Chapter 21

Xiao Xue is an ultimate fan of anime, manga, and games. She is an amateur cosplayer and serves as Xia An’s secretary and executive assistant. At this moment, Le Ning does not yet know Xiao Xue.

Le Ning tilted her head, observing the strangely dressed "Arale."

The sequins on Tang Wan’s face sparkled blindingly. Tang Wan also tilted her head and asked, "Are you his... wife?"

Le Ning’s face turned scarlet instantly.

Was she? Was she not?

She only shook her head and asked, "Who are you?"

Tang Wan thought quickly on her feet: "I am his seventh aunt’s cousin."

"..."

Le Ning stared deeply at Tang Wan.

Tang Wan felt somewhat at a loss. Suddenly, she remembered who this was. She recalled Le Ning’s name. This was the girl who had made him lose his desire for her for a brief moment that night; this was the girl who had loved him for many years.

So pure and beautiful, she realized.

In an instant, Tang Wan felt ashamed of herself. In her feelings for Xia An, she had always been insecure about her age. That was why she had chosen such an absurd outfit today. If she were in her normal appearance, she didn't seem any worse than the girl.

Right, she was bigger than her in that department.

Tang Wan straightened her back and asked Le Ning, "Is your party over? His parents asked me to pick him up and take him home."

Le Ning nodded, her expression unreadable. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, "The Happiness Garden complex?"

"Yes, of course, Building 1, Unit 201." Tang Wan recited the address subconsciously, eager to prove she was Xia An’s relative.

Le Ning turned her head to look through the windshield at the passed-out Xia An. She had set her heart on Xia An a long, long time ago. Given her personality, she was well aware of Xia An’s family structure. His parents had no siblings.

For a long time, she remained silent, then stepped back three paces. She stood alone at the edge of the crowd, neither leaving nor moving.

Tang Wan let out a secret sigh of relief and was about to get into the car when she was stopped by Chi Ao’s father. Chi Ao’s father first scolded his son—who was currently being lectured by his mother—before turning to Tang Wan with a fawning smile: "Young lady..."

Before he could finish, Tang Wan waved her hand. "It’s fine, it’s really fine."

Another reason she was in such a hurry to leave was the fear that these students might recognize her. She had no idea how much of an "anti-filter" effect her expensive, over-the-top makeup had. No matter how sharp-eyed Chi Ao or Niu Fangfang were, they wouldn't recognize this as the famous school beauty of No. 6 High, Teacher Tang.

"How can you say that? That won't do at all..." Chi Ao’s father rubbed his hands, smiling and insisting. He recognized this car all too well. The license plate was 45678—the Continental belonging to Tang Mian, the eldest son of the Tang Group. Looking at it this way, his son’s rival... bah, his useless son was punching above his weight. This student’s "sister" certainly looked like a delinquent, most likely a mistress of the playboy Tang Mian.

Chi Ao’s father pulled out a business card and handed it to Tang Wan, firmly stating that if any repairs were needed later, he would cover the cost, no matter the price. Tang Wan finally realized he recognized the car, not the person. Too lazy to keep up the small talk, she took the card and opened the car door.

Someone else walked up. "This young lady..."

Tang Wan looked to the side and froze. The words "Uncle Zhang" nearly slipped out.

Zhang Chunmin had been feeling dizzy from the drinking and had come down for some air. He had been standing by the lobby door, dazed, when he saw the car and the Arale standing beside it. He had walked over in a trance, observing from behind for a long time. Although the styling was unique, the figure was unmistakable, and the facial features were vaguely recognizable.

It was her. It was the daughter of his former boss, Tang Wan.

Her old boss had passed away ten years ago. As one of the original veterans saved by Tang Tiande from a bankrupt factory, Zhang Chunmin deeply missed the glory days. Under Tang Tiande’s leadership, Zhang had risen to become a vice president of the group.

After Tang Tiande died, the arrogant second son took over. If not for his own competence, Zhang would likely have been swept out the door like the other "comrades-in-arms." He had been relegated to a dead-end position for eight years until a real estate project forced them to let him do odd jobs.

Zhang Chunmin was unhappy, but the need to feed his family forced him to compromise. At the same time, his gratitude toward Tang Tiande made him unable to bear watching the group crumble in the hands of the current leadership.

He had been secretly supporting Tang Wan as she grew up. The once sensible, cute, and playful little princess had been bullied into insecurity and withdrawal by her two cousins. How many New Year’s Eves had she spent crying in secret, making Zhang Chunmin’s heart ache. Especially since last year, Tang Wan had stopped showing up. She stopped answering calls, only sending a text during holidays. Her villa was right next to Tang Tianxing’s home, and he couldn't easily visit.

Zhang Chunmin had once guessed that the girl might be in love. That was fine; finding a new place to live a good life wasn't a bad choice. But recently, while others didn't know, Zhang Chunmin, as a veteran, still had eyes in the headquarters. Early this morning, the administrative department had urgently submitted equity transfer procedures for Sheng Tang Trading to the industrial and commercial bureau. Tang Wan’s 5% stake had been given to Tang Tianxing!

Upon hearing the news, Zhang Chunmin had downed several large glasses of liquor at the banquet. *Tang the Second, you shameless bastard! That belongs to little Wan, the last thing her parents left her!*

He had been planning to find Tang Wan later to talk, never expecting to see her downstairs. What was going on? What was this outfit? Trading shares for a car? Falling for a high school student? *Oh, little Wan, you’ve fallen so far!*

"Uncle, I know a very good repair shop. Here is my card. Please take it and remember to call me, otherwise, repairing this car will be very expensive."

"Em, okay."

After receiving a sharp, meaningful glare from Zhang Chunmin, Tang Wan felt like a thief caught in the act and hurriedly got into the car.

Watching the taillights, Le Ning didn't say goodbye to anyone, walked to the edge of the parking lot, and rode away on her bicycle.

Watching Le Ning’s retreating figure, Chi Ao remained dazed. Niu Fangfang tilted her head, leaned in, and waved a hand in front of his eyes. She giggled and said, "Stop looking. Now, you can't even compare to Xia An’s background."

Chi Ao watched as his parents gave him a fierce glare before accompanying Vice President Zhang back into the hotel. He let out a long sigh, mourning his lost love, and mourning his coming-of-age ceremony, marked by a dent in the car’s bumper.

Niu Fangfang pulled a greeting card from her pocket and handed it to Chi Ao. "This is from the girl you love but can't have. Want to see it? Or smell it? It still has her scent. Otherwise, why don't you get in the car and have a quick jerk while it's still warm?"

Niu Fangfang covered her mouth and laughed. Chi Ao rolled his eyes and opened it to see two lines written on it:

[Only those who are brave enough to say goodbye will be rewarded with a new beginning.]

It was Le Ning’s handwriting—neat and elegant, which Chi Ao knew well. But the line below was clearly newly written, in a different hand:

[Not everyone will love you, but someone will always love you silently.]

"Clang."

Niu Fangfang hopped in front of him, laughing, and pointed to her own nose. "I wrote that."

Chi Ao was stunned.

Niu Fangfang said, "The food chain, we learned it in middle school biology. I like you, you like Le Ning, Le Ning likes Xia An, and Xia An... seems to have someone he likes too."

Chi Ao looked blankly at her.

Niu Fangfang smiled. "Chi Ao, I added that line on a whim. I’m sorry, I wrote it on a gift from the person you like best. But I’m at the bottom of the food chain, so I have thick skin."

Chi Ao smiled, sighed, and shook his head, looking as if he had found some relief.

Niu Fangfang said, "But this sentence doesn't count as my graduation gift to you. I’ve already prepared a proper one. Do you want it?"

"What is it?"

"Chi Ao, let’s go get a room. Right now."

-----------------

Le Ning rode blankly for a few hundred meters, then for a few kilometers. In the heat of 2:30 PM, she rode to the Happiness residential complex.

Uncle Wang was still sitting on his stool, staring into space. The older women were still gathered around the stone table, eating grapes. Le Ning, drenched in sweat and pale-faced, stood under the persimmon tree.

At 4:30 PM, after the women went home to cook, she finally found a moment to rest on the warm stone bench.

By 6:30 PM, the sunset filled the sky, and the air in the old neighborhood was thick with the scent of dinner. When the Milky Way began to shimmer, mosquitoes kept kissing her exposed forearms.

At 8:45 PM, she saw Xia An’s parents laughing and carrying bags into the courtyard. She wanted to get up to help, but ultimately didn't move. Her feet were numb, her legs were numb, and she couldn't find a reason to approach.

At 10:30 PM, when her phone died and shut down after being drained by her parents' calls, Le Ning saw Xia An get out of a Bentley by the side of the road in the darkness. After Xia An went upstairs, Le Ning left.

In truth, many things had happened during those eight hours that she was entirely unaware of.

First, at 2:30 PM, when she was standing under the persimmon tree, Xia An was slumped over the edge of the bed in Tang Wan’s newly rented apartment, vomiting into a trash can. Tang Wan was undressing him, changing his pants, wiping his mouth and face, and feeding him honey water.

Xia An pulled the quilt over them, smacked his lips, and grabbed Tang Wan, pulling her onto the bed. "Wife, stop tidying up. Let’s sleep."

Tang Wan hit him, scolded him, glared at him, and kicked him, muttering resentfully, "Your 'wife' is the one who dumped you on me."

She broke free from Xia An, only to be pulled back. She broke free again, and was pulled back again. Finally, she couldn't break free anymore. Tang Wan was held tightly by him as he blew a lock of hair away from her eyes.

"Xia An! You’re so annoying! You’ve worn me out! What exactly do you want?!"

"****"

"?"

Tang Wan instinctively thought she hadn't heard clearly. Chi Ao? Oh, that crying boy from earlier. Why was he thinking about Chi Ao?

"What did you say?" she asked, blinking.

Xia An: "****"

"!"

Tang Wan opened her eyes wide, looking in disbelief at the babbling, unconscious Xia An. With strength from who knows where, she scrambled off the bed. Her face turned red, starting from her neck, visible to the naked eye. She felt that either she had gone crazy,