Return To The Time Before Being Toyed With By My Fiancée - Chapter 4

The cards on the table hadn’t been cleared away yet. Ning Ruohuan paused, then gathered the scattered deck, stacking them neatly before holding them in her hand.

The backs of these cards were engraved with a unique pattern, clearly belonging to a specific Ability User. To think they were being used so brazenly for a common game.

The others in the room snapped out of their trance one by one. Their gazes shifted collectively toward the woman who had just arrived.

Since they were at home, Ning Ruohuan was dressed casually. Her white shirt sleeves were rolled up for convenience, revealing a section of her porcelain-fair forearms. Under the warm glow of the lamps, her wrist bones were prominent, and the faint purple veins were clearly visible.

Yin Fan stood up, acting with polite refinement. “Sister Ruohuan, you can just give the cards to me. Sorry to trouble you.”

Ning Ruohuan handed them over, her expression wearing a faint, gentle mask. “Keep them safe.” Then, she said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I was delayed by some matters and kept you all waiting.”

She picked up an opener, gripping it deftly in her palm. “Shall I open these for you?”

She acted exactly like a dedicated housekeeper providing service to guests, making it impossible for anyone to find fault with her.

Yin Fan and the others looked toward Luo Yanzhi.

Luo Yanzhi remained leaning lazily against her chair, her slender legs stretched out and crossed over the center bar of the table. She reached out, tapped her knuckles on the tabletop twice, and spread her hand open.

After a moment’s hesitation, Ning Ruohuan handed the opener to Luo Yanzhi.

Luo Yanzhi pulled her closer instead, tilting her head and gesturing with her chin to the seat beside her. “Sister, isn’t it tiring to stand? Sit next to me.” She took the bottle of red wine, pressing the tip of the opener against the cork, her expression unreadable. “It just so happens that Yunxin wanted to see you.”

Hearing her name, Wan Yunxin greeted her eagerly. “Sister Ruohuan, long time no see.”

Ning Ruohuan narrowed her eyes slightly, her mind racing, though her words remained steady. “Hello.”

She remembered Wan Yunxin. Or rather, she had at least some impression of all three of Luo Yanzhi’s friends; whenever Luo Yanzhi went out, it was usually with this group. Among them, Bu Ruoyan was the primary companion.

She followed up with, “Long time no see.”

With a “pop,” the cork was pulled out. Luo Yanzhi raised her hand and tossed it aside; it flew straight and struck Wan Yunxin right on the forehead.

Wan Yunxin, who had been smiling broadly, was stunned by the impact and looked toward the source of the cork in dazed confusion.

Luo Yanzhi innocently began pouring the wine into a decanter. “Sorry, you were sitting in a bad spot. I just threw it out of habit.”

Wan Yunxin: “…It’s fine.”

Sitting beside Luo Yanzhi, Ning Ruohuan had seen clearly that her fiancée had glanced toward Wan Yunxin before throwing it. It certainly wasn’t an accident.

She sat there upright without saying a word. She then saw Luo Yanzhi open the bottle of beer and place it in front of her. “Sister, you drink this.”

The amber liquid sloshed inside the bottle, and faint white bubbles rose, partially obscured by the label.

Ning Ruohuan rarely drank and disliked the smell of strong alcohol. Before she had gone to get the wine, Luo Yanzhi had specifically instructed her to come join them. Moreover, since Luo Yanzhi had returned home heavily intoxicated the previous night, it was only right to drink something less potent today.

A light buzz would suffice.

The golden liquid was poured into a highball glass. Bubbles surged upward, forming a layer of white foam that looked somewhat dreamlike under the warm lights.

But Ning Ruohuan was in no mood to appreciate the dreaminess.

Luo Yanzhi typed a few lines on her phone, and shortly after, the door to the wine room opened again.

A person entered pushing a wine cart. Bottles of white, red, and pale-yellow liquids were reflected in her amber eyes. Several different varieties of wine were arranged neatly on the table.

Even before the corks were pulled, Ning Ruohuan felt as if she could smell the heavy, oppressive aroma.

Luo Yanzhi once said that wine was fragrant and intoxicating, capable of relieving stress. Ning Ruohuan never felt that way; she only found it difficult to swallow—dry, bitter, and harsh.

By comparison, the beer looked almost pleasant.

The pale-yellow liquid collided with ice cubes in a rocks glass, and fine, dense bubbles rose slowly to float on the surface. Luo Yanzhi tilted her chin, signaling her friends to pour whatever they liked.

The person who brought the cart left discreetly after setting the bottles down.

Ning Ruohuan held her highball glass, listening to the sound of one bottle after another being opened. Her expression remained calm as her lips touched the rim, taking a symbolic sip.

At some point, the warm overhead lamp was turned off, leaving only the dim LED strips around the perimeter. The room grew darker, making the silhouettes of those around her faint and blurry.

She felt a rush of warm air near her ear. Ning Ruohuan turned her head and found herself looking directly into Luo Yanzhi’s peach-blossom eyes, which were filled with amusement.

Luo Yanzhi leaned in slowly until her lips were nearly touching Ning Ruohuan’s ear. Her warm breath brushed against her like a mist. “Sister, you almost made me lose face in front of my friends.”

Ning Ruohuan’s heart sank. An arm wrapped around her waist, and Luo Yanzhi, like a boneless creature, whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: “I asked you to get wine, why did you bring beer?”

Having said that, the heat and the restriction around her waist vanished instantly. When Ning Ruohuan looked up again, Luo Yanzhi had returned to her state of extreme lethality and laziness, nonchalantly tracing the rim of her glass while chatting with Bu Ruoyan.

They were speaking the language of Ability Users. Luo Yanzhi knew she couldn’t understand it.

Ning Ruohuan withdrew her gaze and took slow sips of her drink. She drank very slowly; while the others had finished several rounds, her glass was still half-full.

Wan Yunxin picked up the decanted red wine, poured it into a goblet, and swirled it elegantly. She leaned in toward Ning Ruohuan, asking with a low chuckle, “Sister Ruohuan, do you find this boring?”

Hearing this, Ning Ruohuan looked at her. “It’s alright.”

Wan Yunxin clearly didn’t believe her. She continued, “You can’t understand what we’re saying, and you’re forced to stay here. Is it really not boring?”

Ning Ruohuan shook her head. “It really isn’t.”

Wan Yunxin’s smile seemed innocent enough. She raised her glass to clink with Ning Ruohuan’s and tilted her head back, letting the crimson liquid disappear into her mouth. She savored it for a moment, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. “As long as you’re not bored. If you are, I can keep you company and chat.”

Their voices were low, sounding like a private whisper. In the dark environment and under the influence of alcohol, it created an inexplicably subtle atmosphere.

Ning Ruohuan moved imperceptibly closer to Luo Yanzhi, maintaining a friendly, practiced smile. “That’s very kind of you.”

Luo Yanzhi stared at her pale-yellow drink. The sound of ice clinking against the glass was crisp and pleasant.

She interjected, “Sister, what are you two chatting about so happily?”

Ning Ruohuan said, “It’s nothing.”

Luo Yanzhi arched an eyebrow. “Yunxin?”

Wan Yunxin spread her hands innocently and winked, giving Ning Ruohuan a look that suggested a shared secret. “It’s nothing.”

Luo Yanzhi’s smile stiffened for a split second before she propped her head up again, her elbow resting on the table. She leaned her body and took a slanted sip of her whiskey.

In the faint light, Ning Ruohuan noticed that Luo Yanzhi’s cheeks were becoming flushed. The alcohol from the previous night hadn’t fully cleared, and she hadn’t rested well; every sip she took now went straight to her head.

She whispered a warning, “Yanyan, drink less.”

Luo Yanzhi held her glass with three fingers, her wrist drooping as she sat in a languid posture. She answered obediently, “Okay, Sister.”

Bu Ruoyan teased her, “No way, Yanzhi. Since when did you become so obedient?”

Wan Yunxin added jokingly, “Is this what happens to someone with a fiancée?”

Fiancée. Ning Ruohuan’s heart throbbed. All these people knew she was Luo Yanzhi’s fiancée, and they were saying it so directly.

Ning Ruohuan couldn’t help but look at Luo Yanzhi. It must have been her request; otherwise, her friends wouldn’t be so open about it. Her heart and soul were wrapped in a strange sense of satisfaction, and her somewhat heavy mood began to lift.

Luo Yanzhi’s eyes crinkled. “Want one too?”

Wan Yunxin poured more wine. “I don’t want to be tied down just yet. Freedom is much more fun.” She raised her glass with a laugh, stretching her arm out. “Come on, let us free souls have a drink.”

Bu Ruoyan and Yin Fan had no choice but to raise their glasses. Just as they were about to pull back and drink, a rocks glass appeared beside theirs.

Luo Yanzhi’s eyes were deep, the corners stained with a faint red tint from the alcohol. She asked with a smirk, “What, am I not a free person anymore?”

After speaking, she glanced nonchalantly at Ning Ruohuan. In the darkness, the expression on her face was hard to discern.

Ning Ruohuan’s heart stirred. She lifted her glass, the golden liquid sloshing inside and forming round droplets that slid down the glass walls.

She said calmly, “We are all free.”

Since the host had said so, the others naturally dropped the subject. Wan Yunxin put down her glass with a smile. “Indeed, everyone is free.”

There was a hidden meaning in her words, but no one chose to dig deeper.

After several rounds of drinks, Ning Ruohuan, concerned about Luo Yanzhi’s health, stepped out for a moment. She arranged for some fruit to be brought in and personally poured a glass of plain water for Luo Yanzhi.

Inside the wine room, the atmosphere changed instantly the moment she left. Wan Yunxin asked curiously, “Yanzhi, is it real or fake between you two?”

Luo Yanzhi: “What’s real or fake?”

Wan Yunxin “tsked.” “Don’t pretend you don’t understand. Calling her ‘Sister’ over and over… what exactly are you thinking regarding Ning Ruohuan?”

Luo Yanzhi traced the rim of her glass. The spilled wine on her hand had already dried, leaving a faint scent. She suddenly laughed. “Don’t you think it’s quite interesting? Having someone place their entire heart on you, treating you as their sole emotional anchor.”