156. Mine

On the playground to the west of the South University campus, freshmen from the Schools of Management, Finance, and Law stood in neat rows, marching in step behind their instructor. It wasn’t until sunset, when all forty-plus cafeterias on campus had been taken over by returning students, that the reluctant squads began to disperse one by one.

After dismissing, two small groups gradually gathered together, forming a team of over thirty people clad in camouflage uniforms from their military training, preparing to leave together.

As the group turned, a few sharp-eyed students noticed a strikingly beautiful girl standing at the edge of the darkened playground. The few male students in the liberal arts colleges, already scarce in number, were almost entirely captivated by her presence.

“Wow, what a gorgeous girl! Are all the girls at South University this stunning?”
“That face looks familiar... could it be... is that the legendary Chen Ruowen?”

Chen Ruowen?

Bai Jinyan, who had been in a dazed state all day, slowly turned his head along with the crowd. Indeed, who else besides Chen Ruowen would draw such unanimous attention whenever she appeared on campus?

Could it be... she came looking for him?

Their eyes met, and Chen Ruowen gave a faint smile. Though she wore only the simplest jeans and a white shirt, that smile seemed to dim the very world around her.

“Chen Ruowen is coming over! She’s walking towards us!”

“Hiss, could she be coming for me? A fleeting glance by the playground, and then love at first sight?”

Bai Jinyan turned away numbly, shooting a glare at the boy who had just spoken—a strong urge to punch him welled up inside him.

As expected, Chen Ruowen stopped right in front of Bai Jinyan. She scrutinized him carefully.

His complexion was somewhat pale, and he looked a bit listless, but otherwise showed no signs of injury. Since he was still able to participate in military training, it didn’t seem too serious.

That scoundrel Kang Wenbo, he’d done it again!

“You promised we’d eat together yesterday. Why did you stand me up?” Chen Ruowen accused him with a hint of playful reproach.

All eyes immediately turned to Bai Jinyan.

Chen Ruowen had indeed come looking for him—and opened with a reminder about yesterday’s meal appointment?

This was... infuriating!

It felt as if someone had stolen his wife.

Though Bai Jinyan’s mood relaxed somewhat at her question, the words Gaotang had said yesterday lingered heavily on his lips, which remained tightly pressed.

Seeing this, Chen Ruowen stepped closer and linked her arm with his.

“I waited specifically for you today. Let’s go eat.”

---

“There’s a class dinner,” Bai Jinyan muttered stiffly, then hesitated before softening his tone. “Tomorrow, then.”

“A dinner, huh...” Chen Ruowen glanced at the quiet onlookers behind Bai Jinyan and smiled again. “Then I’ll come along.”

She politely addressed Bai Jinyan’s classmates.

“Can I bring a guest? I’ll treat.”

The classmates quickly caught on, nodding enthusiastically.

“Sure, sure, of course! You’re very welcome, but no need to treat—we’ll split the bill. Let’s go!”

Yet after only a few steps, several female classmates stopped, bashfully explaining to the others:

“We want to go back and change clothes first. Why don’t you all go ahead?”

They had to change clothes...

Originally, it was just a casual class gathering, and everyone was fine wearing their camouflage uniforms. But then Chen Ruowen showed up. Though simply dressed and without makeup, she still looked worlds apart from their grimy, dusty appearances.

The idea of changing clothes quickly gained unanimous approval, and no one insisted on eating right away. They agreed to meet again in fifteen minutes and ran back to their dorms to change.

“You’re not going to change?” Chen Ruowen looked up at Bai Jinyan.

He shook his head without replying.

Though the dorm was not far from the playground, if he went back to change, would he leave Chen Ruowen to wait alone?

What if... she left?

Chen Ruowen felt somewhat uneasy about the venue chosen by the Industrial Management Class One, but seeing Bai Jinyan remain silent, she gritted her teeth and tried her best to behave normally at the gathering.

She wasn’t picky about the food, nor did she separate herself from the group.

It was a pitiful sight.

Thankfully, she wore an old pair of pants.

This gathering was probably one of the few collective events many of the Industrial Management freshmen would experience after reaching adulthood. Those who made it into South University typically had little extracurricular life in high school, rarely participating in group activities except for graduation parties.

So when a few troublemakers stirred things up, the group immediately ordered ten cases of beer, without a thought for how they’d manage military training the next day if they got drunk.

Bai Jinyan seemed in a sour mood, downing three bottles of beer gloomily right at the start.

When he opened the fourth bottle, Chen Ruowen finally reached out and stopped him.

“Don’t drink anymore.”

Bai Jinyan calmly sidestepped her hand, poured himself a glass, and drained it in one gulp.

Chen Ruowen’s gaze darkened with a dangerous edge.

Her temper had never been gentle, and for Bai Jinyan’s sake, she had been restraining herself for the past six months. After the argument sparked by Kang Wenbo’s call, she had even chosen to back down first, not even considering whether Bai Jinyan cared about her.

She withdrew her hand, no longer trying to stop him, and instead took a bottle from the table, poured a full glass, and drank it down in one breath—just like Bai Jinyan had done moments before.

Only then did Bai Jinyan’s eyes flicker as he took the bottle away from her.

“You don’t drink well. Stop.”

Chen Ruowen snorted coldly, snatched the bottle back, and refilled her glass.

“If you don’t listen when I talk, why should I listen to you?”

Bai Jinyan paused, then surprisingly did not try to stop her again. Chen Ruowen looked at his distant attitude with a hint of grievance, and in a fit of stubbornness, finished the rest of the drink.

In the latter half of the gathering, Bai Jinyan apologized to his classmates and took the heavily intoxicated Chen Ruowen back to Ziwei Garden.

As soon as they entered the bedroom, Bai Jinyan saw the nightgown draped over a chair—the very one Chen Ruowen had worn when leaving Gaotang’s house.

He set her down, walked slowly to the chair, picked up the nightgown, and stood still for a long time before turning and tossing it out the window.

The woman on the bed still had her eyes closed, her expression entirely unlike her usual alert demeanor, showing instead a subtle trace of grievance.

Bai Jinyan sighed softly, finally allowing the intoxicating haze to sweep over him as he approached Chen Ruowen.

“My eyebrows, mine.”

He gently kissed her beautifully shaped eyebrows.

“My eyes, mine.”

“My nose, mine.”

“My lips, mine.”

He kissed his way down, his eyes reflecting the deep, suppressed possessiveness he kept in check while sober.

“You are mine.”

“Everything about you belongs to me.”