Chapter 81
Jin Chuwan remained silent for a moment, then stepped aside to let the two of them in.
The old-fashioned air conditioner in the room made a loud rumbling noise as soon as it started, the midday news was playing on the TV, and with two more people coming in, the room suddenly became both noisy and crowded.
Kim Cho-wan brought out chairs for the two of them to sit down, and then turned and went to the kitchen.
Ran Xian's gaze followed Jin Chuwan. He was about to speak when he saw Li Xing'en also walk over.
He slowly frowned.
The two were preparing tea in the kitchen, yet they stood together, appearing quite intimate. Jin Chuwan was boiling water, while Li Xing'en expertly opened the cupboard.
Suddenly, Ran Xian felt like an outsider.
This feeling made him vaguely unhappy, but he didn't react.
A moment later, Jin Chuwan came out of the kitchen with two cups of tea. Li Xingen was still in the kitchen, seemingly preparing fruit. Ran Xian stared at her quietly for a while before looking away.
He looked at Jin Chuwan sitting at the table, crossed his legs, and sat up: "I really don't understand..."
As Ran Xian spoke, his gaze swept across the kitchen before finally settling on Jin Chuwan.
"You clearly want to sever ties with him, but why do I feel like you're getting closer to him instead?"
Jin Chuwan was slightly taken aback by the question. Subconsciously, she avoided Ran Xian's gaze and gave an somewhat unnatural explanation.
"After all... we've known each other for so long, it's not something that can be ended so easily..."
Ran Xian nodded in agreement, chuckled, and shifted to a more comfortable position to speak: "So what do we do later? Don't tell me he's going to come along on our date?"
Jin Chuwan pressed her temples. She hadn't expected Li Xing'en to come so early, so she asked directly, "Did you specifically come to see me today because you have something to say?"
"Of course there's something wrong."
Ran Xian sat up straight as he spoke, raising an eyebrow at Jin Chuwan.
"We're in a mutual support relationship now, right?"
Ran Xian's face showed some unease as he spoke. He glanced at Jin Chuwan with a flicker in his eyes, and then explained in a low voice.
"There's a family gathering at my house next week. My parents will be there, along with a few uncles and my cousin. You... will come with me."
"Why should I go? I'm not..."
As Jin Chuwan spoke, Li Xingen prepared a fruit platter. He stood in the kitchen, watching the two people whose heads were almost touching, and the smile in his eyes faded for a moment.
"What are you talking about that makes you so happy?"
A clear, elegant voice interrupted the two people who were discussing something.
Ran Xian and Jin Chuwan exchanged glances. Jin Chuwan wanted to continue refusing, but considering that Li Xingen was nearby, she could only swallow the rest of her words.
Seeing that Jin Chuwan had shut up, Ran Xian seemed to be in a good mood. He glanced at the fruit plate critically, and then ate the fruit that Li Xingen had cut without any politeness.
"I never imagined that a pampered young master like you would do such things?"
Lee Sung-eun chuckled softly upon hearing this, seemingly unconcerned. He pulled out the chair next to Kim Cho-wan and sat down, his arm casually resting on the back of the chair, making it appear as if he was half-embracing Kim Cho-wan.
"It doesn't matter, it's all a small matter."
Ran Xian glanced at Jin Chuwan, who was completely unaware. The displeasure that had just dissipated suddenly returned. He had never had any good feelings towards Li Xing'en; he only maintained a polite relationship with her out of some superficiality.
So even though he was very unhappy, he still smiled and said, "Jin Chuwan and I are going out together later. What about you? What are your plans?"
Generally speaking, when he gets to this point, the other party should know what's good for them, but Li Xing'en seemed not to understand and turned to look at Jin Chuwan instead.
"So...when will you finish?"
Kim Cho-wan was stunned when she heard this, and soon she heard Lee Sung-eun ask another question.
"Should I wait for you at home?"
Jin Chuwan's eyes widened. She was somewhat at a loss. No matter what, Ran Xian, her "boyfriend," was still sitting opposite her. Why was Li Xing'en suddenly saying these things?
No sooner had she finished speaking than Jin Chuwan heard a soft laugh.
"Oh."
The soft laugh sounded quite abrupt in the room, and Jin Chuwan turned to look at Ran Xian.
He sat back on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the fruit plate on the table, his long, slender fingers fiddling with the bright red lychees.
"that……"
Jin Chuwan opened her mouth, but didn't continue. She watched Ran Xian slowly peel the lychee, then suddenly bring the plump flesh to her lips. She hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth and took it in.
"I remember you always called Jin Chuwan 'Auntie'..."
A faint smile played on the young man's handsome face. He glanced at Li Xing'en, then lowered his eyes to continue peeling lychees.
Clear juice slid from his fingertips, and after a while he picked up a peeled lychee and patiently waited for it to touch Jin Chuwan's lips.
"To be honest, I can understand some of your feelings, but now that you're grown up, don't always cling to your elders. People like that are really not likable."
Just as Jin Chuwan spat out the fruit pit, Ran Xian fed it to her again. Before she could say anything, she saw Ran Xian wink at her.
Am I right?
Jin Chuwan didn't expect the conversation to turn to her. She froze, biting into a lychee, and choked as she was about to reply.
She lowered her head and coughed.
At this moment, Li Xingen immediately raised his hand and gently patted Jin Chuwan's back. He glared unhappily at Ran Xian, who stood up to pour water, and then handed the water glass to Jin Chuwan.
But Jin Chuwan pushed away her water glass and frowned as she glanced at the two of them.
She felt that if this continued, the two of them would keep arguing. She could let Li Xing'en go, but she really didn't understand why Ran Xian was going to keep going on and on with her.
To be honest, he didn't need to argue with Li Xing'en at all.
“You two…” Jin Chuwan looked at the two of them and said with frustration, “If you came here just to argue, you can go back.”
She felt that same feeling of being caught in the middle, unable to move forward or backward.
Lee Sung-eun looked away silently when she met Kim Cho-wan's gaze.
He caught a glimpse of Xiang Ranxian out of the corner of his eye, who was leaning against Jin Chuwan with an innocent look on his face.
"He provoked me first, you'd better not take his side just because he's your nephew..."
Jin Chuwan felt increasingly helpless as she listened, and she looked at Ran Xian.
The boy carried a chair and sat down directly next to her, raising his eyebrows as if he wanted to demand justice, while Li Xing'en on her other side pursed her lips and remained silent, seemingly also suppressing her emotions.
At that moment, Jin Chuwan absurdly felt like a bad woman who was having affairs with two men on her left and right.
However, the pressure of having both women on one side is simply too great.
"I didn't show favoritism to anyone..."
Jin Chuwan retorted in a low voice, "It was clearly the two of you who started arguing, and you're dragging me into it. Anyway, I don't like watching people bicker. If you want to fight, then leave..."
Jin Chuwan issued an ultimatum, intending only to give a small warning, but she didn't expect that the two would actually behave themselves after she said it.
The two looked at each other, then simultaneously looked away in opposite directions.
Although Li Xingen disliked Ran Xian from the bottom of his heart, he did not want to upset Jin Chuwan. Ran Xian also understood that Jin Chuwan was in a difficult position, and she also understood that even if Li Xingen shamelessly pestered her, she could not be too decisive as a friend.
So almost simultaneously, a thought flashed through their minds.
—Let's be patient for today.
At first, the two ignored each other, but after Jin Chuwan went into the bedroom, they chatted briefly.
It was lunchtime, and their sudden visit had obviously disturbed Kim Cho-wan, so as compensation, they planned to invite her to dine at a restaurant together.
Originally, neither of them had planned to make a deal with the other, but now they have decided to put aside their differences and shake hands.
After all, none of them wanted to be asked to leave by Jin Chuwan.
Meanwhile, back in her bedroom, Jin Chuwan sat on the bed, holding her clothes and lost in thought. The sunlight outside the window was bright, streaming into the room through the gap in the curtains. Jin Chuwan squinted at it for a while, then reached out and closed the gap.
The room suddenly darkened, and after a moment of adjustment, Jin Chuwan turned to look at the long mirror in the corner of the wall.
The girl in the mirror had an indifferent expression and a cold look in her eyes; she didn't look like someone who was likable or pitiful.
She sighed and then scratched her head.
To be honest, she rarely loses her temper. Because she prefers to be alone, she rarely gets into conflicts with others, and even if she does, she rarely holds grudges unless it's a matter of principle.
Surprisingly, getting angry occasionally seems to be quite effective.
Just a door away, the sounds of people talking could be faintly heard coming from the living room.
Although it wasn't very clear, you could tell that the two people outside were discussing where to eat later.
Jin Chuwan listened secretly for a while, then shook her head.
The two, who were just exchanging words and refusing to give in, are now calm and collected.
She was internally complaining as she changed her clothes, and when she pushed open the door, the two of them seemed to have already made up their minds.
Ran Xian glanced at his watch. He had other things to do in the afternoon and could only have dinner with Jin Chuwan. But the thought that Li Xingen and Jin Chuwan would be alone together after he left made him inexplicably unhappy.
He glanced at Li Xing'en sitting next to him, then turned his attention to his phone.
Li Xing'en, who was standing to the side, did not pay attention to Ran Xian. He kept his eyes on the bedroom door. When Jin Chuwan came out, he stood up and asked her directly.
"Are you hungry? I made a reservation at a restaurant nearby, want to come along?"
Jin Chuwan was indeed hungry. She glanced at Ran Xian, who was looking down and rapidly tapping his phone. However, as if he noticed her gaze, he quickly looked up at her and nodded.
I have no objection.
Kim Cho-wan nodded in agreement after hearing this.
"Alright, let's go."
As she spoke, she picked up the backpack hanging on the rack, but before she could remember to put it on her shoulder, it was taken by both hands at the same time.
"I'll carry it for you—"
Their voices blended together, and at the same time, their eyes met.
The atmosphere suddenly became strange again.
Jin Chuwan sensed that neither of them intended to let go, so she carefully pulled the backpack strap back from their hands.
"This...no need, I can do it myself."
She was relieved that the two of them were finally willing to get along peacefully, and she didn't want to start arguing again over a backpack.
Besides, arguing about this kind of thing is really boring.
Fortunately, the two of them didn't say much this time. But even so, Jin Chuwan still had a strange feeling when she left.
She glanced at Ran Xian secretly.
They were clearly just pretending to be a couple, but he seemed to be taking it a little too seriously...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
