Chapter 180 - CH: 178 Yan Ruyue misunderstands!

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{Chapter: 178 Yan Ruyue misunderstands!}

Long Wu had already left.

Originally, Lin Yuan had planned to show the painting to Yu Shanshan, hoping to tease her a little or perhaps share a moment of light-hearted banter.

But as he glanced around the venue, both Yu Shanshan and Lu Xiaoxue were nowhere to be seen. They had completely vanished—probably dragged off by something or someone more entertaining.

Left with no other option, Lin Yuan's gaze settled on the only familiar face nearby: Yan Ruyue.

So, after a brief moment of thought, he decided to entrust the painting to her for safekeeping.

His plan was simple.

He would pretend to excuse himself to the restroom, and once he returned, he'd casually retrieve the painting from her without raising any suspicion.

What he didn't expect was that Yan Ruyue would completely misread the situation.

At that very moment, Yan Ruyue, who had been sipping a small glass of fruit wine, looked up and saw Lin Yuan approaching with the scroll in his hands.

Her heart instantly skipped a beat.

Bang! Bang!

She could feel it pounding fiercely against her chest, each thump louder than the last. A wave of excitement and anticipation flooded her.

Of course, she had been through moments like this before. Over time, she'd trained herself to appear composed and detached—stoic, like the graceful and ice-cold businesswoman she was known to be.

But deep down, she was still just a woman in love, quietly burning from within.

Despite her best efforts to maintain her elegance, her emotions were threatening to burst out.

Still, Yan Ruyue kept repeating to herself silently: 'Don't panic. Don't panic. Stay calm. You have to act surprised! You can't let him know that you were hoping for this! You mustn't look too eager or he'll see right through you!'

As Lin Yuan drew closer, the anticipation almost became unbearable.

And then, finally, he stood in front of her.

To Lin Yuan, what he saw was almost surreal.

The usually cold and distant Yan Ruyue was now standing before him with her lips slightly curved into a soft smile. Her pale cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, and her eyes sparkled with a radiance that reminded him of polished gemstones catching the morning sun.

'What the heck is going on?' Lin Yuan blinked, stunned for a moment.

He hadn't done anything new to boost his charm lately.

And even if he had, he doubted it would affect someone like Yan Ruyue this dramatically. She was the kind of woman who rarely smiled—let alone looked this emotional in front of all these people.

Had he accidentally triggered some hidden event?

The questions filled his mind, but he didn't dwell on them for long. There were more pressing things to do.

Without saying much, Lin Yuan lifted the bamboo which had the painting inside inside with both hands and held it flat in front of her.

"Take this," he said, his voice calm and casual.

But to Yan Ruyue, those two simple words sounded like poetry.

Her eyes widened even more, and for a moment, they glistened with excitement.

The corners of her lips rose even higher, blossoming into a smile that could light up the darkest winter night.

In that instant, the ice-cold beauty, the unapproachable female CEO that everyone admired from afar, bloomed like a flower in spring.

She was so dazzling, so alive, that it left nearby onlookers speechless.

Many of the young men in the crowd, who had long harbored silent admiration for Yan Ruyue, felt their hearts collectively shatter.

Why him?!

Why is she smiling like that at Lin Yuan?!

They couldn't help but feel a wave of heartbreak and jealousy crash over them.

Even Lin Yuan himself was taken aback. He stared at Yan Ruyue for a moment longer, unable to look away.

She really was beautiful—perhaps even more so when she smiled like this.

'But… why the sudden change? he thought.'

'Could it be… that time of the month?'

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly. That theory didn't make much sense either.

In truth, all he wanted was for Yan Ruyue to hold the painting for a while. That was it.

Nothing more, nothing less.

But as he handed her the scroll, Yan Ruyue's delicate, jade-like hands trembled ever so slightly. She reached out slowly, as if she were about to receive a sacred treasure.

The moment her fingers touched the bamboo, it was as if her entire body shivered lightly from the inside out.

She had rehearsed this moment so many times in her mind—thought about what she'd say, how she'd smile, how confidently and elegantly she would accept the gift from Lin Yuan.

She imagined herself standing tall, flashing a charming smile, and saying something witty and graceful to win his admiration.

But the moment she held the scroll in her hands, her heart completely melted.

All of those carefully crafted thoughts vanished into thin air.

And all she could muster, after fumbling for words, was a soft, almost breathless:

"Th-Thank you…"

She lowered her gaze, her face glowing slightly red from the intensity of the moment.

Holding the scroll now felt like holding a piece of Lin Yuan's affection—something that belonged only to her, even if only temporarily.

Lin Yuan, oblivious to the storm of emotions he had stirred, simply nodded and said: "Just help me hold it for a while. I'll be back—I need to use the restroom."

And with that, he turned and walked away.

Yan Ruyue remained frozen in place.

She looked down at the painting in her hands, lips slightly parted, her heartbeat still rapid and uneven.

Only after a few moments did she finally whisper, as if catching up with reality:

"Thank you… for the gift…"

Yan Ruyue didn't even have time to process what had just happened.

Midway through trying to say something—anything—Lin Yuan had already turned his back and walked away.

"Huh…?" Her voice trailed off softly, her expression blank with surprise as she watched his figure retreat in the distance.

She stood still, completely dumbfounded.

What just happened?

What is going on?

Wasn't he about to give me a gift?

How could he just hand me the painting and leave so suddenly like that?

What does this even mean?!

She clutched the bamboo cover in her hands, trying to wrap her head around it.

Yan Ruyue didn't consider herself an expert in love—or even in romantic dramas—but from the few she had seen, wasn't there always a sweet confession that accompanied a meaningful gift?

She had mentally prepared herself to resist Lin Yuan's flirtatious words, to maintain her cool exterior while her heart fluttered secretly inside.

She had even practiced in her head what kind of indifferent smile she would give, how she would coolly raise an eyebrow and ask, "Are you trying to win me over with this?"

But Lin Yuan had said nothing of the sort.

He just… handed her the scroll, muttered a sentence about going to the restroom, and left.

Just like that.

Gone.

The smile that had earlier bloomed on her face slowly faded into a confused half-smile. She stared blankly in the direction Lin Yuan had left, the weight of the painting scroll grounding her as her mind spun.

Her thoughts, however, didn't stay muddled for long.

They quickly began to analyze his actions, deconstructing each word, each movement, as though solving a mystery.

'Help me hold it for a while. I'll just go to the toilet…'

Suddenly, her beautiful eyes blinked a few times, rolling thoughtfully—and then, they lit up with realization.

Ah! That must be it!

It wasn't that Lin Yuan had handed her the painting and left without emotion—it was because he had an urgent need to use the bathroom!

That's all!

It made sense now.

He had likely planned to give her the painting in a formal, more meaningful way. But right at that critical moment, nature called—and it must have been so urgent he couldn't delay.

Since the painting was already in his hands, and he was standing in front of her, it only made sense to ask her to hold onto it temporarily.

Yes, that has to be it.

He would definitely return and officially give her the painting properly, with the words he had intended to say.

It was just a small interruption—nothing more!

Thinking of it that way, her heart felt lighter again.

Right. It must have been a sudden urge, probably similar to when Ye Feng had a bad stomach at the company meeting and had to run to the restroom right in the middle of his presentation.

Maybe Lin Yuan wasn't feeling well either.

He could be suffering from food poisoning… or maybe he drank something bad at the banquet?

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.

I should be understanding… Yes, I should consider his difficulties.

If Lin Yuan knew what Yan Ruyue was thinking right now, he would probably be speechless.

And maybe sigh to himself:

Young girls truly have poetic imaginations.

---

Meanwhile, outside the grand banquet hall on the second floor, Lin Yuan had already reached a quieter area. The noise from the event behind him faded into the background.

This place was secluded and empty—perfect.

Without wasting a second, he took out a small pouch from his sleeve and retrieved a few gleaming silver needles. Calmly and precisely, he inserted them into several acupuncture points on his body.

The needles pricked into his skin with practiced ease, triggering pressure points to stabilize his internal energy.

Then, he took out a vial of specially formulated medicinal liquid and swallowed it in one gulp.

Within moments, the effects of the poison in his system began to fade. It hadn't spread very far yet, so the detoxification was swift and complete.

The danger had passed.

Letting out a breath of relief, Lin Yuan removed the needles, tucked them away again, and straightened his clothes before heading downstairs.

He had something else to take care of.

Apart from the banquet and the lavish buildings of the Mei family villa, the estate also included a beautifully landscaped garden and a spacious storage area for large shipments.

As Lin Yuan walked through the lower courtyard, he noticed several workers carefully handling a batch of blue-and-white porcelain jars. They were wrapped in thick padding and carried one by one with great care, as if transporting rare treasures.

Lin Yuan recognized them at a glance.

These were the same porcelain jars he had seen when he visited the Meihua Ceramic Factory.

At the time, he'd noticed a batch of custom orders being prepared for delivery. Though it had seemed coincidental then, Lin Yuan knew better now.

They were made specifically for Mei Yuxian.

Knowing this, Lin Yuan had deliberately ordered a similar jar for himself—not just to blend in, but to manipulate the sequence of events subtly.

In the original version of the novel, these blue-and-white porcelain jars were used by Ye Feng to shine at the banquet, impressing the crowd and advancing his status.

These blue and white porcelain jars are also one of the steppingstones to help Ye Feng in the banquet.

*****

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