Visa On Arrival Chapter 14

Tsavorite Ring

Chen Rong took a deep breath, her voice returning to its usual tone, even carrying a hint of a smile.

“Come in.”

The person at the door froze for a moment before stepping over the threshold. His steps were light, as if he didn’t want to disturb anything. His gaze swept over the dining table, paused for a second, and then moved away.

“What are you standing there for?” Qi Ranyue waved to her boyfriend at the door. “Close the door, the wind is coming in.”

Qi Ranyue looked at the steaming food on the table.

It turned out that happiness had a scent.

“Wow!”

“Baby.”

“Mua.”

Qi Ranyue kissed her on the right cheek and pulled at her sleeve with her head lowered, her voice muffled as if she were acting spoiled. “Being abroad is a total food desert! Nothing tastes good at all.”

She looked up, her eyes bright, carrying a bit of grievance and a bit of pride. “You’re the best!”

She shook Chen Rong’s sleeve, which she was still clutching in her hand.

Chen Rong glanced at the boyfriend and then looked back at the bright-eyed Qi Ranyue. She spoke:

“So you were in such a hurry to come over not because you missed me.”

“But because you missed my cooking?”

After she finished speaking, she was the first to laugh. She looked like a child who had finally gotten a piece of candy.

The boyfriend’s gaze fell on the two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

He showed no expression.

The tips of his ears slowly turned red.

“…Sorry.”

He spoke, his voice a bit low and raspy.

“I didn’t tell you in advance…”

Chen Rong’s gaze moved away from the two sets of tableware and landed on his face. She still didn’t speak, and no emotion could be seen in her eyes.

The atmosphere grew quiet again.

Chen Rong spoke calmly, “It’s fine.”

Qi Ranyue had already walked to the kitchen door. She looked back, smiling with a carefree expression. “I’ll go get another set of bowls and chopsticks.”

The boyfriend said to Chen Rong, “Thank you, Sister.”

As soon as he said it, everyone at the table froze.

Qi Ranyue, who had been eating heartily just a moment ago, held her chopsticks suspended in mid-air. The fish in her mouth wasn’t even swallowed yet. Her eyes went wide as she turned to look at Chen Rong, and as if possessed, she blurted out, “Sister!?”

Chen Rong didn’t move.

The soup in her hand was still steaming.

Qi Ranyue was the first to snap out of it. She burst into laughter and intentionally repeated it:

“Rongrong… Sister!”

Chen Rong didn’t look at him. She only looked deep into Qi Ranyue’s eyes and gave a solemn “Mhm.”

The atmosphere was still a bit strange.

He sat up straight and placed his hands gently on the table, as if performing a formal ceremony.

“Let me introduce myself.”

“My name is Xu Xingci, twenty-two years old. I currently work as an algorithm engineer at a tech company.”

Xu Xingci looked at Qi Ranyue, his gaze softening.

Qi Ranyue, holding a chicken feet, naturally picked up the conversation:

“We met during a trip.”

Her tone became lighthearted, as if she were telling a story that made her blush whenever she thought of it.

“Same plane, he was sitting in the row behind me. When we landed, he helped me with my luggage. I said thank you, and then we went our separate ways.”

“But then the next day, we ran into each other at a tourist spot. On the third day, at another spot, we met again.”

“On the fourth day…” She paused, her eyes curving into crescents. “He was standing downstairs at my hotel holding a cup of coffee, saying ‘What a coincidence.’ After that, we traveled together.”

Chen Rong glanced at Xu Xingci. He didn’t speak, but there was a slight curve to the corners of his mouth.

“We looked at the grasslands together, watched waterfalls together, drank goat milk at the ranch together…”

As Qi Ranyue spoke, she started laughing.

“And then…”

“We liked each other, so we got together.”

Chen Rong sat there, listening to Qi Ranyue recount the story of how they met with a face full of happiness.

It felt as if her heart was being pierced by something sharp.

Not all at once.

It was being driven in slowly, bit by bit.

She showed nothing on the surface.

The curve of her lips was just right, the look in her eyes was just right, and she even nodded slightly in cooperation, as if saying “That’s wonderful.”

No one noticed.

No one knew that she was sitting here, listening to the person she loved tell the story of how she met and got together with someone else.

Her smile remained.

But her heart had already shattered into many pieces.

One piece fell on the grasslands.

One piece fell by the waterfall.

One piece fell in the ranch…

“Oh, right.”

Qi Ranyue’s eyes lit up as she pulled a small box from her pocket.

It was dark blue velvet, not large, just big enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

“A gift!”

“The first moment I saw it, I felt it suited you perfectly. I picked it out myself.”

She glanced at Chen Rong, a hint of an uncontainable smile at the corners of her mouth, and then gently opened it.

A five-carat Tsavorite ring.

The color was intense, the fire was dazzling, and it was a top-tier “green elf” with almost no impurities.

It wasn’t the deep green of an emerald, but rather like early spring buds or fresh green grapes—bright, crisp, and carrying a sense of transparent vitality. It had a strong ability to refract light; under the light, it would go “bling bling,” like sunlight hitting dewdrops, incredibly sparkling.

Chen Rong looked down at the ring but didn’t reach out to take it.

After two seconds of silence, she looked up, her gaze fixed directly on Qi Ranyue.

“Why are you suddenly giving me a ring?”

Her voice was a bit lower.

The person offering the ring blinked and smiled, as if it were the most natural thing in the world:

“Because it’s beautiful.”

Qi Ranyue pushed the box forward a bit more, letting the ring catch the light better.

“I think it suits you very well.”

Qi Ranyue studied Chen Rong’s hand—slender and long, with well-defined joints and pale fingertips.

“Look, you’re so beautiful and elegant, and your hands are so white and pretty…”

She reached out and gently lifted Chen Rong’s left hand, as if admiring a work of art.

“Hands this beautiful should wear something like this.”

Qi Ranyue looked up into her eyes, a smile of anticipation on her lips.

The ring still lay quietly in the box, waiting for an answer.

She gently shook Chen Rong’s hand, as if acting spoiled, or perhaps urging her.

“Do you want… me to help you put it on?”

The piece of rib Xu Xingci was holding with his chopsticks fell into his bowl with a soft “thud.”

?????

Chen Rong gave a soft “Mhm,” drawing Qi Ranyue’s attention.

Qi Ranyue lowered her head, picked up the ring, and slid it onto Chen Rong’s ring finger.

Sunlight streamed in from the window, hitting the ring and refracting a powerful, bright emerald-green light.

Chen Rong stared blankly at the ring flashing on her finger. She suddenly looked up, gazing deeply into those eyes, her own eyes growing slightly warm.

“It’s beautiful.”

A genuine curve finally appeared on her lips.

Xu Xingci blinked.

Then he blinked again.

The atmosphere… was a bit strange.

He couldn’t say exactly what was strange about it.

He just felt like the air had become thick, making it a bit difficult to breathe.

A thought popped into his head.

A very strange thought.

He quickly shook his head, tossing the thought away.

Impossible.

It couldn’t be what he was thinking.

He lowered his head and took a mouthful of rice, pretending he hadn’t noticed anything.

A shrimp landed in his bowl.

“Are you jealous?”

He froze for a moment, looking down at the peeled shrimp in his bowl. The shrimp meat was whole, and even the vein had been cleaned out perfectly.

He looked up at Qi Ranyue.

Qi Ranyue wasn’t looking at him; she was holding a second shrimp, head down as she slowly peeled it. Her movements were light and natural.

“I am jealous.”

The voice wasn’t loud.

It was even a bit muffled.

But every word fell clearly into Qi Ranyue’s ears.

His hand gripping the soup bowl tightened. He didn’t look at her.

“Did you hear me?”

Xu Xingci’s voice rang out again.

“I said, I am jealous.”

He finally turned around.

Qi Ranyue saw the slight redness in his eyes. She could see him biting his lower lip, as if he were struggling with himself.

“Then should I peel another shrimp for you?”

Xu and Chen: ?????

The food on the table gradually disappeared.

They began to clear the dishes.

“I’ll take the bowls to the kitchen. You guys tidy up the rest.”

Chen Rong picked up the stack of bowls and turned to walk toward the kitchen.

Just as she reached the kitchen door—

Crash!

A crisp sound came from behind her.

Qi Ranyue whipped her head around.

Chen Rong stood there blankly, looking at the shards on the floor as if she hadn’t realized what had happened.

Qi Ranyue ran over.

“Are you okay?!” She grabbed Chen Rong’s hand, checking it from side to side, turning it over and over, inspecting it meticulously.

“Did you get cut? Are you hurt? Does it hurt? Say something!”

Qi Ranyue’s voice was urgent, her eyes scanning her hands again and again.

Chen Rong was dazed by this series of actions. It took her a while to react:

“I’m… I’m fine… My hand just slipped…”

Qi Ranyue checked again and again before letting out a long sigh of relief.

“You scared me to death…”

“I’ll handle it,” Xu Xingci said softly. “You two go sit outside for a bit.”

“Let’s do it together!” Qi Ranyue moved close to Xu Xingci and spoke sweetly.

Xu Xingci squatted down, looking thoughtfully at the floor. He reached out to pick up the broken pieces of the bowl he had just used.

In the living room, Chen Rong sat on the sofa watching a movie, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the kitchen.

The two people there were washing dishes.

The sight of their backs standing side by side, the occasional profile of their faces as they looked at each other, the little tune hummed while drying dishes, the slight curve of their lips while rinsing under the water…

Chen Rong felt as if her chest were blocked by something.

It was painful.

It was stifling. So stifling she could hardly breathe.

She wanted to look away.

She told herself not to look.

She told herself this had nothing to do with her.

But she couldn’t look away.

She just watched like that, watching that warm scene, watching the person she loved and the person she loved…

She suddenly stood up.

She walked quickly across the living room, pushed open the glass balcony door, and pulled it shut behind her. With a clatter, all the sounds in the house were sealed away behind her.

Chen Rong leaned against the balcony railing. She pulled a cigarette pack with “Cigaronne” printed on it from her pocket, took one out, and put it in her mouth.

She lit it casually and took a deep drag. Smoke exhaled from her mouth and was immediately blown away by the wind, leaving nothing behind.

Her slender fingers held the cigarette, resting lightly on the railing.

Her face was turned slightly to the side, her gaze empty as she looked into the distance.

The smoke rose, blurring the outline of her profile. Her entire being seemed shrouded in a thin mist, carrying a faint sense of detachment and melancholy.

A small length of ash accumulated; she flicked it away gently.

Faint laughter came from inside the house.

Through the glass door, she couldn’t tell who was laughing, only that someone was.

She didn’t look back. She glanced at the ring on her hand.

She took another drag.

The sound of water in the kitchen stopped. The dishes were put away.

Qi Ranyue dried her hands and walked out of the kitchen.

She saw the balcony. The glass door was closed, and Chen Rong was leaning against the railing. There was a small red glow between her fingers, flickering in the twilight.

She froze, standing there watching for a moment, then slowly walked over and pushed open the glass door.

Chen Rong heard the soft sound of the glass door behind her.

She stubbed out the cigarette and turned around, waving her hand in front of her to try and disperse the surrounding smoke.

“Why did you come out?”

“When did you learn to smoke!” The voice wasn’t loud, but every word seemed tempered with fire.

In the twilight, Qi Ranyue’s eyes were very bright.

Not the usual kind of brightness, but the brightness of anger.

“Answer me.”

“Not long ago,” Chen Rong said, her voice a bit dry. “Just… these past two months.”

She suddenly gave a small laugh, very light, as if trying to break the silence. “Don’t worry, I don’t smoke much.”

Qi Ranyue just looked at her angrily.

The wind passed between them, messing up their hair, but it couldn’t disperse the frozen air.

One had fire in her eyes, the other had frost in her gaze.