Volume 1 Chapter 12: Betting to Pursue Her
At that moment, the stage singer finished a song.
The lights dimmed, and applause erupted, covering up the commotion on this side.
Jiang Song had a bad temper, but Su Tongan wasn’t afraid of him.
He was also holding back a surge of anger.
The thought that Ruan Wan, who had celebrated his birthday with him at the restaurant last night, had stepped out two or three times—only to go eat with Jiang Song—made his face twist with rage.
And another thing!
How could Ruan Wan give the scarf he had given her to someone else!
Like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, the more Su Tongan thought about it, the angrier he became. He threw a punch straight at Jiang Song’s face.
Jiang Song tilted his head to dodge it, unwilling to back down. He grabbed an empty wine bottle from the table.
His eyes were bloodshot, his mind filled with the scene from last night when he heard Su Tongan confessing to Ruan Wan.
How had she responded?
Did she agree?
Damn it, he shouldn’t have left early yesterday. He should have stayed and listened to their entire conversation!
He lifted his gaze and met Su Tongan’s face—a face that could easily win women’s sympathy. Was this the face he used to seduce Ruan Wan?
Jiang Song’s expression turned sinister. He cracked his neck, then raised his hand and smashed the glass bottle against the edge of the table. It shattered instantly, the shards sharp as blades.
Just as he was about to swing it toward Su Tongan’s face, a hand gripped his wrist.
“A-Song, calm down. You’re not really falling for Ruan Wan, are you?”
It was Pei Baichen’s voice.
He was in the know, aware of Jiang Song’s plan to seduce Ruan Wan.
Jiang Song’s movement halted, as if waking from a dream, and he let go of the bottle.
The red and blue beams of the bar lights flickered across his face, lending him a roguish air.
He regained his composure. “Do you really think I’d be interested in a dull, boring married woman? I just didn’t expect Ruan Wan to scheme against me. She actually met someone else behind my back.”
Pei Baichen understood and turned his gaze to Su Tongan.
“What about you? Weren’t you into Shen Zhizhi? How did you end up tangled with Ruan Wan?”
Facing Pei Baichen’s light brown eyes, which seemed to see right through everything, Su Tongan deflated like a punctured balloon and confessed the whole story.
“Just as I thought,” Pei Baichen chuckled softly. “You and Jiang Song had the same idea—to throw yourselves into the game, seduce Ruan Wan, and help Shen Zhizhi.”
Under Su Tongan’s astonished gaze, Pei Baichen took out a sports car key.
“As Shen Zhizhi’s old classmate, I can’t just stand by and do nothing. So here’s the deal—”
“This is my newly acquired Panamera. Consider it the prize.”
“Whoever can make Ruan Wan divorce Li Minglan first gets the car. It’s the only thing I can do to help Shen Zhizhi.”
“…”
If you asked Jiang Song and Su Tongan whether they really cared about a sports car, the answer would be no.
But as Pei Baichen finished speaking, an inexplicable competitive desire began to spread and swell between the two of them.
This bet gave them a legitimate reason.
They were just participating in a game—a bet on who could win Ruan Wan’s heart first.
“Fine, it’s just a game.”
Jiang Song flicked open his lighter, lit a cigarette, and shrugged nonchalantly.
Su Tongan shed his innocent, well-behaved facade, a hint of provocation curling at his lips. “Thanks, Brother Chen. As it happens, my garage is missing a new sports car.”
“That confident?”
“Yeah, haven’t you heard, Brother Song? No matter how old a girl is, she always likes an eighteen-year-old college boy.”
“…”
The air was thick with tension.
Pei Baichen shook his head with a smile, raised his glass, and finished the whiskey at the bottom. “Alright, I’m leaving first. I have filming tomorrow.”
“I’m leaving too.” Su Tongan stood up as well, flashing a provocative smile at Jiang Song, his youthful sharpness evident on his face.
Jiang Song lazily waved his hand, though inwardly he was far from as relaxed as he appeared.
9 p.m., inside the café.
Ruan Wan received a video sent by the detective.
It showed Jiang Song, Su Tongan, and Pei Baichen appearing together at a bar.
Even without sound, Ruan Wan could guess the gist of it.
—They were now aware of each other’s existence.
A smile curved at the corner of her lips as she transferred a sum of money to the detective.
“Victoria, you look very happy. Did something good happen?”
On the laptop screen, a blonde, blue-eyed Caucasian woman asked curiously.
If a racing enthusiast happened to pass by, they would immediately recognize this person as Imani, last year’s runner-up in the Formula One World Championship.
“It is indeed good news, something that will help me return to the team sooner.” Ruan Wan blinked.
Imani was overjoyed. “That’s wonderful! My ace mechanic, welcome back. As promised, we’re going for the championship together!”
“Yes.” Together, they would aim for the championship!
After offering analysis and suggestions regarding Imani’s current race car, Ruan Wan ended the video call, packed up her materials, and headed home.
When she returned to Shanlan Villa, the lights in the room were on.
Li Minglan was back.
Strange. In the three months since their marriage, Li Minglan had rarely returned to their new home—less than ten times in total. Yet these past few days, he had been coming back more frequently.
—”Why are you back so late?”
Li Minglan descended the spiral staircase. He had changed into pajamas, the black silk making his skin appear exceptionally fair, his features refined and elegant.
Ruan Wan was inexplicably reminded of Li Yuan.
The two cousins looked very much alike, though Li Yuan had shorter hair and a sharper gaze, one that inspired fear.
Quickly, Ruan Wan averted her eyes.
“I ran into some issues at work and stayed a bit late.”
Li Minglan glanced at his wristwatch. “It’s almost ten o’clock. That’s more than just ‘a bit late.’ Just quit. It’s not like I can’t support you.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them froze.
Li Minglan cleared his throat. “What I mean is, you’re ‘pregnant’ now and need to take care of your health. The old man is shrewd. If he notices something off, even I won’t be able to help you.”
“Mm. I understand.”
“Oh, right.” Li Minglan scratched the back of his neck somewhat awkwardly. “You received the birthday gift I sent you, didn’t you?”
Ruan Wan was puzzled.
Then, she understood. Li Minglan was worried that the old man might ask about the details of their married life during his birthday banquet. He was rehearsing in advance to create the image of a loving couple.
She pursed her lips into a smile. “Yes, I received it. I like it very much.”
“As long as you like it. But don’t think that just because I gave you a birthday gift, I like you. This is just to deal with Grandpa. Don’t overthink it, understand?”
Ruan Wan: “…”
If she weren’t certain she hadn’t lost her memory, she might have thought he had actually given her some expensive gift.
“Yes, I know.” She replied perfunctorily, feeling a bit tired.
“Is there anything else?”
The detachment in her tone left Li Minglan somewhat dissatisfied.
He had specifically come back today to wish her a happy birthday and had even given her a birthday gift. Even if his intention wasn’t to make her overly touched, her reaction was still too strange.
Even colder than usual.
He said irritably, “Big brother is coming back tomorrow. After work, I’ll pick you up, and you’ll come with me to the airport to meet him.”
Ruan Wan’s drowsiness faded by half.
Glancing at the calendar on the wall, she remembered that tomorrow was the day Li Yuan would return to the country.
Her fingers paused, and her entire body radiated unease. Even Li Minglan noticed something was off. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
She returned to normal and asked in confusion, “Why do you want me to come with you?”