Shi Nianhuan stood at the staircase at the far end of the dormitory's secluded corridor.
This staircase was too out of the way, and few classmates passed through here.
She held her mobile phone, her heart pounding wildly. The screen was open to Lin Xiangyang's contact information.
Shi Nianhuan had long ago memorized that string of numbers backward and forward.
But every time she called him, she was still extremely nervous.
Even when it was a very important matter.
After she dialed, the mobile phone emitted a series of beeps, and Shi Nianhuan's nervousness nearly rose to her throat.
Lin Xiangyang answered, and his clear, pure voice came through the receiver.
“Nianhuan?”
She liked hearing him call her name. It was like sunlight in spring, like the warm sun in winter, filling her heart with warmth.
“Brother Xiangyang, I have a matter I need your help with.” She was so nervous that even her voice was trembling.
“All right, tell me.” Lin Xiangyang set aside the matter at hand. His Meimei was rarely this anxious.
Shi Nianhuan then explained the matter to Lin Xiangyang in broad strokes, and his tone was very relaxed.
Shi Nianhuan even thought that if he were beside her now, he would surely smile and ruffle her hair again.
“Don't worry. Leave this matter to me. Tell your classmate not to worry anymore.”
“All right.” Although it was merely an empty promise, Shi Nianhuan was still delighted to believe him.
After Shi Nianhuan returned, she relayed Lin Xiangyang's words to Xia Bing. Xia Bing felt somewhat reassured, but she was still worried.
Shi Nianhuan trusted Lin Xiangyang deeply. If he said he could do something, he certainly could.
After eat lunch, Xia Bing called her.
“Nianhuan, thank you. The Beifeng matter has been resolved. Please thank Senior Lin for me. I'll treat you to a meal later.”
The matter really had been resolved, and Shi Nianhuan couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. “It's nothing, it's nothing. You don't have to be so polite.”
After she hung up the phone, Shi Nianhuan sat before her desk, wondering whether she should call Lin Xiangyang and say thank you.
The mobile phone in her hand suddenly started ringing, startling Shi Nianhuan.
She glanced at the name flashing on the mobile phone. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she nearly threw the mobile phone away.
It was Jiang Chenyu.
In the first twenty years of his life, Jiang Chenyu had called her only a handful of times.
In that brief instant, countless thoughts flashed through Shi Nianhuan's mind.
She wondered whether she should pretend not to have seen it and simply let it keep ringing.
Could it be something important? Probably not.
The mobile phone rang and stopped, stopped and rang, as if it never tired of it.
Shi Nianhuan ground her teeth and finally answered. The moment the call connected, her scalp tingled.
“Brother...” The single syllable came out especially indistinctly.
“Come out.” Jiang Chenyu's uniquely crisp voice carried a trace of cold severity.
Shi Nianhuan froze for a moment before speaking cautiously. “Is something wrong?”
She was bewildered and had yet to understand what Jiang Chenyu meant by “come out.”
“Come out. There's something.”
He really was sparing with words, simply refusing to give her a chance to ask questions or clear up her confusion before hanging up the phone.
Shi Nianhuan was left holding the mobile phone, her face full of bewilderment and confusion.
Go out—to where?
Her mind was blank, endlessly repeating Jiang Chenyu's words from just now.
Come out. There's something.
Come out. There's something.
Come out. There's something...
A moment later, Shi Nianhuan rose from her chair, slipped on her slippers, grabbed her mobile phone, and ran downstairs.
Her little heart bounced with every step as she prayed incessantly that Jiang Chenyu would not be downstairs, that he absolutely would not be downstairs...
However, the moment she stepped out of the dormitory entrance, Shi Nianhuan was stunned.
The more you fear something, the more surely it appears.
At that moment, Jiang Chenyu was standing less than ten meters away from her.
He was tall and slender, dressed in a black suit, with his hair combed immaculately and sunglasses on. A cold, austere aura radiated from him.
Jiang Chenyu in this state attracted the gazes of countless passing girls.
Shi Nianhuan was nervous—so nervous that she could barely breathe properly.
As if sensing something, Jiang Chenyu suddenly turned around and met her gaze.
Shi Nianhuan panted heavily and cautiously jogged over.
“Brother.” She stood beside him, half a head shorter, yet did not dare raise her head to look at his eyes, keeping her head lowered and staring at her toes.
“Come with me.” Jiang Chenyu grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.
Shi Nianhuan had no time to think and had to jog to keep up with his pace.
His car was parked not far away. He opened the door and got in, and Shi Nianhuan was not foolish enough to stay behind, so she followed him into the car.
The atmosphere inside the car was oppressive.
If the enemy did not move, neither would she. Shi Nianhuan merely kept her head lowered, maintaining silence.
Jiang Chenyu had always been like this. From childhood to adulthood, he loved keeping a cold expression, and she had hardly ever seen him smile.
Whenever he became angry, he wished he could kill everyone who approached him.
Therefore, whenever she sensed that he was angry, Shi Nianhuan would run far away and never deliberately walk into the line of fire.
Today, however, the situation was somewhat tricky...
“Your courage has grown, huh?” Jiang Chenyu sat in the driver's seat. He suddenly turned around, his cold eyes fixed directly on Shi Nianhuan, his voice chilly and utterly devoid of warmth.
Shi Nianhuan involuntarily shuddered, a trace of fear rising in her eyes.
She did not know how she had angered Jiang Chenyu. She wanted to argue, but was afraid to meet his gaze.
“You actually went out drinking and fighting? Is that what you do at school every day?”
Shi Nianhuan involuntarily raised her head to look into his eyes. How had he found out? Who had told him?
“Hmph. That assistant principal at your school—already so old, yet speaking in such a sarcastic manner. Just looking at him disgusts me.”
Shi Nianhuan looked at him in confusion, unable to understand what he meant.
“If you cause trouble at school again, you can forget about attending this school.” Anger flashed in Jiang Chenyu's ink-like eyes as he spoke coldly.
Shi Nianhuan bit her lip, feeling deeply aggrieved, but ultimately said nothing.
“In all my life, I've never cleaned up anyone else's mess. Shi Nianhuan, you're something else.” He spoke in a sarcastic tone and sneered coldly. “There are some things I'll say only once. Get out of the car.”
Shi Nianhuan did not even dare freeze. In a panic, she opened the car door and got out.
She stood by the roadside, watching Jiang Chenyu drive away quickly, her heart filled with bitterness.
When she was five, Uncle Jiang brought her to the Jiang family. She had her own room there, a beautiful room with the dolls she liked and many lovely princess dresses.
Uncle Jiang and Auntie treated her well too, caring for her as kindly as her father and mother.
The Jiang family had a Jiang Chenyu—a Jiang Chenyu who only went cold-faced and silent whenever he saw her, a Jiang Chenyu who never showed her a pleasant expression.