Late at night

When these words left Jiang Chen’s lips, his tone carried a hint of teasing, and the enclosed atmosphere inside the car transformed their meaning entirely. It was as if he were both inviting and resisting her at once...

Ye Mian thought to herself: Why didn’t I just let myself get run over earlier? I’d rather my body be broken to pieces than lose my dignity in this world.

A few seconds of silence passed.

Ye Mian slowly straightened up, took a deep breath, and forced a smile. “That’s not what I meant, you know. The car was just shaking too much.”

Jiang Chen, whether he truly believed her or not, rested his hand on the side of the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, a faint, unreadable smile lingering on his lips.

“Sure, if you say so.”

What did he mean, “if you say so”? Ye Mian turned her face away. She realized that Jiang Chen had really changed. In the past, his flirtations were subtle, now his words were brazen and seductive.

She was afraid that if she spoke any further, she’d fall for him completely.

She even began silently calculating in her heart: given Jiang Chen’s status, when would she ever be rich enough to keep him as hers?

After much thought, she concluded there was no point dreaming such dreams so late at night.

When they returned to Birch Garden, Jiang Chen parked the car.

It was nine o’clock in the evening. The streets outside Birch Garden were deserted. Lights glowed warmly in every home, and the streetlights stood lonely and tall, casting pools of light on the road.

Ye Mian knew she ought to leave. So much had happened today—she needed time to process it all. She picked up her bag and said, “I’ll head in now. Drive safely and take your time.”

She didn’t hear a response from the man.

So she reached for the handle, intending to open the door.

But she found it locked.

Puzzled, she turned to Jiang Chen, not understanding his intentions.

Separated by just the center console, Jiang Chen had already turned toward her. His intense gaze was laced with a half-smile, his voice gentle as a breeze. “You haven’t told me yet—what was it you wanted to ask for just now?”

Though it was a summer night, the car wasn’t hot; the air conditioner was humming with cold air.

Yet Ye Mian still felt that this summer was unbearably warm.

So warm it made her heartbeat race out of control.

So warm it made her feel flustered and confused.

She gripped her bag tighter, finding herself unable to voice what she’d planned to say. Thoughts flashed across her mind, only to be extinguished one by one.

She smiled. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll tell you later.”

Jiang Chen’s eyes lingered on her. In the darkness, they lost their usual pressure and were instead gentle and refined. “Is that true? Haven’t decided, or don’t want to say?”

His calm tone felt like an invisible hand, exploring every inch of Ye Mian’s skin.

This time, he didn’t let her off easily. He wanted to know—seriously—what she wanted.

Ye Mian shook her head. This wasn’t the moment for such strange confessions.

The moon slipped shyly behind the clouds, illuminating them with a silver glow. The cold air carried Jiang Chen’s aloofness as it tried to stir her hair.

He leaned forward, propping his hand on the console, his elegant brows lifting slightly. Slowly, deliberately, he asked, “Ye Mian, tell me. What do you want?”

The sudden closeness made her heart tremble even more. She pressed her fingers against her phone.

What did she want?

When her worst instincts surfaced, all she wanted was Jiang Chen himself.

But when reason returned, she wanted only for him to be safe.

After a long pause, she forced herself to speak through her trembling. “It’s nothing much... just a promise. You won’t do anything illegal when you’re abroad, will you? I hope you won’t.”

She paused, then added as if offhandedly, “Of course, not here either. Don’t get involved in anything dangerous—no killing, no crime.”

Her answer was unexpected, but made sense.

Jiang Chen figured she must have been frightened by what happened today, imagining he was involved in something unlawful.

He watched her, amused, searching for the right words.

But then she continued, “No person or thing is worth risking your future for. Your life... is truly precious.”

That was what Ye Mian had wanted to say all along.

But under the charged, heart-racing atmosphere just moments ago, it hadn’t seemed right.

She was afraid she’d lose control, just as she had that afternoon—afraid of the uncertain future looming ahead.

Her panic and fear did not escape Jiang Chen’s notice.

In fact, Jiang Chen remembered even more.

When she’d kicked those thugs, her precise fighting skills replayed before his eyes like a scene from a movie.

He looked up sharply, his gaze traveling over her face.

Their eyes met in the dim light.

Because of her words, the girl seemed defeated, her eyes reddened and glistening, cheeks flushed. The strong breeze from the air conditioner fluttered the ends of her hair.

Unable to withstand Jiang Chen’s stare, she caught her breath and looked away first.

After a long moment, Jiang Chen lowered his head and smiled gently. “Alright.”

He was always sensitive to people’s emotions.

He couldn’t bear to see her upset.

As if to lighten the mood, he rested his hand against his chin and, with a devilish air, said, “I thought you were so eager to pay the bill because you had some other request.”

Ye Mian’s eyes flickered. She replied with a straight face, “Well, it’s not that I don’t. Do you want to hear it?”

Jiang Chen laughed softly, his hand moving in the shadows as he casually pressed the unlock button.

With a click, the lock on the passenger side released.

Ye Mian understood and hurried to get out, bag in hand. “I’ll head in, then. Goodbye. Let me know when you get there.”

She opened the door, and the mild night breeze lifted the hem of her dress, heat swirling around her ankles.

As she closed the door, she heard a faint call through the rolled-down window.

“Ye Mian.”

“One more year.”

“I’ll come back.”

Before she could turn around, the car slowly reversed. Through the windshield, she saw Jiang Chen’s gaze fixed on her, the lamplight flickering in his eyes, soft and restrained, melting into the twilight—gentle and enduring.

—

Late at night.

The clock on the wall pointed to two.

Ye Mian’s bedroom was already dark.

The warmth of her bed, the softness of her pillow still scented with the perfume she’d sprayed before sleep—everything was just right.

It was the bottle Jiang Chen had given her, and the first time she’d used it in so long.

The girl lay in bed, the scent at her nose, but her breathing was far from calm.

In the darkness, she opened her eyes.

Her body lay languid, but her heartbeat was strong and forceful.

She desperately wanted to fall asleep.

But her mind was impossibly restless.

She couldn’t sleep. Not at all.

The fragrance on her pillow only made her more anxious.

And the words Jiang Chen had spoken before she got out of the car continued to echo in her mind, making her ponder, making her guess.

Somewhere inside, her heart tightened and released in turn, almost making it hard to breathe.

One year.

When they would graduate.

But why had he told her that, so deliberately?

Was it—

Was it a request for her to wait for him?

(End of chapter)