Chapter 34
Editor: Princess
Qin Huanxi carried his textbook as he quickly walked out of the academic building.
Just as he descended the stairs, he saw Su Yang leaning against a white corridor pillar, slightly raising her head to gaze at the sky while passing male students fixed their gazes on her subconsciously.
There was no denying that Su Yang possessed a particularly eye-catching and unique temperament when she was quiet and serene.
“Huanxi.” Su Yang turned her face and immediately saw Qin Huanxi, then ran up to him happily. “Let’s go.”
Qin Huanxi nodded. “Where’s Shanshan? Why did you suddenly ask me to accompany you to buy materials?”
Su Yang pouted. “The painting that Shanshan submitted for the competition needs some modifications in certain areas. Right after class ended, the teacher called her to the office. Since no one was available to accompany me to buy materials, who else would I look for if not you?”
Qin Huanxi looked at her with a teasing smile. “What about Guan Yi?”
Su Yang immediately turned her head away in a proud manner, with clear impatience written across her face. “Ask that wooden block to accompany me to buy materials? Does he even know what to purchase? When I ask him a question, he takes forever to respond and only knows how to nod and agree with me like ‘mm-hmm, ah-ah.’ If I really had to choose him, I might as well ask Xiao Yuan to accompany me instead. Xiao Yuan is so adorable and might even give me suggestions like ‘Sister Su Yang, buy this one, this one, buy this one.’”
“The problem is that you’re asking me to accompany you to buy law department materials, yet I’m not from the law department either, so I can’t offer you any advice.” Qin Huanxi couldn’t help but laugh. “Shanshan was right. You’re just stubborn with a soft heart. So tell me, where did Guan Yi go?”
Su Yang pursed her lips, and a trace of loneliness appeared in her eyes. “He went on a mission. That old man is really something. He knows Guan Yi was injured before, yet he still makes him go on frequent missions recently. Previously, it was clearly agreed that the wooden block would be my exclusive bodyguard from now on and wouldn’t need to go on missions anymore. That dead wooden block is also something else. He doesn’t know how to consider himself at all. Would it kill him to tell the truth?”
Qin Huanxi remained silent, suddenly feeling somewhat worried about Su Yang. “Has Guan Yi been going on missions frequently recently?”
Anger rose on Su Yang’s beautiful face, though it was accompanied more by helplessness. “I’m not entirely clear about it either. The old man never lets me interfere with these matters. ‘Going on missions’ just sounds nice. Who knows if he’s being sent to do dangerous and unspeakable things again. When he left previously, I pressed him for answers. He said that the person who was originally responsible for this mission was severely injured, so he’s temporarily replacing him. Once that person recovers, he’ll return to continue being my exclusive bodyguard.”
As Su Yang spoke, her gaze became distant, and she said softly, “Huanxi, actually, many times I really wish he were just my bodyguard. Even if we couldn’t end up together in the end, at least he could stay peacefully by my side, protecting and watching over me, without needing to constantly face life-threatening dangers. You were right. I’m just stubborn and enjoy being verbally sharp, but I also don’t want to restrict his freedom by keeping him trapped by my side, unable to go anywhere. His heart isn’t here… at least not focused on me completely. If he’s unhappy, I’ll be even more unhappy.”
Qin Huanxi stared at her intently. “But if you let him leave, you’ll still be unhappy.”
Su Yang smiled bitterly. Actually, she didn’t understand why she loved this man so much either. Years ago, when Guan Yi nearly lost his life to save her, to put it bluntly, protecting her was Guan Yi’s responsibility as a bodyguard. Yet in that instant, her heart completely fell. From that moment forward, she was no longer the unrestrained Miss Su in front of this man.
Su Yang had asked herself countless times what exactly she loved about him. In terms of status and position, she was a young lady while he was merely an orphan picked up by her father. This person was also quite unsightly, with such a large scar on his face that it could frighten a group of kindergarten children to tears. Even an adult would be startled upon seeing his face.
So what exactly did she love about him? She couldn’t figure it out, yet she had fallen in love, loved this man named Guan Yi, loved his taciturn nature, loved his life-risking protection, loved his wooden stubbornness. Even that ugly scar on his face, she loved it too!
Qin Huanxi reached out and patted her shoulder, saying softly, “Don’t overthink it. Someday, Guan Yi will understand.”
Su Yang looked up at Qin Huanxi, hope shining in her eyes. In the end, she nodded, and the corners of her lips curved into a faint arc.
The two walked silently toward the school gate, when Su Yang suddenly asked, “Oh right, where did you go during lunch?”
Qin Huanxi froze, as if remembering something.
On the way to the tea house with Mo Shaoheng, he seemed to have received a message from Su Yang. At that time, he was chatting casually with Mo Shaoheng, so he randomly replied with “going out for something”, and afterward, he didn’t keep this matter in mind or check Su Yang’s reply.
“Uncle Mo came to find me, and we went to the tea house. When you messaged me, we happened to be on the road.” He didn’t hide anything.
Su Yang narrowed her eyes and looked at him with a face full of suspicion. “You and Uncle Mo… something’s not quite right.”
Qin Huanxi choked slightly and glared at her. “What’s not right? Don’t talk nonsense.”
Su Yang suddenly laughed and moved closer to him. “Why are you getting anxious? I haven’t said anything yet. I just feel that Uncle Mo seems to treat you particularly well, better than he treats Shanshan and me. He’s more attentive to you. I often hang around Uncle Mo’s house, but I’ve never seen Uncle Mo take Shanshan and me to the tea house for tea.”
Miss Su actually knew that she often hung around other people’s houses!
Qin Huanxi couldn’t help but laugh. Hearing Su Yang say that Mo Shaoheng cared about him, his heart still couldn’t help but flutter slightly with some stirring. However, on the surface, he still had to struggle a bit. “Didn’t we receive Fu Zecheng’s invitation? At lunch, I told Uncle Mo about it, and Uncle Mo came to find me specifically to discuss this matter.”
Su Yang didn’t continue joking. She also understood what was important and what wasn’t.
Her delicate brows furrowed. “What did Uncle Mo say?”
“He’ll accompany us to the banquet.” Qin Huanxi didn’t tell Su Yang about his suspicions. Since he already suspected that Fu Zecheng’s target was him, Su Yang and Mo Shanshan wouldn’t be in danger for now. Moreover, since Fu Zecheng was hosting the banquet with such fanfare, he naturally wouldn’t make any obvious moves at the banquet.
“With Uncle Mo there, we don’t need to worry. No matter how bold Fu Zecheng is, he wouldn’t dare make any underhanded moves in front of Uncle Mo.” Su Yang breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed Qin Huanxi’s arm. “When the time comes, we’ll keep an eye on each other and pay attention to the people around us. If everyone stays careful and cautious, nothing will happen.”
Qin Huanxi nodded. He was about to say something when he looked up and saw a familiar figure come into view.
“Shanshan?” Su Yang obviously saw the person too. “Wasn’t she supposed to go to the office?”
Qin Huanxi was also puzzled. At this moment, Mo Shanshan was standing in the bustling square at the school gate.
And in front of her stood a man with refined features, dressed in formal attire, his eyes smiling and his demeanor gentle and elegant. Seeing Mo Shanshan, he seemed particularly excited and happy, even showing some shyness on his face, appearing rather honest.
Qin Huanxi touched his chin. Looking at this man’s behavior, he seemed to have feelings for Mo Shanshan.
Looking back at Mo Shanshan, who was naturally gentle, when facing the man before her, her eyes held an additional trace of the shyness and excitement that girls had when facing someone they liked. What’s more her face also took on a thin layer of rosiness.
“Who is he?” Qin Huanxi searched through the memories left by the original owner but found no recollection of this man.
“Li Junyan!” Su Yang smiled quite ambiguously. “He’s a department manager at Uncle Mo’s company.”
Qin Huanxi observed the man who was chatting enthusiastically with Mo Shanshan from a distance. “He likes Shanshan? And Shanshan likes him too?”
Su Yang suddenly looked at him with a strange expression, her beautiful eyes narrowing.
“Did I say something wrong?” Qin Huanxi asked with an unconcerned smile.
Su Yang shook her head. “No, I’m just curious. You used to only know about the violin from morning till night. Even when girls expressed their feelings to you, you would look completely bewildered. I heard from Shanshan that you just glanced at Guan Yi and me once and immediately knew I liked Guan Yi. When did you become so perceptive?”
Qin Huanxi held his forehead. Was the original owner really that obtuse?
Su Yang pulled him toward a direction where Mo Shanshan and Li Junyan couldn’t see them, obviously not wanting to disturb them.
Only after they had walked out of the square did she speak to him. “Li Junyan also graduated from T University back then. His parents died very early, and his grades were excellent. After graduation, he joined Uncle Mo’s company to work. His work ability is also very strong, and he’s ambitious. Uncle Mo values him highly, and within two years, he became a department manager.”
Qin Huanxi carefully observed Su Yang’s expression. Seeing that Su Yang maintained a smile when discussing Li Junyan, it appeared that both Su Yang and Mo Shanshan had very good impressions of this Li Junyan. It wasn’t that he was overly suspicious, but he was accustomed to maintaining some scrutiny when facing a stranger—it was also being responsible to himself.
“So he’s your senior?” Qin Huanxi asked.
Su Yang nodded. “Yes, but we didn’t meet him at T University. When we entered T University, Li Junyan had already graduated long ago. Shanshan met him at Uncle Mo’s company. Later, when the Mo family held banquets, Uncle Mo would invite him to participate. After chatting several times, Shanshan developed a particularly good impression of him and harbored some feelings.
Looking at Li Junyan, he should also have some feelings for Shanshan, but due to differences in status and position, he hasn’t dared to make any advances so far.”
Qin Huanxi looked at Su Yang and suddenly felt distressed. Could it be that there was going to be another couple with vastly different social standings around him?
No matter how unfavored Mo Shanshan was, on the surface, she was still the precious daughter of the Mo family, not someone a mere department manager could aspire to.
Moreover, with that snobbish old matriarch of the Mo family, she definitely wouldn’t easily give up Mo Shanshan’s last bit of utility value. Unless Mo Shanshan herself took the initiative to speak up and asked Mo Shaoheng to make decisions for her, otherwise, she would never be able to be with Li Junyan in this lifetime.
Qin Huanxi asked, “What does Shanshan think about it herself?”
Su Yang shrugged. “Before Li Junyan makes any indication, do you think that with Shanshan’s personality, she would take the initiative to speak up? It’s impossible. She’s too embarrassed to even mention Li Junyan’s matters in front of me—I had to guess it all. I think Shanshan herself doesn’t hold much hope either. No matter how much Uncle Mo values Li Junyan, that’s all business-related. If it involves personal matters, he definitely wouldn’t agree to them being together. Except for Uncle Mo and Shanshan, everyone in the Mo family is extremely selfish and self-serving.”
“Actually, I feel that Li Junyan really likes Shanshan. A man with his type of personality is very suitable for marrying a gentle and virtuous woman like Shanshan as his wife. Shanshan is also suitable for marrying this kind of man who is considerate toward her in life and can make decisions for her in daily matters.” Su Yang sighed to herself.
Qin Huanxi raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Su Yang glanced at him sideways. “To see whether a man is considerate enough, you have to look at the details. Sometimes when he eats with us, he always considers Shanshan first and immediately remembers what Shanshan likes to eat and what she doesn’t like.
When walking and encountering uneven surfaces or height differences, he also immediately reminds Shanshan to watch her step. In short, he’s a very careful and thoughtful man. I do hope he and Shanshan can have good development.”
Qin Huanxi nodded. “So it still depends on Shanshan herself. If Li Junyan speaks up and she’s really determined to be with him, I think Uncle Mo will make the decision for her.”
Hearing this, Su Yang seemed to suddenly see the light and smiled. “Right, there’s still Uncle Mo. As long as Uncle Mo is there, those people in the Mo family wouldn’t dare force Shanshan.”
Qin Huanxi smiled and shook his head. These two girls usually regarded Mo Shaoheng as their everything, yet at crucial moments, they became confused with worry and forgot about the person who would make decisions for them.
He wondered if Mo Shaoheng knew about this matter and whether he needed to inform Mo Shaoheng.
He hesitated slightly. Since Mo Shanshan was too embarrassed to mention this matter even in front of Su Yang, she probably didn’t want other people to know her thoughts for now.
So it would be better to wait for Mo Shanshan to speak up herself. After all, this was Mo Shanshan’s personal emotional privacy. If they didn’t end up together in the end, it wouldn’t become too awkward.
Translator’s Note:
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