Chapter 278

Chapter 278 Extra Story 2: A Beautiful Scene Frozen in Time Qin Yan was already eighteen by then, a senior in high school, buried under the weight of his studies. He had long stopped wasting his time and energy on bullying his little sister. It had been a very, very long time since he last played tricks on Chen Yuanyuan. The high school division and middle school division were close to each other. That day after school, he went with a few classmates to a bookstore outside the campus to buy supplementary study materials. As soon as he walked out, he heard a girl's crying coming from an alley nearby. When he went over, he discovered that the girl being bullied was none other than his pushover of a little sister. In that instant, a nameless fury shot straight to the top of his head. Qin Yan was absolutely livid. How dare someone bully his sister, Qin Yan's sister! They were all middle schoolers, minors—calling the police would only result in a lecture from the officers, with no real punishment. But after Qin Yan called the police, the matter escalated to the school and to Qin Li. The school promised to thoroughly investigate the bullying of Chen Yuanyuan and give Qin Li a proper explanation. That evening, when Qin Yan got home, he said to Chen Yuanyuan with a look of disappointment, "Why didn't you fight back when they hit you?" Chen Yuanyuan kept her head lowered, looking like an easy target, and replied in a very small voice, "I did fight back at first, but I was outnumbered and couldn't beat them. Fighting back only made them worse." Qin Yan's anger flared even more, and his voice rose a few notches. "Then why didn't you tell your teacher or your parents?" Another sentence—"Why didn't you tell me?"—got stuck in Qin Yan's throat. Because he suddenly realized with a jolt that the very first person to bully Chen Yuanyuan had been him—Qin Yan. Sure enough, Chen Yuanyuan was silent for a moment, and the words she spoke made his chest ache with a dull pain. "Telling wouldn't have helped anyway." Chen Yuanyuan kept her eyes lowered. "Back when you used to bully me, I told Mom too, but she never once stood by my side to protect me." In that moment, guilt came crashing down like a tidal wave, and Qin Yan felt as if an invisible hand were gripping his throat, making it hard even to breathe. After a long while, the young man said, with red-rimmed eyes, "I'm sorry." That was the first time he truly recognized his mistakes from the bottom of his heart, and the first time he sincerely apologized to Chen Yuanyuan. Qin Li pursued the bullying incident to the very end. With the Qin family applying pressure, the school's investigation quickly reached a conclusion, and the girls who had bullied Chen Yuanyuan were expelled. On Qin Yan's suggestion, Qin Li signed Chen Yuanyuan up for a taekwondo class. On the day Chen Yuanyuan went to her first taekwondo lesson, Qin Yan patted her on the shoulder. "From now on, if anyone bullies you again, hit them back. My sister, Qin Yan's sister, is no pushover for anyone to mess with!" Chen Yuanyuan's eyes flickered, and she lowered her head without saying a word. ... On the night before Qin Yan's university term began, he sought out Chen Yuanyuan. "You've been learning taekwondo for over three months now. Let me see how much you've improved. Show me your real skills and spar with me—let me see if you've made any progress these past three months." That night, Chen Yuanyuan and Qin Yan had a satisfying, all-out sparring match. Both of them ended up panting and drenched in sweat. Afterward, Qin Yan and Chen Yuanyuan sat on the ground, back to back. "Not bad. Now that's my sister." Qin Yan's tone carried a hint of pride. "Don't always hang your head and stay silent from now on. That kind of personality makes you an easy target, you know? Be more lively and outgoing." "Bullying you in the past was my fault. I've been a terrible older brother. I apologize to you. From this day on, I will never bully you again." Chen Yuanyuan took his words to heart. From then on, her personality really did change a lot. Her relationship with Qin Yan also underwent a dramatic transformation. At some point, she became the one doing the bullying. Whenever she and Qin Yan disagreed, she would pinch and hit him without hesitation, and Qin Yan would always laugh and call her "little ancestor" and "little grandmother," never once fighting back. Later, Chen Yuanyuan was admitted to Jiangcheng University. During her freshman year, Chen Yuanyuan happened to meet Lu Shuci at a restaurant outside the school. Lu Shuci's appearance was too striking, and Chen Yuanyuan fell for him almost at first sight. After asking around and learning that Lu Shuci attended the neighboring university of political science and law, she rushed over the very next day to confess her feelings to him. Unfortunately, Lu Shuci turned her down. Chen Yuanyuan wasn't too heartbroken about it—she only felt a brief pang of sadness before quickly moving on. She was pretty and came from a wealthy family, so she had no shortage of suitors. One of them was a senior student a year above her. That senior was also a rich second-generation heir with a very comfortable family background, and he knew how to pursue a girl. Every time he met Chen Yuanyuan, he would bring her a bouquet of flowers and a gift. He'd given her designer bags and necklaces worth tens of thousands, and also handmade crocheted flowers and folded paper roses that cost only a few dozen yuan in materials. Whenever Chen Yuanyuan had her period, the senior would bring her brown sugar water and ginger milk pudding. Not only that, he would accompany Chen Yuanyuan to class without fail, rain or shine. He provided both economic value and emotional value in full measure—a model boyfriend by any standard. Chen Yuanyuan fell in love quickly. When they first got together, Chen Yuanyuan and the senior were glued to each other all day, feeding Zhou Xueluo and Ruan Chutang dog food every single day. Qin Yan found out that Chen Yuanyuan was dating on a weekend night. Jiang University wasn't far from the Qin family home, and Chen Yuanyuan sometimes went back on weekends. Qin Yan went home too, just to see Chen Yuanyuan. That night, Chen Yuanyuan went to take a shower, leaving her phone on the desk in the bedroom. Qin Yan bought her favorite snacks from outside the high school and brought them back. He walked in and heard the sound of water from the bathroom, knowing Chen Yuanyuan was showering. Qin Yan was about to put down the snacks and leave when her phone rang at that exact moment. Qin Yan instinctively glanced at it. The moment he looked, Qin Yan froze in place, his heartbeat stopping. A message came in from someone saved as "Baby" on WeChat. 【Babe, I'm done showering. Kiss kiss, miss you so much.】 Qin Yan stared at the message, his hands clenching into fists so hard his knuckles turned white. He stood there in silence. He didn't know how long he stood there. Chen Yuanyuan came out of the shower and was startled. "Qin Yan, what are you doing here?" Chen Yuanyuan came out wrapped in a towel with a shower cap on. "You're dating someone?" Qin Yan stood with his back to Chen Yuanyuan, his voice unreadable. "How do you know?" Chen Yuanyuan hurried over and grabbed her phone, looking at Qin Yan with a guarded expression. "Did you look at my phone?" Qin Yan curled the corner of his mouth and let out a cold laugh. "Just brought you some food. Saw the message from your 'Baby.'" The word "Baby" came out through gritted teeth. The way he ground his teeth made it seem like that person was his mortal enemy. Chen Yuanyuan's gaze swept over to the snacks on the table, and her eyes lit up. "Wow, you bought my favorite mung bean cakes! Fine, I'll forgive you for looking at my phone, Grandma forgives you." Qin Yan's face darkened. "You just started college and you're already dating?" Chen Yuanyuan snorted. "So what if I'm dating? In two months I'll be nineteen. I'm already an adult. What business is it of yours who I date?" "Ha." Qin Yan stepped forward, closing the distance, and stared into Chen Yuanyuan's eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Are you that desperate for a man? Hm?" Chen Yuanyuan's face fell. "Qin Yan, what kind of talk is that? What does my dating have to do with you?" "Fine." Qin Yan let out a cold laugh. "None of my business." Qin Yan left with a dark face. From that day on, Qin Yan never returned to the Qin family home again. Chen Yuanyuan didn't see Qin Yan for over a month. She sent him messages, but he never replied. Just like that, they inexplicably fell into a cold war. Chen Yuanyuan's relationship lasted less than two months before her boyfriend's long-distance girlfriend showed up at the door. That was when Chen Yuanyuan realized she had been the other woman. She teamed up with that girl to tear the scumbag apart. When Qin Yan found out, he rushed to the school and beat the scumbag up. In the end, he even used the Qin family's influence to force the scumbag to drop out. Chen Yuanyuan's first love ended in failure. After that, she developed a shadow around dating and didn't get into another relationship until after graduation. Later, when Chu Tang broke up with Jiang Shixu, Chen Yuanyuan took Chu Tang to hire male escorts and got caught red-handed by Qin Yan. Chen Yuanyuan was drunk, leaning against one of the male escorts, and Qin Yan was burning with rage. He charged over, yanked her into his arms, and threw a punch at the male escort. Chen Yuanyuan was startled, and half of her drunkenness instantly evaporated. She followed Qin Yan back to his private villa. "Qin Yan, what right did you have to hit someone just now? Do you know—" Before Chen Yuanyuan could finish her sentence, Qin Yan pressed her against the door. The man kissed her, swallowing the rest of her words. Chen Yuanyuan was completely dumbfounded. Qin Yan had actually kissed her! He kissed her! Chen Yuanyuan struggled, pushing hard against Qin Yan, but couldn't budge him. Qin Yan kissed her urgently and fiercely, his tongue prying open her teeth and plunging deep inside. Chen Yuanyuan could barely breathe. When the intense, wet kiss finally ended, Chen Yuanyuan's breathing was ragged. Qin Yan leaned close to her ear and asked through gritted teeth, "Are you that desperate for a man?" "Qin Yan, you're insane!" "Yes, I'm insane! I've been insane for a long time!" Qin Yan's voice was hoarse. "I've been insane ever since the moment I realized I liked you!" Chen Yuanyuan froze. What? Qin Yan liked her? Liked her in that way? She stared at Qin Yan with wide eyes, too shocked to speak. Qin Yan's eyes were dark and unreadable, his voice low and husky. "Chen Yuanyuan, I've held back for far too long. Tonight, you forced my hand." Before Chen Yuanyuan could figure out what he meant, Qin Yan scooped her up by the legs, lifted her off the ground facing him, and pressed her against the door. The man was anything but gentle—rough, even. It was Chen Yuanyuan's first time, and the tearing pain brought tears streaming down her face. When Qin Yan saw her crying, he softened his movements, tenderly kissing away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and whispered against her ear in a hoarse, seductive voice, confessing over and over: "Yuanyuan, I love you... Yuanyuan, I love you so much... Be with me, okay... I've held back for too long... Be with me..." Chen Yuanyuan went from struggling and resisting at first, to half-hearted compliance, and then to complete surrender—all within just over ten minutes. She thought, she was probably done for. Qin Yan had forced her, and yet she wasn't angry at all. In fact, she even liked the feeling, and wanted more... A night of indulgence. The next morning. Chen Yuanyuan woke up naked in Qin Yan's arms. She clutched the blanket tightly and stammered nervously, "Qin, Qin Yan... don't do anything crazy. Last night... last night we both drank too much. We're all adults, so I can pretend nothing happened. From now on... from now on, let's just stay siblings like before." Qin Yan raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't drunk last night. I was completely sober." "Baby, I'm fully aware of what I was doing. Actually, I've long realized my feelings for you—I've just been holding back and suppressing them. Last night, when you ordered those male models and leaned into that man's arms, I simply couldn't take it anymore." Chen Yuanyuan's face was full of disbelief. "You, you, you... you've liked me for that long?" "Mm." "Since when?" "I'm not sure of the exact day. I suppose it grew on me over time." Chen Yuanyuan bit her lip and lowered her gaze. "But I... I... I'm not ready yet." Qin Yan gently stroked her face and asked softly, "Baby, do you like me? Like, in a romantic way?" "No!" Chen Yuanyuan denied it with a red face. Qin Yan let out a low chuckle and leaned in to kiss her again. "That's fine—we can grow to love each other over time." ... And so, Chen Yuanyuan and Qin Yan inexplicably began a secret relationship. It lasted over half a year. Later, Qin Yan's admirer Zhang Yuewei discovered something was off. Zhang Yuewei hired people to follow Qin Yan and Chen Yuanyuan, secretly taking photos of their dates. She printed those photos and mailed them to Chen Yuanyuan's mother, Wu Shuhua. When Wu Shuhua saw the photos, she went livid and immediately confronted Chen Yuanyuan, even slapping her across the face. Qin Yan shielded Chen Yuanyuan under all that pressure. He agreed to Qin Li's conditions. Qin Yan had started his own business while still in university. He had co-founded a company with Zhou Zheng'an and Jiang Shixu. Later, he used his accumulated capital to establish two more companies. The revenues from all the companies were considerable, but the dividends that hit his account still weren't enough to cover half of Qin Li and Wu Shuhua's divorce settlement. After all, the Qin family was wealthy—Qin Li had assets worth over ten billion, and the amount given to Wu Shuhua was no small sum. Qin Yan could only work even harder, often not coming home until the early hours after business dinners. Chen Yuanyuan saw this and felt deeply for him. She voluntarily offered her own assets and company dividends to help Qin Yan. Chen Yuanyuan had her own career too—she had co-founded a company with Zhou Xueluo, earning nine-figure dividends annually. Qin Yan and Chen Yuanyuan worked hard together and, after two years, finally made up for the half of Qin Li's assets that had been taken in the divorce. Finally, they could be together openly. By the time Qin Yan and Chen Yuanyuan got married, Chu Tang and Jiang Shixu's child was already one year old. It was a girl named Jiang Nian—fair-skinned with big eyes, soft and adorable like a little dough ball. Zhou Xueluo had also finally let go of her feelings for Jiang Huai and accepted Zhang Tingyi. The two were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. At Chen Yuanyuan and Qin Yan's wedding, Zhou Xueluo was the maid of honor and Zhang Tingyi was the best man. It was a sunny spring day when Qin Yan and Chen Yuanyuan held their wedding by the seaside. Under the witness of family and friends, Qin Yan slipped the ring onto Chen Yuanyuan's finger and kissed his bride through the veil. Chu Tang sat below, her eyes reddening with emotion. Jiang Shixu sat beside Chu Tang, holding the one-year-old Jiang Nian, his expression gentle as he played with the child. Little Jiang Nian babbled "Daddy" in her soft, milky voice. Zhou Xueluo held Zhang Tingyi's hand, smiling with her eyes curved like crescents. Zhou Zheng'an wrapped his arm around Shao Yufei, who was just beginning to show, watching Qin Yan and Chen Yuanyuan on stage with a smile. The sea breeze brushed past gently, and the beautiful scene was frozen in time. Everyone had arrived at their own ending.