Chapter 6 Don't you like Shen Yu?
"Mr. Huo..."
Ruan Yao's voice was very soft, and it trembled slightly with nervousness.
Qin Feng was the first to see her, a hint of surprise flashing across his face, before he immediately looked at Huo Yanzhi.
Gu Huai lowered his hand from Huo Yanzhi's shoulder, raised his eyebrows, and looked at the beautiful girl who had suddenly appeared in front of him with great interest.
Huo Yanzhi stopped in his tracks as he was about to get into the car.
He slowly turned around, his dark eyes turning to her, those eyes like a bottomless vortex, instantly locking Ruan Yao in his grasp.
"What's up?"
His voice was as steady and pleasant as it had been on stage, but the two words that came out of his mouth now seemed to have been twisted by his lips and tongue, carrying a hint of politeness that kept people at a distance.
Ruan Yao's cheeks flushed as he stared at her, and her heart pounded as if it would jump out of her throat.
She took a deep breath and handed over the long-handled black umbrella with both hands.
"Mr. Huo, thank you for your help that night. Here, take this umbrella back."
Gu Huai's eyes swept between Ruan Yao's flushed face and Huo Yanzhi's indifferent expression, his gossipy look growing stronger.
Qin Feng's expression became very subtle, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Ruan Yao waited anxiously.
He's so close, he'll definitely be able to see her clearly.
Her gaze swept across Huo Yanzhi's face, finally settling on the umbrella, lingering for three seconds.
Those dark eyes seemed devoid of any emotion.
He then nodded slightly, a faint, formulaic smile curving his lips, his tone almost elegantly calm.
"It's just an umbrella, you don't need to return it."
After saying that, he politely looked away, said "I'm leaving" to Gu Huai beside him, and then bent down and got into the car.
Gu Huai whistled, got into the car, and winked at Huo Yanzhi, who was resting with his eyes closed beside him.
"That's ruthless, Mr. Huo. This pretty girl is clearly interested in you. Look at how red her face is. You really don't know how to be gentle with a woman."
Huo Yanzhi leaned back in the seat with his eyes closed, without saying a word.
On her crossed legs, the hand with its distinct knuckles unconsciously tightened its grip, pressing a shallow crease into the expensive suit trousers.
"You're overthinking it," he said softly.
It sounded like a sigh, yet also like a self-admonition.
Qin Feng gave Ruan Yao an apologetic yet helpless look, then turned and got into the car.
The car door closed, isolating everything.
The black Bentley drove smoothly away, merged into the traffic, and quickly disappeared from sight.
Ruan Yao stood there, stunned, staring in the direction the car had disappeared, still holding the umbrella in her hand.
"So graceful!"
Ruan Sheng's voice came from behind him. He ran over quickly and saw the last scene.
He looked at his sister's distraught appearance, then at the umbrella in her hand, and then at the license plate of the Bentley that sped away. His eyes widened.
"Holy crap," Ruan Sheng's voice changed, "that friend you mentioned before, is it Huo Yanzhi?"
*
Inside the car, Ruan Sheng looked at his younger sister in the passenger seat.
Ruan Yao pressed her head against the cold car window, watching the light and shadow rushing past outside, clutching the long-handled black umbrella tightly in her arms, her whole demeanor sullen.
Ruan Sheng freed one hand and tapped the steering wheel.
"Alright, it's just an umbrella. They didn't want it, did they? It's no big deal. Why are you acting like you've just broken up with someone?"
Ruan Yao didn't say anything, but tightened her grip on the umbrella, and looked even more aggrieved.
Seeing her like this, Ruan Sheng assumed that the young girl was shy and felt embarrassed because she had lost face in front of so many people.
He cleared his throat and, in an effort to cheer up his sister, began to speak ill of Huo Yanzhi without any restraint.
"I have to say, Huo Yanzhi is no good either. He's so young, yet his memory is so bad. Something that happened just two days ago, he can't even remember it today. What will he do when he gets old? Won't he get dementia and drool all the time?"
Seeing that she was still ignoring him, Ruan Sheng's gaze fell on the umbrella in her arms.
"And this umbrella, it's all black and ugly, it doesn't suit our little princess at all. Don't hold it like a treasure anymore, I'll buy you a diamond-encrusted one later, I guarantee it will be beautiful."
“No,” Ruan Yao suddenly spoke up, her voice soft and clearly protective, “He’s not forgetful, he’s just too busy.”
When Ruan Sheng saw her speaking up for Huo Yanzhi, he looked incredulous and finally realized something was wrong.
The string in my mind snapped shut, and I finally got it right.
"Yaoyao, tell me honestly, you wouldn't... have taken a liking to that Huo Yanzhi, would you?"
Ruan Yao's cheeks flushed at his question, but she still answered.
"Is that not allowed?"
Ruan Sheng's hand trembled, and he almost turned the steering wheel off course.
That little auntie of hers really dares to think.
What kind of family is the Huo family?
What kind of family are they?
Compared to the Huo family, their family is nothing, not even a fraction of their size; they have absolutely no chance.
Seeing his sister's serious expression, Ruan Sheng couldn't bear to tell her the truth and discourage her, so he changed his approach and began to frantically persuade her to give up.
"Tsk, what's so good about Huo Yanzhi besides being rich and handsome? He's obviously a workaholic, cold and aloof, and might even have some kind of mental illness. Would a man like that ever cherish his wife?"
The more he talked, the more reasonable he felt, and he continued to scare her.
"Besides, our little princess is so pretty and cute, but he doesn't even give her a second glance. What kind of eyes does he have? I bet he doesn't like women."
“He’s not like that,” Ruan Yao retorted. “He’s not like what you’re saying.”
And he dotes on his wife.
Ruan Sheng found it somewhat amusing. "How did you know?"
Ruan Yao's gaze flickered for a moment. She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously stroking the cool umbrella handle.
She whispered, "I just know."
Ruan Sheng was at his wits' end looking at her like this.
He sighed and made a final struggle.
"Okay, even if he doesn't like men, he definitely doesn't like your type. Didn't you see how he looked at you just now? Like you were a complete stranger. Listen to me, give up now, let's find someone else."
Ruan Yao ignored him, her gaze fixed on the black umbrella in her arms.
The umbrella handle was cool and had a metallic feel; she gently rubbed it with her fingers.
In his past life, Huo Yanzhi never let her touch these cold things.
I remember one late night, she was waiting for him to finish his work in his study. Bored, she walked barefoot on the carpet and used her toes to touch the base of the metal sculpture.
He ended the video conference without saying a word, walked over, bent down, picked her up horizontally, and strode back to the bedroom.
His embrace was warm, like a ball of fire.
He placed her on the bed, without turning on the light, but used the moonlight to warm her cold feet with his hands.
"You're not allowed to touch anything cold anymore." His voice was muffled, buried in the crook of her neck, and carried a burning heat.
He liked to hold her, with a strength that seemed to want to meld her into his very bones.
He said she had a scent that made him feel at ease.
Recalling these memories, the tips of Ruan Yao's ears turned red uncontrollably.
How could Huo Yanzhi not like her type?
He clearly liked it to death.
The joy on the face reflected in the car window quickly faded, replaced by a hint of disappointment.
In fact, in her previous life, she and Huo Yanzhi had a period of harmonious marriage.
In the months following their marriage, she was anxious, but Huo Yanzhi treated her very well, and the elders of the Huo family also loved her like their own daughter.
She was even prepared to slowly try to accept him.
Until that day, she unexpectedly discovered a document about her in Huo Yanzhi's study.
She has all her information and photos from childhood to adulthood, every report card from school, and even what she likes to eat, what she is allergic to, and where she goes to paint. Everything is recorded clearly.
On the back of each one, the date and location were marked in pen, the handwriting as sharp as his own.
Before she could take a closer look, Huo Yanzhi returned.
She pressed him for an answer, but he refused to say.
He simply carried her out of the study, silencing all her doubts with his actions.
She was filled with anxiety afterward and told Shen Yu what had happened. Only then was she led by Shen Yu step by step to completely misunderstand Huo Yanzhi.
Ruan Yao no longer felt the fear she once had.
She still doesn't know why Huo Yanzhi investigated her back then.
But she was certain he wouldn't harm her.
Most importantly, the investigation report suggests that Huo Yanzhi may not have fallen in love with her at first sight; in fact, he may have already been interested in her for a long time.
Why?
Why is he so aloof and unapproachable in this life?
Ruan Yao couldn't understand it.
She could only guess that perhaps Huo Yanzhi began investigating her in her previous life after this point in time.
Or perhaps it's for some other reason she doesn't know.
However, a person's preferences are ingrained and difficult to change, especially someone with Huo Yanzhi's personality.
Even if he were to be reborn, he would still love her.
So it's okay that he's cold and distant towards her now.
Because she had already decided how she felt.
As Ruan Yao pondered how to create another opportunity to meet, Ruan Sheng, who was beside her, suddenly hissed, as if he had remembered something.
He turned his head, his suspicious gaze sweeping over Ruan Yao's face.
"That's not right." Ruan Sheng frowned, his tone strange. "Don't you like Shen Yu?"
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