'But... it wasn't like this when they were little. I raised both of them myself. I might have been a bit strict, but life was so warm and pleasant back then.'
Jiangg Ruxue had always felt that those were happy tis.
She would co ho from her busy company and see Jiangg Ning reading and Jiangg Yao playing the piano. The two of them would be quietly settled in their rooms, like girls from a painting or a storybook.
She despised disobedient, unruly children; seeing them made her want to strangle them.
'Look how well I raised my two daughters.'
Back then, Jiangg Ruxue had felt an imnse sense of accomplishnt... But in the blink of an eye, they grew up, broke free from her control, and their wings hardened.
Now they were wary of her every day, as if they were afraid she would set them up!
Jiangg Ruxue picked up her wine glass, tilted back her pale neck, and drained it in one go. At that mont, her heart was filled with bitterness.
'How could a mother possibly harm her own daughters? Marrying them into good families... they'll eventually understand my good intentions. Keeping them away from all that sleazy stuff... isn't that a form of protection?'
Jiangg Ruxue felt wronged but didn't know who to confide in. All she could do was drink glass after glass, her gaze gradually becoming hazy.
There was no one else in the quiet private room; she was alone on the terrace.
Before long, an evening breeze swept over. Jiangg Ruxue sank back onto the sofa, letting out a sigh that was both satisfied and languid. Her dusty-rose lips parted slightly as she stretched out her arms.
'So many people call a venomous woman, a husband-killer, ruthless and vicious.'
'But if you're not ruthless, it's hard to gain a foothold in a business world dominated by n. And the 'husband-killer' thing is utter nonsense. I never did anything to cause my ex-husband's death; it was just an accident.'
No matter how she fought for profits, it was only for her own future. Killing her ex-husband would have brought her no benefit whatsoever.
Jiangg Ruxue could even hear employees in the company breakroom telling new hires those stories, which grew more and more outrageous with each retelling.
'My ex-husband…'
His face surfaced in her mind, and she gave a scornful laugh.
'It's been so long since I've thought of him, I'd almost forgotten his face.'
Aside from the inheritance he left behind, all that remained of him was a tombstone in a cetery and endless absurdity. That was all.
'Speaking of which, that young man I t today…'
She toyed with the glass in her hand. Soft light from above the terrace wall cascaded down, reflecting off its surface.
Jiangg Ruxue thought he was quite handso and definitely her type. He was a whole level above that eighteenth-tier pretty boy she'd found the other day. His eyebrows and eyes looked a lot like her ex-husband's. The only sha was that he was too young. 'If he had a few more years,' she mused, 'he could probably mature into a handso man who still has a hint of boyishness.'
The more Jiangg Ruxue thought about it, the deeper the curve of her lips beca.
She even had the fleeting thought of having a little fun with the kid.
'Forget it.'
Jiangg Ruxue sighed. She was already at her age. If she were in her thirties, she would have been more than willing to start sothing flirtatious with this young man.
'In the vast sea of people, a single chance eting like this... it's unlikely our paths will ever cross again.'
THUD—
A dull sound ca from the table as she set down the glass.
Jiangg Ruxue used the sofa to pull herself up. She took a few seconds to steady herself, her high heels now planted firmly on the floor.
She was drunk and decided to go for a walk to clear her head.
「...」
A cheerful, lively tune humd from her throat as the drunken woman walked unabashedly down the street, handbag in tow.
The slender heels of her shoes avoided the lines between the paving stones of the sidewalk. Every so often, she would give a little hop, flashing the striking red of her soles for a stunning, fleeting glimpse before landing again.
It was a playful sort of elegance.
Countless passersby stared, dazed.
But Jiangg Ruxue couldn't care less. She savored the RUSTLE of the wind through dry leaves, the dusty sll of the street. With the world spinning from the alcohol, everything seed to take on a lovely quality.
She didn't even know where she was going—just that it wasn't back to the hotel. She wandered aimlessly, hoping to find a quiet place where she could sit down.
'I can always just grab a cab back to the hotel anyway.'
Cities all have a different feel. Compared to the prosperity and indifference of Mingzhu City, Lanjing was clearly a bit warr.
For so reason, Jiangg Ruxue could begin to understand why her two daughters were willing to stay here for so long.
As she finished humming an old song from the eighties, her shadow stretched long beneath a streetlight. She kept walking until she found herself in front of a restaurant, its glowing sign a little too dazzling.
She raised a hand to shield her eyes, squinting.
'Just what place is so audacious as to dare blind ?'
Then, once her eyes adjusted to the brightness, her gaze focused on the inside of the floor-to-ceiling window. Pressed against the clear glass, a handso profile ca into view.
She froze for a mont.
Jiangg Ruxue's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Well, what a coincidence~" she murmured to herself, a smile playing on her lips. "I was just debating whether or not to have so fun, and here you are, walking right into my grasp."
「...」
"Waiter, a steak, and mix a drink... any flavor will do."
A sultry, commanding voice echoed through the restaurant. Jiangg Ruxue found a seat with her back to where Chen Yuan was sitting. She propped her forehead on her hand, the very picture of intoxication.
From the mont she walked in, the gazes of nurous n were fixed on this captivating woman.
So of them were staring so hard their eyes seed to glaze over.
Chen Yuan had been enjoying a movie. He'd seen *Pacific Rim* countless tis, but he was still blown away by the cha combat scenes. He'd even forgotten that his driver was coming to pick him up.
He glanced up casually before turning his attention back to the screen.
'Wait a second…'
Chen Yuan's expression suddenly froze. His head, which had been lowered, snapped up. He stared at her back for a mont.
A chill ran down his spine.
'Could it really be such a coincidence???'
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