Chapter 33
"We're not familiar with each other now, but we can get to know each other gradually. After all, we're neighbors..."
Upon hearing those words, Jin Chuwan initially thought that the person standing outside wasn't Jiang Chen.
But the person outside remained calm and composed, seemingly unaware that there was anything wrong with what they had said.
Jin Chuwan sighed helplessly.
What kind of lame excuses are these? As a high-end villa area, is it possible that a power outage next door would have no impact on this area?
Jiang Chen is definitely lying.
They came up with a very unreliable reason, but they came over with complete self-righteousness.
Jin Chu stepped forward, intending to offer some advice, but Li Xing'en suddenly blocked her way.
"But I don't want to get to know you."
As Li Xing'en spoke, the smile on her face gradually faded.
"Go home early. I know what you're thinking, but your worries are unnecessary."
Jiang Chen listened calmly and said nothing.
"I don't know what you're worried about. I just came to ask my neighbor for help."
At the bottom of the dimly lit steps, their eyes met. The usually aloof young man now appeared somewhat gentle, while the previously tender one carried a faint chill.
The rain outside gradually intensified.
Jin Chuwan glanced at the two people facing off, unsure how to proceed. She wasn't sure if their natural aversion stemmed from being in different stories, or if some unresolved conflict had developed between them without her knowledge.
But she could roughly guess why Jiang Chen insisted on coming here.
...It's because of her, isn't it? Because we grew up together, a certain sense of responsibility has developed from that?
It's like worrying that your younger sister at home will be bullied by strangers.
Jin Chuwan made random connections, but she wasn't really sure.
"Um, Jiang Chen..."
She wanted to go and talk to Jiang Chen, but Li Xing'en blocked her way a second time.
The boy's figure was tall and slender, completely blocking Jin Chuwan's view. She looked up at Li Xing'en in front of her, suddenly feeling a sense of unfamiliarity. In her memory, this child had stood in front of Lily in a similar way when he was very young. Li Xing'en seemed to have an extraordinary protective instinct towards those he considered "one of his own."
Jin Chuwan peeked out from behind the boy. The rain outside showed no signs of stopping. Because of the dim light, she couldn't see Jiang Chen's expression clearly, but she could guess from the rain that he was probably not happy.
“Xing En…”
Jin Chuwan tugged at the boy's sleeve. No matter what, she couldn't let the protagonists of the two worlds clash. Besides, it was clearly just a minor matter.
The boy's gaze darkened, but when Jin Chuwan pulled him a second time, he still sighed softly.
He glanced back at Jin Chuwan, who was looking up at him, seemingly a little nervous.
Li Xing'en's fists clenched unconsciously, and a faint anxiety flickered in his gray eyes.
He didn't want to scare her...
Jiang Chen glanced around the room and frowned slightly. As the only son of the Jiang family, this was the first time he had ever so clearly felt someone's hostility towards him.
Filled with disgust yet concealing jealousy, that defensive emotion made Jiang Chen chuckle softly.
Who does he think he is...?
For a moment, the surroundings became quiet, with only the patter of rain outside. Just as Jin Chuwan was about to say something to break the silence, a figure suddenly appeared behind Jiang Chen.
"kindness?"
The boy seemed surprised by the scene before him; he opened his umbrella and looked up.
What are you all doing standing at the door?
As he spoke, he walked to the eaves. Jin Chuwan watched as he deftly closed his umbrella and then walked straight into the house, showing no sign of being a guest at all.
She scratched behind her ear helplessly.
"Did your power go out too...?"
Ran Xian glanced at the villa's decor and nodded in satisfaction.
"No, that's not it. I just told Ranmin that you were staying at a boy's house tonight, and then she forced me to come and check on the situation."
As he spoke, Ran Xian sat down on the sofa, turned on the TV, and then looked at the three people at the door with a smile: "But I didn't come here for nothing. Ran Min said that as long as I do as she says, she'll let my bank card go..."
So Ran Xian shamelessly came over.
And I also caught half of a good show.
He glanced at Jin Chuwan, who still seemed confused, and smiled meaningfully.
Li Xingen glanced at the two men with a gloomy expression; he really wanted to kick them both out.
If Kim Cho-wan isn't there.
"If you want to stay overnight, you have to follow the host's rules. Wanwan and I have rooms upstairs, you can stay downstairs. However, the downstairs rooms haven't been cleaned yet, so you can make do on the sofa if you don't mind."
After saying that, Li Xing'en pulled Jin Chuwan upstairs. Jin Chuwan followed unsteadily. She glanced at the two silent people behind her and felt that everything was a bit chaotic.
She looked at Li Xing'en holding her hand, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"Xing En, have I troubled you today...?"
If she hadn't insisted on avoiding Jiang Chen, and if she hadn't come with Li Xing'en, Ran Xian and Jiang Chen probably wouldn't have suddenly come to bother Li Xing'en.
She really disliked the feeling of causing trouble for others, and if the other party wasn't Li Xing'en, she probably would have just dragged her luggage and left.
Cheng Xiucheng said that the male and female protagonists did not follow the plot, and the story of that romance novel had long deviated from its original trajectory. So, should she also give up her previous insistence?
Jin Chuwan suddenly felt lost. She looked back at Jiang Chen. Could it be that because of some mysterious connection, no matter how much she wanted to leave, they would still have some interaction?
Lee Sung-eun pulled Kim Cho-wan all the way upstairs before stopping. He held her hand tightly, knowing that he had lost his composure today and even made Kim Cho-wan feel uneasy.
He also knew he shouldn't have done that.
The second floor was much brighter than the downstairs floor, with an exquisite chandelier hanging above their heads. Kim Cho-wan could see Lee Sung-eun's expression clearly just by looking up.
Those gentle, always smiling eyes now held a hint of urgency and sorrow.
It was as if she had done something to hurt him.
“Xing En…”
Kim Cho-wan immediately grasped Lee Sung-eun's hand.
"What's wrong with you? If you don't like it, I'll go down and send them back now."
Lee Sung-eun sighed, slowly shook his head, and then leaned down to rest his head on Kim Cho-wan's shoulder.
"My aunt always seems to be surrounded by a lot of people."
The boy's voice was deep, and his soft hair, falling over his shoulders, was slightly itchy.
Kim Cho-wan hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and patted Lee Sung-eun on the back.
This was the first time she had ever heard someone describe her like that; in her opinion, she had always been more like a recluse.
"I don't like them bothering my aunt. I want to be the only one by my aunt's side..."
Entanglement...
When Jin Chuwan first heard this word, she paused briefly before smiling again.
"They're all bothering me? Am I some kind of celestial being?"
Jin Chuwan laughed, yet found it absurd.
Looking back now, perhaps Li Xing'en, like Lili, was a bit too biased towards her in some ways. For example, Lili had seriously considered her future marriage partner, and after eliminating several options, she concluded that she should stay by Li Xing'en's side and that no one else was good enough for her.
"My aunt is like an angel in my eyes..."
Jin Chuwan shook her head as she listened to Li Xing'en's flattery.
She had worried that his love life would be bumpy, but now it seems she was overthinking it.
"Is this how you usually coax girls?"
Lee Sung-eun remained nestled on Kim Cho-wan's shoulder. He listened to Kim Cho-wan's soft question and finally lifted his head.
"There are no girls like that, I've only ever used this to coax my aunt."
Seeing that Li Xing'en seemed to have returned to normal, Jin Chuwan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the boy in front of her.
"Then tell me honestly, why are you unhappy today? Is it because of that Miss Lin from before?"
Li Xingen glanced down at the girl in front of her, then looked away with a slightly depressed expression.
This feeling of having one's emotions controlled makes one subconsciously uneasy, yet he is completely willing to do so, and even vaguely enjoys this feeling of being manipulated.
That's insane.
"She's nobody. Auntie, stay away from her from now on. If she dares to cause you any trouble, just tell me."
As she spoke, Li Xing'en opened the door and glanced downstairs.
"Then you stay in your room and don't go downstairs to look for them."
Although Lee Sung-eun's tone sounded more like a coquettish plea than a threat, Kim Cho-wan still refused without hesitation.
"Whether I look for them or not is my business. It's getting late, you should go to sleep."
Jin Chuwan guessed that Li Xingen and Jiang Chen must have had some kind of grudge, but she didn't want to pry too much and could only try to reduce their contact in the future.
As Jin Chuwan spoke, she pushed Li Xingen, whose face had darkened again, out of the room. She was exhausted after a long day, and she also had to find a place to live before the start of the semester. She didn't want to deal with Jiang Chen and Ran Xian coming one after the other like tonight.
If she weren't self-aware, she would have doubted whether she was the beloved female protagonist in the original story.
However, regardless of her first twenty-odd years or her life experiences in this lifetime, she is nowhere near being universally loved. Perhaps only Lily and Cheng Ya, and maybe now Li Xing'en (?), would shower her with endless praise as if their eyes were blinded.
Jin Chuwan lay in bed and sighed. Perhaps she was too tired today. When she woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
She blankly threw back the covers, then checked the time on her phone.
It's already 10 o'clock.
Jin Chuwan quickly changed her clothes and came out of the room. It was very quiet outside. She knocked on the door next door, but no one answered. It seemed that Li Xingen had already gotten up.
Remembering the two who insisted on staying overnight last night, Jin Chuwan glanced downstairs again.
The living room seemed quiet, and Jiang Chen and Ran Xian appeared to have already left. Jin Chuwan was relieved to see that nothing was wrong.
After a quick wash, she picked up her bag and prepared to go out to look for a place to live. Before leaving, she sent Li Xing'en a text message, but just as she was going downstairs, the villa's door was suddenly pushed open.
Three tall, handsome young men walked slowly into the house, chatting quietly.
Jin Chuwan glanced at the three people standing at the door and suddenly had a strange feeling.
Not long ago, she was worried that they would have conflicts, but now it seems that they can get along peacefully.
Their eyes met, and both of them paused slightly.
Ran Xian touched his nose, glanced at the two people beside him, and then looked at Jin Chuwan, who was obviously about to leave.
Have you eaten yet?
Jin Chuwan paused for a moment, then shook her head.
Ran Xian smiled upon hearing this.
"Come sit here, I'll show you something special today."
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