My Groom Ran Away

My Groom Ran Away Chapter 24.3

Old Madam Yan was old and could not stay up for long. After a while, she could not help but feel tired. After her son said a nice speech in front of everyone, she quickly returned to her room to rest.

Ever since Ruan Zhiyin had returned from abroad, she had attended all the banquets with Mother Qin.

Feng Weilan did not come today. She did not know whether it was because the Yan family did not invite her or she declined the invitation.

Ruan Zhiyin thought that it should be the latter, after all, she had seen the congratulations from the Qin family on the gift list just now.

Fang Weilan cared a lot about her reputation and while the storm had not dispersed, she would not come to an event like this.

In the past, she would always follow Fang Weilan and have to deal with flattering and being flattered by all the other ladies. Ruan Zhiyin was glad she did not have to deal with all the veiled compliments and smiling masks. She only talked to Gu Linlang in the secluded second-floor outdoor garden.

“Cheng Yuelin is giving you a lot of face.”

Gu Linlang was referring to the scene just now.

Due to Cheng Yuelin’s attitude, there were a lot of people who came to talk to Ruan Zhiyin. It was only now that they were able to escape from all the attention and talked in peace.

Ruan Zhiyin smiled and then nodded. “You could say so. After all this benefits both of us, but his personality can be a bit annoying."

Gu Linlang knew that she and Cheng Yuelin had been getting along well. She shook her and said, “The two of you have gone from enemies to friends. I can tell that you are a lot more relaxed now.”

Ever since Ruan Zhiyin had returned to the Ruan family, she had rarely seen Ruan Zhiyin this relaxed.

Ruan Zhiyin paused in surprise. “Really?”

After carefully thinking about it, during this time that she had spent with Cheng Yuelin, she had really put down a lot of the burdens she had accumulated.

Even though he always nitpicked over trivial things and would argue with her in his arrogant manner, she was never able to maintain her usual calm demeanor. She would end up in a situation where she could neither laugh nor cry.

“You have not returned to China for so long, you probably do not know how Cheng Yuelin looks to other people. When I first met him four years ago, he was so cold and indifferent, he did not seem human. I cannot imagine him acting like a strutting rooster like you and Ye Yanchu have described. I have not seen him act this way before.”

Ruan Zhiyin frowned slightly. She could not imagine an overly cold Cheng Yuelin that Gu Linlang had described. She was silent for a few seconds while she pondered.

The two of them did not speak for long before Fang Weirui walked onto their secluded open-air balcony.

He met Ruan Zhiyin’s eyes and greeted. “Zhiyin, long time no see.”

“Yeah.” Ruan Zhiyin nodded. She saw that Fang Weirui’s eyes were shifting a little uneasily. She smiled, turned to Gu Linlang and said, “I’m going to go to the bathroom."

After speaking, she stood up to leave and walked back into the banquet hall.

As Fang Weirui watched her receding back, he thought back to the message he had just sent. He could not help but feel a bit ashamed. But his loyalties still lay heavier on the other side.

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Ruan Zhiyin did not know about Fang Weirui’s misgivings. She only knew that he was Qin Jue’s good friend. She did not want to stay and talk; in case she caused Gu Linlang and Fang Weirui to have an argument.

But Ruan Zhiyin could not expect that when she came out of the washroom, she would run into the person she did not want to see the most.

After not seeing him for a period of time, the man had lost weight. The suit that was originally tailored and cut to fit him exactly was now loose and the dark black eyes were filled with emotion.

In a moment, she understood what had happened.

Fang Weirui must have intentionally sent a message to Qin Jue. This led to Qin Jue, who had originally planned to not attend the Yan family banquet to show up unannounced.

Seeing Ruan Zhiyin’s indifferent gaze, Qin Jue, who had come in a hurry, felt that something was wrong.

In the next moment, his thin lips pursed slightly.

He had only been discharged from the hospital yesterday and he had not planned to attend the Yan family’s banquet.

During this time, the longing he had felt for Ruan Zhiyin had grown stronger and stronger. After receiving the message from Fang Weirui, he could no longer ignore the longing in his heart. He had quickly driven himself over to try to meet her.

She did not want to give him an opportunity to meet with her, but Qin Jue desperately needed a chance to explain himself to Ruan Zhiyin.

Thinking of this, he stretched out his hand and blocked her path. “Zhiyin, let’s talk.”

Ruan Zhiyin frowned in displeasure. She looked at him and her voice was cold. “Was it Fang Weirui who told you that I am at the Yan family’s banquet?"

Qin Jue paused. “Don’t blame him. I could not find an opportunity to talk to you.”

His recent state had been really bad and Fang Weirui, of course, knew why. So he decided to do this. Qin Jue was grateful, but he did not want to cause his best friend to fight with Gu Linlang.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

Ruan Zhiyin had to hold back her laughter. She had never expected that the result of her choice was due to a misunderstanding between her and Qin Jue.

“I...” Qin Jue hesitated.

After a moment, he met Ruan Zhiyin’s gaze and said, “I have no relationship with Jingfei. There is no relationship now and there never was in the past. In the beginning, we did not even date. That was due to... me rebelling against my family.”

After speaking, he bitterly laughed and said in a low voice, “Zhiyin, I have always loved you, but you are just too calm.”

Over the past few years, he always felt that there was some wall between Ruan Zhiyin and himself.

Even though they had dated for three years, the two of them had been busy with work and their studies. When he had begun his startup, he barely had time to sleep and would spend each day going from place to place.

They were people with clear goals and they would not stop or slow down just to indulge the other person.

For Qin Jue, Ruan Zhiyin was not only his lover, she was also a good business partner.

Most of their daily communication was work related, but after each celebration and achievement, they would always have a gentle romance.

Ruan Zhiyin had always silently accompanied him and it had made him complacent. He felt as though they still had a lot of time. When the two of them had more free time, they would be able to deal with the other matters.

She would be able to tell him everything and put down all her burdens one day.

Qin Jue felt that the problem between the two of them was a fixable argument. However, she had decisively chosen to leave him.

So, what was it that bothered her?

Qin Jue had thought about that question for a long time and had come to a conclusion.

Ruan Zhiyin had never brought up his past with Lin Jingfei. He had also not wanted to acknowledge the childish mentality that he had previously. But he did not want this to become a barrier between the two of them.

At least, this was what Qin Jue thought.

After finally explaining himself, Qin Jue’s gaze remained on her beautiful face and he carefully watched her expression.

But Qin Jue could not have thought that even after he finished speaking, Ruan Zhiyin would still be expressionless. Her words were still calm and indifferent. “So?"