Chapter 3

On her way home, Jin Chuwan kept thinking about the ambiguous smile on the boy's face.

Perhaps because she had experienced too much of the coldness and warmth of the world with Lily when she was young, she always felt that Li Xingen had an indescribable temperament. Even when he smiled, she felt that there was a hint of malice or coldness in his smile.

Unlike Jiang Chen, who was aloof and kept everyone at arm's length, Li Xing'en appeared to be quite approachable on the surface.

Jin Chuwan turned her head to look out the window. Perhaps these were just her overthinking. After all, she had known Lily for many years and had watched Li Xingen grow up.

My impression of him is that he was just a little too sensible.

However, these are not what she should be concerned about right now.

Because it's raining outside again.

She didn't bring an umbrella.

It was already completely dark, and the Jiang family's villa was still a long way from the station.

After getting off the bus, Jin Chuwan looked at the heavy rain in front of her with some helplessness.

Has someone offended Jiang Chen again?

The nearby convenience store was closed for some reason, so she couldn't buy an umbrella. And at this hour, she couldn't very well call anyone to come out in the rain for such a small favor.

Kim Chu-wan sat in front of the station for a while, but the rain showed no signs of letting up.

She sighed, then pulled a book out of her backpack.

Let's just make do for now.

When Jin Chuwan returned to the Jiang family villa, she was completely soaked.

Jiang Chen's mother passed away early, and her father was always busy with work and rarely at home. Apart from her and Jiang Chen, the only other people in the huge villa were the bodyguards who looked after the villa.

The Jiang family's bodyguards were only responsible for Jiang Chen's safety; it had little to do with her.

After opening the door, Jin Chuwan threw her schoolbag aside. The feeling of rainwater sticking to her body was very uncomfortable, and all she wanted to do was take a nice hot bath.

"Where did you go?"

Jin Chuwan was startled when she suddenly heard Jiang Chen's voice.

"I went to a tutoring class."

The boy sat on the sofa, playing his video game. He was focused on the screen, but he still made a mistake while trying to pass a level, resulting in a game over.

"Your tutoring class ends at eight o'clock."

It's ten o'clock now.

Jin Chuwan, who was changing her shoes, felt a little irritated. She didn't know what was wrong with Jiang Chen. He usually stayed out with his friends until late, so why did he suddenly want to interfere with her?

However, she did not want to clash with Jiang Chen, so she continued to explain.

"Cheng Ya said there was a really good cake shop in Binjiang, so I went to look for it, but... I couldn't find it."

She didn't want to tell anyone about her acquaintance with Lily. After all, they were from two different novels, and it was better for people from two different worlds to keep their distance.

Jiang Chen looked up at Jin Chuwan, who was soaking wet. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just frowned.

"Call me later."

Jin Chuwan heard this sentence as she was going upstairs. She thought she had misheard, so she looked downstairs.

The boy held the game controller, but his gaze was fixed on himself.

Those dark eyes always revealed no emotion.

"Call me if you need to go anywhere in the future, whether it's raining or going to a cake shop."

Did you hear me?

Jin Chuwan looked at Jiang Chen with some surprise, guessing that Jiang Chen was expressing some friendliness or goodwill.

But why doesn't Jiang Chen always hate himself?

Jin Chuwan certainly wouldn't ask such an awkward question. Under the boy's silent gaze, she simply nodded slowly.

"I see."

After Jin Chuwan finished speaking, she went upstairs. However, while taking a shower, she was still thinking about Jiang Chen's strange behavior.

He seems to be acting a little strange lately.

Is it because his relationship with Cheng Ya is not going well?

Soaking her entire body in hot water, Jin Chuwan lay in the bathtub trying to analyze the reason, but the bath was so comfortable that she actually fell asleep while thinking about it.

Then Jin Chuwan was awakened by a loud banging on the door.

"Evening of the Golden Week—"

"Jin Chuwan, are you still inside?"

The sounds outside the door seemed urgent, and Jin Chuwan shuddered when she woke up.

It's so cold...

Even though it was the height of summer, soaking in cold water like that was unbearable even for a young person.

The sounds outside grew more urgent.

"Jin Chuwan—!!"

Upon hearing the sound, Kim Cho-wan climbed out of the bathtub and responded.

"I'm here, I'm taking a shower—"

After quickly drying herself off, Jin Chuwan changed her clothes and then opened the bathroom door.

Jiang Chen stood outside the door with a gloomy expression.

What's wrong with you?

Jin Chuwan felt very cold and wanted to go back to her room to rest, but Jiang Chen was blocking her way, so she had to explain first.

"I accidentally fell asleep while taking a bath. Anyway, thank you for waking me up."

After saying that, Jin Chuwan went back to her room. She had been caught in the rain and accidentally fell asleep in the bathroom. Now, Jin Chuwan felt that something was wrong.

She felt a little drowsy, so she quickly dried her hair and lay down.

That night, Jin Chuwan had many dreams, some about her past life and some about this world. She stood at the intersection of the two worlds, but did not know where she should go. It seemed that she could go to either side, yet it also seemed that she had no place on either side.

Kim Chu Wan...

In her hazy state, she heard someone calling her name; the voice was both familiar and unfamiliar.

It sounded a bit like Jiang Chen, but that gentle, light voice made her feel confused.

"Evening of the Golden Week—"

The moment Jin Chuwan opened her eyes, she really saw Jiang Chen.

He was very close to her.

His cool fingertips were resting on her forehead, and his dark eyes were filled with anxiety. She rarely looked at him seriously, but now she couldn't avoid it. Jin Chuwan stared at the boy in front of her in a daze, as if talking to herself.

"You've grown so much..."

Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment. Hearing Jin Chuwan's inexplicable words, he raised his hand to tuck a stray hair from his forehead.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and get dressed and get up. I'm taking you to the hospital."

Jin Chuwan was startled awake by the reprimand and sat up abruptly. She looked at Jiang Chen standing by the bedside.

How did you get into my room?

But Jiang Chen clearly didn't want to answer these questions. He glanced at the girl's disheveled collar and then opened the door.

"I'll wait for you outside."

After saying that, Jiang Chen turned and left the room. Jin Chuwan stood there for a while and realized that her body temperature was not right. She grabbed a coat and put it on, then went outside.

Jiang Chen was changing his clothes as he came out of his room.

Perhaps because of the fever, Jin Chuwan was quite sluggish. She watched as Jiang Chen hurriedly went downstairs and then came back up with his shoes.

The boy stared at her for a while, then led her to sit down on the sofa.

It wasn't until Jiang Chen knelt down in front of her that Jin Chuwan realized he was actually going to change her shoes.

She wanted to refuse, but her ankle was firmly held in the boy's hand, and she couldn't break free at all. Jin Chuwan lowered her head, and Jiang Chen happened to raise his head at the same time. Their eyes met, and they were both stunned for a moment.

This time, Jiang Chen was the first to lower his eyes.

"Don't move."

Jin Chuwan knew that in the novel, she was tolerated by Jiang Chen because she had once saved him, but this was the first time in all these years of transmigrating into the book that she had felt such care from Jiang Chen.

"Thanks."

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she thought she saw Jiang Chen chuckle slightly when she thanked him.

But when Jiang Chen raised his head, he still had the same indifferent expression as before.

"Get dressed, I'll go call Uncle Jiang to drive."

After the boy finished speaking, he went to the table to make a phone call. Jin Chuwan remembered that she had just woken up, so she hurriedly tidied her hair with her hands and then obediently put on her coat.

Not long after, Uncle Jiang pushed the door open and came in.

Uncle Jiang was the villa's butler and had taken good care of her since she was a child. After entering the house, he went straight to Jin Chuwan's side and then touched her forehead.

"Why is it so hot!"

As he spoke, Uncle Jiang looked at Jin Chuwan anxiously: "How are you, Wanwan? Are you alright? Do you need Uncle Jiang to carry you?"

As an adult, Kim Cho-wan naturally refused.

It's just a fever, not a broken leg.

"No need, Uncle Jiang, I can walk by myself."

At this moment, Jiang Chen suddenly yawned, then slowly walked over and squatted down in front of her.

"Come up."

The boy was tall and slender, and even when he was squatting, he had a strong presence.

Jin Chuwan looked at Jiang Chen in front of her and suddenly found it hard to understand. She always felt that their relationship was not that good.

So she still refused.

"Uncle Jiang can go to the hospital with me. It's late, you should still—"

"Come up—"

Jiang Chen turned around, looking somewhat impatient. He ignored what Jin Chuwan said and continued to maintain his previous posture.

At this moment, Uncle Jiang had already taken the key. He glanced at the two people who were locked in a stalemate and asked in confusion.

Why...aren't you leaving?

Perhaps because sick people naturally develop a sense of dependence, or perhaps because she didn't want Uncle Jiang to continue worrying, Jin Chuwan finally leaned on Jiang Chen's shoulder.

The boy's back was broad, giving her the illusion that he was a grown man.

"He's clearly just a brat..."

Jiang Chen paused for a moment, turning his head slightly, but Jin Chuwan only murmured this sentence before falling silent.

It seems she's fallen asleep again.

"Young Master?"

Upon hearing Uncle Jiang's question, Jiang Chen frowned slightly, looking a little irritated.

Alright, I'll let her off the hook for now.

Because she had made an appointment with the doctor in advance, Jin Chuwan was immediately put on an IV drip when she arrived at the hospital. The doctor opened the test results, looked at them, and then did a few simple examinations.

"It's alright, it should just be a cold. After two days of IV drips, taking the medicine properly, and resting for a few days, it should be fine."

After the doctor finished speaking, Uncle Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Jiang Chen sitting by the bed.

"How about I take Young Master Chen back to rest first?"

"Need not."

As Jiang Chen spoke, he glanced at the empty hospital bed next to Jin Chuwan.

"I'll stay here, but I'll have to trouble Uncle Jiang to get two sets of clean clothes when he gets back."

Uncle Jiang wanted to offer some advice, but Young Master Chen had always been very opinionated since he was a child. Besides, the two children had grown up together, so it was only natural for them to take care of each other.

"Alright then, I'll bring it to you tomorrow morning. If anything else comes up, feel free to call me anytime."

Jiang Chen nodded. After watching Uncle Jiang leave, he lowered his eyes and glanced at Jin Chuwan, who was already fast asleep.