Return To The Time Before Being Toyed With By My Fiancée - Chapter 1

The vibration hummed, and the screen flickered to life. In the darkness, the faint glow was exceptionally sharp and clear.

Ning Ruohuan grabbed the phone in a hurry. Before she could even use facial recognition to unlock it, her gaze fell upon the source of the vibration.

It was a piece of meaningless spam.

The hope that had surged in her heart plummeted instantly. Her frantic grip loosened, and the phone slid against her palm before she caught it again. She unlocked the device and tapped on the pinned chat at the top of her list.

Yanyan, what time are you coming back tonight?

Yanyan, do you want me to make you some late-night snacks?

She had sent those two messages to her fiancée three hours ago, but without exception, they were like stones sinking into the ocean, garnering no response from the other side.

Three hours had passed, and she wanted to send another message to ask Luo Yanzhi where she was.

But…

Ning Ruohuan lowered her eyelashes, her slender fingers mindlessly tapping the back of the phone. Her fixed gaze fell upon the pitch-black phone case.

It was a perfect match for the dark, heavy sky outside.

Yanyan, are you still coming back tonight?

Ultimately, Ning Ruohuan edited a message and sent it. After waiting for a while with no reply, she slipped the phone into her pocket, stood up, and began to clear the cold snacks from the dining table.

Click.

The sound of the electronic door lock echoed through the silent night.

Ning Ruohuan’s movements stiffened. She looked toward the entrance.

A tall shadow appeared, and immediately following it, the owner of that shadow stumbled into Ning Ruohuan’s line of sight.

What reached her senses before her vision was her sense of smell.

A thick, pungent scent of alcohol filled the entire space.

Ning Ruohuan couldn’t help but knit her brows. She pulled out two wet wipes to clean her already spotless fingers and moved quickly to support the swaying figure. Her eyes flickered with heartache. “Why did you drink so much again?”

Luo Yanzhi was like a boneless creature, slumped limply against Ning Ruohuan.

Enveloped by a familiar scent, she squinted her pale eyes in satisfaction. “I wanted to drink.” She pressed her lips intimately against the side of Ning Ruohuan’s neck. “Besides, aren’t you home?”

Her tone was entitled, yet Ning Ruohuan felt strangely pleased by those words.

Controlling her strength to steady the person clinging to her, Ning Ruohuan swallowed the concerned reprimand that was on the tip of her tongue. She turned her head and said, “I’ll go cook some sobering soup for you.”

But the other woman was clearly too drunk. After murmuring those few words, her head drooped, and she closed her eyes, losing consciousness entirely.

Ning Ruohuan held her breath, enduring the heavy, unpleasant scent that she personally detested as it drifted into her nose. She gently lifted the woman into her arms.

Her steps were steady. As she reached the bedroom, she lifted her long leg and gave the door a shove.

The bedroom door, which had been left slightly ajar, kicked open.

Ning Ruohuan placed the drunken woman on the sofa and leaned down, trying to communicate. “I’ll wash you up first, okay?”

Luo Yanzhi did not react.

Ning Ruohuan touched the woman’s cheek. The high fever caused by the alcohol had turned her face exceptionally red; her cheeks were flushed and burning hot.

She was so drunk that she would likely have a splitting headache when she woke up tomorrow morning.

Ning Ruohuan sighed inwardly. Knowing she wouldn’t get a response; she didn’t hesitate further. She took a small blanket to cover the woman, pulling her exposed hand back under the covers.

After a lingering, worried look, she walked quickly into the bathroom to adjust the water temperature and fill the tub in one fluid motion.

Then she returned to the bedroom, crouching slowly in front of the woman. Her well-defined fingers reached under the blanket to hook around Luo Yanzhi’s pinky, giving it a squeeze.

The cold, expressionless mask she had worn while waiting for hours finally melted away.

Estimating that the bath was ready, Ning Ruohuan carried Luo Yanzhi to carefully wash her body before bringing her back to the bed.

The prepared sobering soup was brought to the bedside. Ning Ruohuan propped one leg up on the edge of the bed and leaned her back against the soft headboard, gently lifting Luo Yanzhi up.

Luo Yanzhi’s brow furrowed, subconsciously rejecting it. “I don’t want to drink… no more.”

She still thought she was out drinking.

Ning Ruohuan circled Luo Yanzhi’s neck, holding the handle of the soup spoon in one hand while steadying the bowl with the other. She coaxed, “Mhm, just two more sips and then no more. It’s slightly sweet; you’ll like it.”

The spoon parted the slightly open lips, and Ning Ruohuan fed her the first mouthful.

She had managed the temperature perfectly, ensuring it wouldn’t be uncomfortable for Luo Yanzhi.

In this manner, she managed to feed the drunken woman half a bowl of soup. Eventually, the woman stopped swallowing, and the liquid trickled down the corner of her mouth.

Ning Ruohuan wiped it away quickly.

She released her hold on Luo Yanzhi, placing the bowl and spoon on the nightstand. Then, she pulled out two tissues and meticulously wiped the corners of Luo Yanzhi’s mouth clean.

Only after the woman was well cared for did Ning Ruohuan find the time to finish her previous task—cleaning up the untouched late-night snacks.

Luo Yanzhi loved pestering her to make snacks at night, but she often returned so late that the food would lose its original flavor after sitting out.

There were a few times when Ning Ruohuan hadn’t made them because Luo Yanzhi was too late, and the woman had flown into a rage, ignoring her, cold-shouldering her, and finding every way possible to torment her.

Ning Ruohuan swallowed the last bite of the snacks, washed up, and went to bed.

The pitch-black sky seemed to hold a faint glimmer of light. Ning Ruohuan pulled Luo Yanzhi into her arms and closed her eyes with a sigh, inviting sleep.

It was a dreamless night until the horizon began to turn the color of a fish’s belly.

Ning Ruohuan was pushed awake by Luo Yanzhi.

The woman kicked the sleeping person willfully. Seeing Ning Ruohuan wake up slowly with a look of dazed confusion, she said, “I’m thirsty. Get me a glass of water.”

Ning Ruohuan blinked hard to drive away the lingering drowsiness. Without a word, she rolled over and sat up, obediently going to the water dispenser.

The dispenser was in the corner of the bedroom, just a few steps away.

Ning Ruohuan handed the water to the reclining woman. Taking advantage of the fact that she was conscious, she said, “Try to drink less alcohol in the future.”

Luo Yanzhi lifted her eyelids to glance at her. As her lips touched the cup and the warmth of the water registered, she let out an irritated “Tsk.”

“It’s the middle of summer, and you’re making me drink hot water?”

Before Ning Ruohuan could speak, she saw Luo Yanzhi flip her hand and splash the water out. The liquid splattered across the floor.

It reflected the shape of the ceiling lamp.

Luo Yanzhi didn’t even look up. “Pour it again.”

The words Ning Ruohuan wanted to say got stuck in her throat. She took back the cup. “You just sobered up; drinking ice water isn’t good for your body.”

Luo Yanzhi ignored her.

Ning Ruohuan bit her lip and went to refill the cup. It was still warm water, just slightly cooler than the first.

She didn’t say much, using her actions as a silent persuasion.

Luo Yanzhi pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth. The moment her lips touched the rim, she knew the temperature, and the impatience in her eyes grew more obvious. “Can’t you understand human speech?” She took a few sips and continued, “Mop up the water on the floor.”

Her tone was entirely that of someone ordering a servant.

Ning Ruohuan was used to it. In their years of living together, she had long grown accustomed to this indifferent tone, but at least Luo Yanzhi had drunk some water.

Ning Ruohuan mopped the floor and only then had the chance to check the time.

Five in the morning.

It was still early.

She got back into bed. The person on the other side instinctively rolled over and into her arms, her voice losing the cold disdain from a moment ago. “Sister, hold me while I sleep.”

Luo Yanzhi was always like this; her emotions changed rapidly. One second, she could be ordering Ning Ruohuan around for no reason, and the next she could be acting spoiled as if it were only natural.

In these matters, Ning Ruohuan always indulged her. She extended her arm for the woman to pillow her head on, then turned on her side, her other arm naturally resting around Luo Yanzhi’s waist.

The woman also hugged her belly, kneading it mischievously. “I love you, Sister.”

Ning Ruohuan’s breath hitched, caught in her chest. The stifling air that had been weighing on her heart slowly exhaled because of that one sentence. Her arm tightened, locking the warm body in her arms securely. “Me too.”

The sound of steady breathing soon came from below. The clarity from drinking water vanished instantly as Luo Yanzhi fell back into a heavy slumber.

Ning Ruohuan smiled slightly, resting her chin against the crown of the woman’s head. She closed her eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

At six o’clock, her biological clock woke her punctually. Ning Ruohuan opened her eyes to the sight of the woman’s dark, silky hair.

She habitually took a scent of it. After five minutes of adjusting, she carefully lifted Luo Yanzhi’s hand from her waist. Then, her upper body slowly retreated, pulling her arm out from under Luo Yanzhi’s neck.

The sleeping woman gave a soft hum.

Ning Ruohuan froze.

A moment later, when Luo Yanzhi showed no signs of waking, Ning Ruohuan fully withdrew her arm, rolled out of bed, and tucked the woman in.

After changing into workout clothes, Ning Ruohuan spent an hour in the gym on the second basement floor before taking a shower in the attached bathroom.

Luo Yanzhi liked to sleep in, especially after drinking; she usually wouldn’t wake up until noon. Given how heavy the scent of alcohol had been when she returned, she must have drunk a lot.

Ning Ruohuan swallowed the last bite of bread and tilted her head back to finish the remaining milk in her glass.

The smooth lines of her neck were exposed to the air.

If that’s the case… Ning Ruohuan’s amber eyes narrowed as past memories churned.

Last night, she had violated one of Luo Yanzhi’s taboos.

Ning Ruohuan glanced at the servant busy in the kitchen, thoughtfully fiddling with a small hourglass in her palm.

The hourglass was translucent, the sand inside slowly trickling down to the other side.

Forget it.

Ning Ruohuan closed her palm, and the hourglass vanished as if it had never existed.

Right at that moment, a servant came down from the third floor, looking troubled as she entered the dining room. She addressed the person eating breakfast: “Miss Ning, the Eldest Miss Luo is awake and looking for you.”

Having finished her sentence, as if anticipating what would follow, the servant lowered her head, not daring to look directly at the person at the table.

Ning Ruohuan smiled slightly. “Thank you. I’ll go right now.”

There was no need to let it affect others.

Ning Ruohuan put down the egg she had just picked up. As she stood, she pulled two wet wipes from the box on the table, wiping her fingers and palms as she headed upstairs.

She draped the used wipes over the doorknob, turned it, and threw them into the trash can.

It was only past seven. It was rare for Luo Yanzhi to wake up this early after being that drunk.

Hearing the door open, Luo Yanzhi leaned lazily against the headrest. “Why did you send me so many messages last night?”

Only three, Ning Ruohuan answered in her head. What came out of her mouth, however, was: “I was worried that it was late and it wouldn’t be safe for you.”

Luo Yanzhi sneered, tapping randomly on her phone as she questioned coldly, “Did I not tell you? I don’t like message bombing. it annoys me.”

Ning Ruohuan stood tall; her entire figure bathed in the sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Golden shadows danced on the bridge of her high nose, making the fine hairs on her skin faintly visible.

Luo Yanzhi lifted her eyelids. Seeing this scene, her voice faltered for a second before she resumed her haughty tone. “You’re a person without any special abilities. It’s enough that you don’t need my protection; yet you’re worrying about my safety?”

The hangover headache was unbearable. She furrowed her brows. “Come over and massage my head.”

Ning Ruohuan walked to the bedside and knelt on one knee on the mattress. Keeping to the position Luo Yanzhi was leaning in, she placed both hands on the woman’s temples, applying pressure bit by bit.

Her technique was excellent, and her temper was even better. “Is this, okay?”

Luo Yanzhi gave a non-committal “Mhm.” “It’s fine.”

Ning Ruohuan asked again, “Why did you wake up so early today?”

Luo Yanzhi tapped the screen a few more times and said lazily, “I have an online meeting to attend later.” She covered her mouth and yawned. “You can’t help me anyway—you don’t even have the authorization to enter. If I don’t get up and work, what are you going to eat? Dirt?”

Ning Ruohuan’s massaging slowed down.

In the next second, a soft, boneless hand caught her right hand. Luo Yanzhi turned her head, her eyes curving into a smile as she cupped Ning Ruohuan’s cheek. “Sister, you won’t blame me for being in a bad mood, right? You know I’m hungover and don’t feel well.”

“And,” she curled her lips maliciously, “in this world, only I love you.”