Chapter 33. He wanted to finalize the marriage arrangements. ...
Song Qinru spent almost a week in the ICU before being safely transferred to a regular ward.
It's the end of June again, the end of another semester.
After finishing her last exam, Song Wan turned on her phone as she walked out.
Multiple messages popped up in the contact list, with Fang Xia sending the most.
Fang Xia's father's job has changed, and her family is moving to the city soon.
Selling a house, buying a house, packing things—none of these are easy tasks, and Fang Xiatian complained to her about how exhausted she was every day.
Before clicking into the chat box, Song Wan thought today would be no exception, but after clicking in, she found that Fang Xia had sent her many photos from her high school days.
The latest message was a 60-second unread voice message. Song Wan clicked to listen: "Ahhhhh Wanwan, look what I found while tidying up! I knew your boyfriend looked familiar! Ahhhhhh, so... so I had already photographed you two! How could I forget a handsome guy! So you two had been having an affair for so long, how could you keep it from me for so long? Are we no longer best friends? Waaah..."
Fang Xia has a habit of adding time watermarks to her photos because she has obsessive-compulsive disorder and likes to arrange photos in chronological order, claiming that this allows her to better compare her photography styles at different stages.
It is evident that during her high school years, her understanding of light and shadow began to emerge, and her style leaned more towards the youthful and vibrant spirit of adolescence.
The earliest photo of her and Chen Jianjin was taken on December 25, 2016. In the picture, rain and snow were falling, and the convenience store was brightly lit and warm, which contrasted sharply with the dark and cold weather outside. The girl behind the cashier had her head slightly raised, while the boy opposite her had his black windbreaker pulled up to the top, his bangs slightly messy, and he was looking into her eyes with his eyelashes lowered. Some fast food products were scattered on the table.
In 2016, Song Qinsu's convenience store was still operating.
The second picture is from next summer. The scene shows Huaiqing's most famous tourist attraction. She is wearing a long cotton and linen dress, her black hair is half down, and she is making funny faces with Fang Xia. Chen Jianjin is like a passerby who has wandered in, lazily leaning against the green mailbox, with a lollipop hanging from the corner of his mouth, smiling in their direction.
The third photo was taken on a Friday evening after school. She was wearing her autumn school uniform, with Lian Huaiyang standing next to her. Behind them were fiery clouds at sunset and a crowded sea of people in blue and white. The camera was slightly shaky, making the photo a little blurry, but it couldn't hide the handsomeness of the boy in the black luxury car next to her. He had a scarlet cigarette between his fingers, surrounded by smoke, and he tilted his head slightly, as if he was looking at the camera, or as if he wasn't looking at anything at all.
The fourth one...
The fifth one...
Song Wan kept scrolling down, her fingertips pausing on the last picture. It was a picture she took of Fang Xia at the school gate last year when she received her admission notice. In the picture, Fang Xia was holding up her velvet red admission notice, with a bunch of sunflowers in her arms, her eyebrows arched and her smile bright and cheerful.
Chen Jianjin wasn't in the picture, but Song Wan clearly remembered the bouquet of sunflowers. There was a boy holding flowers waiting at the school gate, probably a student's parent. Song Wan wanted to ask him to take a picture of her and Fang Xia together. The boy handed her the flowers without saying a word, and Song Wan took them without thinking, assuming that the boy had agreed. Fang Xia was urging her to come over and stand properly, so she turned around to find Fang Xia to talk about the photo, but when she turned back, the boy was nowhere to be seen.
She later took that bunch of sunflowers home, put them in a vase, and placed them in her room.
Looking at the photo, Song Wan suddenly realized that she seemed to have overlooked a problem all along.
How did Chen Jianjin know that her favorite flower was the sunflower?
Did she inadvertently reveal something during high school that even Fang Xia didn't know?
"Little Song, my dear sister!"
Startled by a light tap on her shoulder from behind, Song Wan quickly put away her phone and looked at the person who had approached her.
Zhou Xiangyuan, with a DSLR camera hanging around his neck, exclaimed with delight, "What a coincidence, little Song! The school is so big, yet we still managed to run into each other."
Song Wan smiled awkwardly, "What a coincidence."
"Are you going to see Chen Jianjin and the others too? Let's go together." As he spoke, Zhou Xiangyuan couldn't help but look around and complain, "Why do all the buildings in your school look almost the same? And there are so many narrow paths, I'm getting lost."
Song Wan didn't intend to go find Chen Jianjin, but she couldn't resist Zhou Xiangyuan's enthusiasm, so she followed him and gave him directions.
From Zhou Xiangyuan, Song Wan learned that Chen Jianjin and the others were taking graduation photos today. She was stunned for a moment, and then, as if just realizing it, she remembered that Chen Jianjin was only two years older than her and was still a student.
Perhaps it was because she had never seen him in class, or perhaps it was because he always gave off a mature and composed air beyond his years, that Song Wan had forgotten about it.
"By the way, it's Chen Jianjin's birthday. Little Song, are you planning to have a romantic getaway for two or come with us friends? Why don't you come with us? It'll be more fun with more people. I can't persuade Chen Jianjin, but Little Song, you can talk to him. If you put in a word, he'll definitely agree."
"...?!" Song Wan exclaimed in surprise, "Chen Jianjin's birthday? When was that?"
"Just... today." Zhou Xiangyuan was also stunned. "Little Song, you didn't know?"
Song Wan didn't know.
Zhou Xiangyuan opened his mouth, as if to say something, but someone grabbed the back of his collar. He quickly started flailing his arms and legs, shouting, "Hey hey hey... I'm choking you! I'm choking you!"
Song Wan turned her head and saw Chen Jianjin, who had a smug look on his face. He coldly reminded her, "Zhou Xiangyuan, this is my girlfriend."
Qi Yan was standing next to him.
Song Wan smiled awkwardly and apologetically, then walked behind Chen Jianjin and tugged at the corner of his clothes.
Chen Jianjin loosened his grip and took her hand in his.
Zhou Xiangyuan, now free, was furious and unleashed a torrent of disgust at Qi Yan: "Brother Yan, look at him~"
Qi Yan glanced at the person with disdain and uttered a soft word: "Get lost."
Song Wan didn't understand how boys usually interacted, and felt that the two of them were being a bit too much. She felt sorry for Zhou Xiangyuan, but at the same time, she also felt a little guilty. After all, it was because of her that Chen Jianjin had pulled on the back of his collar. So she looked down and rummaged through her bag, found the orange-flavored lollipop that she had put in a compartment, handed it to Zhou Xiangyuan, and said seriously, "I'm sorry."
Qi Yan was the first to react. He hesitated, glancing at Chen Jianjin and then at the girl beside him, a playful smile playing on his lips.
How come he never noticed before? These two are a perfect match, each one a natural counter to the other.
"Little Song, actually... we were just joking."
Despite saying that, it didn't stop Zhou Xiangyuan from reaching out his hand. As he took the lollipop, he looked at Chen Jianjin with a defiant air.
However, the consequence of his boastful behavior was that the item was intercepted by Chen Jianjin before he even got his hands on it.
He snatched the lollipop from Song Wan's hand, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth—all in one smooth motion.
Song Wan frowned and looked at him, "That is..."
Before she could finish speaking, Chen Jianjin hooked her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. He raised an eyebrow at Zhou Xiangyuan and clicked his tongue, "Weren't you here to take pictures for us?"
And so, Song Wan was dragged around and had her photos taken for more than half an hour.
The sweltering heat of June soon made her feel listless. She took the opportunity to go to the restroom to wash her face and then bought four bottles of ice water from the vending machine.
Just as I was about to put my phone away, a call came in from someone whose contact name was Lian Huaiyang.
Song Wan struggled to free one hand to answer the call.
"Wanwan, why did you delete me from your friends list?"
Song Wan opened her mouth, but before she could explain why, she heard Lian Huaiyang say anxiously, "Where are you now? Are you free? If you are, come to the east gate of the school as soon as possible. Your uncle... that is, your dad, he is here to see you."
The ice water splashed onto the floor with a dull thud.
Li Youde was unbearably hot. He sat on a stone bench by the roadside, rolled up a flyer, fanned himself, and asked the person next to him, "Huaiyang, do you think Wanwan would be happy to see me?"
"Yes, yes, Uncle, don't worry. No matter what, you are her father. Even if the bones are broken, they are still connected by tendons."
As Lian Huaiyang spoke, his eyes kept gazing into the distance.
Sure enough, not long after, a girl wearing a short-sleeved shirt and long pants ran over from the opposite direction.
"Wanwan!"
Upon seeing the person, Li Youde's eyes lit up.
She looks much better now than I have in two years.
Li Youde stepped forward excitedly, but Song Wan subconsciously took a step back, looking at him warily. "When were you released from prison? What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry, Wanwan." Li Youde bowed his head and apologized, "Dad didn't do well before, but he has reformed now. I went to your house to see you and your mother, and your aunt beat me up. Luckily, Huaiyang told me that you two were classmates. I heard that your mother is sick? What kind of illness? Is she okay?"
Song Wan looked at Lian Huaiyang with astonishment and disbelief.
I don't understand why he brought Li Youde over. He clearly witnessed how Li Youde harassed him relentlessly, smashing and looting things, and coming to his door to demand money.
Despite being repeatedly told not to tell anyone, Lian Huaiyang, who had hoped to regain his standing in Song Wan's heart, had made a hasty mistake and ended up shooting himself in the foot. He was furious but couldn't lash out, so he could only awkwardly smile and try to smooth things over, saying, "Wanwan, I saw that Uncle has really changed for the better, and he was so worried about Auntie, I just couldn't bear it."
"Our family matters are none of the business of outsiders."
“Wanwan?!” Lian Huaiyang frowned, wanting to say something more, but was interrupted by Li Youde, who was also dissatisfied with Song Wan’s attitude: “What’s wrong with you, child? You have such a bad attitude towards your friends. How did your mother raise you?”
"How my mother teaches me is a family matter, and it's none of your business to interfere." As she spoke, Song Wan gritted her teeth and reminded her, "Don't forget, my surname is Song."
"you……!"
Li Youde subconsciously raised his hand, but before the slap could land, his wrist was grabbed by a strong force and pushed backward.
The expected pain lingered for a long time, and Song Wan opened her eyes with trembling eyelashes.
This time, what came into view was no longer Li Youde's bloodshot face, his eyes bulging with rage from the beatings, but Chen Jianjin's broad and reliable back.
"I'd like to see who dares to lay a finger on her."
Chen Jianjin glanced at Li Youde with a low-pressure look, then stared straight at Lian Huaiyang.
"How could it be you?" Li Youde's eyes widened instantly, his finger trembling as he pointed at Chen Jianjin while reaching for the girl behind him. "Song Wan! You've set a trap for me and landed me in jail?!"
Chen Jianjin stepped to the side, completely blocking Song Wan's view. He took her slightly cool hand in his hand behind his back, raised an eyebrow at the person opposite him, and said, "Since you recognize me, why don't you get lost? Or have you not had enough prison food and want to continue?"
"Song Wan, you...!"
The middle-aged man, his face contorted in a grotesque expression, was unwilling to give up and tried to step forward again, but was blocked by Zhou Xiangyuan, who had arrived later. "Uncle, people have dignity, and trees have bark. Didn't you hear that you're not welcome here?"
Li Youde was so angry that he raised his fist, but Zhou Xiangyuan was not afraid at all. Instead, he stuck his face forward and said in a sly manner, "Come on, come on, hit me here."
Remembering how he ended up in prison, Li Youde immediately deflated.
That's not a place for humans; he never wants to go back there again in his life.
"Song Wan! You had your own father thrown in jail! You are utterly unfilial!"
Li Youde left, leaving behind this ambiguous statement.
Song Wan cried again.
Chen Jianjin was extremely annoyed.
Why is it that every time they finally get closer to each other, a villain always jumps out and stabs them in the back?
Zhou Xiangyuan couldn't bear to see a girl cry, and was about to say a few words of comfort when Qi Yan grabbed his collar and dragged him away before he could even peek out.
Let the two of them settle their own grievances.
Chen Jianjin originally intended to leave with Song Wan directly, but then, remembering something, he calmly glanced coldly at Lian Huaiyang beside him, "If Lian still wants to successfully go abroad for exchange, I hope he will behave himself in the future and quietly withdraw from our lives. Of course, if he has no interest in further studies, instead of doing so much useless work, he should think carefully about how to explain it to his family. After all... the farewell banquet has already been held. If he says things have changed now, his relatives and friends will probably laugh at him behind his back."
"Oh right, I forgot to mention, Wanwan and I are getting married, so I won't be giving you any wedding candy. It's kind of disgusting."
"Wanwan! Is he serious? Marriage? How old are you?!"
Lian Huaiyang urgently sought confirmation, but Song Wan now felt disgusted even to look at him.
After more than ten years of friendship, this is how it ends.
Song Wan is increasingly unable to tell whether it is the malice born from unrequited love that has clouded Lian Huaiyang's judgment, or whether she has never truly understood this person.
Chen Jianjin took Song Wan back to the car.
With the air conditioning on, the interior of the car became cool and comfortable.
Song Wan sobbed as she looked at the person beside her, her eyes red-rimmed, and asked, "Chen Jianjin, don't you have anything to explain to me?"
The truth eventually came out.
Chen Jianjin didn't dare to meet Song Wan's gaze, scratched his brow and said, "I'm sorry, but if you want to take the civil service exam in the future, I'll find a way to help you pass the political review."
"Chen Jianjin!"
Song Wan burst into tears even harder, "Why are you always like this?!"
Why couldn't I just be mean to her from beginning to end? Why did I always have to sway her? Why couldn't I just let her keep hating me? Why... did I have to make her fall in love with him?
The girl was sobbing uncontrollably. Chen Jianjin was at a loss, wiping her tears with his fingers while gently apologizing, "I'm sorry."
The boy lowered his eyes and pursed his thin lips.
Chen Jianjin is still the same Chen Jianjin, with deep eyes, a high nose, and a sharp, well-defined jawline.
He was both nasty and considerate, forceful yet gentle. He understood her vulnerability and her feigned strength, supporting her unspoken, awkward feelings, making her both love and hate him.
"Chen Jianjin." Song Wan bit her lip, her eyes red and moist as she looked at him. "Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"
Chen Jianjin's heart skipped a beat, and he felt inexplicably guilty. His eyes flickered slightly, and he asked, "What other thing? What nonsense did Lian Huaiyang tell you again?"
"It wasn't him, it was Fang Xia..."
If the photo were just a photo, Song Wan wouldn't have felt much. After all, to her during high school, Chen Jianjin was just a stranger whose name and face she didn't know. Even if she knew that he had secretly admired her, she would just laugh it off. Because Song Wan wasn't a person with strong emotions, and there was no rule in her dictionary that said she had to take responsibility for a suitor she didn't know.
But Li Youde's appearance shattered her original expectations.
Unbeknownst to her, Chen Jianjin intervened in her life and helped her.
Song Wan didn't believe in isolated cases or coincidences, so she frankly showed him her phone. "Fang Xia sent me a lot of photos of me from high school today, including pictures of you. Chen Jianjin, I want to know, besides the Li Youde incident, what else have you been hiding from me?"
Chen Jianjin looked down and carefully flipped through the photos. Fang Xia's photography skills were excellent, and every photo was very evocative. However, his favorites were the first and last photos. This was not only because the other photos contained various irrelevant people in the frame, but more importantly, these two photos held special significance for him.
Chen Jianjin silently handed the two photos to himself, then reluctantly glanced at the girl's expression. He reverted to his usual lazy demeanor and changed the subject, "There's nothing I'm hiding from you. It's my birthday today. I booked a table at a restaurant, and we..."
"Chen Jianjin!" Song Wan didn't like him changing the subject, so she immediately tried to open the door and get out of the car.
Chen Jianjin quickly grabbed her wrist and locked it.
Their eyes met, and the girl's wet, almond-shaped eyes were filled with stubbornness. Chen Jianjin was completely defeated. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before bargaining, "I said I can, but we agreed beforehand that you can't get angry."
Song Wan remained silent, her clear eyes fixed on him.
The boy's well-defined knuckles reached out and took the girl's soft hand. "It's my birthday today..."
Song Wan tried to pull her wrist away, but Chen Jianjin gripped it even tighter. "Talk, talk, talk! I'll talk!"
He sighed softly, "Actually... it's nothing much, just... I helped organize a lucky draw event... and then... well, you know."
"So..." Song Wan asked incredulously, "The three million my mother won was actually given to me by you?!"
Chen Jianjin wanted to explain that it wasn't true, but he didn't dare to lie. He gently rubbed her palm and reminded her without much confidence, "You promised you wouldn't be angry."
He was a little afraid that Song Wan would resent him for taking matters into his own hands and interfering in her life.
Song Wan, however, didn't think that way; she was still a bit dazed.
Because the opportunity for their family's life to improve was precisely because of the big prize that Song Qinru won in good fortune.
Although it sounds vulgar, money did help them solve many difficulties.
No wonder... no wonder Li Youde accused her of being disobedient and sending her own father to prison.
In that case, everything makes sense.
At this moment, Song Wan pieced together the truth of what happened back then.
Chen Jianjin had observed her for three years in a place out of her sight, so he said he understood her.
He had seen her mediocrity, knew about her predicament, and had even offered her help.
Back then, after Song Qinru used the lottery winnings to pay off the gambling debts Li Youde had dumped on her and her daughter during their divorce, she used the remaining money to buy the small two-bedroom apartment where they now live and to open a tailor shop. Li Youde somehow heard about these things, found out their address through various means, and shamelessly went to their door to demand money.
Song Wan can still recall that gloomy time when Li Youde not only caused trouble at home, but also at her school.
The teenage girl was reserved yet had a high sense of self-esteem; for a time, she even had thoughts of disliking school.
Fortunately, later, for some unknown reason, it was heard that Li Youde accidentally injured someone, and the other party filed a lawsuit against him, resulting in a two-year prison sentence.
So it turns out... it was all because of Chen Jianjin.
But--
"Why?" Song Wan asked for the third time, "Why me?"
"Because... our first meeting wasn't at the shooting range you initially thought it was, nor in the convenience store you now think it is on Christmas Eve, but a long, long time ago."
If she had arrived earlier, she probably would have forgotten about it.
Chen Jianjin lowered his head and gently kissed the back of her hand, finishing what he hadn't finished saying at the beginning, "Today is my birthday, Wanwan, let's meet each other's parents."
He wanted to finalize the marriage arrangements.
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Author's Note: My next book is going to be about a romance between an older woman and a younger man. If you're into that kind of thing, please add it to your pre-order list! [pleading emoji]
My brother who was switched at birth fell in love with me.
Older woman/younger man romance | Radiant mature woman × Loyal and affectionate man
Those who know Zhou Mo know that she has a younger brother who is a servant.
Anyone who knows Zhou Song'an knows that he is a sister-obsessed person.
The day Zhou Song'an changed his name to Fu Song'an, Zhou Mo thought that their sibling relationship had come to an end.
Unexpectedly, the next day, he showed up at their door with hundreds of millions of assets given to him by his new family.
——
During a gathering with friends, the topic of Zhou Mo's scumbag ex-boyfriend came up. Apparently, he debuted based on his looks and became a member of a small idol group.
Immediately, friends who were unaware of this relationship started gossiping.
With fruit being stuffed into her mouth one after another, Zhou Mo couldn't speak. She glared at Zhou Song'an beside her.
Using the excuse of going to the restroom, Zhou Mo fled the scene.
In the single cubicle, Zhou Mo glared at Zhou Song'an, who was blocking her way, and gritted her teeth as she rebuked him: "This is the women's restroom!"
"I can read." The boy chuckled as he locked the door, then grasped her wrist with his well-defined knuckles, covered her mouth, and gently reminded her, "Sister, just bear with it."
The summer night was humid, and the scorching heat that wouldn't cool down filled my ears, along with the broken laughter of a boy.
Zhou Mo regretted provoking Zhou Song'an terribly.
——
In public, Zhou Song'an is obedient, compliant, and always ready to help others—a model of filial piety.
Behind the scenes, Zhou Song'an, like a rat in a gutter, coveted his good sister.
"Loving you is something I've been planning for a long time."
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