Chapter 170: Argue
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The variety show was short, only two days. Before going to Sichuan, Ruan Yesheng was already living in Xi Mo’s house. Now that they came back, she moved around like it was her own home.
When they got home, it was already late at night. Zhou Wenxu and another helper carried their luggage into the main house. Usually, Xi Mo only ate the food cooked by Auntie Lan, but Auntie Lan was not back yet. Xi Mo didn’t eat well on the way, so Ruan Yesheng opened the fridge and made some low-calorie supper for both of them.
The cold wind was howling outside. The weather forecast said it would snow, but there was still no sign of it. The air was wet and cold. Xi Mo sat at the table, eating the supper Ruan Yesheng made, and felt warm and peaceful.
Before, when she lived at home, Auntie Lan always stayed with her. Now that Auntie Lan was gone and Ruan Yesheng was here instead, the feeling was new to Xi Mo.
Jian Yuan died when Xi Mo was very young. She saw Auntie Lan as half a mother. What Auntie Lan gave her was a mother’s love, full of care and warmth.
But Ruan Yesheng was different.
Now living with her made the house feel different. It was like holding a cup of hot milk in winter or drinking iced honey lemonade in summer. Everything felt relaxing and nice.
No matter if Xi Mo was sitting, standing, walking, reading, or working out, she could feel even the air carrying a quiet and easy feeling.
“There are only a few days before we go to Beijing. Stay here till then, don’t go back home,” Xi Mo said while eating.
Ruan Yesheng was happy inside, but she still said, “I haven’t gone home for so long. If I don’t live there soon, mushrooms will grow in it.”
“You’re just staying for a few days,” Xi Mo frowned. “How could mushrooms grow in that time?”
Ruan Yesheng laughed.
“My place is safe. There’s a wall, cameras, and guards,” Xi Mo said. “Even if Yang Zhen and Ding Qihong are watching us, they can’t get close. There are cameras everywhere outside, so they’ll think twice.”
Ruan Yesheng knew Xi Mo was worried about her safety, that was why she didn’t want her to go home. But she was still greedy. If Xi Mo was keeping her here not because of that, but just because she wanted to stay with her, that would be so nice.
She even thought a few days weren’t enough.
She wanted... more.
“These days, do you have time to go to the sanatorium? Once filming starts, you won’t have much free time.” Ruan Yesheng knew about Xi Mo’s obsession. From Zhang Dongyang’s painting before, she noticed there seemed to be two people in that truck. If they didn’t find out the truth, Xi Mo wouldn’t let it go.
“Okay.” Xi Mo nodded, but she looked worried. “It’s easy to go to the sanatorium, but my dad’s people are always guarding Zhang Dongyang. It’s hard to get close. Last time I went in pretending to be a cleaner, just to take a quick look. But this time, we need to talk to him. That won’t work. And pretending again is too risky. I only got lucky that time because they didn’t catch me.”
“Why are you afraid of being found out?” Ruan Yesheng asked softly.
Xi Mo froze.
She was suddenly stunned by this question.
Yes, why was she afraid of being found out? The ones guarding Zhang Dongyang were her father Xi Ji’s men. Xi Ji never said she couldn’t go see him, but she still sneaked in secretly that time.
“Xi Mo.” Ruan Yesheng’s eyes were soft. She was like the hand that untied the knot in Xi Mo’s heart. Her fingertip gave a small pull, and the knot that had been tight for years slowly loosened. “You’re too far from your dad. But have you ever thought, maybe he never wanted you to be this far. He just doesn’t know how.”
Xi Mo stayed silent.
Ruan Yesheng said, “That time when we switched bodies, I met your dad as you. I could feel how much he cared about you. He just doesn’t talk much or know how to show it. While you were growing up, he asked too much from you, so you ended up being scared of him. But when you talked to him using my face, didn’t you feel he was actually very gentle?”
“…I know.” After a long time, Xi Mo said, “I just haven’t gotten used to it yet.”
“I believe in Uncle Xi.” Ruan Yesheng thought of the two books Xi Ji kept in his greenhouse and couldn’t help but smile. “A man who secretly reads ‘How to Become a Compassionate Father’ and ‘How to Communicate Normally with Your Children’, even if he’s not a good father in your eyes, he would never blame you for going to the sanatorium to find out the truth from Zhang Dongyang. You don’t need to be so nervous about being found out. Maybe you can just tell him honestly that you want to talk to Zhang Dongyang. We can walk into that ward openly. What do you think?”
Xi Mo looked at Ruan Yesheng.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
It felt like she was walking alone on the road, stumbling from her youth to being cautious now. But Ruan Yesheng came towards her halfway, holding her hand and walking with her.
She realized that she had only seen herself as lonely because she was in the dark, and she thought there was no one around her. But Ruan Yesheng's companionship brought her light, illuminating the corner around her.
Xi Mo finally saw clearly that she was not alone on this road, there were many people on it.
There was Yan Tinghuan secretly protecting her, and there were also Cui Jiayu, Lin Tingyu, and Lin Tingshuang, those Shanghai sisters who love each other. After going to Heizhugou in Sichuan, even her view of Shen Qingbie changed. Now Shen Qingbie and Yu An had also joined the group of “Shanghai sisters who love each other.”
All these changes happened little by little. When Xi Mo finally noticed, she was shocked to find that this road had already become so lively.
She even saw her father, Xi Ji, walking on this same road. It was just that before, there was no light. She had been blinded by darkness. Now that the warm and gentle light shone down, she could finally see clearly.
The gloom that had built up in Xi Mo’s heart for years seemed to fade away. She felt clean and light all over. “I’ll go talk to my dad and tell him the clues I found.”
“It’s late. He’s probably already asleep,” Ruan Yesheng said with true happiness for her. “Call him tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Xi Mo nodded.
She usually didn’t eat late-night snacks to keep her figure. Even if she did, it was something low-calorie and tasteless. But tonight, she enjoyed every bite.
The next morning, the two of them went to the gym to work out. They sweated a lot, then took a morning shower before having breakfast.
Gu Ru sent the script to them every day, always in the middle of the night. Every morning, Ruan Yesheng would rush to open Gu Ru’s message like waiting for a story update. She got so anxious she almost felt her heart burning. She wanted to see what happened next, but Gu Ru always left her hanging. So she had no choice but to reread the parts she already got. Because of that, she soon memorized the script well, even better than before when she read the whole thing at once.
That morning, Xi Mo called Xi Ji.
When the call went through, there was no sound on the other end. Xi Mo felt nervous and took a deep breath before saying, “Dad.”
“Mm.” Xi Ji answered calmly. “Lu Qingming said you came back from Sichuan.”
“Yes, I got back at midnight.” Xi Mo tried to make small talk, but she still wasn’t used to it. “Are you busy today?”
“Not really,” Xi Ji said. “I’m in the greenhouse planting flowers.”
“How about those seeds Yesheng gave you last time?” Xi Mo forced the topic toward Ruan Yesheng since she didn’t know what else to say.
“The seeds Xiao Ruan gave me are good. If she has time, you can invite her to the manor for dinner.”
“…Okay.” Xi Mo glanced at Ruan Yesheng beside her. “I’ll tell her.”
The line went quiet again.
Xi Mo didn’t know how to go on, so she gathered her courage and spoke straight. “Dad, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
Xi Mo, who always looked cold and distant, was like a shy little flower in Xi Ji’s greenhouse whenever she faced him. “When I was in college, I secretly went to the sanatorium once. I picked up a drawing from the driver, Zhang Dongyang. This time, I found a clue in that drawing, so I wanted… to tell you.”
The line fell completely silent.
After a long while, Xi Ji finally said, “I knew you had been there. My men told me back then. They said they saw a strange cleaner go into the room, acting weird. I told them to check, and they found out it was you.”
“You... knew?” Xi Mo was stunned. “You didn’t scold me?”
“Why would I scold you?” Xi Ji didn’t explain more. That was all he said.
Xi Mo suddenly felt moved. So he knew all along, yet never blamed her or even mentioned it. Facing such a father, she realized she had no reason to treat visiting the sanatoriumto ask Zhang Dongyang as something difficult.
Just like Ruan Yesheng said, she only needed to walk in naturally.
No one would stop her.
“I looked at that drawing differently this time. It seems Zhang Dongyang drew two people on a truck,” Xi Mo said, now free of hesitation. “That truck might have carried another person, but no one knows where that person went. I want to visit the sanatorium and ask Zhang Dongyang. If he reacts, maybe that person is still alive and awake. If we find him, maybe we can find out the truth.”
“No need to ask Zhang Dongyang,” Xi Ji said.
Xi Mo stayed quiet, trying to guess what Xi Ji was feeling.
Xi Ji continued, “I already asked him. There really was another person. Zhang Dongyang paints often, and I’ve looked carefully at every piece. He often draws two people in a truck in abstract style. Later, I tested him several times, asked if there was another person. He reacted strongly and kept shouting that it wasn’t him who hit, it was that person.”
Xi Mo froze completely.
The clue she had worked so hard to uncover was something Xi Ji had already known long ago.
Actually, if she had been willing to talk with Xi Ji before, she could have gotten a lot of information from him. But she didn’t. She chose to sneak around and check things by herself. Now thinking back, she felt that her past self was really childish.
“Then did you find any clue about that person?” Xi Mo quickly asked.
With Xi Ji’s character, once he learned there were indeed two people in that truck, he would surely dig deeper.
“I’m still checking.” Xi Ji’s voice sounded a bit tired, as if investigating that person had already cost him too much energy.
Xi Mo knew her father’s methods. For even him to find nothing until now, that meant the other person in the truck must be hiding very well, leaving no trace at all.
“From now on, can I also... ask you?” Xi Mo asked carefully.
Xi Ji was silent for a while before saying, “You can.”
“I’ll go to the manor for dinner with Yesheng tonight,” Xi Mo said on her own.
She suddenly wanted to have a meal with her father and see him. Besides, the letters and gifts Ruan Yesheng gave her were most likely still at the manor, so she wanted to go back and look for them.
“Alright,” Xi Ji only said.
After talking a bit more, Xi Mo ended the call.
“How was it?” Ruan Yesheng asked, seeing Xi Mo’s dazed face. “I told you, your dad really loves you.”
Xi Mo curved her lips slightly and told Ruan Yesheng everything she had heard from Xi Ji. Ruan Yesheng had already overheard part of it earlier, but after hearing the full details, her face turned more serious.
“Zhang Dongyang doesn’t seem that important. That other person is the key,” Ruan Yesheng said. “But how can we find him? Your dad has been searching for so long, and there’s still no clue.”
“I don’t know either.” Xi Mo frowned.
“Let Uncle Xi keep investigating. He has wide connections, much better than us,” Ruan Yesheng comforted her. “You can ask him next time, and if you find anything, tell him. Don’t be so reserved like before.”
“Mm.” Xi Mo answered vaguely.
In this aspect, she and Xi Ji really were alike in temperament.
“Come back to the manor with me this afternoon. I told Dad already.” Xi Mo finally let go of the weight in her heart and felt much lighter. “What do you want to eat? I’ll tell Auntie Zhou to prepare it.”
“Oh, and bring a change of clothes. We’ll stay there tonight.” Xi Mo turned back and added, “I want to look for… the letters and gifts you gave me.”
“What if you still can’t find them this time?” Ruan Yesheng felt happy inside but pretended to be wronged.
“...Then I’ll just have to compensate you.” Xi Mo’s gaze drifted a little.
Ruan Yesheng looked at her and smiled.
They had lunch together again, a simple meal. Ruan Yesheng’s cooking suited Xi Mo’s taste, and it was healthy, perfect for actresses like them.
But as she ate, Ruan Yesheng sighed, “I really want to eat braised pork knuckle, but I already used up my limit for the year.”
Xi Mo lowered her head, eyes filled with a smile.
While they were eating, the main hall’s door opened, and someone came in. The person changed shoes at the entrance, felt the warmth from the heater, and leaned in quickly. “Xi Mo, why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
“Auntie Lan.” Xi Mo hurriedly stood up and walked over.
Ruan Yesheng also quickly put down her chopsticks and followed.
Although Auntie Lan was no longer young, her makeup was delicate, and her graceful charm from her younger days still showed. Her figure was well maintained. When she saw Ruan Yesheng, surprise flashed in her eyes. She quickly walked up to her. “Miss Ruanruan, it's been a long time, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
When Auntie Lan spoke, her Mandarin carried a soft Shanghainese tone at the end, sounding gentle and lilting.
“Hello, Auntie Lan.” Ruan Yesheng smiled sweetly. “It really has been a long time. Have you eaten lunch?”
“Not yet.” Auntie Lan looked at Ruan Yesheng like she was seeing an old friend she hadn’t met in years. She smiled and pulled her to sit beside her. “You’re getting prettier and prettier.”
“Thank you, Auntie Lan.” Ruan Yesheng lowered her head with a smile. “You still look as pretty as when I first met you in college. You haven’t changed at all.”
Auntie Lan waved her hand modestly, but her face lit up from the flattery. “I’m getting old already.”
“I heard you started acting again. I even saw you in a variety show on the hot search with Xi Mo knitting a sweater. I’m so happy for you. You’re so talented, you can’t stop acting, right? You should go on more shows too. That’s how people stay popular.”
As she spoke, she turned to look at Xi Mo. “And why did you go on a show knitting sweaters? If you want one, just tell me. I’ll knit it for you.”
Xi Mo: “…”
“What kind of sweater do you want?” Auntie Lan asked.
Xi Mo: “…”
“You child, even when you come home, you don’t talk.” Auntie Lan frowned and put her hand on Ruan Yesheng’s shoulder. “Look at Miss Ruanruan, she’s so well-behaved. Not like you, with that stiff face all day, hardly ever smiling. You should learn from her more.”
“Auntie Lan, I…” Xi Mo started to speak but stopped halfway.
When Auntie Lan used to be around, she was never this mean to her. But the moment Ruan Yesheng showed up, Auntie Lan only had eyes for her. Xi Mo didn’t know how close they were before, but it was clear Auntie Lan really liked Ruan Yesheng.
“I’m telling you, you can’t bully Miss Ruanruan anymore.” Auntie Lan looked at Ruan Yesheng, probably remembering the past, and said seriously to Xi Mo, “You used to bully her a lot back in college. Now that you’re filming together and are friends, you can’t act like that anymore. Or I’ll block you for a few days.”
“I… I didn’t bully her.” Xi Mo was stunned.
“How could you say you didn’t?” Auntie Lan wasn’t happy. “Ignoring her is bullying her. Miss Ruanruan is such a lovely person. She sent you so many letters and gifts, and you didn’t even look at them. You just mixed them with your fan gifts. How could you do that? Miss Ruanruan’s letters and gifts aren’t the same, okay? I remember she cried that time, it was because of you.”
“How do you know about the letters and gifts?” Xi Mo quickly asked.
“How could I not know?” Auntie Lan said. “Miss Ruanruan and I were very close back then. Once she even asked me what kind of gifts you liked. I told her, and we went shopping together to pick them out for you.”
“Yesheng?” Xi Mo was stunned and looked at Ruan Yesheng.
Ruan Yesheng smiled and nodded. “I told you before, I used to know Auntie Lan. She and Uncle Ding were both really nice to me.”
Auntie Lan suddenly remembered something and scolded Xi Mo again. “Miss Ruanruan used to hang out with me a lot in college. I even made dumplings for her. But later she hardly came to see me. She only called me or sent me gifts on holidays. I thought about it and realized it must be because you bullied her. She knew I had to take care of you, so she couldn’t come to see me anymore.”
Xi Mo: "..."
"Sorry, Auntie Lan," Ruan Yesheng quickly apologized.
"It's nothing to be sorry about. You young people have your own ways of thinking. You're getting busier with work and life. It's normal not to meet often. You can't always be like when you were still in school." Auntie Lan liked Ruan Yesheng more the longer she looked at her. Although they hadn’t seen each other much these years, Ruan Yesheng was very polite. Every year, she would send gifts to Auntie Lan and her brother Ding Ru, and she would also call and message them.
Xi Mo still found it strange. "How did you know Yesheng’s gifts and letters were mixed with the fans’ gifts? I didn’t know those were from Yesheng back then, and I never saw them. Auntie Lan, did you see them?"
"Of course I did. I recognized Miss Ruanruan’s gifts and letters. She had special marks on them." Auntie Lan glared at Xi Mo. "Those gifts and letters were sorted by me. How could you mix them together?"
"You sorted them?" Xi Mo’s whole body tensed.
Ruan Yesheng was stunned too.
"Yes, on the day you moved out of the Xi family estate, I was watching over things for you," Auntie Lan said. "You told the movers to pack all the gifts and letters from fans into boxes to take with you. I saw one of Miss Ruanruan’s gift boxes with a mark on it. So I told them to check if there were more things that belonged to her. Turns out there were quite a lot. I was very angry at that time. You didn't value them at all."
Auntie Lan had indeed been there when Xi Mo moved.
"So where are those gifts and letters now?" Xi Mo quickly asked.
"Of course, I told them to pack them all in one box for you. Miss Ruanruan’s gifts and letters should be kept separately," Auntie Lan said. "I was about to scold you back then, but your mother’s belongings were being sorted out that day. You were sitting there feeling down, so I didn’t say anything. I just helped you finish it up."
Only then did Xi Mo finally understand.
No wonder she never saw any of Ruan Yesheng’s gifts or letters at home. Even if she didn’t know the situation back then and mixed them all together, since her mother Jian Yuan’s relics were also being sorted during the move, and they used the same kind of boxes, it was possible some got mixed up. But it was impossible for all of them to go missing, because the gifts and letters were scattered. Even if a few boxes got mixed, by chance, only a part should’ve been lost.
Unless all those gifts and letters were specially picked out and packed together in one box.
And that box got mixed up that day with the one containing Jian Yuan’s relics and was sent by the house staff to the room where the relics were kept.
Other than that, Xi Mo couldn’t think of a more reasonable explanation.
The more she analyzed it, the more her emotions stirred. This meant Ruan Yesheng’s gifts and letters were likely not lost. She only needed to look through her mother Jian Yuan’s relic room.
A box that big wouldn’t just disappear.
"I’ll remember it from now on," Xi Mo said honestly. "I won’t mix them together again. I’ll keep them in a special place."
Knowing that her gifts and letters were likely not lost, Ruan Yesheng was overjoyed. The look in her eyes when she gazed at Xi Mo was soft and sweet.
"Auntie Lan, you must be hungry. I’ve cooked. Let’s eat together," Ruan Yesheng stood up and warmly invited.
"Then I must taste your cooking, Miss Ruanruan," Auntie Lan followed her to the dining table with a smile. "You already cooked well back in college."
Ruan Yesheng served Auntie Lan a bowl of rice, and the three of them sat down together.
While eating, Auntie Lan chatted happily with Ruan Yesheng. Xi Mo stayed quiet during the meal, not daring to speak, afraid Auntie Lan would scold her in front of Ruan Yesheng and make her lose face
"Miss Ruanruan, are you seeing anyone?" Auntie Lan asked with a grin.
The rice in Xi Mo’s mouth almost got stuck in her throat. "..."
Why did her heart feel so uneasy?
She remembered Auntie Lan once told Lu Qingming to go on a blind date. He went and told the girl he wasn’t planning to date anyone yet, made her cry, and Auntie Lan blocked him for half a month.
"No, I’m not," Ruan Yesheng said with a smile.
"You’re so beautiful, you must have many people chasing you," Auntie Lan said warmly. "But you must be careful. My brother also invests in entertainment companies, and some actresses get courted by some second-generation or other wealthy people. Some of them are not good people. If anyone like that tries to go after you, tell me. I’ll help you check them out."
"Who said Yesheng must date some second-generation or other wealthy people?" Xi Mo said unhappily.
"Then she should still be careful with male celebrities," Auntie Lan said disdainfully. "This year’s hot searches are all about who cheated on who. Some people are just rotten."
"She might not date a male celebrity," Xi Mo said coldly.
"Then she should still be careful with ordinary people," Auntie Lan said.
"She might not date an ordinary person either."
Ruan Yesheng tried hard to hold back her laughter. What was Xi Mo even arguing for?
"Xi Mo, what’s wrong with you today?" Auntie Lan glared at her. "You keep talking back to me. Do you think I won’t scold you? Look at Miss Ruanruan, she’s nothing like you."
Xi Mo: "..."
You won’t scold me.
You just argued with me.
Author’s Note:
Xi Mo: If Yesheng is going to date, it will be with a female star.
Ruanruan: Which female star?
Who else could it be, if not the one who's always arguing!
Please rate and leave comments~
