You Huan sniffled, staying silent and not immediately answering Ruan Xingyao’s question.
She simply took a tissue and wiped away her tears and runny nose.
Ruan Xingyao didn’t rush her—after all, if You Huan was willing to speak, she would share it in her own time.
After an unknown amount of time, You Huan finally said, “Because… he is a ray of light in my life.”
Ruan Xingyao stared blankly at her, unable to quite understand what she meant.
You Huan didn’t look at Ruan Xingyao’s eyes, instead letting out a self-deprecating smile.
She said, “It sounds childish, doesn’t it? But it’s the truth.”
“When I was being violated for who knows how many times, and leaving school alone, that time they were especially cruel. My whole body hurt, and under my uniform were bruises and injuries all over, except for my face. At that moment, I truly didn’t want to live anymore.”
“That was when Ruan Xingzhuo appeared.”
“I was standing by the river, staring at the dark water, thinking that if I jumped in, everything would be over.”
“But just as I raised my foot, Ruan Xingzhuo suddenly called out to me, asking if I could do him a favor.”
“At that moment, I didn’t really intend to respond, but he was so handsome that, in a split second, I was so distracted that I forgot I was about to jump.”
“So I asked him, ‘What favor?’”
“He said he’d just been robbed by some ruffians, and his wallet was taken. He didn’t have money to get home and asked if I could give him two coins so he could take the bus back.”
“I didn’t have coins on me, only a few hundred yuan in cash, so I gave it all to him. He refused, insisting that I go exchange it for coins for him.”
“And that’s how he forcibly took me away from the river, to a convenience store. Then he asked if I could buy him a popsicle—it was the middle of winter, but he insisted. He was so good-looking that I couldn’t refuse.”
“We ended up buying every popsicle in the store. By chance, there were four coins left, just enough for him to take the bus home.”
“We found a step to sit on and ate the popsicles, seeing who could eat more.”
“Later I realized that the steps where we were eating were directly across from the police station.”
“He had already known I wanted to commit suicide, but he didn’t say a word to stop me. He just forced me away from the river, so I could stop thinking about it.”
After finishing, You Huan let out another self-deprecating laugh.
She said, “I often think he probably already knew what had happened to me. That’s also why I didn’t dare show myself to him, or tell him that I really liked him.”
In her heart, she saw herself as a filthy, broken doll, already damaged beyond repair.
How could someone like her ever be worthy of a person as wonderful as Ruan Xingzhuo?
Yet, all these years, it was her thoughts of him that kept her going.
As she grew older, her perspective gradually changed.
She couldn’t change the past, but she still wanted to fight for herself—at least once, to claim the right to love.
You Huan held Ruan Xingyao’s hand and said, “Xingyao, could you help me? I’m not greedy. I just want a chance to get close to Ruan Xingzhuo and tell him that I like him.”
She knew she wasn’t worthy of him.
Ruan Xingyao gently stroked You Huan’s head and said, “Don’t say that. You’re not unworthy. You’re a good person. There’s nothing keeping you from him.”
Tears immediately welled up in You Huan’s eyes.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Ruan Xingyao stopped her.
“I can take you to see him,” Ruan Xingyao said, “but I can’t guarantee that he will reciprocate your feelings. I hope you can understand that.”
You Huan nodded. “I know. I won’t force it.”
She understood that love is deeply personal; just because she liked him didn’t mean she could compel Ruan Xingzhuo to return her feelings.
Doing so would be unfair to him.
If she truly did that, it would be a betrayal disguised as affection.
Ruan Xingyao didn’t say anything more, and You Huan knew when to stop.
Deep down, she understood that what she had done today was already pressuring Ruan Xingyao.
But she had no regrets.
They didn’t continue discussing the topic and instead switched to lighter subjects—chatting about Ruan Xingyao’s livestreams and the gossip she had heard from the animals.
After the meal, You Huan offered to escort Ruan Xingyao home.
Ruan Xingyao thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go back by myself. I’ll contact you later.”
You Huan didn’t insist and only watched as Ruan Xingyao left with Baiyi, then returned to her own home.
After bringing Baiyi home, Ruan Xingyao barely slept that night.
She kept turning over in her mind, thinking about You Huan, and by 5 a.m., since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she got up early and went to the hospital.
When she arrived at Ruan Xingzhuo’s room, he was already awake.
Seeing her so early, he was a little surprised. “Sis, why are you here so early?”
He had thought that before he was discharged, he might not even see Ruan Xingyao.
Ruan Xingyao placed the packed breakfast on the table, pulled over a chair, and sat by the bedside, staring at Ruan Xingzhuo without blinking.
Ruan Xingzhuo felt uneasy under her gaze.
Even the hand holding his spoon froze.
“Sis, what do you want to say? Why are you looking at me like that?” Ruan Xingzhuo asked.
Ruan Xingyao said, “Xiaozhuo, you really are quite handsome.”
Ruan Xingzhuo was a little speechless. “Our family genes are like this—both our parents and us are good-looking. Isn’t that something we’ve known since we were kids? Do you really need to emphasize it now?”
Ruan Xingyao clicked her tongue and said, “Do you know that a handsome face can save lives?”
Ruan Xingzhuo looked at his sister as if she were crazy, completely puzzled.
“Sis, what exactly are you trying to say?” he asked.
Ruan Xingyao shook her head. “Have I ever told you that I do livestreaming?”
Ruan Xingzhuo said, “I saw it last night. Sis, when did you get this kind of ability? How come I didn’t know?”
Last night, he couldn’t bring himself to sleep, so he idly scrolled through videos on his phone and unexpectedly came across Ruan Xingyao’s livestream.
Even though he only clicked in partway, it still surprised him.
He had just been lying in bed for a while, and his sister had somehow turned into someone with “superpowers.” It was shocking to him.
Ruan Xingyao said, “I had a dream. In the dream, a master taught me.”
Ruan Xingzhuo couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her nonsense. “If you don’t want to tell me, just say so. No need to make up such lies.”
Ruan Xingyao rolled her eyes back at him and said fiercely, “Believe it or not, that’s how it happened.”
Ruan Xingzhuo didn’t argue further.
Both of them knew that Ruan Xingyao was no longer the girl she used to be—only neither wanted to expose the secret.
— The end of the Chapter–
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