Chapter 17

Lin Wan didn't end up going to the farewell dinner on the schedule, even though Jiang Nuo repeatedly told him to go. It would be nice to leave contact information between classmates so they can chat later.

Jiang Nuo spent a long time changing her clothes, and finally chose to stay at home and watch American TV series. Even the lights in the room were not on, and the blue light from the computer screen shone into her eyes through the soft dust.

It wasn't completely dark outside yet, and the sunset glow, the color of orange soda, filled a vast expanse of the sky, a clear and elegant color. The setting sun, amidst it, was like a painter's bold orange-yellow brushstrokes.

She had originally planned to go, but she realized she had very little sense of belonging to her class or school. If she cheered at a basketball game, she would only get surprised looks from her classmates, as if she had done something shockingly stupid.

It was in this situation that Lin Wan reluctantly realized an irrefutable fact: without Jiang Nuo, she would be a completely isolated island.

Such a life is foreseeable because it was she who chose to have only study in her life.

Canned laughter washed over her eardrums, yet Lin Wan felt no trace of joy. She had experienced such lonely moments many times before, but when she achieved initial success, she began to doubt her original choice.

Looking at the rich and exaggerated expressions on the actors' faces, Lin Wan couldn't help but ask himself whether his learning method of completely abandoning life was correct.

After being isolated for a long time, she seemed to have some problems.

The phone vibrated twice. Lin Wan shrank back and picked it up to check the message, but it showed a caller ID.

Lin Wan paused the TV show with one hand and answered the phone.

"Hello, Danuo." After not speaking for a long time, her voice sounded muffled and even dry.

"Wanwan, guess where I am now?"

"Switzerland."

"wrong?"

"USA."

Lin Wan was holding the phone, and her tone was particularly lively, satisfying Jiang Nuo's desire to keep the secret.

"I'm in Jiangzhou." Jiang Nuo spoke word by word slowly on the other end of the phone, then quickly fell silent, waiting for Lin Wan's reaction.

"Ah." Lin Wan responded briefly, a little at a loss.

"You got to the airport so soon?" she asked.

"I'm on my way to Banyan Tree now. I'm worried about you going alone." Jiang Nuo's voice was extremely noisy. The sound of dragging suitcases and airport broadcasts, the overwhelming sound was transmitted through weak electromagnetic waves.

Lin Wan was silent. Banyan Tree was where her classmates had their farewell dinner, and she had never been there.

Jiang Nuo on the other end of the phone was obviously quite satisfied with her little trick. Lin Wan could almost imagine her happy expression at that moment.

"Wanwan, don't be too touched." Jiang Nuo said a little cocky, but after a few seconds she realized something was wrong: "It's so quiet over there, haven't you reached the hotel yet?"

Oh no!

Jiang Nuo repeatedly urged her to go to the farewell dinner and even flew back from Switzerland for her, but she ended up staying at home watching TV.

Lin Wan panicked instantly, and hurriedly sat up from the chair. He kicked his calves which were numb from sitting cross-legged for a long time, then turned around to change his clothes.

Jiang Nuo heard a commotion, and then Lin Wan's voice rang out: "I'm on my way now. See you over there."

The call was hung up hastily.

Jiang Nuo pushed the luggage cart for a few hundred meters, then felt something was wrong and called back. The phone rang twice, and the other end quickly picked up.

Lin Wan's voice seemed much calmer on the surface, but if you listened carefully, you could still hear that her breathing was unstable at the moment.

"Lin Wan, you didn't go at all?" Jiang Nuo asked firmly, and his hurried steps stopped.

Lin Wan had just finished changing her clothes, and the hairs on her back stood up when she heard this. She started to play dumb: "I'm in the car right now, how could I not have gone?"

She hurried downstairs, planning to take a taxi.

Jiang Nuo didn't expose her obvious lie: "Wanwan." Her voice paused for a moment, then pretended to be nonchalant and continued: "Let's meet at the hotel."

Lin Wan bit her upper lip and stopped on the stairs, her long hair hanging casually on her shoulders.

"Jiang Nuo." Lin Wan called her name solemnly, his bare feet stepping on the slightly cool marble stairs.

Her feet were white and delicate, softly pressed against the hard, dark marble, creating a sharp and direct contrast. Lin Wan lowered her head and looked at her feet.

"I didn't mean to...it's just that I'm not familiar with them...very well."

Lin Wan felt she had a natural talent for becoming a otaku. The goal that had been driving her forward for so long had suddenly been achieved, and for a moment, Lin Wan was at a loss for a new direction.

"I know." Jiang Nuo suddenly showed a maturity that was completely different from usual at this moment. She was comforting Lin Wan.

"It's okay. If you don't want to go, don't force yourself. I'll come to your house to find you." Jiang Nuo said.

Lin Wan's hand holding the phone was shaking slightly, but she couldn't even explain the reason.

"Yeah." She responded.

The footsteps on the other end of the phone sounded again, but this time they were obviously not as anxious as before.

Amid the sound of footsteps, Jiang Nuo's voice became extremely faint, like a slight whisper, so slow that it was difficult to hear clearly.

She said, "Wanwan, how will you live when you go to England alone?"

Lin Wan felt extremely emotional and didn't know what to say in response.

The conversation stopped, and the huge house seemed unusually quiet. Lin Wan stood on the stairs, feeling particularly at a loss.

Jiang Nuo quickly changed his tone: "Is your brother at home? It would be more lively with more people around."

"I'll go take a look." After receiving the next instruction, Lin Wan immediately ran upstairs.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Wan knocked on Chen Yu's door, but no one responded after a long time. Chen Yu was not at home.

If he were there, he would definitely open the door.

Jiang Nuo booked a Western restaurant on the spur of the moment. When they entered the restaurant, they met Chen Yu and He Jiayi.

In order to create a romantic atmosphere, except for the lights hanging above the dining table, all other lights are extremely dim. Even when taking two steps, you have to be careful to avoid bumping into the table.

So, at first, Lin Wan was so preoccupied with the menu that she didn't notice Chen Yu and He Jiayi, who were just across the aisle from them. It wasn't until Jiang Nuo quietly patted her arm that Lin Wan glanced over and noticed the man and woman sitting opposite them.

Jiang Nuo and He Jiayi's relationship didn't ease until graduation. Jiang Nuo was almost like a mouse seeing a cat when he saw her. In Jiang Nuo's words, it wasn't that he was afraid of He Jiayi. He just felt unlucky.

This time was no exception, and the enemy was with his best friend's younger brother. Jiang Nuo was visibly getting uneasy.

Lin Wan was also confused about how the two of them ended up together, but she quickly convinced herself that it was probably because the "Skull Girl" had broken up.

——What an astonishing love affair. He Jiayi’s year-long efforts have finally paid off.

She pursed her lips, but that wasn't the most important thing right now.

Lin Wan put down the menu in his hand and asked Jiang Nuo in a low voice: "How about we change restaurants?"

Jiang Nuo and He Jiayi were at odds, and she'd heard about it from others since the first day she'd met Jiang Nuo. There were various theories about the reasons: some claimed she stole his boyfriend, some claimed he stole things, and even some claimed she was a stepsister.

Jiang Nuo seemed to be very secretive about the reason, and Lin Wan respected her choice. Even best friends didn't need to share all their secrets. Doing so might only hasten the demise of a relationship.

Lin Wan immediately came up with a feasible solution and moved the menu in his hand to the corner.

After hearing Lin Wan's suggestion, Jiang Nuo was about to nod when a girl's sweet voice came from the next table.

"Nono, Lin Wan, you guys are eating here too."

Jiang Nuo's face turned pale very quickly. She pretended not to hear what He Jiayi said, and stood up quickly, not intending to stay long.

"It's very difficult to make a reservation at this restaurant. Nuonuo, please don't let the misunderstanding between us just end like this..." He Jiayi didn't finish the rest of the sentence and blinked at the person next to her.

Chen Yu didn't say anything. His expression couldn't be seen clearly in the dim light. Only the smooth silhouette of his facial features could be seen under the dim light.

Jiang Nuo still ignored her and signaled Lin Wan with her eyes to follow her and leave.

Lin Wan had just picked up her bag and was about to stand up when He Jiayi's voice rang out again, with a certain urgency.

"Nono, let's eat together." He Jiayi looked up at Jiang Nuo with her round eyes, and reached out to grab Jiang Nuo's clothes.

Lin Wan noticed that Jiang Nuo's body began to tremble, not knowing whether it was out of anger or sadness. She reached out to push back her delicate curly hair and smiled calmly.

"He Jiayi, is this interesting?"

Jiang Nuo's voice was very cold, as if he had been standing in the snow in winter for several hours, and even the slightest movement would cause ice chips to fall off his body.

Lin Wan paused as she stood up, then reached out and grabbed Jiang Nuo's hand.

"Nono, what are you talking about? I don't quite understand." He Jiayi smiled sweetly and began to introduce the boys around her to them.

"This is Chen Yu, who is also a celebrity in the second grade. You should have seen him at the graduation ceremony a few days ago." After saying that, He Jiayi turned to Chen Yu with a smile.

"Classmate Chen Yu, Jiang Nuo was my good friend before. You shouldn't mind having two more people." He Jiayi's voice was soft, and her cat-like body leaned forward slightly.

Her movements were intimate, and she reached out to grab Chen Yu's hand which was casually placed on the table - an appearance of intimacy.

For some reason, Lin Wan suddenly felt a little unmotivated, and his mood suddenly dropped.

What on earth is Chen Yu doing?

Chen Yu didn't answer He Jiayi's question. He crossed his arms and placed them on the wooden table, looking at Lin Wan. His long eyelashes fluttered, casting a faint shadow on his face.

Chen Yu's facial features appeared particularly three-dimensional under the light and shadow. He tilted his head slightly towards Lin Wan.

"Sister, let me go with you," Chen Yu said to Lin Wan, with a faint dimple on his face. He also reached out his hand, but instead of grabbing the corner of Lin Wan's clothes, he directly held Lin Wan's hand.

In a place where the light was not shining, when the slightly cool fingertips touched the warm palm, Lin Wan could only subconsciously distance himself.

She took a step back, putting some distance between herself and Chen Yu.

The light on the dining table flickered, as if there was some poor contact.

Chen Yu looked up at Lin Wan. For some reason, Lin Wan always felt that his eyes were very different from before, reminding her of an extremely aggressive carnivore.

This is very wrong.