After listening to Professor Qian's words, she became worried and uneasy, probably even feeling suffocated by looking at the pictures herself.

  Jiang Yan shut down the computer and thought about whether she should buy a ticket for herself to go out and take a look.

  The phone rang, it was Lian calling from Jiang.

  She had just picked up the phone when she heard the faint sound of mahjong tiles colliding from the other end.

  "He spoke first, 'The driver will come pick you up in a bit, remember to go downstairs.'"

  Every weekend, it's either he comes or she goes.

  Jiang Yan didn't really want to go this weekend, she was worried about her homework.

  "Ruan Jianglin, I have something tomorrow." She lowered her eyelashes and thought silently.

  His tone was a bit off, probably because he lost, where is there always a winner?

  Ruan Jianglin touched his forehead and said expressionlessly: "Jiang Yan, are you trying to make me become a monk?"

  He went on a business trip last week and they didn't see each other.

  Is he going to be a widower?

  Her voice was a little low and her emotions were not high, then she lightly said "uh-huh".

  After Ruan Jiang hung up the phone, Jiang Yan slowly went to change her clothes.

  The weather turned cold again, and she took out the down jacket that had been put away last year and wore it on her body.

  She had many hot packs stuck around her waist and only then did she feel a little less pain.

  It was still Mr. Lu who came to pick him up, and it seemed that this driver was particularly obedient to Jiang Lin's heart.

  As soon as she got on the car, Mr. Lu greeted her.

  The sky outside is gray and hazy, especially in Kyoto, where the smog has gotten much worse. People on the streets are all wearing down jackets and masks.

  It's another winter.

  Jiang Yan was dressed warmly, but when she got off the car, she still shivered with cold.

  "Miss Jiang, Mr. Ruan is waiting for you in room 405."

  It's winter now, and all the restaurants he chose today are Chinese hot pot restaurants.

  But Jiangyan never liked eating this, she wasn't used to the mutton soup of old Kyoto, and couldn't stand the taste of old Kyoto's tofu juice. The smell alone could make her vomit, it was even more unbearable than bitter melon juice.

  Locals seem to like it quite a bit, at least Ruan Jianglin is used to drinking here.

  She barely moved her chopsticks during the meal, sitting quietly opposite Ruan Jiang like a dinner companion.

  Seeing that she didn't move her chopsticks, Ruan Jianglin ordered some light dishes for her. Not wanting to lose face in front of Ruan Jianglin, she softly picked up a few mouthfuls of food with her chopsticks, but had no appetite at all.

  "Don't you like it?" He asked casually, his eyes dimming slightly.

  "It's okay." she replied softly.

  He didn't say anything else, and most of Jiang Yan's time was spent waiting for him.

  After he finished his meal, he took Jiang Yan and left.

  She followed him closely, his arm wrapped around Jiang Yan as they walked, until they reached the corner of the corridor, where he suddenly loosened his large palm that had been placed on her waist.

  Jiang Yan raised her eyes to look at him, and only then did she notice a middle-aged man walking towards them, refined and gentle, with a good temperament.

  Ruan Jiang opened his mouth and greeted, "Uncle Jiang."

  The man had a gentle smile on his face and patted him on the shoulder. "It's rare to run into you, busy person."

  His gaze shifted to Ruan Jianglin and he smiled as he asked, "Who is this?"

  Jiang Yan's heart skipped a beat, roughly due to nervousness.

  She raised her eyes to look at him, his eyes were mysterious and hard to read, his face was expressionless, and he spoke lightly, "Friend."

  His words fell, and Jiang Yan was like a ton of bricks, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her from head to toe.

  Her body stiffened in an instant, and he subconsciously loosened his grip on her hand, as if a slap had been slapped on her face with a "slap".

  He had never taken the initiative to introduce her to others, but Ye Chen and the others could understand because they were friends who played together.

  Jiang Yan didn't mind before, she thought maybe Ruan Jianglin was just too lazy to say anything.

  He is indeed lazy to speak, so what now, can't help but introduce himself to others?

  She unconsciously pursed her lips and pinched the tender flesh at the center of her palm with her fingernails.

  She couldn't even hear what Ruan Jianglin was saying to that person.

  Later on, she seemed to be dragged by Ruan Jianglin as if her feet were filled with cement, and she couldn't even move a step.

  That night, Kyoto welcomed its first snow of the year.

  On November 12th, Kyoto had its first snowfall, but there was neither a soft-hearted god nor a soft-hearted person.

  Droplets of snow fluttered, filling the sky with a mesmerizing dance. She seemed to be entranced, her eyes frozen in place. The warmth from her heated pad had long since dissipated, and now her waist felt as though it had been infused with icy water - both cold and painful.

  Under the streetlight, a warm yellow light shone on the man. He stood there answering his phone, with a faint smile at the corners of his eyebrows and eyes.

  He had a cigarette burning between his fingers, half-way through.

  They were waiting for Mr. Lu to drive the car over.

  Jiang Yan walked towards him, her hands were very cold and she wanted him to hold them.

  The man held a mobile phone in one hand and was talking on it. He slightly raised the other hand to indicate that he had cigarettes.

  Jiang Yan stretched out her slender hand in mid-air, hesitated for a moment, and then withdrew it.

  She wanted him to put out the cigarette in his hand and hold hers instead.

  Jiang Yan involuntarily shivered, thinking it was just because of the cold weather.

  The cold wind seeped in through her sleeves and collar, she thought she'd wear a scarf tomorrow.

  Ruan Jiang didn't see, Jiang Yan cried silently, the wound on her waist seemed to have relapsed, it hurt so much, she stood there staring at the man's back for a long time.

  Mr. Deng hung up the phone just as Mr. Lu was driving over.

  Just remembered there was ginger smoke behind her body, turned around and saw that her nose was bright red.

  He stood against the light, his tone flat: "Next time remember to wear more."

  Jiang Yan's fingertips were slightly white, and she suddenly felt like laughing. How could she be so stupid?

  She was really like a pet cat raised by Ruan Jianglin, when he didn't think of her, she had no sense of existence, and was casually placed aside. When he thought of her, occasionally teasing, for his entertainment, plus casual perfunctory care, would make her sink so deeply.

  It's not that Jiang Lin gave too much, but rather she thought too much herself.

  But Jiang Yan thought for a long time, what was she blaming Ruan Jianglin for, and what position and qualifications did she have to blame Ruan Jianglin?

  Ruan Jianglin had warned her after all, and from the start, he had drawn a clear boundary between them.

  "Jiang Yan, follow me and you will cry."

  "I won't."

  "Even if you cry, I won't coax."

  Now that I think about it, how could she have been so certain back then?

  She really cried now, and he wouldn't comfort her either.

  It was her stubbornness, it was her all-in gamble, it was her desperate entanglement.

  In the end, she was the only one who got hurt, the one who paid the most, and even the one who regretted.

  In front of Ruan Jiang, she was always the one who yielded and gave in.

  He has all the advantages, like now, with just one phone call, she can drop everything and rush from Beicheng to Kyoto, his requests she almost never refuses.

  And he, standing at a commanding height, maintained an attitude of not taking the initiative, not refusing, and not being responsible from start to finish. He seemed to have never made any promises to her, but only let her be sentimental on her own, without even giving her the opportunity to ask him for an explanation.

  (End of chapter)