Chapter 2194: Lu Meng (6)
Ruan Jie usually loved to tease her a bit, but his affection for her was no less than for anyone else. Seeing this, he lost the mood to joke, sat down beside her, rubbed her little head, and asked, "What’s wrong? What happened? Tell your brother. Did someone bully you? Just say the word, and if I can’t beat them, I’ll bring a cannon to school and blast them away!!"
Ruan Jiaojiao was so amused and exasperated by his words that she looked up at him speechlessly, "How can you, after so many years in national defense, casually say you can’t win?"
"That depends on the person," for instance, that kid Duan Xi. They had compared skills among brothers before, but couldn’t beat him.
Ruan Jiaojiao nodded, unwilling to fuss over this with him, and snuggled up into his arms.
Ruan Jiaojiao wasn’t considered short among women, but among the Ruan brothers, she was truly petite and delicate. Now, curled up in his arms, it made Ruan Jie’s heart melt.
He reached out, wiping her eyes, intending to comfort her so she’d stop crying. But after years of training, his fingers were rough, and it hurt a bit when he wiped her eyelids.
Ruan Jiaojiao pushed his hand away, but Ruan Jie didn’t mind, instead placing his hand on her shoulder, holding her in his arms, and gently said, "Even though you won’t tell me what happened, Jiaojiao, no matter what happens, Mom, Dad, and your brothers are all behind you. Don’t be afraid, and don’t hurt your body. Your brothers would feel heartbroken."
Ruan Jiaojiao remained silent, burying her head in his arms. Her nose couldn’t help but feel sour, but she couldn’t cry anymore. Her eyes were especially dry, so she just nodded continuously, "I know."
She just couldn’t yet recover from Lu Xian’s death. In her eyes, Lu Xian and Lu Zishu were no different from her brothers.
"Mm, then don’t be sad, and don’t overthink it. Have a good sleep. Maybe when you wake up, nothing will feel the same."
Ruan Jiaojiao still nodded, but she knew very well inside that she would have to face it all when she woke up. But for now, she needed to rest, to really rest, to let her mind recuperate for the upcoming days.
Ruan Jie stayed in the room for a while, only leaving after Ruan Jiaojiao truly closed her eyes and her breathing steadied. Meanwhile, outside, Shu Jiao had learned the truth from Duan Xi.
Shu Jiao knew that whatever could break Ruan Jiaojiao like this must not be trivial, but she hadn’t expected it to be this severe.
As for Ruan Jiaojiao’s psyche, she almost always guessed right.
To the outside, Ruan Jiaojiao was a tiger; to the inside, she was a paper tiger, just like Ruan Jianguo, extremely affectionate. Over the years, the Lu Family had treated her like their own daughter, and she saw it all, treating Lu Xian and Lu Zishu as if they were her own sons.
Three years ago, it was enough of a struggle for her when Lu Xian merely poked holes in that relationship, let alone now—he was dead and had died during his three years overseas. With Ruan Jiaojiao’s character, she would surely take all the blame upon herself.
At this thought, even the usually calm Shu Jiao couldn’t help but feel flustered.
Ruan Jiaojiao had known about Lu Xian’s death since the early morning, and it was now seven o’clock, seven hours later.