Ruan Qingan's house was in complete chaos, but Ruan Qingan didn't care about it and hurriedly fled with him.

...

She was never a good girl; she was the most beautiful flower, nurtured in the soil of sin, blooming amidst the hustle and bustle of traffic as night quietly approached.

The night breeze carried the scent of everyday life. Aluminum cans lay scattered on the ground, rolling around his feet. Song Xijun simply propped his chin up, watching Ruan Qing'an's face flushed from drunkenness.

They were at a roadside barbecue stall. Nguyen Thanh An ordered a lot of barbecue and beer, and was almost ready to bring over a case of beer.

They didn't eat much barbecue; they mostly drank alcohol.

"Hey, don't just stare at me, eat your food."

Ruan Qing'an urged impatiently, holding the can of beer and chugging it down her throat. Her leaden eyes, though watery, still held a sliver of clarity: "Do you think I'm some kind of delinquent girl for nothing? It's just a few bottles of beer, it won't affect me much, don't worry."

"It's nothing, I'll stay with you."

Song Xijun chuckled, his slightly rough fingertips brushing against Ruan Qing'an's lips, wiping away the glistening beer stains at the corner of her mouth. He knew she was upset, so he just let her be silly.

No matter what, he can protect her and keep her safe.

Smelling the aroma of cooking in the air, Ruan Qing'an finally slowed down her beer-drinking pace and blinked.

Song Xijun frowned subconsciously: "What's wrong, Ruan Ruan?"

The next moment, his fingertips were hooked, and a soft, delicate touch came over him. Ruan Qing'an was propping his face up, looking down, holding Song Xijun's hand with one hand, and whispering softly.

Just looking at her like that, Song Xijun felt his heart soften a little, and he reached out and pulled her back: "I'm here."

"Wood... I've always wondered, what am I to my parents? A stepping stone for them to cross social classes, or a tool for them to get married..."

“They weren’t like this before…”

Ruan Qing'an countered, "I still remember things before junior high. They were very kind to me and didn't have any expectations of how I would become, until after junior high..."

Upon hearing this, Song Xijun's eyes flickered slightly, and he couldn't help but delve deeper—after junior high school, that was the time when Xia Hua and the others inexplicably became wealthy, his family had an accident, and he received financial assistance.

Ruan Qingan continued speaking, simply venting his feelings.

"Wood, they didn't have so many outrageous demands on me before, until later they hoped that my grades would improve, but not for the sake of grades or the future, but to reach a better platform and meet more outstanding people."

"Guess why? Because that's how you can get in touch with the so-called high society, marry into a wealthy family, and transcend class boundaries."

This is indeed what Xia Hua and the others wanted...

Song Xijun sighed softly and squeezed Ruan Qing'an's palm. He didn't say anything, but his words were a silent comfort. Ruan Qing'an stopped talking and just drank his wine in silence.

As the barbecue stall closed, Song Xijun paid the bill and turned around to see Ruan Qing'an staggering away into the distance. He quickly went to help her up, but was pulled into a street lamp, where the light above was dim and yellow.

"Be careful, Ruan Ruan, you'll feel unwell if you drink too much."

"...No, no way."

Ruan Qing'an mumbled incoherently, almost nestled in Song Xijun's arms, perfectly fitting into his embrace. She bent over, lit a cigarette, and slowly exhaled smoke rings.

No matter how much Song Xijun doted on her, he couldn't bear to see Ruan Qing'an ruining her body like this. He couldn't help but frown and reach out to stub out the cigarette between her fingers: "You won't know how to restrain yourself if you're not taught a lesson?"

"But I feel terrible, you blockhead."

She was almost in tears, her slender hands clutching Song Xijun's shirt against his chest, burying her face in his shoulder: "I wanted to take you home, but they wouldn't allow it..."

"I promise I will agree."

Song Xijun agreed in a low voice. Let alone something like this, he now responded almost instinctively to anything Ruan Qing'an said, something he himself hadn't even considered—

She became his Achilles' heel.

Even though he was quite drunk, Ruan Qing'an still acted crazy for a while, clinging to Song Xijun like a koala. Song Xijun could only let him sit down on a bench nearby and smile helplessly.

Just as Ruan Qing'an was almost asleep while clinging to him, her phone suddenly rang. Song Xijun glanced at it but then stopped abruptly.

The message was sent by Xia Hua.

In fact, throughout the entire day, Ruan Qing'an's phone had been constantly receiving messages and calls from Xia Hua and Ruan Chengzhi. Song Xijun hadn't paid much attention at first, but this time, the content was—

"Come back, Ruan Ruan. Mom will tell you the truth. Please, come back soon. Don't hang out with Song Xijun anymore. Our family will be his mortal enemy for life!"

Ruan Qing'an was still clinging to him, but Song Xijun's heart sank to the bottom. He looked down at Ruan Qing'an, then used her fingerprint to unlock his phone and opened the message.

Xia Hua didn't elaborate, but kept telling Ruan Qing'an to go home. After reading it, Song Xijun marked it as unread before turning off her phone.

He remembered that in his previous life, Ruan Qing'an, after being told the truth, felt no remorse whatsoever, but instead intensified his efforts to cover it up and seek revenge.

It was after this point that...

Song Xijun lowered her head, reached out and held Ruan Qing'an's hand, playing with it, her voice low and husky: "After going around in circles, we've come back to the past. What will you choose this time?"

"If you don't choose well, Ruan Ruan..."

He didn't want to use his revenge on her, but his heart just couldn't settle down. The overlapping paths of their two lives were like a leech, leaving Song Xijun nowhere to escape.

After a moment of silence, Song Xijun picked her up and carried her towards the nearest hotel. After all, she had run away from home, so they needed to find a place to stay for the night.

Ruan Qing'an rested her chin on Song Xijun's shoulder. When she turned her back to him, she opened her leaden eyes, which no longer showed any signs of being drunk, but were clear-headed.

037: [Oh no, ancestor, aren't you giving the male lead a little sense of security? I feel like he's definitely testing you!]

"Yes, he's testing me."

Ruan Qing'an chuckled: "Two lifetimes have passed. He is suspicious and sensitive, which is why he keeps testing and proving himself because he is afraid of losing it."

That's what we should be providing – a sense of security, isn't it?

"What's the rush? As the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, and vice versa—but when you're extremely disappointed, you can suddenly find that hope is just as great."

Ruan Qing'an laughed, her smile carrying a hint of madness: "This is love, little system. I threw myself into the mud so that he could lift me up high and worship me like a god."

037 was so frightened that he didn't dare to say a word.

This ancestor is truly a carbon copy of the main god—both are madmen. So why is it forced to watch two madmen fall in love?!

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