Jiang Jingning was choked up by Wu Yan’s sudden counter-question. He froze for a moment, his mouth hanging open, completely at a loss for words. He frowned, his tone urgent: “Wu Yan, what do you mean?”
“What do I mean?” Wu Yan sneered, answering with calm deliberation. “You like her but can’t chase her. Because Wen Luo and Pei Jin have a connection, you decide to slander him.”
“But how could it be so—” Jiang Jingning tried to protest, but he was interrupted before he could finish.
“How could it be what?”
A faint, ghostly smile played on Wu Yan’s lips. He casually tossed the photos back in front of Jiang Jingning. “Jiang Jingning, you just started liking a girl and you already investigated her so thoroughly. If I told her about this, would she ever speak to you again?”
The words carried a distinct edge of a threat.
Jiang Jingning clearly hadn’t expected Wu Yan to say such a thing. His eyes widened in disbelief. “Wu Yan, even if you marry Pei Jin, he’s surrounded by so many people; how could he possibly like only you…”
“If one truly wants to tie someone down, there are plenty of ways. Besides, with Pei Jin’s personality, do you really think he’d let himself be lured away by someone else after marrying me?” Wu Yan replied calmly.
If Pei Jin were that easily swayed, it would only prove he didn’t care much about me to begin with, and that his outward appearance was a lie.
Jiang Jingning felt helpless. He hadn’t expected the today’s Wu Yan to be so composed. Frowning deeply, he forced himself to calm down and pulled several porcelain-white medicine bottles from the bag.
Placing the bottles in front of Wu Yan, he said concisely: “I said I prepared a surprise for you. I’m not trying to reconcile with you; I’m just helping myself.”
“I don’t want them.”
Wu Yan glanced at the bottles. He didn’t need to guess twice to know what was inside. He took two steps back, refusing to touch what was offered.
“You’re actually refusing?” Jiang Jingning was instantly displeased that the items he had obtained at a high price were being treated with such disdain. He almost lost his temper.
“I don’t want them,” Wu Yan repeated, his tone flat.
If he used such things and Pei Jin found out, how could he ever show his face again? At least for the current Pei Jin, he couldn’t resort to those methods.
The meeting with Jiang Jingning was brief, lasting barely ten minutes. Wu Yan clearly had no desire to speak further, but the other man wasn’t nearly as calm. Seeing Wu Yan turn to leave, Jiang Jingning immediately blocked his path. “Wu Yan, wait.”
“What, still have something to say?” Wu Yan raised an eyebrow. His eyes held no emotion; the way he looked at Jiang Jingning was no different from how one might look at the grass by the roadside.
“…” Seeing such cold indifference, Jiang Jingning felt as though his lungs were about to burst with rage.
In the end, he didn’t say a word, allowing Wu Yan to walk out of the private room easily.
The Sudden Departure
Wu Yan idly pulled his phone from his pocket. Just as he was about to message Pei Jin, he saw a trending post on Weibo. He clicked on it; it was the account he had just followed Pei Jin’s.
The posted image was a beautiful scene of the first snow melting on flowers. However, Wu Yan’s focus was entirely on the IP location shown on the right. He narrowed his eyes and whispered the words: “Qishan City?”
He had just seen Pei Jin yesterday. What did this mean running off to another province?
Confused, he sent a message to Pei Jin, but by the time he got into the car, there was no reply.
“He’s actually ignoring me?” Wu Yan leaned back in the seat, his tone laced with frustration.
Xu Yike, sitting beside him, noticed the shift in mood. Perhaps guessing Wu Yan’s thoughts, he explained: “A sudden change in schedule. There’s an event in Qishan City.”
“An event?” Wu Yan pursed his lips. “He didn’t tell me… Wait, how do you know?”
“I asked Luo Xia,” Xu Yike explained quickly, noticing Wu Yan’s furrowed brow and how his fingers curled against the leather seat, fearing a misunderstanding.
The car moved slowly through the city traffic. From the Baizhou Café, they traveled to the Jianglan Road villa and came to a steady stop.
The New Guest
As soon as he entered the house and changed his shoes, Wu Yan was stopped by his mother just as he was about to go upstairs. “Mama?”
“Xiao Yan, I have something to tell you.” Mrs. Wu’s tone was hesitant, as if the matter was a bit awkward to bring up.
Wu Yan blinked. “What is it?”
Mrs. Wu, dressed in a silk nightgown and wearing a jade bracelet, looked the picture of elegance. She took Wu Yan’s hand and led him to the sofa. “It’s just that, for the next little while, Ah Gu (Gu Yanzhuo) is going to stay with us for a bit. You two grew up together; you won’t mind, right?”
Wu Yan didn’t think it was a big deal, but seeing his mother’s nervous look, he found it amusing. “What kind of problem is that? If he wants to stay, he can stay.”
Though Gu Yanzhuo is noisy and a total trouble-magnet, he’s still a good friend. But then again, he has fans; if ‘sasaengs’ start camping at my door every day, that would be a nightmare…
“When is he coming?” Wu Yan asked. “The message said tonight,” she replied. “But Xiao Yan, aren’t you going to ask why he’s staying here?” At her signal, a maid brought a cup of flower tea.
Wu Yan took the tea and took a sip with a straight face. “He got beaten by his dad, right? Probably.”
Mrs. Wu’s prepared answer died in her throat. She nodded. “As expected of childhood friends. That is exactly the reason.”
The topic was brushed aside, and Wu Yan suddenly spoke: “Mama, I want to go to Qishan.”
“Why go to Qishan?” Mrs. Wu frowned, though her tone was one of inquiry rather than scolding.
“To find Pei Jin,” Wu Yan blurted out, his tone airy.
Originally, Mrs. Wu was worried about his health and didn’t want him traveling so far alone. But hearing he was going for Pei Jin, her worries turned into a soft sigh of approval. “Then let Xiao Xu accompany you.”
Journey to Qishan
Upstairs, Wu Yan immediately began packing. According to Xu Yike, the event Pei Jin was attending wouldn’t end in just a day or two. As a qualified pursuer no, a perfect fiancé, he obviously had to travel thousands of miles to bring the man some warmth.
As the sky darkened, Gu Yanzhuo entered the house to find Wu Yan on the sofa with a black suitcase beside him. “Wait, bro, I just got here and you’re leaving?” He tried to lunge for a hug, but Wu Yan dodged him easily.
With Mrs. Wu out shopping with a friend, only the maids, Wu Yan, and Gu Yanzhuo were left. Wu Yan pushed a paper bag toward him the fish cookies he had baked at Guiyu. “Eat up.”
“What’s this?” Gu Yanzhuo asked curiously. “Cookies. I baked them. Try some.” He had made a large batch; after setting aside some for Pei Jin, there were plenty left for others.
“You’re going to find Pei Jin again?” Gu Yanzhuo was shocked. Wu Yan nodded. “What kind of spell did he cast on you? Yanyan, you’re being way too proactive. If it were me, I’d play hard-to-get…”
Ignoring Gu Yanzhuo’s terrible advice, Wu Yan checked the clock. It was time. He signaled for Xu Yike to follow him.
The flight to Qishan City took four hours. Wu Yan sat by the window, watching the city lights turn into tiny dust motes beneath the vast night sky. Drowsiness hit him, and he fell into a deep sleep.
The Qishan Hotel
Wu Yan stepped off the plane feeling lethargic. He went to the restroom and splashed cold water on his face to wake up.
“Young Master…” Xu Yike coughed and corrected himself. “Wu Yan, let’s go to the hotel to rest first.”
It was 4:00 AM. The airport was deserted and cavernous. Wu Yan rubbed his sore neck and nodded dazed. The morning chill made him shiver, and he clutched his coat tight. He watched Xu Yike struggling with two suitcases and wondered if he should help.
But then again, I pay him a lot. Traveling and carrying luggage is part of the job. Still, Wu Yan felt he really needed to start exercising to improve his own stamina.
Outside, a car was waiting. Xu Yike loaded the luggage and opened the door for him. Watching the streetlights fly past the window, Wu Yan’s lashes drooped.
His constitution was truly abysmal. Once they reached the hotel, he didn’t even have the strength to unpack. He washed up quickly and went straight to bed. He slept until the afternoon of the following day, only waking after Xu Yike called him several times.
At the dining table, a well-rested Wu Yan looked much more vibrant. He sat eating the local specialty soup dumplings and looked at Xu Yike.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Wu Yan asked. “These were ordered for you,” Xu Yike said softly.
“I can’t finish this much. Eat,” Wu Yan said, using a tone of command that left no room for argument.