RMM -Chapter 326 An Unexpected Encounter with Zhao Nuanxun

Su Ruo hadn’t expected that a casual stroll would lead her to run into that woman. She froze on the spot.

What was her name again… Zhao Nuanxun?

Su Ruo couldn’t quite remember the name clearly, but she recognized the person at a glance. Wasn’t this woman Mo Qi’s wife—the one who had snatched Mo Qi away from Duan Wei?

Su Ruo still remembered how this woman had slandered Duan Wei the last time.

Thinking of that, a cold smile crept onto Su Ruo’s lips. What was this woman doing here? The score from the hospital incident with Duan Wei hadn’t even been settled yet.

She saw Zhao Nuanxun standing by the door of a private room, leaning against the wall, head lowered as she stared at her phone. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were looking at something troubling.

What really caught Su Ruo’s attention, however, was her appearance. The last time Su Ruo had seen her, she’d been bare-faced, simply dressed, fresh and clean. Even though Su Ruo had disliked her personality, she had to admit that she’d looked delicate and pitiful—very much the fragile, birdlike beauty.

But now, it was a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

Her hair was loose, curled into big waves. Heavy black eye makeup, fiery red lips, skin as pale as paper—who knew how much foundation she’d layered on. And her clothes were even more eye-catching: a low-cut, tight black dress, the hem barely reaching the tops of her thighs. The black fabric made her skin look even whiter, but Su Ruo thought that if she sat down, everything would be on full display—anyone in front of her would only need to lower their head for a clear view.

Why was she dressed like this? At first glance, she looked like a woman from the red-light district.

Su Ruo felt even more displeased as she watched coldly—then suddenly remembered something.

Duan Wei was right behind her.

What if she came over and saw this woman…

No! Su Ruo shuddered. If Duan Wei saw Zhao Nuanxun, she would definitely be reminded of all those painful memories. She’d finally managed to walk out of that dark chapter—she couldn’t let this woman ruin it.

But just as Su Ruo was about to turn and leave, someone grabbed her shoulder. Her heart sank, and then she heard He Wen’s voice.

“What are you looking at? You’ve been standing here forever and still haven’t come over.”

Su Ruo quickly turned around, grabbed He Wen, and started pulling her back. “Nothing. I was just standing here for a bit. Let’s go back.”

Her obvious attempt at hiding something only made He Wen more curious. She struggled, trying to break free.

“Why are you dragging me? Let go! I want to see too. There’s clearly a woman over there—who is she? Let me take a look!”

Su Ruo was furious. She wanted nothing more than to smack this oblivious idiot. Couldn’t she see the hint? What was there to see? What was so interesting about Zhao Nuanxun?

Su Ruo tried to stop her, but she didn’t dare make too big a fuss for fear of alerting Duan Wei behind them. As a result, He Wen managed to shake free.

Thinking it must be someone special to make Su Ruo act this way, He Wen darted to the corner and looked over—

And her face changed instantly.

How could it be that woman?

He Wen immediately recognized the overly seductive, provocatively dressed Zhao Nuanxun—the “shameless bitch.” Her face filled with disgust. Was she dressed like this just to disgust people?

Only then did He Wen finally remember Duan Wei, and she understood why Su Ruo had tried so hard to stop her.

These two absolutely could not run into each other. If Duan Wei saw her…

And if Zhao Nuanxun was here, what if Mo Qi was here too?

He Wen regretted it now. If Su Ruo hadn’t wanted her to look, she shouldn’t have insisted. What was there to see anyway?

“Ruoruo, let’s go,” He Wen said.

Hearing He Wen finally cooperate, Su Ruo felt no relief at all. Instead, her heart leapt into her throat.

Because Duan Wei had already walked over.

“What’s going on? What are you two looking at?” Duan Wei asked curiously.

He Wen’s back went cold. It’s over… this is all my fault.

“Nothing,” Su Ruo said with a smile. “He Wen’s just making a fuss as usual. When has she ever been proper? Let’s go.”

She linked arms with Duan Wei, pretending to lead her away.

He Wen hurriedly chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, nothing worth seeing. Let’s go back to the room—if we stay out too long, they’ll worry.”

Su Ruo wanted to slap He Wen twice and tape her mouth shut. She was hopelessly clueless—wasn’t that basically telling Duan Wei outright that something was going on?

A classic case of protesting too much.

Sure enough, Duan Wei, who had been about to leave, stopped when she heard He Wen’s awkward, guilty tone. She looked at the two women beside her, their expressions completely different, and sensed something was off.

They were both urging her to leave, but their reactions were so different—one calm and smiling, the other stiff, forcing a grin and radiating tension.

There was definitely something fishy.

What was over there that made them act like this?

“I’ll take a look too,” Duan Wei said with a smile. “I want to see what’s so interesting that you two are being this careful about hiding it.”

She gently pulled her arm free from Su Ruo and walked toward the corner.

Su Ruo watched her go, full of helpless frustration. Great. I should’ve checked the almanac before going out—this is seriously unlucky.

She couldn’t help shooting a glare at He Wen, who had completely bungled things. Truly useless at crucial moments.

Duan Wei recognized Zhao Nuanxun at a glance and froze for a moment.

Her?

Duan Wei couldn’t quite describe what she felt—a sense of unreality, as if it were another lifetime, followed by a long-forgotten disgust.

Life had been too peaceful lately. She’d almost forgotten that past, but just as it was about to be sealed away, this woman popped up and ripped it open again.

After all this time, she was still just as annoying as ever.

Duan Wei truly despised this woman—from the very beginning. Whether it was stealing someone else’s love or scheming behind the scenes, there was no way she wouldn’t hate her.

When they didn’t meet, it was fine. But the moment they did, all those emotions surged back.

In just one or two seconds, Duan Wei felt as if a long time had passed—long enough for those memories to flash through her mind like scenes from a movie before settling again.

Forget it. It’s all in the past.
Hadn’t she already started over? From now on, she had nothing to do with Zhao Nuanxun—or Mo Qi.

She smiled faintly and was about to turn away.

But fate had other plans.

Just as Duan Wei turned, Zhao Nuanxun happened to look over. Their eyes met directly.

Zhao Nuanxun clearly hadn’t expected to run into Duan Wei and froze as well.

She quickly recovered, frowned slightly, then raised her brows and looked Duan Wei up and down with a disdainful expression.

Duan Wei didn’t want to get entangled with her. At most, they were just strangers passing by.

But Zhao Nuanxun had no intention of letting it go.

Seeing Duan Wei glance at her indifferently and then turn away, clearly intending to leave, instantly ignited Zhao Nuanxun’s anger.

Duan Wei’s lack of anger—or even reaction—made her furious.

Was Duan Wei looking down on her? What right did she have to ignore her?

“Duan Wei!” Zhao Nuanxun shouted sharply. “After all this time, you’re still as cowardly as ever!”

Duan Wei had only taken two steps when she stopped.

Before Duan Wei could react, He Wen exploded and was about to charge forward.

“Stop!” Duan Wei grabbed her.

“She’s insulting you!” He Wen snapped angrily, eyes wide. She couldn’t understand why Duan Wei would hold her back. Was she supposed to keep enduring this woman?

“I know,” Duan Wei said with a small smile. “Let me handle it.”

Only then did she release He Wen.

He Wen stopped reluctantly, glaring at Duan Wei as if to say: If you let yourself be wronged again, I’m really going over there.

Su Ruo glanced at Duan Wei, then pulled He Wen back. “Calm down.”

“Oh my, I was wondering who it was—turns out it’s Miss Zhao, pure and innocent,” Duan Wei said loudly, her tone exaggerated. It was unclear whether she was praising or mocking her. She then pressed her lips together in a smile. “Seeing you dressed so boldly and seductively, I almost didn’t recognize you.”

She paused, smiling faintly. “And I’ve been rather busy—I usually don’t waste time on random cats and dogs. I even mistook you for… someone who pours drinks here. I’m terribly sorry about that.”

“Pfft—”

He Wen burst out laughing, completely unrestrained, her laughter dripping with disdain, clearly directed at Zhao Nuanxun.

Zhao Nuanxun trembled with rage. How dare she talk about her like that!

“Duan Wei, I’ve tolerated you—don’t push your luck!” Zhao Nuanxun shouted, pointing at her.

“Oh?” Duan Wei replied calmly. “When exactly did Miss Zhao ever tolerate me? My memory’s not very good—care to remind me?”

Her expression remained gentle, even smiling faintly. But that smile only made Zhao Nuanxun feel even more mocked.

“Duan Wei, I just took Mo Qi from you—was that really enough for you to hate me this much?” Zhao Nuanxun said smugly. “We truly love each other—that’s why we got married. No matter how desperately you clung to him, the one he loves is still me. You couldn’t win his heart, so you’re angry and humiliated, aren’t you?”

Zhao Nuanxun grew more and more pleased. She knew Mo Qi was Duan Wei’s fatal weakness. Every time his name came up, Duan Wei lost all her confidence. It had always been like this—Mo Qi was the thorn she used best to attack Duan Wei. The moment she mentioned him, the thorn would stab deep into Duan Wei’s heart, making her retreat in defeat.

Hearing Mo Qi’s name so suddenly, Duan Wei froze for an instant.

Between her deliberate avoidance and everyone else’s careful silence, that name hadn’t appeared in her world for a long time. Her heart tightened, a sharp, subtle pain spreading through it.

Su Ruo held back He Wen, signaling her to stay quiet, and watched Duan Wei closely, waiting to see how she would respond.

About the catastrophe named Mo Qi—

Duan Wei, have you truly walked out of it?