Chapter 24 Sorry, I sent this to the wrong person...

The news disappeared without a trace.

Wen Ling did not receive a reply from Shang Chen. He offered no explanation for the kiss that night, as if he had suddenly disappeared from her life.

Wen Ling didn't have the courage to send a second message.

This time it was clearly his fault; he was the one who went too far first. It was understandable that Wen Ling was angry and ignored him, but she was still so sad.

In particular, they picked up the black bags that had been thrown into the trash can.

She found heat packs and painkillers inside, things that could relieve menstrual cramps. She bit her lip hard, not knowing what to do.

It's been ten days since Shang Chen left.

Suddenly, someone in the know received his latest news on the school forum. Wen Ling didn't pay attention to these things, but she couldn't resist her roommates' gossipy curiosity.

"Holy crap, Shang Chen actually went abroad to get married? Wasn't he... pursuing Lingling?"

"How did you know?" Zhong Yuting asked, her face full of doubt. "Wait, when did Shang Chen start pursuing Lingling? Huh? Huh? Such big gossip, and you didn't even tell us!"

Yang Lan: "..."

She rubbed her forehead and said, "Sister, Sister Ting, are you an idiot? Shang Chen follows Lingling around every day, only a fool wouldn't see that he likes Lingling, okay?"

Zhu Xin rested her elbows on the table and turned to look at her: "Lingling knows too?"

“Um…” Yang Lan made a zipper-zipping gesture to her lips, “Let me add to what I just said, Lingling is a cute little silly girl.”

They didn't know which word was funny, but they all burst into laughter.

Perhaps they were so engrossed in their discussion that they didn't notice the dormitory door had been quietly opened a crack.

Wen Ling, who heard everything clearly at the door, was speechless.

Shang Chen... likes her?

Is Shang Chen getting married?

There was so much information that Wen Ling felt a little dizzy. She didn't disturb them and continued to stand at the door listening.

"What's going on with this marriage?" Zhong Yuting was confused. "If he likes Lingling, why did he go abroad without a word? Lately, I haven't seen him come to see Lingling much. I thought he was busy with something, but it turns out..."

Yang Lan said, "I'm not very clear about the specifics, but the marriage is probably real. Perhaps, to use a more precise term, it should be called a marriage alliance."

…

The parties involved were unaware that they were about to enter into a marriage alliance.

Little did they know that being abroad would cause such a stir at the school.

His mother, Ms. Qin, stays abroad year-round and never returns to China, claiming that the company here cannot function without her. In reality, she spends her days in her garden villa enjoying the service of various handsome men.

This time, I was playing too much with a young, muscular man in the pool. I didn't notice the step under my feet and hit my head on the edge of the pool. At the time, apart from the pain, I didn't have any other symptoms.

Ms. Qin refused to let the villa's housekeeper call Shang Chen, because she still wanted to maintain some dignity in front of her son. While applying ice to her skin, she called her mixed-race goddaughter, who lived next door, to accompany her to the hospital.

As a result, he started vomiting on the way and then lost consciousness.

The situation became serious, and they immediately notified Shang Chen in China. Fortunately, although Ms. Qin's injury was dangerous, the final outcome was good, and she only needed to rest and recover for a period of time.

Shang Chen's arrival was sudden.

Several of his friends from school asked him what was going on.

They even called via video. Shang Chen answered and explained the situation in a few words. In the video, Ms. Qin's goddaughter flashed across the screen.

They asked him in surprise who he was.

Shang Chen glanced at it and said casually, "A friend."

Aside from those four words, Shang Chen never said anything else about Song Yinxue, and he didn't know how the rumors had spread like that.

Ms. Qin initially intended to bring them together.

When Shang Chen shut her down with his statement that he didn't want to talk about dating younger men, Song Yinxue retorted without backing down, "I don't like talking about younger men, it's too childish."

However, her current boyfriend is two months younger than Shang Chen.

Song Yinxue is already 26 years old this year. After Shang Chen found out, he sneered and commented, "Why is my sister still being so stubborn?"

Song Yinxue smiled and said, "I can't compare to my brother's hard abs."

Shang Chen was speechless and choked with emotion. Seeing her so smug and enjoying her meal made him feel annoyed, especially since his own love life was a mess and he was still in a cold war with Wen Ling.

I've wanted to call her countless times.

Afraid of upsetting her, I wanted to give each other some time to cool down.

But now, more than ten days have passed and there is still no news from Wen Ling. Shang Chen fiddled with his phone, feeling very conflicted. After so long, she should have calmed down by now, right?

Or, how about sending a message to test the waters...?

To this end, he even consulted Song Yinxue, who was also a girl, on how to break the ice after a cold war with the girl he liked for more than ten days.

Song Yinxue gave him a suggestion.

…

The thing Shang Chen regretted most was asking Song Yinxue, an unreliable person, for advice on how to deceive others.

Seriously, I regret it so much.

…

I received Shang Chen's message around 8 p.m. on the twelfth day after he left.

When Wen Ling saw the red number pop up at the top, she thought she was seeing things. She checked several times and confirmed that it really was sent by Shang Chen before she happily clicked to read the content.

Although she couldn't let go of Shang Chen's offensive kiss after all these days, Wen Ling no longer wanted to hold it against him, as long as he was willing to go back to the way things were and be her friend.

Click on it, and you'll see two pictures.

A photo of abs with clearly defined ridges and watermarks.

Her skin was so white it seemed to glow, and water droplets fell in an arc, revealing the faint outline of her gray underwear.

With a 'boom,' Wen Ling blushed.

I never expected him to send me two photos of his abs so bluntly, without saying anything else.

What does he mean by that?

Wen Ling had never experienced such a powerful visual impact.

With a 'thud,' she slammed her phone face down on the table, covered her burning cheeks, her heart pounding wildly as she racked her brains trying to figure out his intentions in sending those two pictures.

Knowing full well that she's shy, why would he post such a picture? What does he mean by that?

Shang Chen didn't want to post it either. How could a girl who gets shy when she hears other people kissing possibly like looking at someone's abs? But Song Yinxue was adamant that even the most innocent girl would like to look at abs in private.

He really believed her lies.

Several hours after he sent the message, Wen Ling ignored him.

As if to make amends, Shang Chen added another message: "Sorry, wrong person."

It was already 1 a.m. in China at this time.

Because of these two inexplicable photos, Wen Ling couldn't fall asleep again.

Upon seeing this message, she surprisingly calmed down.

Only in this way can the origin of these two photos be explained. Wen Lingqing couldn't help but wonder, who would he have sent them to?

My thoughts drifted to that so-called arranged marriage partner, who had gone abroad and stayed for so long without returning, probably to cultivate a relationship.

After spending time with her, you'll find that she's not so special after all. After all, she's quite boring, and many years later, you'll probably only remember that she had a stutter.

Wen Ling solemnly typed two words: 【Okay.】

A lump formed in her throat, and she couldn't help but blame him in her heart. Since his family was going to arrange a marriage for him, and since he knew she was shy and timid, why did he still do something so inexplicable as kissing her?

If he truly loved her, why couldn't he have persisted? It was only because she abandoned him that he left without looking back.

How come I never realized Shang Chen could be so ruthless before?

He thought about a lot of random things, and subconsciously took all the blame on himself. It was she who chose not to respond to him, so it was right for him to cut his losses and withdraw at this moment.

She deserves to be sad for so long.

In a moment of impulse, with my vision blurred, I deleted him.

…

"Hold?"

After racking his brains for a while without finding a topic, Shang Chen could only send out an emoji to test her reaction. As a result, he received a red exclamation mark. Who could understand the sense of redemption he felt when he saw the "you are not her friend" message?

Song Yinxue searched for him in the downstairs ward for a long time but couldn't find him.

I guessed he was just getting some fresh air on the rooftop. I had just arrived when I heard him swear. Confused, I asked, "What's wrong?"

Shang Chen turned off his phone and sneered, "It's nothing, I just got deleted by the person I like."

Song Yinxue was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing without any politeness: "The girl who posted the picture of your abs?"

Shang Chen's expression was displeased, clearly indicating his tacit agreement.

Song Yinxue laughed so hard she could barely stand up straight: "This girl is so cute! I really want to meet her sometime—hey, where are you going? Can't you even listen to this?"

Shang Chen gripped his phone and strode away.

Hearing this, he turned around and glared at her: "It's all your fault for coming up with such a terrible idea."

Song Yinxue crossed her arms and leaned against the railing, showing no embarrassment whatsoever: "So where are you going? Your godmother just fell asleep, and it's none of your business. Come chat with me."

Without turning his head, Shang Chen waved his hand and said, "Take care of my mom. I'm going back."

Song Yinxue stood up straight, looking at his back. She clearly understood that when he said "went back," he meant returning to China. After a while, as if remembering something, she propped herself up on her feet and leaned back against the railing, smiling playfully: "My good little brother has really fallen for me. How strange."

…

Wen Ling didn't sleep well all night.

She also shed many tears silently, soaking her pillow.

When I looked in the mirror this morning, I was almost shocked. Her eyes were so red and swollen that it was obvious she had been crying.

Thankfully, I didn't have any classes this morning.

She ordered two bottles of ice water and applied them to her eyes for a long time before the swelling subsided and she could barely be seen in public. Then she received a message from Yan Qingli.

【Sister Wenling, are you ready?】

Yan Qingli didn't actually like playing badminton; she hated sports. Wen Ling could tell that Yan Qingli only joined the club to keep her company.

Many times, she would play for a while and then stop.

I sat next to her resting, either playing on my phone or watching her play ball.

Wen Ling had tactfully suggested that she didn't need to come and keep her company, but Yan Qingli shook her head and refused: "Sister Wen Ling, I'm bored in the dorm when I don't have classes anyway, so I might as well come out for some fresh air."

Wen Ling thought what she said made sense.

Furthermore, she seems to be getting along quite well with Liu Chang now. They can be seen chatting for a long time and having a great time. Liu Chang doesn't insist on hanging around her anymore, so Wen Ling no longer pushes away her kindness.

Okay, coming right away.

When they arrived at the gymnasium, Liu Chang greeted them as always. Since being promoted to minister, Liu Chang has become even busier, but she still hasn't missed a single club activity every day.

"Didn't you sleep well?" Liu Chang noticed Wen Ling's eyes. "Your eyes seem a little red."

"It's nothing." Wen Ling subconsciously rubbed her eyes and changed the subject, "Aren't we going to draw lots?"

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Author's Note: Anyone interested in playing the "bonus chapter for every 200 bottles of nutrient solution" game? [doge emoji with rose emoji]