Chapter 92

the sofa with her hands properly placed on her knees. She looked dreamily at Liyi, still somewhat unable to believe that her savior had finally arrived!Lian felt a bit jealous but he was certain his...Chapter 92

Ruan Zhao gave a light laugh and narrowed his eyes in a rather enigmatic manner, resembling the image of a sinister boss.

"Xuanxuan, many things and people are far more complicated than you think. Can't you just be selfish once and leave me behind Just consider me as your reserve player or a safety net!"

Ni Xuanyi was startled, her face showing signs of displeasure. She frowned at Ruan Zhao and asked, "What do you mean by that"

"Xuanxuan, I know you love Li Yi. I don't want to say anything bad about him to upset you, but Li Yi is a very complicated person. After all these years of knowing each other, I believe you must have some understanding of him. He's not young anymore and you've graduated from university. If he truly loves you, he would promise you a future and marry you instead of continuing to play it safe with ambiguous flirtation that leaves you torn between hope and despair. His relationship with other women is also unclear. Li Yi strives for perfection in everything he does and never hurts anyone, yet he has caused you immense distress…"

"Shut up! Don't say anything bad about him!" Ni Xuanyi's face turned pale as she trembled uncontrollably. She had always known that Ruan Zhao was formidable but hadn't expected him to uncover Li Yi’s private life in such a short time or pinpoint the crux of her relationship with Li Yi so accurately.

The facts mentioned by Ruan Zhao were things Ni Xuanyi already knew, yet she felt as if she had been stripped naked on a busy street when he said them. She was ashamed and furious.

Ni Xuanyi's anger boiled over, pointing at Ruan Zhao and shouting, "Get out! Leave right now! I never want to see you again! I hate you!"

Seeing Ni Xuanyi’s face turn red with fury then pale, Ruan Zhao repeatedly apologized, saying, "Sorry, Xuanxuan. Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you..."

"Just leave already!" shouted Ni Xuanyi before realizing she should be the one to get out of his car.

"Xuanxuan, calm down!"

"Fine, I'll go... I'm going..." Ni Xuanyi turned to open the car door but found it locked and couldn't manage to unlock it.

"Xuanxuan, I'm sorry, don't leave in a hurry!" Ruan Zhao saw that Ni Xuanyi was about to leave and reached out urgently to stop her.

At this moment, Ni Xuanyi was already agitated. She waved and slapped Ruan Zhao across the face with a clear and decisive sound.

The compartment fell silent in an instant.

Ni Xuanyi looked at the red handprint on Ruan Zhao's pale face and gradually calmed down, awkwardly saying, "I'm sorry!"

Ruan Zhao didn't get angry with Ni Xuanyi. Instead, he looked at her hopefully and said with a tinge of grievance, "You hit me; I don’t want your apologies. I just hope you can regard me as a friend and spend some time with me over a meal when I come again."

Having slapped someone, Ni Xuanyi had no choice but to nod in agreement with Ruan Zhao's request.

This time, Ruan Zhao didn't take Ni Xuanyi to Aunt Qiu's private restaurant. Perhaps due to Jia Yin's last tantrum, he took her to another Chinese restaurant instead. The head waiter greeted him with a smile upon seeing Ruan Zhao arrive and respectfully called him boss.

Ni Xuanyi looked at Ruan Zhao with wide eyes full of confusion, "When did you start running restaurants"

Ruan Zhao explained with a smile, "I don't like eating out because it's neither hygienic nor safe. Also, I can't take you to Aunt Qiu’s place, so I just bought this restaurant. There's a private kitchen and room set up for us."

Ni Xuanyi was speechless; what did she deserve that Ruan Zhao cared about her so much

The main cuisine of the restaurant was Chinese food, with dumplings as their signature dish. Ni Xuanyi wasn't someone who particularly enjoyed eating dumplings but ordered some stuffed with celery and fennel anyway before looking around Ruan Zhao's exclusive private room.

When the boss came to eat, the dumplings were naturally served quickly. The translucent dumplings in blue-and-white porcelain plates looked exquisite, making one’s mouth water even before tasting them.

The dumplings here were indeed very delicious, living up to their status as a signature dish. Even someone like Ni Xuanyi who didn't usually enjoy eating dumplings found them incredibly tasty. Her empty stomach betrayed her with the aroma of the steaming dumplings while her brain, suffering from insufficient blood supply and rebellious thoughts, cleared enough for her to chat with Ruan Zhao while eating.

Finally, Ni Xuanyi and Ruan Zhao had a harmonious dinner. Before leaving, Ruan Zhao told the manager that if Ni Xuanyi came here to eat, whether alone or accompanied by friends, it should be free of charge just like when he ate there.

Ni Xuanyi secretly gasped at Ruan Zhao's generosity and was too lazy to argue with him. After getting into the car, she asked to return to her dormitory, which Ruan Zhao obediently did for her.

When Ni Xuanyi returned to her apartment and lay on the bed, her mind replayed what Ruan Zhao had said about Li Yi. She knew that something in her heart was quietly changing, but she didn't feel qualified to inquire about Li Yi's true feelings.

She was just a secret admirer; everything related to Li Yi had nothing to do with her.

In the following days, Ni Xuanyi continued to work diligently and quietly admired Li Yi. She obediently played the role of an adorable and understanding little sister in front of him, silently observing every move he made, and consciously dressed herself up to complement his appearance.

Liyi is always busy and doesn't have much time to spend with Nixuanyi. Being able to have a meal together every two weeks or so is already considered luxurious.

Ruan Zhao visits Nixuanyi once every ten days or so, timing it perfectly without being too short or too long. Each visit, he only invites Nixuanyi for one meal before leaving, not lingering any longer.

Nixuanyi doesn't know what kind of feeling she has towards Ruan Zhao, but sadly discovers that humans have a powerful adaptability. Ruan Zhao's persistent and unwavering spirit is gradually softening her heart.

She begins to sincerely regard Ruan Zhao as a friend, going out for meals together or driving around. Once, Meng Mang and Ruan Xi joined Ruan Zhao in visiting, and the four of them even went on an outing.

Ruan Zhao puts in 200% effort when with Nixuanyi, being meticulous, considerate, patient, and gentle. All forms of affection that a man can give are concentrated solely on Nixuanyi. Eventually, Nixuanyi's heart, though not made of stone, is moved to some extent.

Nixuanyi lost her parents when she was young and longs for love more than anyone else, which explains why she fell head over heels for Liyi who provided warmth and help.

Liyi's ambiguous attitude and unpredictable behavior leave Nixuanyi at a loss. Ruan Zhao’s determined persistence, though not what she prefers, gives her a bittersweet comfort akin to quenching thirst with poison.

Such days pass by in a fleeting manner, and soon it was the end of the year. To reward their employees for a year's hard work, the Dynasty Empire organized vacation trips in batches and locations. The staff working at the main headquarters visited a resort spa outside the city on New Year’s Day.

Nixuanyi called Liyi ahead to ask if he would return from his meeting elsewhere to attend it. Liyi replied with a teasing tone, "Of course I'll come back! Is there any beautiful woman there"and several middle-aged women were surrounded by Li An's men. At the height of their helplessness and panic, they finally spotted a familiar face. Someone immediately grabbed onto Professor Xue Liping...