AMRWFA -Chapter 275 Didn’t Expect You to Change

“Yaoyao, I didn’t expect that after all these years, you’d turn into this.” There was regret, disappointment, even disdain in his eyes—but none of the love he once had.

That so-called “white moonlight” had instantly turned into a dried grain of rice stuck on his clothes.

Without saying anything more, Bai Zhengqi turned and left.

【Wait, that’s it? He’s just leaving?】

【Not even staying a bit longer?】

【What did I turn into?】

【That makes you despise me so much?】

Ruan Yaoyao was completely baffled.

Xie Xiuming chuckled inwardly and said to her, “Sis, see that? That’s how men are. He was clinging to you before, saying you were his true love and that he wanted to rekindle things. But the moment he heard you’ve got someone as young as me, he turned around and left. Do you think he’s self-aware enough to know he can’t compete with me, or did he just feel embarrassed losing to me and ran off?”

How would Ruan Yaoyao know? She hadn’t seen Bai Zhengqi in years—her understanding of him was limited to a “profile page.” So she replied, “No idea. If I’d known he was this easy to deal with, I would’ve brought a pretty boy to show off in front of him earlier.”

“…” Xie Xiuming said, “Sis, is it possible that he was easy to deal with because of me, not because you had a pretty boy by your side?”

So yeah, forget about the whole “pretty boy” thing.

If anything like this happens, you should definitely come to me.

Ruan Yaoyao thought for a moment. “That’s possible. But it wouldn’t be great for your reputation. Are you sure you don’t have someone you like?”

She double-checked, not wanting to affect his romantic prospects because of herself.

Xie Xiuming shook his head. “No. If I did, I would’ve told you already. Let’s go in and eat—don’t let an outsider ruin your mood.”

“I wouldn’t let him affect my mood. It’s been so many years—if he hadn’t suddenly shown up, I’d have forgotten all about him.” Ruan Yaoyao felt a little guilty, because truth be told, she hadn’t had much feeling for Bai Zhengqi back then either.

She’d only dated him because he was handsome.

Following behind them, Ruan Zhihe looked at their backs. The man was tall and handsome, the woman petite and charming. He would occasionally turn back, lowering his head with a smile to look at her. Under the lights, his flawless face appeared and disappeared in the glow. At first glance, they really did look like a couple.

Ruan Zhihe shivered, quickly shutting down that dangerous thought.

Although Aunt Xu looked young, she was definitely old enough to be Xie Xiuming’s mother. The fact that she thought they matched—she must be going crazy.

Xie Xiuming treated Aunt Xu so well only because she had saved his life, okay? Besides, everyone who spent time with Aunt Xu treated her well.

At the table, Xie Xiuming handed the menu to Ruan Yaoyao and let her order her favorite dishes.

She didn’t hold back, ordering honey-glazed ice eggplant and steamed matsuba crab. She also ordered teppanyaki squid and Minnan cured pork for Ruan Zhihe. Remembering that Xie Xiuming seemed to like steak last time, she asked if he wanted something like crispy fried pecan Angus veal.

Xie Xiuming recommended, “The stir-fried king crab and the rich prawns here are also good. Sis, you can try those too.”

“There’s already a crab, let’s skip it. It’ll be too much trouble to peel later…”

“It’s fine. I’ll peel it for you.”

And he meant it. Once the seafood arrived, he carefully peeled the shrimp and crab for her, making sure she could enjoy her meal to the fullest.

The bodyguards sitting nearby: “…”

Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing here?

Ruan Yaoyao was being so well taken care of that she felt completely at ease. She thought Xie Xiuming was gentle and considerate—his future girlfriend would definitely be lucky.

Hearing that, he smiled. “Then give me more chances to practice, so I won’t mess up when I take care of my future girlfriend.”

“Hahaha… I’m afraid your future girlfriend will get jealous when she finds out and say you practiced on another woman, calling you second-hand,” Ruan Yaoyao teased.

“Well, nothing I can do about that. She showed up late. Just like me—if you come late, you have to accept it.”

“That’s true. Unless you find a younger girl—people in their twenties or thirties have usually dated before. Since you’ve had past relationships too, it wouldn’t be fair to judge others. So what kind of person are you looking for?” Ruan Yaoyao asked curiously. “You really don’t mind their past?”

“What difference does it make whether I mind or not? If you came into someone’s life late, can you blame them? If anything, blame yourself for showing up too late.”

“You still haven’t said what kind of person you like. Tell me—I know a lot of people. Maybe I can introduce you to someone.”

“I like someone mature, but not too materialistic. She can be a bit older, but with a youthful mindset. She should be pretty, know how to dress up, and know how to live happily… most importantly, she knows how to make herself happy.”

“Independent?”

He immediately denied it. “Not a career-driven woman.”

“Not a career woman? Then maybe someone with a job? Someone who has her own career but can still make time for family?”

Xie Xiuming smiled. “I used to think I liked career-oriented women. But after meeting more people, I realized I prefer someone with a good mindset—someone who can stay happy no matter the situation.”

Not career-driven, yet independent, and able to live happily…

Ruan Yaoyao seemed to understand. “So you’re looking for a woman who has a job but isn’t overly ambitious, someone who can balance family life?”

“She doesn’t necessarily need a job. With my family background, I can fully support the household financially. Whether she works or not, I just want her to be happy.”

He emphasized the word “happy,” as if hinting at someone.

But because it was too subtle, Ruan Yaoyao didn’t catch on. She just nodded, thinking his requirements made sense.

Given his background, his future partner wouldn’t need to worry about finances at all—she could even choose to be a housewife.

There are still women willing to do that nowadays. Some feel pressured by competition in society, while others genuinely long for family life.

And the type Xie Xiuming liked was probably someone who enjoyed family life and was willing to invest time in it.

Ruan Yaoyao thought through her acquaintances but couldn’t find anyone who perfectly matched his criteria.

Reluctantly, she set aside the idea of playing matchmaker for now.

She originally thought the matter with Bai Zhengqi was over, but the next day, she unexpectedly received a call from his young girlfriend, questioning her about what she had done to him and why he got so drunk and cried so miserably.

Ruan Yaoyao: “…”

【Wait, don’t tell me it’s because of what Xie Xiuming said yesterday?】

【What does my dating life have to do with him?】

【We broke up years ago—he’s had who knows how many girlfriends since. How is this still about me?】

But Bai Zhengqi’s girlfriend wouldn’t listen and insisted Ruan Yaoyao explain things face to face.

After hanging up, Ruan Yaoyao looked frustrated and turned to Ruan Zhihe. “Is he crazy?”

Ruan Zhihe replied, “Aren’t male leads in novels always like this?”

【Well… he really is a male lead in a novel, isn’t he!】 Ruan Yaoyao felt like she’d finally figured out why Bai Zhengqi was acting so insane.

She didn’t want to go, but the girl was crying so hard, acting like her life was falling apart. Worried something might happen if she didn’t show up, Ruan Yaoyao hesitated before deciding to make the trip.

【Fine, I’ll just treat it as doing one good deed today!】

Hearing her inner thoughts, Yu Xiangqiao immediately jumped out. “Mom, I’ll go with you!”

“What for?”

“In case that girl causes trouble, I can help you out,” Yu Xiangqiao said innocently, absolutely not admitting that she just wanted to watch the drama unfold.

Lately, her mom hadn’t been taking her along much when going out—she had to actively fight for opportunities now.