Chapter 78

The summer sun was bright and hot. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the desk in the library and also on Jin Chuwan's side, but she didn't seem to notice, still focused on her book.

The air conditioning in the library counteracted the heat on her body, and it was three hours later when Jin Chuwan came to her senses.

I need to rush to my next class.

Jin Chuwan didn't turn on her phone all day. She had completely forgotten about it and was even thinking about how quiet it was on her way home.

She didn't realize it until the next day. Her alarm rang in the morning, and when she checked her phone, she discovered it had been switched off until now.

Jin Chuwan sat up groggily, and as soon as she turned on her phone, she heard a series of text message notifications.

[Jiang Chen: Are your injuries healed?]

[Jiang Chen: ?]

Jin Chuwan glanced at her injuries subconsciously. They weren't serious to begin with, and she had almost fully recovered by now. She immediately replied that she was fine.

Then continue scrolling down through the text messages.

This time, he was met with a series of questions.

[Ran Xian: Why didn't you call me yesterday...?]

[Ran Xian: Didn't we agree that I would pick you up?]

[Ran Xian: Your phone is off, what happened?]

[Ran Xian: Jin Chuwan...]

Jin Chuwan scratched her head. Ran Xian's last message was sent at 11 p.m. last night. Had he been contacting her all day?

She hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to only explain why the phone was off. As for what happened that night, she really couldn't bring herself to talk about it.

Even if he is a business partner.

After explaining, Jin Chuwan put down her phone, but it rang again a moment later.

It was Ran Xian calling.

Jin Chuwan glanced down and pressed the answer button. She put the phone to her ear, but the first thing she heard was silence.

"Ran Xian?"

Jin Chuwan asked in confusion. At first, she thought it was a bad signal, but after hearing a rapid breathing sound, she immediately understood.

It seems Ran Xian is in a bad mood.

"What’s wrong with you……"

On the other side, Ran Xian was sitting on the sofa with dark circles under his eyes. The maids next to him were curious about the young master's gloomy expression.

Was he bullied by the young lady again?

Ran Xian ignored the stares. He raised his hand to rub his aching forehead and then changed his sitting position.

He called Jin Chuwan without thinking after seeing her reply, but now he doesn't know what to say.

She was out of contact for a full day and night...

But it was only for a day and a night, and they... weren't really a couple.

When Ran Xian came to his senses, he suddenly fell into deep confusion. He hadn't slept much all night because of such a small thing.

The phone rang again, and Jin Chuwan asked indifferently.

Her voice was a little hoarse, as if she had just woken up. He imagined her looking dazed after waking up, and his initial annoyance turned into helplessness.

"Could you please stop turning your phone off all the time?" Ran Xian rubbed his head, continuing to think of his words. "Even if we're just partners, we still need to stay in touch. What if something unexpected happens if we can't reach each other for a long time?"

Jin Chuwan was stunned by the question. Although she felt that Ran Xian was not wrong, there must be a reason why the phone was turned off.

"I didn't do it on purpose..."

"I already told you I forgot."

When Ran Xian heard her muttering, his expression softened slightly. He ran his fingers through his hair, closed his eyes, and lay down on the sofa.

He heard Jin Chuwan's muffled explanation and couldn't help but soften his voice considerably.

"Okay, I know you didn't do it on purpose..."

Jin Chuwan's voice on the phone was sparse and fragmented, and Ran Xian felt drowsy as he listened. His furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

"You have class today, so get up early and remember to eat."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chuwan couldn't help but retort, "You sound like an old woman..."

The sound came through the microphone with a slight distortion, but the breath sounds that were usually easy to ignore became clear. Ran Xian listened to the faint hoarseness and muffled laughter, and the resentment that had been building up all night seemed to suddenly disappear.

He curled the corners of his lips into a smile and replied in a low voice, "Who's the nanny? I'm your boyfriend."

Jin Chuwan listened and simply nodded helplessly, saying, "Okay, boyfriend, I need to get up now, you can hang up now."

Ran Xian stared at his phone for a while before squinting and hanging up.

He raised his hand to shield his eyes, wanting to continue resting, but then he heard the old butler's laughter beside him.

"I heard that. So the young master has a girlfriend. No wonder he's been having the kitchen cook porridge and soup all the time lately..."

The old butler's wrinkles smoothed out with a smile, looking quite pleased. Ran Xian looked up at him, pursed his lips, and lay back down.

What girlfriend...

He had no interest in dating; he only fooled around with Jin Chuwan out of boredom and to help Ran Min along the way.

Besides, if he's going to have a girlfriend, she should be a stunning beauty, not Jin Chuwan...

She's not unattractive, just a little lacking, but her smile is alright, though she doesn't like to smile...

Ran Xian thought about it vaguely, but before falling asleep, he felt that these things didn't seem very important.

The old butler watched as Ran Xian fell asleep and brought a thin blanket from upstairs to cover him. As he covered him with the blanket, he thought he heard the young master muttering something, but when he leaned closer to listen, he fell silent.

The butler shook his head and left.

On the other side, Jin Chuwan was getting up to make breakfast. She had almost a full day of classes and probably wouldn't need to come back all day.

While cooking breakfast, Jin Chuwan went inside to pack her schoolbag.

A graffiti card fell out of the backpack.

Jin Chuwan picked up the card and glanced at it before remembering Lin Ru's invitation. A hint of helplessness appeared on her face, and she casually put the card aside.

Although Lin Ru seemed very enthusiastic, she wouldn't go.

After breakfast, Jin Chuwan went straight to school. Since the last training camp, Zhou Zishu had started to greet her more often. She vaguely felt that her classmates seemed to be talking about her, but when she asked Luo An, she just shook her head and told her not to overthink it.

"Because everyone is paying more attention to the school heartthrob than to you right now..."

Jin Chuwan, who was looking at her notes, paused. She looked up blankly, and Luo An shook his head at her.

"You're so oblivious to what's going on around you. Have you forgotten the forum I showed you last time? We posted about Li Xing'en, the handsome and academically gifted guy from the law school. A few days ago, someone posted that they confessed their feelings but were rejected. The campus heartthrob said he already has a girlfriend, who's his childhood sweetheart or something..."

Luo An said with a hint of melancholy, "So, it seems like you have to start cultivating handsome boys from a young age? It's a pity I was too naive when I was little and never thought of that..."

However, Luo An quickly perked up again. She opened the forum, flipped through the posts, and handed them to Jin Chuwan. "The forum has exploded these past two days! Someone said his girlfriend is at our school, and someone even made a list of suspects. It's hilarious, there are over twenty of them."

Jin Chuwan pretended to glance at it twice, then looked away. She touched behind her ear, slightly flustered, and said, "Why are you so concerned about other people's private affairs? Does it really matter who he's with?"

"Of course it's important!"

This time, Zhou Zishu answered Jin Chuwan's question.

She had obviously overheard her conversation with Roan.

Before the teacher arrived, she moved her chair from the front row to the front. Jin Chuwan saw that her phone had the same page as Luo An's, and it seemed that she was the poster of some thread.

"Did you know that news agencies are buying stories right now? The rewards are huge if the story is true!"

Jin Chuwan rubbed her head; she suddenly felt a little tired.

Upon hearing this, Luo An's eyes immediately lit up. She leaned closer to Zhou Zishu, and the two heads huddled together for a close discussion.

Jin Chuwan didn't participate; she didn't even want to listen, because she was all too familiar with these things. Back when she was with Jiang Chen, she was surrounded by similar attention.

It's even more so.

The main characters even have their own fan groups, official websites, and custom albums. The wealthy ladies even have people design exclusive badges, portrait cards, and merchandise. Those with even more influence will directly establish brands and open stores using their names.

Thinking about all this, Jin Chuwan still felt a mix of emotions.

She will probably never understand where their enthusiasm comes from.

The last class of the evening ended at 9:40. When it was over, Luo An asked her if it was safe for her to go home alone so late.

Kim Cho-man shook his head, indicating that he was fine.

"It only takes about ten minutes to get home, and there are lots of people on the road."

Luo An was still a little worried about Jin Chuwan being alone, so she walked her to the school gate and watched her go for a while until she could no longer see her before preparing to go back.

But as soon as she turned around, she saw someone.

The main subject of the daytime discussion was Li Xing'en.

A tall, handsome young man walked towards him. Under the dim light, his appearance had a hazy, dreamlike beauty. He walked quickly, and Luo An watched him hurry towards the school gate, as if he were chasing after someone.

She couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Although... he's really handsome...

She wondered what kind of girl would be his girlfriend.

The scenery of most cities is much the same: towering buildings, colorful neon lights, and busy highways. The greenery on the streets is like mediocre decoration, and apart from being neat, it is not memorable.

Jin Chuwan, carrying a heavy schoolbag, suddenly felt like a tired high school student.

She walked very slowly, and even yawned along the way.

Even though the evening breeze was comfortable and cool, she didn't feel any enjoyment. Waves of drowsiness washed over her, and Jin Chuwan couldn't help but rub her eyes. It was really strange; she rarely felt this sleepy.

The journey home wasn't very long, and occasionally she would brush past other students returning to school late. Jin Chuwan noticed that they seemed to be glancing at her intentionally or unintentionally. She felt a little lost, and instinctively, she looked behind her.

On the quiet tree-lined path, a tall, slender young man stood a few steps away from her. His shadow was scattered by the lights on both sides, and his handsome face was dappled with the shadows of the trees. He looked down at her, his eyes filled with tender affection.

He seemed to be patiently waiting for her to discover it, but Jin Chuwan only showed a look of surprise.

"When...when did you..."

Li Xingen chuckled softly, touched the tip of his nose with his hand, and then stepped forward to take off Jin Chuwan's backpack.

“I was just going to the office to hand in some documents when I saw you on my way out.” He seemed to know what Jin Chuwan was worried about, and reassured her, “Don’t worry, I just caught up with you, your classmates won’t notice.”

Jin Chuwan's expression stiffened. She didn't want to admit it, but she had indeed been worried about this just now. Because she had heard many discussions during the day, she subconsciously regarded Li Xing'en's closeness as a kind of burden.

She suddenly felt a little ashamed and nervously touched the back of her neck.

"Recently, your classmates have been talking a lot about you."

As Jin Chuwan spoke, she glanced around. As they approached the residential area, there were more people on the road, and she could no longer distinguish who was a student and who was a resident.

She frowned, then sighed. Oh well, so what if she found out? It's not like she's never been through this before.

Thinking this, Jin Chuwan relaxed again. She kicked a pebble on the side of the road and then explained helplessly, "I heard that the school forum is full of posts discussing you, and some people are even guessing who your girlfriend is. Anyway... a lot of people are paying attention to you now..."

Li Xingen smiled, his expression calm, seemingly unsurprised.

Jin Chuwan asked, somewhat puzzled, "Don't you find this kind of thing annoying?"

She remembered that Jiang Chen used to hate being followed or photographed without his consent, but even though he always had a cold and sour face, his fans were still crazy about him.

Li Xingen shook her head and smiled: "It's not that I don't hate it, it's just that I'm used to it. In fact, similar things have been happening since middle school... I can't do anything to them, so... I just get used to it."

Li Xingen's tone was tinged with compromise and helplessness. Although things were implemented as he said, it wasn't entirely like that. At least if he wanted to, he still had ways to make most of the discussions disappear.

But he doesn't want to for the time being.

He looked at Jin Chuwan, and sure enough, she showed a worried expression on her face. She kept glancing at him, as if she was observing him.

The smile in Li Xing'en's eyes deepened.

"How about we pretend we don't know each other at school? That way you'll avoid a lot of trouble."

As he spoke, Li Xingen lowered his head, his fine eyelashes drooping slightly, making him look like an overly obedient and sensible child who often endured grievances.

Jin Chuwan's heart wavered again. She opened her mouth, wanting to say that it was unnecessary, but then felt that it was inappropriate. The two thoughts were fighting in her mind, causing her to suddenly become speechless.

"I……"

"No, Xing'en, I think..."

As we approached the residential area, more shops appeared on both sides of the road. Although it was late, many restaurants were still bustling with activity, and several men, drunk and slurring their words, were talking intimately with their arms around each other.

Jin Chuwan was distracted by the sudden, abrupt ramblings of drunken diners. She frowned and glanced at the noisy customers.

At the same time, a conspicuous sports car stopped near the two of them. The person inside lazily honked the horn, and the piercing sound made Jin Chuwan even more irritated. She turned her head to look at it.

As the car window slowly rolled down, the man's handsome face was revealed. He seemed surprised to encounter them on the roadside, and a hint of astonishment flickered in his eyes.

He looked at Kim Cho-wan, his arm resting on the edge of the car window.

"What a coincidence."

The man's greeting remained unanswered, and the two people in front of him seemed to ignore him.

Xia Zhihe pushed up his glasses, not feeling disappointed at all. His gaze kept shifting back and forth between Jin Chuwan and Li Xing'en. This time, he went straight to the point, staring at Jin Chuwan with great interest.

"So...you really did dump Jiang Chen and chose this handsome young man?"