After a few seconds, Xiao Wan grabbed An Zhong's hair and pulled him out of the water.
As soon as An Zhong's face appeared, he began coughing violently, with seawater spraying from his nose. Xiao Wan pulled him toward her and said, "I'll ask you again, are you willing to agree to my request just now?"
"Cough, cough, cough… haha…" An Zhong raised his ** face to look at Xiao Wan. "Your temper is too fiery, I'm really starting to like you more and more—"
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Wan once again shoved his face into the water.
After a few more seconds, she pulled him up again, her voice cold: "Now? Will you agree or not?"
An Zhong gasped for breath, glanced at Leng Qing standing nearby, then looked at Xiao Wan and said, "Think from my perspective, and you'll know I can't possibly agree to something like this. Cough, cough, cough… It's because of this fool's existence that not only did he ruin my parents' love, but he also took away my father's affection for me. How can I possibly let him off?"
"The real fool here is your so-called upright father! He's the one who wronged your mother, wronged you, and wronged Leng Qing and her son! He deceived all of you. Why don't you direct your anger at him, and instead go after Leng Qing's family?" Xiao Wan said angrily. "You clearly know they are victims too! Do you think it was easy for Leng Qing to raise her son all these years by herself? An Zhong, the truth is, you're just coveting your father's money, that's why you're too afraid to confront An Chengfeng. So instead, you take it out on Leng Qing's family! You're nothing but a coward!"
"I'm not!" An Zhong yelled loudly, his eyes turning red. "Why should I care whether this bastard kid's life is hard? I only know that my once happy family was destroyed because of them! You all keep saying Leng Qing had a tough life—what, do you think my life has been easy?"
Xiao Wan stiffened for a moment, staring blankly at the man in front of her. Even though he looked menacing, as though he would do anything, and his family fortune could let him live without worry for generations, at this moment, she suddenly seemed to see through An Zhong's nature—deep down, he was still immature, unable to get over the loss of his perfect family and his father's care, seeking solace by hurting his younger brother through revenge.
"There's no one in this world whose life is easy," Xiao Wan said after a long silence. "An Zhong, you're too extreme. If this continues, you'll eventually destroy yourself."
An Zhong laughed. "I'm not afraid of dying! As long as I can drag this bastard to the grave with me, my life will have been worth it!"
"You—"
Xiao Wan tried to push his head back into the water again, but Leng Qing stopped her, shaking his head at her and saying in a low voice, "Forget it, he's not going to listen."
Xiao Wan bit her lip. "But if we let him go like this, he'll definitely come after you again in the future!"
"Then let him come." Leng Qing said calmly. "It was my mistake before, but don't worry, I'll make sure to protect you from now on. He won't have another chance to hurt you."
Xiao Wan sighed helplessly. "I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about you."
"I know." Leng Qing gently touched Xiao Wan's face and said, "I promise, I'll make sure both of us are fine."
Xiao Wan looked into his determined and confident eyes, and unknowingly, she trusted Leng Qing's words, just as she had trusted him all these years.
At the same time, An Zhong, still kneeling in the water, laughed again. "Hahaha, look at how you two are acting like a couple, Leng Qing, you still dare to say you didn't inherit your mother's talents? You're clearly the male version of a mistress!"
Xiao Wan couldn't help but slap him and said, "The relationship between me and Leng Qing doesn't need to be explained to someone like you! You call him a mistress, what about you? You tried to kidnap me and force yourself on me, and you call yourself a righteous man?"
"Of course I'm not, I've always known I'm a scoundrel," An Zhong said carelessly. "But I just can't stand when some people are so filthy and disgusting, yet try to act all innocent and pure!"
"Whether you can stand it or not, you'll have to watch." Leng Qing said coldly, tightening his grip on Xiao Wan's hand in front of An Zhong. "Because no matter what happens, nothing can separate me and Xiao Wan."
After saying this, he pulled Xiao Wan toward the shore.
That night, the sky was pitch black with no moon, only the scattered starlight reflected on the sea. Xiao Wan and Leng Qing walked hand in hand toward the shore, blending into the dark night as if they had been born from it.
Ye Chen looked at their figures from a distance and couldn't help but feel an unusual sensation, as if the scene before him was a painting, one he could never enter. He would never be able to enter the world that belonged to Xiao Wan.
Nathan sighed beside him, "Every time Leng Qing appeared when I was with Xiao Wan, I always felt like they were shutting me out. I know their relationship may not be love anymore, but that's what worries me even more. I fear I'll never be the most important man in her heart."
On the other side, Xiao Wan had already walked to the shore with Leng Qing. She shook the water off her body and was about to leave when she heard An Zhong, still kneeling in the water, shouting, "Lin Xiao Wan!"
Xiao Wan turned her head, frowning, and silently looked at him.
An Zhong stumbled and stood up from the water, showing an evil smile under the night sky. He said, "Remember, you're mine. After I kill this stupid brother of yours, I'll strip you naked and lock you in a cage. If you want to drink or eat, you'll have to beg me while clinging to my thigh. I want you to obey me unconditionally, to be docile and let me play with you."
Xiao Wan coldly glanced at him but didn't say anything. She pulled Leng Qing and walked toward the car parked by the side of the road.
An Zhong's wild shouting continued behind them, but Xiao Wan ignored it and said to Ye Chen and Nathan, who were waiting by the road, "Let's go."
Ye Chen asked, "Where to? Should I take you back to Chen Xin's place?"
Xiao Wan shook her head and looked at Leng Qing. "Let's go to his place. In this condition, I can't explain things to the servants at home. Besides, I have a lot of questions for Leng Qing."
Leng Qing seemed unsurprised by her words, nodded, and got into the car.
Nathan gave a somewhat lonely smile and said, "Since you're fine, I'll leave now. If you need anything, just call me."
Xiao Wan remembered how Nathan had been taking care of her when she woke up at Leng Qing's villa. She lowered her head in thought for a moment and then said, "No, you come with us. Actually… I've always wanted to say something to you."
Nathan smiled gently at her and nodded.
The car was an SUV driven by Nathan. He drove in the front, while Xiao Wan, Ye Chen, and Leng Qing sat in the back. Despite her body still being weak, Xiao Wan had been holding herself together to reprimand An Zhong earlier. Now that An Zhong had been let go, her strength immediately waned, and she leaned weakly on Leng Qing's shoulder.
Ye Chen turned his head to look at her and noticed that her hands were trembling slightly. He couldn't help but ask, "Does your wrist hurt a lot?"
Xiao Wan glanced at the red marks left by the tie on her wrist and said, "It's okay, just a bit of a sting from the seawater earlier."
"I'll put some medicine on it when we get back." Ye Chen said with some reproach, "If you wanted to teach that An Zhong a lesson, I could have gone instead. Why did you have to get in the water and hurt yourself?"
Xiao Wan smiled at him and patted his head. "Wow, my boy best friend is getting so caring!"
"Well, of course! I have to take good care of you for Chen Xin's sake." Ye Chen said, blushing. He pulled a few papers from his pocket and handed them to her. "Here, your notes."
"Ah!" Xiao Wan quickly grabbed the papers, opened them, and saw that nothing was missing. She smiled happily and hugged Ye Chen. "Thank you! I almost forgot about this."
Leng Qing took the papers from her hand and asked, "What's this?"
Xiao Wan immediately snatched the notes back, glared at him, and said, "I'm not telling you. Leng Qing, don't think you're off the hook. You've hidden so many things from me, I'll settle accounts with you when we get home."
"Oh." Leng Qing nodded, pressing her head to his chest. "Then you should rest for now. Otherwise, you won't have the strength to settle things with me later."
Xiao Wan struggled a bit, then mumbled a few words before resting her head against his chest and staying still.
When they arrived at Leng Qing's villa, Xiao Wan walked inside and sat down. Leng Qing immediately brought some ointment to treat the wounds on her wrist and cheek, while Ye Chen called Chen Xin's house to inform the maid, Aili, that Xiao Wan would be staying out tonight.
Nathan was looking around the villa, observing its luxurious interior. As his family mainly ran a hotel business, he could tell at a glance that this house was very expensive. However, the villa's decoration was clearly new, and many of the furniture pieces were still missing. It seemed that Leng Qing had only recently bought the place.
While he was thinking about this, Xiao Wan spoke to Leng Qing, "You can start explaining now. How did you get this house?"
Leng Qing squatted in front of Xiao Wan and said, "I bought it myself."
"You bought it yourself?" Xiao Wan widened her eyes in shock. "Who are you trying to fool? Where did you get so much money? You'd better come clean—did you rob a bank or kill someone?"
Leng Qing allowed Xiao Wan to grab his collar, looking at her gently as he said, "None of that. The money is mine, I earned it myself. I invested in two bands over the past two years. I spent a lot of money upfront to build the bands, and they were in the red for a long time. We only started making a profit this year. That's why I didn't tell you earlier, I didn't want you to worry."
Xiao Wan was instantly enraged, puffing up like a pufferfish, her little face full of anger as she tugged at Leng Qing and shook him back and forth. "You kept such a big thing from me for two whole years, Leng Qing! Were you trying to make me angry? Don't you care about me at all?"
"It's because I care about you so much that I didn't want you to worry." Leng Qing explained.
Xiao Wan was still a bit confused and asked, "But where did you get the initial investment money from? Did you… borrow it from your dad?"
Leng Qing shook his head, a hint of nostalgia and sadness flashing in his eyes. "It was savings my mom left me, along with part of her death compensation."
Xiao Wan's heart immediately sank with sadness. She knew that investing in a band would require a lot of money in the beginning. Leng Qing's mother must have worked hard to save up, just like how her grandmother had saved money to buy her a harp. When Xiao Wan met Leng Qing, his mother had already passed away, but Xiao Wan could imagine that Leng Qing's mother had been as gentle and great as her grandmother.
She couldn't help but hug him, softly comforting, "If your mom could see how successful you are now, she would be so proud of you."
Leng Qing smiled lightly, his expression somewhat relieved. "Yes."
The two of them leaned against each other in silence for a moment, before Xiao Wan continued asking, "So, the surprise you mentioned on the phone today, is this villa?"
Leng Qing nodded and said, "Yes, it's finally done with the renovation, and I wanted to bring you to see it. But the furniture is still not fully bought, and this house… I've only paid the down payment."
Xiao Wan quickly encouraged him, saying, "Hey, this is already great. Why do you look so self-deprecating? How many people in the world can buy such a great house in their lifetime? You've already been very successful."
Leng Qing gently placed her hand on his cheek and caressed it, saying, "I know, but I want to give you the best."
Xiao Wan looked into his deeply affectionate eyes, and suddenly remembered what An Zhi had said to her at the beach earlier. Although that guy's words kept getting worse, some of what he said wasn't entirely unreasonable.
She could tell that her feelings for Leng Qing had already gone beyond love, but what about Leng Qing? Could he understand this?
Xiao Wan couldn't help but slowly pull her hand away, looking at him with hesitation and apology, saying, "Leng Qing, I already have Chen Xin. I treat you as…"
"I know," Leng Qing interrupted her with a bitter smile. "But how does that saying go? 'I love you, and it has nothing to do with you,' right? You can choose not to accept it, but you can't force me not to love you."
When he said this, the two other men present couldn't help but feel a deep sense of empathy.
Xiao Wan lowered her head in silence for a long time, before finally looking up at Leng Qing and giving him a slight smile. She knew how stubborn he was, and that she couldn't convince him, but she really didn't want him to fall in love with someone like her who was destined to have no future with him.
She didn't know yet how to handle Leng Qing, so she could only take it one step at a time.
After a moment of silence, Leng Qing took the initiative to break the stillness, saying, "Didn't you say you still have things to talk to Nathan about? Go ahead, I'll cook some noodles for you."
"Okay." Xiao Wan turned to look at Nathan, who smiled gently at her. He said, "Let's talk outside. Although there's no moon tonight, the stars in the sky are beautiful."
"Okay." Xiao Wan nodded and walked out with him. The remaining person, Ye Chen, stood alone in the living room. After thinking for a moment, he turned and followed Leng Qing into the kitchen.
The garden of the villa had not been landscaped yet, with only a slightly messy lawn and a fountain without water. Xiao Wan and Nathan sat on the fountain platform, and she looked up at the stars in the sky, saying, "Thank you for taking care of me today. Are your injuries okay?"
Nathan touched the scratch on his arm and smiled at her, saying, "It's fine, and it's a testament to love. I feel proud of it."
Xiao Wan couldn't help but laugh and shake her head, saying with a nostalgic tone, "You're still the same, especially good at using the gentlemanly sweet talk from high society to charm people."
"I've charmed quite a few women before, but for you, every word I say is from the heart," Nathan said淡ly.
Xiao Wan took a deep breath and looked up, saying, "Is that so? Since it's from the heart, why can't you control your lower half?"
Nathan had long expected Xiao Wan to bring up this issue. He thought he was ready for it, but when the moment came, he still felt guilty and couldn't lift his head. He said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, baby. I really… I'm sorry…"
Xiao Wan rubbed her eyes and continued, "Nathan, I really thought about marrying you."
"I know…"
"I also thought about trying to get along well with your family. Your mom said she didn't like me smoking, and I've been trying to quit."
"I know…"
"I even fantasized about having a few kids after we get married, and on weekends, taking them to the amusement park to play…"
Nathan covered his face and choked, saying, "I know…"
Xiao Wan's eyes also reddened. She turned to look at him and asked sadly, "Since you know all this, why did you still sleep with other women?"
Nathan couldn't help but hug her tightly, burying his face in her neck and whispering, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm really sorry. I don't know why I did that…"
Xiao Wan could feel him silently crying. She herself wasn't any better. She wiped her tears with one hand and said, "If you meet another girl you like in the future, promise me, you won't do this again, okay?"
Nathan paused for a long time before gently nodding. He finally couldn't hold back and started crying aloud. A strong and tall man, at this moment, was crying like a child against Xiao Wan's shoulder.
Because he knew that after tonight, he would never have a chance again. He wasn't afraid of Xiao Wan being angry, or of her giving him the cold shoulder. What he feared was that she would calmly sit here, clearly thinking everything through, and then gently yet firmly tell him: it's time to give up on me.
Xiao Wan calmed down after crying for a while. She patted his arm and said, "Alright, I'm going to eat some noodles. Do you want some?"
Nathan shook his head and said, "No, since you're fine, I should leave."
Xiao Wan didn't try to stop him, she just nodded and said, "Okay, it's very dark out, be careful on the road."
Nathan smiled at her with red eyes and said, "I will. I know you probably won't come to find me again, but I still want to say, if you need anything, just call me. I'll help you."
"Okay."
The two of them exchanged one last look in the night, full of regret and helplessness. Then, they both turned away, one walking into the house, the other driving away, letting their lives, which had once intertwined because of love, now part ways forever.
After Xiao Wan entered the living room and wiped her tears, she walked toward the kitchen. Before she even reached the door, she heard Ye Chen yelling, "Bro, don't be so stingy. You've already cooked the noodles, just give me a bowl."
Leng Qing coldly replied, "I'm not your bro, my noodles are only for Xiao Wan."
"Ugh, but you cooked such a big pot. Can she finish it?"
Leng Qing replied coldly, "You really don't know her. This small amount of noodles won't be enough for her. Do you want to compete for it?"
Xiao Wan couldn't help but laugh softly, squinting as she poked her head into the kitchen and said, "What bad things are you saying behind my back?"
Ye Chen immediately turned around and pointed at Leng Qing, complaining, "He, he said you're a foodie!"
Leng Qing looked at him expressionlessly and said, "You're even trying to steal Xiao Wan's noodles."
Xiao Wan immediately went over and punched Ye Chen, glaring at him, "Dare to steal my food? Do you want to quit?"
Ye Chen spoke a little aggrieved, "But I'm really hungry…"
Well, it's true. This guy had been busy running around the whole evening for her, not even drinking a sip of water. Now, if she didn't let him eat, that would be too cruel!
So Xiao Wan looked at Leng Qing and said, "Serve him a bowl too, let's all eat together."
"Mm." Leng Qing naturally had no objections to Xiao Wan's request, so the three of them each took a bowl of noodles and sat around the coffee table in the living room, eating.
However, Ye Chen and Leng Qing both had small bowls, while Xiao Wan alone had a huge bowl, holding it and happily eating her noodles.
Ye Chen couldn't help but glance at her while eating, asking curiously, "How is it that you eat so much every day, but still don't gain any weight?"
Leng Qing took a sip of soup and said, "I took her to the hospital, they said there's nothing wrong, just that her metabolism is faster, so she doesn't accumulate anything."
"Ah…" Ye Chen then asked, "Has she always been able to eat like this since she was a child?"
Leng Qing didn't answer. Instead, he turned his gaze to Xiao Wan, who scratched her head and said lightly, "Not really. It was forced out by my mom. When I was a kid, she often didn't feed me for two or three days, so later when someone else gave me food, I couldn't stop eating, afraid that if I didn't eat enough, I might starve and not get any more."
Ye Chen was so angry he almost broke his chopsticks. "What is this? Two or three days without food? Is that even a real mother?"
"Yeah," Xiao Wan sighed, "But I've always hoped she wasn't."
Leng Qing couldn't help but reach out and grab Xiao Wan's hand, gently squeezing her palm to comfort her.
"It's alright." Xiao Wan smiled at the two of them, lifted the big bowl and drank the noodle soup, then sighed contentedly and said, "Xiao Yi's plain noodles are really delicious."
Leng Qing asked, "Do you want more? I can cook some more for you."
"No, I'm full."
"Then how about going to bed? I'll tidy up your room."
Xiao Wan bit her lip and shook her head, saying, "I think… I'll go back to Chen Xin's place."
Leng Qing smiled and said, "Alright, I'll take you."
"I'll go too," Ye Chen immediately said.
So the three of them rushed back to Chen Xin's villa that night. Fortunately, the servants were all resting, so Xiao Wan's return didn't cause too much of a stir. Only Ai Li woke up. She quickly noticed Xiao Wan's swollen face and immediately panicked, "What happened? Didn't Mr. Gu say you were going out and wouldn't be back tonight? How did your face get like this?"
Xiao Wan immediately pointed at Ye Chen, lying through her teeth without blinking, "It was him. He tripped me, and I ended up rolling on the road. That's how I got my face like this."
Ai Li immediately put her hands on her hips and glared at Ye Chen angrily, "Mr. Gu! How could you be so careless!"
"I… I didn't—" Ye Chen, full of grievance, began to speak, but halfway through, he saw Xiao Wan giving him a look. He could only lower his head, feeling awkward, and said, "Uh, yeah, it was my mistake. Sorry, I didn't take good care of Xiao Wan."
Ai Li scolded Ye Chen for a while before finally letting him off the hook.
Xiao Wan chuckled and wrapped her arm around his neck, whispering, "Thanks for taking the blame for Leng Qing! His brother is really too weird, and I can't let Chen Xin know. So, can you help me hide it from him for now?"
Ye Chen frowned and said, "What are you thinking? I'm on Chen Xin's side! This is such a serious matter, do you really think I can keep quiet about it?"
"I'll tell him later, just not right now," Xiao Wan quickly said. "Think about it. He's back in the country, preparing for the branch office opening. If I tell him now, Chen Xiao Guai will definitely get distracted, and I don't want to affect his work."
Ye Chen furrowed his brows and stayed silent. Xiao Wan then grabbed his arm and shook it back and forth. "Please, Ye Chen, pretty please, just help me once. After all, you're my male best friend now."
"Alright, alright, I agree, is that enough?!" Ye Chen impatiently shook off her hand. "Go, go, go, go back to your room and rest. Seeing you annoys me."
Xiao Wan happily smiled at him before skipping up the stairs.
"Try not to go out these days. If you want to go somewhere, just call me, I'll take you," Ye Chen reminded her as she walked away.
"Got it."
Xiao Wan entered the bedroom and closed the door. After the whole night of troubles, she finally had a chance to be alone. But in reality, she didn't want to be alone. After the episode at An Zhou's villa, dark fragments from her past kept flashing in her mind. But in order not to let others notice something was wrong, she had been suppressing it.
This time, the episode came too soon after the last one, and she didn't want Leng Qing or Chen Xin to know. Otherwise, they would definitely be very worried.
It's fine, I can handle it myself. Xiao Wan comforted herself. She walked into the walk-in closet, grabbed a huge pile of Chen Xin's clothes, spread them out on the bed, and then curled up in the fortress made of his clothes, slowly drifting off to sleep.