Chapitre 26: 26
The thought flashed through Qin Ruan's mind, but she pushed it aside and spoke a different sentence: "Sister Wen, I do have something I want, but only you can fulfill it."
"But, can I ask for it later?"
Wen Yixin smiled and agreed, "Sure."
It wasn't until much later that Wen Yixin realized Qin Ruan had already set her sights on her. Every time she tried to stop, Qin Ruan would bring up the old promise, asking her to fulfill it.
Having received Wen Yixin's promise, Qin Ruan's brow softened with warmth.
Wen Yixin, caught up in the mood, couldn't help but let her own spirits lift.
Noticing a row of claw machines inside a nearby amusement arcade, Wen Yixin's lips curved up slightly.
"Qin Ruan, do you want to play that?" Wen Yixin pointed to the arcade.
Qin Ruan turned to look, "Sure, we can give it a try."
As soon as she spoke, her wrist was gently taken by Wen Yixin, who led her inside the arcade, only releasing her hand once they were in front of the machine.
They stopped at the coin exchange machine, where Wen Yixin quickly read the instructions on how to get the tokens.
Qin Ruan followed her lead, but since she had never played a claw machine before, she took her time to understand the process.
Wen Yixin, however, took in the instructions at a glance. Before Qin Ruan could react, Wen Yixin had already scanned the code and exchanged a hundred yuan for fifty tokens.
She was so fast that by the time Qin Ruan realized it, she heard the sound of tokens dropping into the basket.
With a smile, Wen Yixin picked up the basket and turned to Qin Ruan, "Qin Ruan, I've got the tokens. What do you want to try for?"
Qin Ruan looked around, then pointed to a nearby machine filled with white plush geese, "This one."
"Alright, let's go for it." Wen Yixin said, taking the figurine from Qin Ruan's hand and handing her the basket of tokens in exchange.
"I'll hold onto this for you, and you can try your luck with the claw machine."
Qin Ruan hesitated, "Aren't you going to try, Sister Wen?"
Wen Yixin smiled, "You go first, I'll have a turn later."
After a moment of silence, Qin Ruan gripped the basket of tokens, glancing at the other players around them, noting how they handled the joystick and buttons.
After a few seconds, she lifted her head and said to Wen Yixin, "I'll give it a try first."
She had noticed that others had struggled to catch anything after several attempts. She wondered if she'd have the same luck.
With a hint of nervousness, Qin Ruan inserted two tokens into the machine, gripped the joystick, and aimed at a plush goose that looked easy to grab. Pressing the button, the claw dropped straight down toward her chosen target.
Unfortunately, the claw merely brushed against the plush goose before retreating empty-handed.
"I didn't catch it..." Qin Ruan murmured.
"Don't worry, try again. Claw machines are like this; you usually have to try a few times before you get anything. Sometimes, you might not catch anything at all."
"You've only tried once. Don't be discouraged."
Encouraged by Wen Yixin's words, Qin Ruan remembered the other players who had also failed repeatedly and bit her lip before trying again.
But again, she caught nothing.
She felt a brief pang of disappointment but couldn't give up and tried several more times.
Each time ended in failure.
Wen Yixin looked at the other claw machines before suggesting, "How about we try a different machine? Maybe this claw is too loose."
"Will that help?" Qin Ruan was doubtful.
"Let's give it a shot and find out." Wen Yixin pointed to another machine where someone had recently won, "Let's try that one."
Qin Ruan looked over and saw that this machine was filled with colorful teddy bears.
"Alright." She nodded and, for once, took the lead, walking ahead of Wen Yixin to the machine.
She repeated the process, inserting tokens and pressing the button.
But still, she caught nothing.
Qin Ruan stared at the empty claw, her earlier excitement deflating.
She pushed the basket of tokens back to Wen Yixin, "Sister Wen, I don't want to play anymore."
Wen Yixin nodded and didn't push her. "Let me give it a try."
She inserted two tokens, carefully adjusted the claw over the target, and pressed the button. The claw descended and grabbed a brown teddy bear, lifting it up.
Seeing this, Qin Ruan held her breath, and when the bear dropped into the chute, she couldn't contain her excitement, "You caught it!"
Her eyes lit up, "Sister Wen, you're amazing."
"It was just luck," Wen Yixin replied with a smile, bending down to retrieve the teddy bear and handing it to Qin Ruan. Then, she inserted two more tokens, saying, "Let me see if I can catch another one."
Qin Ruan nodded, watching with anticipation.
Unfortunately, this time Wen Yixin wasn't successful.
She sighed and decided not to continue with this machine. Instead, she noticed the white plush goose that Qin Ruan had been trying for earlier. Gathering the last two tokens from the basket, she headed toward that machine.
Qin Ruan followed her, clutching the brown teddy bear and keeping her eyes fixed on Wen Yixin.
And then...
She watched as Wen Yixin successfully caught the plush goose she had wanted from the beginning!
"Sister Wen!" Qin Ruan's earlier disappointment vanished, replaced by a bright smile.
Wen Yixin grinned, her own eyes reflecting the same joy.
She pulled the plush goose from the chute and handed it to Qin Ruan, "These tokens were well spent."
Qin Ruan beamed, "Thank you, Sister Wen. You're amazing."
Wen Yixin just smiled in response.
On the drive home, Qin Ruan fiddled with her new toys. Noticing the empty space on the car's dashboard, she glanced at the Doraemon figurine she had left to the side.
She picked it up and, waiting for Wen Yixin to stop at a red light, asked, "Sister Wen, can I put this on your dashboard?"
"It's a bit empty here." Qin Ruan pointed to the spot.
"Sure, but aren't you really fond of this figurine?"
"Are you okay with giving it to me?" Wen Yixin teased.
Qin Ruan replied, "I do like it, but I'm willing to share."
The truth was, she wanted to leave something of hers in Wen Yixin's car. Maybe every time Sister Wen saw it, she'd think of her.
Wen Yixin chuckled, "Then go ahead and place it there."
With permission granted, Qin Ruan quickly set the figurine on the dashboard. The car's interior immediately felt more lively with the small, bright figure.
"It looks great there," Wen Yixin commented.
Qin Ruan smiled, "I'm glad you think so."
...
When Wen Yixin dropped Qin Ruan off at her apartment, it was nearly midnight.
After exchanging a few words, they went their separate ways, each heading home.
Qin Ruan took the elevator upstairs and, upon entering her apartment, was surprised to find the lights still on in the living room. To her greater surprise, there were two people sitting on the sofa.
They both turned to look at her when they heard the door open.
Seeing it was Qin Ruan, Mrs. Qin's expression soured, but Mr. Qin, in contrast, managed a smile.
He glanced at the toys in Qin Ruan's hands, "So you're just getting home now. Did Miss Wen give you a ride?"
Qin Ruan didn't answer, instead, she countered with a question of her own, "What do you want?"
"Nothing much," Mr. Qin said, shaking his head.
Qin Ruan didn't want to engage further, so she said, "If that's all, I'll head to my room. It's late."
"Wait," Mr. Qin called after her.
"I think Miss Wen might have misunderstood what happened at Wanchun today. Could you help me set up a dinner with her so I can apologize and explain things properly?"
Qin Ruan stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Mr. Qin, her voice steady, "I don't think she misunderstood anything."
"As for what you're asking, do you really think I can help you?"
Mr. Qin's tone became firm, "If you're willing to help, there's nothing you can't do."
He could see that Wen Yixin treated Qin Ruan differently than she did them.
Before, he had thought that Qin Ruan and Wen Yixin were just casual acquaintances, so when he heard that Wen Yixin was connected to the Wen family in the capital, he didn't consider using Qin Ruan as a bridge. But after what happened at Wanchun, his thinking changed.
He was determined to find a way to connect with the Wen family, and Qin Ruan was the key.
But Qin Ruan had no intention of playing along.
"I can't help you," she said flatly, brushing past Mr. and Mrs. Qin as she headed to her room.
"Qin Ruan, you—" Mrs. Qin, Qin Ruan's biological mother, called out sharply, ready to berate her, but was stopped by Mr. Qin, who shook his head.
Qin Ruan made it back to her room without further incident. When she later emerged to go to the bathroom, the two of them were gone from the living room.
As she thought about how their attitudes towards her had changed, Qin Ruan couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
She lowered her gaze, gathered her things, and went to take a shower.
After her shower, Qin Ruan returned to her room and saw a message from Wen Yixin.
"Are you asleep?"
"No," Qin Ruan replied while drying her hair.
Shortly after she sent the message, a voice call invitation popped up.
It was from Wen Yixin.
Qin Ruan's fingers tapped the screen, and she leisurely sat on the edge of her bed, propping a pillow behind her back.
Wen Yixin's voice came through the phone, her tone relaxed and tinged with a smile:
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone