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{Chapter: 184 Let the ice-cold female president take the initiative!}
After standing frozen in place for a moment longer, Yan Ruyue hastily turned her head away.
She didn't want Lin Yuan to see the tear stains on her cheeks, nor did she want him to witness how much she had cried.
Even more, she didn't want him to catch the sorrow and bitterness that were tangled in her heart.
Summoning her pride, Yan Ruyue tried her best to maintain her usual cold and aloof demeanor.
Thinking about Lin Yuan giving the painting — the Ink Plum Blossom she had foolishly dreamed about — to someone else, Yan Ruyue's heart twisted painfully.
She forced herself to sound indifferent and asked in a frigid tone, "I… I came out to get some fresh air. And you, Young Master Lin? Shouldn't you still be downstairs exchanging gifts with Aunt Mei? What are you doing here?"
Her voice was stiff and sour, like a child trying to pretend she wasn't hurt after losing a treasured toy.
Even so, Yan Ruyue desperately clung to the only shield she had left — her coldness.
She wanted to seem unaffected, unreachable, untouchable.
But Lin Yuan wasn't fooled.
Seeing the stubborn look on Yan Ruyue's face, her red-rimmed eyes trying so hard to appear proud and composed, Lin Yuan didn't feel annoyed at all.
In fact, he found it amusing — in a soft, affectionate way.
It was adorable.
Of course, he resisted the urge to laugh out loud.
Instead, keeping his expression composed and serious, he said gently, "Seeing Miss Yan come all the way up here to get some air, I was a little worried that you might catch a cold."
At that simple sentence, Yan Ruyue's heart jumped sharply in her chest.
'He's… worried about me?'
Her emotions surged instantly.
But almost as quickly, she crushed the rising warmth, warning herself sternly.
'No, no. I can't let myself get carried away again! I can't be so easily touched!'
Determined to maintain her aloof front, Yan Ruyue opened her mouth, preparing to deliver another cold reply.
But before she could even utter a word, she felt something warm wrap around her slender shoulders.
Startled, she lowered her eyes and realized —
A thick, warm coat had been placed around her from behind.
Turning her head slightly, she saw Lin Yuan standing close, his hands still lightly brushing the coat over her shoulders.
It was his coat.
A wave of warmth, both physical and emotional, rushed through Yan Ruyue's body.
The chilly rooftop breeze suddenly seemed distant and powerless.
The coat was large enough to envelop her entire frame, and it carried Lin Yuan's familiar, clean scent — a subtle fragrance that made her feel safe and cared for.
Wrapped in that warmth, Yan Ruyue momentarily forgot all the sharp words she had prepared.
She had wanted to push him away, to keep her guard up.
But now, standing there wrapped in his coat, her heart softened uncontrollably.
Even if she didn't want to admit it, the truth was that the rooftop wind was cold, and her thin evening dress offered little protection against it.
The moment Lin Yuan placed the coat on her, the discomfort vanished.
Not just the cold — but also the sorrow that had been gnawing at her heart.
Breathing in the faint scent of Lin Yuan lingering in the coat, Yan Ruyue felt as if the bitterness she had harbored earlier melted away little by little.
Her heart pounded faster, thudding heavily in her chest.
For a fleeting moment, she even had the childish urge to throw herself into Lin Yuan's arms.
But she quickly suppressed it, biting her lip and clutching the coat tightly instead.
Looking at Yan Ruyue, whose face was now an open book of tangled emotions, Lin Yuan smiled faintly.
In a soft, teasing voice, he asked, "Did you think I asked about the Ink Plum Blossom because I was planning to gift it to you?"
Yan Ruyue's cheeks turned a deep shade of pink.
She hadn't expected him to ask so directly — to rip open the little fantasy she had buried so hastily.
Her mind flashed back to the earlier moments — her wild hope, her secret preparations, practicing in the mirror how she would react, the excitement she had felt...
Yes, she had believed it.
She had believed it so deeply that when the truth came crashing down, the disappointment had been unbearable.
But Lin Yuan had never said he was gifting it to her.
She was the one who had made up the whole story in her head.
Faced with Lin Yuan's gaze, Yan Ruyue's ears burned in embarrassment.
Still, even though she tried to calm herself, she couldn't stop recalling the scene she had witnessed earlier — Lin Yuan handing the painting to Mei Yuxian.
The sourness returned to her chest, bitter and heavy.
She lowered her head, feeling foolish and wronged at the same time.
However, just as she was drowning in these emotions, Lin Yuan's voice came again, light and teasing, but filled with warmth.
"Actually," he said, his eyes glinting mischievously, "I did prepare a gift for you."
Yan Ruyue's head snapped up almost instantly.
"Really?!" she blurted out without thinking.
The excitement in her voice betrayed her completely.
Realizing how eager she sounded, Yan Ruyue's face turned bright red again, and she quickly lowered her head, fidgeting with the hem of the coat in her hands.
'I'm being too obvious! Too excited!' she scolded herself inwardly.
But a few seconds later, she couldn't help it — she lifted her head shyly, her beautiful eyes nervously peeking at Lin Yuan, sparkling with expectation and anxiety.
Seeing her flustered reaction, Lin Yuan chuckled softly in his heart.
With a serious expression on his face, he said, "Of course. When I picked up the painting earlier, I was preparing to give you something as well. But before I could, you ran off too fast... like a little child."
Hearing this, Yan Ruyue's mouth fell slightly open in astonishment.
"Ah, I... I'm sorry..." she stammered, embarrassed beyond words.
Her heart fluttered in her chest, beating faster and faster.
"W-what is it?" she asked, her voice soft and expectant, her gaze locked onto Lin Yuan's face.
Her expression was a little guilty and asked expectantly.
At that moment, her earlier sadness had almost completely disappeared, replaced by a shy, hopeful excitement — the kind that only Lin Yuan could evoke.
Lin Yuan chuckled softly and said, "If you ask me like that, it won't be much of a surprise anymore. But since you're so curious, I'll just tell you directly. It's nothing extravagant, just something simple—similar to the gift you gave me. It's a pair of gloves."
As he spoke, Lin Yuan reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of pure white gloves.
The gloves were exquisitely woven, each stitch meticulously crafted with care and precision.
If Qiu Wanxi had been present at that moment, she would have been utterly shocked.
These gloves were exactly the same as the ones she had gifted to Lin Yuan earlier!
Truth be told, Lin Yuan hadn't had much time to prepare anything else. He had nothing particularly special on hand to give away. Originally, he had considered gifting Yan Ruyue the imperial green jade Buddha statue that Mei Yuxian had given him. However, he worried that Yan Ruyue might recognize it and discover the truth later, which could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
So in the end, although he genuinely liked the gloves and had kept them close to him even until today, he decided to gift them to her instead.
Well, perhaps it was a little shameful, but he justified it to himself—after all, hadn't he also taken the necklace Yan Ruyue gave him and passed it along to Qiu Wanxi before?
It was only fair, right?
Still...even in his heart, he couldn't help but admit that this move was a little scummy of him.
But that didn't matter for now.
Upon seeing the finely knitted gloves, Yan Ruyue's eyes lit up with delight, her heart instantly filled with joy.
All the sadness and sour emotions she had felt earlier disappeared in an instant, as if they had never existed.
'These gloves didn't look like something casually bought from a store.'
'Did he actually make them himself?'
'The craftsmanship was flawless.'
Yan Ruyue began to let her imagination run wild again, painting beautiful pictures in her mind.
She hadn't expected that just a small act of kindness from Lin Yuan could make her so happy, wiping away all the bitterness she had felt before.
At that moment, she heard Lin Yuan's gentle voice again. "Give me your hand."
Without even thinking, Yan Ruyue obediently stretched out her arms.
Lin Yuan took one of her delicate hands in his, and with great care, helped her put on the gloves one by one.
Feeling the warmth encasing her hands, Yan Ruyue also felt a surge of warmth flood her heart. It was a tender, moving feeling, something she hadn't experienced in a long time.
But after a moment, she noticed something strange.
"It seems... a little bit big," Yan Ruyue said softly, tilting her head in confusion.
Lin Yuan smiled, reaching out to gently pat her head in a natural, affectionate gesture, and casually explained, "Oh? Is that so? I didn't really think too hard about it. I used my own hand size as a reference, so it might be a little bigger."
As a professional scumbag, Lin Yuan's facial expression remained perfectly calm, not giving away the slightest hint of guilt as he skillfully spun a lie.
Yan Ruyue, completely trusting, didn't doubt him for a second.
Instead, she laughed sweetly, her heart feeling even sweeter than before, as if it was filled with honey.
At that moment, a system notification echoed clearly in Lin Yuan's mind.
[Ding! Yan Ruyue's favorability +10! Reward: 1000 Counterattack Points!]
Clearly, Yan Ruyue's mood had not only improved but had reached an almost euphoric state of happiness.
Hearing the prompt, Lin Yuan smiled and asked teasingly, "Are you happy now?"
Yan Ruyue nodded vigorously like an excited child and answered with a bright, genuine smile, "Hmmn!"
Seeing her reaction, Lin Yuan decided to push a little further.
"Then, how about giving me a kiss as a thank you?" he said suddenly, without warning.
Yan Ruyue froze for a moment, her beautiful face turning completely red.
"I mean, it seems like your condition has gotten much better," Lin Yuan added, smoothly coming up with an excuse. "It's good to test it out. You can try giving me a kiss on the cheek."
Lin Yuan made up the excuse casually and skillfully, his true intention clear in his heart.
He knew that with Yan Ruyue's current level of happiness, it would be very easy to persuade her. The reason he gave didn't matter—what mattered was seeing if she would take the initiative to kiss him.
Wouldn't it be especially delightful to see the ice-cold, untouchable Yan Ruyue voluntarily kiss him?
Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Yuan's words, Yan Ruyue hesitated for just a moment. Then, biting her lip shyly, she nodded slightly.
"Then... then, I'll try..." Yan Ruyue said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Looking at Lin Yuan, who was standing completely still in front of her, waiting, Yan Ruyue's face became even redder. Her heart was pounding like a drum.
After a brief moment of nervous hesitation, she slowly lifted her head, her cheeks flushed, and her lips pressed together tightly in embarrassment.
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