Chapter – 08
Has He Really Never Stayed Overnight?
Song Wenjing let out a cold laugh. “Not very old, but quite the temper.”
Li Yang sighed. “Don’t hold it against him. He’s probably been in a bad mood these past few days.”
Song Wenjing snorted again. “What’s the use of being in a bad mood now? You have to think about the consequences before you hit someone.”
Li Yang defended Jiang Yan, saying, “Even a rabbit bites when cornered, got it? He hit my dad for his mother’s sake. He did it out of filial piety.”
Song Wenjing felt blocked. “You’re way too biased toward him!”
“Where? I’m just stating the facts.”
Song Wenjing gloomily pulled out a chair. “Fine, fine, you’re right about everything. There’s no point in us fighting over an outsider. Let’s eat.”
Li Yang said, “Wait.”
Under Song Wenjing’s surprised gaze, Li Yang picked out some of the better dishes and put some onto another empty plate.
Only then did she hand the bowls and chopsticks to Song Wenjing. “Save some food for Jiang Yan. Let’s eat!”
Song Wenjing looked at the half of the braised fish she had taken outāthe tail half at that. His lips moved, but he held back and didn’t say anything in the end.
“How’s your dad doing?” He changed the subject.
Li Yang recounted the whole story.
The more Song Wenjing listened, the more impatient he became. He interrupted Li Yang, “You have to pay your dad two hundred thousand? Where are they going to get the money? They’re not going to make you front it, are they?”
His company was still in its startup phase, and he still had to pay off the mortgage on the wedding house they’d bought. His financial pressure was high.
He knew Li Yang had a few hundred thousand in savings, and he didn’t want her touching that money.
Li Yang was a bit annoyed. “Aren’t you being a little petty? Aunt Chen has the money. She’s already given me the bank card.”
Song Wenjing was visibly relieved. But a moment later, he said uneasily, “Still, dumping Jiang Yan on you is a huge hassle. A big boy like thatāfood, clothes, housing, everything costs money, doesn’t it?”
Li Yang put her chopsticks down, her delicate brows furrowed. “What’s gotten into you today? All you talk about is money. To me, Aunt Chen is also family, and Jiang Yan is my brother. How can he be a hassle?”
Li Yang felt very uncomfortable inside. She was already overwhelmed by this whole mess, and Song Wenjing, as her boyfriend, wasn’t helpingāinstead, he was being sarcastic.
She stood up. “If you came here to pick a fight with me, then you should leave.”
Seeing that Li Yang was genuinely angry, Song Wenjing quickly backed down. “Yangyang, I didn’t mean anything else. I just feel bad for you. You keep getting dragged into trouble because of your dad’s issues.”
He glanced at the gold necklace around Li Yang’s neck and couldn’t help muttering, “Isn’t it just a favor for a necklace? A few thousand bucks. If I’d known, I would have bought you ten or eight of them.”
Li Yang reached up and touched the little rabbit pendant. “That’s different.”
Family love and romantic love were different.
Song Wenjing pressed on, “So how long is Jiang Yan going to stay at your place? He’s practically an adult. You’re a young woman, and you’re not blood-related. It’s not really appropriate for you to keep living together.”
Li Yang agreed with this point.
She said, “Aunt Chen said she’d give me some money after she gets paid to rent a place for Jiang Yan. I plan to chip in a bit and rent somewhere nearby so I can keep an eye on him.”
“Nearby?”
Song Wenjing certainly didn’t want Jiang Yan living nearby, but he knew that if he kept arguing, Li Yang would definitely get upset.
He could only say grudgingly, “Fine.”
Seeing that Li Yang was a bit quiet, he reached his hand over ingratiatingly and took hers.
“Babe, it’s our third anniversary in a week. I’ve already booked that Jiangnan restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to. Don’t be upset over outsiders.”
The word “outsiders” grated on Li Yang’s ears.
But Song Wenjing’s conciliatory attitude was good, and Li Yang didn’t want to fight either. She raised her lips in a radiant smile. “Fine, since you’re behaving well today, I’ll let you off the hook.”
Song Wenjing cleared his throat again. “So we’ve been together for three years now. Shouldn’t this relationship be… you know…”
“Ahem, next to that Jiangnan restaurant, there’s a five-star hotel. I heard their couple suites are quite special.”
Li Yang naturally understood what he meant. She blushed immediately. “What suites does that hotel have? How do you know so much about it?”
Song Wenjing said pitifully, “It’s all because of you that I went and found out.”
Li Yang lowered her head. “Pfft, you’re so improper. We’ll talk about it when the time comes. You should head back now.”
In the study.
Jiang Yan listened to the occasional sounds of laughter and joy coming from the living room. His hands were clenched into fists, his nails almost digging into his palms.
His face dark, he stood up and pulled a short flute from the inner pocket of his schoolbag.
A strange, hoarse musical sound rang out.
Soon, a massive black snake slithered silently along the wall in the darkness, raising its head high toward Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan whispered a few incantation-like words to it, and the black snake turned and vanished into the darkness.
He stood quietly by the window. He didn’t know how long had passed when a knock came at his door.
Li Yang’s voice came through: “Jiang Yan, my boyfriend’s gone. Do you want to come out and eat?”
Jiang Yan’s murderous aura instantly receded. He turned and opened the door. Under the light, the boy looked innocent and guileless.
“Okay, sis.”
He didn’t even glance at the dishes Li Yang had left on the table. He walked straight into the kitchen.
“I’m not eating what he bought. I’ll make instant noodles.”
Li Yang pressed her lips together. “Don’t mind what he said. He’s actually a pretty nice person.”
“What does him being nice have to do with me?”
“…”
Jiang Yan suddenly turned around, fixing his eyes intently on Li Yang, and said in a low voice, “Sis, Mr. Song has a key to this house, doesn’t he?”
When they’d arrived home today, Song Wenjing was already inside.
Li Yang’s heart skipped a beat. “Yeah, he has a spare key.”
She quickly explained, “I gave it to him in case of emergencies. He’s very discreet tooāhe only comes over if something’s up.”
A flame flickered in Jiang Yan’s eyes. “Really? He’s never stayed the night?”
It was a very presumptuous question, yet faced with Jiang Yan’s sharp phoenix eyes, Li Yang found herself intimidated.
Almost involuntarily, she answered: “Of course not! I’ve told you that already.”
Only then did Jiang Yan’s expression soften a little. He put a pot on the stove to boil water and said casually, “Sis, you could give the spare key to me instead. I’m more reliable than him.”
Li Yang was caught between exasperation and amusement. “You’re living here, so of course I’ll get you a key. But don’t overthink the rest. Just focus on your studies.”
Jiang Yan’s face was perfectly calm. “Sis, you’re so prettyāany normal guy would have improper thoughts about you. I don’t think it’s safe for you to have given him a spare key.”
Li Yang sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “But he’s my boyfriend, not some random man.”
Jiang Yan’s expression darkened. He ripped open the instant noodle package with force and dropped the brick into the boiling water.
A few drops of water splashed out onto his pale arm. He didn’t seem to feel the pain at all.
Li Yang gasped and rushed over, instinctively grabbing his arm to run it under cold water.
But Jiang Yan’s arm was perfectly fineānot even a red mark where the water had hit.
Li Yang couldn’t help but freeze.
