Zhou Feiyue’s sense of superiority surged at the remark.
She sized Xing Yu up once more, a hint of snobbery curling onto her sharp-featured face.
“Lin Yan, looks like you haven’t been doing so well in Jingbei all these years! A man like this, a frog at the bottom of a well from some small town—you actually fancy him? You must be desperate.”
Lin Yan remained silent, her emotions completely unruffled.
Zhou Feiyue pressed further: “You’ve always been so proud since we were kids! If you can’t make it in Jingbei, why didn’t you just contact me? We were sisters after all—no matter what, I’d have your brother-in-law find you a job!”
Lin Yan still didn’t respond, watching her performance with calm composure.
Zhou Feiyue began to lose her patience: “Cat got your tongue?”
Lin Yan spoke unhurriedly, parting her lips slowly: “Trash people and trash matters aren’t worth arguing over.”
Zhou Feiyue’s face darkened and she was about to raise her voice when An Cheng stepped in first, patting her shoulder to signal her to rein in her temper.
Though embarrassed, Zhou Feiyue swallowed her anger.
After a moment, she crossed her arms over her chest and said with her chin held high: “Lin Yan, your brother-in-law and I came back early, so there’s no room for you at home. You’ll stay at a hotel tonight. My mom’s already packed your luggage—go pick it up.”
With that, Zhou Feiyue brushed past her, chin raised.
She even deliberately bumped Lin Yan’s shoulder as she passed.
“Want me to give you a ride?” Zhou Feiyue suddenly stopped, pointing at the Mercedes parked not far away, revealing the thick gold bracelet on her wrist as she raised her hand.
“We drove back this year. After dinner, I’m planning to take your brother-in-law for a drive around town. You can ride with us—we’ll drop you off at the hotel.”
Lin Yan glanced at the Mercedes. “Nice car.”
Zhou Feiyue tucked her hair behind her ear, preening: “Your brother-in-law bought it for me. It’s just a cheap Mercedes, a few hundred thousand at most.”
Lin Yan smiled, her words carrying a hidden meaning: “Civil servants really have it good—can just casually buy a cheap Mercedes.”
An Cheng caught the implication and, without waiting for Zhou Feiyue to speak, pulled her away and hurried off.
Once it was quiet, Lin Yan noticed a burning gaze fixed on her the whole time.
She turned and met his eyes. Xing Yu’s pitch-black pupils looked as if they’d been soaked in ink, impossible to see to the bottom.
He suddenly smiled. “Sharp tongue.”
Lin Yan replied coolly: “We’re not getting any younger. If I don’t keep my feelings off my face, what, am I supposed to hang them on the wall?”
With that, she went upstairs.
By the time she came down with her suitcase, Xing Yu still hadn’t left.
He stood with his back to her, head tilted slightly upward, seemingly gazing at the scattered stars in the sky.
The yellow light from the hallway spilled over him, making his silhouette look tall and elegant, radiating an inexplicable allure within the soft glow.
“Still not leaving?”
Xing Yu turned at the sound of her voice and, without a word, stepped forward to take her suitcase and headed out.
Lin Yan followed behind him. “What are you doing now?”
Xing Yu stuffed the suitcase into the trunk. “It’s on my way. I’ll take you.”
“Coach Xing, no need to be so attentive.”
“What if it’s one-sided? Does it bother you?”
“…”
Xing Yu fixed her with a deliberately aloof gaze, teasing himself: “I’m just a frog at the bottom of a well—you wouldn’t fancy me anyway, right, friend?”
“…”
After a long day of traveling, Lin Yan was exhausted.
She didn’t have the energy to argue with him.
So she simply got into his car.
At the hotel, Xing Yu helped carry her luggage up and then left.
When she opened her suitcase, Lin Yan spotted an envelope inside.
The envelope contained a stack of assorted cash, roughly two thousand yuan or so.
Lin Yan clutched the envelope, her nose stinging slightly.
This money—her uncle must have slipped it in secretly.
Ever since she was little, Zhou Gang had often given her money behind An Chunfang’s back.
It wasn’t much, but it was always money her uncle had saved up on the side.
She had only been three years old when her father died in an accident at the construction site. Her mother had taken the death compensation and left with only her older brother, abandoning Lin Yan at the orphanage gates. From then on, she vanished without a trace.
At eight, her uncle had braved the pressure to bring her back from the orphanage.
From that day on, she began a life of living under someone else’s roof.
Though Zhou Gang was timid and weak-willed by nature, he’d overturned tables and argued with An Chunfang more than once for her sake.
He did his best to give her everything within his means.
Even if, most of the time, he was powerless against An Chunfang’s domineering ways…
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. When she opened it, it was the hotel front desk.
The front desk handed her a paper bag.
“Miss Lin, your meal.”
“I didn’t order anything.” Though it was true she hadn’t eaten dinner yet.
“Someone asked me to deliver it to you.”
“Who?”
“There seems to be a note inside. Take a look and you’ll know.”
Lin Yan took the bag and pulled out the note inside.
It bore a single short line.
[Eat well, sleep well.]
Her gaze moved down to the signature—four bold, forceful characters.
[A Frog at the Bottom of a Well]
Lin Yan stared at the note. For a moment, she couldn’t quite name the emotion she felt.
In any case, the corner of her lips curved ever so slightly.
…
The next morning, Lin Yan received a call from her uncle, asking her to come home for lunch.
She didn’t refuse.
Zhou Feiyue rarely came back, and no matter how incompatible they were, she still had to show her uncle face.
After hanging up with her uncle, a WeChat message popped up on her phone.
[Come downstairs. Something’s up.]
It was Xing Yu.
Lin Yan pulled back the curtain and looked down from the second floor. Xing Yu stood at the hotel entrance, cold and stern, blowing smoke rings. As always, he was dressed in black from head to toe—rough around the edges, but radiating pure masculinity.
Lin Yan casually threw on a jacket and headed downstairs.
She cut straight to the point: “What’s the matter?”
Xing Yu glanced at her sweater and jacket. “Friend, it’s only 6 degrees today.”
Before Lin Yan could react, Xing Yu had already taken off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
The faint scent of laundry detergent from the coat drifted into her nose, causing her to lose focus for a moment.
She resisted this unusual display of concern.
“I’m not cold.” She shrugged off the coat.
But Xing Yu, with endless patience, put the coat back on her. “I’m hot.”
“Yanyan?”
Amidst their tugging, a gentle voice interrupted their exchange.
Song Yanzheng walked out of the hotel, carrying a briefcase.
Lin Yan froze, surprised. “Brother Yanzheng, what are you doing here?”
“It was late last night, so I stayed at the hotel for the night.”
Song Yanzheng was about to say something else when he noticed the men’s coat draped over Lin Yan. He shifted his gaze and saw a stern, upright man staring at him with a cold expression.
“Yanyan, who is this gentleman?”
Before Lin Yan could explain, Song Yanzheng’s phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, and a soft expression spread across his face. He answered the call right in front of Lin Yan.
“Xiaoxue… Yeah… I’ll be back in Jingbei today… Got it… I miss you too… Be good… Wait for me to come back…”
His gentle demeanor and doting tone struck Lin Yan’s heart like sharp iron nails…
Once upon a time, Song Yanzheng would also stroke her head and tell her “I miss you.” He would softly comfort her every time she cried, saying, “I’m here. I’ll always be with you.”
But in just a few short months, he was going to marry another woman and become someone else’s husband…
“Sorry about that, I had to take a call.” Song Yanzheng wore a refined smile as he turned his gaze back to her. “Yanyan, who is this gentleman?”
A thousand emotions surged within her, and Lin Yan, who rarely lost her composure, found herself at a loss.
A childish thought flashed through her mind.
She suddenly linked her arm through Xing Yu’s and flashed a smile at Song Yanzheng.
“He’s my boyfriend.”