Chapter 119
Jin Chuwan looked at Jiang Chen, who was carrying a tray and bending down to tidy up the table, which was covered with computers and some company documents, with a framed photo at the very back.
That was their graduation photo from junior high school.
She remembered that the whole family came to pick them up that day. Perhaps because the weather was so nice, Uncle Jiang spontaneously took a picture at the school gate.
She heard Uncle Jiang say "cheese" while holding up his camera, but neither of them responded.
That day, the two of them stood together awkwardly and stiffly, like three-dimensional sculptures placed in front of a fast food restaurant.
They didn't even look at the camera.
After all, they had just had a fight not long ago.
Kim Cho-wan recalled, her gaze passing through the photograph to look at herself on that day.
Why was it again?
Jin Chuwan tilted her head slightly, her distant memories like a waterlogged book, old, hard, crooked, and blurry.
Jiang Chen put down his plate and turned around to see Jin Chuwan staring intently at the photograph.
He paused slightly, and a complex mix of emotions, including regret and pity, flashed briefly in his dark eyes.
"Actually, I often regret that I should have just agreed without considering my feelings back then."
Jin Chuwan was taken aback and looked at him.
Their eyes met, and like a video buffering after a data throttling, Jin Chuwan's expression shifted frame by frame: bewilderment, realization, panic, embarrassment.
She remembered, but it would have been better if she hadn't remembered at all.
Kim Cho-wan smiled somewhat awkwardly.
That day was the first time she confessed her feelings to Jiang Chen.
To be precise, it's not exactly accurate.
During that time, Jiang Chen suddenly started showing her inexplicable affection. He said they should get closer, so he would look for her after class and during lunch break every day, occupying all her free time. After being constantly asked by classmates and reminded by the legendary school heartthrob's fan club, Jin Chuwan's patience finally ran out.
She found him and asked in a weary, bored tone, "Want to be in a relationship?"
Jin Chuwan couldn't remember what Jiang Chen's expression was or what he said back then. She only remembered that she was rejected. Later, whenever he approached her again, he would darken his expression if she said anything ambiguous.
Gradually, she began to regard it as a subtle and special tool. She felt that Jiang Chen was also aware of this, so the two of them kept their distance and remained tacitly in sync.
As time passed, the absurdity of the past was unearthed, and it felt like a public execution, making Jin Chuwan feel uneasy.
She saw him smiling, his beautiful eyes slightly narrowed.
"I mean it, I regret it."
Jin Chuwan was speechless. After a brief moment of helplessness, she lowered her head and sighed.
"Even if you had agreed back then, the outcome would probably have been the same."
He was still immature, while she thought she had grown up.
Jiang Chen smiled after hearing this. He glanced at his bed and suddenly pointed.
"Um, may I rest here for a while?"
When he asked, he looked at her, and although it was a question, his attitude was a little cautious, as if he was afraid of upsetting her.
Jin Chuwan was taken aback; she was a little unaccustomed to Jiang Chen like this.
She thought he should be aloof and arrogant, just like in the books, keeping people at arm's length and never showing weakness.
She looked at Jiang Chen; he was still waiting for her reply.
"Why are you asking me? This is your room."
Jiang Chen listened with a puzzled expression. He lowered his head and looked at Jin Chuwan again: "So... is it okay or not? You don't need to care whose room this is. If you don't like it, I'll leave..."
The room's owner, who was usually not easy to talk to, was now behaving like a docile, humble person, seemingly genuinely asking for permission to use the room. Jin Chuwan looked away, somewhat suspecting that this was Jiang Chen's doing.
"There's nothing wrong with that. You can rest if you want, if you don't mind me disturbing you."
After Jin Chuwan finished speaking, Jiang Chen smiled, his dark eyes filled with a kind of joy. He didn't continue with the previous polite negotiation, but instead lifted the covers and lay down neatly.
"You went to bed early last night, but those guys kept me talking until almost dawn... To be honest, I'm still completely dazed..."
He complained as he pulled the blanket over himself, and Jin Chuwan watched as he tilted his head slightly and closed his eyes.
The room was quiet, with only the chirping of cicadas outside the window. The light-colored curtains fluttered, and only the young man's head was visible, looking obedient and compliant.
Kim Cho-wan felt like her eyes were about to go bad.
She rubbed her eyes and pulled out a chair to sit down, ignoring everything else; if she didn't eat soon, her breakfast would get cold.
Jin Chuwan spent the entire morning hiding in Jiang Chen's room. During this time, a maid tried to come in to clean, but upon seeing that Jiang Chen was asleep, she immediately apologized and left.
Perhaps some rumors had spread, but the way they looked at her seemed a little strange.
It seems somewhat unbelievable, or absurd yet imbued with a sense of awe.
Whether it was positive or negative, the Jiang family's servants and bodyguards were all very polite to her.
The people who discussed business last night are all asleep in their respective places. Around noon, Jin Chuwan retrieved her clothes.
She glanced at her phone. She had already applied to cancel the annual leave she had taken, so she would have to go back to work tomorrow. For the rest of the afternoon, Jin Chuwan planned to go out and relax.
Before she left, she left a note for Cheng Ya.
Jin Chuwan opened the sea fishing group, arranged a spot, and then went home to pack his gear.
She's been busy with Cheng Xiucheng's matter lately, but now that it's finally over, she wants to enjoy some personal time.
There were already quite a few people on the boat when she boarded with her fishing rod. She found an empty spot and set up her rod. The weather was pretty good today, but whether she could catch a good fish depended on luck.
The sea breeze was strong. Kim Cho-wan pulled out the drawstring of her hat and tied it up, gazing intently at the azure sea.
She was lucky today, getting some fish soon after casting her line, but the rest of the time it was just so-so, with some insignificant small fish and two octopuses.
Jin Chuwan looked at the mollusk she had caught with a bit of a dilemma; she wasn't very good at handling it.
It was almost dark when she carried the bucket home.
The house was quiet. Jin Chuwan originally thought no one was home, but when she turned on the light, she was suddenly stunned.
Several large boxes were placed in the room. Cheng Xiucheng was resting on the sofa, while Jiang Chen and Li Xing'en sat next to him.
All three looked exhausted. When Jin Chuwan came in, they only gave her a perfunctory greeting.
What are you doing here?
Jin Chuwan was wearing a hat, carrying a bucket and a fishing rod, looking as if she had just returned from a long swim.
Seeing her stunned expression, Li Xingen sighed, stood up, and took the water tank from her hands.
How many did you catch?
After asking the question, he squatted down and lifted the lid to take a look. Jin Chuwan saw him stick out his finger and poke it in the water twice, but he didn't put it in.
Kim Cho-wan took off her hat and hung it behind the door, then squatted down as well.
Although she wasn't as good as the other experts, she was generally satisfied with her haul today: "Two groupers, two octopuses, and three black sea bream."
Li Xingen watched her gently shake the water tank and tentatively spoke.
"You fished all by yourself?"
Jin Chuwan originally wanted to ask them how they ended up there, but when she heard Li Xing'en ask this, she immediately explained, "It's alright, we were just lucky. We caught two fish in a row. This black sea bream only weighs about a kilogram, it's pretty ordinary. I've caught cod this big before..."
Jiang Chen turned his head to look at Jin Chuwan, who was gesturing with her hands. She had a smile on her face and looked very interested.
"Take me with you next time."
Jiang Chen rested his head on the armrest of the sofa, his whole body tilted to one side, his fluffy, soft black hair hanging down.
Jin Chuwan, who was recounting her catches, suddenly paused, as if she had finally realized that what she had caught today or in the past was not the point.
She put the fishing gear aside, then glanced at the open boxes in the living room, which looked to be full of men's clothing. There were also two business-looking laptops on the dining table.
"You...you're going to stay here?"
Li Xing'en nodded, her gray eyes curving slightly, giving her a gentle and elegant look.
"Okay, I can take care of you at home from now on. Don't you like that, Auntie?"
Jin Chuwan was a little shocked. She immediately turned to look at Cheng Xiucheng, who had been quite quiet today.
"Where is Cheng Yaren?"
The man touched his nose, looking somewhat guilty. He pointed to the room next door and led Jin Chuwan there.
Soon, Kim Cho-wan left.
The only problem is that the sound of the door opening and closing is a little loud.
The three men in the living room faintly heard Cheng Ya pleading for mercy coming from inside the house, but none of them had any intention of intervening or stepping forward.
May you have good fortune, Cheng Ya.
As her older brother, Sung Soo-seung could only offer her this one sentence.
After a while, Kim Cho-wan came out of the room, with Sung-ah following behind her.
The young lady of the Cheng family, who is usually untouchable, is now standing aside with a forced smile. Judging from Jin Chuwan's appearance, she seems to have been persuaded, but her gaze towards Jiang Chen and Li Xingen is still somewhat piercing.
However, she didn't say anything.
After all, she wasn't the landlord, and Cheng Ya had just said that the rent was quite substantial, so she didn't seem to have any reason to stop her from making money.
After returning to the living room, she glanced at the doorway.
Where is my fish?
Upon hearing Kim Cho-wan's question, Sung Soo-seung poked his head out from the kitchen.
“I’m handling it, you can come and lend a hand.”
Kim Cho-wan went into the kitchen, and Lee Sung-eun was also inside. Sung Soo-seung seemed to be giving instructions, while Lee Sung-eun looked a little troubled holding the scissors.
"Can't you handle it?"
Li Xingen shook her head.
"I just think it tastes fishy..."
"Then I'll do it."
Kim Cho-wan rummaged through the kitchen and, finding no extra aprons, turned to look at Sung Soo-seung.
"Your arm isn't healed yet, so don't cause any more trouble here..."
She said she was going to untie Cheng Xiucheng's apron, but the man in front of her suddenly nervously avoided her.
Jin Chuwan looked up in confusion. She only wanted to help him untie the strap around his neck, but his reaction was too much.
The kitchen fell silent for a moment.
Cheng Xiucheng glanced at the fingertips so close to his face, his eyes flickering with a hint of guilt.
He also felt that his movement to avoid her was a bit exaggerated, but what could he do when she suddenly leaned in?
He thought she was going to touch him...
Perhaps out of embarrassment and anger following the misunderstanding, Sung Soo-seung suddenly changed his expression and pushed Kim Cho-wan out of the kitchen.
"Alright, you should go sit in the living room. This kind of fish-killing and chicken-slaughtering is something men should do."
Jin Chuwan, who had been kicked out, couldn't help but feel angry. She turned her head to look at the man behind her.
"What are you doing? One minute you want my help, the next you want me to go out?"
"It's nothing, I just felt like you'd only make things worse..."
Kim Cho-wan was speechless, but Sung Soo-seung was just that willful and incomprehensible. She chuckled briefly and then looked towards the kitchen.
"Fine, then you'd better not come looking for me again."
Kim Cho-wan finished speaking and left.
Li Xingen looked at the scissors in her hand, her gaze sweeping over the man beside her. His expression remained gentle, but the mockery in his eyes was a little too obvious.
"It seems I misunderstood you; you weren't faking it."
"You are truly innocent."
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