After Yu Huan left, Su Xianyan walked over to Cheng Simian.
Standing in front of her, his calm features held a faint smile. “Take out your exam papers. Let me have a look.”
Cheng Simian turned around to rummage through her bag, pulled out her report card and exam papers, and handed them to him. Her face was glowing—she was absolutely certain she hadn’t let Su Xianyan down this time.
Su Xianyan carried the papers to his desk and sat down. Spreading them out, he lowered his gaze and examined them carefully.
He was reviewing her exams, while Cheng Simian stood beside him watching him.
Compared to the countless matters he handled daily at the company, her exam papers were probably insignificant—but the seriousness of his expression made her feel truly valued.
She quietly studied his profile. When her gaze landed on his lightly pressed lips, her heart began to pound. She hadn’t forgotten that night when she’d secretly kissed him while he was drunk—the memory of it being warm and soft lingered vividly.
“The math score is indeed very good.”
He suddenly turned to look at her. Caught off guard, Cheng Simian hurriedly shifted her gaze away.
“Huh? Ah—yeah, it’s… it’s okay.”
“But your English could still use some improvement.”
Cheng Simian steadied her breathing and nodded obediently. “I did my best with English.” Of all her subjects, English had always been her weakest—scoring this much was already no small feat.
Su Xianyan smiled faintly. “During the break, you can have your uncle find you a tutor and work on your English.”
Cheng Simian widened her eyes. “I don’t want to!”
Su Xianyan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Cheng Simian immediately backed down. “I mean… I can study on my own…”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.” She paused, then added softly, “Besides, aren’t you still here? You can teach me.”
Su Xianyan looked at her for a moment, then withdrew his gaze. “I won’t be at home during the holiday.”
Cheng Simian’s heart tightened. “Where are you going?”
“There’s something going on at home, so I won’t be staying where we usually live for now.”
The moment she heard that, her mood dropped to rock bottom. The joy brought by her good grades vanished completely once she realized he wouldn’t be around.
“So… does that mean I won’t be able to see you during this time?”
Her voice sounded aggrieved, childishly so. She lowered her head, lips pursed, like someone who had just been wronged.
Su Xianyan chuckled and lightly patted her head. “I’ll still come back to the office occasionally. If you need anything, you can call me.”
Cheng Simian thought to herself—what kind of important matter could she possibly have that would make him rush back just for her? She knew one thing for sure: she wouldn’t be able to cling to him every day anymore.
“I…” She was just about to say something when the office door was pushed open. Cha Yiguan walked in holding a cup of coffee, looking relaxed. “Xianyan, did Yu Huan leave already?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the little girl standing beside Su Xianyan and froze. “Xiao Mianmian? Why are you here today?”
Cheng Simian glanced at him irritably. “Why can’t I be here?”
With that, she walked around the bookshelf, grabbed her backpack, and said, “I’m going home.”
Cha Yiguan protested, “Hey, I just got here and you’re leaving already?”
Cheng Simian didn’t respond. She didn’t feel like dealing with anyone.
“Simian.”
Su Xianyan’s voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned back to look at him, and he said, “Take your test papers and report card with you.”
She had no choice but to walk back to the desk, stuff the papers into her bag, and say, “I’m leaving.”
Su Xianyan nodded. “Be careful on the way.”
“Mm.”
As she passed Cha Yiguan, he reached out and grabbed her arm. But Cheng Simian was in a terrible mood—she shot him a fierce glare. “What do you want?”
Cha Yiguan was startled, completely dumbfounded.
After she left, he shook his head and sat down on the sofa. “Tsk tsk tsk… how does this girl have such a bad temper?”
Su Xianyan recalled her unhappy expression earlier, a trace of softness flashing in his eyes. “She’s fine.”
“Fine? Only with you.” Cha Yiguan took a sip of coffee. “She’s vicious to me most of the time. Just look at how she was earlier.”
Su Xianyan smiled lightly but said nothing.
Cha Yiguan continued, “Xianyan, don’t spoil her too much. Cheng Qin said once this girl gets stubborn, no one can rein her in.”
Su Xianyan paused with the pen in his hand. “I spoil her?”
Cha Yiguan didn’t notice the change in his expression and went on. “I think you dote on her even more than Cheng Qin does. But honestly… when Xiao Mianmian behaves herself, she’s actually pretty lovable.”
Su Xianyan remained silent for a long time before finally humming in agreement.
Perhaps without realizing it, he had already put his heart into her—wanting her to study well, wanting her to grow up properly despite being surrounded by betrayal from her family. Sometimes, when he saw her looking wronged and miserable, he felt the urge to protect her.
Su Xianyan sighed softly. This kind of softness was rare for him. Maybe it started the moment she said, “I’ll listen to everything you say,” and he unconsciously took on that heavy responsibility.
But…
He wasn’t unaware. He understood the mindset of someone her age—an age when feelings are just beginning to bud, when it’s easy to grow dependent on someone who treats you well, to mistake that dependence for love. Even if he hadn’t paid attention before, her actions that night when he was drunk had already explained everything.
After that night, he had deliberately kept his distance from her. Aside from helping her with homework, he rarely spoke to her and seldom came home early. Yet all that distance crumbled whenever he saw her dejected, disappointed expression.
She had asked, “Su Xianyan, do you not want to care about me anymore?”
At that moment, his heart had ached.
He knew he couldn’t not care.
“Oh, right—how did things go with Yu Huan?” Cha Yiguan asked. “Did he agree to be the spokesperson?”
Su Xianyan pulled himself back to the present. “Mm. More or less.”
“That’s great!” Cha Yiguan said excitedly. “With Yu Huan endorsing it, our mobile game’s popularity will skyrocket. Of course, even without a celebrity, our game would still blow up.”
Su Xianyan glanced at him and suddenly asked, “Where’s Cheng Qin?”
“He’s busy over there.”
“Oh. Then what are you doing here?”
“I—I’m just drinking coffee and taking a short break.” Cha Yiguan coughed. Under Su Xianyan’s cool gaze, he quietly stood up. “…I’ll go get back to work.”
The holiday began. Cheng Simian used to love vacations—no school, endless fun outside. But now, without Su Xianyan around, she couldn’t muster any excitement at all.
“Cheng Simian.” Cheng Qin adjusted his tie as he headed for the door. “I’m heading out. Stay home and be careful.”
She looked at him listlessly. “Uncle, come back early.”
“I won’t be back for five or six days. Be good, got it?”
“Oh.”
The door closed, leaving her alone in the house. Su Xianyan was gone, Cheng Qin was on a business trip, and Cha Yiguan was out fooling around every day. Sigh—so boring…
She watched TV for a long time until hunger finally drove her off the sofa. She made a cup of instant noodles and rested her chin on her hand while waiting for them to soften.
It was already dark outside. She checked the time—8:00 p.m.
Five minutes later, she lifted the lid. Steam rose up, and the rich smell of braised beef noodles filled the air. Just as she was about to eat, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen—it was Cha Yiguan calling.
“Hello? What is it?”
“Hello, may I ask if you’re a friend of the owner of this phone?”
Cheng Simian froze for a moment. “Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m a waiter from Queen Bar. This gentleman has passed out drunk here. You’re listed as his most recent contact, so I called to ask—would it be convenient for you to come and take him home?”
Cheng Simian’s temple twitched. “Passed out drunk?”
“Uh… yes. He drank too much.”
Cheng Simian rolled her eyes helplessly. “Queen Bar, right? Help me keep an eye on him. I’ll be there right away.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t even have time to eat her instant noodles. After hastily changing clothes, she rushed out. But once she got into the taxi, it hit her—she couldn’t possibly carry Cha Yiguan by herself. So she called Su Xianyan.
She hadn’t spoken to him on the phone for many days—let alone seen him in person for even longer.
After explaining the situation, Cheng Simian suddenly felt a bit grateful to Cha Yiguan. If not for him, she honestly couldn’t think of any urgent reason to contact Su Xianyan.
Once inside the bar, she began looking for Cha Yiguan.
The dance floor was loud and chaotic, but not in the usual energetic, carefree way. A crowd had gathered around something. Curious, Cheng Simian squeezed her way in and took a look.
At first glance, she froze.
Standing at the center, arm wrapped around a seductive, glamorous woman—who else could it be but Cha Yiguan, the notorious playboy? But… something about the scene felt off.
The woman struggled a little, her face clearly uncomfortable, while Cha Yiguan leaned closer with a grin, shamelessly pressing himself against her.
The next second, a man yanked the woman away.
Before Cheng Simian could make sense of what was happening, Cha Yiguan suddenly threw a punch, knocking the man’s head to the side. “Fuck—my woman, and you dare try to steal her?”
The crowd gasped. Cheng Simian was startled too—since when did Cha Yiguan get this wild?
The man snapped back to his senses and grabbed Cha Yiguan by the collar. “Your woman? Bullshit! She’s mine! Who the hell are you—looking to die?!”
Cha Yiguan, reeking of alcohol, reached out again toward the glamorous woman. “What do you mean your woman? A pretty girl like this is obviously mine.”
Cheng Simian: “……”
So he was seriously drunk—and even harassing someone else’s girlfriend.
Not wanting the situation to spiral completely out of control, Cheng Simian steeled herself and pushed her way in, pulling Cha Yiguan backward. “Hey, hey—sir, I’m really sorry. My brother is drunk.”
The man paused, looking Cheng Simian up and down with a gloomy smile. “Your brother? Little girl, do you know who I am? Your ‘brother’ just laid hands on my woman.”
Cheng Simian hesitated, then glanced behind him—and only then noticed the group of men standing there like lackeys. No wonder such a small incident had drawn so much attention. Cha Yiguan had clearly provoked someone important.
She suddenly felt the urge to bury Cha Yiguan alive.
“This is Young Master Fan—Fan Shizong,” someone beside him said slyly. “Little girl, our boss isn’t someone you want to mess with.”
Cheng Simian’s gaze darkened slightly. “I’m sorry. He was drunk. He didn’t mean it.”
“One ‘didn’t mean it’ and that’s enough?” Fan Shizong stepped closer and reached out, hooking a finger under Cheng Simian’s chin.
Under the dim bar lights, her face was pale and delicate, unmistakably innocent and sweet. Yet her eyes, catching the light, carried a naturally seductive gleam.
Fan Shizong raised an eyebrow. This was a type he hadn’t tried before.