Jingxia Rose

Chapter 6 006: You're hiding something from me

The butler was the first to come out to greet them. He greeted everyone politely and respectfully and took the luggage from Ruan Zheng's hands.

Next to emerge was Madam Wen, Sui Yi, dressed in a light blue hand-embroidered haute couture cheongsam. Time had not left many marks on her fair and beautiful face.

Ruan Zheng was raised by her, and her elegant temperament came from her. She even had more of an innate grace and nobility than Ruan Zheng.

Ruan Zheng stepped forward and hugged her, softly calling out, "Mom."

Sui Yi's face and eyes were filled with a kind and gentle smile, and she gently patted her back, "Welcome home."

Wen Qi greeted Ruan Zheng only after she stepped back to his side.

Ji Xian also called out "Madam Wen".

"Ah-Xian is here." Sui Yi's smile and tone remained unchanged. "It's been a while since you've been here. Come in and have a seat."

"Speak," he said, pulling Ruan Zheng inside.

The last time the mother and daughter met was on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Ruan Zheng and Jin Chengye went home to pay New Year's visits and stayed for two or three days before returning to Hong Kong.

Later, I lived there for a long time, and the rest of the time I was flying around for various performances, so I couldn't find any time to come back.

The mother and daughter reminisced happily. Although Ji Xian was not Sui Yi's ideal daughter-in-law, she never embarrassed her. Perhaps it was her inherent upbringing. Every time Ji Xian came to the old house, she would still treat her with utmost courtesy, as if she were Wen Qi's girlfriend.

Ji Xian mostly listened quietly to their conversation without participating.

When Wen Qi glanced to the side unintentionally, he saw a small bruise on the back of her hand that was holding the teacup.

The two sat close together, so close that he could even see the eye of a needle on it.

Noticing his gaze, Ji Xian turned to meet his eyes and saw that he looked serious and frowned as if he was unhappy.

She still couldn't guess what he was thinking.

When Sui Yi asked Ruan Zheng about her divorce, she wisely made an excuse to go to the restroom and left.

She, as an outsider, should have some sense of their family affairs.

In fact, every time she came to the Wen family's old house, she always felt that she couldn't fit in, as if there was an invisible barrier that always kept her out.

After washing her hands, she slowly looked up at the person in the mirror.

Undoubtedly, she was beautiful. Although not as exquisite and bright as Ruan Zheng, her appearance was charming and beautiful, like the autumn moon, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, like a pool of calm and clear water.

She was lost in thought for an unknown amount of time until she heard a knock on the door, which brought her back to her senses.

She turned and opened the door, and Wen Qi, wearing a white shirt, suddenly came into her view.

He said, "It's time to eat."

Ji Xuan nodded and closed the door. "Okay, let's go then."

As she passed by him, Wen Qi suddenly grabbed her wrist. "You're hiding something from me."

He used an affirmative sentence.

Ji Xian's heart skipped a beat, a hint of unease flashed through her eyes, and she stared blankly at him.

Wen Qi's hand moved slowly, pinching her fingertips. "What happened to the back of your hand?"

Ji Xian looked at the bruises on the back of his hand, unable to describe his feelings, and could only smile faintly, "It's nothing, just a bit of a cold, I had an IV drip."

Wen Qi is actually a very observant and meticulous person.

She wasn't surprised that he discovered these few clues.

Wen Qi recalled the "Are you there?" message she had suddenly sent last night. It was a very ordinary greeting, but it seemed unusual coming from Ji Xian, who was usually decisive and highly efficient.

So the phrase "Are you there?" was actually a way to throw stones down the road.

He initially thought she had decided on an anniversary gift. Thinking of this, he double-checked, "Was it last night?"

Seeing the deep look in his eyes, Ji Xuan could only nod in agreement, "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's just a small matter..."

"This is no small matter." Wen Qi interrupted her, taking her entire hand in his palm and asking in a low voice, "Are you feeling better?"

Ji Xian felt like a weather vane, lacking any perseverance, and was always moved by his natural actions and unintentional words.

It can also instantly soothe her previous wavering.

That's pretty pathetic.

But she still hoped that she could take things further with him, and then even further.

Let Canglan Residence truly become their home.

And her home.

That sense of belonging, which she had never experienced before, was something she had longed for since childhood.

But it will always be something you can only dream of but never reach.

Therefore, Wen Qi was the closest sense of belonging to her, and she desperately wanted to hold on to him, to prove that she was not alone in this world, that she had a way out, a safe haven.

However, she suppressed 70% of her intense emotions, leaving only 30%, with the majority going towards her career.

She smiled faintly, "It's all over now."

Wen Qi gave her a deep look, said nothing more, took her hand and led her into the restaurant, only letting go after they were seated.

Sui Yi glanced at their hands and then withdrew them.

After lunch, Wen Qi and Ji Xuan only sat for a short while. He had been away for the past two days and had a lot of things to deal with, so he got up to say goodbye.

Sui Yi only saw them to the door. Ruan Zheng followed them out, but halfway there, Wen Qi turned back and said, "Don't see us off anymore, go back."

"It's alright, it's just a short walk," Ruan Zheng said with a smile.

When they arrived at the parking lot, she looked at Ji Xian and said, "Ah Xian, I have a performance at the Fengling Theater next Friday. You can come and watch if you have time."

Ji Xian did not agree, but looked at Wen Qi first.

She's a secretary. It's fine on weekends, but on weekdays, it depends on whether the boss gives her time off.

Ruan Zheng is a first-class principal dancer at the National Opera House. She also officially served as a judge for the 13th Taoli Cup last year and is one of the veterans of the Youth Federation of Culture, Dance and Art. Tickets for her performances are usually hard to come by.

Especially the performance at the end of the month, which happens to be her 33rd birthday.

The show had been advertised for two months, and the servers were overwhelmed with traffic less than ten minutes after tickets went live.

The news of her divorce has had some impact on her, but so far, there have been no refunds.

Ruan Zheng understood what she meant and teased with a smile, "Then let Wen Qi be your driver. Wen Qi, you're really lucky to have A-Xian with you, otherwise, I wouldn't have thought of taking you along."

Wen Qi did not respond.

Ji Xian took over the conversation, "See you next week, Sister Ruan Zheng."

Ruan Zheng nodded, "Okay."

Just as Ji Xuan was about to walk to the driver's side, Wen Qi suddenly reached out and blocked her way. "I'll drive. Give me the car keys."

Ji Xian paused for a few seconds, handed him the car keys, waved to Ruan Zheng, walked around the back of the car, opened the passenger door, and got in.

(End of this chapter)