62. For Myself (Part Two)

Bai Jinyan had to run all the way to the villa gate before he finally caught up with Chen Ruowen. No one could ever understand how, but every time she got angry, she would walk with such speed and purpose that even a hundred-meter sprint champion would struggle to keep up with her.

This time, having been publicly exposed by Kang Wenbo’s feigned innocence, she stormed out of the party in a fury, her embarrassment fueling every step.

“Ruowen!”

Bai Jinyan did not hesitate this time. As soon as he caught up, he pulled her into his arms.

“Let go!” Chen Ruowen snapped, her voice sharp.

“I won’t.”

“I said let go!”

“I won’t.”

They wrestled for a long moment before Chen Ruowen, exasperated, finally gave up the struggle. Instead, she stomped hard on Bai Jinyan’s foot, making him grimace in pain—yet he still refused to release her.

“Why did you give up going abroad to take the entrance exam for Southern University?” Bai Jinyan asked, his arms wrapped tightly around her, his head resting on her shoulder, his lips close to her ear.

The unprecedented intimacy made Chen Ruowen’s ears flush red. She squirmed away uncomfortably and spat, “It’s none of your business. I’ve already told you, I took the exam for fun.”

“You did it for me,” Bai Jinyan said, certain.

“I didn’t! I just took it for fun!”

“You did it for me.”

“I did not!” Chen Ruowen was even more annoyed than when Kang Wenbo had revealed her actions earlier. If it weren’t for Bai Jinyan’s unyielding grip, she would have dashed to the car and asked Driver Cui to take her home, vowing never to see Bai Jinyan, Kang Wenbo, or any of them again!

“I just took it for fun. I never even thought about going to Southern University,” Chen Ruowen insisted stubbornly.

“Then why not go?” Bai Jinyan followed her lead, his tone gentle.

“I just don’t want to. Why do you care?” she retorted.

“I do care.”

Bai Jinyan’s arms tightened around her. He leaned even closer to her ear, as if to make sure she heard him, or maybe just to brush her earlobe with his lips. Whatever his intention, at that moment, Chen Ruowen felt as though she had been set alight by fire.

All her resistance, all her struggles, melted away in an instant.

“Go,” Bai Jinyan whispered.

“Go where?”

“To Southern University.”

“Why should I?”

“For me.” Fearing she hadn’t heard, Bai Jinyan repeated himself. “Go to Southern University, for me.”

Chen Ruowen said nothing, but her mind had already surrendered; only her body clung stubbornly to its resistance.

“For you... Go ask Du Yueyue! She’d be delighted to go to Southern University for you. Honestly, it’s not just Southern; she’d cross the country to follow you to any university,” Chen Ruowen mumbled, her voice sullen.

Bai Jinyan let out a soft laugh, sounding genuinely pleased. “I’ve explained this to you before—I have nothing to do with her. Why don’t you believe me?”

Chen Ruowen just grunted, refusing to answer.

“I was only being polite to her. I bought her food because I promised, and I keep my word. If that makes you unhappy, then next semester I’ll buy your meals every day and bring them to you. How about that?”

This time, Chen Ruowen’s expression softened, her tone less sharp. “Who cares... Why do you even care if I’m unhappy...”

“You care. And I care,” Bai Jinyan answered swiftly. Before Chen Ruowen could react, he added, “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?”

“I didn’t know,” Bai Jinyan said, full of regret. “I didn’t know that when you reached out to me, it was to tell me about the winter camp.”

“Who said I was going to tell you that? I just... just called you for no reason. It wasn’t about any winter camp.”

“I’m sorry,” Bai Jinyan apologized again, ignoring her denial. “If I’d known, I would never have gone to the birthday party.”

This time, Chen Ruowen was silent for a long while before she finally replied, “Really?”

“Really.”

She said nothing more.

After a while, she shifted slightly in his arms. This time, Bai Jinyan didn’t stop her; in fact, he loosened his hold a little.

Chen Ruowen turned around and hugged Bai Jinyan, face to face.

“Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”

“There won’t be a next time.”

“Hmph.”

...

Behind the villa gate, Geng Jiaojiao nearly left a bruise on Kang Wenbo’s arm in her effort to stifle another scream. The excitement in her eyes was as bright as someone winning the lottery—though that wasn’t quite right, since no amount of money could bring any real joy to these second-generation heirs.

After all, money didn’t matter to them.

Their happiest days were when they were penniless.

Well, perhaps that wasn’t quite true—they’d never actually been penniless.

“They made up! Ruowen and Jinyan made up! Ahhh!” Geng Jiaojiao shrieked.

“Yes, yes, they made up,” Kang Wenbo agreed through gritted teeth, rubbing his sore arm but not uttering a single complaint. In fact, he kept echoing her excitement. Seeing his sorry state, Song Yunhui and Man Hao exchanged sympathetic glances.

How tragic.

Luckily, neither of them had been betrothed to Geng Jiaojiao since childhood.

On the other side of the gate, Gao Tang looked at the pair now embracing at the entrance and scoffed quietly.

“Is this really so amusing? They’re not a good match at all. You lot can’t play mediator for them forever, can you?”

“That’s not for you to decide, Young Master Gao,” Kang Wenbo replied, grasping Geng Jiaojiao’s restless hand. He glanced at Gao Tang. “And besides, interfering in someone else’s relationship isn’t exactly something to be proud of, is it?”

“Interfering?” Gao Tang laughed. “You heard Chen Ruowen yourself—they’re not even officially together, so how could there be any interference?”

“Young Master Gao, not every relationship has to be made public. Take me and Jiaojiao, or Ruowen and Jinyan. Everyone here knows how things stand between them. Last year, when Ruowen fell in the water, Bai Jinyan nearly gave his life to save her. At that point, what difference does it make if they’ve put a name to it or not?”

This revelation caught Gao Tang off guard for a moment, but he quickly recovered. He glanced at Kang Wenbo, then shook his head, chin raised arrogantly—a completely different air from when he faced Chen Ruowen.

“Sometimes dying for someone is easier than living for them. I doubt you’d understand, even if I explained. Besides, you might not need to put a label on it, nor does Geng Jiaojiao, and perhaps not even Bai Jinyan. But that doesn’t mean Chen Ruowen doesn’t need it. I don’t think Bai Jinyan is right for her—or any of you, for that matter.”

At this, not just Kang Wenbo and Song Yunhui, but even the usually guileless Geng Jiaojiao bristled. She let go of Kang Wenbo and fixed her big, shining eyes on Gao Tang.

“Why do you say I’m not right for Ruowen? I adore her! If there’s anything wrong, I’ll change it!”

Gao Tang just smiled and said nothing.

Kang Wenbo frowned. “And you think you’re right for her?”

“Of course,” Gao Tang nodded, watching as Chen Ruowen and Bai Jinyan, hand in hand and newly reconciled, walked toward them. He stepped forward to meet them. “Only I am truly right for her.”

“She’ll understand that sooner or later.”