The car was quiet, the driver maintaining a steady pace.
A cup of coffee rested on the armrest to her left, barely swaying even as the vehicle turned.
This was on an entirely different level compared to the Lin family’s driver.
Yan Sui enjoyed the premium service, though she really wanted to strike up a conversation with Jiang Yuan.
The man before her, despite his notoriously poor reputation and seemingly unapproachable demeanor, was the first person she hadn’t disliked since returning.
But as a polite young lady, she couldn’t be bothersome when the other party clearly showed discomfort.
Just then, the man suddenly took a deep breath and spoke softly,
“You’re welcome.”
His voice was slightly hoarse, carrying a barely perceptible tremor, yet it sounded gentle and smooth.
For a moment, the car’s speed seemed to waver slightly.
Yan Sui paused for a second before realizing he was responding to her thanks from three minutes ago.
Hmm…
Such a long reaction time?
She mentally tagged him with “slow to react when not working,” finding the contrast oddly endearing.
This, however, gave her the courage to speak.
When Yan Sui smiled, faint dimples appeared on her cheeks, and her eyes curved like crescent moons.
She looked at Jiang Yuan with that smile:
“Mr. Jiang, do you live nearby too? What a coincidence.”
Jiang Yuan curled his fingers, his nails unconsciously digging into his fingertips under the cover of his sleeves.
He was exerting every ounce of his strength to control his expression and tone, weighing every word—
though there weren’t many.
“Yes, quite a coincidence,” he replied.
The urge to retreat into the shadows clashed with the desire to draw closer.
Her scent filled his senses.
“Are you also heading to Griffin Academy, Mr. Jiang?”
The young lady asked softly.
His response remained slow, as if each sentence required careful thought.
“Yes. Business matters.”
So aloof.
But he answered every question.
Perhaps they could talk a little more.
Yan Sui got to the point:
“Mr. Jiang, you must be very familiar with the area, right?
“Do you know where I could find a part-time job?
“Dad doesn’t give me any money. I’m really broke.”
At that moment, Jiang Yuan finally looked up, the slightly upturned corners of his eyes betraying an inescapable ferocity.
He was truly a man stained with blood; anyone caught in his gaze would likely shrink like a quail.
The young lady pouted, thinking she had overstepped.
But then, he spoke slowly.
His voice remained slightly hoarse and gentle, exceptionally pleasant to hear.
Yet there was something undeniably odd about his tone.
“I’ll have Qi Wan arrange something for you.”
The driver immediately responded, “Yes.”
Yan Sui widened her eyes in surprise, not expecting him to actually agree.
What an incredibly kind person!
“Mr. Jiang!” The young lady’s eyes sparkled as she praised him sincerely,
“You’re really so kind~ You’ve helped me tremendously!”
Jiang Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his breath catching for a moment.
Such praise felt less like a compliment and more like a mockery of his vile, despicable methods.
He couldn’t bring himself to respond insincerely.
The young lady was still some distance away, separated by the armrest and cup holder.
Yet he felt as though every word she spoke scorched every inch of his exposed skin.
Fortunately, she quickly shifted her gaze, leaning toward the driver’s seat.
“Mr. Qi, right? Could we exchange numbers so you can contact me~”
She was quite self-aware, of course not foolish enough to think someone like Jiang Yuan would personally handle such matters.
Nor did she believe someone everyone wanted to get close to would give her his contact information.
But for the first time, the driver’s robot-like face showed an expression.
It looked somewhat twisted, somewhat twitching.
“Miss Yan, you can contact Mr. Jiang directly.”
Yan Sui glanced at the driver.
Then at Jiang Yuan, who had slightly lowered his gaze and only made eye contact with her for a second so far.
Hesitating whether to speak up.
But then she saw Jiang Yuan take out pen and paper, placing them between them, his pale fingertips tapping lightly,
“Your number.”
Wow, he’s actually this easy to talk to.
Yan Sui happily wrote down her number, watching as Jiang Yuan’s fingertips picked up the paper and tucked it into his palm.
She took out her phone, tilting her head to ask him, “Could Mr. Jiang also tell me his number?”
The other person’s chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath.
Getting impatient?
Jiang Yuan pressed his lips together, picking up the pen she had just used.
As he wrote, the back of his hand became slightly visible, revealing fine, scattered wounds on his knuckles.
The wounds had already scabbed over, spreading across his pale skin, along with the slightly raised blue veins on the back of his hand and his distinct bone structure.
There was a strange, fragmented beauty to it.
How strange—what opportunities would someone like him have to get injured?
The young girl stared at his hand until his fingertips put down the pen and curled up again before she looked away.
He wrote down his name and number.
Beautiful handwriting, as pleasing to the eye as he was.
Though it was a bit odd why he didn’t just save it directly on the phone, it didn’t really matter.
The young girl happily put it away.
When she turned her head, the car had already arrived in front of her dormitory building.
The driver got out, walked around to her side, and opened the door for her.
Yan Sui had never received such treatment before, happily waving goodbye to both of them.
Qi Wan bowed expressionlessly and nodded to her.
Jiang Yuan seemed to softly say “goodbye,” but she didn’t catch it clearly.
Yan Sui turned and walked into the dormitory building.
The moment she opened her door, she suddenly paused.
There were many buildings in this dormitory area.
She didn’t remember telling them which building she lived in.
Jiang Yuan sat in the car, clutching the note she had written in his palm.
Staring fixedly at the spot where Yan Sui had just been sitting, he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.
He felt suffocated.
But he couldn’t bear to open the window.
Her scent was still there.
Her warmth, still there.
His pale fingertips lightly touched the back of the seat, the residual warmth traveling from his fingertips to his heart.
Index finger, middle finger, ring finger.
Then his entire palm pressed fully against it.
His eyes, which had been lowered all along, no longer needed to pretend.
Excitement and pain spread through the blood vessels in his eyes, his breathing uncontrollably growing rapid.
How could he not know her number?
He could recite it backward.
But this was written by her.
Another tangible, touchable thing related to her that he could keep.
How wonderful.
So close.
He promised to stay away, so why couldn’t he help himself again?
He really wished she would never get out of the car.
No, it’s better to stay away from her.
Madman.
…
Qi Wan sat in the driver’s seat, silently waiting for Mr. Jiang’s next command.
The morning meeting time had already passed, but with Mr. Jiang absent, no one dared to start.
Finally, the panting sounds from behind gradually subsided.
Jiang Yuan spoke, his voice completely devoid of the gentle pretense from earlier.
It reverted to his usual tone—impatient and icy.
“Qi Wan, just now, did I seem… human?”
Qi Wan: ?