CHAPTER 1524: CHAPTER 1446: THE BYSTANDER

Why, out of so many things she could have thought of, did she end up thinking about this?

"It’s alright." There are some things, it turns out, that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t conceal.

Silence fell between the two of them. Perhaps the atmosphere was too awkward, so Ye Ranran probed cautiously, "Are you... angry?"

"I’m not angry. You and he are already a thing of the past. These days, who hasn’t had a first love?" There’s no reason for him to dwell on it.

But hearing him say this, it was Ye Ranran who found herself feeling frustrated. She pulled at her hair. "I didn’t mean to think of him."

Even she didn’t understand why her thoughts wandered to him. Did she still pine for him?

My god, no, certainly not! Could it be that she had been two-timing in the past?

Ye Ranran was shaken by her own thoughts.

"Um, was I awful before? Was I terrible to you? Or maybe just completely despicable?" A fickle, faithless woman—there’s no way that could be good, right?

If that was really the case, she’d change. She would never act that way again.

"Why would you say that?" Jun Mochan never turned his head, so naturally, he didn’t see the conflict in her eyes.

Ye Ranran deliberated for a long time, as though carefully choosing her words, "Because the first person I think of isn’t you. I didn’t... I wasn’t still in touch with my ex-boyfriend before, right? Was I lingering over loose ends with him?"

Boldly, Ye Ranran asked the question outright.

She wanted to know exactly what kind of person she had been. If that really was the case, it would be so outrageous.

No matter the circumstances, once a person is married, they shouldn’t stay ambiguous with other men—especially when that man is an ex-boyfriend or the like.

That kind of thing can easily lead to misunderstandings.

"No, you remembered him simply because he gave you a beautiful memory. It doesn’t mean anything. Don’t overthink it."

Yes, it was just a beautiful memory. Jun Mochan had always been a bystander to it, so naturally, he understood it better than anyone else.

At the time, he had considered sabotaging it, had even thought of going to great lengths to pull her away from Huo Yi’s side. But he hadn’t done so.

Because her smile dispelled those dark thoughts in him.

"Oh," Ye Ranran’s voice was still a bit subdued.

Jun Mochan placed her down, then turned and pulled her into his arms, his gaze slightly lowered. "What’s wrong?"

"The first person I thought of wasn’t you." She wasn’t happy, she felt annoyed.

The trace of displeasure left in his heart was dispelled by her words, and his gentle, warm eyes reflected under the light with a crystalline brilliance, like glazed glass. "Don’t worry. You’ll remember gradually."

Her hand tentatively rested on his waist.

In the instant they embraced, the fountain sprayed forth, music began to play, and mist descended from above. Multicolored lights, interwoven with streams of water, formed a vivid, radiant ink painting.

Ye Ranran turned her head, awestruck.

She had seen such scenes before. As the nation’s chief secretary, she shouldn’t have been unfamiliar with grand displays. Yet never had she felt this kind of happiness.

It must be because the person accompanying her was different, right? She looked toward the man beside her—as she turned, Jun Mochan’s gaze also swept over toward her.

His pitch-black, deep eyes met hers straight on. Warm and gentle, brimming with tenderness, his gaze was like the sunlight of winter, seeping little by little into the depths of her vision.

After returning, Ye Ranran still couldn’t calm her emotions.

Suddenly struck by a thought, she grabbed Jun Mochan’s right hand. Sure enough, there was a diamond ring on his finger—its dazzling brilliance seeming to silently affirm that timeless vow.

Ye Ranran softly brushed the ring with the pad of her finger, muttering to herself, "I should have realized. I should have known all along."