Lin Wan turned over again. There was always a reason for her insomnia every day, and even alcohol failed to help her sleep. She picked up her phone and saw that it was 1 AM. That person still hadn't come back. She probably wouldn't be returning tonight. Recently, there had been a few nights when he stayed elsewhere. She didn't particularly care if he had other women or if he was so busy he had forgotten to sleep. What concerned her was, if he really didn't come back, what else could she do to pass this difficult sleepless night?
She took out her laptop, and while waiting for it to boot up, Lin Wan thought back to what the man named Tan Xizhe had said: "Don't make conclusions so quickly. I know you don't trust me, and I can't say I'm perfect, but one thing's for sure, I never do anything immoral." She remembered that when she heard those four words, her heart stopped for a moment, and she couldn't continue for a long time.
"... Even if you don't agree, it doesn't matter. Since we both hate that person, we can consider ourselves like-minded. Let's be friends. I can tell you something about him, something that might be useful to you, like his weakness. But we'll have to talk about it the next time we meet, because I need to think about it—it's been too long."
She admitted she was moved, and thus, she ended up with insomnia.
She typed "Tan Xizhe" into the search bar, and immediately, countless news articles appeared. The top one was: "… Spotted holding hands with a famous model and entering a hotel." She was startled and embarrassed, because the "incident" happened around 7 PM the night before, just a few minutes after their meeting ended. Wow, this big shot was really busy. Luckily, they didn't snap a picture of her, or it would've been a complete misunderstanding.
Lin Wan sighed, shaking her head as she scrolled down, flipping pages, and reentered the search terms… After much searching, she finally found something useful, such as the fact that two years ago, she invested an astronomical sum to register a real estate company. Well, she should have thought of that. Rivals in the same industry.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
The sudden voice startled Lin Wan, and she jerked her hand, slamming her laptop shut. She looked up to see Chen Jin standing at the door, and her nervousness made her quickly cover the laptop. Chen Jin looked somewhat tired. As he walked in, he casually removed his tie and tossed it onto the floor. He didn't seem to notice her odd behavior. Instead, he threw himself heavily onto the bed, not even bothering to undress.
"Aren't you going to take a shower?" Lin Wan couldn't help but ask, looking at his lazy posture.
"Hmm," he murmured, keeping his eyes closed without moving. Lin Wan wasn't really concerned about whether he would shower, she just wanted to take the opportunity to pack away her laptop. Seeing that he really seemed exhausted and on the verge of falling asleep, she felt relieved. She quietly got off the bed, packed the laptop into her bag, and returned to the bed.
But when she turned back, she nearly jumped out of her skin. To her surprise, his eyes were wide open, and he was staring at her sideways. Lin Wan quickly covered herself with the blanket, trying to hide, but then heard him ask, "What are you doing? Sneaking around?"
"Nothing, just can't sleep, browsing the internet," Lin Wan responded, yawning and turning to pretend to sleep.
After a while, when she didn't hear any response, she cautiously turned her body, only to see that he had closed his eyes again. Then, she heard a soft snoring sound. Was he asleep? Yes, just like that, he had fallen asleep lying on the bed. The bedside lamp was still on, and Lin Wan lay on her side, watching the man sleep. It was the first time she saw him look tired—too tired to even undress or take a shower. His posture, lying on the bed in such a disheveled way, seemed almost...primitive, like a child.
Lin Wan guessed that he must be uncomfortable sleeping like that, since his brows were furrowed. For the first time, she realized that the man she always saw as a devil was actually just an ordinary person. He could get tired, and when he was tired, he would snore. She stared at him for a moment longer, then turned off the light, rolled over, and tried to sleep.
On Sunday afternoon, Fang Zheng and a few friends walked out of a restaurant. He immediately noticed a figure across the street that seemed familiar, though he wasn't sure. Just then, a man next to him patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Come on, let's find a place to have a few drinks."
"Come on, still drinking? My eyes are already blurry," Fang Zheng pulled his friend's hand off. "You guys, go ahead, I'm going back to sleep. I have a headache."
"Fang Shao's battle power has decreased. Could it be that some little sister has worn you out recently?"
"Alright, alright, you guys, hurry up and go. Let me have some peace."
The group of friends laughed as they got into the car, and Fang Zheng looked across the street again. That figure was still there. He glanced at the traffic and then crossed the street to approach.
The woman was facing a store's display window, wearing a red waist-length coat, her waist slim. Fang Zheng thought to himself, "Wow, that's really slim." He walked up behind her and called out, "Lin Wan?"
The woman turned around, and he was startled, not because he had recognized the wrong person, but because her eyes were filled with tears, as if they were about to overflow. He immediately thought of one word—"charmingly fragile."
Lin Wan blinked her eyes and quickly held back her tears. She was surprised to see him and said, "Fang Zheng, what are you doing here?"
Fang Zheng smiled nonchalantly, "What do you mean? This isn't anyone's place. Why can't I be here?" Seeing Lin Wan wipe her eyes, he asked, "Is this store selling really expensive clothes? No need to cry over it. How about I buy you a piece?"
He then glanced at the display window and pretended to be surprised, "Oh, it's a wedding dress. Well, I'll pass. I can't just buy this. Someone might come after me for this."
Lin Wan was amused by his exaggerated reaction and, feeling a bit embarrassed, explained, "I was just passing by and happened to look."
"How about this, though? I can't buy you that dress, but I can buy you an ice cream."
"Ice cream?"
"Yeah, isn't there a Häagen-Dazs around the corner?"
Lin Wan looked ahead, surprised, "Häagen-Dazs has ice cream?"
Fang Zheng shrugged casually, blinking, "Well, we won't know until we check. Let's go," he said, taking large steps ahead.
Lin Wan was speechless but had no choice but to follow him.
Upon entering the store, Fang Zheng immediately asked the server who approached them, "Do you guys have any old-fashioned popsicles?" The young woman stared at him, wide-eyed, as if she had heard a foreign language. Fang Zheng then seriously explained, "You know, the kind that makes a crunching sound when you bite into it, and it's super refreshing."
The server, noticing his fancy attire and the helpless expression on Lin Wan's face, realized he was just playing around to entertain the girl. She smiled and replied, "Sir, we don't have the popsicle you're talking about, but we have a full range of ice creams that you and your friend will definitely enjoy."
Fang Zheng turned around with an embarrassed look and asked, "Can you make do with this?"
Lin Wan suppressed a laugh and nodded. After sitting down, fearing that he would continue talking, she quickly ordered a matcha milkshake. Fang Zheng casually ordered an ice cream and two small cakes.
When the food arrived, Lin Wan sincerely said, "Thank you, Fang Zheng."
"Ah, don't mention it. My biggest strength is that I can't stand to see a beautiful woman unhappy. Once I see one, I'll think of a way to make her smile," Fang Zheng said as he dug a spoonful of ice cream and put it in his mouth.
Lin Wan smiled. He immediately took the opportunity to continue, shaking the spoon and saying, "But if you really want to thank me, how about introducing me to a girlfriend? My younger sister is fine. I don't mind if she's younger."
Still thinking about this, Lin Wan laughed and replied, "With your condition, I don't think you need my introduction."
"Hey, no one complains that money is too hot to handle, and no one complains about having too many girlfriends. It's just the nature of men," he said, before changing the subject, "But speaking of this, Ah Jin is actually an exception."
As soon as Lin Wan heard that name, she immediately frowned. Fang Zheng continued, "He's a bit odd, has a short temper, but one thing he has that most men don't is that he's not fickle."
Lin Wan almost let out a sarcastic laugh. Not fickle? She dared say that the number of women he'd been with so far was no less than ten. What kind of logic were these people following?
"I know what you're thinking, but when it comes to men, especially men like us, you can't be too demanding. Sometimes, external factors are important. There's so much temptation these days, you know? You understand, right? Besides, finding a serious woman for a serious relationship is not easy nowadays…"
"Fang Zheng, what exactly are you trying to say?" Lin Wan asked impatiently. She didn't want to talk about that person anymore. Whether he was good or not had nothing to do with her. Even if he had a hundred good qualities, all she saw was the worst side of him.
Fang Zheng stopped laughing and said seriously, "Lin Wan, I'm not trying to speak on Ah Jin's behalf. I just think you two don't have any deep hatred between you. You might as well make the best of each day. You've probably seen Ah Jin's temper; why provoke him and make everyone unhappy?"
Lin Wan didn't respond. She quietly drank her milkshake.
"Actually, he's not that hard to get along with. He's just a stubborn mule. As long as you don't clash with him, he won't fight you unless it's a life-and-death struggle. He's been like this since he was little. He doesn't stop until he's beaten someone into submission. Back in the day, he was the bully of the compound. Remember that birthday dinner for Chen Xi? Except for Chen Xi, everyone else has felt his fists, including my cousin, Fang Mei."
Lin Wan rolled her eyes. This man was really something. "He's been like this since he was a kid?"
"Ah? Yeah, a bit twisted, hehe. But it's not his fault. The Chen family raised their kids like this—his father was busy, his mother couldn't manage, and his grandfather, a retired soldier, was strict. He was raised in a loose environment, and then, with all that conflicting discipline, how could he not be a bit odd? Besides, he's been through some things at such a young age…"
"What things?"
"Ah, nothing, every kid has their bumps and bruises growing up," Fang Zheng said, realizing he'd said too much, quickly changing the subject. "Alright, I'm just giving you a friendly tip and sharing some old stories. Don't go telling anyone about this, alright?"
"I won't, thanks," Lin Wan replied.
"Stop being so polite. How about something more practical, like introducing me to a younger sister?" Fang Zheng persisted.
Lin Wan rubbed her forehead. "Listening to you, your circle really is a pit of fire. I can't do that unethical thing."
"So I've been working hard, only to shoot myself in the foot?" Fang Zheng pretended to be angry. "Lin Wan, you're not being fair! I'm going to end our friendship!"
"Fine," Lin Wan responded, not taking him seriously.
"..."