Chapter 104. "I dare not sleep, afraid you'll run away..."
He Yan never does anything to deceive himself, but after meeting Wen Xue, he did it quite often.
He knew that with her keen insight, she would eventually discover that his company was facing the biggest crisis in its history, and that if she used her brain even a little, she would guess who was responsible. But even so, he did his best to keep it a secret.
Ultimately, he still harbored a sliver of unrealistic hope.
Perhaps he and Zhou Zhan had already dealt with Zhou Xian before she even found out.
After Wen Xue finished speaking, she looked at him quietly. She was indeed the most soft-hearted and tolerant towards him, but that didn't mean that if such things happened so often, she wouldn't feel lost and disappointed.
He Yan was afraid that she would look at him like that.
Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and said, "I didn't mean to hide it from you."
“But you did it.” Wen Xue didn’t struggle.
The only reason she wasn't angry was because she saw how overwhelmed and agitated he was. He wouldn't be like this unless something difficult had happened, so she didn't want to argue with him; she just wanted to hear him tell her what had happened.
Can I tell her?
She's his girlfriend.
Seeing He Yan looking at her intently, she said in a low voice, "Of course, I also have things I've been hiding from you. I'll tell you everything today. A few days ago, I received a friend request from Zhou Xian. He changed his profile picture to a photo of me. I have a feeling that something has happened that I don't know about."
He Yan's jaw was clenched.
However, he remained rational and did not grip her hand tightly as he had before.
"Promise me one thing first," he said after a long silence.
Wen Xue's heart skipped a beat; it was the first time she had ever seen him with such an expression. She forced herself to remain calm: "As long as I can do it."
You can.
"Um."
“The night you met him in the park, I also went to see him.” He Yan’s tone was calm and without any fluctuation. She was so startled that she stood up, but he comforted her by rubbing the back of her hand with his rough fingertips. He continued, “He said he wanted to talk to me about a business deal, but I refused.”
Wen Xue was stunned, incredulous, "Business?"
She's very smart; she understands things quickly.
After a few seconds of blankness, she immediately understood what he meant by "business," and it must be related to her, otherwise he wouldn't still be suppressing his anger.
He Yan was unwilling to explain it too clearly.
Wenxue is not a business, and he will not allow anyone to view her that way.
“I’ve been putting up with him for a long time. I was working late that day and I was already quite annoyed.” He Yan lowered his voice and vaguely glossed over the matter, “I hit him, that’s it, really that.”
Wen Xue suddenly remembered that it was after that day that she saw him again until a few days ago.
So his absence during that period wasn't just because he was busy with work, but also because—
She frantically pulled him close, but didn't know where to begin checking him—his face, his arms, or somewhere she couldn't see, or what kind of injury he had sustained. She felt completely lost, her lips trembling.
He Yan hugged her. "It's okay, everything's fine now."
"And now?" Her throat tightened. "It's not just that, is it?"
He Yan sighed almost imperceptibly; it had come to this.
This is the situation he least wants to face.
In her previous life, Zhou Xian used the same methods to suppress Lin Baizhou. At first, Wen Xue did not waver, and she ignored Zhou Xian. In Lin Baizhou's life, she was the most important person, but she was not the only important one.
Lin Bozhou has a mother and a younger sister.
Wen Xue felt as much remorse as she admired Fang Lirong, and as much guilt as she felt for bringing her this undeserved disaster.
Fang Lirong's company, which she built from scratch, was almost suffocated by Zhou Xian's machinations. From beginning to end, Zhou Xian never "bullied" Wen Xue, but Wen Xue bore the brunt of all the pressure he put on her.
Not to mention, in order to prevent Lin Baizhou from getting close to her, Zhou Xian tortured and hurt him many times.
Wen Xue's wavering was not because she was weak, but because she was too kind.
"He Yan, answer me." She looked up, staring intently at him, and asked.
"He ruined and brought several projects to a standstill," he said succinctly. "This is just the beginning."
Wen Xue was stunned.
She knew Zhou Xian was ruthless before, but even knowing that he was ruthless, she still couldn't believe it when he actually put it into practice. How could someone in the world do such a shameless thing to a complete stranger, someone she had never met, just because they had met a few times and they didn't even have any feelings for each other, at least she had nothing to do with him?
Soon her blood boiled; she had never hated anyone so much.
She didn't know where the strength came from, but she broke free from He Yan's embrace and found her phone like a headless fly. She wanted to get through his request, she wanted to ask him herself, "What right do you have? What right do you have?"
"Snowflakes are falling!"
He Yan hugged her from behind, feeling her frail body trembling. He said slowly, "Calm down, listen to me."
She was so angry that her face turned pale and her lips were tightly pressed together.
His breathing was steady as he whispered in her ear, "Zhou Zhan and I have already discussed this. Provoking him doesn't mean we're at a disadvantage. He doesn't know about my relationship with Zhou Zhan. This is also a way to make him reveal his hand. I'm in the open, and Zhou Zhan is in the dark. This way, it will be clear who's behind Zhou Xian."
On the surface, Zhou Xian and Zhou Zhan are both in a stalemate, neither moving forward unless the other moves, and it's not impossible for this tug-of-war to continue for nearly ten years.
But Zhou Zhan didn't want to wait, and neither did He Yan.
Now that He Yan has joined in, Zhou Xian has made a move, and the situation has changed quietly.
"It might not be long, maybe six months, a year..." He Yan said softly, "If we can get through this, everything will be alright."
Wen Xue listened attentively to every word he said.
But she wasn't stupid; she knew he was referring to the best possible outcome, "What if you can't make it through?"
He Yan remained silent.
Wen Xue choked up: "Changya is the culmination of your and Yuejiang's hard work, no, we can't let it be like this—"
He Yan sensed her wavering, and his heart sank. He could imagine how helpless, guilty, and painful she must have felt in her past life. He hugged her tightly, his voice pleading, "Don't worry, I'll take care of things with Lao Wu, and I'll make arrangements for everyone in the company."
"And what about you?"
She asked.
And what about you? You plunged into society as soon as you came of age, and you've endured all kinds of hardships. You've worked your way up to where you are today with your own two hands. What are you going to do with all that hard work?
"It doesn't matter." He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent. "I've thought of both the good and the bad outcomes. As long as you're by my side, that's enough. Don't waver, and don't leave, Wenxue. I only ask that you don't leave me. You just promised."
Wen Xue felt that even breathing had become difficult.
She didn't even dare to cry out loud in pain. What had she done wrong? Why was it so difficult to live a peaceful and tranquil life?
"It's not your fault, it has nothing to do with you." He Yan seemed to sense her anger and despair. Even at this critical moment, he still tried to cheer her up. "At worst, we can go back to Haicheng. You can support me, okay?"
Wen Xue stared blankly, "I need to go find him and ask him clearly."
He Yan's body stiffened. After a long while, he released his grip on her, turned her around, and placed his hands on her shoulders.
He opened his mouth, as if to say, "Go ahead, you go find him, and I'll go and take care of him right away."
That solves everything.
He restrained himself, suppressing his anger, and forced the words back down his throat. It wasn't her fault; she was already angry and in pain enough. He couldn't add to her fear. "Don't go."
"No!"
She suddenly lost control of her emotions, her eyes red and stubborn as she looked at him, "I want to ask him, what did I do to offend him? I want to ask him, why is he treating me like this!"
"nausea!!"
Wen Xue forced back her tears, "It's disgusting!"
Their argument drew the attention of those still conscious in the courtyard on the first floor. The wind on the terrace was so strong that it completely drowned out their conversation; the people downstairs could only vaguely hear Wen Xue's sobs. They exchanged glances, and Wang Yuan stood up. "They're arguing?"
Li Jingru chuckled, resting her forehead on her hand. "What couple doesn't argue?"
Wan Nian paused for a moment, then slowly looked over.
Wang Yuan exclaimed, "No way, you knew about this too??"
The others looked up at the sky.
Wang Yuan looked utterly bewildered: "You all knew??"
So you were keeping it from him?
He even stupidly ran up to Brother Yan and started chattering away.
Knowing about something so serious, why don't they tell him? Are these people even human?
The others chuckled softly. It was Sister Zhou who took a sip of water, looked at Wu Yuejiang, and asked, "Are you alright?"
Wu Yuejiang held up a cup of chrysanthemum tea and drank it all in one gulp. In just over half a month, he felt much older. He slammed the cup down and said, "I'll go check on you. You guys have fun. It's nothing serious."
He came to the terrace with a heavy heart, looked outside, and froze.
Wen Xue had her back to him, and He Yan held her in his arms to comfort her.
His eyes widened, and he swore to God that this was the first time in the more than twenty years he had known this man that he had seen him so gentle.
He Yan slightly raised his eyes and met Wu Yuejiang's gaze.
Wu Yuejiang mouthed, "What's wrong?"
He Yan removed his hand from gently stroking Wen Xue's hair, waved, and gestured for him to leave.
Wu Yuejiang: "..."
Okay, he should be downstairs, not upstairs. He was worried that if he stayed two more seconds, he would witness his buddy kissing, a scene that would definitely leave a lasting impression on him.
They've slipped away.
Late at night, He Yan used the same trick again, getting Nana to cancel his and Wen Xue's plane tickets, as they had other plans.
Nana: [Received]
She was really curious, so she asked again, "Brother Yan, what's wrong?"
He Yan lay on the bed, irritated, and replied with a flick of his finger: [Nothing]
Wu Yuejiang stood by the bed smoking. "How about I have a heart-to-heart talk with my sister?"
He knew he was keeping this from Wen Xue, and he rarely agreed with He Yan's decisions; this was the first time. He kept it from Wen Xue because he didn't want her to feel psychological pressure; anyone would break down in this situation.
He Yan shook his head: "Never mind."
Wu Yuejiang stubbed out his cigarette and let out a frustrated sigh. "Are those rich people crazy?"
He's rich and powerful, and many people covet his money, but he insists on making things difficult for himself by liking Wen Xue, who doesn't even give him a second glance.
Knowing full well that Wen Xue had no feelings for him and was in a relationship, he still shamelessly pursued her, and even resorted to coercion and pressure.
He Yan remained noncommittal.
He sent a message to Wen Xue upstairs: "Pack your bags, we'll leave early this morning."
He didn't receive a reply until close to midnight: "Hmm."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
-
The next morning, while everyone else was still asleep, He Yan rented a car in another city and took Wen Xue back to Xicheng. The journey was long, and he didn't want to rush, so he planned to take his time to relax and return home.
He knew she was feeling down.
Knowing that she was someone who was used to considering other people's feelings, he didn't want her to force a smile or suppress her emotions.
In October, the temperature gradually drops.
Wen Xue lowered the car window and calmly watched the scenery rushing past. She probably hadn't slept well the night before; there were dark circles under her eyes, and she was unusually silent.
He Yan did not force her to respond to him.
He did most of the talking the whole way. He knew she was listening.
He gave her time to accept it.
As they approached the western part of the city, Wen Xue would occasionally respond with a word or two. She was a perceptive person; she no longer got stuck on trivial matters or stubbornly sought an answer.
That evening, she turned her head and looked at He Yan, who was leaning against the driver's seat with his eyes closed, resting.
His gaze shifted from indifference to tenderness.
She suddenly didn't want to know what Zhou Xian was thinking anymore.
That person is not important, not at all.
All she needed to know was what He Yan was thinking. Thinking of the injury on his shoulder, and perhaps other injuries she didn't know about, her eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't help but reach out to touch his face, but stopped halfway. She was worried about disturbing him. The moment the thought crossed her mind, he tilted his head towards her without even opening his eyes, as if sensing her thoughts, allowing her hand to touch him.
Wen Xue chuckled, "You're not asleep?"
He Yan sighed, feigning a sense of weariness, "I dare not sleep, for fear you will run away."
He seemed to be joking, but he wasn't.
Wen Xue didn't know that he wasn't a normal person. He had come back from his previous life and knew Zhou Xian's methods clearly, so he wasn't afraid.
Not afraid of being poor and destitute.
He wasn't afraid of getting hurt or dying, but he was afraid that she would waver, give up, or leave him.
He said he would change her fate, and he would definitely do it, even if it came at the cost of his own life. Yet he still hoped that after everything was over, she would still be by his side.
Zhou Xian was never a variable in the whole affair.
The variable is Wenxue's heart.
Is it worth it?
Wenxue had wanted to ask this question for a long time: Was it worth it to sacrifice so much for her? Was it really worth it?
He Yan stared at her and smiled, "Stop talking nonsense."
Hearing the snow, tears welled up in her eyes.
My heart trembled slightly.
"good."
She took a deep breath, forcing back her tears. She touched his face, her eyes red, and said firmly, "I won't leave. At worst, we can go back to Haicheng, or go somewhere else where no one knows us. I'll take care of you, I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."
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