The moment their lips touched, Ruan Xingchen's eyes widened, and her whole body froze stiff.
He—this uncle—he'd actually…
molested her again!
Her face flushed bright red, then turned ashen, then purple, then dark, shifting like a revolving lantern. Yet the culprit showed no sign of letting her go.
Enough was enough! She couldn't take it anymore!
Ruan Xingchen lifted her foot and stomped hard on the man's instep.
The little girl was furious, and her strength was nothing to scoff at. Lu Jingyuan let out a low groan and released her.
She glared at him with teary eyes, pointing an accusing finger. "You surnamed Lu! Who gave you permission to take advantage of me? You perverted, awful old man! Do you know this was my first kiss!"
She hadn't even found someone who could make her heart race like crazy yet. Lu Bai had told her she should only give her first kiss and share sweet little kisses with that special person.
This time, Ruan Xingchen was truly crying from anger.
She stomped on Lu Jingyuan's foot once more out of spite, grabbed her phone and keys from the coffee table, then spun on her heel and ran out the door.
Watching her fleeing figure, Lu Jingyuan rubbed his temples in regret, not chasing after her.
He'd let his impulses get the better of him. He'd been too rash and scared the little girl.
…
Back on the eleventh floor, Ruan Xingchen threw herself onto the sofa.
She buried her face in the cushions, her shoulders shaking violently as tears streamed down nonstop. Her fair cheeks turned bright red from crying, and her eyes grew puffy and swollen.
After crying for a long while until she was worn out, she sat up, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and picked up her phone to call Lu Bai.
Sorry, the subscriber you dialed is power off. Please try again later…
Hearing the cold robotic voice on the line, her lips trembled with grievance, and the tears she'd finally held back spilled out again.
Damn that awful old man. She'd never talk to him again.
She was quitting.
That's right—she was done!
After taking a shower, her mind kept replaying what had happened, the first kiss stolen from her for no reason. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
…
Twelfth floor.
Ruan Xingchen wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.
After finishing his third glass of red wine, Lu Jingyuan's restlessness hadn't faded one bit. If anything, the thought of the little girl's teary, aggrieved face only made him more irritable.
She must hate him now.
But he had no experience comforting a girl, and for a moment, he had no idea what to do.
After thinking long and hard, he set down his wine glass and picked up his phone.
His thumb hovered over the screen, and he frowned, tangled in hesitation.
Finally, he closed his eyes, found Wei Xiaoyuan's number in his contacts, and dialed.
Receiving a late-night call from Lu Jingyuan flattered Wei Xiaoyuan. "Hey buddy, why're you calling so late?"
Lu Jingyuan cut straight to the point with no idle chatter. "I made Ruan Xingchen cry."
"The little cutie?" Wei Xiaoyuan paused, then a cheeky snicker came through the line. "Spit it out—you took advantage of her, didn't you?"
…
"Let me guess. You kissed her, and now she's crying because you stole her first kiss?"
…
If Lu Jingyuan hadn't been certain no one else was in the house, he would've thought Wei Xiaoyuan was hiding somewhere spying on him.
Silence from Lu Jingyuan confirmed he'd guessed right, and Wei Xiaoyuan grew even more smug. "Heh, I knew it."
He softened his tone to comfort his best friend. "Don't worry too much. She's never dated anyone—pure as a blank sheet of paper. Getting forcefully kissed by a man in his thirties? Of course she'd be mad."
Lu Jingyuan's voice deepened. "So what do I do?"
"Spoil her! Get her favorite gifts, sweet-talk her, throw in a few promises…"
"I can't promise her anything."
"Huh?"
Lu Jingyuan hung up without explanation.
Buying gifts was easy, even gifts she liked. But sweet-talking a little girl? That was out of the question. Making empty promises? Even more so.
He'd never say what he couldn't keep.
…
The next morning.
With dark circles under her eyes and two eggs in her hand, Ruan Xingchen headed downstairs.
Spotting Lu Jingyuan's car, she immediately turned her head away, huffed loudly, pretended not to see him, and walked toward the bus stop.
The car slowly followed. The window rolled down, and the man looked at the little girl in her princess dress and twin ponytails, his tone gentler than usual. "Still mad?"
"Hmph. I'm not talking to you." Ruan Xingchen refused to look at him, her cute little face clearly screaming I'm still angry, don't talk to me.
Lu Jingyuan found her petty pout adorable, his heart softening. He was about to speak again when she suddenly took off running, dashed to the bus stop, and hopped straight onto a bus.
He parked his car and watched the bus drive away, helplessness flickering in his eyes.
He sat quietly in the driver's seat for a moment, then restarted the car. Instead of heading to the company, he turned toward the airport.
…
At school, Ruan Xingchen noticed Lu Bai was absent.
She slouched to her seat, staring at the leftover egg in her hand with a downturned mouth.
"Ruan Xingchen."
A boy's voice suddenly called out.
She looked up to see the class monitor standing by her desk. "Monitor? What's wrong?"
The monitor pushed his glasses up. "I heard you were sick yesterday."
Her grip tightened on the egg. She quickly lowered her eyes to hide her guilt, nodding awkwardly. "Yeah, but I'm better today."
"Good to hear." He turned to leave when she called after him.
"Monitor!"
He turned back, expressionless.
Ruan Xingchen smiled shyly, holding out the egg. "Have you had breakfast? Bai Bai's not here today, so I have an extra boiled egg."
The monitor stared at her for a second, then took the egg from her hand. His cold tone softened slightly. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Her smile brightened.
She was glad she'd given the egg away instead of wasting it.
The bell rang soon after. The monitor returned to his seat, and Ruan Xingchen pulled a book from her desk, laid her head down, and fell asleep at once.
She hadn't slept well the night before—this was perfect nap time.
…
After lunch, Ruan Xingchen left the cafeteria alone, planning to head back to class to sleep more. Suddenly two girls blocked her path.
"Ruan Xingchen, come with us."
She studied their faces and recognized them. The leader was in her class, the other from the next.
Without waiting for a reply, the leader signaled to her friend. The two grabbed Ruan Xingchen by the arms and dragged her to a quiet corner.
"What's your relationship with the class monitor?" she demanded the second they stopped.
Ruan Xingchen blinked, confused. "We're classmates."
"Don't play dumb!" The girl grabbed her hair, snarling fiercely. "If you were just classmates, why'd he take your egg? He's never accepted breakfast from me!"
Already in a foul mood, Ruan Xingchen shot back sharply. "How should I know? Ask him yourself!"
"Ruan Xingchen!" Enraged, the girl exchanged a look with her friend, and both lunged at her.
The three girls tussled fiercely until a roar echoed from afar.
"What are you doing?!"
All three froze and turned toward the voice.
The two girls attacking Ruan Xingchen let go at once, the leader's mouth falling open in shock. "M-Monitor…"
…
Five minutes later, the three girls plus the monitor were all in the Disciplinary Office.
Their homeroom teacher was on leave, so the Disciplinary Director handled the fight.
Unable to get a straight answer about what had caused the brawl, the director slammed his desk. "Call your parents! None of you are leaving today until they come!"
Ruan Xingchen stood silently in the corner, her fair face marked with red and blue bruises. Tears welled in her big eyes, yet she bit her lip hard, refusing to let them fall.
The monitor frowned at the sight of her.
Then the girl who'd started the fight spoke up, sneering at Ruan Xingchen. "Director, don't bother asking her. Everyone in our class knows Ruan Xingchen's an orphan."
At the word orphan, Ruan Xingchen's hands clenched tight.
The director frowned awkwardly. He knew the truth—this little girl was no orphan…
The monitor's eyes narrowed behind his glasses, about to speak, when Ruan Xingchen's clear, stubborn voice rang out loud and firm.
"Who says I have no family? I do."
The other girl scoffed. "Then call them!"
She'd been in the same class as Ruan Xingchen since junior high. No one had ever shown up for her parent-teacher meetings, and no one knew whose family she belonged to.
Trembling, Ruan Xingchen reached into her dress pocket and pulled out her phone.