Ruan
1229 Words
Ruan Xi gazed indifferently at the busy servants reflected in the mirror.
From the initial resistance to the collapse upon learning the truth, to the shock of becoming a substitute bride tomorrow, she now had no emotions left.
Looking at her hands covered by bridal gloves, concealing the hideous wounds underneath, Ruan Xi fell into contemplation.
Three months ago, while shopping at a suburban supermarket, Ruan Xi was suddenly summoned to the police station.
The visitor was a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit, accompanied by several sturdy men.
He claimed to be the steward of her family, here to bring her back to acknowledge her roots.
Witnessing the tears shed by the officers deceived by the inexplicable missing person story, Ruan Xi felt a sense of unease.
She had lived in the village with her mother since birth; there were no long-lost biological parents!
Yet, they had a hospital birth certificate and a paternity test.
Looking at the name written above - "Li Qinghe" as the father of Ruan Xi.
She had no idea who Li Qinghe was, never heard of him.
Facing officers who had completely turned against her, Ruan Xi didn't know what to do. She had recently arrived for her studies, with almost no acquaintances around.
She didn't know whom to turn to for help; her mother had passed away in a car accident last year.
Oh, Grandpa Shang! Grandpa Shang would surely help her.
She frantically pulled away from the man holding her arm and started making phone calls.
No one answered, no one answered...
Just when Ruan Xi was about to lose her mind, a different voice came from inside.
But the next second,
"The user you're trying to reach is currently switched off."
Ruan Xi's legs went weak, nearly collapsing on the ground.
Vaguely, she seemed to see the middle-aged man walking towards her. The moment her arm was grabbed, Ruan Xi plunged into darkness.
She woke up again, disturbed by the familiar and uncomfortable ringing in her ears.
Opening her eyes, she found herself on an airplane.
These self-righteous robbers.
Her hands were tightly bound to the seat, and in front of her stood the middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit.
"Miss Ruan, awake? Let me introduce myself. I am Rong Zhong, the steward of the Rong family."
Ruan Xi tried to speak but found it almost impossible; her vocal cords seemed blocked.
Seeing her struggle, Rong Zhong smiled apologetically and walked over, gently tapping her ear. Ruan Xi felt a warm stream flowing from her crown to her throat and then to her abdomen.
She tentatively uttered a few syllables.
To her surprise, she could speak.
"Where are you taking me?"
Ruan Xi realized that confronting them head-on was like hitting a rock with an egg.
To bring a private jet with bodyguards and abduct someone, there must be a powerful force behind them.
Now she could only hope that she was their only target.
Thinking about the person waiting for her to return in the rented house, Ruan Xi suddenly felt a bit bitter. How could that man, who was now no different from a three-year-old child, survive in a foreign land where they couldn't communicate?
Originally, she planned to help him regain his identity first and then bring him home to seek Grandpa Shang's help.
But unexpectedly, she was the one who got tied up.
Meanwhile, in a small white building in Country X just after the plane took off, only the incessant barking of a pet dog could prove the chaos that had just occurred here.
A meticulously cared-for hand lazily lifted, stopping the bodyguards preparing to take action. The fingertips adorned with diamond nails opened a drawer in front of them.
After a brief pause, seemingly searching for something, she took out the diamond watch incongruously mixed with other items.
Turning around, about to leave, her foot seemed to step on something hard.
A small wooden block with the words "Please call XXXX to find Ruan!" was imprinted on it.
It looked like it had been played with many times, with rounded corners.
Looking at the wooden block, a sarcastic smile appeared on the woman's face.
Then she handed the item to the person next to her.
"Burn it."
"Yes!"
"Miss Ruan, don't panic. Although you haven't met the master, he is undoubtedly your father."
Ruan Xi noticed that when mentioning "the master," Rong Zhong's eyes revealed undisguised mockery and disdain.
This supposed father of hers was probably a son-in-law of this family, but somehow, even a steward like Rong Zhong didn't regard him highly.
"But I've never heard my mother mention anyone named Li Qinghe."
Ruan Xi tried to extract useful information as much as possible. Currently, she was too passive.
Rong Zhong seemed cautious, responding to this question with a raised eyebrow.
"Miss Ruan, please don't force me. We servants have no right to discuss our master's family affairs outside."
Ruan Xi felt a bit angry, but after some thought, she restrained herself.
If they could find her so easily, they must have had a lot of information in the country.
The substantial inheritance left in her bank account after her mother's accident last year.
Ruan Xi didn't know what that meant. On that day, the relatives from the village, whom she rarely had any contact with, suddenly became interested in her family.
They argued every day in the yard about how to distribute the inheritance. At that time, Ruan Xi was just a young girl who had recently graduated from college, completely unprepared for such a situation.
It was Grandpa Shang who protected her, pulling her out of that besieged yard.
However, the calm didn't last.
Even after hiding in Grandpa Shang's house, Ruan Xi only gained a momentary respite.
He was the old herbal doctor in the village, treating generations of villagers for a long time.
So everyone loved him.
Moreover, Grandpa Shang was also a restorer of ancient musical instruments.
But no one knew about this.
Everyone just thought he liked playing musical instruments that made sounds at home.
One night, an uncle tried to take advantage of Grandpa Shang's absence during a consultation and sneaked into the yard to take Ruan Xi away.
Grandpa Shang knew that he couldn't protect this girl who had grown up in front of him.
He told Ruan Xi, "To avoid being bullied, one must first strengthen oneself. If temporarily weak, avoid the battle and wait for the opportunity."
So, under Grandpa Shang's guidance, Ruan Xi decided to apply to a foreign preparatory school. She knew that only when this money was spent and disappeared, those people would give up.
First, she found her former class teacher in college, who had always taken care of her. The teacher often took her home for meals, especially after hearing about her experience, she brought Ruan Xi to her home.
This teacher was also a legendary woman. Widowed at an early age, she raised her daughter alone and died while rescuing students in a village hit by an earthquake during a volunteer teaching mission.
This strong woman, who had lived alone all her life, this old professor who wrote on the blackboard with meticulousness and vigor till the end.
After hearing her daughter's obituary, she wiped away her tears secretly and continued to finish the class for them.
- Writer
