Chapter 92

There was a moment of silence.

Guan Nan sent a message very sincerely: 【Please pass on the message about the house】

It seems insincere to type halfway through and then delete everything.

She cleared her throat, pressed the voice message button, and said gently, "Jiang Li, please pass on this message—"

Before the voice finished speaking, the tightly closed door opened.

Just then, the audio started playing.

"Please pass on this message."

Jiang Li stood in the entryway, his hand resting on the shoe cabinet, gripping the phone and casting his gaze over, a slight smirk playing on his lips: "What message do you want to convey?"

"Why are you here?" Guan Nan asked, stunned.

"What?" Jiang Li said lazily as he put on his shoes, "Can't I come?"

Guan Nan shook her head vaguely: "No."

"What is that?" Jiang Li asked very sincerely.

“…It’s nothing,” Guan Nan shook her head, but seeing his obvious distrust, she hesitated before speaking, “I just wonder why you suddenly came here.”

When he said the word "suddenly," he pronounced it particularly clearly, as if to emphasize it.

An eerie silence fell over the air.

Seeing him casually put away his phone and turn around with a slight smile, Guan Nan didn't even realize what she had said wrong, only feeling that the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

Jiang Li's smile was particularly strange.

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and Guan Nan was suddenly faced with him without any warning, leaving her feeling somewhat bewildered. In particular, Hei Zi's words at noon were still swirling in her mind.

That statement may contain exaggerations, or it may be a collection of lies.

Truth and falsehood intertwined, falsehood and truth intertwined.

But Guan Nan couldn't completely erase them from her mind and ears.

So much so that Guan Nan unconsciously asked, "Did you greet them?"

Jiang Li paused for a moment, then slowly asked, "Who are you greeting?"

“Well,” Guan Nan bit her lip, her voice soft, “the owner of the house.”

These words sounded somewhat amusing, although Guan Nan didn't know what was so funny about them. But when the person in front of her suddenly smiled, the world seemed to lose its color.

His eyebrows twitched slightly as he gradually approached, his long eyelashes drooping, concealing his aggression.

The upturned corners of her eyes unintentionally stirred up a pool of spring water.

"Why should I greet anyone when I go back to my own home?" Jiang Li lowered his head and smiled knowingly.

The two were so close that they could count each eyelash, smell the subtle scent of each pore opening, and hear the thunderous roar of their racing hearts.

Guan Nan looked up at him, her mind slowing for a second, and blinked: "What?"

Seeing this, Jiang Li moved closer and raised his eyebrows slightly.

This time, he didn't say anything more.

Go back to yourself, home.

My own home.

Home.

Guan Nan's face went blank.

In an instant, she realized that not asking Hei Zi whose house this was was the stupidest thing she had done recently.

But then I came to my senses and thought about it.

After this happened, it's already a good thing that others didn't hide to avoid being implicated. In fact, in the entire Fuling City, besides Jiang Li, she couldn't find another person like him.

Ye Na and Yu Shu had been living together openly since the successful marriage proposal.

Chen Fei also moved from a one-bedroom apartment to a dormitory apartment building.

But the incident happened so suddenly that she was too flustered to realize the problem at all.

At first glance, it seems reasonable, and rounding it off is acceptable.

Guan Nan snapped out of her daze and awkwardly changed the subject: "So, are you... still leaving?"

"Where are you going?" Jiang Li asked in a teasing tone, "You're kicking me out as soon as I get back? What's wrong with you?"

Guan Nan replied without hesitation: "Didn't you also want to—"

The words were stuck in my throat, yet I was on the verge of speaking.

She suddenly couldn't say anything, otherwise she would definitely give herself away. Knowing someone in the know wouldn't solve the problem; it would only add to his troubles. Besides, he didn't seem to want her to know those things.

After a few seconds of pause, Guan Nan changed the subject and said in a low voice, "You still haven't told me where you live."

"Oh," Jiang Li smiled at her and said casually, "You just said it and you already forgot? When did your memory become so bad?"

Guan Nan's expression froze.

He clearly remembered the word "casual" that he had said.

Feeling awkward, Guan Nan forced a smile and said defiantly, "How would I know what 'casual' means?"

"Your Chinese is so bad, yet you don't even know what 'casual' means?" Jiang Li said.

The back-and-forth didn't ease the tension. Guan Nan was getting annoyed. Despite the rising heat in her ears and face, she said in a muffled voice, "It's not my own home, how can I act so casually?"

She spoke with conviction, but there was a hint of falsehood in her words, which was quite amusing.

"Whatever, no restrictions," Jiang Li raised his hand, flicked her nose, and said irritably, "You can stay in whichever room you want. If you want to sleep in the living room, just let me know and I'll make room for you."

Hearing his words, Guan Nan frowned, thinking, "I can't possibly sleep in the living room; that's too presumptuous." But then she thought, sleeping in the living room seemed perfectly normal, after all, she had slept on the living room balcony for many years before.

I don't know when I became so sentimental.

Guan Nan pursed her lips, mumbled an "Mmm," and then said nothing more.

The house was huge, and apart from the master bedroom which occasionally showed signs of life, the other rooms were so clean that it seemed like no one had ever lived there. The entire common area was also very new, giving people the illusion that the house had just been moved into.

Following Jiang Li's suggestion, Guan Nan moved into the nearest room, which was larger than ever before.

The room is fully equipped with all the necessities and is thoroughly feminine.

She put her things away and heard noises outside the door. She decided not to go out and waited until her guest left.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door.

Guan Nan watched in astonishment as the door opened.

"Nannan!" Ye Na pushed open the door and saw the person standing in front of the counter, staring blankly at her. She smiled and waved, "Come out and have dinner with us."

Guan Nan forced a smile and looked outside in the direction of the sound, but couldn't manage a laugh.

Many people came in from outside, and many of them were familiar faces. She hesitated, not having the courage to step out of the room, and her eyes became a little moist.

Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but my tear ducts are overactive, and I easily get a sore nose and red eyes.

Xie Qiao: "You're disloyal!"

“You really are something this time,” Zhang Min, who is usually easy to talk to, frowned. “You’re so insensible. Can’t you talk things out properly?”

Zhang Hong said sternly, "You should have told us."

"After knowing each other for so long, do you think we would misunderstand you or wrongly blame you over such a small matter?"

"You underestimate us!"

"······"

They chattered amongst themselves, insisting on holding Guan Nan accountable. How could someone so beautiful, tall, and outstanding be so heartless?

Without a word of greeting, they turned their backs on us and abandoned our friendship, treating us like complete strangers.

Her initial concern was that she might implicate them, so she carefully kept her distance and tried to avoid suspicion. But these people seemed to have no fear of trouble and were instead annoyed by her actions.

"The matter is rather complicated," Guan Nan explained dryly, suppressing the turmoil in her heart.

“So what if it’s complicated?” Xie Qiao’s youthful passion got the better of him. “Does being complicated mean we can just let them bully us like this? Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. My mom said that you can’t hide when you’re in trouble. The more you cower and avoid fighting back, the more they will take advantage of you and become even more aggressive.”

Ye Na noticed Guan Nan's predicament and quickly stepped in to defuse the situation: "Alright, alright, let's go out to eat first. Aren't we having hot pot? What are you all doing sitting here eating?"

Yu Shuzheng, who was outside, took the things out: "What's the rush? Your Chen Fei hasn't arrived yet."

"Oh, and He Jiafen and Qi Qi too," Lin Rui added.

The quiet house was transformed into a home amidst the hustle and bustle of people.

They sat in the living room, some sitting, some kneeling, some squatting, some cross-legged. The fragrance made them feel relaxed and at ease, and it also gradually drove away their timidity that they could not hide from and could not express.

That's how things always are; one wave comes and another goes.

In everyone's perception, the internet is constantly updating with extraordinary people and events, and this incident will eventually be forgotten by netizens after a few days. The only things that will never be forgotten are those who were harmed in the incident and those who were implicated and punished.

The others dusted themselves off, tilted their heads back, and laughed as they walked away.

Clearly, the other people sitting in the room were used to it and didn't take it seriously at all.

Having experienced the fierce onslaught of what felt like a passing storm, Guan Nan, as someone directly involved, couldn't help but take it all in stride. However, she forced a smile and pretended to be nonchalant, continuing to eat and drink with everyone.

Amidst the bustling activity, Guan Nan subconsciously reached out and discovered that the wine glass in front of her had been replaced with yogurt.

She paused for two seconds, then looked up and glanced to both sides.

On the left, Yu Shu peeled shrimp and fed it to Ye Na, the two of them whispering to each other.

On the right, Chen Fei...

I don't know where she went; someone else took her place.

Jiang Li is sitting here.

The two were standing very close. He was talking to Xiao Shuwei, who was asking for tickets for his sister. He raised his wine glass slightly and said slowly, "No problem."

At this moment, his inherent arrogance was on full display, and he was acting exactly like a noble young master.

Perhaps it was because this side of Jiang Li was so rare, but Guan Nan stared at him intently, her mind filled with his unusual actions. Just then, someone added food to the table, and as he spoke, he didn't stop, refilling his empty bowl halfway.

Coming to her senses, Guan Nan stared at the plate full of bowls and glanced at him again.

She sat there for half a day, eating and listening to people talk with her head down. No matter how much she tried to appear calm, her uneasy heart was still pounding. She didn't even realize when the person next to her had changed, let alone that the person adding dishes had changed from Chen Fei to Jiang Li.

She lowered her eyes, took a sip of her yogurt, and just then Chen Fei came over from the balcony with her phone in hand.

"They're too much—" Chen Fei met her gaze, then noticed the stares from the rest of the table. Her words took a complete 360-degree turn. She plopped down in the empty seat next to He Jiafen, wailing with a distressed expression, "Who invented the single/double weekend system? Tomorrow's Saturday! Who works on Saturdays?!"

Xie Qiao comforted her with the words of someone who had been through it all: "It's normal, it's normal. We don't even get a day off on Sundays."

"Don't compare like that!" Chen Fei exclaimed, even more indignant. "You guys take turns off, sis!"

"······"

"······"

Xie Qiao was displeased and frowned: "Who are you calling 'elder sister'? I'm younger than you, okay? Don't you know how to respect your elders?"

The two started arguing back and forth over these two sentences.

The people at the table watched the spectacle, but they were also like weather vanes, sometimes thinking this was right and sometimes thinking that was right.

Guan Nan put down the yogurt container. Perhaps because she was in a bad mood, the taste had changed too; it was too sweet. She thought about going to the kitchen to rinse her mouth with water, but then felt it would be impolite to do so in too many people.

So she made an excuse to go into the room, rinsed her mouth briefly, and came out.

I wandered around the house, feeling bored but also curious. When I opened the glass door, I found myself on a spacious balcony. Perhaps because of the high floor, all I could see was a large expanse of lush banyan trees.

The oncoming wind made Guan Nan feel relaxed, and she closed her eyes and blew in the breeze for a while.

Just then, a message came in, and my phone vibrated.

Guan Nan retrieved her phone, unlocked the screen, opened the app, and saw a message from Luo Haoyu, whom she hadn't contacted in a long time.

Luo Haoyu exchanged a few simple pleasantries before asking her if she was alright.

The other party received the message quickly, and Guan Nan didn't hide anything, replying in a standard, formal way: "It's fine."

Luo Haoyu: [Remember to contact me if you need anything.]

Before Guan Nan could reply, Luo Haoyu sent another message: "I won't charge you legal fees."

Seeing this, Guan Nan smiled but didn't reply.

The other party retracted a message.

Luo Haoyu: [I'll give you a friend's price.]

Guan Nan was touched by the message, but her gratitude was expressed subtly. She replied sincerely: "Thank you, Luo Haoyu."

Putting away her phone, Guan Nan leaned against the handrail and suddenly felt that life was truly amazing.

It's not only amazing, but also incredibly dramatic.

Guan Nan doesn't consider herself a particularly sentimental person. From a young age, she understood that the emotional bonds between people are as fragile as drinking water—only the person drinking it knows whether it's hot or cold. She doesn't have any outstanding strengths and has long been used to being called "little lunatic," which has made her lack trust and reliance on relationships.

However, it wasn't until she met these people that her life seemed to truly come alive.

Even the heart that had been sealed away for many years gradually began to be opened by others.

It turns out that she can have friends, she can be chosen with unwavering loyalty, and she can be trusted and loved. Instead of being a burden time and time again, and being abandoned time and time again.

She was different from others; she had no friends growing up and was isolated. She thought she would spend her life like this. Unexpectedly, someone was willing to stay by her side, and stay for so many years.

When she sat at the same table with her friends, chatting and joking around, she was always thinking about it.

Could it be that God took pity on her and showed her mercy, treating her well?

This will ensure that she is no longer a substitute in relationships.

During the six years at Green Camphor, she would always think, in moments of relaxation and happiness, that it would be nice if he were here.

At the time, I didn't understand why I always wished he were here.

Long, long afterward, at that social gathering, the girl's secret, hidden away in her drawer, was once again laid bare before her eyes.

So, for the first time, she made an exception and refused the other person's offer in front of many people, saying something that no one expected.

"This road is blocked."

Faced with the relentless pursuit of others.

She laughed openly and calmly said, "Maybe it's because I have someone in my heart."

Her heart was too small; no matter how many years passed, it could only hold that one person.

Even now, Guan Nan still remembers it.

That night at Hecang Garden, the ever-swaying banyan tree, the hesitant boy, and the endless shadow of his reflection cast their images beneath it.

They thought they would meet countless more times after that.

So Jiang Li smiled and waved to her, not expecting that this "goodbye" would be a farewell.

On the night the college entrance exam ended, Guan Nan gripped a short fruit knife tightly before returning to Tangzi Alley, preparing for the worst.

A desperate fight.

Later, he was prepared to die, but he didn't die.

She left Fuling, and then returned to Fuling.

Even Guan Nan herself didn't expect that, as time went by, she would suddenly return to this familiar city and meet familiar people again.

Unfortunately, that person had already forgotten and now had a girlfriend.

She was heartbroken and sad for a long time, repeatedly reminding herself of her own pain and reluctance.

But it turned out that his "girlfriend" was actually his niece.

For a moment, she felt both joy and fear.

Under the dual pressure of emotions, the moment she grabbed Jiang Li's hand, it was as if she had grasped a lifeline.

It was only at that moment that she realized.

It turns out that her lifeline had never changed.

Guan Nan suddenly felt as if everything had returned to the very beginning, just like when they first met.

It's just that the student days are gone, and the youthful face is no longer there.

The living room was still filled with laughter and chatter, and Guan Nan gradually regained a sense of security amidst the cheerful atmosphere. If it weren't for him and the others, she might not even know where she would be right now.

Guan Nan twitched her lips, turned around, slowly closed the glass door, and prepared to walk out.

Fang walked to the door, but before he could open it, he heard a sound coming from outside, neither too loud nor too soft, through the crack in the door.

Yu said, "This behavior is fucking criminal, isn't it?"

"This is more than just suspected; it's a crime!" He Jiafen's tone was very harsh.

"This is outrageous, such extreme behavior," Qi Qi said. "Don't the parents care at all?"

Yena: "Going to someone's house and throwing sulfuric acid, what is that if not insane?"

“Luckily, Jiang Li is very alert. At that time, Hei Zi was at the coffee shop dealing with some things with me, otherwise who knows what might have happened,” Lin Rui said. “When Jiang Li received the call, he was scared out of his wits. He was so scared that he couldn’t even hold his phone properly when he called me. Were you like that?”

The last question was directed at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li said succinctly: "Don't talk nonsense."

“Look, he’s putting on an act again,” Lin Rui said. “If you can’t take a plane or the high-speed rail, how did you get back?”

Chen Fei gave Jiang Li a strange look, then looked him up and down before bluntly asking, "Jiang Li, are you reliable?"

"Hey, who are you calling unreliable?" He Jiafen said. "My uncle is unreliable, but is there no reliable person in this world?!"

Chen Fei's eyes darted between the two men, a look of disbelief on her face: "...Uncle?"

It seems that only Chen Fei and a few others didn't know the answer, while everyone else acted as if they knew.

At this moment, they had neither the time nor the space to ask further questions.

He Jiafen had barely finished uttering an "Mmm" when she heard Zhang Hong's voice.

His tone was urgent and serious: "Don't talk about this anymore. What do we do now? We need to think of a solution first. We can't keep this up forever. She was already so frightened."

These words only intensified the already heavy atmosphere.

They came up with one idea after another, but none of them were approved. They were all as anxious as grasshoppers on a pot of boiling water.

After a while, Guan Nan couldn't stop anymore. She opened the door and came out, and the noise in the living room stopped abruptly. Just as she walked over and hadn't said a word, she heard—