Chapter 66

Being advised to be more realistic by someone in a novel, Jin Chuwan has to admit, was a bit of a blow to her.

She was even slightly distracted during class, and her notes were a bit messy.

What confused her even more was that she was called away by her advisor after class.

She was accompanied by the class monitor, Jiang Hao, and Zhou Zishu.

Jin Chuwan suddenly remembered the academic conference that Jiang Chen had mentioned the night before.

When they arrived at the office, the advisor indeed took out the application forms and lazily explained, "There's an activity with K University. We're picking students based on their grades, and it just so happens to be a few of you. Okay, that's settled. Take these back and fill out the forms. Bring them back by Wednesday."

Every time I saw this person, he fully displayed his lazy personality, his aversion to work, and his perfunctory attitude towards students.

Jin Chuwan glanced at the item in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly. What kind of seminar required intensive training...?

She was about to refuse, but before he could speak, she heard Jiang Hao's voice.

The tall boy stood in front of her, almost completely blocking her view. His voice was slightly muffled, but his tone was very calm.

"Find someone else, I don't have time to go."

Jin Chuwan glanced curiously at Jiang Hao, who had directly refused, and then looked at the counselor.

He was still as lazy as ever. He haphazardly tidied up the messy desk, then stuck out a finger and picked at his ear.

"There will be a final exam, and the top ten will receive a prize..."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chuwan quickly abandoned her refusal, while Jiang Hao took back the application he had put down.

The counselor immediately smiled meaningfully: "So you have time again now?"

Jiang Hao nodded, his tone still indifferent: "Yes, I've got it."

Zhou Zishu, who was standing next to her, was also chuckling to herself. She nudged the class monitor, with whom she had a good relationship, and they began to discuss the training camp in a low voice. It sounded like she already knew about it.

Jin Chuwan glanced at the application form. In addition to the prestigious Princeton University PhD graduate, there would also be a well-known domestic financial crime expert giving lectures. The course would last for three days and would be held at the K University branch campus in the new district.

Other than that, there's nothing particularly special.

Jin Chuwan glanced through the application form, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and prepared to go to the lecture hall for her elective course.

Zhou Zishu leaned forward to look at Jin Chuwan, then sighed to the tall, thin boy beside her, "Sometimes I forget that she's even in the class. I didn't expect her grades to be so good."

The class monitor glanced down at Zhou Zishu and then smirked.

"That's just how some people are."

The two people's conversation didn't reach Jin Chuwan's ears because she was being bombarded with text messages from Yin Zhihua.

To be honest, Jin Chuwan thought that this guy probably didn't have any friends at all.

Since leaving her house that day, he has been hiding alone in an unknown small hotel, not going home or to school, devoting himself entirely to avoiding the forced marriage.

Jin Chuwan also tried to persuade him that if he didn't want to, he could explain it to the girl, but he refused, as if the girl would force him.

Jin Chuwan had no choice but to give up.

For the next few days, Jin Chuwan attended classes as usual. Since the rainstorm that day, Li Xingen and Jiang Chen seemed to have disappeared together. They neither came to look for her nor contacted her.

After a brief period of anxiety and discomfort, Jin Chuwan gradually calmed down.

That's fine too. They're from different worlds anyway, and each going their own way will make things easier for them.

At least that's what Kim Cho-man thought before the training camp.

--

This academic conference was aimed at law students, and more than sixty people were selected to attend. The university also arranged buses for them.

Jin Chuwan, carrying a bulging backpack, saw her class monitor and the others as soon as she got on the bus, as well as Li Xing'en, whom she hadn't seen for half a month.

After he left last time, she called to ask how he was recovering, but he didn't answer. Two days later, he sent a message saying that he was fine and that she shouldn't worry.

Laughter and chatter filled the car as familiar classmates huddled together, making the carriage feel slightly crowded.

Jin Chuwan glanced at Li Xing'en's seat, which was almost completely surrounded, but he seemed to just keep smiling or give a few perfunctory replies.

Jin Chuwan glanced at the bus. She was a little late, and there weren't many seats left. Just as Jin Chuwan was about to find a seat, she suddenly heard Zhou Zishu call out to her.

"Excuse me, I have a seat here."

Jin Chuwan glanced at Zhou Zishu's side. They were sitting in the last row, and when they saw her coming over, they moved the backpacks off one of the seats.

"We saved this especially for you."

Jin Chuwan felt grateful when she heard Zhou Zishu say that. She nodded and replied, "Thank you."

Unlike the noise in front, their classmates occupied the four seats in the last row, but apart from the class monitor and Zhou Zishu occasionally talking, Jin Chuwan and Jiang Hao were completely silent.

Jin Chuwan originally wanted to put on her headphones and isolate herself from the world, but Zhou Zishu would occasionally chat with her, so she put her MP3 away.

When it was almost time, the teacher in charge came up and took attendance, and then the bus started moving.

Although it was in S City, the branch campus of K University seemed to be quite far away. Jin Chuwan was so drowsy from the car swaying that she was not awakened until her phone vibrated. She then realized that she was actually leaning on Jiang Hao's shoulder!

She was startled and quickly glanced around nervously.

They were already sitting in the back row, so no one paid much attention to them, and because of the hot weather, most people were resting with their eyes closed.

Just as Kim Cho-wan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw Lee Sung-eun.

He leaned against the car window, staring intently at her. Jin Chuwan couldn't tell if he was smiling or expressionless, because he looked away after a moment.

The missed caller ID on her phone was Lee Sung-eun. Kim Cho-wan couldn't help but scratch her hair and glance ahead again.

He probably meant well in reminding her.

Jin Chuwan twisted her neck and glanced at Jiang Hao beside her.

He was really tall and had an exceptionally full and strong physique. If someone didn't know him, they would most likely think he was a boxer rather than a law student.

He was leaning back in his chair, seemingly asleep.

He rested his other shoulder on Zhou Zishu.

Jin Chuwan looked at Zhou Zishu, who was fast asleep, and was wondering whether she should remind her when she suddenly met the class monitor's gaze.

The other person smiled and put his index finger to his lips as a shushing gesture.

Jin Chuwan hesitated for a moment before nodding.

She sat up straight and then took out her earphones again.

The little device in her hand only had 500MB of memory, but it was already the latest model. Jin Chuwan pressed and held the power button, waiting for the song to play.

All the curtains in the car were drawn, but even so, some light still shone through the occasionally fluttering curtains into the car, occasionally dazzling the eyes.

Soon, soothing and warm music came through the headphones.

It seems that the cultures of different eras have both distinct and blurred boundaries. Those distinctive sounds or images will always be missed a decade or two later, but that nostalgia doesn't seem to simply refer to how moving the music is or how wonderful the film is.

Perhaps people are also reminiscing about themselves.

The passage of time is invisible and intangible, but when these sounds and images are played again, it's like a cigarette stolen from a busy schedule, making one's mind wander and then suddenly come back to the past.

—When the hell did I enter middle age?

Jin Chuwan was lost in thought. In moments of quiet, she would always think of her past life. It was as if if she didn't think about it, she would forget her past self completely and devote herself wholeheartedly to being the person named Jin Chuwan.

No, she is Jin Chuwan.

Jin Chuwan shook her head to clear her mind, but her movement seemed to wake Jiang Hao beside her. He suddenly sat up straight and moved his neck.

Kim Cho-wan heard a slight crackling sound coming from his neck joints, so she guessed that he probably had a serious case of cervical spondylosis.

Have we arrived?

Jin Chuwan shook her head and replied, "Not yet."

Jiang Hao yawned, then lowered his head and rubbed his eyes.

Because they were so close, Jin Chuwan took a rare opportunity to observe Jiang Hao sitting next to her. His features weren't as exquisitely sculpted and captivating as the protagonist of this world; he was just an ordinary person with single eyelids, a high nose, thick lips, and spiky short hair, looking at first glance like a hot-headed thug from a gang.

Incredibly, Jiang Hao seemed to possess a magical magnetic field. Despite his fierce appearance, this intimidation only seemed to affect the males around him, while almost all the girls in the class were completely unfazed by him.

The girls seemed to instinctively think that he was the kind of lazy tiger who had nothing better to do than to break his principles, and he wouldn't even bother to open his eyes.

Jin Chuwan glanced at Zhou Zishu, who was still sleeping soundly against Jiang Hao.

Although we didn't know each other for long, in my memory she was one of those people who liked to "bully" Jiang Hao occasionally.

Of course, there are still five, six, seven, eight, and nine left, too many to count.

Kim Cho-wan suddenly found it funny.

But as she smiled, she felt her phone vibrate again.

It was Ran Xian calling.

He's been acting strangely these past few days, like Wang Baochuan who entered into a contractual marriage with Xue Pinggui. He talks about a three-day seminar as if she won't be back for three years, constantly bringing up the agreement and the contract that requires her to seriously play the role of someone with a boyfriend.

Jin Chuwan was getting a little annoyed. She gave a few brief "hmm"s in response and then hung up the phone amidst Ran Xian's nagging.

Ran Xian was also frustrated after being hung up on.

He thought that since he had known Jiang Chen for so many years, he understood him and believed that Jiang Chen wouldn't be the kind of person who would lose his composure for a woman.

But a week ago, he suddenly contacted him.

Just as Kim Cho-man said, he seemed to have absolutely no faith in their relationship.

And they very astutely guessed that their actions were mostly related to Ran Min.

Ran Xian looked at the phone call that had just ended. The usually proud young master seemed a little annoyed. Even if he was Jiang Chen, was it really reasonable to say that he had this kind of intelligence? Was it reasonable?

Jin Chuwan was unaware of Ran Xian's concerns at this time.

Upon arriving at the branch campus, she followed the signs to her accommodation.

The students who arrived together all expressed their sincere admiration, and Jin Chuwan was no exception. This European-style building, at least from the outside, looked like a huge private villa. Who would have thought that this was their dormitory?

Not long after, a man and a woman came out of the dormitory.

The girl was wearing the K University uniform. She had a slender figure and delicate features. Her eyes curved into crescents as soon as she saw Jin Chuwan.

Then she rushed over.

Jin Chuwan immediately shifted her position nervously. It had been a long time since she had been tackled, and her movements to catch someone were a little rusty.

Jin Chuwan was knocked back half a step by the impact, while behind them, a tall, handsome man grinned widely. He maintained his elite upper-class demeanor, wearing a well-tailored suit with a dark tie, and the watch on his wrist was clearly very expensive.

He walked slowly toward the two of them, and smiled and nodded to the teacher who was making the contact.

"Hello, I'm Cheng Xiucheng, one of the lecturers at this academic conference." As she spoke, she pulled Cheng Ya off Jin Chuwan and continued with a smile, "He's also the older brother of these two guys."

Cheng Ya had no objection to the introduction, but Jin Chuwan was different. As an adult who had lived two lives, she felt that Cheng Xiucheng was taking advantage of her again.

But she couldn't argue back now, so she could only secretly pinch the back of his hand when he patted her shoulder.