Chapter 8, "Song Wan, my girlfriend."...

Zhou Xiangyuan: [My plane lands this afternoon, how about a get-together tonight?]

Zhou Xiangyuan: [Call that bastard Qi Yan, he's not replying to my messages again.]

...

Zhou Xiangyuan: [A person?]

When Chen Jianjin saw it, two hours had passed since the previous message.

He typed back: 【Okay, I'll bring someone with me】

Zhou Xiangyuan immediately made a phone call.

"I'm really fed up with you two. Neither of you replied to my messages. It's a good thing I didn't ask you two to pick me up at the airport, or I'd still be waiting at the airport right now."

Chen Jianjin: "Are you done talking?"

"No!" Zhou Xiangyuan, who knew Chen Jianjin's true nature, roared, "I haven't finished speaking yet, don't even think about hanging up the phone."

Chen Jianjin neither hung up nor spoke.

He fell silent, and Zhou Xiangyuan also fell silent. What was he trying to say?

Oh right, Zhou Xiangyuan suddenly remembered and asked, "Who are you bringing? Male or female? I'll make the arrangements."

"My girlfriend, no need for arrangements, she'll come with me."

Zhou Xiangyuan was shocked: "Holy crap?!"

After returning from studying abroad, Zhou Xiangyuan made many friends and organized large gatherings, even booking out the entire bar.

The music was stirring, and men and women swayed their bodies on the dance floor.

Song Wan had always been a law-abiding child and had never been to such a brightly lit and bustling place before.

Chen Jianjin half-embraced the person as they went upstairs, where they encountered Qi Yan, who was also late, at the entrance of the private room.

Upon seeing him, Chen Jianjin raised an eyebrow.

Qi Yan remained indifferent, glancing at the girl beside him before lazily looking at Chen Jianjin.

"Zhou Xiangyuan said you weren't replying to my messages, so I thought you weren't coming."

Qi Yan shrugged. "That dog blew too much, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Perfect timing." Chen Jianjin put his arm around Song Wan's shoulder and said with a smile, "Let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Song Wan."

As he spoke, he glanced at the person opposite him and introduced him to Song Wan: "Qi Yan, we grew up together since we were little."

Qi Yan nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then said to Chen Jianjin, "I'll go in first."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door to the private room was pushed open from the inside.

It is Zhou Xiangyuan.

He was clearly stunned for a moment, then tears welled up in his eyes. He was about to give Qi Yan a hug, but Qi Yan stopped him.

"Brothers, I've missed you guys so much!"

Qi Yan looked disgusted, but Zhou Xiangyuan was carefree and didn't care at all.

“You just went back a month ago, and last night you were still getting people to play games with you. Don’t act like going abroad is like being in jail.”

Zhou Xiangyuan retorted, "That's not the same at all. This time, he's back for good and isn't leaving again."

As he spoke, he noticed the person standing next to Chen Jianjin and immediately put on a warm and friendly smile, "And this is...?"

"Song Wan, my girlfriend."

Chen Jianjin's deep brown eyes fell on Song Wan's face as he looked at her intently and seriously, a smile playing in his eyes.

"Holy crap! You actually did it for real!" Zhou Xiangyuan punched his shoulder and teased with a laugh, "What luck to find such a beautiful girlfriend."

He was never serious, and said to Song Wan, "Sister, if Chen Jianjin ever treats you badly in the future, tell me, and I will stand up for you."

Qi Yan's gaze swept between the two of them, and finally, he grabbed Zhou Xiangyuan by the back of his collar, "Let's go, you talk too much."

Zhou Xiangyuan was pulled and stumbled, cursing under his breath.

Qi Yan.

Song Wan felt the name sounded familiar, but couldn't remember where she had heard it before.

"What are you thinking about, baby? You seem so engrossed."

Song Wan snapped out of her reverie as she pressed a cup of hot orange juice against her cheek.

Chen Jianjin shoved the things into her hands, glanced at the distance, and asked, "They're playing games over there, want to go?"

Her curled eyelashes drooped, and the warmth of the transparent glass touched her fingertips. Song Wan wondered wildly if, right now, in front of so many of Chen Jianjin's friends, she were to throw this drink in his face, would he then despise her and let her go?

Song Wan remained silent.

For most of the time I spent with her, she was like this, quiet and silent.

Chen Jianjin thought about it for a moment, then pulled the person up from the sofa, "Give it a try, and quit if you don't like it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a glass of orange juice was poured over his face.

Song Wan's actions were partly a gamble; if she won, she would gain her freedom, but if she lost, she might be severely beaten by Chen Jianjin.

It was already unusual for Chen Jianjin to have a girlfriend, and with almost everyone in the private room sitting at the game table waiting for them to join, Song Wan's outburst shocked and widened the eyes of those who had been openly and secretly observing them.

Zhou Xiangyuan is a lively person and invited many friends, including Jiao Qian.

Before anyone could react, Jiao Qian rushed out angrily and slapped Song Wan across the face.

"Song Wan, you...!"

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Jianjin grabbed her arm, "Who gave you the guts to touch her?!"

Water dripped from his chin, his thin lips were stretched taut, and he looked furious.

Most of the time, Chen Jianjin was indifferent to everything and showed no interest in anything. This was the first time Jiao Qian had seen him get angry.

At this moment, Zhou Xiangyuan finally reacted and stepped forward to pull the person away, saying, "Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive."

"Zhou Xiangyuan, who the hell told you to invite her?!"

Many of the people present had more or less met Chen Jianjin before, and this was the first time they had seen him blush with anger. They gasped and looked suspiciously at the quiet girl beside him.

She was excessively silent, as if she wasn't the one who had just spilled the drink, or the one who had been hit.

Chen Jianjin shook off Zhou Xiangyuan's arm that was blocking him and turned to look at Song Wan.

The lights in the private room weren't bright, but he could still clearly see the red mark on her right cheek.

"Does it hurt?" Chen Jianjin asked cautiously, wanting to touch you but then stopping. "I'm sorry, baby, it's my fault. I shouldn't have brought you to a place like this."

He was extremely annoyed and pleaded in a humble voice, "Or does my darling want to fight back? How about fighting back? Don't hold a grudge."

"good."

Song Wan looked up and met his gaze.

Chen Jianjin was taken aback.

Jiao Qian was shocked upon hearing their conversation. "Song Wan, how dare you?! Chen Jianjin, don't forget my father..."

Before she could finish speaking, her arm was twisted behind her back and held down like a prisoner, causing her to cry out in pain.

This shout woke Zhou Xiangyuan, and also the people watching the commotion at the game table.

Zhou Xiangyuan rushed forward to stop her, "Chen Jianjin, are you crazy? Her father is your mother's boss!"

He's about to be promoted again and is currently riding high.

"roll."

Chen Jianjin was determined to do this, so Zhou Xiangyuan turned his gaze to Song Wan. "Sister Song Wan, it was Jiao Qian's fault for hitting you. She knows she was wrong. I'll have her apologize to you. For my sake, let's just let this matter go, okay?"

Song Wan neither said yes nor no, her eyes were indifferent.

Zhou Xiangyuan felt guilty under her gaze and looked away. "Song Wan has given her permission, Chen Jianjin, let go of her!"

"Zhou Xiangyuan, if you dare to stop me today, our friendship ends here."

Zhou Xiangyuan frowned, wanting to say something more, but Qi Yan, who was silently playing and shuffling cards at the game table next to him, finally spoke up: "Zhou Xiangyuan, come back."

"Holy crap?!"

"return."

Zhou Xiangyuan glanced at Qi Yan, then at Chen Jianjin, grabbed his hair, and stepped aside.

Jiao Qian was forced in front of Song Wan, her eyes filled with malice.

She had never been so humiliated before. Because of Song Wan, the person she liked had been stolen from her, and today she had lost face in front of her friends.

"You must be filled with hatred right now, wishing you could tear me to pieces, right?" Song Wan wasn't in a hurry to act, and said gently, "But right now, it's clearly Chen Jianjin who's suppressing you. It's strange that you don't hate him, but instead hate me."

"If it weren't for you..."

Song Wan nodded, interrupting her, "If I hadn't seduced him and instigated him, is this what you meant?"

Jiao Qian gritted her teeth, "That's the truth!"

Song Wan raised her hand and delivered a swift and decisive slap.

It was louder and more intense than the time Jiao Qian hit her before.

Her hands were numb.

Jiao Qian was stunned by the blow, her expression blank for a moment.

When she came to her senses, Song Wan continued softly, "Look back at the expression on the face of the person you like, remember the grievances you feel now. If I were you, I would tell the person who loves me everything I have suffered today."

Zhou Xiangyuan: ...Holy crap?!

He noticed something and plopped down in the empty seat next to Qi Yan. "Jian Jin's girlfriend, what she just said, was it just my imagination? It sounded like she was encouraging Jiao Qian to complain to her?"

Qi Yan smiled casually, "You can understand human speech after going out for a while, that's an improvement."

Zhou Xiangyuan wasn't in the mood for a chat. Looking worried, he disagreed, saying, "Isn't this just making things worse?"

Qi Yan was still playing his cards, casually saying, "Chen Jianjin should have been prepared for this when he snatched the person to his side."

"...?!" Zhou Xiangyuan exclaimed in shock, asking three questions in quick succession: "Stolen? What did you mean stolen? He stole Song Wan from her?!"

Zhou Xiangyuan looked at Song Wan again with a hint of pity in his eyes.

"So..." Qi Yan reminded him calmly, "Stop talking about chivalry. What if one day they're really forced into a corner and come to you? Will you help them or not?"

"Of course... fuck!"

Zhou Xiangyuan paused, then angrily downed a full glass of wine, "What's going on here?!"

The news of Chen Jianjin's impulsive act of anger for the sake of a woman quickly reached Feng Jing's ears.

Song Wan—this was the second time Feng Jing had heard this name.

Song Wan was stunned when she received the call from her counselor.

Teacher Feng from the Party Committee was looking for her, but she didn't know any Party Committee teachers, so why was she being looked for?

Filled with doubt, Song Wan arrived at the school's administration building.

After three light knocks, a woman's voice came from inside the house: "Come in."

When Feng Jing saw the visitor while she was working, she said to her subordinate at her desk, "Xiao Zhao, take these back and review them. Compile them and write a report for me by the day after tomorrow."

The employee named Xiao Zhao picked up a stack of documents from the table and nodded respectfully: "Okay, I'll head out now."

They even thoughtfully closed the door behind them when they left.

"sit."

Feng Jing got up from behind her desk, walked to the water dispenser next to her, and filled a paper cup with warm water.

Song Wan sat down on the small sofa in the reception area.

Feng Jing handed over some water, and Song Wan stood up to take it.

When she reached out her hand, Feng Jing noticed the jade bracelet on her left wrist.

"Sit down, don't be nervous."

As she spoke, Feng Jing sat down on another sofa.

The two looked at each other, and Feng Jing carefully examined the girl in front of her.

Without a doubt, Song Wan is beautiful.

But for families like theirs, beauty is the least valuable thing.

Song Wan assumed Feng Jing was looking for her about the academy, and hesitantly began, "Teacher, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Feng Jing cut to the chase: "Did Chen Jianjin give you that bracelet?"

In short, her stance is clear.

Song Wan then remembered that she had overheard members of the shooting club gossiping that Chen Jianjin's mother was the school's Party Secretary.

It turned out to be the person right in front of me.

After a moment's thought, Song Wan quickly understood why she had been called over, and directly handed over her wrist, saying, "I've tried many methods, but I can't remove it. If you don't need me to compensate you, I can return it to you now."

Meeting the girl's earnest expression, Feng Jing smiled. Her refined demeanor was captivating; even though she was over forty, the signs of time on her face remained unnoticeable.

She generously said, "It's just a bracelet. It's a gift for my son when he gets a girlfriend. As his mother, I'm not that stingy."

“We’re not in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship,” Song Wan corrected, her almond-shaped eyes calm and unwavering, “No one would like a sexual harasser.”

Feng Jing lowered her brows; her long-term immersion in the political arena gave her a strong sense of oppression when she wasn't smiling.

"Miss Song, you're the one who encouraged my son to fall out with his friends, aren't you? Don't be so ungrateful after getting the benefits. I've seen plenty of girls like you. Now, tell me, what are your conditions?"

Feng Jing's eyes were like those of someone appraising a product. Song Wan took a deep breath, suppressing her surging emotions. "You should tell your son to stay away from me."

After saying that, Song Wan got up and left.

She opened the door, only to be unexpectedly met with Chen Jianjin's dark, unyielding eyes.