Ruan Xi closed his eyes, pressing his lips together tightly.
His premonition was correct!
He knew her sudden silence meant she had something to say.
What a heartless woman.
He could tell he was overflowing with emotion, yet her heart remained as cold as ever.
Could it be true, as Qin Yiqing had said, that he was facing retribution? He used to toy with women's hearts, they adored him, but he loved none of them, even pushing them away.
Retribution!
This feeling was truly unpleasant.
"Have you considered another possibility?" Ruan Xi walked back, stopping in front of Gu Zhiruo.
Leveraging his height advantage, he looked down at Gu Zhiruo.
Gu Zhiruo was taken aback, "What possibility?"
Suddenly.
The next moment.
Ruan Xi leaned in and kissed Gu Zhiruo directly!
Gu Zhiruo's beautiful eyes widened, her mind went blank, and she remained motionless, her body stiff. "You..."
Coming to her senses, she pushed Ruan Xi away.
"This is the other possibility I mentioned: that we be together and become a true couple." Ruan Xi decided not to beat around the bush anymore. If he lingered, this woman would belong to another man.
The thought of her with another man, bearing his children, growing old together, was unbearable.
He had rushed here desperately, wanting her to know his feelings.
He wanted her.
"Are you insane?" Gu Zhiruo's pretty face flushed, and she asked with some exasperated shyness.
He wanted to be a true couple with her?
How was that possible?
Didn't he like those fluttering butterflies?
Ruan Xi moved closer again, allowing her to see his eyes clearly, to see the emotions flowing within them. "Look at me carefully, and you'll know if I'm insane. Gu Zhiruo, even I never thought I'd fall in love with a woman one day, and this woman, annoyingly, doesn't love me."
"You... you..." Gu Zhiruo was flustered, backing away repeatedly. "You really are crazy."
He said he loved her?
How could that be...
How was it possible?
"Gu Zhiruo, don't even think about marrying that surnamed Zhao. I'm being upfront today. I don't want a divorce. As for whether I'm sincere, I can tell you clearly: I am incredibly sincere towards you. From now on, Ruan Xi's wife will be you, and there will be no other woman by my side! And none of those people from the Ruan family will be able to harm you." Ruan Xi looked at Gu Zhiruo's confused expression and earnestly, word by word, poured out his heart and promises.
At the same time, a storm raged within him.
Staring at the woman's red lips before him, his heart itched intensely, wishing to taste them again.
He really was crazy.
When he had harbored ill intentions towards Yun Shu before, it was due to his excessive admiration for her, completely different from how he felt facing Gu Zhiruo now. He wished he could tear out his heart and show it to Gu Zhiruo.
His feelings were truly sincere.
A sincere desire to be with her.
Gu Zhiruo's heart was in a panic. She dared not look at Ruan Xi. His words were like thunderbolts, entering her ears all at once and stirring up a tempest in her calm heart.
"I... you should leave first, let me calm down." Gu Zhiruo pushed Ruan Xi, who was moving closer again.
Her mind was in utter chaos right now.
She needed to calm down properly.
"Alright, Zhiruo, think it over. I've indeed done many outrageous things before, and due to various reasons, my own indulgence, and my entanglement with many women, it's true. But before you, I had never truly liked anyone. You are the only one who makes me want to settle down for life, the one I want to cherish forever. I won't pressure you, take your time to think." Ruan Xi said softly.
After speaking, he tiptoed out.
He even thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
Seeing that Ruan Xi had left and the door was closed, Gu Zhiruo slowly sat back down, her body still stiff.
For a moment, her mind went blank.
A complete mess.
Even she didn't understand why her emotions were in such turmoil.
But suddenly, recalling the scene that had just transpired, she looked up and touched her lips.
As she touched them, her hand recoiled as if burned.
The warmth Ruan Xi had left behind seemed to linger there.
A warmth that could almost burn.
"He said he likes me?" Gu Zhiruo mused, looking at her fingertips, which also seemed to carry some warmth.
She bit her lip, a hint of shy annoyance in her voice, "Ruan Xi, you're too much!"
...
After leaving Gu Zhiruo's room, Ruan Xi exited the residence.
He needed to buy some things.
For a long stay, there were indeed things that needed to be prepared properly.
As he stepped out of the residence, he bumped into a man.
The man seemed curious upon seeing Ruan Xi, "You..."
Ruan Xi coldly sized up the man, his gaze scanning him from head to toe. Observing the handsome, elegant man before him, Ruan Xi's mind suddenly grasped the man's identity, and his face immediately turned cold.
"Are you the gardener that Miss Gu invited?" Young Master Zhao asked gently.
To hell with a gardener! Ruan Xi rolled his eyes. Did he look like a gardener? Was the man blind? Ruan Xi sneered, "I am Zhiruo's husband."
The more Ruan Xi looked at the elegant, handsome man, the more a bitter jealousy brewed within him.
No wonder Zhiruo wanted to divorce him so quickly. That surnamed Zhao had a certain charm in his eyes, and when he mentioned Miss Gu, the tenderness in his gaze was obvious, as if he wanted everyone to know.
"You... Miss Gu's husband?" Young Master Zhao was startled. He looked at the man before him. The first glance had suggested this person was unusual, but he didn't want to overthink it, so he had guessed if he was a gardener, as Miss Gu had mentioned needing one to tend to the plants.
And it turned out he was the husband?
"Yes, we've been married for some time. What business do you have at our home?" Ruan Xi did not conceal his hostility.
Young Master Zhao's face turned a little pale. "So Miss Gu is indeed already married."
He didn't answer Ruan Xi's question, then turned and left dejectedly.
Watching the lonely figure, Ruan Xi felt a pang of guilt.
But the next moment, his mindset returned to normal. To ensure Zhiruo and he could live peacefully, these troublesome people should stay as far away as possible. Some things didn't need to be said too clearly; he was indeed Gu Zhiruo's husband in name now.
...
A few days later.
A carriage stopped in front of the residence.
Gu Zhiruo had been waiting at the entrance early. Her eyes lit up when she saw Yun Shu and Zhan Tianye step down from the carriage, and she immediately went forward, "King Ye, Princess Ye."
"Aunt Zhiruo." The three little ones, upon disembarking from the carriage, greeted Gu Zhiruo in unison.