Chapter 12: Drowning Silence
Ruan Jing barely tasted her food that night.
Her thoughts drifted far away, tangled and restless. Luckily, the others chatted happily, so her silence went unnoticed.
Later, when Zhao Lin returned to the hotel early, Ruan Xian finally turned to her sister.
“What’s going on between you and Zhao Qiyan?”
Ruan Jing’s heart skipped, but her face remained calm.
“Nothing. We just talked.”
“Since when are you so close?”
She knew she couldn’t evade it. But there were things she couldn’t explain.
“Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Surprisingly, Ruan Xian let it go.
“Do you know who told me about the dock?”
Ruan Jing’s palms grew damp.
“Who?”
“Jiang Yan.”
Cold water washed over Qiyan’s body.
Yet it couldn’t cool the chaos inside him.
Fragments of last night replayed in his mind—reckless, impulsive, irreversible.
A brief passion was never what he wanted.
He wanted permanence.
Depth.
Trust.
But now, he had probably lost all of it.
He wished it were a dream.
And hated himself for wishing it wasn’t.
When he stepped out near ten, he ran into Ruan Jing.
So soon.
His heartbeat faltered.
She avoided his gaze.
Pain pierced his chest.
The next morning, he offered quietly, “I’ll help you.”
She let him take her bag.
Then walked ahead.
As if he didn’t exist.
Though they were only steps apart, he felt unbearably distant.
On the island, laughter filled the air.
Until she stepped into the lake.
The water was deeper than expected.
Muddy.
Treacherous.
She sank.
Fear swallowed her.
Her lungs burned.
Darkness closed in.
When she woke, sky and clouds greeted her.
And Zhao Qiyan.
He had saved her.
But he didn’t stay.
Anger trembled in his clenched fists.
He walked away.
From that day on, silence replaced words.
Distance replaced warmth.
They became strangers again.
Sometimes, Ruan Jing would glance toward the gallery entrance.
Waiting.
For what, she didn’t know.
Then one day, she saw him again.
He nodded politely.
Like to a friend.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
She smiled faintly.
Some people, after all,
Were only meant to be admired from afar.
Thoughts,
It marks a major emotional turning point. Ruan Jing’s near-drowning exposes Zhao Qiyan’s suppressed fear and anger, while his withdrawal creates lasting distance. Their unspoken feelings and unresolved misunderstandings deepen, transforming intimacy into silence and setting up future emotional conflict.
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