Jun Hao had no excitement, only his usual smile: “I will marry you, but not now.” In his heart, he added, I will make you willingly become my bride. ……………………………………………. 051 Background With a few days left before the Lunar New Year, the Jun family home was decorated with lanterns and festive decorations. According to Leng Xiang, every Spring Festival, Jun’s father and mother would return from wherever they were in the world to spend the holiday with Jun Hao. During those days, all of Jun’s close relatives would visit the family, making this villa rarely see such a bustling scene. An Ke truly witnessed the scale of the Jun family, with at least dozens of servants lined up, orderly listening to the housekeeper’s instructions. This housekeeper seemed to be new, and she had never seen him before. After that day, Jun Hao disappeared as if out of thin air. An Ke hadn’t seen him for a week and didn’t want to inquire about his whereabouts. The silent An Ke seemed out of place in this lively atmosphere. An Ke wore a red short down jacket paired with jeans, fashionable and full of youthful colors. Standing by the small garden on the rooftop, she overlooked everything in the villa. ”An Ke, why are you up here again? Be careful not to catch a cold in this weather.” A gentle voice came from behind her. An Ke knew without turning around that Leng Xiang had come to find her. Leng Xiang had been accompanying her all week. Initially, she was a bit wary of Leng Xiang. After a few days of interaction, she recognized Leng Xiang’s sophisticated gentleness and meticulous care. An Ke turned to meet Leng Xiang’s concerned eyes: “I’m fine, don’t worry about me. You should take care of yourself too.” Leng Xiang wore a white coat that always highlighted her sexy and charming demeanor. Leng Xiang draped her coat over An Ke, standing together by the railing, and teased with raised eyebrows: “Young Master Jun repeatedly instructed me to take good care of you. If anything happens to you, he would surely skin me alive.” An Ke was amused by Leng Xiang’s cute expression and laughed heartily: “I’m not that fragile. My body is now strong enough to match an ox.” Leng Xiang just covered her mouth and laughed lightly: “You’re bragging.” ”Don’t you believe me?” An Ke smiled mischievously. Leng Xiang shook her head without suspicion: “I’d rather believe in celestial beings than believe you could be as strong as an ox.” ”Then I’ll have to prove it with actions.” An Ke mischievously lunged at Leng Xiang, reaching for her armpits to tickle her. Leng Xiang was tickled to tears, with An Ke still looking triumphant: “Say it, say it.” ”Okay, stop tickling, I admit it, alright?” Leng Xiang could only speak intermittently: “Hehe… you… you are indeed stronger than an ox, I surrender.” An Ke was satisfied and let her go, pursing her lips: “Why didn’t you admit it earlier? You forced me to use my ultimate move.” Leng Xiang finally stopped laughing, holding her stomach: “Where did you learn such tricks?” An Ke leaned on the railing, swinging her hands: “These aren’t tricks, these were our common methods of teasing back in school. You rich kids never played like this.” Leng Xiang took a breath, her face turning slightly pale: “Actually, I’m not really a young lady. My family used to be well-off, but our company went bankrupt when I was five. My father, unable to bear the blow, jumped to his death. After my father’s death, my mother went mad and passed away soon after. My family didn’t want to take me in. It was Uncle and Aunt Jun who took pity on me, gave me the best life and education. Before I was ten, I followed Jun Hao everywhere. After ten, we were sent to different places to study, and could only meet briefly during New Year. Before this return, I hadn’t seen him for five years, five years without him.” Listening to Leng Xiang’s melancholic story, An Ke’s mood wasn’t much better. She patted Leng Xiang’s shoulder: “Leng Xiang, I’m sorry. I’ll return what belongs to you. Just give me a little more time.” …………………………………………………….. 052 Phone Call I admit I love him, but he clearly told me he doesn’t love me. I’ve thought about hating him, wondering why his eyes only see other women. If he would just look back, I would always be behind him. Five years ago, he didn’t choose me, and five years later, he still didn’t choose me. So I tried to love what he loves. As long as I love what he loves, he loves you, so I will wholeheartedly care for you. I dare not say I’m selfless; perhaps deep down I still secretly hope he’ll one day say: “Xiang’er, I love you, marry me.” I always waver between love and letting go. Many times I feel I can’t leave him. After leaving him for five entire years, I ultimately returned to the starting point. When I see him caring so much for another woman, my heart aches too. As a woman, sometimes I feel I’ve truly failed. But now I truly understand that the highest realm of love is not desperately fighting, but trying to make the person you love most happy. Hating someone is actually punishing yourself for another’s mistakes, and I won’t be that foolish. An Ke lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Leng Xiang’s words kept echoing in her ears. Hating others actually hurts oneself. Thinking about these days of constantly wanting revenge on Lin Xiang Hua, only she knew the pain in her heart. Actually, she cared about that child because it was hers and Jun Hao’s. Jun Hao was indeed an excellent man, and she had to admit he had enough charm to make women fall for him. She, An Ke, was as ordinary as a weed. Leng Xiang was also a wonderful woman, beautiful and possessing all virtues. Only such a woman was worthy of an excellent man like Jun Hao.
An Can picked up her mobile phone, looking at the familiar phone number, her finger hovering over the dial button. She muttered to herself while looking at the screen: “Junhao, if you don’t answer after two rings, that’s your problem. Don’t blame me for not calling.” Her finger stopped again: “No, I don’t even know where he is, or whether it’s day or night there. What if I disturb him? Or what if he’s doing something messy, wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing?” She tossed the phone aside and burrowed into the blanket, soon poking her head out: “It’s all Cold Xiang’s fault. Why did she have to tell me she likes him? Now I can’t sleep.”
“Sigh…” Half an hour passed, and An Can still couldn’t sleep, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling: “Making a phone call isn’t something shameful. Why can’t I bring myself to call?” She sat up and picked up the mobile phone, quickly dialing.
The phone had barely rung once when Junhao’s voice came through: “What is it?”
An Can, caught off guard by how quickly he answered, stammered: “I dialed by mistake.” She hurriedly hung up, patting her chest: “An Can, what are you afraid of? It’s just a phone call. Look at yourself, how useless.”
The melodious ringtone of her favorite song “We Promised” played. An Can looked at the number on the screen, wanting to answer, but accidentally pressed the reject button. “Oh…” An Can groaned in frustration.
The phone rang again, and this time An Can carefully answered. Junhao’s slightly displeased voice immediately came through: “Silly woman, who are you trying to call in the middle of the night?”
An Can was stunned, momentarily forgetting her initial hesitation: “I couldn’t sleep, so I wanted to call you. Why are you using that tone? I won’t call again if it bothers you.”
“You really want me to not sleep?” Junhao’s voice clearly raised: “Are you sure you just want me awake, with no other thoughts?”
