Chapter 50 I think this is pretty good.

When the phone rang for the fifth time, Chen Yaoan finally answered it.

She didn't say anything.

The sound of rain came from the other end of the phone, followed by Xu Jialan's voice, "Can you come pick me up?"

Through the rain, his voice was somber and cold, as if it wanted to melt into the rain.

Chen Yao'an gripped her phone tightly. After a long while, she let out a sigh of relief. She still couldn't bear to leave him alone. "Where are you?"

She saw Xu Jialan in a pavilion by the roadside, and she ran across the road with her umbrella.

"Xu Jialan".

He sat hunched over on a wooden chair in the pavilion, his elbows propped on his knees, his whole body soaked, water dripping from his bangs.

He looked unusually dejected and helpless.

How could he have gotten himself into this state?

She knelt down and took his hand. "What happened?"

His hands were very cold, bone-chillingly cold.

He then looked up at her, his eyes filled with a brokenness that seemed about to overflow, devoid of any starlight.

He was too cold, and Chen Yao'an just wanted to take him back first. "Let's talk about it when we get back, okay?"

He nodded slightly.

Chen Yaoan called another car, and the two returned to the apartment.

She pushed Xu Jialan into the bathroom, saying, "Take a good shower first."

Xu Jialan silently entered the bathroom.

Half an hour later, he came out of the bathroom and sat on the sofa, visibly feeling a little better than before.

Chen Yao'an hesitated for a moment, but then decided to leave now. She stood up from the sofa and said, "You get some rest, I'm going back now."

Xu Jialan suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her head on her lower abdomen. "Don't go."

He rarely spoke in such a humble tone, which made her unable to help but soften her heart.

She looked up, sighed inwardly, and ultimately couldn't resist the tinge of reluctance in her heart.

She reached out and touched his slightly damp hair. "Did something happen when you got home today?"

"Today my dad said he was going to move all of my mom's things out of her room. In the end, they'll feel like a family. I'm just an extra person."

Chen Yao'an looked at the night view outside the window and gently comforted him, "How could that be?"

“In that house, my mother and I were always superfluous, both then and now. But those things originally belonged to my mother. In the end, he killed my mother, and they all became his property!” he said through gritted teeth.

He laid bare his family's shameful past before her.

“My maternal grandfather was a university professor. At that time, Xu Qingbang came from a rural background and became my father’s graduate student. My mother was also studying at that university.”

"Later, Xu Qingbang took the initiative to pursue my mother. A few years after my mother graduated, the two got married naturally. Xu Qingbang was very ambitious. He successfully started a company by using my grandfather's connections and relationships. Their relationship was very good for the first two years of their marriage, and my mother soon became pregnant with me."

"However, this kind of life did not last long. Not long after my mother gave birth to me, she discovered that Xu Qingbang actually had a woman outside. They had been together since the beginning, but she just hadn't found out."

"So your dad and mom are together because..."

"That's right, it's to take advantage of my grandfather's resources. My grandfather is a well-known professor in the architecture department with countless students, most of whom are very successful. He wants these connections and resources."

"Did your mom and dad get divorced?"

"No."

"Why?" Chen Yao'an asked, puzzled.

"I don't know either." He was young then and knew nothing about it.

“Until I grew a little older, women would often come to our house and cause trouble. My mother and Xu Qingbang would often fight and never let go. This went on for several years. My mother’s mood got worse and worse until she was finally diagnosed with depression. Her health also deteriorated, and she eventually had to lie in a hospital bed. She passed away when I was in my second year of high school.”

Only then did their entanglement come to a complete end.

"And this result is all thanks to Xu Qingbang!"

Xu Jialan calmly finished recounting this past event, but the mineral water bottle in his hand had already been crushed. "And now that he has a new family, he wants to completely remove my mother from his life!"

"Xu Qingbang has always only loved himself!"

His tone revealed his disappointment with the father-son relationship.

Chen Yao'an didn't want to see him like this, so she reached out and grasped his clenched fist. "Xu Jialan, if he doesn't love you, someone else will."

His reddened eyes looked at her, filled with longing. "Then will you stay with me?"

Chen Yao'an paused, somewhat unable to look him in the eye. He was too vulnerable right now, so much so that she couldn't bring herself to say anything that might hurt him.

She looked away and didn't answer for a moment.

He was very unhappy with her avoidance, so he reached out and touched her cheek, forcefully turning her face back to look at him. "Why don't you dare to look at me?"

"……No."

"Don't you even want to stay by my side?"

How dare he ask that? It was clearly him...

He was clearly the one who was most disgusted with himself!

Seeing that she didn't speak, he seemed even more certain of his idea, and anger instantly took over his mind.

He didn't want her to leave; he wanted her to stay by his side.

His desire reached its peak at that moment, and he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.

Chen Yao'an was terrified; this shouldn't be happening!

She reached out and pushed against his chest.

Xu Jialan became even more annoyed by her actions, pressing her lips hard against hers, and even opening her mouth to bite her, every movement filled with annoyance.

Such intimate contact easily ignited a spark. Chen Yao'an's attempts to push him away were gradually swallowed up, his body began to weaken, until he was completely unable to resist.

The sparks expanded and expanded until they became a prairie fire.

—

the next day.

Chen Yaoan did not see Xu Jialan.

She bumped into him in the hallway on the third night after get off work.

He looked like he had just come back from outside, hands in his pockets, languid and weary, having completely shaken off the decadence and negativity of the previous night.

He greeted her as usual, asking, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No."

"Then I'll take you out to eat."

Chen Yao'an did not refuse; in fact, she had been waiting for the past two days.

After what happened that night, what would he say to her or what would his attitude be?

They didn't go too far. They went downstairs and found a noodle shop nearby.

After we ordered, she asked, "What did you do yesterday?"

“Go to the Xu family to pack up my mother’s things and move them here.”

"So, are you still planning to go back to Dai County?"

"Of course I'll go back."

He looked up at her, seemingly not understanding why she would ask that question.

As the noodles arrived, Chen Yao'an stirred them in her bowl without eating. "You're back now, why do you want to go back? Does your dad still want you to stay there?"

Xu Jialan picked up a noodle and took a bite. After a long while, she said, "He does want me to stay, but he just got married and there's going to be some trouble. It's better to go back to Dai County for some peace and quiet."

Chen Yaoan lowered his eyes, somewhat disappointed. He had various reasons to return to Dai County, but it was never for her.

After finishing dinner and leaving the store, Chen Yaoan made an excuse that she was too full and wanted to take a walk, so Xu Jialan accompanied her.

The two walked along the roadside for a long time until they reached a night market. Having lived here for so long, they still didn't know there was such a big night market.

"Let's go for a stroll."

We said we were going to do some shopping, but there wasn't really anything we wanted to buy; we just wanted to walk around and look at things.

After walking for a short while, Chen Yaoan spotted a stall selling small handicrafts in the distance, with signs advertising DIY wedding rings and similar items.

She turned her toes and walked in that direction, saying, "I want to check out the jewelry stalls over there."

"good."

The two walked to the stall, and Chen Yaoan looked down at the table full of ornaments.

The stall owner, a young girl, warmly greeted them, saying, "Whatever you two want, I have it all."

Chen Yao'an smiled and said, "I'm just looking around."

The girl glanced at them and recommended, "We have couple rings here. You can buy a pair and make them yourself."

“You’ve misunderstood, we’re not a couple,” Chen Yao’an said.

She kept glancing at Xu Jialan's expression as she spoke.

Unfortunately, nothing was found.

He remained smiling nonchalantly, showing no reaction whatsoever to her words.

The stall owner was somewhat surprised and blushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

Xu Jialan asked her, "Is there anything you want to buy?"

Chen Yao'an was greatly disappointed and shook her head. "No, let's go."

The two left.

Chen Yaoan completely lost interest in continuing her stroll; the once bustling and noisy night market suddenly became utterly boring.

She called out to Xu Jialan, "I'm tired from shopping, let's go back."

"good."

On the way back, Chen Yao'an remained silent until she returned to her apartment. As they were about to part ways, she could no longer suppress the impulse within her.

She wanted to know the details.

She called out to Xu Jialan, who was about to enter, "Xu Jialan..."

He turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

Seeing his indifferent expression, Chen Yaoan immediately deflated. What good would it do to ask? His attitude already said it all.

"It's alright now."

She turned around, opened the door, went inside, and closed the door.

For the next few days, life went on as usual, without any changes, until that evening.

Xu Jialan moved all of Lan Wangshu's belongings to his current apartment, but his place was too small and he couldn't fit all the things in. Besides, he would be returning to Dai County soon, so he contacted Xu Yan and planned to leave the things with him for the time being.

So, after get off work, Xu Yan came to his apartment to see how much stuff he had and where it would be best to put it.

After looking at the items, the two sat there and chatted for a while.

Xu Yan: "I heard that Shen Moke's matter has been resolved?"

"Um."

"It's strange, why did she suddenly let you go?"

"How would I know?" Xu Jialan was reluctant to bring up the topic.

Xu Yan was just too curious, so he kicked him with his leg and said, "Just tell me about it."

Xu Jialan patted her trouser leg with a hint of disgust, "Are you ever going to stop?"

Xu Yan laughed, "Tell me about it. I also heard that she slapped you twice at your father's wedding, but unfortunately I didn't see it with my own eyes."

Xu Jialan snorted coldly, "That's a pity, you won't have the chance to see it."

"Just tell me, and I swear I promise I won't tell anyone."

Seeing that he wouldn't stop, Xu Jialan became completely impatient, stood up and pulled him away, "Get out of here right now!"

He pushed Xu Yan out the door.

Xu Yan, unwilling to give up, stood in the corridor and asked, "Since you don't like me mentioning Chen Moke, then let me ask you how things are going with Chen Yao'an?"

The two were talking in the corridor, neither of them noticing the elevator doors opening in the distance. Chen Yao'an stepped out of the elevator and happened to overhear their conversation.

"What do you mean 'whatever'? It's still the same."

Xu Yan was somewhat surprised, "You two aren't together?"

Xu Jialan remained silent.

"I can see it. You treat her differently than you treat other women. What are you thinking?"

Xu Jialan looked at him for a while.

"Be with her, and then what's next? Break up with her or get married? You know, I have absolutely no desire to get married."

"So we're just going to keep them waiting like this?"

"I think it's fine as it is now."

Like those women before her, she would date for a while, then break up with them when she got tired of them. Xu Jialan didn't subconsciously want to do that.