Chapter 97: You men are all like this

Su Ruoyun walked slowly out of the bathroom after washing up, her cheeks still retaining a faint flush from the steam.

Her whole body was wrapped in lingering moisture, her hair only half-dried, still holding the dampness from her bath and emitting a faint, fragrant sheen; her long hair hung obediently back over her shoulders.

Su Ruoyun was wearing a milky-white silk pajama set that reached just to her knees, with a robe of the same material over it, the soft luster of the fabric wrapping snugly around her figure.

When she sat on the bed, the robe draped naturally, its texture excellent. She reached out to grab her phone from the nightstand, and glancing inadvertently at the top right corner of the screen, she discovered the battery was below 15%, with a conspicuous red warning flashing.

The charger had been left on the sofa in the living room; she had just charged it when she got home and hadn't brought it into the bedroom. So, she got up and walked out of the room.

Just as Su Ruoyun had retrieved the charger and re-entered the room, ready to sleep, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Who would be visiting so late?

Su Ruoyun stood where she was for two or three seconds, not rushing to open the door. Only when the doorbell continued to ring incessantly did she walk unhurriedly across the living room.

Arriving at the door, she stood on tiptoe and peered through the peephole, only to see a tall, slender figure standing outside. A familiar facial contour came into view—who else could it be but Su Mingyan?

Su Ruoyun hurriedly unlocked the door. "Brother, why are you here?"

Su Mingyan, hands in his pockets, leaned half-against the wall, still wearing the same clothes he had on while eating at the family courtyard that evening. He stepped idly into the apartment. Hearing Su Ruoyun ask the reason for his visit, his footsteps faltered for a rare moment, but he was evasive, refusing to tell the truth.

He couldn't exactly say that Jiang Xihan and Su Ruoyun lived in the same building in the same residential complex, and that after being kicked out by Jiang Xihan, he had no choice but to come to his sister's place to beg for shelter.

It was already too late, and since he had driven himself, Su Mingyan simply decided not to return to Xiangshan Yayuan and would just stay the night at Su Ruoyun's apartment; it was more convenient.

Seeing he wouldn't say, Su Ruoyun didn't press him. She took a pair of men's indoor slippers from the shoe cabinet at the entryway and tossed them in front of Su Mingyan. With the charging cable tangled in her hand, she pointed in a direction with her finger. "That room is empty. Clean it up yourself. I'm too tired, so I'm going to sleep first."

Saying "clean it up" was just a formality; in reality, Li Ayi cleaned the guest room once a week, and the sheets and duvet covers were already on, so he only needed to spread the quilt to sleep.

As she spoke, Su Ruoyun opened her mouth wide and yawned, truly unable to resist the sleepiness as her eyelids fought to stay open. She waved a hand at him listlessly, dragged her soft body, and walked slowly into the bedroom.

……

The next day.

When Su Ruoyun woke up, Su Mingyan was not yet up. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, then walked into the kitchen with a relaxed gait. Steam rose from the steamer basket, where several small, exquisite soup dumplings were arranged neatly.

She walked over to Li Ayi and told her that there would be one more person for breakfast, asking her to make a bit more.

Su Ruoyun's apartment sometimes had friends staying over, such as Li Li, He Jingrong, and others, so Li Ayi wasn't too surprised. After nodding gently, she went back to kneading dough, preparing to make handmade meat pies for the morning.

About ten minutes later, Su Ruoyun sat at the dining table. Su Mingyan was still not up. It wasn't until she had finished savoring her wontons, having eaten almost the entire bowl, that Su Mingyan strolled out of the guest bedroom, his whole body radiating the languor of a good night's sleep.

"Mr. Su." Li Ayi greeted him, then walked into the kitchen to get a set of bowls and chopsticks for Su Mingyan, placing them in front of him.

Su Mingyan thanked her politely, then picked up a soup spoon and ladled himself a bowl of soy milk.

White sugar was also on the table; he raised his hand to add some casually, not caring if it was too sweet, and took a sip with the spoon.

The question that hadn't been cleared up last night was asked by Su Ruoyun again.

"Why did you come here last night?"

Su Mingyan never visited without a reason.

Compared to Su Ruoyun, who often went back to Xiangshan Yayuan to mooch meals, Su Mingyan staying overnight at Su Ruoyun's apartment was a rare occurrence; usually, no matter how late it was, he would return to his own villa.

Su Ruoyun had asked him once, and Su Mingyan's answer was that it wasn't as comfortable as his own bed worth tens of thousands.

Hearing this, Su Mingyan leisurely scooped a spoonful of soy milk into his mouth, his Adam's apple rolling slightly. After swallowing the sweet soy milk, he said unhurriedly, "Isn't it because you wanted to know about the progress between her and me? So I came over in person, waiting for you to ask."

"Then what stage has your progress reached?" Su Ruoyun tilted her head, feeling a bit curious and gossipy; after all, she couldn't interview her own big brother about his romantic affairs up close every day.

Su Mingyan swept a glance at her without a trace, seeing the gossip written all over her face, and spoke slowly: "There is no progress at all; that is the progress between us."

A single sentence shattered Su Ruoyun's expectations.

Hearing his words, Su Ruoyun said "Ah" in disappointment, then suddenly remembered something: "Then that time at the auction, you were just acting like a hooligan toward her? I really misjudged you, Su Mingyan."

She said, filled with righteous indignation.

Hearing this, Su Mingyan frowned and asked suspiciously, "What auction?"

"The one last month! I saw it all. You were holding her and acting like a hooligan. Without a proper status, what right do you have to be handsy with her... Or could it be,"

Su Ruoyun knitted her brows, her voice gradually lowering. She gripped her chopsticks tightly, gritting her teeth, as if muttering to herself: "You men are all like this?"

Su Mingyan didn't hear her last sentence. He raised his eyebrows slightly and asked her, "What are you saying?"

Su Ruoyun said huffily, "Nothing." As she spoke, she rolled her eyes, not avoiding him at all.

After breakfast, Su Ruoyun went to the tea house to work, doing her daily tasks: checking the accounts, organizing tea leaves for delivery, and so on...

That evening, against the backdrop of the azure sky and the sunset glow, Su Ruoyun finished work and headed home.

She parked her car in the basement and took the elevator up. The number on the display screen just jumped, changing from B1 to 1F, and the elevator doors slid open slowly.

Su Ruoyun's peripheral vision inadvertently caught sight of a woman at the elevator entrance. She was slender, her right hand supporting her forehead, her face pale and looking very weak, leaning against the wall to barely support herself; she looked to be in a lot of discomfort.

She asked kindly, "Are you alright?"

When the person heard her voice and realized the elevator doors had opened, she slowly raised her head.

Seeing the woman's face clearly, Su Ruoyun was stunned. "Miss Jiang?" ===== CHAPTER 98 =====