Chapter 101 Do You Still Want Me?

Jiang Chuan had called a designated driver in advance. He placed his hand on Lin Yu's head to help her into the back seat, fastened her seatbelt, and then walked around to the other side to get in the car and sit next to her.

The car drove smoothly through the night. Lin Yu leaned back in his seat, the aftereffects of the whiskey fully taking hold.

She was in a daze, and as she turned a corner, her body tilted to the side, and her head unconsciously rested on his shoulder.

Jiang Chuan glanced sideways at her; the neon lights outside the window cast shadows on her face. He paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Do you know who you drank with tonight?"

"Good friend..." Lin Yu mumbled indistinctly, nuzzling against his shoulder. Her soft stubble brushed against his neck, bringing a faint ticklish sensation.

"Friends?" Jiang Chuan asked casually. "When did you meet them? Why haven't you mentioned them before?"

He paused briefly, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over her slightly open neckline. From this angle, he could catch a glimpse of delicate skin and half of her breast encased in lace lingerie.

Jiang Chuan suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He took a deep breath, restrained himself, turned around, and reached out to pull up the piece of fabric that was hanging down. "I never realized before that you were so popular with the opposite sex."

"None of your business..." Lin Yu frowned, a hint of impatience in his voice. "There are plenty of people who like me..."

"Where's Chen Guang? Why isn't he with you? Why are you out drinking like this all by yourself?" Jiang Chuan ignored her bluffing rebuttal and continued to press for answers.

"Chen Guang?" Lin Yu searched his memory for the name, his brows furrowing deeper. "Who is that? I don't know him..."

"Don't you recognize him?" Jiang Chuan chuckled softly, gently brushing away the stray hairs damp with sweat from her forehead. "Isn't he your boyfriend? You've forgotten him so quickly?"

"No! None of those!" Lin Yu shifted uncomfortably in his arms, his hot, wet breath spraying onto his neck.

She buried her head deep into Jiang Chuan's neck, as if trying to avoid the annoying voice, and murmured, "I don't have a boyfriend, not one, okay?"

"No?" Jiang Chuan smiled faintly, turned his head slightly, and looked into her misty eyes.

They were very close, their breaths mingling, and he could smell the strong odor of alcohol on her. His voice lowered involuntarily, carrying a coaxing tone. "Then who am I, hmm?"

Lin Yu looked up at him, seemingly trying to discern, and after a moment, shook his head with a vacant look in his eyes.

Seeing this, Jiang Chuan curled his lips, leaned close to her ear, and his warm breath brushed against her earlobe, bringing a tingling shiver.

"It's okay if you can't remember, do you want me to tell you?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at him, waiting for his answer as if she were waiting for the only truth.

"Good girl..." Jiang Chuan extended his thumb and gently stroked her soft, full lower lip, saying clearly, word by word, "I am your man, do you remember?"

"Jiang! Chuan!"

"Jiang...Chuan?" Lin Yu repeated unconsciously, unable to recall any connection between herself and the owner of this name.

Jiang Chuan couldn't bear to see her so distressed, so he raised his hand to smooth her furrowed brows, but she slapped his hand away. "No..."

"What's wrong?" He withdrew his hand and casually put his arm around her waist.

"He's not..."

"Then who is he?" Jiang Chuan gently pinched her soft flesh with his fingers, his tone carrying a hint of playful threat.

This action made Lin Yu even more agitated, and he tried desperately to find the answer in his chaotic mind. After a long while, he suddenly straightened up and realized, "He...he's not that husky that Old Wang downstairs keeps?"

She grew angrier as she spoke, gesturing wildly in the air with her fingers. "He gets all hot and bothered at night, constantly barking and disturbing my sleep! What a rude, unruly dog..."

As he spoke, Lin Yu suddenly leaned closer to Jiang Chuan and lowered his voice mysteriously: "I'll tell you a secret, I've already contacted a veterinarian."

A sly glint flashed in her eyes. "If it dares to bother me again, I'll lure it out and have it spayed/neutered!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan paused for a moment, then lowered his head and couldn't help but chuckle softly. His laughter carried an indescribable self-mockery and a hint of absurdity born from being stung.

The car stopped downstairs in the apartment complex where Lin Yu rented. Jiang Chuan opened the car door, took off his coat, carefully wrapped it around her, and carried the unconscious woman out in his arms.

She was lighter than he remembered, as if she had lost some weight. She curled up quietly in his arms, a stark contrast to her confrontational demeanor just days before.

The familiar fruity scent and strong aroma of alcohol lingered around Jiang Chuan's nose, mingling with the cool night breeze, causing an indescribable ache in his heart.

Jiang Chuan carried her upstairs and used the key from her bag to open the door. The house was just as it had been when he last came, except that without his regular cleaning, it had returned to its previous casual and messy state.

He went straight into the bedroom, gently placed Lin Yu on the bed, took off her shoes and coat, and carefully covered her with the blanket.

He got up to pour her a glass of water, but the person on the bed suddenly moved uneasily, frowned, and mumbled incoherently.

Jiang Chuan paused, then leaned closer, wanting to hear her words more clearly. "What?"

"You bastard!" Lin Yu's voice was thick with nasal congestion, as if he were struggling in a nightmare and unable to wake up. "Jiang Chuan...you liar."

Jiang Chuan stood frozen in place, silently enduring her drunken and aggrieved accusations, until he heard her soft sobs. Only then did he reach out and wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes with his knuckles.

He sighed, turned and went into the kitchen, pressed the boil water button, and leaned against the table to wait. He stared at the pair of men's slippers on the shoe rack, now unopened, lost in thought.

The hum of the kettle interrupted his reverie. He poured half a cup of hot water, added some cold water, tested the temperature, and then took the cup back to his bedroom.

Lin Yu remained curled up in the same position she had been in before he left. Jiang Chuan bent down and helped her up, letting her lean against him. He put one arm around her shoulder and gently brought the rim of his cup to her lips with the other.

"Banban, drink some water." His voice was deep, carrying a gentle coaxing quality that he himself was unaware of.

Lin Yu drank a few mouthfuls in a daze, and his muddled consciousness cleared up a bit.

She struggled to open her eyes, vaguely recognizing the blurry outlines before her. The grievances and anger numbed by alcohol instantly overwhelmed her.

"Why is it you?" Lin Yu shoved him forcefully, her hands weak but her emotions running high. "I don't want to see you! What right do you have... what right do you have to appear in front of me again?"

Tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably, mingling with the flush on her cheeks, making her look disheveled and pitiful. "Why did you have to provoke me again? Do you want to see me make a fool of myself? To see how useless I am without you?"

Jiang Chuan remained motionless, letting her pound on him, wiping away her tears with his fingertips again and again, his arms always tightly wrapped around her, afraid that she would hurt herself in the struggle. "I never thought of it that way."

"You have it!" Lin Yu excitedly tried to shake off his hand, but he gripped it even tighter.

"Do you know... I'm about to lose my job too..." Lin Yu cried uncontrollably, as if she was trying to release all the pent-up emotions and pain she had been feeling lately.

"Your ex-girlfriend even called to mock me, saying I was her substitute. You're all so mean, taking turns bullying me. What did I ever do to deserve this..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan's expression darkened. He wrapped her, along with the blanket, even tighter in his arms, his chin gently resting against the whorl of her hair.

"It's my fault, Banban." His voice was low and hoarse, filled with deep apology. "It's all my fault."

Feeling the person in his arms trembling with sobs, he gently stroked her back and softly comforted her, "She will never bother you again. Don't worry about work, I'm here for you."

After a long silence, Jiang Chuan seemed to have finally made up his mind. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Banban... if... if I've done something wrong, would you be willing to give me another chance?"

"Will you... still want me?"

The question was difficult to ask. He held his breath, his heartbeat seemed to stop, and he quietly awaited her judgment.

But the person in her arms was just whimpering unconsciously, and the crying gradually subsided. The alcohol and the enormous emotional drain left her exhausted.

She didn't answer his question, or perhaps she didn't hear him clearly, or perhaps she couldn't answer. Leaning against his chest, she fell into a deep sleep.

Not receiving the answer he wanted, Jiang Chuan felt his heart hanging in suspense, with nowhere to settle. He carefully placed Lin Yu back on the pillow, found a warm, damp towel, and gently wiped away the tear stains on her face.

After doing all this, he didn't rush to leave, worried that she might be alone when she felt unwell in the middle of the night. He dragged a chair over and sat down beside her bed, gazing quietly at her sleeping profile in the dim light streaming in from the window.

In her sleep, she was no longer sharp-tongued; her nose was red and swollen, and her eyelashes were glistening with tears. She was so quiet and fragile that it made one's heart tighten.

He sat there, watching the morning light gradually spill across the windowsill, counting down the little time he had left together.

As dawn broke and the sounds of elderly people exercising in the park below filled the air, he slowly got up after confirming that she was alright and carefully tucked her in.

Jiang Chuan glanced at her one last time, then walked out of the bedroom, gently closed the door, and turned to go downstairs.

After a whole night of tossing and turning, my highly tense mind suddenly relaxed, and fatigue washed over me like a tide.

Jiang Chuan pressed hard on his throbbing temples, pushed open the unit door, and the cold autumn morning wind blew in his face, clearing his muddled mind a little.

He closed the door, turned around, and bumped right into someone who was about to enter. The two met unexpectedly at the narrow entrance to the building.

Chen Guanggang returned from outside, looking cold and tired, carrying a plastic bag with the logo of a fresh food supermarket, and toast and milk he bought from a convenience store.

Chen Guang clearly hadn't expected to see Jiang Chuan at this time and place. He stopped in his tracks, his weariness instantly replaced by astonishment and wariness.

Compared to Chen Guang, Jiang Chuan appeared excessively calm. He glanced at him sideways, a faint hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

For a moment, no one spoke. Finally, Chen Guangxian couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. "Attorney Jiang? So early?"

He glanced at Jiang Chuan's wrinkled shirt collar and the dark circles under his eyes, his tone undisguisedly probing. "Didn't you say you weren't staying here?"

Jiang Chuan didn't answer directly, but instead asked calmly, "You know perfectly well why?"

Chen Guang stepped forward, blocking his way. "As far as I know, you two have already broken up. What is your identity now, showing up here so early in the morning?"

Jiang Chuan finally turned around completely this time, meeting his hostile gaze head-on, a smile playing on his lips.

“Mr. Chen, not to be mean…” he said, glancing at the stairwell behind Chen Guang. “You live downstairs, but you don’t seem to be very well-informed.”

"What do you mean?" Chen Guang asked in a low voice.

Jiang Chuan slowly took out his phone, lowered his head, and swiped his finger across the screen. "How about this, I'll give you Banban's parents' WeChat, and you can ask them yourself what my status is in their family right now?"

Chen Guang seemed to finally realize what was happening, and said coldly, "You're taking advantage of someone in distress!"

"What exactly happened last night? What did you do to her?"

"Taking advantage of someone's misfortune?" Jiang Chuan chuckled softly, as if he had heard something extremely amusing, his voice carrying a condescending pity. "Mr. Chen, you seem to enjoy judging others by your own standards."

"Do I need your permission to take my girlfriend home?" He deliberately emphasized the word "girlfriend," and as he wished, Chen Guang's jaw suddenly tightened.

"As for what we did..." Jiang Chuan leaned forward slightly, but then seemed to remember something, straightened up, and shook his head. "Never mind... you'll just get upset if I tell you!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Guang clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. Every word Jiang Chuan spoke felt like a challenge to his bottom line. "Don't go too far!"

"Too much?" Jiang Chuan raised an eyebrow, meeting Chen Guang's piercing gaze. He casually straightened his shirt collar, reverting to his usual aloofness.

“I’ve always obeyed the law,” he said calmly. “But you should stop having any improper thoughts and just be a good neighbor and old classmate.”

After saying that, he ignored Chen Guang's ashen face and walked straight to his car parked by the roadside. He opened the car door, got in, started the engine, and sped away.

Chen Guang stood there, breathing in the cold morning air, but he couldn't suppress the indescribable sense of defeat in his heart.

He raised his head and looked at the still dark window above him, his expression inscrutable.

This silent battle had clearly only just begun. He realized, however, that Jiang Chuan was far more troublesome than he had imagined.