Chapter 55: Tracking Bracelet
At 11:00 AM, the black Bentley drove out of the apartment’s underground garage.
Heading toward the Ruan residence as agreed.
Shi He sat in the driver’s seat, wearing an all-black athletic tracksuit, his aura dark and heavy. He lifted his eyelids, casting a cold glance at the rearview mirror.
The people arranged by Ruan Xubai had been tailing them from the moment they went downstairs.
In the passenger seat, Ruan Zhimian lifted his exquisite, pale face, his thick eyelashes casting a small shadow. He looked at the city scenery flashing past the window and shrunk his shoulders slightly.
Beneath the sleeve of his right arm was the tracking bracelet Shi He had put on him before they left the house.
Two hours ago, Ruan Zhimian opened his eyes in a half-dreaming, half-awake state.
Through a haze, he saw the Alpha half-kneeling before the bed. Furrowing his brows while holding iodine, he first blew gently on the wound at his ankle, then meticulously wiped it with a cotton ball before applying ointment and wrapping it with gauze layer after layer.
The heavy shackle was unlocked, its crisp metallic sound falling against the floor.
Ruan Zhimian was too exhausted, having barely rested over the past two days. Supporting himself against the pillow to sit up, he grabbed the pitch-black corner of the clothes. His body tilting, he tumbled from the bed straight into the Alpha’s embrace.
The box on the bedside cabinet had been opened, and it appeared to contain a pair.
Shi He only took out one. Both putting it on and taking it off required a key.
Ruan Zhimian was very light, having grown even thinner over the past two days. He leaned his head sideways against Shi He’s chest, lifting his face to kiss his chin, murmuring, “Gege.”
“Are you going to put it on me?”
The obedient little kitten extended his snowy-white wrist without the slightest hesitation, slipping it into the bracelet, then lifted his head again to nuzzle against Shi He’s neck, clingy to the absolute extreme.
Even after being carried back to the bed, he still clutched his hand and wouldn’t let go, his cheek pressed against the back of the hand as he said softly and fluffily, “Don’t leave.”
Complete silence filled the journey until the vehicle drove up to the entrance of the Ruan manor.
Ruan Zhimian rolled down the car window and said to the butler outside, “It’s me.”
The butler had been waiting for a long time. He first opened the gate and then pulled open the car door. The young master was dressed simply today in a cream-colored, loose turtleneck sweater paired with light-colored jeans. He walked a bit sluggishly, and his face still looked rather pale.
One look and it was clear he hadn’t been well taken care of.
He hadn’t taken his medicine for two days, but fortunately, he had just heated it up.
Butler: “Master Shi, Young Master, the head of the house and the master are both waiting for you in the dining room.”
Not only that, but his aunt and brother were there too.
Before walking into the dining room, Ruan Zhimian extended his fingers to hold Shi He’s hand.
He uttered the first words he had spoken to Shi He since leaving the house.
“They are all very good, so don’t be nervous.”
Ruan Zhimian stood on his tiptoes, placing both hands on the Alpha’s shoulders as he pressed a kiss onto those cold, sharp brows, his voice soft and fluffy. “I’m here.”
Shi He lowered his head, seeing Ruan Zhimian’s fingers tightly clutching his own.
Telling him not to be nervous, yet his own hands were trembling from nervousness.
“Let’s go.”
The dining room, usually reserved for holidays, was put to use today. The red sandalwood circular table alone was two meters in diameter. Walking past a rosewood mother-of-pearl inlay screen, they saw his mother, Ruan Jiarong, and his father, Chen Ji, seated on either side.
They hadn’t just left empty seats for Ruan Zhimian and Shi He; the setup was quite grand.
Shi He first pulled back a chair to let Ruan Zhimian sit down, then greeted the several elders, “Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie…”
Ruan Zhimian’s right side was next to Ruan Jiarong. He straightened his posture, trying his best to act natural. “Father, Mother, how do you have time to eat at home?”
Chen Ji wore his glasses, saying with a smile, “There is always time to have a meal.”
“Mianmian, Father made braised pork for you. Have a taste.”
The dining table was already laden with dishes. Ruan Zhimian picked up the serving chopsticks, served a piece to himself and one to Shi He, then lowered his head to taste it, immediately praising, “It’s delicious.”
This kind of family atmosphere was something Shi He had never personally experienced before.
Seated right across from them, Ruan Xubai stood up to uncork a bottle of wine, first pouring a glass for Shi He. “Mianmian needs to take medicine, so he won’t be drinking.”
“CEO Shi can drink, right?”
A snowy-white hand reached out and snatched the wine glass away. Shaking his head at his brother, he said in a soft, sweet voice, “Brother, Shi He’s susceptibility period hasn’t ended yet; he shouldn’t drink.”
His aunt, Ruan Yechun, pulled at Ruan Xubai and smiled gently. “Mianmian is already protecting him.”
In the eyes of the Ruan family, Shi He was a “dangerous” figure, far more capable of influencing Ruan Zhimian than Han He’an ever was.
Comparing Shi He and Han He’an, when Ruan Zhimian liked Han He’an, the emotion was mostly an infatuation, also because Han He’an was the first person Ruan Zhimian got to know after returning to the country for school.
Shi He was different; Ruan Zhimian had never mentioned Shi He to them before.
Most of the time, concealment indicated that the feelings were exceptionally unique.
For a moment, Ruan Zhimian was so nervous his palms broke into a sweat. “Auntie…”
Shi He stood up, gently patting his hand. “It’s fine.”
He took the wine glass and drained it in one gulp.
Ruan Zhimian tilted his small face up, standing up along with him.
However, he only poured himself a tiny sip. The wine was incredibly strong and made him choke slightly, instantly leaving him teary-eyed. He wiped away his tears before speaking, “Father, Mother, Auntie, Brother, his name is Shi He, and he is an exceptionally good person.”
“I know you’re all worried about me.”
Ruan Zhimian was clumsy with words and didn’t know how to explain, but absolutely none of it was Shi He’s fault. “He… has experienced many unfair things and grew up entirely alone, yet he still became an exceptionally outstanding person.”
“My acquaintance with Shi He was because I pestered him. If only… I had the chance to know him a bit sooner…”
Unfortunately, both their encounter and departure were predestined.
Shi He, if the time we have together is destined to be this brief, then let me bring you a little more warmth.
The black-haired, black-eyed Alpha lowered his head. He looked at Ruan Zhimian, his fingers resting at his side tightening around the slender wrist, his calm heart seemingly trembling.
Shi He had been prepared for Ruan Zhimian to open his mouth and say he was leaving him, yet he had never expected that the boy would introduce him this way in front of his family.
Good. Outstanding.
Such words appearing on someone like him were truly ill-fitting.
Once dinner concluded, Ruan Zhimian pulled Shi He back to his own bedroom. His cheeks were flushed a faint pink, and the moment they walked inside, he wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s waist, pushing forward continuously until he pinned him against the side of the wardrobe.
His head was also spinning slightly.
Being tipsy, his tears fell completely uncontrollably, soaking and silently dampening Shi He’s clothes step by step. He cried soundlessly, shedding only tears, making him look exceptionally aggrieved.
The poor thing.
He was clearly the one who was going to abandon him, so why did he look so aggrieved?
Without even realizing it himself, Shi He not only softened his voice but also called him baby. Pressing his finger pad against his jaw, he tilted the small face up. “What’s wrong?”
Ruan Zhimian’s time was limited, and what he could give to Shi He was very little.
If he was destined to leave Shi He’s world, then he would give Shi He a bit more warmth.
“Shi He, let’s have a real relationship.”
Right at the moment those words fell, a sudden ringing filled Shi He’s ears. He loosened his grip, watching Ruan Zhimian speaking to him anxiously in front of him, yet he couldn’t hear a single thing.
When he was four, his father—who played the role of a premium single man outside—held the hand of a strange woman, flinging him away and pushing him onto the ground as he approached, leaving behind a single sentence, “Shi He, you don’t deserve to be my child at all.”
When he was eight, Shi He missed an exam due to a persistent high fever. His mother, who was home alone, endured the mockery of her sisters-in-law during a holiday gathering. She returned home, glaring furiously at Shi He who was sitting on the bed writing an exam paper, and flipped his small lap table over.
“Shi He, you shouldn’t have been born at all. You are my disgrace.”
When he was ten, his father went missing, and his mother was forced to return to the family.
“Shi He, you deserve to die. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have ended up like this at all. You will never receive anyone’s love.”
Shi He leaned over while supporting himself against the wardrobe, his face entirely pale. Everything he had ever received was a lie, yet within this lie, he wanted to secure a lifetime with Ruan Zhimian.
His vision wavered slightly. Grasping Ruan Zhimian’s fingers, the sound slowly returned to his ears.
“Say it again.”
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