Su Shenglin, who had been looking down with a somewhat embarrassed expression, paused when I uttered those three words, his gaze falling on my face.
Immediately, a joyful smile appeared on his handsome, deep-set face. He pursed his thin lips again and again, but still couldn't suppress the wide grin.
Looking at his bright smile, it was as if a flame ignited everything around him, illuminating my sorrowful and unfortunate life—instantly, my whole heart also became bright and joyful.
I couldn't hear what my best friend was saying anymore, and I lost my ability to respond, until I heard a voice in my ear: "Never mind, you probably don't care to listen to me right now, let's talk later."
By the time I came to my senses and wanted to apologize, my best friend had already hung up.
I put down my phone and looked at him, my lips pursed again and again, but I couldn't suppress the smile that bloomed from the depths of my heart.
Finally, I looked up at him confidently and smiled, saying, "Happy New Year, my boyfriend."
Su Shenglin turned his head away with a smile.
Chen Muxi noticed something was off and immediately ran over to tease her, "Brother, what are you laughing at? What did Jiang Wan say to you that made you laugh so cheaply?"
Other friends teased, "Miss Jiang must have confessed her feelings!"
"Confessing your feelings should be done openly and honestly; it's no fun if you do it secretly!"
"Yes! Miss Jiang, confess your feelings again, come on!"
I was already embarrassed, but with everyone's encouragement, my face turned as red as fire, and I didn't dare to look at Su Shenglin.
"Alright, stop fooling around." Fortunately, Su Shenglin spoke up in time to save me from the situation, stretching out his long arm to pull me into his embrace, and then turned to face everyone.
"Since everyone's here today, I'd like to announce—Jiang Wan is now mine. Please take good care of her."
His words, seemingly modest and humble, were actually a reminder to them: in the future, even when beating a "dog," one should consider its owner.
The metaphor isn't quite right, but that's the gist of it.
This means that things like the online celebrity who just slandered me should never happen again.
Young Master Luo spoke first, "Sheng Lin, do you really need to tell me? If Miss Jiang needs anything in the future, just give the word."
I didn't have the guts to do that, so I quickly replied, "Young Master Luo, you're too kind."
I know they are all wary of Su Shenglin's status, which is why they are so polite and courteous to me, and use such flattering words.
If I actually believed it, I would immediately start to act arrogantly and domineering, and who knows what kind of things people would say about me behind my back.
This will also affect Su Shenglin's reputation.
Therefore, even for Su Shenglin's sake, I must be careful with my words and actions and pay attention to my limits.
Outdoors, fireworks were still going off across most of the city, one after another, filling the air with a joyful New Year atmosphere.
Indoors, Su Shenglin and I stood side by side, embracing each other, admiring the city's bustling night view and feeling the sweet fragrance of our love.
I became increasingly aware that Su Shenglin was right.
My feelings for Gu Yanqing may not truly be romantic love.
We've been together for over six years, and it seems like we've never had such a passionate and intense moment.
Even when we first got together, it just felt like everything was going smoothly and naturally, and we were meant to be together. I didn't have this feeling now, like my heart is pounding with excitement.
It seems that at that time I just wanted to find a safe haven and get away from the hellish family of Jiang as soon as possible.
The instinct for survival overrides everything, leaving no energy to experience what true love is.
Looking back now, I really have to thank Gu Yanqing for his "kindness in not marrying me".
My phone kept ringing, and a flood of messages came in on WeChat in no time.
My friends saw the drone show through various channels and all came to ask what happened. They asked if I was the female protagonist in the story, and who the male protagonist was. They asked if he was the Su family of Yushan, the mysterious second master of the red family.
I'm looking at the messages, and I don't know which one to reply to.
Su Shenglin noticed something was wrong and leaned closer to ask, "What's wrong?"
I tilted my phone in front of him and complained, "Look at this, how am I supposed to reply..."
He smiled and said, "Just reply truthfully."
"Then you'll be trending on social media for the next few days."
He didn't care much, saying, "I haven't done anything illegal or disorderly, so what if I get suspended? What's there to be afraid of?"
I pursed my lips, a shy smile playing on my lips, and glanced at him. “This is so different from your usual low-key and mysterious style.”
He said sincerely and gently, "If being high-profile just once can protect you, then it's worth it."
"..." I stared at him, stunned once again.
During this time, I have asked myself countless times what I have done to deserve such a perfect, outstanding and impeccable man.
Because of a series of unfortunate events in my youth, I saved him twice, and in return, he devoted himself to me so wholeheartedly. My life is both unfortunate and incredibly fortunate.
Perhaps all the good luck in my life was used up in meeting him.
My phone rang again, breaking my daze.
I glanced down and saw it was an unfamiliar number. My heart pounded, and without much hesitation, I answered, "Hello."
"Jiang Wan, are you and Su Shenglin officially together?" A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, making my smile instantly stop.
Gu Yanqing.
It seems he received the news as well.
I was in a good mood and wasn't in a hurry to hang up. I calmly replied, "Yes, I should thank you."
"Are you laughing at me?" he asked coldly.
I smiled and said clearly, "Yes, a little. I think you're blind and have squandered a good hand. But I am truly grateful for your decision not to marry me, which gave me the opportunity to meet my true love."
Su Shenglin recognized who I was talking to, his expression turned slightly serious, and he looked at me with concern.
I gave him a reassuring look, indicating that he didn't need to be nervous.
“A good man? Ha... Jiang Wan, do you think you two can make it work?” Gu Yanqing sneered.
"What does our outcome have to do with you? With your frail body, you might not even live to see that day, so why are you worrying about this?" I scoffed dismissively.
There was a sudden silence on the other end.
I wonder if he was so angry that he couldn't speak.
"I'm hanging up. Don't call me again. The best ex is one who's like they're dead and never shows up again. I can do that, and I hope you can too."
After saying that, I hung up without waiting for a response.
Su Shenglin's concern was immediately apparent: "Is he still contacting you frequently?"
I shook my head. "Not these past few days. I guess he saw all the news tonight and got a shock, so he wanted to say something sarcastic to vent his frustration."
"Ignore him. I'll talk to the Gu family when I have time."
"It's no use, he's gone mad, nobody can control him." I don't want Su Shenglin to deal with the Gu family, it might cause trouble for them.
But fearing that he might ignore my advice and act on his own, I looked at him solemnly and said, "Don't go dealing with the Gu family. I won't answer his calls anymore. He's bedridden and can't come to see me anyway."
Su Shenglin remained silent.
I was getting a little anxious. "Did you hear me? Don't go looking for him. He's not worth your time and energy."
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