Chapter 44

Kim Chu-wan left home in a rage.

She wasn't sure why she was so angry. Maybe it was because she had wasted a whole night not getting a proper rest, or maybe it was because all her fussing over was nothing to the other person.

However, Kim Cho-man still adjusted her state before meeting Sung-ah.

Forget it, forget it. It's better to forget it. You don't need to worry about how to refuse anymore, and you don't need to worry about whether it will affect the peaceful relationship between the two of you.

On the vast lawn, helicopter rotors flapped incessantly.

As waves surged in, the plane's cabin door opened.

Jin Chuwan looked at Cheng Ya, who hadn't been seen in a long time, and the butler, who was always in a dark suit and wearing cool sunglasses, and then looked down at herself.

In comparison, my jeans and cartoon t-shirt make me look like I just came out of kindergarten.

"Wait a minute~~"

Cheng Ya saw her and rushed over, lifting her skirt, but her high heels still affected her performance. In short, before Jin Chuwan could catch her, Cheng Ya suddenly lost her footing and fell to the ground.

Jin Chuwan subconsciously hissed, then hurriedly went forward to help Cheng Ya, who was falling and crying, up.

"I'm not going to run away, why are you in such a hurry..."

While scolding Cheng Ya helplessly, Jin Chuwan checked the abrasions on her legs. They were a little red and swollen, but the skin was not broken. Even so, it would probably hurt for two or three days.

Hearing this, Cheng Ya couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

"I miss you, don't you miss me at all? You've only called me five times in all these days..."

Upon hearing Cheng Ya's 'accusation,' Jin Chuwan didn't offer much of a defense, but simply sighed silently.

"Okay, okay, I was wrong..."

A short while later, Qi Mo, having explained the itinerary to the captain, finally came over carrying his suitcase.

The butler skillfully examined the young lady's injuries, then stood up as if nothing had happened.

Jin Chuwan held Cheng Ya and waited for a while, thinking that the other party would do something like in novels, taking off his coat and then kneeling down to make the young lady lie on top of him...

But the other person stood perfectly straight, and even frowned.

"How long are you going to sit on the ground? Aren't you going to leave?"

Jin Chuwan coughed lightly, erasing those chaotic fantasies from her mind. She glanced at Cheng Ya, who was still leaning against her, softly groaning in pain.

"Are you alright? Can you stand up...?"

Cheng Ya hummed twice, then leaned against Jin Chuwan as she stood up. Qi Mo came over to help her, but after being glared at by the young lady, he silently went ahead to lead the way.

They parked on the lawn of a five-star hotel plaza. Although the hotel was not owned by the Cheng family, its owner had always been a reliable partner of the Cheng family.

So, not long after Cheng Ya got off the plane, the hotel manager personally delivered the room key for the presidential suite.

"This is a room specially arranged for Miss Cheng by the boss. We hope Miss Cheng will have a pleasant stay."

Suddenly disturbed by outsiders, Cheng Ya frowned slightly, but she still managed a polite smile and accepted the room key. Only after the manager left did she 'weakly' lean back on Jin Chuwan's shoulder under her astonished gaze.

Kim Cho-wan glanced at Sung-ah, who was completely different from before, with amusement.

"How come I never knew you were so good at being affectionate..."

"That's because I was good at pretending before, and you just didn't notice."

Upon hearing these words, Jin Chuwan could only shake her head helplessly.

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time. After putting down their luggage, Cheng Ya sent Qi Mo away and took Jin Chuwan to the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the hotel for lunch.

Cheng Ya had a habit of sharing every little detail of what had happened to her with Jin Chuwan after they parted ways. However, this time she mostly talked about work, and although Jin Chuwan didn't understand much about it, she listened attentively.

From what Cheng Ya said, her troublesome older brother suddenly flew abroad for some reason, and the things he used to be in charge of are now gradually being transferred to Cheng Ya.

Because of this incident, she almost had to apply for a leave of absence from school.

Fortunately, that guy came back in time.

Did he say why?

“I don’t know. You know my older brother, this…” Cheng Ya said, pointing to her head, “is different from a normal person.”

Jin Chuwan couldn't help but smile as she looked at it. Thinking back, the last time she met Cheng Xiucheng was at an art exhibition.

"Never mind, it's good that you're back. Now you can go to school without worry."

Mentioning school, Cheng Ya pouted again, shifting her chair closer to Jin Chuwan. "We've been deskmates for so many years, and now we're separated. Chuwan, why don't you transfer here, or I can transfer to your class—"

Jin Chuwan pushed away the head that was leaning towards her.

"Stop kidding, this is a university, do you think we're still high school students?"

After saying that, she coaxed, "Anyway, we're in the same city, so we can still see each other often."

Cheng Ya pouted. She had wanted to coax Jin Chuwan into living with her, but K University and T University were located in the east and south of the city, respectively, and her house was close to K University, which was too inconvenient for Chuwan.

So in the end, she gave up first.

"Then you have to visit me often, and don't distance yourself from me!"

Kim Cho-man was forced to make a series of vows, including "I will always be Cheng-ah's best friend," "I will think of Cheng-ah ten times a day, no more than twenty times," and "No matter what happens, I will think of Cheng-ah first."

"And even if you make new friends, you still have to put me first—"

Jin Chuwan kept her three fingers pointing to the sky, but just as she was about to speak, she suddenly realized something.

"Isn't this the same as the first one?"

"I don't care, just tell me—"

The two chatted for two or three hours in the hotel until Qi Mo got the phone number of the Cheng family patriarch, and Cheng Ya reluctantly let Jin Chuwan go.

"Wait here for me a moment, I brought you a gift!"

Qi Mo glanced at the young lady who had hurriedly run away, then turned back to look at Jin Chuwan.

You look terrible.

Jin Chuwan was stunned for a moment. Just as she was thinking of what excuse to make up, she heard the other person continue.

"His eyes were very bloodshot, and he had a wound on his lip."

Upon hearing the word "lips," Jin Chuwan's face instinctively flushed.

She had almost forgotten about it, but Qi Mo's words brought it back to her mind. Jin Chuwan frowned angrily, then looked up at the expressionless man.

"None of your business—"

At this moment, Cheng Ya also rushed back. She handed the gift bag to Jin Chuwan and then sighed wearily.

“I just got here, and my dad already wants me to do things for him. I was hoping to go out and have fun with you.”

Jin Chuwan looked at Cheng Ya, who had a long face, and then smiled and comforted her.

"It's okay, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

When they parted, Cheng Ya was a little sullen. She glanced at the bag in Jin Chuwan's arms and said, "I bought this with my own salary, so don't complain."

Jin Chuwan ruffled Cheng Ya's hair. "Why would you complain? What are you thinking?"

--

After saying goodbye to Cheng Ya, Jin Chuwan took a taxi directly home.

She thought that Li Xing'en had already left by this time, and that she could go back and get some rest.

But when Kim Cho-wan opened the door, she thought she had gone to the wrong house.

The boy, wearing a cartoon apron, was laying a dust cover on the sofa.

The once empty house is now even covered with carpet.

I can't quite put my finger on what's changed, but it suddenly feels much more complete. The screens and curtains have all been replaced, the ceiling fan has been installed, and there's a shoe cabinet in the entryway with a pair of bear slippers on it, which look like a matching pair with the ones Li Xing'en is wearing.

Jin Chuwan loosened her grip, and the gift Cheng Ya had given her fell directly to the ground.

"Li...Li Xing'en?"

The boy who was tying the sofa legs looked up when he heard this. He wiped the sweat from his face and then hurriedly stood up.

"Is Auntie back?"

The boy glanced around, then touched the back of his neck as if showing off a treasure or feeling a little embarrassed.

"I was just killing time anyway, so I thought I'd help my aunt decorate. But the curtains you bought before were a bit too small, so I replaced them with new ones. They were on sale at the market, so they weren't too expensive. My aunt can treat me to a meal later..."

Jin Chuwan looked at the newly renovated room. The specific furnishings seemed to have remained unchanged, except that all the daily necessities, big and small, were arranged, and even the bed in the bedroom was made up.

Kim Cho-wan glanced at the clothes drying on the balcony, then turned to look at Lee Sung-eun.

"That's my coat. I washed it because it smelled so strongly of alcohol. Besides, isn't my aunt living alone now? It would be safer to have a pair of men's shoes by the door or men's clothes hanging on the balcony..."

This was the first time in her life that Jin Chuwan had received so much help.

Remembering that she had lost her temper with Lee Sung-eun that morning, Kim Cho-wan suddenly felt her conscience was being tormented.

He was just drunk, and he couldn't even remember what happened, yet she got angry at him over such a small thing.

She looked at the gentle, smiling boy and scratched her head helplessly.

"Xing En, I don't know how to thank you enough..."

"Are you the legendary Snail Fairy...?"

Li Xingen smiled with his head down. Because the room was too small, he ended up only replacing the bed and the cabinet. Fortunately, after he arranged everything, Jin Chuwan didn't seem to notice anything.

All his efforts were worthwhile.

"It's nothing, it's all minor. Besides, I drank too much last night and caused my aunt so much trouble..."

As she spoke, Li Xing'en pulled Jin Chuwan to the bathroom for a look.

"By the way, the old bathroom fixtures were no longer working, so I took the liberty of replacing them with new ones..."

Since life is about living, these are naturally necessities. Jin Chuwan had nothing to say. She looked at the soap and shower gel on the shelf and readily took out her small wallet from her backpack.

"Tell me how much it cost today, and I'll reimburse you. But I can't reimburse you for all the effort you put in..."

After Jin Chuwan finished speaking, she raised her hand to wipe the beads of sweat that had slid down Li Xing'en's cheek.

"What do you want to eat? Pick whatever you like today."

The boy had his head down. Although he was a bit disheveled and had a comical apron hanging around his waist, it did not diminish his handsome appearance in the slightest.

He glanced at Jin Chuwan discreetly; it seemed she was no longer angry.

Thinking about it, Li Xing'en smiled.

"Auntie, would you like to come with me to practice my drinking skills?"

The boy looked away shyly as he spoke.

"They got me completely drunk yesterday, I don't even know how much I drank. Luckily, my aunt is free today, so I thought I'd ask her to come with me to test my alcohol tolerance..."