Cloud Girl Chapter Twenty-Two
Back home, Chen Yiwen excitedly recounted to Chen Nanyi the tenderness Lu Bo had just shown her.
At that time, Chen Nanyi was giving Chen Yijing a bath in the bathroom on the first floor.
Yi Jing was probably extremely excited because her family was suddenly all together, and she vigorously patted the rubber duck in the bathtub, getting Chen Nanyi covered in it.
Chen Yiwen stood there, leaning against the door frame, recounting her "dating experiences" that she didn't want to hear at all.
It was one thing for her to just stand by and watch without helping, but Chen Nanyi, who was already getting annoyed by Chen Yijing's incessant chatter, became even more irritated by her.
This was the first time Chen Nanyi had been so close to such a vibrant Chen Yiwen, which coincided with everything she had always longed for—besides, Chen Yiwen had opened up so openly, so Chen Nanyi should have been happy no matter what.
But Chen Nanyi felt disgusted by her somewhat vain eyes.
Seeing Chen Yiwen's overly excited state, Chen Nanyi suddenly remembered what Qin Se had asked her to convey to Chen Yiwen.
However, considering the fierce argument that would ensue if she had said those words, Chen Nanyi held back and said nothing. She simply nodded coldly, picked up Yi Jing, and went back to her room.
In the middle of the night, Chen Nanyi, who always went to bed early, was still awake, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.
In the quiet of the moment, she couldn't help but think of some people and events from the past.
She recalled every day and night before, seeing her mother's figure in the kitchen from outside the living room.
When she was constantly surrounded by that gentle aura, her face would soften involuntarily, and a hint of sadness would flash across it.
Then she suddenly remembered Chen Yijing's small figure waiting for her to come home from school on the top of the stairs, and how her tall father would always kick her aside to block him—it wasn't a hard kick, but it felt as humiliating as if it were a kick to her heart.
Whenever she thought of this, she felt an intense hatred, resentment towards Chen Yijing's foolishness and her father's indifference.
Then Chen Nanyi's thoughts drifted away, and she suddenly remembered her father's "lost" son, who was also his illegitimate son in the true sense.
If this news had come out when her father was an official, it would have been a huge shock in Tulo City, Chen Nanyi sometimes thought. But today, she tried to recall what the little boy looked like—but she had no recollection of him at all.
She had burned everything long ago because she was afraid that Chen Yiwen and others would find out about this—she was determined never to acknowledge that so-called younger brother, not even in this lifetime.
If she did that, she would be betraying her mother.
But today, because of someone else's similar experience, she suddenly wanted to remember what the little boy looked like.
However, it seems that it was all in vain.
Chen Nanyi lay on the bed and turned over irritably.
She was actually quite tired, but she still couldn't fall asleep. She could only stare blankly at the shadows cast by the streetlights outside the house and through the trees into the ceiling.
In a hazy moment, Chen Nanyi suddenly thought of Xu Xiaomeng.
At tonight's party, Chen Nanyi was so amazed by his unexpected outfit that she could hardly remember what he used to look like.
His stern and aloof demeanor, in particular, gave her a sense of danger that she couldn't quite grasp, yet it also inexplicably captivated her.
She wasn't someone who liked pushovers, and of course she wouldn't like someone so dangerous and uncontrollable. Besides—Qin Se had warned her, even though that warning was unnecessary.
But who cares! It's undeniable that Chen Nanyi was indeed attracted to him and admired him very much.
It's just that after suppressing one's own desires, one must admire from a distance.
The midnight air in the mountains was still a bit chilly. Chen Nanyi curled up and inadvertently touched the scar on her knee. It was a rather misunderstood scar—it was the worst wound she had sustained during a social gathering on a moonlit night when she tripped and fell countless times in the sand.
To this day, she can still vaguely recall the feeling of their bodies touching when she fell and landed on top of Xu Xiaomeng: his broad back, his narrow waist, and the firm muscles of his buttocks...
Then, she even grabbed his arms with both hands and walked close to him—actually, that action looked like something only couples would do!
The thought of this made Chen Nanyi feel embarrassed, as if it were an action that violated some important principle.
But before Chen Nanyi could figure out the reason, she suddenly heard Chen Yiwen's angry words in a low voice from next door.
"What? What do you mean you're getting engaged to Heathley...?"
"You're saying you didn't want to, and the engagement was fake? Ha..."
"...Let me tell you, I've given so much, not to take advantage of you. If you're going to do this..."
Lying in bed, Chen Nanyi suddenly heard Chen Yiwen crying softly on the phone with Lu Bo, and a strange sense of comfort flashed through her heart.
She had been planning what kind of suitable time to talk to Chen Yiwen about this, but now that Lu Bo had spoken, she no longer needed to worry about it.
Chen Yiwen lowered her voice on the balcony, but still couldn't help but question Lu Bo about why he left her.
In fact, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that although Xu Xiaomeng was once a so-called illegitimate child, Lu Bo's current situation is the real crisis.
So even if it meant sacrificing his marriage to get Qin Se to give him a fair chance to compete with Xu Xiaomeng, Lu Bo would probably be willing to do it.
Chen Nanyi lay on the bed, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.
Just thinking about it, it's obvious that Lu Bo and her sister Chen Yiwen's fates are essentially one of two things.
They either broke off completely, or they were still entangled—or Chen Yiwen was unwilling to leave Lu Bo and continued to pester him.
Lu Bo, being young and not particularly strong-willed, would find it very difficult to refuse someone like Chen Yiwen, who, despite his flaws, possesses high emotional intelligence.
Or perhaps Lu Bo didn't want to leave Chen Yiwen, so he used sweet words to get Chen Yiwen to agree to pretend to be with Sisley first, and then promised to be with her again after he came to power...
In short, it's all this random stuff.
Of course, neither of these developments is something Chen Nanyi wants to see.
However, since she wasn't the one in question, her anxiety was useless, so she could only pretend not to know anything about what was happening behind the scenes.
After all, she had more important things to deal with!
With the scheduled surgery time approaching, Chen Nanyi was worried about where Chen Yijing would go during her time at the hospital.
Most importantly, she was afraid that Chen Yiwen, under the guise of being heartbroken, wouldn't be in the mood to fulfill her previous promise of 200,000 yuan to her—after all, this was something that could very well happen.
But that's a story for another time.
In short, after completing her internship and returning to normal life, Chen Nanyi went to school as usual, but she would subconsciously want to resist anything related to Xu Xiaomeng, and there seemed to be a kind of inexplicable resentment about it.
However, because the Lu Corporation is the financial backer of the Lu Academy, the change of leadership within the company is a matter of vital interest to the school, and the school is paying close attention to this matter. Therefore, ignoring his information is not easy.
It is said that Xu Xiaomeng had previously thought that Lu Ai had abandoned her, which is why she had been unwilling to return to the Lu family.
Now that he knows that all the academies of the Lu family were built by Lu Ai for his mother, he has gradually accepted the idea of returning to the Lu family.
The reason why Lu Bo and his group were so eager to perform in various fields was that Qin Se was originally unwilling to let Qi Rao's children take the stage, and there was controversy surrounding her grandson's family.
Originally, the choice was made reluctantly, but now, because of Xu Xiaomeng—this "grandson" who carries the title of her biological son but has no power—who can become Qin Se's puppet to ensure that he can still hold power in his old age, the struggle has been intensified to the greatest extent.
Qin Se is already too old, but she still has a strong desire for control.
Having lived a life of glory, she would not allow a daughter-in-law she disliked to lurk and try to seize her power.
Chen Nanyi couldn't help but shake his head at Xu Xiaomeng, who had been targeted by Qin Se. He understood why Xu Xiaomeng looked so bad at the party.
Originally, those matters of power had nothing to do with Chen Nanyi, but it was probably Chen Yiwen who wanted to help Lu Bo take measures to stop Xu Xiaomeng from returning to the Lu family!
The next morning, Chen Nanyi saw her looking at him with a troubled expression, not knowing how to start the conversation.
Chen Nanyi felt something was off and thought it best to avoid Chen Yiwen.
However, she didn't take the slight oddness to heart, so she still showed Chen Yiwen the hospital receipt, hoping that she would take out the 200,000 yuan that had been agreed upon for her heart surgery.
Then Chen Nanyi saw Chen Yiwen's eyes light up and thought to herself, "Oh no!"
As expected, Chen Yiwen thought for a moment, recalling the rumors she had heard at Lu Bo's place, and immediately said, "If you make sure Xu Xiaomeng doesn't go back to the Lu family, I'll give you money..."
Using this method to increase her man's leverage while simultaneously striking a blow against herself, Chen Yiwen's methods are indeed remarkable.
Upon hearing this, Chen Nanyi curled her lips in a mocking smirk.
However, she tried her best to control her emotions, lowered her head for a long time, then raised her head and gave her a cold look before slowly speaking.
“I’ve already said that I’ve only spent 100,000 yuan over the years. Even with the current 200,000 yuan, it’s still far less than the more than 1 million yuan I should have received from the original inheritance. You say I’m being unreasonable? You’ve received so much, so I’m asking you not to be so unreasonable! What kind of threatening someone else’s business is this between us?”
Chen Nanyi was practically bursting with rage, a cold smile playing around her eyes.
She had never seen anyone "rob" her own sister like this, but she still managed to hold back her anger.
Chen Yiwen, however, seemed not to have understood what she was saying at all, and completely ignored what Chen Nanyi was saying.
She knew that Chen Nanyi was a person who cared about her reputation, and no matter what she said, she would not make such a thing known to everyone.
Because, like her mother, she was most afraid of being looked at with pity, she was very confident that Chen Nanyi would eventually give in to her power.
This is why their mother's life ended so silently and coldly back then.
It was probably because of this that Chen Yiwen dared to make such an excessive demand, insisting that Chen Nanyi exchange the 200,000 yuan for Xu Xiaomeng's condition that she would not return to the Lu family.
Chen Nanyi is not someone who breaks down easily, but on many occasions, like now, she is on the verge of collapse.
Her mind was filled with questions: Why? Why did she have to live in such a family, unable to find relief even after her parents' deaths?
Her life, especially the first half of it, was already like this: pale from a lack of love, weak from a lack of affection, and even because of external wealth—just to survive, she had to speak to Chen Yiwen in such a humble voice…
Chen Nanyi almost fainted.
Why, why can't she live a little more carefree?
Just that time when she mustered up the courage to tell Chen Yiwen about her illness, and Chen Yiwen not only offered no comfort but also said, "I don't have that much money to pay for your medical treatment," Chen Nanyi already felt physically and mentally exhausted. And now, things have turned out this way...
She admits that for many reasons she is not a very enthusiastic person, but that does not mean she is a lazy person who expects her family to support her.
Moreover, this is because her own life is already ruined, and she brought this trouble upon herself.
But Xu Xiaomeng's life has nothing to do with theirs!
By what right do they deprive him of his right to choose his life, taking away everything he depends on for a living so easily?
Chen Nanyi wasn't stupid; she had also secretly suspected that Xu Xiaomeng's intentions towards her were genuine.
Therefore, Chen Yiwen placed his hopes on her, which put those who were usually insensitive to this matter in a difficult position.
Now, she has this opportunity—whether Chen Nanyi goes to Xu Xiaomeng to persuade him not to return to the Lu family, and then Chen Yiwen gives her money for heart surgery—or Chen Nanyi pretends not to know anything, respects his choice, and quietly gives up her life...
Small Theater
One day, Chen Nanyi was walking with the female classmate from the School of Economics and Management who had pushed her to answer the question earlier.
Xu Xiaomeng suddenly rushed out from around the corner and accidentally bumped into Chen Nanyi, who was listening intently to her female classmate's speech.
Chen Nanyi rubbed the hand she used to block Xu Xiaomeng's body and stepped back without saying a word.
A female classmate exclaimed, "What a coincidence, Xu Xiaomeng!"
Xu Xiaomeng scratched her head, "Yeah, what a coincidence!"
Chen Nanyi →_→, “Yeah, it was such a coincidence that I just happened to see you rushing up the big staircase, but then turning back from the other side of the playground…”
A female classmate (ω ): "Wow, that's exciting! So this is how Xu Xiaomeng pursues girls!"
Xu Xiaomeng (_), “You annoying little brat, I didn’t even have a chance to take advantage of you, and you elbowed me instead. How cruel… And you know it, so you know it, why did you have to say it out loud? And you said it, but you didn’t even understand the meaning, and you just answered literally! How am I supposed to accept this?” (つд)
Narrator: Sigh! It seems that having a girlfriend with a sharp tongue means either getting hurt during kisses or being killed by verbal attacks!
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