Provoking the Obsessive, Cold, and Aloof CEO - Chapter 6

Ruan Taoran’s expression froze, the smile vanishing from her eyes as she gazed at Ruan Ruyue, her gaze now resembling a gathering storm.

Ruan Ruyue leaned back on the sofa, stretching languidly. “What’s this? Can’t beat me with your skills, so you’re resorting to threats?”

The storm in Ruan Taoran’s eyes flickered briefly before being forcibly suppressed, replaced by a faint, sweet smile.

“I’m not necessarily inferior to you, Elder Sister. There’s still the national design competition coming up.”

Beneath her thick lashes, her doe-like eyes sparkled brightly. With her chin slightly raised and a confident smile radiating across her face, she showed not a trace of defeat.

“I’m tired too. I’m going upstairs to rest.” Ruan Taoran rose and left without giving Ruan Ruyue another glance.

The smile on Ruan Ruyue’s face froze instantly. This brat… is she really not angry? And she’s so confident about preparing for the next competition?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible. For a moment, that girl’s eyes looked like they could devour someone whole. She’s definitely angry—she’s just pretending.

The memory of Ruan Taoran’s confident smile rankled Ruan Ruyue. She grabbed a nearby throw pillow and hurled it across the room.

The maid tidying the table nearby jumped in surprise. “Young Miss…”

Ruan Ruyue grabbed the hangover soup from the table and drained it in one gulp. “Get out of my way,” she said coldly.

The maid quickly and timidly moved aside. Ruan Ruyue rose and strode away, still seething with anger.

The national design competition, huh? she thought. I’ll crush Ruan Taoran again. I refuse to believe she won’t lose her composure this time. She can’t keep up this act forever.

Ruan Taoran hadn’t entered the room. She stood at the second-floor corner, watching the scene below unfold. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

When people are enraged, they lash out unnecessarily and make irrational mistakes.

She wasn’t angry at all; her earlier outburst had been entirely staged.

As for the national design competition… Her gaze drifted toward her bedroom door, her eyelashes fluttering twice.

I still have a powerful ally in there. At the very least, he can ensure I get a fair chance.

A radiant smile bloomed on Ruan Taoran’s face as she opened the door and peeked inside, her eyes meeting Ji Qingyun’s.

The booklet in Ji Qingyun’s hand was already turned to the last page, indicating she had been reading for quite some time.

The warm-toned light in the room enveloped Ji Qingyun, casting a soft glow on her pale neck beneath her dark hair.

Yet her pale, glass-like eyes remained cold, their gaze like an endless, frigid ice plain.

Her lashes lifted slightly, radiating an almost intimidating dignity, a subtle aloofness that discouraged approach.

Ruan Taoran, however, seemed completely unaffected by this chill. She leaned in with a radiant smile. “Sister, you’ve finished this book already?”

She settled beside Ji Qingyun and touched the back of her hand. “Your hands are a little warmer now. You really should dress more warmly.”

Beneath Ji Qingyun’s fingertips lay the final page of the design book.

It was a slightly yellowed sheet of paper, creased and flattened, neatly pasted onto the last page.

The design depicted a pendant encircled by stars and a crescent moon. A green emerald served as the moon, surrounded by stars that faintly suggested the shape of a nebula.

While moons were typically depicted in golden hues, the use of a green emerald here didn’t feel jarring. Instead, it evoked a vibrant, lifelike beauty.

Ruan Taoran’s gaze paused, and she slowly said, “I didn’t design this.”

Ji Qingyun’s fingertip pressed against the final signature: “Ling. This must be your mother’s signature.”

Song Lingyu (Ling) and Ruan Taoran (Aling) were inherently connected names.

Beside Ling’s signature was the brand name: Seraphine.

Ji Qingyun’s lashes lowered slightly as she remarked casually, “Seraphine was founded by your mother, wasn’t it?”

“You know about Seraphine?” Ruan Taoran asked, surprised.

“Seraphine recently submitted its application to open a store in Xingyue City,” Ji Qingyun replied coolly.

Seraphine was the Ruan Family’s brand, which had risen to prominence under Song Lingyu’s leadership years ago, securing its place among the top-tier luxury brands. However, it had been gradually declining in recent years.

Xingyue City was Jiang City’s most prestigious high-end shopping mall, housing only first-class luxury brands. Ordinary brands simply couldn’t gain entry.

Ruan Taoran’s gaze fell upon the yellowed design sketch, her eyes involuntarily drifting into a distant reverie.

“When I was little, I watched my mother paint every day, pestering her to explain what she was creating. She taught me stroke by stroke.”

“I was only three or four years old then, too young to understand anything. Yet she took me to exhibitions all over the world.”

“Seraphine’s design philosophy was established by my mother. It’s unique not just in Jiang City, but across the entire country.”

Ruan Taoran hadn’t flipped through this booklet in ages. Seeing Ling’s signature made her heart flutter momentarily.

Ji Qingyun’s fingertips paused before she closed the booklet. “It’s getting late. I should head home.”

Ruan Taoran blinked, her gaze colliding with those pale, glass-like eyes. Their icy chill sent a shiver down her spine.

For some reason, she sensed Ji Qingyun’s gaze had grown colder, now carrying a heavy, scrutinizing weight.

In that instant, Ruan Taoran realized she had spoken out of turn.

Xingyue City belonged to the Ji Clan. Even if Ji Qingyun wasn’t directly responsible for approving Seraphine’s tenancy, the proposal would have crossed her desk for review.

Her words, spoken in a moment of sentimental attachment to the design sketches, had been a mistake.

Ruan Taoran praised Seraphine, as if trying to use Ji Qingyun as a backdoor.

Perhaps it wasn’t just those words.

Ji Qingyun’s earlier mention of Seraphine had carried a probing tone.

When Ji Qingyun flipped to the last page of the design booklet, she likely thought:

Everything today was Ruan Taoran’s scheme—forcing me home, showing me the booklet—all to make me see this design and help Seraphine get in through the back door.

Ji Qingyun stood up, and Ruan Taoran quickly tugged at her sleeve.

Meeting those icy eyes, she still flashed a radiant smile. “Let me check if anyone’s outside first.”

She quietly opened the door and peeked out. The maid was clearing the table, and Ruan Ruyue had already returned to her room.

Ruan Taoran took Ji Qingyun’s hand and led her downstairs. Stepping outside, they found the night wind had grown fiercer.

“Why did you take off your coat?” Ruan Taoran shivered from the cold, noticing Ji Qingyun was only wearing a thin suit jacket.

Before Ji Qingyun could say anything, Ruan Taoran had already taken off her fluffy coat and draped it over Ji Qingyun’s shoulders.

The wind ruffled the light brown strands of hair framing her face, and her eyes sparkled under the swaying streetlights, her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, like cherry blossoms had settled there.

“No…” Ji Qingyun frowned, trying to remove the coat.

“You still have a ways to go home, while I’m just around the corner,” Ruan Taoran said with a cheerful smile. “I like seeing you in my clothes, Sis.”

Ji Qingyun’s pale, glass-like eyes flickered slightly. The smile before her was radiant and warm, but she couldn’t help but remember the commemorative album.

Noticing Ji Qingyun’s hesitation, Ruan Taoran seemed to steel herself before saying, “Sis, there’s something else I wanted to talk about…”

“Go ahead,” Ji Qingyun replied, her tone flat, a hint of disappointment lingering in her eyes—a disappointment she herself barely registered.

“Please don’t show favoritism toward Seraphine’s entry just because of me, okay?”

Ji Qingyun froze, completely taken aback by this unexpected request.

“Are you sure?” Ji Qingyun asked slowly. “If we scrutinize Seraphine’s qualifications, they’re definitely insufficient.”

“Absolutely,” Ruan Taoran replied without hesitation. “The Ji Clan has always been strict. If we make an exception now, it will make things much harder for you later, Sister.”

She blinked, gazing at Ji Qingyun with unwavering trust, and gently hooked her fingers around Ji Qingyun’s. “Please, Sister?”

She was being affectionate, something no one had ever dared to be with Ji Qingyun before.

“Ruan Taoran, doesn’t Seraphine matter to you?” Ji Qingyun asked.

Ruan Taoran was already defeated. She had deployed her ultimate weapon—affection—yet Ji Qingyun remained unshaken, as calm as a mountain.

Her eyes showed no emotion as she maintained the rationality of the Ruan Clan’s leader, looking at Ruan Taoran as if she were a stranger.

“She was a gift from my mother. She’s very important, but…” Ruan Taoran pursed her lips, her lashes drooping slightly. “But it’s not like I can just say that, can I?”

Her words seemed muddled, yet their underlying meaning was clear:

Seraphine is important, but not as important as avoiding trouble for you.

Ruan Taoran didn’t voice her thoughts aloud. Instead, she took Ji Qingyun’s hand and said with a radiant smile, “I love you the most, Elder Sister.”

“Mm,” Ji Qingyun nodded, gently touching Ruan Taoran’s slightly cool cheek. “It’s cold outside. Let’s go back.”

Ruan Taoran nodded, but her feet remained rooted to the spot. Her eyes burned with intensity as she gazed at Ji Qingyun and softly asked, “Then… does Elder Sister like me too?”

Like a timid little creature, her eyelashes trembled incessantly after asking the question, her eyes filled with both anticipation and anxiety.

Her palms were warm, cradling Ji Qingyun’s knuckles, the heat seeping through their skin.

Ji Qingyun caught a faint, refreshing scent of gardenias—delicate, vibrant, and full of life.

Just like the young girl before her, like a flower blooming in March, radiant, warm, and utterly endearing.

“I do,” Ji Qingyun replied slowly.

“I knew Elder Sister liked me!” Ruan Taoran beamed. “You go ahead first. I’ll head home after I see you leave.”

Ruan Taoran cupped her hands, her cheeks flushed slightly from the wind, yet she remained standing beneath the streetlight, her reluctant gaze following Ji Qingyun’s retreating figure.

As soon as Ji Qingyun’s figure disappeared from sight, Ruan Taoran hurriedly hugged her arms, shivered, and jogged home.

Like me? Ruan Taoran scoffed inwardly. There wasn’t a flicker of emotion in those eyes. She looked at me as if I were a lifeless object.

Ji Qingyun was a liar. Just as the rumors claimed, she was emotionally detached, fiercely guarded, and terrifyingly cold.

Ruan Taoran had merely misspoke, yet Ji Qingyun’s scrutinizing gaze had treated her like a criminal under interrogation.

What does Ji Qingyun really want? Why did she pick me up from the airport? Why did she approach me so deliberately?

Ruan Taoran had pondered this all day, and gradually, some pieces began to fall into place.

No one is immune to genuine care and affection. Perhaps Ji Qingyun had never experienced such warmth in her life.

The Ji Clan was in chaos, and even returning home offered no refuge.

Ruan Taoran was likely her safe harbor—a chance to experience the warmth of human connection.

Ruan Taoran poured herself a cup of hot water, drank it down, and felt the chill leave her fingertips. She retreated to her room and burrowed under the covers.

Ji Qingyun probably hates being manipulated, she mused. Did I handle things okay just now?

After much deliberation, she considered sending Ji Qingyun a message to proactively express her concern and try to get ahead.

Just then, the text at the top of her WeChat screen changed to: “The other party is typing…”