Chapter 48: Coveted â Unable to Stop the Countless Covetous Eyes in the Dark
Jiang Chenyan deliberately looked away, avoiding Xie Huaijin.
What a mess.
Why was he here too?
He turned back to Kai Lanâs mother, his tone as peaceful as possible. “I am willing to talk with you, but being this extreme makes things difficult for me.”
The current situation was unfavorable for him; he couldn’t let things blow up any further.
The man reached out to support his sobbing wife, his thumb gently patting her back to comfort her. “The child has already said this much. Letâs calm down first.”
“Itâs my fault… itâs all my fault…” The woman’s crying was like a snapped string, intermittent and wrapped in regret. Her shoulders shook violently in her husbandâs embrace.
Jiang Chenyan felt like a ball of wet cotton was stuck in his chest, making it feel dull and stifled.
He quirked his lips, trying to break the frozen atmosphere. There were quite a few students who wanted to hear the gossip.
“Disperse, everyone. Itâs nothing major.”
However, the crowd didn’t disperse. The whispers continued, circling in the air. Those searching gazes were like spotlights, firmly nailed to Jiang Chenyan, unable to be moved.
Xie Huaijin still stood there watching, his face showing no obvious expression, save for his eyes which were as dark as if soaked in ink, indistinguishable in emotion.
Jiang Chenyan ignored him and simply led Kai Lanâs parents away. Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the students finally scattered in twos and threes.
He felt secretly lucky that Kai Lanâs mother still retained a bit of logic and didn’t make things even more awkward.
Just as he had taken a few steps, Xie Huaijinâs voice suddenly came from behind, clearly calling out his name.
“Jiang Chenyan.”
Jiang Chenyanâs footsteps didn’t falter. He continued walking, acting as if he hadn’t heard. However, Kai Lanâs parents beside him suddenly stopped. They recognized Xie Huaijin; the circle of powerful families was only so big, and they had more or less interacted before.
“Uncle, Auntie.” Xie Huaijin walked up, his tone calm and unreadable.
Kai Lanâs father reacted first, quickly stepping forward half a step with a smile on his face. He naturally recognized Xie Huaijin, as he was the only son of the Xie family. “Itâs you, Huaijin. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
The corners of Xie Huaijinâs mouth curled up almost imperceptibly. “Student Jiang and I are quite close. I observed for a while, and it seems youâve run into a difficulty. Perhaps I can help.”
“Thatâs too kind.” Kai Lanâs father had been smiling so long his face was stiff.
The Xie familyâs power was right there; they didn’t dare be negligent.
Jiang Chenyanâs expression darkened instantly. Close? They had barely had a few proper conversations. Moreover, how could Xie Huaijin not know the reason Kai Lanâs parents were looking for him?
Deliberately joining inâwhat was he really up to?
Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
His brow furrowed, and he looked up. “Youâve got it wrong. Weâve barely spoken; don’t give yourself extra lines.”
Kai Lanâs father pressed his lips tight and went completely silent, only retreating to the side.
At this time, it was best not to participate.
The smile on Xie Huaijinâs face vanished instantly, his eyes surging with a trace of subtle anger. “As expected of you, Jiang Chenyan.” He reached out a large hand and directly gripped Jiang Chenyanâs shoulder, forcefully pulling the person toward his side. He lowered his voice, speaking with a hint of gritted teeth, “Hey, I truly want to help you.”
“Just don’t go looking for trouble for me.” Jiang Chenyan unceremoniously pushed the manâs arm away and took a step back, creating distance between them.
He didn’t believe for a second that Xie Huaijin had any good intentions. This person ten to one had a hidden scheme; he just couldn’t guess the purpose for the time being.
“You distrust me that much?” A hint of coldness was added to Xie Huaijinâs voice as his gaze landed on Jiang Chenyan like a searchlight.
Jiang Chenyanâs brow was tightly knit, his expression extremely ugly. The words “distrust” were practically written on his face. He truly didn’t have the patience to waste any more time with Xie Huaijin and turned to leave. Kai Lanâs parents stood to the side, a bit embarrassed, and slowly followed upon seeing him move.
Xie Huaijin: “…”
Jiang Chenyan led the two into the school, rounding a corner into a secluded spot. Just as he stopped, Kai Lanâs mother spoke impatiently, her voice trembling: “Child, Kai Lan isn’t dead, right?”
Jiang Chenyan lowered his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing together. His voice was deep and slow. “I don’t know how to tell you.”
He truly didn’t know how to respond. From the fragmented words the couple had spoken earlier, he could clearly catch that bone-deep regret and the undisguisable longing. They truly missed Kai Lan.
But he couldn’t let his emotions take over.
He knew how cruel those words would be, but he had to keep Kai Lanâs secret. Kai Lanâs choice to hide the fact that he was alive from his parents must have had his reasons. Jiang Chenyan had no right to make decisions for him, even if this concealment was somewhat heartless.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Chenyan suppressed the complex emotions in his heart. “I was actually about to go and clarify something.”
Under their puzzled gazes, he said, “Perhaps you, like others, believed the baseless rumors online and mistook me for that SS-grade Omega. But I am not him. I also hope the two of you can accept your grief and recognize the fact that Kai Lan and that Omega have passed away.”
“How can it be…” The woman’s crying instantly shattered. Tears hit her lapel like a broken string of pearls, and her shoulders shook violently.
She still regretted. She regretted that she shouldn’t have pushed Kai Lan like that, forcing him to be like she was in her youthâto have his wings broken and be tucked away in a gilded cage, forced to accept a family marriage to an Alpha he had never met.
“I did it all for his own good…” She covered her face, her crying mixed with grievance and unwillingness. “Why couldn’t he understand? Why did he have to use this method to leave me?”
Jiang Chenyanâs Adamâs apple rolled. Ultimately, he didn’t say anything, just stood quietly to the side.
“This matter is indeed complex,” he paused, organizing his words somewhat stiffly. He truly didn’t know how to comfort her and could only turn his gaze to Kai Lanâs father.
Seeing his wife like this, the man showed a bitter smile and said to Jiang Chenyan, “Actually, we should have known this would be the outcome. Iâm sorry. Because of our family matters, we brought so much unnecessary trouble to you.”
“Itâs nothing.” Jiang Chenyanâs voice was very soft. “But things are already like this; in the end, we must help the Madam slowly move on.”
“Are they really… no longer here?” The woman’s voice shook like a withered leaf in the wind. The last bit of light in her eyes went out. Though she was unwilling to accept it, only a weak compromise remained.
Jiang Chenyan didn’t hesitate and nodded gently. “Yes.”
Kai Lanâs father supported his wifeâs arm, his fingertips tightly gripping her wrist as if afraid she would collapse at any moment.
The woman’s crying was kept very low, but her shoulders wouldn’t stop shaking. Every step was heavy with grief. Relying on the person beside her for support, they slowly disappeared at the end of the tree-lined path.
…
Watching their lonely departing backs, Jiang Chenyan sighed slightly. Just as he turned to walk a few steps, a figure suddenly blocked his path.
Xie Huaijin had his hands in his pockets, his tone unreadable. “Finished talking?”
He didn’t know how much this person had eavesdropped…
Jiang Chenyan only gave Xie Huaijin a cold glance, didn’t respond, and turned to leave.
Xie Huaijin quickly stepped in front of him, his eyebrow raising slightly. “You dislike me that much? Your hostility toward me is that heavy?”
“Wasn’t the person with hostility first you?” Jiang Chenyan stopped, the coldness in his eyes almost overflowing.
At their first meetingâno, more accurately, their second meetingâXie Huaijin had choked him. Back then, that gaze looked like it wanted to strangle him on the spot, simply because a food tray had accidentally tipped onto him.
Beyond that, needless to say, the man had taken him and Shen Shiyue to a place like a bar. If it weren’t for Professor Ariel, there was no telling what would have happened that night.
Looking for trouble at every turn had already become the norm…
Add to that Xie Huaijinâs naturally malicious character, and Jiang Chenyan trusted him even less. If there came a day when Xie Huaijin found his conscience and stopped bothering him and Shen Shiyue, he would thank the heavens.
“It seems you remember the previous events quite clearly.” Xie Huaijin stared at Jiang Chenyanâs face, his gaze gradually growing deep. But he changed the subject quickly, suddenly saying, “Jiang Chenyan, have you noticed? Your skin is so white…”
Especially under the sun or under the lights, it was so white it almost glowed. It was hard not to be conspicuous.
The moment these words were spoken, Jiang Chenyanâs hand at his side quietly tightened. His Adamâs apple rolled as he suppressed the nausea rising in his throat. His face darkened.
“Whether you believe it or not, Iâm truly curious.” Xie Huaijinâs tone held a hint of casualness. “Is this natural?”
Jiang Chenyan was truly at the end of his patience.
“Are you a pervert?”
“Stay away from me.”
Xie Huaijin, however, reached out an arm to block him, a playful smile on his face with no intention of backing down. “That won’t do…”
Before he could finish, his smile froze. His gaze crossed Jiang Chenyanâs shoulder as he mocked, “Student Shen is here too? Did you just arrive, or have you been eavesdropping here for a while?”
Jiang Chenyanâs heart jolted, and he was instantly stunned. Shen Shiyue was here? When did he arrive?
Simply seeing Jiang Chenyan and Xie Huaijin in the same frame was like a red-hot needle stabbing viciously into Shen Shiyueâs brain.
His head buzzed. The gazes they cast toward the person he cherishedâwhether greedy, searching, or with ill-intentâeach one was like a slimy insect crawling over his skin.
Disgusting. Too disgusting.
Shen Shiyueâs face was dark enough to drip water. He didn’t give Xie Huaijin a second glance, walking straight to Jiang Chenyan and warning Xie Huaijin coldly, “Stay away from him.”
Xie Huaijin, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard. Instead, he curled his lips, his gaze circling between Shen Shiyue and Jiang Chenyan as he spoke slowly, “I forgot to mention; Student Shen is the same. Your skin is so white.”
“…”
Shen Shiyueâs lips pressed into a hard, cold line. He didn’t respond, but the pressure around him dropped even further. Jiang Chenyan also didn’t know how to react for a moment; his thoughts had already drifted.
His blind guess was that Xie Huaijin wanted to cast a wide net and take down everyone he could.
This also fit his “passionate” personaâplaying around and constantly changing target types.
The corners of Xie Huaijinâs mouth kept rising; he couldn’t describe how good it felt to disgust Shen Shiyue.
Beautiful creatures always attract covetousness; they come with a light that draws people in. Even if they only want to reside in peace, they cannot stop the countless covetous eyes in the dark. Those gazes hide greed and possession, treating beauty as prey that can be hunted.
He only truly understood this truth now.
Jiang Chenyan is very beautiful, isn’t he?
That skin, so white it was dazzling, and those exquisite contours that couldn’t be hidden even when his face was coldâhe was like a light in the dark night, born with a magic that attracted attention. No wonder so many people were entangled with him…
If there were a chance, he estimated 80% of the school would want to pin him down.
Even Shen Shiyue could be provoked into losing his composure by him. Such a cold personâjust looking at Jiang Chenyan standing with someone else, the pressure around him could drop to freezing. His possessiveness couldn’t be hidden.
Shen Shiyueâs expression completely darkened, the veins in his neck clearly visible. He had reached the limit of his patience. He grabbed Jiang Chenyanâs wrist with significant force, making Jiang Chenyan furrow his brow slightly.
He could tell that Shen Shiyue was in a very bad mood.
“Letâs go.”
“Go where?” Xie Huaijin scoffed. Instead of stopping, he slowly followed for two steps, posing like someone who wanted to see more trouble. “Iâm serious.”
His gaze locked onto where the two were touching. “Student Shen and Student Jiang both have very white skin…”
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