Chapter 57 [VIP] The Scumbag Rich Second Generation (13)

Chapter 57 [VIP] The Scumbag Rich Second Generation (13)

Otherwise?

Her casual counter-question erased all their past, spoken so casually, without a hint of hesitation.

He Yan Zhou looked at Nan Yan in front of him, feeling a chill spreading through his body, as if all his strength had been drained, his fingers growing uncontrollably stiff from the cold.

Only now did he finally realize a truth: Nan Yan truly no longer liked him.

When she said it was over, she was serious. It wasn't like before when she would say it in anger, expecting him to coax her back. This time, it was a real and complete end.

She had withdrawn all her affection, the once warm and loving look in her eyes had long disappeared, replaced by disdain. She was no longer willing to give him another chance.

He had naively thought she was just angry, upset about his reckless behavior, his tests, his lack of trust in her. He believed she would come back once he changed, like before, smiling and cajoling him, but this time was truly different.

He Yan Zhou, looking into her unfamiliar and indifferent eyes, felt an inexplicable chill in his heart, feeling overwhelmed, he turned to leave, suddenly afraid - afraid of her gaze, and even more of her distant attitude.

He Yan Zhou clenched his stiff fingers, with only one thought in his mind – to leave, to go far away, to a place where he could no longer see her.

After He Yan Zhou's awkward departure, Nan Yan reined in her expression and turned to help Zhou Chi Yan, who had fallen to the ground. His injuries were serious; his mouth was bruised, his forehead was cut, and the blood flowing down his temple made the slightly swollen wound look particularly frightening.

Nan Yan immediately took him to the infirmary. Finding it empty, she washed her hands, then grabbed some clean gauze and ointment, and proceeded to disinfect his wounds as instructed.

Her technique was unskilled, not professional, varying in pressure, sometimes accidentally touching his facial wounds, causing Zhou Chi Yan to grimace in pain. Unable to bear it, he hissed softly, looking at her with eyes full of grievance, "Senior sister, could you be gentler? This is a human face, not a pig's head."

Nan Yan looked up at his face, especially his carefree, joking demeanor, and pressed a cotton swab hard against the corner of his mouth, glaring at him unhappily, saying:

"Now you know it hurts. Couldn't you have dodged when he hit you? You knew he was angry, so why did you say those things to provoke him? Now you've got yourself all bruised up. Are you proud of yourself?"

Before she could finish, her wrist was tightly grasped by the other party.

"Senior sister, are you worried about me?"

He seemed completely oblivious to the obvious change in his tone, his lips parting slightly to reveal white teeth, and a glimmer of light even appeared in his eyes.

This joyful expression made him look somewhat foolish.

Nanyan struggled a few times but couldn't break free.

She wondered why these people were so fond of grabbing wrists. Despite being severely beaten, they still had such strength. It seemed she hadn't hit them hard enough.

Nanyan then patted the back of his hand, signaling him to let go, "Stop it, the wound hasn't been treated yet. This whole thing was my fault for involving you. Isn't it normal for me to be concerned about you?"

His mood visibly dropped upon hearing this, and he couldn't help but ask in a muffled voice, "Is that all there is to it?"

"What else do you expect?" Nanyan feigned surprise as she glanced at him, his dejected expression resembling that of an abandoned puppy. She felt maybe her attitude was too cold.

After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately just cleaned the blood from his forehead, whispering, "Just don't say those provocative things to him anymore. Whether you mean well or not, what happens between him and me shouldn't involve others. So, we should see each other less in the future."

His explanation was reasonable, but Zhou Chiyi refused to agree, whether it was due to the sudden surge of gloominess upon hearing those words, or because his approach to her had an ulterior motive, he couldn't possibly agree to see her less.

"Are you angry? Are you upset because I provoked He Yanzhou? Do you still like him? Isn't it enough if I apologize to him? Please don't draw a line between us, okay?"

He became somewhat incoherent in his urgency, especially after hearing the latter part of her statement. He grabbed her wrist tightly, as if he wouldn't let go until she agreed.

Nanyan was somewhat startled by his words. Not knowing how to respond, she fell silent for a moment before seriously saying, "It's not like what you think. Don't misunderstand. I just don't want such situations to happen again, and I don't want you to get hurt either. Keeping our distance is—"

"I did it on purpose." Zhou Chiyi suddenly interrupted her unfinished sentence.

He felt a vague urgency as he spoke, but honestly, he didn't know what he was anxious about. He wasn't clear about Nanyan's feelings for He Yanzhou. Even if they had really broken up, feelings were unpredictable, and it wasn't impossible for them to rekindle.

He stared at her intently, as if afraid of missing any expression on her face, "I deliberately didn't fight back, deliberately provoked him to get hurt. Can't you see?"

Zhou Chiyi didn't believe Nanyan couldn't see it; he had made it so obvious, but she just deliberately avoided it.

"What?"

They were actually very close to each other. Nanyan was still holding a cotton swab in her hand. If Zhou Chiyi lowered his head, he could smell the faint scent of the disinfectant, as well as the fragrance of shampoo from her hair. He had made up his mind to break through this barrier, "Senior, don't you know? I like you."

"I'm jealous inside." Zhou Chiyi lowered his head, as if he wanted to pour out everything in his heart, "I didn't fight back, just to intentionally get hurt to gain your sympathy. Senior, I'm not as good as you think. I know when you see me get hurt, you'll definitely be angry at him. Your fondness for him will gradually decrease, and your attention to me will naturally increase."

Towards the end of his speech, his tone shifted, his voice dropping lower, tinged with a sense of resignation as if he was about to reveal all the underhanded tactics he had used before. He tightened his grip on Nanyan's wrist, but not too firmly, and finally whispered, "If you're upset with me, I can apologize to you."

"Senior, I've said it before... I like you."

"And you, you don't feel nothing for me, right?"

His face no longer showed the earlier urgency, and his demeanor had changed. Nanyan probably realized it too; this was likely his true self showing.

His dark eyes, misty and deep, seemed to have been provoked by her words, so he candidly expressed his feelings, waiting for the final outcome.

Nanyan, surprised by his formal confession, stood frozen, staring straight at him.

He had spoken of his affections before, but those were either in jest or drunken ramblings, thus not serious. As long as she didn't bring it up, or just laughed it off, their relationship wouldn't progress.

But this time was different; his expression was too serious to be brushed off with the old tactics.

Nanyan immediately turned her face away in embarrassment, seemingly unable to confront the emotions that naturally surfaced in his eyes, and said somewhat uncomfortably, "You should know, I just broke up with my boyfriend. I'm not going to start a new relationship anytime soon, and I'm really busy lately. Besides academic work, I don't want to think about anything else for now."

Zhou Chiyi's gaze was fixed on Nanyan. He understood that this was a veiled rejection and knew that accepting another man so soon after a breakup wasn't easy. Yet, a different thought was slowly forming in his mind.

"I understand your feelings. I won't bother you, and I can wait for you. When you're ready to start again, could you... consider me first?"

His words were earnest and cautious, his gaze intently fixed on her face. Sometimes, getting too immersed in acting blurs the line between reality and pretense.

Hearing this, Nanyan's eyelashes quivered slightly. After a moment's thought, she shook her head and declined, "Zhou Chiyi, do you remember what I told you when we first met? I said I don't like men younger than me. You're great, but I really can't..."

Before she could finish, the rest of her words were silenced by the lips of another.

Zhou Chiyi suddenly leaned in, kissing her, but the movement was so abrupt it hurt the wound on his lip, causing him to hiss softly in pain.

It was unclear what he was thinking; this was a stolen kiss, after all. His mouth hurting badly, he immediately furrowed his handsome face and pulled back slightly.

As he drew back, he saw Nanyan's stunned expression. He himself was dazed for a few seconds, wondering how to explain. But seeing that she still hadn't recovered, he couldn't resist leaning in again, gently licking like a puppy seeking approval.

The moment he kissed her, Nanyan realized he lacked experience. Yet, men often have an innate knack in this regard. His tongue gently slid in, touching the seam of her lips, releasing a faint scent of mint mixed with a hint of disinfectant, enveloping them both.

Zhou Chiyi carefully watched her expression, reluctant to close his eyes, nibbling and licking tenderly like a puppy with a bone. Finally, he held his breath, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He felt as if a fire had ignited within him, burning him up, as though it could evaporate all the moisture in his body. This unbearable heat seemed to ease only when he touched her.

When their lips parted, Zhou Chiyi's eyes were misty yet shone with an astonishing brightness, fixated on her. His breathing was rapid, his cheeks flushed with an abnormal red.

"Senior, you didn't reject me."

His gaze was earnest, his voice hoarse yet unmistakably joyful, "You have feelings for me too, don't you?"

Nanyan seemed at a loss.

She couldn't explain why she hadn't pushed him away immediately, nor why she wasn't angry afterward. Did she, as he said, have feelings for him?

As this thought crossed her mind, her expression changed, no longer the rational demeanor of before.

She instinctively turned her head away, unable to confront the sincere emotions in his eyes, speaking uncomfortably, "It's not like you think, I just..."