Chapter 134: What Goes Around Comes Around

"Huh? You're actually planning to go out?"

A-Kuan looked astonished as he approached Ruan Mianmian. "Brother Ruan, do you know where the boss is? It's so late; you should just stay home and wait for him to return."

"I'm not going to look for him," Ruan Mianmian said simply, walking toward the door.

Sensing something was amiss, A-Kuan asked, "What exactly happened? Why don't I go with you?"

Ruan Mianmian tossed him the car keys and said, "Go, start the car."

"You got it!" A-Kuan grinned and jogged to the garage to fetch the vehicle.

Once Ruan Mianmian was in the passenger seat, she said directly, "To the Little Sunflower Bar."

A-Kuan’s hands paused on the steering wheel. He looked at Ruan Mianmian in disbelief. "Brother Ruan, you aren't going there to drink your sorrows away, are you?"

"Why so many questions? Just drive!"

There was a hint of urgency in Ruan Mianmian’s tone, and A-Kuan dared not delay any further. He drove Ruan Mianmian away from Starfish Bay.

Upon arriving at the Little Sunflower Bar, Ruan Mianmian jumped out of the car and ran inside. Chen Ci was already waiting for her at the entrance.

Seeing him, Ruan Mianmian asked, "What's going on?"

"Let's go inside first." Chen Ci led the way and explained, "The girl causing the scene had you in her contacts. I figured you were friends, so I called you."

"No, I mean, what actually happened?"

"What else could happen? Some handsy guy saw she looked decent and decided to get fresh. Who knew she had such a fiery temper? She grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it over his head." Chen Ci rubbed his nose, looking sheepish.

"Luckily, I was in the shop today. The guy wouldn't let it go at first, but I managed to stall him. The girl was crying and making a scene, so I took her phone, thinking I’d get a friend or family member to take her home. That's when I saw your name."

Ruan Mianmian understood the situation and followed Chen Ci deeper into the bar.

"There, that's the girl." Chen Ci pointed toward a corner.

Ruan Mianmian followed his gaze and saw Song Chenxi sitting alone, the table in front of her already littered with glasses and bottles.

"You let her keep drinking?"

Ruan Mianmian shot Chen Ci an accusatory look and quickened her pace.

"What else could I do?" Chen Ci sighed. "She's a handful—either crying and screaming or smashing things. What was I supposed to do?"

"Couldn't you have someone watch her?"

Chen Ci looked helpless. "I assumed she was your friend. My bouncers are all big guys; they don't know their own strength. If something happened, who would be responsible?"

"Unbelievable!" Ruan Mianmian muttered, walking up to Song Chenxi.

Song Chenxi was tilting her head back, pouring alcohol down her throat. Though she clearly looked miserable, she didn't stop. Ruan Mianmian reached out and snatched the bottle from her hand.

"Cough, cough—"

Song Chenxi choked on the liquor. After a moment, she looked up, eyes blazing with aggression. Seeing who it was, she froze, looking bewildered. "Oh, Ruan Mianmian? Why are you here?"

Ruan Mianmian set the bottle on the table with a cold expression. "Do you think I wanted to come?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you didn't want me here, you should have deleted my contact information from your phone a long time ago."

Song Chenxi paused, then smirked. "So, they did call you after all."

"After all?" Ruan Mianmian raised an eyebrow. "What, did they call someone else before me?"

"That's right." Song Chenxi gave a mocking laugh, leaning closer to Ruan Mianmian. "They called Jian Yan. But he didn't come. Just like when you begged him to save you back then—he didn't come either. Isn't that ironic?"

"..."

Ruan Mianmian gave her a silent, sidelong glance, then reached over to grab the small handbag beside her. "Let's go. I'm taking you home."

"Why would you take me home? I'm not going back. I want to drink." Song Chenxi looked away, scanning the table, then picked up a full glass of beer and started downing it again.

"Stop drinking. Does alcohol solve anything?" Ruan Mianmian pressed down on her hand, sat in the empty seat next to her, and signaled the waiter to clear the table.

Song Chenxi glared at her, shouting, "Ruan Mianmian, can you stop meddling in other people's business?"

"If I didn't want to meddle, I wouldn't have come. Since I'm here, I'm going to see this through."

Song Chenxi laughed mockingly. "Ruan Mianmian, aren't you here just to laugh at me?"

"That's not out of the question." Ruan Mianmian arched an eyebrow. "After all, you've watched me make a fool of myself plenty of times before."

"Ha—" Song Chenxi lowered her head and let out a cold laugh. "How the tables have turned."

"Alright, have you finished venting and complaining? I'm taking you home. Let's go." Ruan Mianmian looked at her, her expression firm.

Song Chenxi suddenly looked up, scrutinizing her carefully. She sneered, "Why didn't you two get together sooner?"

"Jian Yan and me? We aren't together, and we never will be."

"Not together? I thought you two were going to fly off into the sunset? What? You don't want to be with Jian Yan anymore?"

"That's right. I don't." Ruan Mianmian nodded; she had no reason to deny it.

"Hahaha... the show really never ends, does it?" Song Chenxi continued, "Do you know? That day, he told me he had never really understood his own heart. He realized the person he liked was you. Isn't that hilarious? In school, he pursued me for two years. I treated that relationship with such care, afraid to agree too easily, afraid to let go. I was so afraid of being betrayed. Finally, we were together, and I thought my happiness had begun. But then he told me he had mistaken his own feelings. Tell me, isn't that ridiculous? If the person he truly likes is you, then what does that make me?"

Ruan Mianmian listened silently, her heart a tangled mess of emotions. Thinking about it, Song Chenxi hadn't really done anything wrong, and Ruan Mianmian felt a pang of guilt.

"I don't think what he felt for me was love." Ruan Mianmian recalled the events of the past few months. "He just hadn't adapted to my absence yet. It wasn't love; it was just a habit—the habit of having me following him around like a shadow."

"Pfft." Song Chenxi scoffed. "To be honest, the day you were kidnapped, it was me who received the call from the kidnappers, and it was me who stopped him from going to save you."