lot of semi-finished dishes for them to take with them.

Before leaving, Ruan Tang's mother knocked on the car window and reminded: You two should get along well with each other. Xiao Feng, take good care of our Tangtang. Please be tolerant of any problems she has. The two of you should be happy every day.

Ruan Tang was very into the role and said coquettishly: What's wrong with me?

Feng Xue also responded with a smile: Don't worry, Auntie, take care of yourself and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

The car had not driven far when Ruan Tang suddenly felt like crying.

She didn't know if it was because she was remembering the conversation she had before bed last night, which finally saw them reconcile with the past, or if this heartwarming scene was actually the end of the play. She felt both happy and sad.

However, Feng Xue was completely oblivious to her inner thoughts and asked, "Did you tell Auntie about Uncle Li later?" It's not easy for parents to find a partner. If they still want to live together, the two families need to make an appointment and talk it out clearly.

Ruan Tang deliberately asked back: Do you really think of yourself as a son-in-law and are so immersed in the role?

Feng Xue paused, turned his head to look at the rearview mirror on his side, and said: I am just giving advice from the perspective of an observer.

She continued to ask: My mother said she would come to Beijing to see me in a while, and she might have to trouble you again then.

Feng Xue nodded and said no problem, I think Auntie’s cooking is delicious.

Ruan Tang smiled, looked out the window, and seemed to be in a good mood.

As soon as they returned to Beijing, Xu Wei sent a WeChat message to ask Ruan Tang to go to a sauna. She was so well-informed that it was as if she had a radar installed on her. She knew who leaked the information to her without asking.

"I thought he turned against you after he became a trending topic wearing women's clothing." Ruan Tang changed into a bathrobe first, and leaned against the locker with a bath towel wrapped around her, looking at Xu Wei's bare calves and sighing.

"Maybe he feels guilty, or he's just too thick-skinned." Xu Wei's upper body was blocked by the cabinet door, and she was applying the second type of body lotion on her body. She suddenly took a step back and turned to face Ruan Tang, looked herself down, and asked: Do you think I should get an accessory breast removed?

Ruan Tang waved her hand and said: Sister, I think the first thing you should consider is to strengthen the positive side.

Xu Wei said dismissively: "You don't understand, this is how I feel classy. Of course, I don't mean to say that you are not good." As she spoke, she pinched Ruan Tang's chest.

"Please be normal. Sometimes when I hear you talk, I feel like I'm watching a celebrity's speech on my phone." Ruan Tang stuffed the towel into her hands and walked towards the steam room.

Xu Wei put on a yukata and chased after him, saying: Speaking of this, recently a fan has been sending me private messages every day.

Ruan Tang took the phone and flipped through the private messages, saying disdainfully: "Isn't this pure literary dog-licking quotes? Is this enough to nourish your heart?"

"You talk as if you can write these words." Xu Wei snatched back the phone with some dissatisfaction, locked the screen and threw it into her pocket.

Ruan Tang pulled her aside to warn her: Look at this message, it is quite good, but how can you tell whether the other party is a picky guy or a poor scholar through the Internet cable? You should wake up.

"I just mean that there is such a person who understands me quite well. Why are you reacting so strongly? Besides, I am still very confident in the quality of my readers." Xu Wei looked around and reminded her to speak more quietly with her eyes.

Ruan Tang sighed: I'm afraid that you will be influenced by Lin Shen and Jia Yingjun and go astray.

Xu Wei lay down on the bench in the sauna room and said in a nonchalant tone: Why are you mentioning them for no reason?

"Look at Feng Chengcheng in 'The Bund.' She's a woman who's completely in love with the eldest brother, but Ding Li insists on sending her flowers every day. Suddenly, one day he stops, and she starts to feel suspicious. This habit is the beginning of dependence. Think about it yourself, is it because of Jia Yingjun's existence that she deliberately suggests to herself that there are many high-quality men around her who understand her better than he does?"

Xu Wei suddenly sat up and looked at Ruan Tang, who was squatting in front of her. The steam room was filled with a hazy mist, so much so that even her face was a little blurry. She sighed, "Why have you become a different person lately? I used to be the one trying to persuade you. What's wrong? Is it because you've been with Feng Xue for so long that there's no comparison, no harm, and you finally realized that the men you knew before weren't good enough?"

"We are obviously discussing your problem." Ruan Tang's face fell, he stood up, walked to the side and lay down, covering his face with a towel.

Xu Wei came closer and lifted the small towel off her face, and continued to ask: Didn’t you insist that material foundation comes first before? Why did you suddenly come to your senses?

Ruan Tang took a deep breath, her face redder than when she first came in, but her tone was light, and she said: I think that those high-quality men who meet all the requirements are like limited editions, and they have long been bought by gold card members. You still have to rely on yourself to cultivate them. Now I basically understand how you felt when you supported Lin Shen to study abroad, but I don’t have the material conditions, and he has been through so many things before, it will probably take a lot of effort.

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly realized something, blinked at Xu Wei embarrassedly and said: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, is it okay to bring this up?

Xu Wei smiled: I'm not that fragile.

"Ah!" A girl's exclamation interrupted their conversation.

Ruan Tang and Xu Wei subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl coming in from outside with a ball of paper in her hand and handing it to the boy sitting in the corner.

"Zhang Haoyu?"

"Eri!"

Ruan Tang and Xu Wei recognized the two people through wisps of white mist.