Chapter 84
The dinner party ended on a sour note.
On the way out, Ran Xian's phone kept ringing. Jin Chuwan noticed that he kept hanging up the phone and was a little puzzled.
"Is someone looking for you?"
Ran Xian smiled and shook his head, "It's nothing important, don't worry about it."
Although he said that, Jin Chuwan vaguely felt that it wasn't true. She glanced at her phone, which was vibrating again, and said helplessly, "If you have something important to do, go take care of it. I can go back by myself."
Ran Xian, who was driving, smiled, but a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
"Actually... it's nothing."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Jin Chuwan, thought for a moment, and then turned the steering wheel sharply.
After the sports car circled the block, it suddenly slowed down. There were almost no vehicles on the smooth asphalt road. Ran Xian casually found a place to stop the car. He glanced at Jin Chuwan, who looked curious, and stammered as he spoke.
“It’s my family; they want me to go abroad.”
Jin Chuwan was somewhat surprised. She looked at Ran Xian, whose gaze was fixed on the intersection ahead. His hands were lazily resting on the steering wheel, but his face showed a faint sense of confusion.
"But I'm still considering it..."
As Ran Xian spoke, he unconsciously frowned.
He wasn't telling the truth.
When his father brought this up before, he agreed almost without hesitation, but now he doesn't know why he lied to Jin Chuwan.
He turned to look at the person in the passenger seat, his eyes filled with an expectation he himself was unaware of.
After a brief moment of surprise, Jin Chuwan quickly accepted the news, since it was quite normal for a family like Ran Xian's to send their children abroad for further studies.
It just came a little suddenly.
"Then... roughly when?"
Ran Xian withdrew his gaze, lowered his head and gave a dry laugh: "If things go quickly, next month. But what will you do? I won't be by your side then. How will you deal with Jiang Chen and Li Xing'en by yourself?"
Jin Chuwan was lost in thought for a while. She glanced at Ran Xian beside her. Originally, she had planned to try being with Li Xingen, but now she felt that she was not ready.
The sunlight outside the car was very bright, shining so brightly on the lush green foliage that it was almost blinding.
Suddenly, a bold idea popped into Jin Chuwan's head.
She suddenly looked up at Ran Xian: "Do you remember the terms of our contract?"
Ran Xian paused slightly, looking at Jin Chuwan uncertainly.
"That? Of course I remember..."
The original agreement was to help Jin Chuwan obtain an extra exchange student status abroad without affecting others. This was not a difficult task for Ran Xian, but now the statement clearly has a different meaning.
He couldn't help but smile.
"So you're... going to elope with me?"
Jin Chuwan was speechless for a moment; of course, that wasn't what she meant.
"I'm just asking. If it's not possible, or the cost is too high, then forget it."
Ran Xian gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands subconsciously, his breath catching in his throat, before he quickly said, "Why can't I go? I didn't want to go alone in the first place. If you come with me, you won't have to worry about anything."
Jin Chuwan smiled as she looked at the boy's expectant gaze.
"That's great, I'll discuss it with my parents first."
Jin Chuwan's decision was actually made on a whim. Even though it was something she had been planning for a long time, she never expected the opportunity to come so suddenly.
That's fine too.
Go further away, let go of the past and the plots in the books, and maybe you can live more freely.
As for Jiang Chen or Li Xing'en, their worlds are rich and colorful, and they may forget about her after some time.
Ran Xian had been secretly watching Jin Chuwan. Seeing her silence, he couldn't help but ruffle her hair. "Can't you be happier and more relaxed? Stop thinking about all sorts of nonsense."
This time, Kim Cho-wan obediently nodded.
Thinking about it carefully, she and Ran Xian had known each other for a long time. For a long time, she was mostly wary of him, but now they were like open-hearted friends.
"I'll try my best..."
Anyway, that's just her indecisive and sensitive personality. It's been like this for so many years, it's too much trouble to change her. It's simpler to let others get used to it.
Jin Chuwan sighed silently.
Then Ran Xian poked his head.
I told you not to sigh and complain—
Ran Xian was in a good mood, so he didn't argue with Jin Chuwan anymore. Just then, his phone rang again. This time, he didn't hang up and leisurely answered the call right in front of Jin Chuwan.
The first thing that came through the phone was a long, drawn-out nagging.
Jin Chuwan couldn't hear clearly, but she could vaguely make out phrases like "what's going on," "nonsense," and "it's agreed." Ran Xian, on the other hand, listened attentively, occasionally taking advantage of a moment when the other person was catching their breath to mutter a few words like "I know, I know."
After the person on the other end of the phone had vented enough, Ran Xian smiled and said.
"I'll be there shortly, but I have one more condition—"
As he spoke, he glanced at Jin Chuwan and stepped on the gas again.
Ran Xian eventually took Jin Chuwan home, but he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he squatted at the door and asked Jin Chuwan for all her documents.
Jin Chuwan handed it to him hesitantly, but still reminded him, "I still need to discuss it with my family, so you'd better not be too hasty."
"Okay, okay, I'll submit an application first, and I can always cancel it later."
After Ran Xian finished speaking, he patted his butt and left. Jin Chuwan was a little confused by his cheerful appearance.
It seems he really wants someone to be with him...
--
After closing the door, Jin Chuwan called Jin Chaoyang and discussed going abroad with her. She originally thought that she would object, but to her surprise, the other party expressed her support without much thought.
"You finally thought of running away, and that's the right thing to do! If you keep dragging this out, you'll end up in a dark room sooner or later..."
Jin Chuwan frowned as she listened. She endured it for a while, but she still couldn't bear to listen anymore. However, she didn't argue much on the phone. After all, although the starting point was a bit exaggerated, Jin Chaoyang still agreed with her idea. Not only that, he also guaranteed that if she brought it up with her parents, he would be able to handle it.
When she hung up the phone, Jin Chuwan was still a little dazed and at a loss. She used to think that going abroad was something that was very far away, but now it seemed to be right in front of her.
Both Ran Xian and Jin Chaoyang assured her that she didn't need to worry about them, which made her feel like she was walking on cotton.
Jin Chuwan sat on the sofa in a daze for a while, then went to the kitchen to make a cup of honey milk.
She's been having a bit of insomnia these past couple of days, occasionally waking up in the middle of the night with all sorts of random dreams that she can't remember after waking up.
After drinking the honey water, Jin Chuwan leaned back on the sofa to rest. She had only wanted to clear her mind for a while, but somehow she fell asleep.
In her dream, she seemed to be in a cold and dark room. There were no windows, no light, and no one around. She was suddenly filled with fear. Suddenly, she heard the sparse sound of chains. She looked down and saw a dark iron chain wrapped around her neck. Jin Chuwan was stunned. An indescribable sense of panic overwhelmed her senses. Just as she was about to run away, she heard a sudden buzzing sound in her ears.
Jin Chuwan suddenly opened her eyes.
The phone on the table was still vibrating.
Jin Chuwan sat up from the sofa, rubbing her forehead. She shook her head and picked up her phone from the table.
"Hello……"
"Wanwan, where are you now?"
Luo An's voice came from the phone. Jin Chuwan's consciousness was gradually clearing up. Thinking about the dream she had just had, she couldn't help but blame Jin Chaoyang for what he had said. It must be because she kept talking about the "little dark room, little dark room" that she had such a messy dream.
She couldn't help but sigh, "I'm at home."
Luo An seemed hesitant on the other end of the phone. She appeared somewhat nervous, and her words were a little halting. "Um, Chu Wan, would you... like to come out for a bit?"
Jin Chuwan glanced at her phone hesitantly, then asked, "Where are you?"
Luo An gave an address hesitantly over the phone.
Jin Chuwan thought the voice sounded familiar. She initially wanted to refuse, but she sensed something was off about Luo An's voice, so she went anyway. When she arrived, Jin Chuwan finally remembered that the address Luo An gave her was the place Lin Ru had mentioned for an event.
It looked like an ordinary coffee shop. Jin Chuwan frowned and pushed the door open to go in.
The long table at the far end was full of people. Jin Chuwan recognized a few of them; they were classmates, but she wasn't very familiar with them. After searching for a while, Jin Chuwan finally spotted Luo An sitting in the corner. She was sitting face to face with a boy, and an awkward atmosphere visibly permeated the space between them.
The people at the next table were busy chatting, and occasionally they would glance in their direction and give them a knowing smile.
Kim Cho-wan probably guessed what was going on.
She walked straight over, then pulled up a chair and sat down next to Luo An.
"What are you doing here? I remember this event required an invitation."
Luo An saw Jin Chuwan as if she were a savior. She smiled wryly, "Well... I was stopped by that girl in the cafeteria. She invited several classmates to come along, and I was persuaded to come too..."
After Luo An finished speaking, the boy opposite him also smiled wryly: "Don't even mention it, I was also dragged here, supposedly to make up the numbers, but there are so many people..."
Moreover, the guy who brought him along was chatting with girls in the same grade and completely ignored him.
Jin Chuwan glanced at the two of them, smiled helplessly, looked at the stage in front of her, and then handed her backpack to Luo An: "Wait for me for a moment."
After she finished speaking, she went to the front desk and ordered three coffees and some desserts. While waiting, she saw Lin Ru come in from outside while making a phone call. She saw that Jin Chuwan looked very surprised.
"Are you taking orders?" Lin Ru saw this and immediately said to the clerk, "Hello, please put everything she just ordered on my bill..."
The shop assistant laughed awkwardly and explained, "This customer has already paid."
The coffee and desserts were ready by then. Jin Chuwan picked up the plate and nodded to Lin Ru as a greeting: "I'm just here to see a friend today, so there's no need to entertain me."
After finishing her sentence, Jin Chuwan walked over to Luo An. The boy seemed a little embarrassed when he saw the coffee she brought, but he calmed down after hearing Jin Chuwan say that she would invite him back sometime in the future.
Lin Ru stood behind, tilting her head to look at Jin Chuwan, then took out her phone, snapped a photo, edited the address, and sent it directly.
Seeing the little wings icon on her phone, she felt a little uneasy but still smiled.
At this moment, the students sitting at the long table also saw Lin Ru and immediately reached out to greet her.
Kim Cho-wan ate her dessert while glancing at the person next to her.
Lin Ru was clearly very popular, as several of the people who greeted her seemed to be senior students from the second and third years of university. However, Jin Chuwan didn't care. She was only there to keep Luo An company, and she didn't plan to stay for too long.
But Lin Ru suddenly walked up to her and started introducing herself.
"This is Kim Cho-wan, my good friend, and... she's single now."
As soon as Lin Ru finished speaking, Jin Chuwan frowned, but before she could say anything, Lin Ru had already gone to the side to introduce others. She glanced around and saw that the atmosphere among the people was relatively peaceful, and it seemed that not many people took the introduction to heart.
When Jin Chuwan arrived, she had already guessed that this was a social gathering. She thought it was normal for her to be misunderstood, so she sat quietly.
Luo An and the boy next to him seemed to finally relax a lot. The two looked at each other, as if they were onlookers.
Jin Chuwan glanced at the two of them, wondering what excuse she could use to leave first, but unexpectedly, after the introductions, they all insisted on going to karaoke.
Saying that the coffee shop lacked atmosphere, Kim Cho-wan also stood up.
Perfect timing, she can go home on the way.
But Lin Ru suddenly said that we had to wait a little while, as some people hadn't arrived yet.
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