Plunder

Chapter 385: Chapter 385: I Know You Once Loved Me Chapter 385: Chapter 385: I Know You Once Loved Me She stealthily glanced at Zhou Jin’an and felt increasingly that he was different from everyone else, thus her mind inevitably wandered wildly.

That dinner, which lasted quite a while, hardly involved any conversation between the two, yet there was an ambiguous shadow pervading the air.

After dinner, they headed back together, with Ding Ruxin clamoring for a walk to aid digestion and insisting that Zhou Jin’an accompany her.

He did not refuse, and they walked side by side.

Perhaps due to the alcohol she had consumed, Ding Ruxin became much more lively, casting aside her usual decorum for the moment.

“Director Zhou, do you remember our childhood?”

She opened up the conversation.

Zhou Jin’an pursed his lips and remained silent; he seldom reminisced about his childhood, as the memories were mostly unpleasant.

“When I was young, my third brother brought you over to our house to play. I remember once you wore a white outfit; you looked as if you had stepped out of a painting. You must have been only sixteen or seventeen at the time, truly handsome. I thought to myself then, anyone who marries a man like you would surely be happy for the rest of their life.”

Ding Ruxin seemed to be lost in the memories, while Zhou Jin’an did not respond.

He did not tell Ding Ruxin that, in fact, she never featured in his memories.

“And another time, do you remember? You were playing with my third brother in the backyard, and I walked past you. For some reason, the two of you had a disagreement and collided, resulting in me falling into the fishpond. It was you who dived in to save me.”

She raised her flushed face, trying hard to trigger Zhou Jin’an’s past memories.

He gave an awkward smile, “Is that so? I hardly remember it anymore.”

Ding Ruxin suddenly pouted and reached out to grasp Zhou Jin’an’s sleeve; she was feeling quite bold in this moment.

“No, you can’t forget; you must remember. You absolutely must remember.”

She emphasized again.

Zhou Jin’an’s brows furrowed slightly, and he gently caught Ding Ruxin’s arm, “You’ve had too much to drink. I’ll take you back.”

“I haven’t had too much. Where did I have too much? I still want to walk with you a bit more.”

Ding Ruxin wasn’t really drunk; she was just using the liquor as an excuse to act willfully in front of him.

She was a cautious person, not daring to approach boldly, only timidly testing the waters.

“Alright, you’re not drunk, but it’s getting late. It’s dangerous to walk on the streets at this hour. Let’s go back to the hotel first, and you can continue talking there.”

Zhou Jin’an insisted.

He hailed a taxi on the roadside and helped Ding Ruxin into the car.

On the way back, she was very quiet.

The cramped space of the taxi was filled only with their breath; he sat right next to her, very close.

Ding Ruxin wanted to speak several times, but when the words reached her throat, she couldn’t utter a single one.

What was there to say?

He was married, she was unmarried; anything said or asked was meaningless.

Thinking of this made her feel even more melancholic.

Utilizing the courage from the alcohol, she pretended to be weak as they alighted from the taxi.

Zhou Jin’an supported her shoulder, their bodies pressed closely together.