Chapter 14 If it were me, would you be willing...?
"It's so annoying, I can't even go home." Yan Qingli was furious when she thought about how her brother had called early in the morning just to make her go back and meet up with some rich young men for dinner. "Is my brother crazy? He won't let me date at school, but he wants me to meet the marriage partners he picked out. He's not even pretending anymore."
Shang Chen ignored him, somewhat absent-minded.
Yan Qingli had been complaining about her brother for a long time when she finally realized that the person next to her had been very quiet. She tilted her head and looked at him, "Hey, what's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"
Shang Chen was too lazy to answer her idiotic question.
"What's wrong? It's bothering you so much." Yan Qingli guessed, a hint of sympathy suddenly appearing on her face. "Could it be that your dad's illegitimate children are causing trouble again?"
Shang Chen finally reacted, glancing at her: "That's his business, it has nothing to do with me."
"Oh, right..."
No matter how much the illegitimate child tries to steal it, the entire business will eventually belong to him.
"That's—" Yan Qingli's mind suddenly lit up, and she quickly took two steps to block his way, her face full of gossip, "You asked Sister Wen Ling out, but you didn't come?"
Shang Chen paused for a few seconds, then retorted without any real threat: "You talk too much."
He then walked past her, and Yan Qingli burst out laughing, chasing after him, making no attempt to hide her mockery: "Shang Chen, you've finally met your match."
"Who was it that told me that dating was just playing house, something only extremely bored people would do?" Yan Qingli chased after him with a 360-degree surround sound of mockery, "Serves you right, really, you have no respect for love!"
"Perfect, now you have even less reason to refuse my request."
The merchant holds a high position in G City, so Shang Chen, the only legitimate son, is naturally a guest of honor wherever he goes. Wherever he is, no one dares to cause trouble. That's why Yan Qingli had to coax him into helping her deal with those so-called marriage partners, preferably once and for all, so that they would never have such thoughts again.
The young master has a bad temper and won't budge even after all this time.
Shang Chen suddenly stopped, looking into the distance, but spoke to her: "Yan Qingli, do me a favor. I'll take care of what you asked for in a couple of days."
Yan Qingli followed his gaze.
Upon seeing Wen Ling, she understood everything in that instant: "Deal."
…
Wen Ling saw them first and was hesitating whether to greet them when Wen He's phone rang. The siblings looked at the phone, which was upside down and had a black case showing, with remarkable tacit understanding, and then exchanged a glance.
Wen He pursed his lips and reached out to take it.
Wen Ling first covered the phone with her hand.
Wen He paused, looking at her with a puzzled expression: "...Sister?"
Although she had no experience, Wen Ling didn't want Wen He to be sad, or for him to be constantly frowning over this matter, thus affecting his life: "Will you be obedient?"
Wen He nodded blankly.
“Then… a long, drawn-out pain is worse than a short, sharp one.” Wen Ling’s eyes were calm, her eyelids taut. “Don’t reply to her, don’t, have any more contact with her.”
Six months ago, he still vividly remembered locking himself in his room for three days and three nights. When he came out, he was like a soul that had been sucked away, without any energy or vitality, and very depressed.
Wen Ling didn't want to see him like this anymore.
Wen He slowly withdrew his outstretched hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "I know."
It was precisely because he clearly knew that there was no future for the two of them, yet he couldn't help wanting to know how she was doing, that he hesitated so much. If he softened his heart now, the future development would be even more unpredictable.
I calmed down for a few seconds.
Wen He pleaded, "Sister, I'll just take a look, see what she posted this time."
Wen Ling resisted the urge to roll her eyes and let out a heavy sigh: "See? I can't understand it, but I respect you, Xiao He. I think you've been doing quite well these past six months without her."
Wen He repeated, "I know, I'm just taking a look."
When he got his phone back, he eagerly opened it and saw that it was a group message of blessings sent to him by an unknown senior. Wen He slammed the phone face down on the table with a loud bang.
They were very resentful, as if they had been played for a fool.
Wen Ling was startled. Wen He lowered his head and muttered to himself, "She's doing quite well, so why would she bother to come and disrupt my life? What does she want? Didn't she leave so gracefully back then?"
"..." Wen Ling opened her mouth, about to offer some words of comfort.
"Sister Wenling!" Yan Qingli was as familiar as ever, sitting down next to her with her food. "What a coincidence, aren't you going out today?"
Wen Ling smiled and said, "I'll go after I finish eating."
She looked up and met Shang Chen's gaze. She nodded slightly as a greeting, and Shang Chen returned the smile.
When someone approached, Wen He quickly composed himself.
Glancing at the shadow beside him, he unusually refrained from making a scene and tacitly allowed him to sit down next to him.
He poked at his bowl, showing no intention of speaking.
Yan Qingli kept her mission in mind, so she tentatively asked, "Sister Wenling, where are you going to have fun? Could you take us with you?"
She pointed to herself and Shang Chen.
“…Huh?” Wen Ling’s expression faltered slightly. “You guys…are here too?”
Wen Ling assumed that the two of them had plenty of places to go.
Yan Qingli began her own immersive performance, pretending to be furious: "It's all because of my good brother. I don't know what's wrong with him today, but he insisted that I go to meet some blind date!"
After she finished speaking, she made a point of observing Wen He's reaction, but unfortunately, he didn't show even the slightest change. She lowered her eyes, feeling a tightness in her chest.
Wen Ling was surprised: "A...blind date?"
"So young... and already going on blind dates?"
"You find it incredible too, right?" Yan Qingli quickly composed herself and continued the story. "That's just how my brother is; he always likes to worry about things that aren't even real."
She seemed resigned to her fate: "I knew all along that I would... well, marry the person they approve of. I'm destined not to marry the person I love, but I don't want to be tied down so early, so I'm trying to escape whenever I can."
Wen Ling glanced at Wen He subconsciously.
He still didn't react, seemingly still thinking about Bai Weiwei, his ex-girlfriend.
Yan Qingli continued, "I only hang out with Shang Chen, and he doesn't really care about me."
Wen Ling looked at Shang Chen again, examining him seriously for the first time. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. No matter what he did, his back was always straight. He was gentle and gentlemanly, and his noble temperament was hard to ignore.
His parents must have poured a lot of patience and love into raising him to be so good.
Shang Chen restrained himself from looking up, and then gently kicked Yan Qingli at the foot. Yan Qingli let out a sound, which reminded her of the important point, and also brought Wen Ling back to her senses.
Wen Ling's face felt a little hot; her heart had just started beating very fast again.
"Sister Wenling, don't let his strength fool you, he's actually quite pitiful." Yan Qingli whispered this in her ear, her voice so soft that only the two of them could hear it.
Wen Ling's heart tightened, a mixture of curiosity and...an inexplicable worry: "...What's wrong?"
"His parents were in an arranged marriage, and after he was born, they went their separate ways. His father has many illegitimate children, and his mother stays abroad most of the time and doesn't come back. I heard she also has a goddaughter abroad. No one takes care of him. Shang Chen was raised by a nanny since he was a child, and he usually spends holidays alone..."
…
I don't know what words touched Wen Ling, but when she asked Wen He if she wanted to go watch the fireworks with them, it was as if something was irreversible.
Wen He didn't ask her why she changed her mind.
He originally wanted to see the sunrise even more, so the four-person temporary team happily decided to drive together to the neighboring county.
The atmosphere on the road was great, with upbeat music playing. Even the most depressed mood could be lifted up. Wen He danced to the rhythm of the music and almost got hyped up. Shang Chen, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly reminded him: "There are four lives in the car. It's not your time to get hyped up."
Wen He glared at him unhappily, but eventually withdrew his waving hand, gripped the steering wheel, and then mischievously opened the window on Shang Chen's side. A cold wind suddenly rushed in, and Shang Chen was hit by a mouthful of northwest wind, which made his hair stand on end. He kept his eyes closed, but his emotions remained very stable.
Sitting behind him, Yan Qingli was startled by the cold: "Shang Chen, are you sick? Why did you suddenly open the window?"
Wen He silently closed the window. After receiving a death stare from Shang Chen, he coughed and explained, "Um, I opened the window. Sorry."
"..."
Yan Qingli's arrogance vanished instantly, and she simply said, "Next time, tell me in advance."
"Heh." Shang Chen chuckled and continued to tidy his messy hair.
Yan Qingli shrank her neck guiltily, grabbed a few bags of snacks from the large bag in the middle of their seats, and offered them to him ingratiatingly. Shang Chen ignored her and refused to accept them even after several attempts. She leaned back in her seat angrily, turned her head to look at the scenery outside the window, and crunched the snacks in her mouth as if they were Shang Chen and Wen He.
Wen Ling watched silently, unable to suppress a smile. The harmonious atmosphere made her feel at ease, and she unconsciously became closer to everyone.
Wen Ling picked out a bag of blueberry-flavored mini cakes that she thought were delicious, tore it open, and then nudged Shang Chen's arm from behind the passenger seat.
Shang Chen turned around and met a pair of dark, bright eyes staring at him intently. The voice was soft: "Want to try one? It's delicious. Don't... don't be angry."
He looked down at her, but hadn't made a move yet. Wen He, who was beside him, also noticed this. He looked straight ahead and brought his mouth close, saying, "Sister, feed me one."
Wen Ling picked one up, about to feed it to him.
Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed. The grip was so tight that the cuffs of her down jacket couldn't release air in time, making a strange noise. Wen Ling and her brother watched as Shang Chen slowly moved her wrist until the small cake went into his mouth. Throughout the entire process, his gaze never left Wen Ling's face.
Shang Chen chewed, his mouth full of blueberry flavor, and said, "It's delicious, thank you."
Then they took the whole bag of Wenling.
She looked at Wen He with a smile that didn't reach her eyes: "Want to eat more?"
Wen He: "..."
He finally realized what was happening and got goosebumps all over his body: "Damn, Shang Chen, you're shameless."
Shang Chen curled his lips into a smile, showing no anger at being scolded: "Classmate, your manners need improvement."
The two people in front were exchanging barbs, while the person behind was engrossed in admiring the scenery. No one noticed Wen Ling, whose face had quietly turned red, as she stiffly leaned back in her seat.
The two fingers holding the cake were frozen in place, hanging limply on the legs, unable to move.
There was a faint scent of blueberries in the car.
Even the energetic music couldn't drown out Wen Ling's shy heartbeat.
…
We arrived at our destination around 5 p.m.
The winter sun sets early, and there was already a sunset in the distance. The sky was orange with a hint of pink, and many people instinctively took out their phones to take pictures of the afterglow of the setting sun.
Because we arrived late, the cable car had already stopped operating, so we had to climb up on our own. However, there were many other people with us who came to watch the fireworks and sunrise. Although it was crowded, at least we didn't have to worry about getting lost on the mountain.
Wen He did his research before coming.
There are tents and sleeping bags for rent at the top of the mountain, but they have been used by many people, so you can imagine how unclean they are. He suggested that we buy new tents and sleeping bags at the bottom of the mountain and bring them up, and no one objected.
After all the equipment was purchased, Yan Qingli suggested taking a group photo, with the last rays of the setting sun still visible in their silhouettes.
She put her arm around Wen Ling's shoulder first, and the two heads leaned together, looking at the screen and making appropriate expressions. Seeing that the other two were still standing still, she urged, "Hurry up, gentlemen, if you keep dawdling, you'll miss the 12 o'clock fireworks!"
It's likely that guys don't like taking pictures much and are somewhat afraid of the camera.
The two looked at each other.
In the end, Wen He took the first step and clearly moved to stand next to Wen Ling. Shang Chen saw this, took a big step to catch up, pushed Wen He aside, and took the spot next to Wen Ling in advance.
Wen He: "..."
He scoffed and walked over to Yan Qingli, not forgetting to glare at Shang Chen and mutter, "Pretentious."
Wen Ling happened to hear this, and she glared at him, her eyes clearly saying: You're swearing again?
Wen He: "..."
Shang Chen watched the whole process unfold and was overjoyed.
"Hey, stop laughing." Yan Qingli was clearly the best at taking photos among them. She patiently guided them on their poses. "Shang Chen, you're laughing out of the frame. Hurry up, we're in a rush."
Shang Chen restrained himself and tried to get into the frame from a suitable distance, but he could only show half of his face. Wen Ling saw this and moved closer to Yan Qingli, but it still didn't work.
The camera shifted to his position, and Wen He was no longer in the shot.
Yan Qingli said, "Shang Chen, why don't you squat down a little?"
Shang Chen did as instructed, but he was still a bit short. Yan Qingli was getting impatient and wanted to take action herself: "Can't you lean on Sister Wen Ling's shoulder? Why are you so clumsy?"
The other three: "..."
Wen He clicked his tongue in displeasure.
Shang Chen looked down at Wen Ling. In fact, they were already very close, shoulder to shoulder, her hair wrapped around and pressed tightly against his arm.
"Wen Ling, is this alright?"
Whether it was the nighttime atmosphere that was naturally conducive to creating ambiguity, or Shang Chen's deep voice that was so magnetic, Wen Ling got goosebumps all over after he asked that question, and her whole body felt as sensitive as if she had been electrocuted.
At this moment, she naturally couldn't speak.
She pursed her lips and nodded, then felt the warmth of his breath approaching her ear and a slight pressure on her shoulder.
…So intimate.
Her ears were itchy, her heart was pounding, and Wen Ling felt like she was on fire.
As Yan Qingli told her to look at the camera, Wen Ling mechanically looked at the camera, her mind blank. She didn't know what she was doing or how she should react next.
They didn't even know when the group photo session ended.
Yan Qingli had just put away her phone when Wen He came around, shoved Shang Chen aside, looked at him unhappily, then grabbed Wen Ling's wrist and followed the group up the mountain: "Sister, let's go."
For the first time, Shang Chen felt that Wen He, this sister-obsessed guy, was truly his mortal enemy. Looking at Yan Qingli, who was still picking out photos, he suddenly attacked: "Why haven't you won Wen He over yet?"
"..." Yan Qingli looked up from her phone and glanced at him speechlessly, "Can't you speak properly?"
"He has an ex-girlfriend he can't forget. What can I do? I don't want to pursue her anymore. You can be heartbroken with me."
Shang Chen: "..."
…
Climbing mountains is very tiring, but fortunately the mountains are not too difficult to climb.
After about three hours, they reached the top of the mountain. They found a quiet open space where not many people were around, and set up their tents together.
After the tent had taken a rough shape...
The two girls took on a new task: they moved four chairs and brought some snacks to reserve front-row seats to watch the fireworks.
It was getting late, so we managed to find a front-row seat squeezed into a corner. We sat down, ate some snacks, and chatted idly.
They were both a little absent-minded.
"Sister Wenling, may I ask you some questions about Wen He's ex-girlfriend?"
The night wind was strong on the mountaintop, making the snack bags rattle. Despite the noise around them, Yan Qingli was so nervous that she could hear her own heartbeat, which was deafening.
Wen Ling touched her still-burning earlobe and asked, "What...do you want to know?"
"How were they separated? During graduation season? Did they not get into the same university?"
Wen Ling thought for a moment, then nodded: "You could say that."
Yan Qingli smiled bitterly: "Wen He was the one who got separated, right? He still likes her."
Wen Ling pursed her lips, unsure how to answer.
She sensed that Yan Qingli was about to cry.
Yan Qingli really wanted to cry. The night wind made her eyes red, and she said, "That day, I saw a girl's high school uniform ID photo in his phone case. It wasn't you."
Wen Ling hadn't expected this either, and it took her a long time to react. She gently patted her back and whispered, "...Sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to me?" Yan Qingli smiled, but a crystal-clear tear rolled down her cheek. "Feelings can't be forced, Wen Ling. He did nothing wrong, and you did nothing wrong either. There's no need to apologize."
Wen Ling regretted not getting a tissue from Shang Chen earlier. After watching for a while, she grabbed her scarf and wiped Yan Qingli's endless tears, saying softly, "But... he made you sad, so it's his fault."
Wen Ling stammered, "You are a very good girl. Perhaps Wen He was momentarily moved by you, which is why you are so brave."
Yan Qingli was stunned for a long time before quietly looking at her.
In the end, I couldn't hold back anymore, buried my face in her arms, and cried for a very long time...
_
The promised fireworks display for four ended up being watched by only Wen Ling and Shang Chen.
One person, not wanting to reveal their emotions, hid in their tent and refused to come out, while the other had become noticeably restless since receiving a phone call.
When Shang Chen arrived, he brought a thin blanket he had bought down the mountain and covered Wen Ling with it, saying, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
Wen Ling sat up straight subconsciously, refusing and wanting to say no, but Shang Chen raised an eyebrow at her: "I don't mind if we both get one."
Wen Ling felt that familiar shyness return in an instant: "You...you, sigh..."
"What do you want to say?" Shang Chen turned to look at her. "It's okay, take your time."
Wen Ling pursed her lips, and Shang Chen said again, "Wen Ling, after I found out the day I went back, I checked a lot of information. In your case, it is possible to intervene manually."
After a moment of surprise, Wen Ling nodded. Unable to speak yet, she took out her phone, lowered the brightness, and typed: "I contacted a teacher before, but the results weren't very good, so I stopped."
Shang Chen frowned. He could almost immediately guess that it was because of that teacher's appearance that Wen Ling had become completely resistant to the matter. However, for some reason, she had the idea of trying it again recently.
He tentatively asked, "Why did you want to find an agency in the first place? Did you look for any more agencies afterward?"
Wen Ling thought for a moment before typing: "I just feel that I should make some changes. My older brother has been helping me find a one-on-one tutor, but we haven't found a suitable one yet."
Almost without hesitation.
As if he had been waiting for this sentence, Shang Chen immediately replied.
"And me?"
"Wen Ling, if I were to become your teacher, would you be willing?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
It's going to be a paid chapter tomorrow, and there will be a long chapter dropping too. Thanks for your support!
My next book is "Sweet Sparrow," the synopsis is below, feel free to add it to your favorites if you're interested!
Sweet Sparrow Synopsis
Shen Que possessed a face favored by the Creator, but she had no good family background and was penniless. In her senior year of college, a friend pointed her in the right direction: she became involved with Wen Tingsi, a famous prince in the capital, and would live a life of comfort and ease.
I must say, the competition in this field is quite fierce.
After two or three months of staged accidents, Shen Que unexpectedly caught the eye of Wen Ting Si, fought his way out from among his admirers, and successfully rose to the top.
That day, Wen Tingsi touched her earlobe and asked, "What do you want the money for?"
Shen Que blinked and honestly replied, "I want to open a dessert shop."
Hearing this, Si laughed and kissed her, saying, "You're so cute."
-
Throughout this relationship, Shen Que was always clear about her own perspective, so when she unintentionally saw a strange woman next to Wen Tingsi, she was not surprised, but comforted herself that the relationship could end.
She left quietly.
Little did she know that the man had turned the place upside down.
When they found her, Chen Que still had a small cake in her mouth. Hearing this, Si angrily snatched the cake from her mouth, bit her lip, and suppressed a sob: "Que Que, I've been looking for you so hard I'm going crazy. Don't leave me."
Chen Que: "......."
Well, actually, she was reluctant to part with it too.
#DoubleC
#Sweet Mary Sue Novel
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