Chapter 51. The truth, the cruel truth
Ruan Tang drank a few sips of water, but the symptoms of motion sickness became more and more obvious. She felt the pores all over her body tighten rapidly. She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and pinched her eyebrows.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Xu Wei held her hand, leaned close to her and asked worriedly, but she felt that Xu Wei's voice seemed to have suddenly become very distant.
She took a deep breath and waved to the driver to stop.
This is the best season in this city. The sun is shining brightly, and the cool autumn breeze occasionally neutralizes the original heat. The leaves flutter and fall, but their posture is particularly cheerful, inadvertently hurting Ruan Tang's gradually sinking heart.
Fallen leaves all have somewhere to go, but what about her? Is the destination she thinks she has chosen the right one?
"It can't be such a coincidence, right?" Xu Wei gasped. "Besides, you only saw female clients every day at the hospital. You only took a quick glance at his ex-wife. It's possible you made a mistake."
Ruan Tang calmed down and asked: Do you have her circle of friends?
Xu Wei shook her head: At most, we chatted a few words via private messages in the background of the official account, and we never added each other’s contact information.
"Can you show me her profile picture?"
Xu Wei put a hand on her shoulder and patted her gently, saying: Okay, I'll look for it in the backstage messages when I get back.
The two walked in silence for a while. Xu Wei suddenly tilted her head and looked at her seriously and asked: If, I mean if, she is really his ex-wife and the child is also his, what are you going to do?
"Me? No problem." Ruan Tang had basically recovered at this moment, as if he had reactivated the self-defense mechanism he had cultivated since childhood, and put on the mask that was immune to all poisons again. He smiled and said: If it is true, he will know it sooner or later, and he will definitely rush to take responsibility. He is the Holy Father, and I am not a saint who can produce a pound of relics when burned.
After Xu Wei returned home, she sent a message to Ruan Tang, asking: I saw her profile picture and it’s just a landscape photo. Should I still send it to you?
At that time, Ruan Tang had just finished delivering several orders of coffee and placed them at the pick-up point at the door. She looked at Xu Wei's message, sighed, and typed: Forget it.
She thought about it, deleted it, typed: Just send it to me, and then clicked send.
Because the photo is a screenshot, it is very blurry. All you can see is the sunset at the seaside. The red clouds have dyed the sea into a chaos, with a few golden rays occasionally mixed in, which looks like... scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Thinking of this, her stomach seemed to have received the signal and growled a few times.
Ruan Tang went to the kitchen and found the lunch box that Feng Xue had made the night before in the refrigerator and put it in the microwave to heat it up. Looking at the turning microwave, she suddenly thought of the day when the meteor shower came and Zhang Haoyu came to Feng Xue mysteriously.
She found Zhang Haoyu on the blacklist, unblocked him, and without thinking twice, texted: "Hello, are you still in Beijing recently? I have something to ask you."
Within an hour, Zhang Haoyu appeared in the store.
He wore a Balenciaga sweatshirt with his semi-permanent jeans and white sneakers. His hair was a little longer, and he still looked fresh and sunny, but something seemed different.
Ruan Tang made him a cup of mint sparkling American coffee and asked: Why don’t you get double eyelids?
He lifted his non-existent bangs and said in a cool manner: I studied it later and felt that what you said makes sense. If you want to look good on camera, it is better to have natural hair.
"Didn't you say you were going to work and shoulder the responsibilities of a man? Why are you following me like we're on a picnic, coming and going as you please?"
"Isn't this you who came to me? I want to appear in front of you in the best condition at any time."
Ruan Tang had just taken a sip of sparkling water. After hearing what he said, she suddenly choked and coughed violently twice. Zhang Haoyu looked at him with a mischievous smile on his face. He raised his eyebrows and said: Actually, you are not surprised by what I said, right?
"I'm not that narcissistic."
Zhang Haoyu spread his hands and said: We rich people don’t have to punch in and out at a fixed time every day.
Before Ruan Tang rolled her eyes, he quickly grinned in a flattering manner and said: What do you want to ask me?
It happened to be lunch time, and there was no one else in the store except the two of them. Ruan Tang glanced mysteriously at the store door to confirm, then lowered her voice and asked: Before... did Feng Xue ask you to find the whereabouts of a woman?
Zhang Haoyu was embarrassed: But Brother Xue doesn’t let me tell anyone.
Ruan Tang sighed and said: Oh, her child is so pitiful.
"You said she had a child?"
"So he really asked you to look for it, and you actually found it?"
Zhang Haoyu then realized that he had been tricked. He hesitated for a moment, nodded, then shook his head, frowned and said: "Alas, I didn't find any useful information." He went to look for it and found that the other party's address and phone number had all been changed.
As he spoke, he pulled his chair closer and whispered, "And I heard from Brother Xue that her parents back home moved and changed their contact information. I think if someone really doesn't want to be found, then finding them is much harder than finding a needle in a haystack." By the way, don't tell Brother Xue about this, or he'll know I'm a big mouth.
As the two were talking, Feng Xue came back on a motorcycle. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, he saw that their heads were almost touching. His pace inexplicably quickened, and the movement of pushing the door became inexplicably louder.
Ruan Tang subconsciously turned around and said welcome, but when she saw the person involved in the conversation suddenly appeared in front of her, she was stunned for a moment.
Feng Xue walked to the table for two people with ease, put one hand on Ruan Tang's shoulder, supported the back of Zhang Haoyu's chair with the other hand, and said with a smile: Xiaoyu is here.
"Why are you here at this time?" Ruan Tang looked up at him, inexplicably feeling guilty as if she had been caught cheating, and actually... a little bit excited.
"I happened to be nearby, so I thought I'd come back and have lunch with you."
She took Feng Xue's hand on her shoulder without any hesitation, pulled out the chair next to her, and said: Sit down, it's a good time to join the group chat.
Zhang Haoyu smiled very unnaturally and asked: What were we talking about just now?
"About your new life. By the way, do you want to buy her a gift? I have a few regular customers who have outgrown their jewelry and bags and are selling them to me." Ruan Tang held her chin and glanced at the display case behind her. The topic flowed smoothly and naturally.
Zhang Haoyu was surprised: "Huh? Coffee shop business is so bad, why did you become a second-hand dealer?"
Ruan Tang smiled: Doesn’t this all rely on the support of your aunt?
In the evening, Ruan Tang received a series of express delivery information, and Feng Xue kept urging her to go home and rest, so she had to go back alone.
The night before, I placed an order for a hair dryer, a new four-piece bed set, a set of tableware, a makeup storage box, and other things. I felt fresh and excited at the time, just like playing house when I was a child. However, just one day later, a premonition of impending separation diluted that joy.
Ruan Tang looked at the cardboard boxes scattered all over the floor and began to consider whether to open them or return them the same way.
After such hesitation, it was already late at night.
Feng Xue tiptoed into the room, turned the key, and pushed the door open. She was obviously startled when she saw Ruan Tang sitting on the sofa with her knees hugged.
She didn't turn on the lights, and the colorful light from the TV made her plain little face without makeup look colorful. She wore a sunflower headband on her head, and Tiantian was sleeping beside her.
It's the feeling of home. I can't remember the last time I had this clear and secure feeling.
So he naturally forgave the unopened cardboard boxes scattered all over the living room floor.
Ruan Tang raised her head, smiled at him and said: Go take a shower first.
Feng Xue nodded, pointed in the direction of the bedroom and said: You go to bed first.
When he came out, he saw Ruan Tang still sitting cross-legged on the sofa, staring intently at the TV, which seemed to be broadcasting "The Legend of Zhen Huan".
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" He draped a towel over his head, wiped his hair, and walked over to the sofa, picked up Tiantian, and put her back in the cat bed. Then he sat down beside her. Suddenly remembering something, he jokingly asked, "Tell me the truth, were you watching movies like 'Rain Man' in the store just to pick me up?" He then asked me if I thought you only liked watching palace intrigues and storytelling.
Ruan Tang turned her head slightly to glance at him, and saw his body appearing and disappearing under the bath towel. She swallowed and said lightly: Put on some clothes.
"I was just kidding." Seeing her expression was off, Feng Xue quickly stepped forward, hugged her, and kissed her hard on the cheek. "Don't wait for me in the future. Go to bed early."
Ruan Tang suddenly turned around and looked at him and asked: Let me ask you, if there is a man who doesn’t know his wife is pregnant, so he eloped with his new love, and later he found out that his wife had given birth to a child, if you were him, what would you do?
Feng Xue frowned, leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes slightly, as if thinking for a while, and said with a smile: Why do you ask this suddenly?
"Well..." Ruan Tang glanced at the TV. "As for the plot, Prince Guo had a chance to elope with Zhen Huan, but then he found out that his wife, whom the emperor had arranged to marry, was pregnant. If it were you, would you still leave?"
She thought, fortunately he doesn't like watching palace fighting dramas.
Feng Xue didn't say anything else. He yawned, stood up and said: This issue is a bit complicated. Let's talk about it tomorrow. You should also go to bed early.
When Ruan Tang walked into the bedroom, she saw a small warm yellow light on at the head of the bed, and he was lying on his back on the bed.
She walked over to Feng Xue and looked at him carefully under the light. His thick eyelashes and high nose cast a shadow on his face. She climbed onto the bed and lay beside him, her fingers gently rubbing circles on his chest. Feng Xue held her hand and said in a hoarse voice: "Go to sleep."
But she pulled her hand away, then returned to her work, outlining the contours of his body with her fingers. She had never realized before that she seemed to be addicted to this meaningless act. Then she thought, this is also good. If one day he is not around, she should be able to accurately outline his shape in the air.
She simply rolled over on top of him and began to kiss him quietly and deeply, patiently prying open his lips with the tip of her tongue. Once she succeeded, she immediately withdrew without any lingering fight, and then changed her tactics, lightly pressing kisses on his forehead, nose, chin, neck and chest, playing the role of Feng Xue in the past. She was thinking, she should remember the outline outlined by the kiss more clearly?
He seemed to be finally ignited. He suddenly turned over and rolled her onto the bed. He leaned over and looked down at her hazy eyes from above, and his hands methodically reached into her nightgown.
"Why is it a little different today?" he asked softly, but he didn't seem to expect her answer. Instead, he pinched her waist and explored her body for an answer himself.
The panting sound gradually weakened, and Feng Xue still maintained the same posture as before, burying his face in her chest, like a subject praying devoutly.
She reached out and gently stroked his stiff hair, but her heart was so soft that it seemed like it would break if squeezed.
Admittedly, he is not the second male lead in TV dramas who loves the heroine so much that he is willing to sacrifice his life for her. Even if he is, she knows that the script she got is not for the heroine.
At dawn, Feng Xue was sleeping soundly beside her. Ruan Tang hesitated for a long time before picking up his phone which was on the bedside table. She held her breath to unlock it, opened her Moments and quickly scrolled down.
There was a gap in his circle of friends for a long time, so it was easy to go back to a few years ago.
Sure enough, she saw Sun Yihuan’s profile picture, the photo of the beach under the sunset clouds, with the caption: Watching the sunset at the beach, with you.
Ruan Tang asked Zhang Haoyu to find Sun Yihuan's contact information, but she didn't expect Sun Yihuan to come to her in person.
On the weekend afternoon, Ruan Tang was so busy that she even planned to hire another part-time weekend worker in the little free time she had, and also did a little calculation in her mind.
Sun Yihan walked to the counter. Ruan Tang stared at the order counter processing new orders and only noticed one person standing in front of her, so she greeted him with a standard business sweet smile: Hello, what would you like to drink?
"Miss Ruan, do you still remember me?"
Ruan Tang looked up at her and was stunned for a moment. She looked more refined today than the day she was in the hospital. She wore light makeup and had curved eyebrows, looking like the Jiangnan beauties in novels. She even changed her canvas bag and carried an LV bag.
"Can you please chat for a minute? Just three minutes." She said, pointing to the latte on the menu, and said, "Please give me this," then scanned the code to pay.
Ruan Tang temporarily closed the online ordering channel and was busy for a while before walking over to sit opposite her with a cup of coffee, apologizing: Sorry for the long time.
"I didn't expect you to be Teacher Xu's good friend. The world really is a small place." When she spoke, there was always a faint smile on her face, which made people want to get closer to her. It was very different from the first time Ruan Tang met her in the store.
"Yeah, it's a small world." Ruan Tang nodded. She realized that she had rushed to find Sun Yihuan's contact information without even thinking about what to do next. "I didn't expect you to recognize me too."
Sun Yihuan smiled bitterly: I wish I had recognized you and turned away at that time, so that there would be no unnecessary complications.
"You are with Feng Xue, right? If not, then consider it as an offense. I apologize for my sixth sense." Her fingers stroked the dark green coffee cup, making her complexion look even colder.
Ruan Tang hesitated for a moment and asked: So that child...
Sun Yihan lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said softly: You guessed right, this is also the reason why I came to see you today.
"Why?" Ruan Tang was puzzled. "No matter what happened between you, raising a child is a father's responsibility. Do you know how hard it is to raise a child alone? Do you know how hard it is for the child?"
All kinds of memories flooded to the edge of her mind, and she suddenly became excited, but then quickly calmed down her emotions, laughing in her heart at how novel her perspective was.
"I'm sorry," Ruan Tang pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, "I grew up with my mother, so I suddenly feel a little sorry for the child."
"Ms. Ruan, thank you." Sun Yihan walked over Ruan Tang and shook her hand, saying: But these years are enough for me to think clearly. Compared with the material pressure, I don't want both him and I to suffer. Moreover, I plan to take the children back to my hometown, so that the financial pressure will be less. I hope you can help me keep the secret.
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