Chapter 72

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Jin Chuwan looked up and saw Jiang Chen seemingly about to touch her forehead, but Ran Xian stopped him as soon as he made that move.

As a fake boyfriend, the expression on his face looked almost too real.

"You should be more mindful of your words..."

Ran Xian's face was grim. He gripped Jiang Chen's wrist, his tone carrying a warning.

This was the second time he had emphasized to Jiang Chen that, regardless of his doubts, Kim Cho-wan was now his man.

While the two were locked in a stalemate, Jin Chuwan slowly moved off the bed. She stood barefoot on the floor, the wooden floor gleaming cool from the air conditioner, and almost immediately she sneezed.

This sound clearly attracted the attention of the two people again.

Jiang Chen and Ran Xian looked over again. Jin Chuwan's eyes were still tense. Her hair was a little messy, and one of the buttons on her collar had come undone at some point.

Ran Xian looked at it for a while, and then pressed his brow as if he was tired.

"Come with me."

Ran Xian stood up and pulled Jin Chuwan directly to the next room. A moment later, he came back and took the ointment from Jiang Chen, who was still lying on the bed.

Jiang Chen watched Ran Xian fall and smash things, but did not stop him.

The boy's tall frame almost took up half the large bed. He lay on his side, one hand propping up his head as if deep in thought. The room was bright, but his eyes were somewhat indistinct, hidden beneath his hair.

Only Jiang Chen himself knew that he was just spacing out.

He kept reliving the image of Jin Chuwan waking up in his arms, dazed, docile, and affectionate.

Just thinking about it made his throat unbearably dry.

He couldn't help but fantasize about what it would be like for them to be together in the future.

If they were together, he could probably wake up holding her like this every day.

If they were together, she wouldn't look at him with a panicked gaze, but would gently embrace his neck, snuggle into his arms, and give him a long, sweet kiss, or he could give her one.

Thinking of Jiang Chen, he couldn't help but look towards the door again, where he vaguely heard Ran Xian and Jin Chuwan talking next door.

He couldn't quite hear what he was saying, but he could vaguely make out that he was trying to comfort him, with a few complaints mixed in.

But he never heard Kim Cho-wan speak.

Jiang Chen was a little curious. He got up from the bed and slowly moved to the door of the next room.

The door was ajar. He saw Jin Chuwan sitting by the bed, while Ran Xian was kneeling in front of her, applying medicine to her. His brows were furrowed, and he seemed to be nagging like an old woman.

"It's always like this, she never takes care of herself, not before, and not now..."

"I really don't know how you grew so big..."

Jiang Chen couldn't help but laugh as he listened. He gently pushed the door open, and just then Jin Chuwan looked towards the door. Their eyes met, and they both seemed somewhat surprised.

After hesitating for a moment, Jin Chuwan quickly looked away. She touched her neck, feeling a little uncomfortable with Jiang Chen's gaze.

Jiang Chen remained standing until Ran Xian came out of the room, at which point he returned to his own room.

Although the other party didn't say anything from beginning to end, Ran Xian keenly sensed that Jiang Chen seemed to be staring at him, and he couldn't help but loosen his collar.

He knew very well that his relationship with Kim Cho-wan was merely a working relationship, but he still felt extremely unhappy about it.

He himself was somewhat confused by these emotions; it seemed that no matter what, he shouldn't have such a strong possessiveness...

The living room was dimly lit, and Ran Xian stood alone in the large space. His hair was a little disheveled, and he seemed to be caught up in some kind of confusion. However, after a brief moment of hesitation, he quickly convinced himself: it must be because he hated Jiang Chen so much that he had these strange thoughts.

That must be it.

After thinking it through, Ran Xian lay down on the sofa and glanced at Jiang Chen's room.

Since everyone likes to keep an eye on things, let's all keep an eye on things together, and nobody should have any other ideas!

The boy rested his head on his arm, his legs casually draped to one side, the curtains on the balcony fluttering incessantly, and outside the window were towering skyscrapers and flashing neon lights.

Overall, the night passed peacefully.

The next day, Jin Chuwan was woken up by her phone ringing. She felt a sore throat and squinted at it for a while before realizing it was Li Xing'en.

She pressed the call button, and soon, a gentle laugh from the young man came from the other end.

"Still not awake?"

Jin Chuwan was stunned for a moment. She glanced at the time; it was already 7 o'clock, time to get up.

“Xing En…” Jin Chuwan threw back the covers, looking at the unfamiliar room, her memories gradually returning. “Is something the matter?”

Lee Sung-eun sometimes likes to call Kim Cho-wan at this time. There's nothing special about it; she just likes to hear Kim Cho-wan's nasal voice.

There was another laugh on the other end of the phone. "It's been hot lately, so Auntie made some cooling soup. I'll bring it to you."

Jin Chuwan rubbed her slightly throbbing head. She paused for a moment, then decisively refused.

"Need not--"

She wasn't home right now, and Jin Chuwan suddenly felt nervous. She had a feeling that if she didn't find a suitable reason, Li Xingen might lose control like last time.

"I've already left... Cheng Ya invited me today..."

When Li Xing'en thought of the girl he had seen during the training camp that day, the smile in his eyes faded a little, but he still nodded.

"Okay, have fun."

Jin Chuwan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to hang up when she heard Li Xingen's deep voice again.

"Auntie..."

Jin Chuwan started to get nervous again, just then Jiang Chen suddenly pushed the door open and came in. He saw Jin Chuwan holding her phone and avoiding him, and his gaze became more playful.

He strode over.

"Auntie, do you still remember what you promised me... you'd coax me, right?"

Jin Chuwan was full of question marks. When did she agree to that?

"Then have dinner with me tonight."

Just then, Jiang Chen suddenly leaned in close, and Jin Chuwan nervously dodged away. She raised her hand to push Jiang Chen away, then hurriedly said into the phone, "Okay, I'll contact you when I'm free—"

Li Xing'en frowned on the other end of the phone. He sensed that Jin Chuwan's voice was somewhat hurried, but before he could ask anything, she had already hung up.

The boy looked at his phone, the smile in his eyes gradually fading.

At this moment, Jin Chuwan was looking at Jiang Chen with dissatisfaction.

"Don't you knock before entering my room?"

Jiang Chen looked very innocent. He pointed to the door and said, "I knocked many times, but you didn't respond before I came in. I thought you were still sleeping, so I pushed the door open to wake you up."

Jin Chuwan was stunned for a moment, and her stern expression instantly relaxed. She glanced at Jiang Chen, then rubbed her head.

"Okay... I'll get up right away."

Jiang Chen smiled, his arms crossed. He looked at Jin Chuwan's messy hair, then his gaze shifted to the phone lying to the side.

The incoming call notification on the screen has automatically disappeared, replaced by a scrolling date display.

"Oh, right, I think I heard you say when I pushed the door open that you're with Cheng Ya now..."

Jiang Chen spoke with a deliberately questioning look on his face.

"Who was on the phone? Can't I even mention it?"

No matter how Jin Chuwan thought about it, she felt that Jiang Chen asked the question on purpose, but she had indeed been caught red-handed.

She frowned, her gaze meeting Jiang Chen's, but upon seeing his teasing look, she became uncertain again.

He probably...didn't care?

"You go out first, I need to change my clothes..."

Jiang Chen didn't pester her this time. He kept an inscrutable smile on his face and waved to Jin Chuwan as he closed the door.

Jin Chuwan was a little confused, but she quickly understood when she opened the door and went out.

She saw Jiang Chen and Ran Xian standing in front of the kitchen door. Breakfast was already laid out on the table, but they didn't seem to be in a hurry. Instead, they were talking in hushed tones.

Jin Chuwan glanced around in confusion, then went to the bathroom.

When she came out, she saw that the two of them were already sitting at the dining table.

The faint aroma of food lingered around her nose. Jin Chuwan took a bite and found it delicious. She was wondering who had prepared this breakfast when she saw Ran Xian, who was sitting opposite her, suddenly put down his chopsticks and look at her indifferently.

"I heard you received a check-up call this morning, and you even said... you were with Cheng Ya?"

Jin Chuwan suddenly stopped, and her first reaction was to look at Jiang Chen in astonishment.

The other party remained calm and composed, with his usual aloofness and coldness still evident in his eyes.

Did she mishear?

Why?

...He actually complained to me?!