Jiang Qingli practically shot to her feet. Her expression froze, disbelief written all over her face.
She thought she had seen it wrong.
How could Jiang Chen possibly know Su Zhenyue, the Eldest Young Miss of the Su Family!?
He was clearly just an innocent college student who had not even entered society yet.
Jiang Qingli knew of Su Zhenyue. Within their social circle, she was infamous for her extreme obsession with cleanliness and her terrible temper.
Yet Jiang Chen was actually supporting her?
Jiang Qingli immediately sensed that something was wrong, and her breathtakingly beautiful face darkened little by little.
‘Very well. Since when did he learn to hide things from me?’
Ever since they were children, no matter who Jiang Chen met, what he ate, or even which road he walked down, he had always wanted to tell her every little detail.
But now… he had actually learned to keep things from her?
Jiang Qingli stared fixedly at the two people by the entrance. She was so absorbed that she did not even notice Mother Jiang calling her.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen and Su Zhenyue had already entered the banquet hall.
The moment they stepped inside, Jiang Haotian, who had been anxiously waiting for Su Zhenyue, immediately lit up.
“Zhenyue!”
“Zhenyue! Thank goodness. I thought… you wouldn’t come.”
Jiang Haotian’s eyes were red, yet his face was filled with joy. Ignoring the strange looks from everyone around him, he strode toward Su Zhenyue and reached out to take her hand.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen could not help rolling his eyes.
‘Brother, is this seriously the best you can do? You haven’t even made it out of the beginner village yet, have you? Everyone else has already grown up while you’re still drinking milk. At the very least, you should give her a heartfelt apology first, right? And with skills like this, you still expect to win your goddess back?’
Jiang Chen looked at the inexperienced Jiang Haotian with an expression that practically screamed that this student was beyond saving.
Sure enough, Su Zhenyue frowned and calmly avoided Jiang Haotian’s hand.
She asked coldly, “You asked me to come here. What do you want?”
Her entire demeanor was icy and distant, making it clear that she wanted him nowhere near her.
A trace of embarrassment and gloom instantly flashed across Jiang Haotian’s face.
“Zhenyue…”
He coughed lightly and quickly composed himself. Guilt filled his eyes as he asked, “Zhenyue, have you… been doing well all these years?”
The guilt in his eyes did not seem fake.
Su Zhenyue’s expression finally softened slightly, but she replied, “Whether I’ve been doing well or not, what does that have to do with you?”
Then she moved to stand beside Jiang Chen.
Only then did Jiang Haotian finally notice Jiang Chen, who had been trying his best to remain an unnoticed bystander.
“You…”
His expression froze in astonishment for a second.
Unless Jiang Chen happened to have a twin somewhere in this world, the man standing before him should be Jiang Chen, the useless trash he had just driven out of the Jiang Family.
‘How… How could he be here? And why is he with Su Zhenyue?’
Jiang Haotian tried to adjust his expression before asking, “And this is?”
However, Su Zhenyue immediately moved protectively in front of Jiang Chen and replied, “Who he is, what does that have to do with you?”
Her expression remained cold as she continued, “Don’t you have anything you want to explain to me?”
Su Zhenyue originally wanted to grab Jiang Chen, only to discover that he had quietly slipped into the crowd and placed everyone else between himself and them.
Seeing Jiang Haotian staring at him as though he wanted to devour him alive, Jiang Chen began furiously complaining inside his head.
Seeing the situation before him, Jiang Haotian’s expression finally became serious.
“Zhenyue, I’m sorry…”
Jiang Haotian suddenly pulled out an obviously expensive jeweled necklace and dropped to one knee.
“I know my departure back then hurt you deeply.”
“I know all of this was my fault. I can’t make excuses for it.”
“But back then, I didn’t want things to turn out that way either. Your father forced me… He said my family at the time wasn’t worthy of you. He said you deserved someone better.”
“I thought leaving would allow you to live a better life…”
“I’m sorry. I know everything was my fault, and there’s nothing I can say to excuse what I did.”
“I only hope you’ll give me one chance to pursue you again. Will you…?”
Jiang Haotian’s eyes overflowed with affection as tears streamed down his face. His heartfelt confession gradually changed the attitudes of everyone around them.
Forget everyone else, even Jiang Chen almost felt indignant on his behalf.
‘Sure enough, the protagonist is still the protagonist. There’s always some painful secret behind everything.’
‘Now she should finally kick me out and let me go enjoy my carefree life, right?!’
Jiang Chen’s eyes practically sparkled as he looked expectantly toward Su Zhenyue.
Sure enough, Su Zhenyue’s expression softened.
She said, “I’ll personally ask my father about what you just told me.”
“If things really happened exactly as you said, I’ll allow you to stay by my side.”
Jiang Haotian’s face immediately brightened. “Does that mean you’ve forgiven me?”
However, Su Zhenyue suddenly changed her tone and avoided accepting his necklace.
“I can forgive you, but we can never return to how things were before…”
Her expression was complicated.
Even after learning that Jiang Haotian had been forced to leave, how could she possibly reconcile with him so easily?
For the past three years, she had endured endless darkness and loneliness alone. Her state of mind had changed long ago.
In fact, she now even harbored a faint resentment toward Jiang Haotian.
Just because he believed he was not worthy of her, he could disregard her wishes and abandon her to go abroad when she needed him most?
More importantly, Jiang Chen was now by her side.
Although she believed she had no feelings for Jiang Chen and could never possibly fall in love with him, he had accompanied her for three years.
Three entire years.
Everything Jiang Haotian had been absent for during those years, Jiang Chen had made up for.
If she chose to accept Jiang Haotian again, what would happen to Jiang Chen?
Jiang Haotian also noticed her hesitation.
He could not help casting a slightly sinister glance toward Jiang Chen before saying, “Zhenyue, I knew you still had feelings for me. You can only truly be happy when you’re with me.”
“Are you worried… that Brother Chen will mind?”
“Don’t worry. If Brother Chen really can’t accept it, I can convince my family to give him 10 million.”
“I know Brother Chen has always been short of money. That should be enough to help him through his current difficulties.”
“Or I can stay by your side without asking for anything at all, Zhenyue. Brother Chen can stay too!”
“Zhenyue, I only want to remain by your side…”
Every seemingly innocent word Jiang Haotian spoke carried the implication that Jiang Chen had only stayed beside Su Zhenyue for money.
Even Jiang Chen could not help rolling his eyes.
Nevertheless, Jiang Chen immediately cooperated.
“I don’t mind!”
“I don’t mind at all! I wish the two of you a happy marriage and plenty of children. Hahaha!”
‘Why the hell would I mind? Get this damn Yandere as far away from me as possible! Back off, back off, back off! All I want now is to take the money and run, okay?’
Jiang Chen continued enthusiastically, “If my presence bothers either of you, I’ll leave right now and never appear in front of you again.”
“Bye! No need to see me off!”
As he spoke, Jiang Chen prepared to take the money and make his escape.
Jiang Haotian was completely dumbfounded.
He had never expected Jiang Chen to agree so readily. Just as he was about to secretly celebrate, before he could even smile, Su Zhenyue’s icy gaze swept toward him.
“Jiang Haotian, what have you done?!”
Su Zhenyue roared furiously, “Who gave you permission to say something like that?!”
She quickly turned toward Jiang Chen and said, “Jiang Chen… don’t misunderstand. I never meant to drive you away.”
Looking at Jiang Chen’s seemingly resolute and heartbroken back, Su Zhenyue hurriedly grabbed him. Intense guilt flashed through her eyes.
She could not understand when Jiang Haotian had become like this.
What did he mean when he said that she could only be happy with him?
He could clearly see that Jiang Chen loved her.
Jiang Chen loved her so deeply that he was willing to throw away his own life for her. His feelings had never been about money.
For the sake of her happiness, Jiang Chen would rather sacrifice everything he had.
Wasn’t Jiang Haotian deliberately provoking Jiang Chen by saying such things?
How could he possibly say something so cruel?
Seeing Su Zhenyue cast a disappointed look at Jiang Haotian while tightly holding onto him, Jiang Chen was dumbfounded.
‘Wait, Sister, isn’t something wrong with this plotline?’
‘When did I look even slightly heartbroken?’
‘Seriously, Sister, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about what being heartbroken looks like?’
Jiang Chen hurriedly put on the brightest smile he could muster, desperately trying to reason with her.
“Sister… Eldest Young Miss Su, I’m really not upset, and I genuinely don’t mind. If you don’t believe me, just look at how brightly I’m smiling.”
“Hehehe! I’m seriously not upset. This has absolutely nothing to do with Jiang Haotian. Look!”
“Nothing would make me happier than seeing you and Jiang Haotian live happily together! Hehe!”
“So… can I leave now?”
The equally confused Jiang Haotian hurriedly agreed, “Exactly, exactly. Zhenyue, aren’t you overthinking this?”
“Brother Chen is obviously very happy.”
‘What the hell? I only said a few extra words, didn’t I?’
Even Jiang Haotian could not see how Jiang Chen looked heartbroken. Why was Su Zhenyue suddenly acting as though she had gone crazy?
However, the guilt in Su Zhenyue’s eyes only deepened.
She looked at Jiang Chen, who was clearly ‘devastated’ yet still insisting that he did not mind.
Then she looked at Jiang Haotian, who was still trying to defend himself, and her disappointment in him grew even stronger.
‘Bless us? His heart must have been bleeding when he said those words, right?’
‘Just so I won’t feel guilty, Jiang Chen is actually forcing himself to say all these painful things against his true feelings. He even wished Jiang Haotian and me happiness?’
‘Why is he so foolish? How can he love me this much?’