After Teasing the Villain and Running Away - Chapter 27

Her expression was slightly cold, her dignified and beautiful profile tracing a haughty, stubborn curve. She wasn’t wearing anything too formal—just a pale green cheongsam, the color of tea-stained mist, sinking into the fine, damp vapor. Her soft hair was half-tied up in a bun, adorned with a purple diamond butterfly hairpin that seemed ready to take flight.

Standing by the door, her graceful figure didn’t look like someone eavesdropping—more like she was posing for a magazine cover.

Jiang Ruosheng hadn’t expected Ruan Xin to show up. Her fingers, still chilled from the water, twitched slightly as she blurted out reflexively, “What are you doing here?”

Ruan Xin arched one eyebrow, her tone neither warm nor angry. “I can’t come?”

“That’s not what I meant—”

Before Jiang Ruosheng could finish, Lu Ran, who had followed her out, grabbed her arm. “I wasn’t done talking, Ruosheng—”

“Dragging someone else’s fiancée aside to pour out your heart—after all these years, Miss Lu’s new habits are truly something I can’t bring myself to admire.”

Lu Ran’s expression darkened instantly. Following the voice, she saw Ruan Xin staring coldly at her.

Years apart, and she still couldn’t stand Ruan Xin. It was as if they were naturally incompatible, like fire and water. Unwilling to back down, she retorted, “Fiancée? Who knows what underhanded tricks you used to trick Ruosheng into this engagement?”

Jiang Ruosheng coldly pulled her arm free and stepped closer to Ruan Xin, not sparing Lu Ran another glance. “Let’s go. I didn’t expect stepping out for a moment would attract flies—what rotten luck.”

Lu Ran, now labeled as “rotten luck,” stood frozen in place. From childhood till now, she had never been so blatantly dismissed—especially not by the person she had once spent every day with, the first love of her youth.

“Ruosheng, how could you treat me like this? The Lu family wronged you, wronged the Jiang family—but what about Ruan Xin? The things she did were despicable and hateful! You can forgive her, yet you lash out at me?!” Lu Ran gritted her teeth, her gaze burning with hatred as she glared at Ruan Xin.

Seven years. She was no longer that frail, overlooked girl in the corner of the classroom. Now, her radiant beauty was like a rose bristling with thorns—dangerous, alluring, her elegant brilliance impossible to look away from.

When Ruan Xin returned to the country, high society couldn’t stop talking about this mysterious illegitimate daughter of the Xin family. Beyond the gossip about her awkward status, her stunningly beautiful face draped her in an aura of delicate vulnerability.

For over a decade, she had been unknown—then suddenly recognized, only to be swiftly sent abroad for seven years.

The Xin family’s farce had begun without warning and ended just as quietly.

Some had even forgotten the Xin family had such a person.

Illegitimate children weren’t uncommon in wealthy families, and for Ruan Xin, most people’s attitude was one of pity.

Lu Ran had heard their whispers countless times, wanting to stand up and tell everyone that this woman was nothing like she appeared—that beneath the surface lay a ruthless, unscrupulous schemer.

But few knew the full details behind the Jiang family’s bankruptcy. Why the Xin family, after over a decade of neglect, had suddenly chosen to acknowledge Ruan Xin remained an unsolved mystery.

All Lu Ran could do was seethe at Ruan Xin’s flawless disguise—one so convincing that even Jiang Ruosheng had chosen to step back into the fire.

Ruan Xin’s eyes were as cold as a frozen pond, glaring so intensely that Lu Ran broke out in a cold sweat. “I heard President Lu has been busy lately finding you a suitable marriage alliance. Seems quite urgent—is something wrong with the company?”

Lu Ran clenched her nails tightly. “Not at all!”

“That’s good. If you really need help, I wouldn’t hesitate to offer it.” Ruan Xin nodded slightly, her tone dripping with feigned concern. “My aunt has good connections with the Su and Yang families. I could introduce you—the Su family’s third young master and the Yang family’s eldest son both seem to be single. I think either would suit you perfectly.”

Lu Ran took a step back in fright, her face draining of color.

She cursed inwardly at the cruelty. The Su third young master was a notorious playboy in high society, indiscriminately bedding men and women, with rumors of past scandals involving ruined partners. Just the mention of his name made people grimace in disgust.

As for the Yang eldest son, he was a “golden bachelor” in his forties, divorced multiple times, with enough children to form a soccer team. No respectable family would willingly marry their omega to either of these men.

Yet Lu Ran couldn’t be sure. The company was indeed in trouble—a crisis that demanded immediate action. In desperation, her father had turned to the idea of a marriage alliance. But engagements couldn’t be decided overnight. To secure enough funds quickly, they’d need another solution. Lu Ran clung to a sliver of hope, relieved for now.

But if it came to those two men with their abysmal reputations… an immediate engagement, or even a dowry payment, wasn’t out of the question.

And if it meant saving the company, her father might very well force her to marry one of them.

A twisted kind of mutual desperation.

Fear gripped Lu Ran. She knew the ruthless Ruan Xin was fully capable of making this happen.

Who would’ve thought that after years of acting invincible and superior in front of Ruan Xin, she’d finally be cornered? Ruan Xin was making it clear—even as the overlooked illegitimate daughter of the Xin family, she could still threaten her.

Without another word, Lu Ran turned and left, her retreating figure looking somewhat disheveled.

“To catch a snake, you must strike its weakest spot. Only then will it learn pain, learn fear, and never dare to slither near you again.” Ruan Xin’s soft voice carried as she looped her arm through Jiang Ruosheng’s—the same arm Lu Ran had touched earlier.

“You’re always too merciful.” The murmured words, like a breath in flickering candlelight, contrasted sharply with the cold, intimidating mask that had just sent someone fleeing moments ago.

Jiang Ruosheng asked, “Were you serious about what you just said?”

Ruan Xin shrugged. “Of course not. I barely know those two. The only one I’m familiar with is you, my fiancée.”

Jiang Ruosheng averted her gaze: Like I’d believe that.

Near the conference hall were a few secluded lounges—quiet and empty, but lacking full-length mirrors.

Jiang Ruosheng held a compact in one hand, dabbing powder onto her face with the other, though it was still a bit awkward.

Seated on the table, Ruan Xin gazed down at the other woman’s lowered lashes, momentarily lost in thought.

She had arrived just as Lu Ran brought up the Xin family’s betrayal, hearing everything from start to finish—including the accusations against her and Jiang Ruosheng’s quiet “I know.”

Jiang Ruosheng was well aware of the role she had played in the Jiang family’s bankruptcy—the manipulator, the betrayer. There was no room for excuses.

What surprised her was the other party’s tone—somewhat understated, even indifferent, as if it wasn’t anything particularly serious.

This deviated from what Ruan Xin had expected. She thought that when Lu Ran brought up the matter, Jiang Ruosheng would react with anger or sorrow. But she didn’t. Instead, she responded with calm composure.

Was this reaction good or bad?

Ruan Xin frowned almost imperceptibly. Anything beyond her control made her uneasy, especially when it involved Jiang Ruosheng.

She was no longer like seven years ago, able to read Jiang Ruosheng’s every mood at a glance.

In the midst of her daze, she heard a soft sigh beside her.

Jiang Ruosheng held an eyeliner pencil, comparing the uneven lines on both sides with a sigh. “It’s really inconvenient without a mirror…”

“Let me do it for you,” Ruan Xin offered.

Jiang Ruosheng had striking, deep-set features—the kind that could effortlessly pull off bold makeup styles like dramatic Western looks or smoky eyes. Yet, she herself disliked overly complicated routines.

Unless necessary, she rarely wore heavy makeup. Sometimes, she’d just swipe on some lipstick and head out.

After all, her bare face looked as polished as if she were wearing makeup—a privilege of natural beauty.

Back in university, Ruan Xin had loved experimenting with Jiang Ruosheng’s flawless canvas. Her face took to makeup effortlessly, transforming with different styles. So, this was something Ruan Xin was intimately familiar with, ingrained in her bones.

The makeup brush swept lightly over Jiang Ruosheng’s eyelids, then across her cheekbones—soft as a breeze, barely noticeable.

“Open your eyes. Look up.”

At the hushed command, Jiang Ruosheng lifted her gaze to meet Ruan Xin’s face, now hovering close. A faint perfume drifted from the woman’s neck, where a butterfly tattoo seemed to flutter with life.

The delicate mascara wand combed through Jiang Ruosheng’s long, curled lashes, separating each strand. The smudged eyeliner was wiped away, replaced by a sharp, precise arc.

It was as if Ruan Xin were carefully sculpting a rare treasure, her focus and dedication in this moment unusually intense.

Finally, there were those slightly thin yet rosy lips—painted in a bold, commanding red, striking and domineering. Jiang Ruosheng parted them slightly, revealing a glimpse of deep honeyed warmth, as if inviting exploration.

Ruan Xin’s fingers, gripping Jiang Ruosheng’s chin, trembled slightly, restless with temptation.

To her, Jiang Ruosheng in this moment resembled a seductive enchantress—lush, bewitching, a plunge into endless springtime indulgence.

An invitation to surrender.

Ruan Xin leaned in, tilting Jiang Ruosheng’s chin upward as their lips met, igniting a scorching heat.

The fragrance of lipstick filled her senses as she delved into that honeyed depth, replacing fingers with her tongue, coaxing out soft, wet sounds.

Jiang Ruosheng’s eyes flew open. The pain at her chin and the relentless persistence inside her mouth snapped her back to reality. With a sharp push, she shoved Ruan Xin away.

A silvery thread broke at their lips. The freshly applied lipstick was now a ruined mess, both their mouths smeared with the same fiery red. In the silence between them, an unspoken tension thickened in the air.

Ruan Xin reached out, tracing the edge of Jiang Ruosheng’s lips to wipe away the smudged color. Softly, she murmured, “We’ll have to redo it.”

Jiang Ruosheng’s speaking slot was pushed back from the originally scheduled time. When she stood on stage delivering her speech, Ruan Xin sat smiling in the front row closest to the podium, grinning like a fox that had stolen its prey.

The spotlight illuminated Jiang Ruosheng’s delicate, exquisite makeup, making her glow like a dazzling star in the night sky. Her cool, composed voice resonated through the venue via the microphone, as if declaring the formidable rise of the Jiang family—a wait that had stretched seven long years.

Ruan Xin watched the flawless figure on stage with pride, but when her gaze swept over a certain spot, she couldn’t help but lower her head and stifle a chuckle.

Had anyone been close enough, they might have noticed the faint, barely discernible bluish fingerprints lingering on Jiang Ruosheng’s jawline, where makeup couldn’t fully conceal them.

It was evidence of their stolen kisses, now laid bare before the crowd—both secretive and brazen.

Clapping along with the others, Ruan Xin watched as Jiang Ruosheng stepped down from the stage. Just then, her phone buzzed with a distinct notification tone.

Her expression shifted instantly as she quickly picked it up, only to see a message pop up:

“Miss Ruan, something has happened to the young miss at the kindergarten.”