"Mm, you go ahead and get busy." Hurry up and leave! You're so tall, standing at the school gate, it's hard not to notice you.
Bai Haonan smiled lightly, suddenly bent down, cupped Wen Ling's face, and gently kissed her on the lips. With a smile, his deep, rich voice was captivating, "Remember to think of me during the day. See you in the afternoon."
Wow—! A collective gasp echoed around them.
A public kiss! That handsome man, with Wen Ling, was kissing in front of everyone as if they were the only two in the world!
Liao Kai's heart suddenly felt like it had been pierced, causing him to frown and sway slightly. The hand resting on Li Qing's shoulder fell limply to his side. His eyes, red with emotion, were fixed on the powerful and domineering man a few meters away.
Su Liao leaned in with a big grin, "Hey, can I join in too?"
Bai Haonan frowned slightly, and Luo Yuan immediately grabbed Su Liao, scolding, "You trashy girl! What are you doing getting close to our boss? Did you even brush your teeth this morning?"
Su Liao was taken aback, "Of course I brushed my teeth!"
Ignoring her, Luo Yuan stepped up to Zheng Bifan, pushing her shoulder as roughly as if she were a man, "Hey! What are you raising your fist for? Trying to scare her? Let me tell you, I can bully this trashy woman, but no one else can! Get lost! If you don't back off, I'll kick you out!"
Zheng Bifan stumbled back a few steps, nearly falling if not for her classmates catching her.
"Ah..." she screamed in fright, feeling utterly humiliated.
(All the students were shocked. These people were super powerful! It was only then they noticed a group of muscular men in black suits emerging from luxury cars! It was clearly a scene from the underworld! And they were treating Zheng Bifan, the number one beauty, as if she were invisible!)
Bai Haonan had taken a few steps away but turned back, handing Wen Ling a large bag, "I bought you some snacks. If you get hungry during class, just eat a bit. By the way, you've been carrying that bag for a week now. A five-thousand-yuan bag isn't that great. How about I buy you a ten-thousand-yuan one tonight? You can pick it out then. Alright, I'm off."
(Wen Ling held the large bag of snacks, her mind swirling with the words 'five thousand, ten thousand,' mumbling foolishly, "B-bye...")
Five thousand! This little bag she thought was just a random bag actually cost five thousand!
Oh my gosh, a five-thousand-yuan bag can't even be called a bag; it should be considered an expensive ornament, displayed at home!
Bai Haonan's generosity shocked everyone. They realized he was not only handsome and affectionate but also wealthy, and he was willing to spend lavishly on Wen Ling!
Isn't it said that you can tell how much someone loves you by how much they are willing to spend on you? The more they spend, the deeper their love. This has become an unspoken standard in today's materialistic society.
Luo Yuan continued, rolling up her sleeves, pointing at Su Liao, and shouting at all the onlookers, "I warn all of you! Anyone who dares to bully this trashy woman will have me, Luo Yuan, personally come to collect your corpse!"
Su Liao was moved to tears, "Wuwu, you're so good to me, brother..."
Luo Yuan frowned, shaking off Su Liao's clinginess, "Get off me! If you get your snot on my clothes, I'll throw you in the washing machine."
Somebody respectfully opened the car door for Bai Haonan, and as he stepped in, all the muscular men slightly bowed their heads in salute.
Once Bai Haonan was in the car, the men all moved in unison to get in as well.
Bang bang bang... The sound of luxury car doors slamming echoed at the school gate.
Bai Haonan rolled down the window and blew Wen Ling a charming kiss, "See you later."
Wen Ling stood there, dazed, blinking her eyes.
Whoosh...
The car drove away, leaving a crowd of stunned onlookers at the school gate.
Only Su Liao was the most arrogant and proud, laughing heartily, "Hahaha, let's see who dares to mess with me now! Did you see that? That's my man! If anyone dares to make a fuss, just wait to sign up for the crematorium! Hahaha..." Her laugh was even more chilling than Stephen Chow's signature laugh.
In front of the Sanjing Company, the Li family, the Zheng family, and the Liao family were nothing. They were not even considered small fry. Compared to the power and prestige of the Sanjing Company, their so-called wealth seemed pitiful and insignificant, as if they were clutching a single coin.
All day long, the entire campus buzzed with rumors that Wen Ling was dating a wealthy man.
And not just any wealthy man, but a ridiculously handsome one.
"Cousin, do you know who that handsome man is?" Zheng Bifan asked Li Qing.
Li Qing's face darkened, coldly replying, "I don't know who you're talking about."
"Oh, cousin, it's just Wen Ling's man, right?"
"I don't know who he is."
"But cousin, your expression suggests you should know who he is."
"Bifan!"
Li Qing interrupted Zheng Bifan, her face serious, "You are not allowed to bring this up again, do you understand?"
The Sanjing Company... No one dared to mention it.
Zheng Bifan pouted in frustration, "Cousin, you've never been this fierce with anyone... I just think that man is so handsome and impressive, I want to get to know him... I feel like that fool Wen Ling doesn't deserve such an excellent man!"
Li Qing's eyes suddenly lit up, "If possible, Bifan, you should try to win that man over. That way, I would feel avenged!"
Without Bai Haonan's protection, Wen Ling would be devastated!
"Hehe, of course! Next time I see that man, I won't let him go. I'll use all my charm to win him over. By the way, where's my brother-in-law?"
Liao Kai?
"Oh, he went back to work."
At noon, after school, Wen Ling said goodbye to Su Liao and left the campus. She needed to go home to make lunch for Wen Liang. She had already called him to let him know that they would have a nice meal today.
She bought ribs, sea fish, and fish liver oil, carrying a big load of groceries back to her shabby little home.
"Ling..."
A thin figure stood at the door.
"Huh?" Wen Ling almost dropped the fish in her hands, staring wide-eyed, "A-Kai? What are you doing here?"
Liao Kai forced a smile and nodded, "I was waiting for you."
Wen Ling's heart raced, feeling flustered. It was as if she had done something wrong, and she couldn't look him in the eye, her face flushed as she opened the door.
"Come in, A-Kai."
Sigh, how should she explain to Liao Kai about the kiss from Bai Haonan this morning...?
"A-Kai, about this morning... I..."
"I understand. You had no choice; it was just an act," Liao Kai smiled understandingly, taking the groceries from Wen Ling's hands and placing them in the kitchen, looking at her gently, "I understand. Ling, I believe you. No matter when or where, I will always believe you."
"A-Kai..." Wen Ling pouted, tears welling up.
Dear Liao Kai, I'm sorry, I lied to you... My relationship with that Bai Haonan is not so simple... We've even shared a room...
Liao Kai walked over and hugged Wen Ling tightly, "Ling, don't cry. I know you were angry when you saw me with Li Qing this morning. I'm sorry, I had to do that. I told you before, we have to act for a year. After a year, I will still belong to you."
Wen Ling felt a mix of emotions. Liao Kai was explaining himself, so she should feel relieved, right?
But why did she feel a heavy stone weighing on her heart?
Liao Kai lifted her chin, gently wiping her tears with his warm hand, whispering, "I know, when he kissed you, you must have been thinking of me."
He leaned down and kissed Wen Ling's lips.
(…
The moment his lips touched hers, just for a second, or even less, Wen Ling instinctively pulled away.
She stepped back two paces, horrified, covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide in shock.
"Ling... you..." Liao Kai's brows furrowed in hurt.
Why... did she pull away from him?
Once, she was that greedy little cat, always loving him, loving everything about him, including kisses.
Why was her gaze now filled with rejection and resistance?
Her heart ached.
Wen Ling blinked, realizing her actions had hurt Liao Kai, and she quickly turned away, pretending to wipe the table, mumbling, "I, I, I think the eel is coming back... I saw it... it's not good..."
For a long time, Liao Kai couldn't move, "Ling, I beg you not to change, never change, just like we used to, with only me in your eyes and heart, and I will only have you. Is that okay?"
His pleading tone was pitiful as he hugged the petite Wen Ling from behind.
Wen Ling's eyes filled with tears.
How could she be so bad? Why did she pull away from A-Kai just now?
Next time, she promised herself that when A-Kai kissed her again, she would not pull away, but respond passionately! Absolutely!
Sigh, what was wrong with her just now? Did she have a fit?
Damn herself!
"Okay, I promise you, A-Kai, I will always stay the same."
Wen Ling turned around, smiling at Liao Kai, and gently ran her fingers through his hair, "Your hair has grown; you should get a trim."
Liao Kai instinctively couldn't help but kiss her forehead.
When his warm lips touched her forehead, Wen Ling's heart jumped.
She was startled, jumping back in surprise.
Damn it, why was she reacting this way?
"Ling, there's one more thing I want to ask you..."
"Ask me? What is it?"
It had always been A-Kai helping her; how could it be her turn to help him?
Liao Kai hesitated, gathering his courage several times before saying, "Um... Bai Haonan... said he wants to make the Li family suffer for three years... My family has two-thirds of the investment in the Li family's business. If the Li family is shut down, it would freeze our family's funds, and I won't be able to reclaim the rights to our Liao Wen Group... So I want to ask you to talk to Bai Haonan, to see if he can spare the Li family..."
The more Wen Ling listened, the wider her eyes grew, and finally, she got so angry that she threw the cloth in her hand down, shouting furiously, "Oh, so you, Liao Kai! You came to find me today not because you missed me, but to plead for Li Qing! Is she that important to you? You, the dignified Young Master Liao, have to lower yourself to ask me, a beggar, for help! Why should I help you? What does your business with the Li family have to do with me? Besides, do you think I have that much influence in front of Bai Haonan? You came here, with that hypocritical kiss from earlier, and now it just makes me feel self-deprecating! You think one kiss is enough to make me do your bidding?"