After Teasing the Villain and Running Away - Chapter 17

“Xiao Sheng, if you’re feeling pressured, there’s no need to rush.” A concerned voice came through the phone. “Once I finish this project, I can come back and help you.”

Jiang Ruosheng sat at her desk, looking slightly exhausted. Days of relentless work had left dark circles under her eyes, but her gaze remained bright, shimmering with determination.

“It’s really fine. Things here aren’t as complicated as they are over there. Right now is the critical moment to launch the project—we can’t afford delays. I’ve already sorted out the funding, so don’t worry about it. With a good start, everything else will fall into place.”

The other end of the line fell silent for a moment. “We’re sorry for burdening you with this responsibility, leaving you to manage the company alone with no one to rely on. If we hadn’t been so reckless back then…”

Jiang Ruosheng exhaled softly. “There’s no need to bring up the past. Besides, isn’t this good for me? A young CEO, my name still hanging on the alumni wall of Peking University—a successful entrepreneur, an honorary guest professor.”

“Alright, I get it.” The voice on the other end softened. “By the way, I heard Ruan Xin returned to the country a few days ago. Did you know?”

Jiang Ruosheng’s fingers, which had been tapping the desk, paused briefly. Her eyes skimmed over the financial reports on her computer screen, unfocused.

“I heard about it,” she replied, instinctively omitting the fact that Ruan Xin had come to see her.

“Who would’ve thought she’d turn out to be part of the Xin family? Over the years abroad, I’ve heard a few things about her—decisive, ruthless, incredibly capable. Even though she’s an omega, the Xin family’s overseas operations are officially managed by Xin Chengbi, but in reality, they’ve all been handed over to Ruan Xin.”

Jiang Ruosheng was slightly surprised. She had expected Ruan Xin to have infiltrated the Xin family by now, but she hadn’t anticipated it happening so quickly. Xin Chengbi was Xin Chengguang’s sister, second only to him in authority within the family. If Xin Chengbi had also sided with Ruan Xin, then Ruan Xin now had the power to rival Xin Ran.

A thought crossed her mind, and after a brief hesitation, she asked, “Sis, how much do you know about Ruan Xin being an omega?”

There was a pause on the other end. “I don’t know the specifics. It seems it was discovered not long after she went abroad for university. The Xin family kept it tightly under wraps—publicly, they only claimed it was a secondary gender differentiation.”

Secondary differentiation turning an alpha into an omega?

That excuse was absurd, but since the Xin family had declared it, no one dared to openly question it.

“Xiao Sheng, every member of the Xin family is formidable, and their affairs are best left untouched. The Jiang family is a prime example. I know you and Ruan Xin were… You’ve been alone all these years. Do you still have feelings for her?”

Jiang Ruosheng closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. “No, we broke up—seven years ago. I won’t deny that I’ve thought about her over the years, but with time, those feelings have faded.”

“I don’t like her anymore. We were never compatible to begin with, and I’ve long since realized that. Times change, people change faster than feelings, and those past events are just beautiful memories…”

Without resentment or entanglement, treating it all as mere memories—part of life’s joys and sorrows—this should count as truly letting go.

To say Jiang Rusheng felt no flutter upon seeing Ruan Xin again would be a lie, but one shouldn’t stumble into the same pit twice. The initial fervor and longing for love had been doused with icy water, leaving none of that former passion.

“Besides, I’ve been buried in work all these years—no time or energy for romance. Don’t worry, once things settle down in a few years, I’ll give it proper consideration.”

After the usual catch-up about others, Jiang Rusheng hung up almost guiltily, suddenly questioning whether she’d been bewitched by Ruan Xin when she agreed to that absurd arrangement.

Yet, glancing at the stacks of documents crowding her desk, she couldn’t help but sigh—having money was truly wonderful.

With ample funding and all payments secured, the project could launch within days. Viewed this way, playing Ruan Xin’s girlfriend for a while as a human shield seemed like a pretty good deal.

When the money’s right, what the boss says goes. Why make things difficult for yourself over cash?

After all, emotions needn’t enter the equation.

Thinking of her benefactor, Jiang Rusheng flipped to her chat history with Ruan Xin. Nearly a week had passed since their reunion, yet their conversation remained frozen at the initial “Hello” after adding each other.

Resting her chin in hand, Jiang Rusheng reasoned that Ruan Xin, freshly returned from abroad, must be swamped. In that sense, they were both slaves to their work.

Stretching, she set aside her phone and returned to the embrace of paperwork.

Meanwhile, at the executive elevator bank, Ruan Xin stood motionless, an oversized lunchbox in hand, watching the floor numbers flicker overhead.

Her striking features were half-shadowed, the usual unreadable mask giving nothing away.

Outside the CEO’s office, assistant Liu Yue spotted the unexpected visitor and approached in confusion.

“Who are you? How did you get up here?” The words escaped before Liu Yue registered the woman’s exquisite beauty and aristocratic bearing, suddenly feeling rude.

Noticing the woman lingering near the CEO’s door, Liu Yue tried again: “Are you here to see the CEO? If you have an appointment, may I have your name to announce you?”

Ruan Xin pressed her lips together and extended the massive lunchbox. “No need. Just give her this.”

Liu Yue examined the multi-tiered wooden container bearing Qingweizhai’s distinctive logo, then took in the woman’s celebrity-grade beauty, a theory forming.

“Ah! You must be Ms. Chen from Lexi Entertainment!” Accepting the lunchbox, Liu Yue’s round face brightened with a disarming smile. “Director Guan mentioned you. Qingweizhai reservations are impossible to get—with your thoughtful gesture, I’m sure the CEO will be touched.”

Ruan Xin froze, lips thinning into a taut line, storm clouds gathering in her eyes.

Liu Yue suddenly felt a chill emanating from the woman before her. Those gloomy, water-like eyes inexplicably filled her with fear. The intangible pressure of authority surrounding the woman felt somewhat familiar—similar to what she experienced during company-wide meetings in the presence of their CEO.

“Miss Chen… you…”

“Accept? Accept what?” Ruan Xin furrowed her brows, her gaze sweeping over the lunchbox. “It seems people frequently send bento boxes to your CEO. She’s quite fortunate indeed.”

Liu Yue froze. She realized she must have mistaken this woman’s identity, but among all the CEO’s troublesome admirers, Miss Chen was the only one she hadn’t met before.

Was this yet another new one?

“Miss Chen from Lexi Entertainment,” Ruan Xin emphasized, committing this name and prefix to memory. She then asked Liu Yue, “It sounds like there are other Miss Chens too? Quite a number of them?”

Liu Yue’s mind went blank for a moment, and she instinctively replied, “Not many, not many.”

“Really? Who are they then?”

Ruan Xin crossed her arms as the executive elevator dinged to a stop before her. The doors slid open. If there had been any hint of fleeing earlier, now she simply appeared like a complete outsider.

It was Jiang Ruosheng who had initiated everything between them first.

She was the one who approached first, confessed first, seduced first. Yet in the end, she was also the first to run away, the first to abandon, the first to say she no longer cared.

Why did Jiang Ruosheng always have the upper hand, seizing every advantage, while she could only let this uncontrollable emotion pull her along passively?

The pain of her nails digging into her palms failed to snap Ruan Xin out of her temporary irrationality.

Beside her, Liu Yue wore a bitter expression, sweating nervously under the woman’s intense gaze. “No one important, really. The elevator’s here—shall I escort you down?”

“No need,” Ruan Xin said coolly, stepping confidently into the elevator.

As the storm passed by, the fortunate survivor breathed a sigh of relief. But the aftermath left only sorrow and confusion in its wake.

Could strength and fragility coexist in one person without contradiction? Liu Yue frowned slightly as she observed the woman whose desolate aura was impossible to conceal.

It was like watching a snail stripped of its shell—the softness within laid completely bare, making it impossible to tell whether the strong exterior had been a disguise or if this momentary vulnerability was the true facade.

As the elevator doors began to close, Liu Yue couldn’t help but step forward. “…May I ask your name?”

But she received no answer.

The polished metal doors reflected Ruan Xin’s exhausted, distant expression.

Her delicate makeup was carefully applied—the elegant arch of her willow-leaf eyebrows perfectly shaped, her full lips glowing with a healthy sheen, though the center bore a trace of bl00d where she’d bitten down. The metallic taste spread across her tongue as she licked the wound.

Pearl earrings with a faint pink hue dangled from her pale earlobes. Below, her emerald green suit and knee-high boots accentuated her beautiful leg lines. From head to toe, she was red-carpet ready.

Yet the one who should have seen her never did.

Jiang Ruosheng’s words in the office replayed in her mind one after another, growing increasingly vivid.

In her chest, a torrent of dark thoughts churned relentlessly. Her flickering eyes reflected a storm of complex emotions, as if an entire century had passed—though in reality, it was merely the minute-long descent of the elevator.

“Ding,” the elevator doors slid open again.

Ruan Xin’s face had already shifted back to an air of nonchalance. She wiped away the faint trace of red at the corner of her lips with a graceful motion, her deep pupils now calm and composed. Every movement exuded an effortless elegance and nobility.

“Ruan Xin,  There’s a banquet this Wednesday. Accompany me.”

Jiang Ruosheng stared blankly at the abrupt message from Ruan Xin, finding it completely out of the blue.

Warning: Detected antagonist’s corruption level at 70%. Host is advised to provide immediate assistance.

Jiang Ruosheng: …This smells like a setup.