The Golden Cane and the Wild Rose - Chapter 31.2

Chapter 31.2

After Gu Hongfei dropped her off at the small apartment, she didn’t invite him to stay, and Gu Hongfei didn’t use an excuse like “I want a sip of water” to linger. This small apartment seemed to have become her property.

If she didn’t want someone to stay, they wouldn’t.

However, Yun Ran knew in her heart that she was a cuckoo occupying a magpie’s nest.

Especially after going to the Jiang family’s villa today, the contrast in her heart became even more apparent. She increasingly felt that Gu Hongfei was inferior to Jiang Musheng in many ways.

It turned out she wasn’t just a completely self-serving person; she was also vain. She was so vain that she now looked down on Gu Hongfei, who she had once thought was the best match for her.

But her reason told her that she and Jiang Musheng were absolutely impossible.

There was her “old dad’s” life between them.

Even without her “old dad,” the danger and instability around Jiang Musheng would make her feel scared.

Thinking of this, Yun Ran felt a little disgusted with herself. She craved Jiang Musheng’s power and wealth but was unwilling to bear the risks that came with having them.

Where in the world could you enjoy the benefits without sharing the responsibilities?

So, it was better to be as far away from Jiang Musheng as possible.

“Miss Yun, do you want to go upstairs to rest now? Or have a drink before you go up? I can prepare something for you in the kitchen,” the Filipina domestic helper asked when she saw her standing in the living room for a long time without moving.

Yun Ran said, “I want to go upstairs and take a bath first and change into clean clothes. You can do your own thing.”

“Okay, Miss Yun. I’ll call you when lunch is ready.”

“Okay.”

Yun Ran went upstairs, entered the bathroom, and soaked herself in the bathtub filled with warm water. She used bath salts to create a lot of bubbles and scrubbed hard to wash off the smell of roast goose that clung to her.

Roast goose tasted delicious, but its smell was truly powerful, seeming impossible to wash off.

Yun Ran suddenly felt a little bit of a breakdown.

She didn’t want to be like this forever. She didn’t want to sell roast geese with Gu Hongfei for the rest of her life!

Yun Ran felt that she had wasted a lot of time on her half-hearted relationship with Gu Hongfei and had finally come to understand it.

But if she didn’t want Gu Hongfei, who else could she find?

Was there anyone who could meet her demands?

Even if there were, they might not be interested in her.

At this moment, she thought of Jiang Musheng again.

Don’t think, don’t think. Yun Ran buried her head underwater and quickly surfaced when she felt suffocated.

She couldn’t think of anyone else. Her social circle was limited. When she was with Jiang Musheng, she had the most contact with rich people. However, when she was with Jiang Musheng, her eyes seemed to be fixed on him, unable to see anyone else.

She had to admit that although Jiang Musheng was dangerous, he was also a very charismatic person.

She wasn’t easily moved.

But now, with Jiang Musheng, she felt a sense of defeat.

However, being moved by someone wasn’t a big deal in a person’s life. In her lifetime, she would probably be moved by other people in the future.

The more times she was moved, the less significant this one would seem.

After her bath, she put on her bathrobe, carefully washed her hair three times, and wrapped it in a towel.

The Filipina domestic helper came upstairs and knocked on the door. “Miss Yun, lunch is ready.”

Yun Ran said, “I’m coming.”

She opened the door and went downstairs with the domestic helper.

“Miss Yun, aren’t you going to dry your hair first? You might catch a cold.”

“It’s fine. I used to let it air dry naturally.”

When she lived in Kowloon Walled City, she often even washed her hair with cold water.

The first time she used a hair dryer was in her school dormitory. She used a communal one, which made her hair frizzy and required her to wait in line, so she stopped using it.

The second time she used one was at Jiang Musheng’s villa. The hair dryer at his place was much better than the communal one at school. It didn’t damage her hair as much, and the temperature was more suitable.

Once, she saw her younger sister Xueyu after washing her hair. She specifically ran over and, acting spoiled, asked her brother to help her dry it. Jiang Musheng gently dried his sister’s hair. Yun Ran watched in a daze, thinking he was a truly good brother. For Xueyu, he was not only a brother but also took on the responsibilities of a father and mother.

Before he finished, Jiang Musheng suddenly looked up at her and asked if she wanted him to help her.

Yun Ran was a little stunned at the time.

Xueyu said laughingly, “Brother, sister-in-law is acting silly.”

Jiang Musheng lightly scolded her. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

He then said to Yun Ran, “Ah Ran, I was asking if you need me to help you dry your hair?”

Yun Ran felt very strange at the time. She was an orphan with no memory of her biological parents. Later, she was adopted by Scarface, who wasn’t particularly good at taking care of girls. She had always styled her own hair and braids.

“Do you want me to?”

“No!” Yun Ran suddenly said loudly, her voice louder than the humming of the hair dryer. Everyone was stunned.

Yun Ran said awkwardly, “I’ll go back to my room and take a bath first.”

She went back to her room, took a bath, washed her hair, and sat on the bed with a dry towel wrapped around her head, her mind empty. She thought about everything and nothing. As soon as something appeared in her mind, she would forcefully push it out.

“Thump, thump, thump…”

Someone knocked on the door.

Yun Ran hesitated for a moment, walked to the door, and thinking it was her sister Xueyu, she opened the door, only to find it was Jiang Musheng.

She was so surprised that she slightly opened her mouth.

Jiang Musheng smiled at her. “Are you that surprised to see me?”

Yun Ran’s lips were slightly parted, and she blinked her eyes.

Jiang Musheng looked at her lips and then at her eyes. “Are you not going to let me in?”

Yun Ran moved aside. Jiang Musheng walked in and went into the bathroom.

Yun Ran subconsciously followed him.

The bathroom was still filled with the steam from her bath. They seemed to have walked into the humid fog one after the other.

She saw Jiang Musheng squat down, open the cabinet below the mirror, and pull out something with a wire from inside. He turned around and looked at her.

“I heard from Xueyu that you never dry your hair. Every time she comes to your room at night to chat, your hair is wet. I thought maybe you didn’t know where the hair dryer was.”

“I know where it is. I just don’t like using it,” Yun Ran said, avoiding his gaze.

“Why?”

“I used one at school before and didn’t think it worked very well.”

“Try it again. You might catch a cold and get a headache. I’ll help you.”

Yun Ran couldn’t refuse, so she let Jiang Musheng help her dry her hair.

Because the bathroom was too hot and humid, they went to the room to do it. The air conditioner made the room cool.

Yun Ran closed her eyes and felt Jiang Musheng gently run his hands through her hair from behind, drying it strand by strand.

The temperature of the air was just right, not too hot.

Jiang Musheng’s hands were also very gentle. He even praised her: “Ah Ran, you have very nice hair.”

Yun Ran felt a little happy inside but pretended not to hear and didn’t say anything.

The process of Jiang Musheng drying her hair felt both very long and very short.

The moment the humming of the hair dryer stopped, Yun Ran opened her eyes.

Jiang Musheng put the hair dryer back. She stood there, looked at the closed door, and wondered if she should open it now. She was a little afraid that Jiang Musheng wouldn’t leave.

However, before she could open the door, Jiang Musheng walked out of the bathroom.

He smiled at her.

Yun Ran felt her hair and her entire head were soft and itchy, but her heart was nervously pounding.

Jiang Musheng saw that she was nervous. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t be staying.”

After saying that, he opened the door and walked out, not forgetting to close it behind him.

She leaned against the door, as if using the weight of her body to prevent Jiang Musheng from opening it again.

Jiang Musheng never came back, but that day, her heart beat the fastest it ever had.

“Miss Yun.”

“Miss Yun.”

“Miss Yun?”

The Filipina domestic helper called her a few times without a response and then gently shook her arm.

Yun Ran woke up from her memory and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You scared me, Miss Yun. You were walking down the stairs with me and suddenly stopped. I thought someone had put a spell on you.”

“Are you not feeling well? Is it because you didn’t dry your hair in time?”

“No,” Yun Ran smiled and continued to go downstairs. “I’m fine. I just suddenly thought of some things.”

“They must be happy things, otherwise Miss Yun wouldn’t have been so lost in thought.”

Yun Ran smiled at her. “Let’s eat.”

Yun Ran ate a bowl of rice and some dishes, then put down her bowl and chopsticks. The Filipina domestic helper came to clear the table, and suddenly someone knocked on the door.

“Miss Yun, I’ll go open the door and see who it is.”

Yun Ran nodded, got up, and walked upstairs, thinking it must be Gu Hongfei. She didn’t want to see him like this and wanted to go upstairs to change her clothes first.

When she came back downstairs, she saw someone she didn’t expect.

It was Zheng Hangyi, the Mr. Zheng who had been nice to her at first but then changed his attitude because he thought she would be a threat to Jiang Musheng.

Zheng Hangyi was sitting on the sofa in the living room, leaning back very leisurely and watching her gracefully descend the stairs. He even slightly squinted his eyes.

“I didn’t expect Miss Yun to think so highly of me and even wash her hair specifically before seeing me.”

“It’s just a coincidence. I didn’t know Mr. Zheng would be coming to see me today.”

Zheng Hangyi said, “I just happened to be passing by.”

The Filipina domestic helper brought a large plate of washed fruits, including grapes, dragon fruit, and apples. Zheng Hangyi took a grape and tossed it into his mouth.

Yun Ran said, “I’m sure Mr. Zheng didn’t come here just to eat fruit, did he?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why did you come, Mr. Zheng?”

“I’m in no hurry to talk. I just got here. Let me eat a couple of fruits first.”

Yun Ran watched Zheng Hangyi slowly eat the fruits, feeling annoyed. The Filipina domestic helper probably thought he was her friend and brought a pot of tea.

Zheng Hangyi took a sip of tea and said, “I want to talk to Miss Yun about Musheng.”

Yun Ran wrapped her arms around herself and asked, “What do you want to tell me, Mr. Zheng? Please be direct.”

“Then I’ll be direct,” Zheng Hangyi put down his teacup and leaned forward. “Our last conversation was my fault. I want to make things clear. I don’t want Miss Yun to be angry with Musheng because of me.”

“It has nothing to do with you, Mr. Zheng,” Yun Ran said.

“It does have something to do with me. Miss Yun doesn’t know this, but I’m a person who never takes on responsibility unnecessarily. If it has nothing to do with me, I will make that clear. I wouldn’t come here so eagerly otherwise.”

“Oh? Then why are you so eager today, Mr. Zheng?”

Zheng Hangyi smiled at her. “If talking back to me like this will make you feel better, feel free to do it a few more times.”

Yun Ran fell silent, raised her hand, and poured herself a cup of tea, drinking it to hide her nervousness.

Zheng Hangyi continued, “Miss Yun, I sincerely apologize for the wrong things I said last time. I advised Musheng not to be with you, but he didn’t agree. You know what happened after that. You left in a fit of pique, and Musheng asked me to send you off. I added fuel to the fire, making it impossible for you to go back even if you wanted to.”

Yun Ran’s slender white fingers gripped the teacup. She gritted her teeth and squeezed out a sound. “When did I ever want to go back? Mr. Zheng, don’t talk nonsense.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t talk nonsense.” Zheng Hangyi put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “However, Miss Yun, please don’t be insincere.”

Yun Ran glared at him.

Zheng Hangyi met her gaze, smiling like a cunning old fox. “I’ve said all I’m going to say. If you pretend you don’t want to go back and don’t care about Musheng, you’ll be the one who loses out in the end.”

These words hit her like a drum, sinking Yun Ran’s floating heart.

Zheng Hangyi saw her expression change and seized the opportunity to extend an olive branch.

“Miss Yun, I am here to formally apologize for the wrong things I’ve said. Please forgive me. I’ll be your driver and personally take you back to Musheng’s place, okay?”

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