The more she listened, the angrier she became!
Han Chong furrowed his brow, barely restraining himself from standing up to intimidate them with force. But before he could rise, the girl, cold-faced and holding a jar of chili sauce, walked straight to the table where the loudest gossipers sat. Under everyone's gaze, she slammed the jar down heavily in front of them, her amber eyes icy. "Ladies and gentlemen, mouths are for eating, not for judging others. If you have praise, say it freely. If you have hurtful words, think twice before speaking."
The crowd was stunned by her overbearing presence.
"If your mouths are itching for excitement, I suggest you eat more chili."
Her words left everyone mortified. These were ordinary townsfolk, and gossiping behind someone's back put them in the wrong. Publicly reopening someone's wounds was indeed a blow to their own image.
The diners fell silent, too embarrassed to speak. An Ruo swept a cold glance over them before returning to her seat to continue feeding the man.
Watching her stand up for him like that, Shen Xiaoxing felt a warmth in his heart, and was even more startled by her sudden fierce demeanor. She had always struck him as cold and composed, with a detached personality that seemed to care about nothing. Yet here she was, unleashing her authority to defend him.
A surge of joy exploded in Shen Xiaoxing's chest. The wonton she fed him even tasted sweet. Being protected like this filled him with an overwhelming sense of happiness!
"Why do you eat wontons like this?"
An Ruo chewed her food, her cheeks puffing out adorably.
"Because it's delicious."
What other reason could there be?
She thought for a moment, then suddenly turned the question back: "And you? Why do you like wontons?"
"Because..." Shen Xiaoxing's brow furrowed slightly, his voice low. "There was once someone very important who made them for me every morning."
An Ruo latched onto the key point. "Someone very important?"
Seeing his brows knit so tightly, as if he was reminiscing about someone, could it be... an ex-girlfriend?
"Yeah. Back then, I never got tired of eating them..."
An Ruo pressed on. "What happened later? Where is that important person now? Are you still in touch?"
For some reason, she desperately wanted to know.
The question seemed to hit a sore spot. His brow tightened further, a faint sadness washing over his face. As if unwilling to show it, he lowered his head slightly and muttered, "She's no longer here."
So she must have dumped him, taken a million-dollar check, and flown abroad. Every time he thought of that ex-girlfriend, it pained him deeply.
An Ruo's dramatic side kicked in, and she had already conjured up a sweet-and-bitter epic romance in her head.
But...
Why did her chest feel so tight? Why did she not want him to miss that ex-girlfriend?
...
On the way back, An Ruo was in a rare good mood, telling the man funny stories from her high school days, deliberately skipping over An Qing's bullying and any mention of her being the adopted daughter of the An family.
Shen Xiaoxing listened while sneering inwardly. He had already had people investigate all of that—how she was taken in by Grandma An, what treatment she endured in the An family—he knew every detail.
Sometimes he wondered why he was so fixated on An Ruo. He thought he had no shortage of women around him; if he wanted, he could get rid of her at any time and replace her with someone else. Shen Tingfeng had shoved plenty of women into his arms before, but those who were paid to be there never treated him sincerely, and he found them dirty. So he had reason to dispose of them one by one, keeping himself cold and aloof, refusing to let anyone close.
But An Ruo was different. At first, he did intend to drive her away. Since it was an arranged marriage by the old man, he couldn't refuse, so he had to use underhanded tactics to force her to surrender. Who would have thought, that day he saw her lying in the snow, being kicked and beaten by that disgusting An mother and daughter, her stubbornness and defiant eyes deeply captivated him...
In that moment, Shen Xiaoxing realized they were the same—both weaklings who had been bullied mercilessly.
The same experiences, the same refusal to give up for the ones they loved.
She had tugged at the doctor's sleeve, begging desperately, and that helpless look struck him hard... When he was young, he too had knelt and begged like that, just to protect the most important woman in his life.
The difference was, back then, no one helped him. He watched helplessly as that important person left, powerless to do anything. Now, as a bystander, he had the ability to help her, so without a second thought, he squeezed the An Corporation, forcing An Deyu to pay back the fifty thousand she was owed.
The girl's voice was soft. "What are you thinking about?"
She had reached a funny part of her story, but noticed the man wasn't reacting. Looking up, she saw him frowning, lost in thought.
Shen Xiaoxing snapped back to reality. That bloody, violent childhood felt so distant now. He had the power to protect himself, and also... to protect her by his side.
"Just thinking about old memories."
An Ruo was curious. "What memories?"
"Some unpleasant ones." Shen Xiaoxing didn't want to bring up the topic of that woman, nor did he want to brush her off with a vague answer, so he simply said, "I'll tell you about them slowly someday."
It must be about his ex-girlfriend again!
Fine, don't tell me then. It's not like I want to know anyway.
An Ruo suppressed the irritation in her chest and nodded. "Okay."
She suddenly realized she was feeling possessive of this man?
Oh my god, why would she be angry that he was missing his ex-girlfriend?
Shouldn't she be indifferent, hoping his ex would come back and they'd reconcile, so she could be free?