Chereads / LIKE A BAD GIRL / Chapter 19 - 19.Confusion

Chapter 19 - 19.Confusion

Actually, over the past month, Ye Chen and Lin Xiaowan hadn't met at all. But that didn't stop the two from bickering on Instagram.

Ever since Xiaowan moved into Chen Xin's house, she'd been posting random selfies every day with a number caption. As the days went by, the number increased. Fans quickly noticed this and started commenting, asking what the number meant.

Xiaowan bluntly replied, "The number of days Chen Xiaogui hasn't let me sleep with him."

Her fans were instantly thrilled, bombarding her with questions: "Kitty's got a new target? Who's Chen Xiaogui? Share his photo!"

Xiaowan cheekily replied, "I'll post his pic once I've slept with him. I'd love to share a nude, but he won't let me."

This caught Ye Chen's attention, leading to an epic Instagram showdown where Ye Chen was utterly defeated. From that day on, Ye Chen made it his daily mission to reply to Xiaowan's posts, refusing to back down until he could out-argue her.

For instance, a few days ago, Xiaowan posted a picture of the platinum Himalayan bag Chen Xin had given her, captioned: "It's been 30 days, and Chen Xiaogui still won't let me sleep with him. Feeling blue and bummed! If this keeps up, I might just smash his wine cellar."

While her fans fawned over the luxurious bag, Ye Chen popped up with a simple, "Idiot."

Xiaowan immediately shot back: "Takes one to know one."

Ye Chen: "Damn it, are you in kindergarten, playing that 'I know you are but what am I' game? So childish."

Xiaowan: "I think someone who obsessively trolls my Instagram daily is way more childish and idiotic."

Ye Chen: "Say that again, I dare you!"

Xiaowan: "Idiot, jerk, moron, sucker. I'm feeling generous, buy one insult, get three free."

Ye Chen: "Lin Xiaowan, you—"

Xiaowan: "Dead. Feel free to dig her up and find her."

Before Ye Chen could retort, Xiaowan's fans rallied against him, forcing him to retreat. This scenario played out daily. At first, Chen Xin tried to mediate, but when it became clear his efforts were futile, he gave up.

Today, Chen Xin had invited Ye Chen to join the company outing, hoping to ease the tension between the two. But seeing how they were already squaring off, he instantly regretted it.

"Lin Xiaowan, listen up! Chen Xin and I have been friends since we were kids. I won't let someone like you ruin his life!" Ye Chen fumed.

"Wow, since you were in open-crotch pants? So impressive." Xiaowan drawled sarcastically. "Well, I touched his bare body three days after meeting him. Guess I'm more impressive, huh?"

Chen Xin's face turned beet red. Xiaowan continued, "Oh, and last time when I accidentally kicked you there, I could tell it's probably the same size as it was back when you were wearing open-crotch pants."

As she spoke, she extended her pinky finger and wagged it toward Ye Chen's pants.

The blatant attack on his manhood made Ye Chen explode. He lunged forward, ready to fight, but Chen Xin quickly held him back. "Okay, enough! You go inside first."

As Chen Xin forcibly dragged Ye Chen into the venue, Ye Chen shouted back, "You just wait! This isn't over!"

Xiaowan cupped her hands around her mouth and called out mockingly, "Waiting, Mr. Open-Crotch Pants!"

It took all of Chen Xin's energy to calm Ye Chen down. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he went back to Xiaowan, sighing, "You…"

"What? You know he started it on Instagram!" Xiaowan pouted. "I was just defending myself."

"Fine, fine," Chen Xin conceded, leading her inside. "Forget about it. There's a lot of good food over there. Let me get you some, okay?"

"Okay." Xiaowan's mood brightened at the mention of food. She loaded her plate with cakes and fruit, then retreated to a quiet corner with her iPad. "I'm playing games now. Call me when it's time to leave," she told Chen Xin.

Chen Xin had no choice but to agree. Not far away, several senior managers were calling him over. He kissed Xiaowan and said, "I'm going to chat with them for a bit. Be good and don't stir up trouble with Ye Chen, okay?"

"Got it," Xiaowan waved Chen Xin off. After he walked away, she glanced around and noticed Ye Chen holding a girl close by the buffet table. The girl was clinging to him, saying something ingratiating, but Ye Chen only had eyes for Xiaowan, glaring daggers in her direction.

Xiaowan casually flipped him off and went back to her game. Her peace didn't last long, though, as the children brought by the employees soon spotted her.

Two white boys, around seven or eight years old, noticed her iPad and ran over to snatch it from her hands, yelling, "iPad! I want to play games!"

Startled, Xiaowan quickly grabbed the iPad back. She glared at them coldly. "Did you eat your manners for breakfast? Is that how you borrow things—by grabbing them?"

The boys were unfazed and smugly replied, "What's the big deal? You're so stingy!"

"If you won't let us play, we'll tell our dad! He's a manager here, and everyone listens to him!"

Xiaowan sneered and went back to her game. "Go ahead, tell him."

The two boys exchanged glances before bursting into tears and running to their mother, who was standing not far away. They cried loudly while pointing at Xiaowan, "Mommy, that lady won't let us play on her iPad! You have to tell Dad to fire her!"

Their mother, seeing her sons in tears, marched over angrily and confronted Xiaowan. "Excuse me, my boys just wanted to play with your iPad. You could have refused nicely, but making them cry? You're an adult—don't you think it's petty to argue with children?"

"Wow," Xiaowan paused her game and looked at the woman coldly. "Like mother, like sons. Why don't you ask how they 'borrowed' my iPad in the first place? They didn't even ask—they just grabbed it. Is this the kind of upbringing you're proud of?"

"You—!" The mother was caught off guard by Xiaowan's assertiveness and raised her voice. "They're just kids! They don't know any better. How dare you speak to them like that? Looking at your fancy clothes, it's clear you've never been a mother or had any sense of responsibility. What gives you the right to lecture me?"

Xiaowan slammed her iPad onto the couch, stood up, and glared at the woman. "I may not be a mother, but I know a mother shouldn't behave like you! What, you think giving birth to two sons makes you queen of the world?"

Before the mother could respond, her husband, the boys' father, hurried over. Seeing Xiaowan, he immediately pulled his wife back. "Stop it, don't cause trouble."

"But she made our boys cry! Isn't she one of your employees? She should be fired!"

The man whispered urgently, "Drop it! That's the boss's girlfriend. You don't want to mess with her…"

Reluctantly, the mother retreated with her husband and children. Xiaowan sat back down, grumbling as she tapped at her game to vent her frustration. However, it wasn't long before another child approached her.

This time, it was a little blonde girl with big green eyes. She looked at Xiaowan curiously and said, "Sister—"

"I'm not lending my iPad. Stay away. I don't like kids," Xiaowan interrupted bluntly.

"Oh…" The girl obediently stepped back and said softly, "I wasn't going to borrow it. I just think you're really pretty."

Xiaowan was taken aback and looked at the girl's innocent face. With a sigh, she said, "Being too pretty isn't always a good thing. Focus on your studies. That's the most useful thing."

"Okay," the girl nodded. "Sister, do you like chocolate? I just got some from the table. There's only one piece left, but you can have it."

Xiaowan glanced at the chocolate in her small hand. The girl clearly wanted it herself but was offering it anyway. Feeling conflicted, Xiaowan patted her head. "I don't want it. You eat it. Go play with the other kids."

Just as she spoke, a man's voice called out, "Jenny! Where did you run off to?"

The little girl responded, "Daddy! I'm here!"

A man pushed through the crowd and came over. Xiaowan recognized him—it was Harold, the product manager she had argued with in Chen Xin's office.

When their eyes met, both turned away awkwardly. Harold picked up his daughter. "Come on, let's go play over there."

"Okay, but Daddy, that sister is so pretty. She looks like a movie star!"

Harold gave a perfunctory reply and quickly walked away with his daughter.

Xiaowan soon forgot about the incident and resumed her game. About half an hour later, she got up to use the restroom. As she neared the women's restroom, she overheard voices from the men's restroom next door.

"Why did you call me here? Daddy said girls should use the girls' bathroom," came Jenny's soft voice.

"Do you want chocolate? We still have some," said a boy.

"Sure, can I have it?"

"You can, but only if you lift your shirt and show us your chest."

"What's a chest?" Jenny asked, confused.

The boys giggled. "You don't need to know. Just lift your shirt, and the chocolate's yours."

Xiaowan kicked the men's restroom door open and saw Jenny cornered by the two boys who had taken her iPad earlier. She immediately grabbed the boys by their collars, tossed them out, and stood protectively in front of Jenny.

"Who taught you to do this?" Xiaowan glared at them.

The boys shouted back, "What's it to you? Get lost, or we'll have our dad punish you!"

Xiaowan sneered. "Let me teach you a lesson first! If you're pulling this kind of stunt now, are you planning to become criminals when you grow up?"

As she stepped closer, the boys yelled, "Our mom said you're just a cheap slut who earns money by spreading your legs!"

Xiaowan froze for two seconds before slapping both boys hard across the face.

They burst into tears, while Jenny, frightened, began crying as well. Xiaowan turned to comfort Jenny, but the commotion drew the parents over. Harold rushed in first, saw his daughter crying, and furiously pushed Xiaowan to the ground. "Are you insane? If you have a problem with me, take it out on me, not my kid!"

Jenny cried even harder at her father's outburst. Harold picked her up and stormed out.

The boys' mother then arrived, saw her sons' tear-streaked faces, and screamed at Xiaowan, "You hit my kids, you whore!"

Xiaowan laughed coldly. "Kids like yours? I'll hit them every time I see them."

"You—! I'll kill you!" The woman raised her hand to slap Xiaowan, but Chen Xin arrived just in time to intercept her.

"Everyone, calm down," he said sternly. "This is a family event. Let's not turn it into chaos."

"She's the one causing chaos!" the woman shrieked. "Chen, how can you associate with someone like her?"

"My personal life is none of your concern," Chen Xin replied calmly. "As for what happened, I'll investigate and address it appropriately. For now, please take your children to treat their injuries."

The woman reluctantly left, and the crowd dispersed. Left alone in the restroom, Chen Xin helped Xiaowan up. Noticing her scraped knee, he gently cleaned the wound. "Before I came in, Harold said you bullied his daughter. Is that true?"

Xiaowan bit her lip, staying silent.

Chen Xin sighed. "Please, tell me what happened. Everyone saw three kids crying. Did you really hit them?"

"Yes, I hit them! So what?" Xiaowan suddenly shouted. "I told you I hate kids, but you insisted I come here. So I hit them to get back at you! Happy now?"

She shoved him away and ran out, tears streaming down her face.

"Xiaowan!" Chen Xin called after her, but the boys' mother stopped him, demanding an immediate resolution. With the employees watching, Chen Xin had no choice but to handle the situation professionally.

What no one knew was that someone else had witnessed everything in the men's restroom.

Ye Chen stepped out of a stall, his expression complicated as he stared at the chocolates scattered on the floor. After a moment, he turned and walked away.

[Necklace]

When Chen Xin got home, it was already evening. The mother of the two boys had caused a scene earlier, tearfully accusing Lin Xiaowan in front of their colleagues and demanding compensation. However, Chen Xin insisted on having the boys recount what had happened. The mother, seemingly evasive and hesitant, finally agreed to speak up after persuasion from her husband and other senior staff.

She claimed the boys only asked to borrow Lin Xiaowan's iPad, and when she refused, she allegedly slapped them out of anger.

Chen Xin caught the flaw in her story and asked, "If that's the case, why was Harold's daughter, Jenny, also present?"

The woman immediately replied, "How would I know? Maybe she asked your gold-digging girlfriend for something too, and when she refused, she got slapped as well!"

Chen Xin, holding back his frustration, said calmly, "Whether or not my girlfriend hit your children, and regardless of her reasons, I hope you refrain from making baseless claims until the truth is uncovered. Also, please don't call her a gold-digger."

Unwilling to let the matter rest, the woman demanded compensation, claiming her sons had suffered concussions. Chen Xin, nodding, replied, "If your children are truly injured and it's our fault, I will absolutely compensate you. But since you've brought it up, perhaps we should involve the police. This is a matter involving potential harm and compensation. The police can investigate, access surveillance footage, and gather testimonies. What do you think?"

Hearing the mention of police involvement, the woman quickly backed down, her husband stepping in to smooth things over. They grumbled a bit more before leaving with their children.

Initially, Chen Xin had some doubts about whether Lin Xiaowan had lost her temper and hurt the children. But the parents' evasive behavior strengthened his suspicion that there was more to the story.

He reassured his employees that he would thoroughly investigate and resolve the matter while ensuring such incidents wouldn't happen at future family events. After hours of damage control, Chen Xin finally headed home, exhausted.

On the way, he called Harold to ask about Jenny, but Harold said she was too shaken and had been crying since they got home. Chen Xin decided not to press further at that moment.

Now, as he approached his own front door, he took a deep breath, checked his watch, and entered the house.

Aunt Ellie, the housekeeper, greeted him nervously. "Miss Lin is back, but she seems upset. She's in the garden playing with the dogs."

"Thank you." Chen Xin quickly made his way to the garden, where he found Xiaowan crouched on the ground, hugging her knees. The three dogs lay obediently in front of her, wagging their tails as if trying to comfort her. But she just sat there, silent and still.

The sight of her loneliness made Chen Xin's heart ache. He walked over and gently hugged her from behind, speaking softly, "I came home at 6:30, just like I said. Wasn't I good?"

He felt her body tense for a moment, but she didn't respond.

With a sigh, he stroked her hair and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to go to the family event when I knew you don't like children. I promise I won't make you do things you don't want to anymore, okay?"

Xiaowan finally nodded faintly.

Sensing a glimmer of hope, Chen Xin continued, "Can you tell me why all three kids were crying in the bathroom? I need to know the truth to handle this situation properly. I hope you can understand."

Xiaowan turned her head and stared at him coldly. "Didn't you already ask that woman?"

She was referring to the boys' mother. Chen Xin nodded. "Yes, but I don't really believe—"

Before he could finish, Xiaowan cut him off sharply. "If you've already asked her, why bother asking me? Whatever she said, just go with that! You wouldn't believe me anyway!"

"How do you know I wouldn't believe you? You haven't even told me yet!"

Her eyes reddened as she glared at him. "If you trusted me, why didn't you come to me first? Why didn't you stop me when I left? Do you know how long I waited for you, crouched

Translation:

"What? What's wrong?" Chen Xin wanted to help, but Xiao Wan pushed him away, frantically searching on the sink. Not finding what she was looking for, she suddenly rushed out of the room.

Chen Xin hesitated for a moment and followed her downstairs. He saw the Himalayan bag he had gifted her casually thrown on the floor. With a sigh, he walked outside, watching Xiao Wan rummaging around the garden like she'd lost her mind, clearly searching for her necklace.

Chen Xin could roughly guess what kind of necklace it was—a platinum one with a delicate crescent moon pendant. He had noticed it on her neck not long after she moved in. She seemed to treasure it, even clutching the pendant in her sleep. Once, after they kissed, Chen Xin had tried to get a closer look at the necklace, only to be met with a sharp glare.

"My necklace is gone! Ellie! Did you see my necklace? The one with the crescent moon pendant!" Xiao Wan was panicking and shouted at the maid.

Ellie quickly replied, "I haven't seen it, Miss. Please don't worry. I'll help you look for it."

Chen Xin, his face dark, walked to the entrance of the garden. When Xiao Wan saw him, she immediately shouted, "What are you standing there for? Help me look for it!"

But Chen Xin didn't move. Instead, he asked a question he would later deeply regret: "Which ex-boyfriend gave you that necklace?"

Xiao Wan froze mid-search. She lifted her head, looking at him with disbelief. "What did you just say?"

"I asked you, which ex-boyfriend gave you that necklace?" Chen Xin clenched his fists. "To make you cherish it so much, like losing it means losing your soul?"

Her expression shifted from shock and hurt to indifference. She lowered her head and resumed searching, treating Chen Xin like he didn't exist.

Her reaction only made Chen Xin angrier. He took a few steps closer, his voice trembling with rage. "Lin Xiao Wan, I've given you so many things. Why haven't I ever seen you treat them like this? You gave the shoes I bought you to the dogs as toys. You throw the bags I gift you on the floor. What do I even mean to you?"

Xiao Wan suddenly stood up, a mocking, innocent smile on her face. "What do you mean? A toy, of course. Didn't I already tell you? Four months, and I'll definitely dump you. Did you think you were some priceless treasure?"

"You—"

"What about me? You're the one who said you could accept me as I am. You're the one who let me move in. You said you didn't care how many boyfriends I'd had. But look at you now! Couldn't even keep up the act for long, could you? I've figured you men out. Sweet words mean nothing. Deep down, you're no different from those boys' mother, aren't you? You probably think I make my living lying on my back!"

Chen Xin panicked. "I don't think that—"

"But the way you're acting shows that's exactly what you think!" Xiao Wan screamed hoarsely, then turned and bolted.

She ran to the Ferrari he had bought her, started the car, and said to him as he chased her, "You're right. I don't cherish the things you give me at all!"

Then she slammed the gas pedal, crashing the car into the stone fountain in the garden. She reversed abruptly, smashing open the villa gates before speeding away.

Chen Xin stood amidst the villa's blaring alarm, sighed deeply, and buried his face in his hands.

At Harold's House

After an afternoon of comforting, Jenny finally stopped crying. Harold and his wife, Amanda, breathed a sigh of relief. To cheer their daughter up, Amanda had even bought her chocolates she normally wasn't allowed to eat much of.

Jenny sat on the couch, watching cartoons and nibbling on chocolates, while Harold and Amanda prepared dinner in the kitchen. Harold couldn't help grumbling to his wife, "I told Chen not to date a woman like her, but he wouldn't listen! Look at the mess she's caused now!"

Amanda, more composed, replied, "The truth isn't clear yet. I know that woman doesn't have a great reputation among your colleagues, but… I still don't think she'd hit our daughter for no reason."

"'No reason'? She's doing it to get back at me! Because I tried to talk her out of hurting Chen!" Harold fumed.

"Alright, enough. Just help me carry the pasta out, and tell Jenny to stop eating chocolates and come eat dinner."

"Fine." Harold carried the plates out and saw his son already seated at the table. He walked to the couch to call Jenny. "Jenny, it's dinnertime."

Unexpectedly, Jenny looked up and curiously asked him, "Daddy, what's a 'boob'?"

Harold froze, and Amanda, who had just stepped out of the kitchen, widened her eyes in panic, rushing over. "Sweetie, what did you just say?"

"I asked Daddy, what's a 'boob'?"

Harold's suppressed anger immediately reignited. He demanded, "Did that woman who hit you teach you this? Did she?"

"No, the pretty lady didn't teach me that," Jenny quickly shook her head and nervously explained, "At the playground this afternoon, those two boys took me to the men's restroom and said if I showed them my boobs, they'd give me chocolate. Then the pretty lady rushed in and said they were being bad. The boys called her a bad word, and that's when she hit them. Daddy, are 'boob' and that bad word very bad things?"

Harold and Amanda stood frozen in shock, too stunned to say a word.

Seeing her father's expression, Jenny's eyes reddened again. She sniffled, "Did I do something wrong? I actually wanted to tell you then that the pretty lady didn't hit me. But… but there were so many people, and you were so angry. I got scared, so I didn't say anything. I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn't mean to…"

Harold snapped out of it, pulled his daughter into his arms, and gently patted her back, his expression complicated. He comforted her, "No, sweetie, you didn't do anything wrong. You don't need to apologize. The one who should apologize… is Daddy."