Li Lan glanced at him, and Eleven immediately swallowed his words.
Li Lan forced an awkward smile and shook his head.
"Xiangxiang is not my fiancée, I am not engaged, Xiangxiang is my sister."
Meng Qingluan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
After finishing her meal, Meng Qingluan prepared to leave, as she still planned to buy two more books for Shen Yan.
Besides, it's already getting late.
Li Lan stood up and took the initiative to make the suggestion.
"I send you."
Meng Qingluan refused without even thinking.
"Need not."
How much distance is there between upstairs and downstairs? Do we really need to deliver it?
She's not stupid, she can't possibly not get out.
Li Lan said, "I'm going home too, let's go together."
"what ever."
Meng Qingluan didn't bother with him; it was just a matter of walking a little further, and it wouldn't hurt her.
After the two went downstairs, Meng Qingluan realized that the restaurant was very close to Nanfeng Pavilion.
Since it was already afternoon, Nanfeng Pavilion had already started to get busy.
I wonder how Shen Yan is doing? Has she been wronged?
Li Lan suddenly stood in front of her and waved.
"What are you looking at?"
Meng Qingluan snapped out of her daze and subconsciously increased the distance between them.
"I didn't see anything, I'm leaving now, goodbye."
Li Lan suddenly grabbed her hand, his posture appearing unusually intimate.
"Hey, when are you setting up your stall? Remember my ten grilled sausages."
Meng Qingluan struggled uncomfortably with her wrists, but Li Lan was very strong, so she could only hurriedly agree to his request.
"I know, I know, just let go of me."
Li Lan glanced at the Nanfeng Pavilion across the street, a triumphant smile playing on his lips, before letting go.
Meng Qingluan hurriedly went to the bookstore to buy books.
Meanwhile, two people were standing on the third floor of the Nanfeng Pavilion.
Shen Yan watched this scene, pursed his lips, and his face darkened.
Young Master Yu had already walked up to him without him noticing, his eyes filled with pleasure.
"This is the woman you like, see?"
Shen Yan turned and left, leaving behind a single, indifferent sentence.
"Boring."
All of this was within his control; in his previous life, he had been able to manipulate several people at will.
In this life, he can still do it.
But for some reason, the image of the two of them being so intimate just now kept replaying in his mind.
A dull ache throbbed in his heart, accompanied by occasional sourness; this strange feeling was completely unfamiliar to him.
He shouldn't have done that.
Meng Qingluan was just someone I didn't dislike; all she needed to do was stay alive.
His tolerance of her was merely a matter of keeping her alive.
He should be alone and shouldn't like anyone.
Meng Qingluan bought the books and waited for Chen Yan at the entrance of Nanfeng Pavilion until evening.
Meng Qingluan waited for a while before Shen Yan finally emerged from the hall.
Shen Yan walked out of the hall without saying a word, glanced at her once, and walked straight ahead.
Meng Qingluan's initial excitement was dampened considerably by his indifferent attitude.
Meng Qingluan caught up with him, following behind him, and took out a thick stack of books.
"Ta-da! Look! The book I bought for you."
Shen Yan glanced at it and said thank you in a low voice.
"Thanks."
"..."
Meng Qingluan was completely baffled and didn't understand what was wrong with him.
On second thought, it's possible that I was wronged again at Nanfeng Pavilion.
Given his taciturn nature, he must have swallowed his grievances again.
The two walked in silence for a while before Meng Qingluan made a suggestion.
"Chen Yan, don't go to Nanfeng Pavilion tomorrow. Why don't you go to the academy to take the imperial examination?"
"..."
"If you pass the county-level exam, you can directly participate in the preliminary exam next month."
"..."
"Don't worry about the money, I can earn it by selling grilled sausages. And when you pass the imperial examination, don't forget me!"
"..."
Meng Qingluan spoke enthusiastically for a long time, but received no response.
Even the best temper can be worn down by such indifference. Meng Qingluan couldn't help but frown and reach out to nudge his shoulder.
"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you saying a word?"
Shen Yan withdrew his hand expressionlessly, without saying a word.
Meng Qingluan was a little angry and glared at him irritably.
"What's wrong with you tonight? Who bothered you again?"
Meng Qingluan reached out to grab his arm, trying to force him to stop and have a proper conversation.
Shen Yan noticed his movement, raised his arm behind him, and Meng Qingluan grabbed his sleeve.
His sleeve was flicked, revealing several bruises on his forearm, as if he had been hit by something, which stood out starkly against his fair skin.
Shen Yan noticed her pupils constricting, coldly shook off her arm, and said in a cold voice.
"No need."
Meng Qingluan stood there stunned for a moment before withdrawing her hand.
The two kept a distance from each other until they went back inside and finished tidying up. Only then did Meng Qingluan see the scars on Shen Yan's body.
Shen Yan's originally fair and slender neck now had several red and purple pinch marks, but he had been keeping his head down to cover them.
Meng Qingluan stepped forward to offer her advice.
"Chen Yan, don't go to Nanfeng Pavilion anymore, it's not a good place."
Meng Qingluan was interrupted before she could finish speaking.
Shen Yan suddenly looked up at her, sneering.
"What do you think is good about it? I have never been a clean and elegant person, how dare I insult the academy's candidates for the imperial examination?"
“I grew up in Nanfeng Pavilion since I was a child. If you think I’m dirty, you don’t need to have redeemed me out of spite in the first place.”
"Meng Qingluan, you humiliated me no less than anyone else back then. You should keep your money and take care of yourself."
Meng Qingluan was somewhat stunned by his retort, her eyes slightly red, and she clenched her fists as she looked at him.
I was really being delusional.
He's the male lead, how could he possibly need a cannon fodder character who barely appears in a few lines to help him?
She naively believed that because she had saved him once, he would truly forgive and forget about her.
At worst, I can just open a small shop here and live as many years as I want. To put it bluntly, even if the plot follows the original trajectory and Shen Yan gets into trouble...
Having lived so many years, I haven't lived in vain.
Meng Qingluan gritted her teeth and held back her tears, stubbornly raising her head to look at him.
"What I did before was wrong, and I apologize to you."
"Don't worry, I won't meddle in other people's business anymore."
Meng Qingluan left the house without looking back after saying those words.
"..."
Shen Yan clenched his fists, a sharp pain suddenly flashing through his heart, making his face turn pale.
Meng Qingluan realized something was wrong only after she left the house.
There's only one room, where is she going to sleep?
She couldn't bring herself to go back.
Meng Qingluan felt more and more aggrieved. She wiped away her tears as she walked to the backyard, lay down on the pigpen, and stroked her beautiful head.
Meng Qingluan's vision was blurred by tears, and she could only touch Ruhua and Siyu's heads haphazardly.
Ruhua and Siyu also noticed their master's low spirits, and the two pigs grunted and rubbed against Meng Qingluan's hand to please her.
Meng Qingluan slowly stopped crying, then patted the pig's head a couple more times and muttered a curse under her breath.
"A sinking inkstone? It's not even worth two pigs."
Ru Hua: "Hmph—"
Siyu: "Hmph—"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com