Xiao Wan and Ye Chen were both momentarily stunned. But Xiao Wan quickly regained her composure, rolled her eyes at Nathan, then turned to walk away, not forgetting to say to Ye Chen, "Hey, hurry up and get the car ready."
But Nathan wasn't going to let Xiao Wan walk away so easily. He had seen her recent post on Instagram, recognized the restaurant where she was dining, and learned that Chen Xin had returned to the country. He rushed over in his car as fast as he could, knowing this was a rare opportunity that he couldn't miss.
Nathan stepped forward, blocking Xiao Wan's way, and gently said, "Do you really dislike me so much that you don't even want to say hello?"
Xiao Wan gave him a cold glance and said, "Yes, move out of the way!"
She pushed Nathan aside and turned to stomp her foot at Ye Chen, saying, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take me away! Didn't you say you were going to keep an eye on me for Xiao Guai?"
"Oh… I'm coming, I'm coming," Ye Chen quickly walked up, standing in front of Nathan to stop him from following. He said, "Hey, man, you and Chen Xin are both my good friends. Don't make it hard for me, alright?"
Nathan lowered his gaze and thought for a moment before smiling. He didn't chase Xiao Wan anymore but stood still, not leaving.
Ye Chen opened the car door for Xiao Wan, let her sit, then started the engine and asked, "Shall I take you home?"
Xiao Wan, while looking at Nathan in the rearview mirror, replied, "No, take me to school instead. If I don't go to class, Old Tom will definitely lecture me."
"Alright." Ye Chen checked the navigation, turned the car around, and started driving. However, when he glanced in the rearview mirror, he saw that Nathan had also gotten into his car and was following them.
"What's that guy up to? Is he not annoying enough?" Xiao Wan noticed Nathan behind them and angrily hit the car seat. "Hurry up and lose him!"
Ye Chen sped up and, somewhat sourly, said, "Who told you to look so pretty and attract so many men? Now you regret it, huh?"
Xiao Wan glared at him and said, "Can't I look pretty for myself? What's it to you men? Don't get so full of yourself!"
Ye Chen sighed helplessly, "How does Chen Xin put up with your attitude? If it were me, I would have thrown you out dozens of times by now!"
Xiao Wan's eyes twinkled, and she suddenly leaned closer to him, speaking in a playful tone, "Really? Cold Brother, would you really throw such a beautiful me out?"
Ye Chen shuddered at her sweetly calling him "Cold Brother." His face turned red, and he almost lost control of the steering wheel. Xiao Wan, seeing his reaction, gleefully slapped him on the head and said, "See if you dare to talk back to me! Speed up, Nathan's catching up!"
"Miss, we're in a busy area, there's traffic up ahead. You want me to fly past it?" Ye Chen replied.
Though Ye Chen tried his best to shake off Nathan, by the time they reached the school, Nathan had caught up. Since Xiao Wan didn't own the school, she couldn't just kick Nathan out, so she ignored him and walked into the campus as if he were invisible.
Ye Chen initially planned to leave after dropping her off, but with Nathan following them, he didn't feel comfortable, so he walked into the school with her.
Seeing him follow, Xiao Wan didn't object but leaned toward him and whispered, "Hey, let's find a quiet spot and put that guy in a sack and beat him up. What do you think?"
Ye Chen glanced at Nathan, who was maintaining a safe distance behind them, and reluctantly said, "I don't think that's a good idea… Nathan's also my good friend. Don't worry, I'll keep him off your back, just focus on your class."
Xiao Wan huffed in discontent and quickened her pace.
Curious, Ye Chen followed and asked, "I heard from Chen Xin that you're learning the harp. Is that true? So high-end?"
"You'll know once we get to the classroom," Xiao Wan replied, glancing at him.
They arrived at the large harp classroom, and since class hadn't started yet, a few students were chatting. Upon seeing Xiao Wan and Ye Chen enter, they immediately whistled and asked, "Wow, is this your 15th boyfriend, Xiao Wan? He's handsome."
Xiao Wan stood on tiptoe, hooking her arm around Ye Chen's neck, and with a street-smart look on her face, said, "No, he's my male best friend."
Ye Chen's face turned dark, and he angrily retorted, "Did I agree to be your male best friend? Stop calling me that!"
Xiao Wan looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "We've already done manicures together, of course, we're best friends."
If there weren't people around, Ye Chen would've really pinched her little face and rubbed it. Annoyed, he walked into the classroom, where some confused classmates quickly offered him Xiao Wan's "boyfriend" chair. Just as he was about to sit down, Xiao Wan yanked him up and put her hands on her hips, saying, "Only my boyfriend can sit here, you stand outside."
Ye Chen grumbled, "We're already male best friends, can't we make an exception? You want me to stand here and watch you have a whole class?"
"I'm not that cruel, you can squat down and watch me," Xiao Wan teased.
"Lin! Xiao! Wan!" Ye Chen couldn't take it anymore, reached out, and messed up her hair. Xiao Wan immediately yelled in frustration, and the two started chasing each other around the hallway. However, they were quickly stopped by Professor Tom, who had come to teach. He glared at Xiao Wan and said, "Are you in elementary school? You're grown up and still playing around in the hallway. What kind of behavior is this? Get in and start the class!"
"Oh," Xiao Wan reluctantly tidied her messy long hair and glared at Ye Chen as she entered the classroom, not forgetting to make a gesture through the window, mouthing the words "You're dead."
Outside, Ye Chen couldn't help but smile as he watched her cute, angry expression. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of class, and other students started entering the classroom, clearing the hallway. There was only one person still standing nearby, unmoving.
Ye Chen turned around and, as expected, saw that it was Nathan. He wondered how long Nathan had been standing there.
The two men locked eyes. Nathan slowly walked toward him, but Ye Chen spoke first: "Buddy, I get that you still have feelings for Xiao Wan, but she's happy with Chen Xin now. Please, for my sake, don't cause any trouble in their life."
Nathan nodded slightly and sighed, "I know. I just couldn't help myself, I wanted to see how she's doing while Chen Xin's not around."
Ye Chen shrugged, pointing toward Xiao Wan, who was arguing with the professor in the classroom. "With her carefree attitude, you don't need to worry about her."
Nathan smiled. "I haven't heard her play the harp in a while. I'll stay here for a bit and listen. You're not going to ask me to leave, right?"
Ye Chen glanced at Nathan and, feeling a sense of camaraderie—both of them loving Xiao Wan but not getting her—he couldn't bring himself to kick Nathan out.
He shook his head, took a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. Nathan extended his hand. "Give me one too."
The two men stood outside the classroom, smoking, leaning against the corridor railing, watching as Xiao Wan sat at the harp.
Ye Chen still had doubts about Xiao Wan being a harp major. Not that he looked down on her, but with her lively and loud personality, he didn't think she'd fit the serene and elegant nature of the harp. But as soon as she played the first note, Ye Chen was stunned.
Sitting at the harp, Xiao Wan shed her usual prickly exterior. She poured all her tenderness and sincerity into the music, her every movement seemingly bathed in a soft glow, creating an incredible beauty like a painting.
Ye Chen stared at her, unable to look away, until the cigarette burned down to the filter and the heat scorched his fingers, snapping him back to reality.
Nathan, who had been watching the same scene, smiled knowingly. "Surprising, right? I had the same reaction when I first heard her play. I was sitting in that chair in the classroom, and after she finished playing, I just sat there, stunned. A student beside me had to tap me, and I fell off the chair."
Ye Chen gave a weak smile, but his eyes remained fixed on Xiao Wan. In that moment, his jealousy of Chen Xin peaked. What kind of good deeds had that guy done in his past life to deserve such a woman?
While the two men outside were deep in thought, Xiao Wan, inside the classroom, didn't leave immediately after playing. She stayed to listen to Professor Tom's lecture.
Professor Tom couldn't help but ask, "Did the glue on your seat keep you stuck there? Can't you leave?"
The students around them chuckled, and Xiao Wan made a face at the professor, saying, "What's wrong with listening to your lecture?"
Professor Tom laughed, stroked his beard, and began teaching theory. Xiao Wan listened intently. When the class was over, he walked over, patted her on the shoulder, and said, "Hey, if you keep doing this, it'll be great. Don't skip class all the time."
"I know, I know. I'll try my best," Xiao Wan packed her bag and stood up. "I have another class now. See you, old man."
"Call me 'Professor,' you brat!"
Professor Tom said irritably, then turned to ask another student, "What's the next class?"
The student replied, "Introduction to Composition."
Professor Tom's eyes lit up, and he looked at Xiao Wan running out of the door, a warm smile spreading across his face.
As Xiao Wan left the classroom, she grabbed Ye Chen and began running, shouting, "Hurry, hurry, get rid of Nathan!"
Ye Chen was still lost in thought, thinking about her elegant playing. He didn't snap out of it until Xiao Wan dragged him to the next classroom. He was still dazed and even bumped into a desk.
"Be more careful," Xiao Wan said, finding a good seat. "You can sit and listen this time! Huh? What's wrong with you? Why do you keep staring at me?"
Xiao Wan waved her hand in front of Ye Chen, surprised. "Really? I just told you to stand outside and watch me, and now you're so dazed?"
Ye Chen quickly averted his gaze, his face turning slightly red. "No, I just… cough, cough, your harp playing was really beautiful."
"Of course!" Xiao Wan said proudly, tilting her neck. "Now you know I'm awesome, huh?"
"Yeah…" Ye Chen responded, but as he entered the classroom, he noticed that ever since Xiao Wan and he walked in, a hum of gossip had started around them.
Several girls gathered, looking at Xiao Wan with disdain. A few even stood up and moved to other seats, as though she had some kind of contagious disease.
Ye Chen's anger flared up. He was about to give them a piece of his mind when Xiao Wan stopped him. Calmly, she said, "It's okay, I'm used to it."
Ye Chen was shocked. "Used to it? Do they always reject you like this?"
"Yeah, because I'm a gold-digger who changes boyfriends constantly," Xiao Wan said, pretending to be pitiful. "Aren't you the same, looking at me like that?"
Ye Chen froze, then hurriedly said, "Well, that was before. I… I don't think that anymore."
Xiaowan rubbed her eyes and said, aggrieved, "Really?"
"Of course it's true!" Ye Chen immediately felt heartbroken, pressing his hand on her shoulder as he said, "You… your singing is beautiful, your piano playing is even better. You're nothing like those materialistic girls! I admit, I'm not good at expressing myself, but I promise, I will never say that about you again."
Xiaowan blinked at him, then suddenly burst out laughing, patting his chest and saying, "Hahaha, as expected of my good buddy! This brother of mine, Lin Xiaowan, is sticking with you for life!"
Ye Chen: "…"
Was this woman trying to make a vow of brotherhood under a tree? Ye Chen had to swallow the frustration rising in his throat. He felt that one day, this woman was going to drive him crazy!
"Then what about those people? Are you just going to let them bully you?" Ye Chen asked.
Xiaowan shrugged and casually replied, "Let them talk. It's just some gossip; they can't do anything to me. Honestly, I kinda enjoy being envied and hated by them, hahaha."
Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh too, saying, "You're quite open-minded."
Just as he finished speaking, Nathan walked in, and his appearance instantly reignited the discussions that had slightly quieted down. Nathan was quite a well-known figure, and since Xiaowan often hung out with him on campus, many classmates recognized him.
As a result, the girls' looks toward Xiaowan became filled with contempt, with some even muttering insults like "bitch." They were bitter, thinking, how did Lin Xiaowan manage to attract wealthy boyfriends one after another, and even after breaking up with them, they still pined for her!
Xiaowan intentionally spoke loudly to those around her, saying, "Ah, what can I do? Who told me I'm just so charming, that rich men flock around me? For those jealous losers, I have only one thing to say: if you're not happy, go hang yourself!"
Nathan couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this. He chose a seat farther from Xiaowan and sat down, but she ignored him. Seeing that class was about to start, she quickly rummaged through her bag and said helplessly, "It's been so long since I've attended class, I forgot everything. Hey, Ye Chen, do you have paper and a pen?"
Ye Chen handed her an AURORA pen and said, "I only have a pen. Why do you need paper?"
"I need to take notes," Xiaowan said, frowning.
Ye Chen replied, "That's easy. Just ask the teacher for the electronic handouts later."
Oh, she had forgotten about that solution! With the problem solved, Xiaowan felt relieved for the moment. However, the teacher for this class was an elderly professor who couldn't handle computers well, so he wrote the lecture notes directly on the blackboard.
Just as Xiaowan was worrying about what to do, Ye Chen spoke up, "I'll take pictures of the blackboard content with my phone and send it to you later. Just ask someone nearby for paper and jot down the important points."
Xiaowan gratefully patted his head and said, "I didn't expect my good buddy to be so clever!"
"You never come to class, so you forget all these little tricks, right?" Ye Chen replied helplessly.
Xiaowan smiled at him and quickly borrowed paper from someone, starting to take notes seriously. Ye Chen, meanwhile, diligently held up his phone and photographed the content written on the blackboard.
At the end, when Xiaowan wasn't paying attention, Ye Chen secretly snapped a photo of her. In the picture, Xiaowan was holding a pen in one hand, her chin propped up in the other, looking adorable as she focused on the class.
Ye Chen gently traced the photo with his finger for a moment before hurriedly putting his phone away.
However, the class "Introduction to Composition" was a bit dry for someone like Ye Chen, who had no background in music. About halfway through, he started to feel sleepy. Meanwhile, Xiaowan was still full of energy, not wanting to miss a single word from the teacher. Seeing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but ask, "You're studying so hard. Are you planning to compose music yourself?"
Xiaowan paused in her note-taking, turned to him, and stuck out her tongue. "I won't tell you!"
Ye Chen helplessly said, "Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore."
After the class ended, Xiaowan stretched lazily and rubbed her stomach, saying, "Finally finished. I'm so hungry."
Ye Chen said, "Then let's go. It's dinner time anyway, I'll treat you to dinner."
"No, I already made plans with Leng Qing to eat tonight," Xiaowan replied. "You go ahead. Thanks for spending the whole day with me."
Ye Chen, still concerned, said, "Where are you eating? Should I take you there? Otherwise, I can't explain it to Chen Xin."
"I don't know where yet. Leng Qing hasn't called me," Xiaowan said. She turned and saw Nathan standing nearby, watching her. She immediately said to him, "What are you standing there for? Go away!"
Nathan walked over and said, "I know Chen Xin is back in the country. If you need anything, feel free to find me."
Xiaowan pushed him away, saying, "I'm not going to find you! Don't come near me from tomorrow on, I don't want to see you!"
Nathan could only smile sadly, turning and walking away.
Xiaowan watched his retreating figure. Her cold, indifferent expression softened for a moment. In fact, seeing Nathan again, her heart wasn't entirely untouched. But all those feelings were filled with sadness and grievance, emotions she didn't want the man she once loved to see because he no longer had the right.
Betrayal was betrayal, even if it only happened once, even if he promised not to do it again. Xiaowan could never trust him again. She was inherently insecure.
She lowered her head, calming herself for a moment before saying to Ye Chen, "Let's go out first."
"Mm."
Ye Chen walked with her out of the campus, to the area where his car was parked. Xiaowan sat inside and said, "Let me call Leng Qing first and see what he's doing."
"Okay."
Xiaowan dialed Leng Qing's number, but no one picked up. She was puzzled. "He's not answering my call… What could he be so busy with?"
Ye Chen said, "Maybe he's busy? Otherwise, let me take you to dinner."
Xiaowan put her phone back in her bag, about to agree, but then looked down and suddenly her eyes widened. "Ah! My notes, I left them in the classroom!"
Ye Chen said, "I took pictures of them with my phone. It's fine."
"It's not fine! There are some songs I tried to compose in those notes!" Xiaowan said urgently. "I have to go back and get them!"
Ye Chen quickly held her back, saying, "It's far. Let me go get it for you. You stay here and wait."
"Okay, please," Xiaowan said. "They should be in the drawer."
"Got it."
Ye Chen turned and quickly ran back to the school. Xiaowan nervously waited in the car. Not long later, a shadow appeared outside the window, and then the car door was suddenly opened. Xiaowan hurriedly leaned forward, asking, "Did you find—"
But her words were cut off.
The man standing in front of her wasn't Ye Chen; it was An Zhou, with a sinister look on his face.
Xiaowan froze for half a second before immediately trying to close the door, but An Zhou quickly reached in and grabbed her neck, forcing her down into the seat.
He leaned in close, his deep eyes, behind frameless glasses, full of desire as he looked at her. With his other hand, he stroked her cheek, saying, "No way, even though I have blood ties to that idiot Leng Qing, you still slept with him. You really don't want me?"
Xiaowan looked outside and saw that An Zhou was followed by two strong bodyguards. With Ye Chen not around, and herself alone, the chances of escaping this perverted man were slim. Her heart sank, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Let go of me… what do you want?"
An Zhou smirked and slowly asked, "What do you think I want?"
As he said the last two words, he deliberately emphasized them, and then seductively ran his finger across Xiaowan's rosy lips. Xiaowan's hair stood on end, and memories of past hurts flooded back, causing her to reflexively bite down hard on his finger.
"Ah!" An Zhou yanked his hand back sharply, narrowing his eyes as he coldly said, "I told you before, there's no rule about not hitting women in my dictionary!"
Before Xiaowan could react, he slapped her hard across the face. Her head hit the side of the steering wheel, and she let out a weak whimper before closing her eyes and fainting.