Chapter 13

Kim Cho-wan suddenly stopped halfway through her speech.

She suddenly realized that her question seemed to be interfering in their affairs.

"Never mind, it's nothing."

Jiang Chen saw Jin Chuwan turn to look out the window again. He put the book aside, then got up and walked to Jin Chuwan's side.

The boy pulled up a chair and sat down, his arm draped over the back of the chair, but his gaze was fixed on the two people still arguing in the garden.

Why are you suddenly asking me where I want to take the exam?

The sunlight filtered weakly and hazily through the slightly swaying window curtains. The girl seemed not to hear, still focused on the scenery outside the window, while the boy was focused on her.

Jiang Chen had noticed long ago that Jin Chuwan would often look at him with a penetrating gaze.

He hated that feeling, so he deliberately distanced himself from Kim Cho-wan at one point.

One day, however, he suddenly realized that his childish behavior did not make him happy. On the contrary, he felt more and more irritated when he saw Jin Chuwan becoming increasingly silent.

Jiang Chen knew that whether he chose to distance himself or get closer, Jin Chuwan would not react in any way.

Because she didn't care about him.

Or rather, she never cared about anyone. In Jiang Chen's unintentional observation, Jin Chuwan's world consisted only of thick stacks of homework and exam results.

She was like an outcast who deliberately isolated herself from her studies, ignoring everything and observing coldly.

But that day, she blurted out those words in a panic.

The boy buried half his head in his arms, leaving only his dark eyes visible.

At this moment, Aunt Hui and Butler Jiang in the garden seemed to have finished their argument. After all, they were adults. Although they were at each other's throats just now, they were now calmly discussing the ingredients for lunch.

Jin Chuwan rested her chin on her hand, feeling a heat rising in the back of her head. She wasn't usually overly self-conscious, but right now she felt Jiang Chen staring at her.

"Jin Chuwan, are you pretending not to hear me?"

The boy's deep voice called out again from behind, and Jin Chuwan finally turned around to look.

Jiang Chen was slumped over the table at some point, his fluffy, soft black hair messily obscuring his eyes. Jin Chuwan stared at him blankly for a while, then looked away with a complicated expression.

Almost every girl will meet someone during her school years.

He might be my deskmate or someone else's deskmate, and he's always been just an ordinary person, even annoying at times.

But this guy will use his momentary docile appearance to suddenly attack a girl's psychological defenses.

Jin Chuwan sighed softly. If she were truly seventeen, she might have been bewitched by Jiang Chen.

She glanced at the time, then secretly stole a look at Jiang Chen.

"I was just asking. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine too."

Today is Cheng Ya's birthday, and she and Xing En have arranged to go to the mall together to pick out a gift.

"And you, where are you going to take the exam?"

Because of his low profile, Jiang Chen noticed for the first time that Jin Chuwan had a small mole on her left little finger, a very hidden yet striking one.

Upon hearing Jiang Chen's question, Jin Chuwan suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Logically speaking, since Jiang Chen has always disliked him, if she said she was going to D University, he might choose to avoid her.

Jin Chuwan glanced at Jiang Chen, only to find that the boy's gaze seemed to be focused on her fingertips. She moved her fingers uncomfortably, and his dark eyes followed the direction of her fingertips slightly.

The sunlight seemed to suddenly get hot, which caused Jin Chuwan to sit up a little stiffly.

Just then, Butler Jiang pushed open the door and entered the room. When he saw Jiang Chen and Jin Chuwan sitting together, he couldn't help but smile.

It seems their relationship has improved a lot recently.

Startled by the sound of the door opening, Jin Chuwan suddenly stood up, nodded to Butler Jiang, and then went upstairs to her room.

The atmosphere that had been lingering in the air seemed to vanish suddenly. Butler Jiang glanced at Jiang Chen, who was slumped over the table, seemingly lost in thought.

Did I disturb you?

Jiang Chen remained indifferent and did not answer. He simply shifted his position to a spot where he could no longer see Butler Jiang and continued to lie down.

It seems I've disturbed you.

Butler Jiang stroked his chin and walked upstairs, stopping only when he reached Jin Chuwan's room.

"Wanwan, someone is looking for you outside. Do you want to come out and check?"

Jin Chuwan was puzzled when she heard the sound, then she lifted the curtain and looked outside.

Outside the villa gate, Li Xing'en, dressed in a school uniform, stood quietly. The boy was handsome, and even his simple movements were pleasing to the eye.

But now is not the time to talk about that!

"Wanwan?"

Upon hearing Butler Jiang's knock on the door, Jin Chuwan immediately responded.

"I understand, I'll go down right away—"

Jin Chuwan was a little flustered. She didn't expect Li Xingen to be able to find this place, so she hurriedly grabbed her bag and ran downstairs as fast as she could.

Jiang Chen, who was sitting downstairs, frowned slightly as he watched Jin Chuwan's anxious expression. He was about to speak when Jin Chuwan rushed out like a gust of wind.

"kindness……?"

The boy was puzzled. He slowly got up and lifted the curtain, but when he looked over, he only saw a fleeting figure.

It was Kim Il-sung's last night.

Meanwhile, Kim Cho-wan was pulling Lee Sung-eun behind the fence, her heart pounding because she had run so fast.

Lee Sung-eun obediently followed Kim Cho-wan's side.

"Are we... hiding from something?"

The boy asked with a smile, but Jin Chuwan, who had caught her breath, did not answer. She grabbed Li Xing'en's hand and hurriedly left the Jiang family villa.

She couldn't explain why, she just subconsciously felt that she should do it this way.

"By the way, how did you know I live here?"

The boy glanced at the two people's hands clasped together.

“My mom didn’t send me food often before, so I roughly know you live around here, but I’m not sure which household it is.”

Li Xing'en smiled as she spoke.

"Fortunately, there aren't many residents here, so I can just ask them one by one and I'll find out."

After listening, Jin Chuwan paused for a moment. She looked at Li Xing'en, who was very calm, and then took out her phone from her backpack.

Sure enough, there were three missed calls.

"Okay, it's my fault. I'll keep my phone with me at all times from now on."

There were still several unread text messages on her phone. Just as Jin Chuwan was about to reply, she felt a lightness on her shoulder. She watched as Li Xing'en skillfully took the backpack and suddenly remembered what Li Xing'en looked like when she was a child.

"I remember you used to carry Lily's bag like this when we were little. Am I getting that treatment now?"

Upon hearing this, the boy's smile slowly spread across his lips.

"When I was a child... wasn't that what we were like when we were children?"

"Um, it seems so..."

The two walked forward while talking, but when they passed the intersection, Li Xing'en glanced at the driver standing not far away.

Upon seeing this, the driver nodded knowingly, then turned and got into the car.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it leisurely.

It seems the young master won't need his pick-up and drop-off today.

Where should he go to relax now?