Chapter 89
"Jin Chuwan?"
A deep male voice came from below, followed by the sound of light footsteps.
Jin Chuwan was stunned for a moment, then looked down at her.
The rain was still falling, pattering against the road and anything else exposed, including the facilities in the community, the cars parked at the entrance of the building, and the umbrellas hanging down beside you.
Jiang Chen tentatively took a few steps forward.
In the pitch-black stairwell, Jin Chuwan, dressed in her pajamas, stood blankly holding her phone. Their vision was supported only by the faint light from the screen, making them appear somewhat fragile and empty.
But this uncertainty and doubt gradually dissipated as Jiang Chen approached.
He glanced at Jin Chuwan, then hesitated and asked, "You're going out like this?"
The boy stood tall and straight downstairs, looking up at us, his dark pupils holding a faint halo.
Jin Chuwan suddenly felt as if she had met a savior. She chased after him downstairs and stood next to Jiang Chen.
At this moment, her breathing was a little rapid, and her thoughts were somewhat muddled.
"Um...I..."
The old-fashioned stairwell was poorly lit, and the two stood there talking. A dark-colored sedan was discreetly parked not far away, undisturbed, with only its red headlights flashing in the night.
After a while, Jiang Chen, having finally come to his senses, wearily rubbed his temples.
"What would you do today if I hadn't happened to show up?"
Jin Chuwan thought for a moment and said, "I brought my wallet, so we can just stay at a nearby hotel for the night."
Kim Cho-wan answered earnestly, but it seemed to make Jiang Chen even more silent.
Suddenly, she felt that the sound of rain outside seemed to have gotten louder.
Could it be... that Jiang Chen is angry again?
As Jin Chuwan made her guesses, she felt inexplicably relieved.
It had been a long time since she had seen rain falling because of Jiang Chen, and Jin Chuwan felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
She raised her hand and gently tugged at Jiang Chen's shirt sleeve.
"But now that you're here, you wouldn't just abandon me like this, would you?"
Jin Chuwan turned to look at him, her brown eyes slightly curved. Jiang Chen quickly glanced to his side, his dark pupils following her gaze to the slightly upturned sleeve.
"A question you already know the answer to."
As he spoke, he opened the umbrella again and stepped into the rain first.
Jin Chuwan stood there watching until the other person suddenly stopped, and only then did she belatedly follow.
The driver, who was not far away, had already opened the car door.
Jin Chuwan was the first to go inside, and soon after, Jiang Chen also closed his umbrella and sat down.
The two sat in the car, each looking out the window to their side. The driver glanced at the rearview mirror, shook his head, and didn't say anything. The atmosphere in the car suddenly became somewhat quiet and awkward.
Raindrops pattered against the glass, then quickly slid down, blurring and magnifying the neon lights along the roadside before flashing past the car.
Jin Chuwan turned to look at Jiang Chen. Ever since that unpleasant dinner, they had never been in contact. Although it seemed like a cold war-like disconnection, Jin Chuwan didn't really feel it.
It seems they used to do this all the time.
We were under the same roof, and then we looked at each other in silence.
"Is there something you need from me today?"
Jin Chuwan's question seemed to bring Jiang Chen back to his senses. He paused for a moment, but his gaze did not move.
The sound of the car driving was somewhat muffled, mixed with the sound of rain outside. After a long while, Jiang Chen's lips finally moved, but his voice was somewhat suppressed and dry.
“I heard from my father that you will be going abroad to study soon…”
Jiang Chen had just come out of the company. He was wearing a fitted suit, and although he had already taken off his jacket, the buttons on his collar still made him feel tight and uncomfortable.
He raised his hand and moved it slightly.
Jin Chuwan clearly hadn't expected him to find out about this. Jin Chaoyang had repeatedly warned him not to let Jiang Chen know, but it seemed that the adults couldn't control it.
"Yes, I want to go outside and have a look."
Jin Chuwan answered softly, glancing at Jiang Chen somewhat uncomfortably. Perhaps it was because she knew he liked her that their original plans had been disrupted, and she had abruptly left without saying goodbye.
The carriage fell silent once again.
Kim Cho-wan turned to look out the window again, and soon she was surprised to find something.
The rain outside seemed to be getting heavier.
She opened her mouth slightly, and the world reflected outside the car window became even more blurry. She couldn't see the outside world clearly, but she suddenly became extremely aware of Jiang Chen's inner thoughts.
He seems to... genuinely like her.
So he was depressed because of her departure, and because she remained silent in response.
For some reason, Jin Chuwan suddenly felt like laughing. In a moment of distraction, she suddenly realized that Jiang Chen, the male lead, actually had such a fatal weakness.
His inner thoughts, which should have been hidden and private, were so openly and frankly exposed to everyone, and he himself seemed unaware of it.
He was unaware that even if he remained silent, his testimony in court was already before the judge.
"Jiang Chen".
Coming to her senses, Jin Chuwan scratched her hair. Her stomach was still a little uncomfortable. Today was supposed to be her unluckiest day, but it didn't seem that bad.
The car sped along; after one more traffic light, it would reach the villa area.
The clicking sound of the turn signal came from inside the car.
This time, Jiang Chen finally turned his attention to them.
But only for a brief moment.
He acted like a child throwing a tantrum, but his face betrayed no emotion whatsoever.
Jin Chuwan clutched her stomach and shifted to a more comfortable sitting position.
The weather seemed to have suddenly cooled down because of the rain. Although the outside air couldn't get into the car, the air conditioning inside made her feel much more awake.
To be honest, she's the adult.
So now, she can't keep running away from problems like a child, or be like a frightened bird, worrying and fretting over every little thing.
Some things need to be clarified.
"I'm just going abroad to study for a few years, it's not like it's the end of the world, and it's not like I didn't want to tell you, it's just that this matter was only recently finalized..."
Jiang Chen listened to Jin Chuwan's low voice.
"so?"
"So can you please stop sulking like this..."
Jiang Chen's fingers, which were pulling open his collar, suddenly stopped. He slowly looked at Jin Chuwan, his dark eyes flashing with various emotions, but he quickly concealed them.
"I... I'm sulking?"
Jiang Chen chuckled softly, then tossed the coat hanging from his arm into Jin Chuwan's arms.
The car stopped quickly. The driver got out first and opened his umbrella. Jin Chuwan followed Jiang Chen. After she got out of the car, she heard Jiang Chen sigh very deeply.
"I'm giving you the clothes not so you can hug them."
The rain seemed to suddenly lessen at that moment.
Jin Chuwan saw the person in front of her suddenly reach out and take the coat, then drape it over her shoulders.
Let's go.
Jiang Chen held up the umbrella, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. He nodded to the driver and led Jin Chuwan into the villa.
"You can stay here with me tonight. I'll contact a locksmith to come and change the locks tomorrow."
Jiang Chen's voice was muffled by the rain and not very clear, but Jin Chuwan still nodded.
"good."
The villa was brightly lit, and Aunt Hui, who was cleaning, rushed over to greet Jin Chuwan when she saw her.
"Wanwan? You don't look too well... are you sick?"
Jin Chuwan smiled and shook her head, "No, no, it's just that for some reasons, I might need to stay here tonight..."
Aunt Hui glanced at Jiang Chen discreetly, but Young Master Jiang remained expressionless as always.
"Okay, Aunt Hui will go and tidy up your room right away." She wiped her hands on her apron as she spoke, then couldn't help but nag, "We originally prepared a room for you, but then the young master said you wanted to stay alone, so we tidied it up again..."
Jin Chuwan didn't know what to say, so she just smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Aunt Hui."
"Oh, what's the trouble? They're all kids I've watched grow up..."
Aunt Hui walked away with a smile on her face.
Jiang Chen left the umbrella in the entryway and then took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet.
Kim Cho-wan paused for a moment when she saw the slippers.
It's a pink rabbit.
Jiang Chen half-squatted down to change her shoes, but when he glanced at Jin Chuwan's feet, which were wet from the rain, he slowly frowned.
"Please sit on the sofa for a while."
Jin Chuwan said "Oh". It was strange, though. They had grown up together since childhood, but there was always an inexplicable sense of distance between them.
A short while later, Jiang Chen returned. Jin Chuwan saw him place a basin of hot water at her feet and suddenly felt uneasy. She was about to stand up when Jiang Chen pressed her shoulder down.
He picked up a few thick books from somewhere and threw them on the ground, then sat down at her feet.
"Anyway, you know how I feel, so feel free to accept my flattery."
As Jiang Chen spoke, he dipped his fingers in the water and, finding the water temperature to be just right, lifted Jin Chuwan's feet and placed them in the water.
Warm water washed over her feet. Jin Chuwan looked at Jiang Chen, who was casually sitting on a book. His eyelashes were long and slightly lowered, completely obscuring his vision.
"Ran Xian said that we'll be setting off in about two weeks..."
Although Kim Cho-wan knew that bringing these things up now would ruin the atmosphere, she still felt that some things should be made clear.
In any case, she was leaving, and she left in a very undignified way, quietly and secretly.
Jiang Chen could probably guess that she originally didn't want him to know.
"kindness."
Jiang Chen slowly washed Jin Chuwan's feet. He sat on the floor, and she sat on the sofa. Their lines of sight were different, so he had to look up to see her.
"Didn't you say it wasn't a farewell? Since it's not a farewell, then I'll wait for you."
The rain outside stopped sometime ago.
The road surface, paved with broken bricks, was smooth and bright from the rain, and a small puddle reflected the silhouette of a street lamp.
The air was filled with the smell of earth.
But Kim Chu-wan couldn't smell it.
Just ten minutes ago, she was confident that she could handle things with Jiang Chen, but now she was at a loss because of his expressionless words.
"No—well, Jiang Chen, you don't seem to need to—"
"It is necessary."
As Jiang Chen spoke, he lifted Jin Chuwan's foot and placed it on his knee, then wiped it haphazardly with the towel on his shoulder.
His dark eyes suddenly seemed open and honest, and he tilted his head back with a slight smile.
“If I didn’t say it, you probably would have forgotten about me in less than three months, so I have to say it.”
"I will wait for you, I will always wait for you, and I will still make time to visit you from time to time."
After drying one foot, Jiang Chen switched to the other.
"But don't worry, I won't bother you. After all, I know you're cautious, afraid of trouble, and prefer to keep to yourself. Perhaps Li Xing'en and I have put pressure on you these days, so I understand why you wanted to run away. But when you come back, when you're all grown up, don't run away anymore... By then, I'll be better and more capable than I am now, so will you try to accept me then?"
Jiang Chen's voice was soft and low, echoing in the living room, captivating and stirring the heart.
But Kim Cho-wan still shook her head.
“People change.” She lowered her head, her gaze shifting. “Jiang Chen, people’s hearts are fickle. No one knows what we will be like in a few years. Why do you think you won’t meet someone else you like, while I… I don’t like commitments.”
Promises are too heavy to keep; if you agree to one, you really have to take it to heart.
Moreover, emotional promises are often just promises.
Jiang Chen was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly.
He slipped the pink bunny slippers onto Jin Chuwan's feet and then sighed softly.
"What a coward..."
As he spoke, he raised his eyes.
"You're always like this, what are we going to do in the future? Do you feel safer hiding in your turtle shell? You can't even make a promise?"
Jin Chuwan felt like she had been hit where it hurt. She suppressed her emotions and thought about how to refute him, but at that moment Jiang Chen picked up the foot bath water, got up and left.
There were only two beautifully bound books lying on the ground.
Jin Chuwan pressed her temples, trying to convince herself that since she was leaving anyway, there was no need to care what Jiang Chen thought of her.
But after a short while, as she experienced discomfort in her abdomen, a very embarrassed expression suddenly appeared on her face.
Jin Chuwan suddenly stood up, then looked at the sofa with a flushed face.
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