"N-nothing, I...I just wanted to see Jiang Haozhe...I...I have something to say." Under such tender gazes, she couldn't help but blush and her heart race.
To hell with Jiang Haozhe! To hell with all those messy rumors! Just for the gentle man in front of her, with his warm and gentle gaze and smile, she could forgive everything and turn all her anger into peace!
"Cheng, you silly girl! Why are you laughing like that?" A sarcastic voice drifted from behind Jiang Chenjun. Jiang Haozhe strolled over slowly, his face full of mockery.
Before Cheng Yongxin could retort, Jiang Chenjun spoke calmly, "Xiao Zhe, how could you say that about Yongxin? Apologize now!"
Jiang Haozhe snorted, his gaze filled with utter disdain. "If she's not a lovesick fool, then who is? Bro, you have no idea, this guy is always... mmm—"
Cheng Yongxin swiftly covered his troublesome mouth, flashing a sweet, cloying smile: "Brother Jiang, um... hehehe, I have something to say to Jiang Haozhe. You can have your tea first—"
After saying that, she dragged Jiang Haozhe to the corridor outside the elegant hall with lightning speed, grabbed his collar, and looked fierce.
"Why are you saying these things in front of Brother Jiang?!" She glared at him, her tone unfriendly.
For a long time, although this guy knew he liked his brother, he always kept quiet about it. This seemed to have become a kind of unspoken understanding between the two of them. So what does this guy mean now?
Slapping away her hand that was grabbing his collar, Jiang Haozhe laughed with amusement, "Didn't you want to pursue my brother? How can you pursue him if he doesn't know? If you dare to say it, you should dare to do it! I was just trying to help you because I was afraid you were too shy to say it. You really didn't get anything in return for your kindness!"
"I don't need your kindness! I know what I'm doing!" She didn't need his feigned concern!
"Is that so?" Jiang Haozhe raised the corners of his beautiful lips and smiled coldly. "Yes—since you, Miss Cheng, know your place, I won't say anything more. But... be careful, you'll be the one crying later!"
She was a little stunned. "You...you're worried about me?"
Did this guy take the wrong medicine today? He's usually so cold and sarcastic, why is he actually concerned about me?
Surprised, Cheng Yongxin reached out and touched his forehead, then compared it to her own. She muttered to herself in disbelief, "It's normal. Since you're not sick... then what's wrong with you today?"
Jiang Haozhe was so angry at her word "crazy" that he almost couldn't catch his breath. He turned his face away angrily, avoiding looking at her hand that was originally on her forehead, and said harshly in a rough voice.
"I've said my piece; you can decide what to do next!"
Jiang Haozhe rolled his eyes at her and walked straight back to his room.
Cheng Yongxin was left standing there, completely bewildered.
What is that guy doing?
At the dinner table later, her many doubts were finally answered.
"Xinyi, look at these three families, you're the only one with a daughter. Why don't you let your girl choose one of our three sons? It's like keeping the good stuff in the family!" Chen Xiangmei joked during the meal.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yongxin's face flushed red, even more so than the braised prawns on the table. She didn't dare to look up and just kept eating.
“That’s right, Xinyi, let’s see which one Yongxin likes. As long as she doesn’t mind, she can choose either of my two sons!” He Jintang joined in the commotion.
Guan Xinyi glanced meaningfully at her daughter, who was engrossed in her meal, and smiled, "Alright, then I'll choose a son-in-law to strengthen the ties between our three families!"
"Mom—" Cheng Yongxin cried out in utter frustration, feeling both ashamed and embarrassed. She wished she could dig a hole in the ground and jump in. Why was even her mother joining in the commotion?
"Let me see—" Guan Xinyi counted on her fingers with an air of deep thought and serious consideration. "Xiao Xu is one year younger than Yong Xin... and Xiao Chen is six years older than Yong Xin... As for Xiao Zhe, he's the same age as Yong Xin, but three months older—"
"Isn't that perfect?" Chen Xiangmei chimed in quickly, "They're the same age and in the same grade, and their schools are practically next door to each other. They're a perfect match!"
"That's right!" He Jintang also seemed to suddenly realize something, and smiled as he moved closer to her. "Yongxin, what do you think of my Xiaozhe? I'm not bragging, but my son is really quite good!"
Cheng Yong was so embarrassed she almost buried her head in her rice bowl, but the three people were having so much fun that they weren't going to let her off the hook.
“But I’ve heard that it’s generally better for girls to marry older men!” Chen Xiangmei sighed with great regret. “My son is hopeless, and I especially like Yongxin to be my daughter-in-law!”
"Hehe, both of my sons are older than Yongxin!" He Jintang said with a happy smile. "If Yongxin doesn't like Xiaozhe, I still have Xiaochen! You can choose one of them, and Aunt He will decide for you!"
"Aunt He, I really..."
"Yongxin, don't be shy. As long as you're willing to marry into our family, Aunt He is willing to give up any of us!"
"Is that so—" Guan Xinyi smiled inscrutably. "Jin Tang, my Yongxin has been attached to your Xiaochen since he was little. I like him very much too. It just depends on whether you, as his mother, are willing to let him go?"
"Mom—?!" Cheng Yongxin looked up in astonishment, only to meet her mother's lingering smile.
"What do I have to be reluctant about?" He Jintang waved his hand with great pride.
Originally, this table was full of women, and everyone took it as a joke and laughed it off. But He Jintang felt that the fun wasn't going to be too much, so she went to another table, grabbed Jiang Chenjun, and gave him a lecture, "Hey kid, I've arranged a marriage for you today. In a few years, you'll marry Yongxin, understand?"
He Jintang's words left the men at the table looking at each other, completely bewildered. Jiang Haozhe's face immediately darkened, while Cheng Qide and Fang Linyuan, knowing their wives' temperament well, laughed and went to talk about other things. Jiang Jingting, however, looked utterly confused. "Wife, have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten that we're going to have dinner with Xiaochen's girlfriend the day after tomorrow? Why are you setting him up on this random engagement?"
"Oh right!" He Jintang exclaimed in sudden realization, repeatedly pounding his head, "Look at my memory!"
Then she ran back with great regret, "Yongxin, I'm sorry, I forgot that Xiaochen already has a girlfriend. Why don't you consider my Xiaozhe? He's a good guy too!"
Ever since Uncle Jiang said those words, Cheng Yongxin's head felt like it had exploded. Her mind was a jumbled mess, and she couldn't hear anything clearly. All she could see was He Jintang's mouth opening and closing in front of her like a fish out of air; she couldn't hear anything else.
She tried to cheer herself up and gave He Jintang a sweet smile, "Aunt He, you must be joking! How could Brother Jiang marry a girl like me? Besides, I also..."
She stopped abruptly, fearing that if she continued, her tears would burst forth.
"I'm not joking, I really hope Yongxin will marry into our family..." He Jintang tried to explain, but seeing her uninterested look, he stopped talking.
After that, Cheng Yongxin ate like chewing wax, taking only a few bites to symbolically fill her mouth. Even the most delicious dishes tasted bland to her.
Every single bite, every single bite, my heart is filled with such bitterness...
trick
"...The Organization Department and the Learning Department will be specifically responsible for overall planning, the Arts Department and the Publicity Department will be responsible for external liaison and publicity, the Sports Department will be responsible for preparatory work, and other departments will provide support. The Secretary-General, the Vice President, and I will form a command group to be responsible for all overall planning and mobilization..."
In the student council meeting office of Yuluo Girls' High School, Cheng Yongxin was solemnly arranging the planning matters for the school anniversary. Her expression was serious and meticulous, and she was calm and composed. Every move she made showed the demeanor of a competent student council president, which made the ministers sitting around her feel both admiration and respect. Of course, there were two people.
The two people outside this range were naturally Fang Yu and Su Ying. They had known Cheng Yongxin for quite some time and were very familiar with her near-perfect disguise skills. Naturally, they wouldn't be fooled by the image Cheng Yongxin had created. But now—
"Hey, Xiaoying, don't you think Yongxin's been acting a little strange lately?"
With one hand lightly covering her lips, and the other hand quietly nudging Su Ying beside her, Fang Yu whispered a wink to her.
"You think so too?" Su Ying adjusted her glasses slightly in surprise. "I thought I was being paranoid, but since you say so too..."
Even Fang Yu, who is usually oblivious, noticed that something was wrong with Yongxin, which means that Cheng Yongxin really had a problem.
But that's understandable. Someone who's always been pretending and using their deceitful face to slack off and cheat, suddenly becoming serious, earnest, and hardworking... it would be strange if people didn't find it odd!
Cheng Yongxin has really changed, and changed drastically. Although her image in front of everyone is still as perfect as ever, Fang Yu and Su Ying can clearly feel that something is wrong with her.
The girl who used to swoon over a picture of Jiang Chenjun and giggle for ages is now a thing of the past. Even more remarkably, the girl who used to require them to constantly remind her to approve student council applications and documents now completes them automatically without any prompting, her efficiency is incredibly high. While Fang Yu and Su Ying are quite pleased with Cheng Yongxin's unusual behavior, they also feel a strange unease.
No wonder. Someone who usually speaks without restraint, laughing loudly or making a ruckus, suddenly smiles gently at you and speaks softly. Not to mention Fang Yu, who is usually outgoing, even Su Ying, who is usually not one to show her emotions, was so shocked that she got goosebumps all over her body on the spot. Cheng Yongxin's appearance was as terrifying as it could be.
"Could Yongxin have suffered some kind of shock?" Although it was phrased as a question, Fang Yu's tone was one of absolute certainty. For someone to change so much overnight, it must be due to some unexpected event.
"Is she still upset about the rumors Jiang Haozhe spread?"
“I think it shouldn’t be…” Su Ying pondered for a moment, then slowly turned her head to look at Cheng Yongxin sitting in the chairman’s seat.
"It must be related to her... Brother Jiang."
Beneath his black hair lay a gentle, refined face; beneath his elegant brows were clear, bright eyes; and beneath his straight nose, thin lips curved slightly, a faint smile playing on them. Any woman who saw him would involuntarily yearn for such eyes to gaze only upon her, for such a smile to bloom only before her… That would be the happiest thing in the world.
Unfortunately, those eyes, that smile, could never belong to her. His eyes, his lips, his smile would all belong to another unknown girl. No matter how closely she followed, even if she risked everything to get closer, the distance between them was always so close—yet so far. Brother Jiang would always stand where she couldn't see him even if she stood on tiptoe. She was like the Little Mermaid in Andersen's fairy tale, gazing longingly at the prince's statue from the bottom of the sea, even giving her all to follow him to land, but in the end, the prince still married the princess of the neighboring country…
Brother Jiang... has a girlfriend...
The moment she heard the news, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She had no idea how she finished her meal or got home. All she could think about were these words: Brother Jiang has a girlfriend... They kept echoing in her mind, echoing, echoing...
So she had no choice but to keep herself busy. At least when she was so tired she could hardly breathe, she could think less, and thinking less would make her feel better, and her heart wouldn't ache so much...
For her, Brother Jiang was not only the most perfect role model in her heart, but also the person she had longed for since childhood. If she didn't really like him, why did she feel dizzy when she heard that he had a girlfriend, and why did she feel heartache every time she thought of him afterward?
Staring blankly at the secretly taken photo of Jiang Chenjun in her hand, Cheng Yongxin slumped on the bed in a daze.
Normally, she has school to attend, so her days are fairly fulfilling. But today is Sunday, and suddenly she has free time. Thoughts that she usually tries to ignore and suppress resurface, making her already heavy heart even heavier.
"Sigh—" She sighed, sat up, and prepared to find some books to read and find something to do. It was better than lying in bed in a daze!
Just as I was thinking this, a knock suddenly sounded at the door, and the nanny Xiaohui's voice came from outside:
“Miss Yongxin, Young Master Jiang has arrived. Madam asked me to come and fetch you.”
Brother Jiang is here?!
Cheng Yongxin reflexively jumped up, ready to rush out the door, but then hesitated.
What brings Brother Jiang here? Is it really a good idea for her to see him again?
Each time they meet again, her heart, which had been settling on giving up, might be rekindled, and she would inevitably fall deeper and deeper into the abyss, knowing full well there was no hope yet unable to escape, becoming increasingly unable to extricate herself—
But deep down, she knew she longed to see him! She longed to see Brother Jiang, even if... even if she could only manage a smile and a greeting, she still longed to see him!
After hesitating for a long time, Cheng Yongxin finally decided to follow her heart. She walked down the stairs with hesitant steps, and when she saw the people in the living room, her face immediately fell.
"It's you!"
Not seeing the handsome face she had hoped for, Cheng Yongxin couldn't hide her disappointment.
What is meant to come doesn't come, and what is not meant to come does. Fate is truly playing tricks on us!
"Sorry, it's me, not my brother." Jiang Haozhe curled his lips in a mocking smile and gave her a disdainful glance. "But you, why are you so slow? Even a tortoise can crawl faster than you!"
Is this guy here specifically to cause trouble?!
Cheng Yong gritted his teeth in anger. All his hesitation and worry vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of rage in his chest.
"Sorry, I'm just that slow! If you don't want to wait, don't come to my house. I'm not begging you!" After immediately retorting, Miss Cheng pointed at Jiang Haozhe without giving him any face and ordered the nanny, Xiao Hui, "If this person comes to my house again, just close the door. This person is not welcome in my house, understand?"
"Yongxin," Guan Xinyi, sitting on the sofa, spoke up, "Xiao Zhe came specifically to give you something, how can you talk to him like that?"
"Oh yeah, otherwise even if you begged me, I wouldn't bother coming." With a slight smirk, Jiang Haozhe tossed her a large envelope, catching her off guard.
"What is this?" Cheng Yongxin stared at him suspiciously. "A love letter?"
Jiang Haozhe gave her a look that clearly said, "Stop being an idiot," and coldly sneered, "Are you so desperate to get married that you're going crazy? Do you think everyone is as free as you, with plenty of time to daydream?"
Cheng Yongxin pouted unhappily. She had originally intended to tease him, but he had turned the tables on her instead. Unable to win the argument, she tried to distract herself by opening the envelope to look at the contents.
"Huh? What's this...?"
“It’s a proposal from our South Exhibition Center,” Jiang Haozhe explained lazily, his eyes filled with mockery. “Cheng Yongxin, don’t tell me your brain has degenerated to the point that you can’t even recognize Chinese characters.”
"This guy!" Cheng Yongxin glared at him fiercely, but couldn't lash out because her mother was there. She could only give the gloating guy a warning look: You better tone it down! Or I'll teach you a lesson later!
So what? I'm just being stubborn, what are you going to do about it? Jiang Haozhe refused to yield to her small threat and glared back at her without hesitation. Their eyes met, and it was as if you could hear the crackling of electricity in the air.
Cheng Yongxin stared at Jiang Haozhe for a long time without blinking, until finally she couldn't hold back any longer. She lowered her eyes and pretended to look through the proposal in her hand, while muttering to herself: This guy's skills are getting better and better. It's all my fault for always trying to outdo him in eye-catching. Now he's surpassed me, and what about me? Frustrating!
After smugly and self-pityingly browsing through the proposal, Cheng Yongxin looked up blankly: