Did Chapter 32 scare you?
Wen Ling's usual style of dressing is very simple.
Her style is primarily casual and comfortable, and the colors of her clothes are mostly light, just like her personality—gentle and unassuming.
When her roommates heard that she was going to wear full makeup on her date with Shang Chen, they were all as excited as if they had found their own boyfriends. They quickly discussed and divided the work, each taking charge of their own area.
Zhong Yuting was in charge of styling her clothes, and the sentence she said most often was: "Lingling, you are so beautiful and have such a great figure, you should try different styles. Don't just wear hoodies and loose jeans all the time. Show off your great figure, okay!"
Zhong Yuting offered a new outfit she hadn't had a chance to wear yet: a light blue off-the-shoulder top and tight flared jeans that perfectly showcased her curves. The men's eyes burned with desire as they looked at her: "Lingling, what do you need to win me over? Can you not be picky about gender?"
Wen Ling covered her mouth with laughter: "You guys are exaggerating."
It was her first time wearing such revealing clothes, and she was still a little uncomfortable. She kept subconsciously touching her neck, trying to cover something up.
“Beautiful lady, be more confident, hold your head high and stand tall,” Yang Lan said. “You look absolutely stunning.”
Even my perpetually straight hair was casually curled a couple of times.
Her face, which originally looked like a child's, suddenly exuded a mature aura. Wen Ling could hardly recognize herself in the mirror; it was so different from her usual style.
I just got to the dormitory building.
Wen He's message came through, a voice message, his tone half-dead: "Sis, are you back yet?"
Wen Ling: [You're back.]
Wen He: "I want to go for a walk. Will you come with me?"
Wen Ling scratched his head awkwardly. He was in a special situation right now and rarely had such a need. If he refused, he was afraid that it would hurt him even more.
But... Shang Chen's pinned message was also quite eye-catching: "[Arrived at school, about ten more minutes.]"
She tentatively typed a few words: 【How about later?】
Wen He rolled over on the bed: "Never mind then, I don't want to move later anyway. It's okay, I'll just turn around by myself."
Wen Ling's heart skipped a beat. She felt a strange pang of pity for him; even the simple phrase "never mind" betrayed his hurt: "Then come down, I'll come over now."
Having another person to eat with, etc.
Shang Chen probably wouldn't mind, right?
…
From a distance of several dozen meters, Shang Chen spotted a figure waiting at the entrance of the girls' dormitory. He didn't immediately think of Wen Ling, but as he got closer, he saw that Wen Ling's makeup and hairstyle were completely different from before. He stood there stunned for a moment, then, as if remembering something, the corners of his lips curled up.
Pretending not to see it, I walked straight past.
As soon as Wen Ling turned around, a figure flashed before her eyes. Shang Chen ignored her and didn't recognize her. Unaware of this, she patted his shoulder and said, "I'm here."
Upon hearing the voice, Shang Chen turned his head, stared directly at her, and after a few seconds, said in surprise, "Fairy, haven't we met somewhere before?"
Wen Ling: "..."
Wen Ling could never stand this kind of teasing, and she would blush and turn red as soon as she was teased. She stammered, "Be normal... a little."
"Hmm?" Shang Chen smiled. "What's wrong with you? You really are as beautiful as a fairy, and you can't even accept compliments?"
Wen Ling looked at the curious glances from those around her and wanted to disappear into the ground. Shang Chen was still staring at her. Wen Ling's heart was pounding. She took a few steps behind him and nudged his back: "Let's go eat."
Shang Chen let her push him along, walking leisurely. When he looked back at her, his eyes were still filled with a smile: "Why are you so easily embarrassed?"
Wen Ling hid behind him like a quail, refusing to let him see. After a moment of silence, she whispered, "I'm not used to wearing these kinds of clothes."
The two of them walked around like King Qin circling a pillar, with Shang Chen turning and Wen Ling following. In the end, they could only walk one in front of the other. Shang Chen was a little annoyed, saying, "I dressed up specially so that he wouldn't see me: 'Then why did you still put it on?'"
"...They said it looked good."
"I think it looks good too." Shang Chen turned around, only able to see half of her face. "But some people won't let me look at it more than a few times."
Wen Ling did some mental preparation before whispering, "Then don't... keep staring at me."
His eyes looked like he wanted to devour her.
"…OK."
Wen Ling walked alongside him, and Shang Chen indeed stopped turning his head frequently. The two walked quietly together, and many students took photos and posted them on the forum, which immediately sparked a lot of discussion. It was only a matter of time before the handsome man and beautiful woman got together.
The top comment in the comments section, "I envy Wen Ling's life," has been flooded with comments.
The two parties involved were unaware of how lively the online discussion was. Only Shang Chen, seeing that the route they were taking was getting increasingly wrong, finally couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going?"
Wen Ling glanced at him, feeling a little guilty: "...I forgot to tell you something."
Shang Chen stopped in his tracks: "What?"
He had a bad feeling.
Wen Ling forced a smile and, under his oppressive gaze, slowly uttered a name: "...Wen He".
"He's going to eat with us."
Without a second thought, Shang Chen said, "No, let him go."
“But he broke up with his girlfriend.” Wen Ling clasped her hands together, looked up at him, and pouted. “Special circumstances, please, please…”
Shang Chen: "..."
He closed his eyes briefly and scratched his forehead. Although he didn't say anything, Wen Ling knew he had agreed as soon as he lifted his foot again. Wen Ling looked down at his hand, which was hanging naturally at his side. She bit her lip, her heart pounding like a drum, and reached out to hold it. She could clearly feel Shang Chen pause for a moment, and then quickly return the grip, which was warm and gentle.
Just as Shang Chen was about to look over, Wen Ling blushed and said, "Don't turn around."
A slight smile spread across Shang Chen's face; he was easily appeased: "Okay, whatever you say."
When we arrived at the boys' dormitory, we could see Wen He standing by the wall at the dormitory entrance, making a phone call and kicking pebbles at his feet.
After finishing the call, Wen He put away his phone and glanced at them unintentionally. At first glance, he didn't recognize them. He lowered his head to send a message to Wen Ling. After taking a few steps, he felt something was wrong. When he looked up again, he finally recognized Wen Ling next to Shang Chen.
He exclaimed in shock, "Sis, why are you dressed like this? You've changed your style so much, I almost didn't recognize you!"
Wen Ling just wanted to cover his mouth: "Let's go, let's go eat."
Wen He looked at her with great curiosity, and was about to slowly appreciate her when he suddenly realized what was going on. Looking at Shang Chen, who had appeared with them, and their hands that were still clasped together, he exclaimed, "Holy crap?"
The heartbreak of a breakup couldn't compare to the shock of this scene. Wen He stepped forward and severed the red thread, separating their hands, then shamelessly squeezed between them: "Sis, I must be seeing things. Did this bastard force you? You didn't want to agree to him so soon, did you?"
Seeing Wen He's incredulous expression, as if struck by lightning, Wen Ling really didn't want to hurt his feelings at this moment. She opened her mouth, trying to be tactful: "No, I—"
Shang Chen put his arm around Wen He's shoulder and raised an eyebrow: "Brother, although your sister hasn't agreed to me yet, it's only a matter of time."
Wen Ling curiously peeked at him.
So he assumed they weren't together yet?
"Why are you holding hands when you're not even together? That's indecent!"
Wen Ling: "..."
"What's wrong with me exercising my rights in advance?" Shang Chen curled his lips. "I can also call you...brother-in-law in advance."
"Damn it." Wen He shoved him away. "Get lost, have you no shame?"
Shang Chen staggered back a few steps, then clutched his heart, looked at Wen Ling, and blinked painfully, "It hurts so much..."
Even though she knew he was faking it, Wen Ling couldn't help but step forward to show her concern, touching his chest area: "Did it really hurt?"
Wen He couldn't bear to look and turned his head away.
Shang Chen chuckled a few times and took the opportunity to touch her little hand: "It doesn't hurt, I was just kidding. How come you can't tell? You silly girl."
Wen Ling glared at him, then slapped his hand away, still annoyed: "Then next time, I won't care about you."
"I was wrong." Shang Chen immediately slid to his knees. "Don't be so cruel to me."
"Hurry up, are you going to eat or not? You're so slow," Wen He urged from afar.
The two exchanged a smile and quickly followed. The three of them walked noisily along the sycamore-lined avenue until the intrusion of two strangers brought their smiles to an abrupt halt.
"Excuse me, Mr. Shang, I'm sorry to bother you."
They were the two bodyguards I had just met at the hospital.
They looked at Wen Ling, who was walking very close to Shang Chen, and then glanced at Shang Chen, saying in a flat tone, "President Ge said she hopes you can behave yourself; she likes boys who are clean-cut."
Wen Ling frowned and gripped Shang Chen's arm tightly.
Shang Chen and Wen He shielded her in the middle, and without saying a word, they tacitly moved aside.
The bodyguard blocked his path: "Mr. Shang, don't make things difficult for us, otherwise..."
He glanced meaningfully at Wen Ling: "Such a pretty young girl... it's a bit of a pity."
Before Shang Chen could figure it out, Wen He had already kicked him: "Who the hell are you threatening? I hate people like you who are just showing off."
The change happened in an instant. The two bodyguards didn't intend to make a move, but being men, their anger was easily ignited, and they got up and went to meet the attack.
Shang Chen reacted and kicked back, and the four of them immediately started fighting. The bodyguards were tall and strong and had undergone systematic training, so Shang Chen and his companion quickly gained the upper hand.
Wen Ling was pushed aside, biting her lip tightly, forcing herself to calm down, and then forcing herself to call her counselor. When the call connected, she experienced stress symptoms that had disappeared for a long time, and couldn't speak for a long time.
"Hello? Who is it? Why aren't you answering?"
"lao...lao..." She could only utter a few breathy sounds.
"Who is it? I'm hanging up if you don't answer."
Tears streamed silently down Wen Ling's face. She glanced at Shang Chen and Wen He, who were pinned to the ground, their veins bulging, and suddenly slapped herself hard across the face. "Teacher, I...I...I'm Wen Ling. Suddenly, some outsiders barged into the school...barged in and beat up students..."
After ending the call, Wen Ling was covered in sweat. She squatted on the ground, panting heavily. She saw many male students passing by spontaneously going up to help. A few minutes later, the school security guards, who had received the news, arrived in a patrol car with protective gear. With everyone working together, they quickly subdued the two bodyguards.
"Mr. Shang, this is not going to end."
Before leaving, the bodyguard uttered a harsh remark.
Wen He was in pain all over, but he stubbornly got up and spat at him, "If you're so tough, let's fight again. I'm not afraid of you."
Shang Chen was helped up. He had lacerations of varying degrees around his eyes and mouth, and several cuts and bloodstains on his hands. He stood up, shook his slightly dizzy head, and staggered through the crowd to find Wen Ling, whose legs were too weak to stand.
His eyes were red and swollen. He knelt down and hugged her, saying, "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
Wen Ling shook her head, but held him tightly and wouldn't let go. Her tears kept dripping onto his neck, burning Shang Chen's heart.
…
Many people came to the infirmary.
Wen Zan and Chen Yao both came over, applying medicine to Wen He while admonishing him to act impulsively. Yan Qingli also came, originally wanting to see Shang Chen, but the atmosphere between the two of them, where they could only see each other, made her feel too embarrassed to stand aside as a third wheel.
He could only stay with Wen He, staring at him and listening to him get scolded.
Wen Ling looked at the various small wounds on Shang Chen's face, holding back her tears. Some of the wounds had already swelled up, which was affecting his handsome appearance.
Shang Chen sat on the hospital bed, with Wen Ling standing between his legs. She cupped his face in her hands and blew on each of his wounds, knowing he was in pain but unable to ask if he was still in pain. In the end, Wen Ling turned her head and kissed his untreated face repeatedly, then carefully hugged his neck, staying quietly in one place without saying a word.
After a long while, Wen Ling finally snapped out of her lingering fear and looked at him with teary eyes: "Who are they?"
Shang Chen frowned, reluctant to say it and worry her, but if he didn't say it, she would worry even more. Just as he was struggling with whether to speak, there was a knock on the door. The two turned around and saw Wen Zan.
"Big brother..."
Wen Zan smiled, walked over and patted her head: "Lingling, I want to talk to him alone for a while. Why don't you go and keep Xiao He company first?"
Wen Ling glanced at Shang Chen.
The latter gave her a reassuring look. She lowered her head, wiping away her tears, and said okay. Reluctantly, she left the room. The door closed, and she could hear nothing more.
Wen Zan was in the room to inquire about the details.
When asked, Wen He was completely clueless, knowing nothing. He had only heard that someone was trying to scare Lingling, and in a moment of impulsiveness, he rushed over.
Wen Zan understood that if someone could send two bodyguards to follow Shang Chen, what they said wouldn't be a joke. If they really angered the person behind him, Wen Ling might actually be in danger.
"Who sent them?"
Shang Chen gave his name truthfully.
A hint of surprise flashed in Wen Zan's eyes: "It's her? How did you get involved with her?"
It's no wonder Wen Zan was so shocked. After all, when he first came to G City to develop his career, he was busy making arrangements and heard a lot of gossip. He had heard of Ge Qingqing before and had always kept his distance from her.
Shang Chen tugged at his hair in frustration and told him about his scumbag father's despicable thoughts.
The Shang family business was at its peak when Shang Chen's grandfather was alive. After his death, Shang Mingzhi took over, and the business began to decline. Although it still appears to be the richest family, this title is no longer secure.
Shang Mingzhi is not very knowledgeable.
The group's board of directors had a lot of complaints about him and were trying to find ways to kick him out of the board and undermine his voice. Shang Mingzhi had no ability, so he had no choice but to take a risk and get in touch with Ge Qingqing.
Although Ge Qingqing is a woman, she wields real power in the officialdom. Her network of connections is incredibly complex. Over the years, she has secretly committed many outrageous acts, all of which have been suppressed without any impact on her career. She continues to rise even after her promotions.
"So what do you plan to do now?" Wen Zan asked. "This woman isn't so easy to get rid of, and besides..."
Wen Zan truthfully expressed his concerns: "Lingling has probably already been targeted by her."
Shang Chen gripped the bed sheet beneath him tightly.
From the moment Wen Zan came in, he roughly guessed that this matter would be discussed, and he also roughly guessed that the Wen family would subtly advise him to break up with Wen Ling as soon as possible.
He said in a low, hoarse voice, "I will do everything in my power to protect her. Can... we not be separated?"
Wen Zan knew Wen Ling would be sad.
But he didn't want his sister to take the risk, so he slowly shook his head: "I can't make that decision. In my heart, I hope she has nothing to do with you. Before and after this incident, our family didn't really approve of her being with you. We only followed her wishes because she liked you."
“But things are different now. It could involve her safety. Lingling is still young and doesn’t understand the wickedness of people or the seriousness of this matter. I hope you can explain this to her.”
Shang Chen slowly clenched his fist, the air became thick, and it felt as if his heart had been ripped out and squeezed tightly, making it impossible for him to breathe.
"If she still insists on being with you..."
Shang Chen suddenly got a breather. He looked up and saw Wen Zan's mouth opening and closing as she said the words that had saved him: "I still stand by what I said, I respect her wishes, and I hope you can really keep your word and protect her."
"If she gets hurt in the slightest, I will take her away without hesitation."
…
"What...did my brother say to you?"
Wen Zan took Wen He out to eat.
They were given enough private space to talk.
Wen Ling booked a private room at a restaurant near the school. As soon as she entered, she couldn't wait to find out what they were talking about.
When she sensed it, both of them looked rather somber, which made her very uneasy.
Shang Chen forced a smile, which made the wound on his lip hurt a little, and he hissed.
Wen Ling hurriedly patted his hand gently: "Don't laugh."
Shang Chen took her hand and said very seriously, "Lingling, I have something very serious to tell you. You need to think it over carefully. I'm not joking."
"…What?"
Sure enough, what was bound to happen would happen. Wen Ling listened nervously as he spoke, first hearing about Ge Qingqing's glorious deeds, then about how the two bodyguards were sent by Ge Qingqing to monitor him, and finally, when he heard that Ge Qingqing had already set her sights on him.
Wen Ling's mind was in complete turmoil.
Her eyes were vacant; she had never imagined it would be such a terrible incident. She naively thought that the two people simply had a conflict with Shang Chen.
As clever as she was, Wen Ling almost immediately thought: "Did your older brother tell you about us breaking up?"
Under her gaze, Shang Chen nodded: "It's only natural; they're worried about you."
"So what did you answer?" Wen Ling dodged his hand that was about to be grasped.
"I don't want to be separated from you."
Wen Ling pouted before placing her hand in his palm: "I thought you thought the same way, that for my safety you didn't want to have any more contact with me."
Shang Chen looked at her gently: "Don't you think I'm selfish? Knowing there's danger, I still want to keep you by my side."
Wen Ling shook her head: "I would only think you are selfish if you abandoned me."
Seeing the worry in Shang Chen's eyes, Wen Ling reached out and gently smoothed it out for him: "Don't worry about things that haven't happened yet. I'm fine, and you'll be fine too."
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