Chapter 10: Couldn't Even Say 'I Do' Personally!

"My parents passed away a long time ago. I'm an orphan."

As soon as these words were spoken, the internet cafe instantly fell silent. One could even hear sharp intakes of breath.

Weng Jilin's temper flared immediately. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw hands, but the landlord's daughter stopped him. The tall kid had already taken a couple of hits; a little retaliation to teach him a lesson was enough. If the beating continued, it would turn into a full-blown brawl, and she absolutely wouldn't allow that kind of thing in her establishment.

"You lot, get the hell out of here before you make me sick. You're young, but your mouths are so vile. How did your parents raise you? You're worse off than someone who doesn't even have any..." the landlord's daughter cursed, lifting her foot to kick Tian Kun and the other two guys in the legs.

Having lost face in front of everyone and being driven away so humiliatingly, Tian Kun felt his cheeks burning so hot they might melt. Unwilling to back down, he shouted at the landlord's daughter, "Do you know who my dad is? I'll have him shut this place down tomorrow!"

"Get the hell out right now!"

With a few sharp words and a couple of kicks, Tian Kun and his two lackeys were booted downstairs. However, the venomous glare Tian Kun shot back on his way down made Chen Ye involuntarily furrow his brows.

"If you're not convinced, come find me in Ludong. Over a hundred members of the Chen family in Chenwang Village will be waiting for you," Chen Ye called out.

He wasn't worried about Tian Kun running home to his dad. After all, Tian Kun was in the wrong first. Based on what Chen Ye knew about Tian Kun's father from his past life, the boy would most likely catch a beating at home before anything else. He was only afraid that this idiot might try to pull some shady tricks on his own.

Ultimately, Tian Kun chose to swallow his anger for the time being and turned to leave the internet cafe. The landlord's daughter casually tossed out a few concluding remarks before heading downstairs as well.

Weng Jilin immediately reminded him, "Weren't you about to head back? Go ahead. I'll definitely call you tomorrow when I go meet that person."

"Alright, I'll take off first," Chen Ye agreed with a smile and a nod.

He wasn't actually heading home, but rather going to find Jiang Xin. He casually hailed a cab and gave the driver Jiang Xin's address. The driver smoothly shifted gears and sped toward the destination.

About ten minutes later, the car pulled up. Chen Ye paid the fare and swaggered over to the residential compound's entrance. Because it was a high-end community, even the security guards were strapping young men. Furthermore, he didn't have an access card, so he couldn't swipe himself in.

"Bro, could you open the gate for me? I stayed out a bit late celebrating the end of the college entrance exams today and forgot to bring my card," Chen Ye called out, leaning directly against the window of the security booth.

"Which building and apartment number?" the young security guard asked casually.

"Building 1, Apartment 601," Chen Ye replied with a smile.

This was the apartment number of Su Siyun's family. After marrying Su Siyun in his past life, he had heard her mention it more than once. However, this was his first time actually visiting. After all, by the time they got married back then, her father had already gone bankrupt, and the house had been mortgaged.

Seeing that he was wearing a school uniform and carrying himself in a confident, natural manner, the security guard opened the gate and let him into the compound without asking any further questions.

Chen Ye first carefully studied the community layout map facing the main gate. After confirming the location of Building 1, he followed the directional signs until he arrived downstairs. He pulled out his PHS mobile phone, punched in Jiang Xin's number, and pressed the dial button. Soon, a ringback tone played through the receiver.

After just a few seconds of ringing, the call connected.

"Is this Jiang Xin? I'm downstairs at your building," Chen Ye said straight into the phone. "Could you bring that bag of stuff down for me? If you agree, just hang up."

On the other end of the line, Jiang Xin's slender eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her fingers tightened their grip on her phone. What did he mean by "if you agree, just hang up"? A phone call would always have to be hung up eventually. Didn't that mean she was agreeing no matter what? He really was a science student; he spoke in such a direct manner. And as for that... that thing he wrote, who knew how long he had spent thinking about it!

Jiang Xin muttered to herself in her mind, but a second later, she hung up the phone anyway. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the gift bag in front of her—which looked as if it had never been touched—and resolutely pushed her bedroom door open.

"Where are you going this late?"

Liu Tinglan happened to be coming out of her bedroom as well. Seeing that her daughter had changed out of her nightgown into a long dress, tied her hair up, and was holding a bag, she immediately knew Jiang Xin was heading out.

Jiang Xin tilted her head in thought. She pointed at the bag, then pointed to the side, and finally brought her two index fingers together to form the character for "person," signaling, "This belongs to someone else."

Liu Tinglan understood her daughter's sign language. "Come right back as soon as you drop it off," she instructed.

Jiang Xin nodded vigorously. Then, carrying the bag, she put on her shoes, grabbed her keys, and left the apartment. Her steps were brisk, and she seemed to be in a good mood, Liu Tinglan thought to herself as she watched her daughter's receding back.

Riding the elevator downstairs and stepping out of the lobby, Jiang Xin immediately spotted the figure in a short-sleeved school uniform. She hesitated slightly, not daring to walk straight over. The moment she saw Chen Ye, she was reminded of the love letter inside the bag she was holding, along with the mushy, romantic words written in it.

But soon enough, Chen Ye noticed her too.

"Over here," Chen Ye called out softly, waving at her.

Jiang Xin gave a small start, snapping out of her thoughts. Blushing, she hurried over to Chen Ye and held the bag out to him once again. This time, her other hand was holding a notepad with a message she had just written while in the elevator. It read, "Thank you for your gift, but I think you need this money more than I do. Take it all back; I haven't touched it."

These simple, sincere, and silent words warmed Chen Ye's heart, bringing an involuntary smile to his face. In the next second, however, instead of taking the bag, his tone shifted as he asked with a hint of disappointment, "Am I just a classmate with good grades in your eyes?"

When Jiang Xin wrote that line, she hadn't started on a new page. Instead, she had written it right beneath her previous sentence—a sentence she had likely used to explain the gift's origin to her family. Unfortunately, Chen Ye had caught sight of it.

Hearing Chen Ye's tone, Jiang Xin hurriedly pulled the notepad back and glanced at it. Her heart instantly gave a violent lurch, skipping a beat. Given Chen Ye's family background, he was bound to be more sensitive and prone to feelings of inferiority. He also needed friends more than anyone else. A sentence like hers might have hurt him far more than just a little bit.

After all, Chen Ye had given her a gift and used a love letter to confess his feelings to her. Deep down, he definitely harbored special feelings for her. Even if they couldn't become a couple, simply being a male and female friend would be much more comforting to him than just "a classmate with good grades."

Anxious, Jiang Xin suddenly didn't know how to explain herself. Just as she was about to write down what she wanted to say, Chen Ye reached directly into the gift bag and pulled out the envelope. The moment he took it out, he glanced at it. Noticing that it hadn't been tampered with at all, he immediately felt reassured.

"I originally meant to give this to our homeroom teacher since he's taken great care of me these past few years, but I accidentally put it in here," Chen Ye said, delivering the excuse he had prepared well in advance.

Upon hearing this, the blush on Jiang Xin's face deepened. Fortunately, it was ten o'clock at night, and the streetlights downstairs were dim enough that the teenage boy standing in front of her couldn't see her burning cheeks. She pursed her lips and nodded. It was hard to tell if she was holding back a smile or trying to figure out how to comfort him.

His love letter hadn't even been read. In her heart, he was merely "a classmate with good grades." Yet, here he was, retrieving his unread love letter late at night in person, forced to put on a brave face and casually offer up a fabricated excuse. Jiang Xin suddenly felt a pang of guilt—guilt for the hurt she had caused Chen Ye.

But she truly couldn't accept his confession, nor did she have any way to. How was she supposed to express her agreement? By writing? Through sign language? She couldn't even voice the words "I do" aloud. Someone like her was simply unworthy of such an outstanding boy. If only he had given this gift to her older sister instead, the young girl thought to herself.

And right as this thought crossed Jiang Xin's mind, a BMW 730Li came to a smooth stop in the parking lane behind Chen Ye. Jiang Xin's eyes instantly widened, because that was Su Hongshan's car!

Before she could even react, the rear door opened. A slender, fair leg clad in a black high-heeled sandal stepped out, accompanied by the hem of a light red dress. Speak of the devil. It was her older sister, Su Siyun!