After the mother and daughter walked out of the apartment building, Fang Xinxin kept looking back reluctantly. He Xiuzhen tugged at her and said with a smile, "Alright, stop looking. Sooner or later, Mom will make sure you get to live there too."
Fang Xinxin withdrew her gaze, then suddenly thought of something. "Mom, does Cousin really live alone in such a big place?"
That girl was about the same age as her—wearing pretty dresses and living in a beautiful home. But what about herself? She had been wearing the same clothes for years, their house was shabby and run-down, and at school she had to share a dorm room with more than a dozen people.
It really was true—comparison only made people miserable.
He Xiuzhen let out a cold laugh. "She has a rich father. Even if he hasn't officially acknowledged her, he still provides for her well. I heard this apartment was bought by the Ruan family for her."
…
After being disturbed by that visit, Ruan Xingchen completely lost the urge to go back to sleep. She put the basket of fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, washed up, changed clothes, then grabbed her bag and headed out.
She planned to go to a shopping mall downtown to buy some things, then stop by the market for groceries.
There were quite a few daily necessities in her apartment that needed replacing—and it was also time to buy new underwear.
For close-fitting items like underwear, Ruan Xingchen usually replaced them every three months, sticking to brands she was used to.
After arriving at the mall, she went straight up to the third floor, found the store she always visited, quickly finished her shopping, and left.
As she was going down the escalator, her stomach suddenly growled.
Only then did she remember she hadn't eaten anything since waking up—and it was almost lunchtime.
After leaving the mall, she made a quick decision and went into a nearby restaurant.
It was only a little after eleven, so the place wasn't crowded. Soon, the waiter brought out her order.
She had only eaten about halfway when suddenly—
A chill spread over her head.
Cold water trickled down her hair, dripping onto her face, blurring her vision.
"Ah, sorry—I didn't mean to."
A sharp female voice sounded beside her ear. Ruan Xingchen turned her head and blinked hard. After a moment, she finally made out a fashionably dressed woman standing beside the table, looking apologetic.
Next to her, another woman stood with a mocking smile—
Ruan Shuqing.
Ruan Xingchen pressed her lips together, grabbed a tissue, and casually wiped the water off her face. Then she suddenly stood up, picked up the milk tea on the table—barely touched—and splashed it straight at the woman.
After placing the cup down, she blinked innocently.
"Sorry—my hand slipped."
Ruan Shuqing reacted quickly and dodged, but the other woman was drenched.
She screamed, wiping her face with the back of her hand, standing in the aisle in a disheveled state. Her eyes turned red as she glared viciously at Ruan Xingchen.
"Waiter! Waiter!"
The commotion quickly drew the attention of the restaurant staff. They hurried over.
"Miss Yu, what's going on here…"
The woman pointed angrily at Ruan Xingchen. "Didn't you see I was splashed all over? Since when does your restaurant allow people like this in here?!"
The waiter glanced between the two.
In truth, they had all seen what happened—it was clearly Miss Yu who started it by splashing water on the girl.
But to keep their jobs, the waiter could only turn to Ruan Xingchen with an apologetic expression.
"Miss, your behavior toward another guest has caused trouble in our restaurant. Please offer Miss Yu a formal apology."
Ruan Xingchen frowned but said nothing.
It was obvious these two women had come looking for trouble. But if she swallowed this humiliation, she'd suffocate from anger—and if Lu Xiaobai found out, she'd definitely scold her to death.
"An apology isn't enough!" the woman pressed on. "Do you even know how expensive this dress is? You probably couldn't afford it even if you didn't eat or drink for a year or two!"
The waiter looked troubled.
At that moment, Ruan Shuqing suddenly spoke.
"In my opinion, even if you drag her to the police station, she wouldn't be able to compensate you anyway. Why make it so troublesome? Why not have her kneel down and apologize right here—then we'll call it even."
The surrounding waiters and customers all widened their eyes in shock.
Kneel? That was too humiliating!
The woman seemed quite pleased with the suggestion and smiled smugly. "That works. As long as you kneel and apologize, I won't pursue this matter or make you pay."
The entire restaurant fell silent as staff and customers watched the scene unfold.
They were all curious—what would the girl do?
Kneel? Pay? Or something else?
But what happened next disappointed them.
The girl didn't argue or make a fuss. She simply looked quietly at Ruan Shuqing with her clear, watery eyes.
No matter how she thought about it, they were still sisters—why would Ruan Shuqing side with outsiders to bully her?
Was it really all because of Jiang Heng?
Ruan Xingchen closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the grievance in her heart, then stepped out of the booth.