Taking advantage of the moment, Han Yanyan, in a drunken frenzy, began to weep loudly, “Bastards! You’re all bullying me! All of you are bullying me!”
When a woman screams or struggles, or cries pitifully, it can stir a man’s hormones. But this kind of loud wailing truly disrupted the atmosphere. In that instant, Yao Chen felt all his fiery thoughts retreat under her tears.
“Stop crying! Just stop!” he said in frustration, releasing her from his hold.
Han Yanyan had lost one of her shoes, hugging her legs while curled up on the seat, sobbing uncontrollably. The stark contrast to her usual calm and composed demeanor revealed a vulnerability hidden beneath her strength when intoxicated.
Yao Chen didn’t bother to comfort her. He took a leisurely seat across from her, his shirt unbuttoned, lighting a cigarette as he watched her cry. After half a cigarette, Han Yanyan finally calmed down a bit, burying her face in her knees and softly weeping.
This kind of crying truly tugged at one’s heartstrings.
Yao Chen tossed her some tissues, “Here, wipe your face.”
With her head lowered, she cleaned her face before looking up again. Her eyes and nose were red, and her lips slightly swollen. Yet her expression had returned to calmness, resembling her usual self as if the earlier breakdown had never occurred.
Yao Chen found it amusing and flicked the ash off his cigarette, asking, “So, who bullied you?” Her emotional collapse clearly stemmed from more than just his earlier actions; there had to be some deeper issues at play.
Han Yanyan coldly replied, “You.”
In his eyes, he had her under his thumb and didn’t see what he did as bullying. He chuckled lightly, “I’m asking about others.”
Han Yanyan pursed her lips, responding with an aloofness, “It’s none of your business.”
Yao Chen studied her for a moment, then, crushing out his cigarette, he pulled her into his embrace, cupping her chin to face him, “Haven’t I said I want you to be my proper girlfriend? Whatever happens to you involves me. Now tell me, who had the audacity to bully my person? From now on, if something like this happens, you tell me, and I’ll help you out.”
With defiance, Han Yanyan stared at him, “What do you think? That you can solve everything? This is my own family’s issue; you can’t fix it!”
Yao Chen raised an eyebrow, “Family?”
“They’re my own parents!” Han Yanyan said, almost throwing a tantrum. “The ones who gave birth to me! What can you possibly do to resolve this? If you can actually solve it, Yao Chen, if you can actually solve it, I swear, I’ll follow you without a second thought!”
Intrigued, Yao Chen replied, “What’s wrong with your parents? Tell me.”
With her eyes downcast, Han Yanyan began to divulge the mess at home.
Jin Hao spent excessively, earning a decent amount from his job. Even though he bore the burdens of his brother’s medical bills, he still had some money to spare, while Han Yanyan wore cheap clothes. Yao Chen had found this peculiar before, but now it all made sense. Having parents like that truly reflected poorly on her luck in life.
Yao Chen smirked, saying, “Blood ties aren’t as significant as you think. Once you break free from them, you’ll see they’re not worth your sacrifices.”
Han Yanyan looked pained as she declared, “It’s easy for you to say…”
“Don’t worry. If you can’t handle it, I’ll help you cut ties,” Yao Chen calmly stated.
Han Yanyan’s eyes widened in surprise, “You...”
Yao Chen casually adjusted her fallen dress strap and the strap of her inner wear, giving her face a gentle pat, “Leave it to me. Three months will be enough. Just remember, you have to keep your word.”
Han Yanyan met his gaze, ensuring he wasn’t jesting. After a moment of silence, she lifted her eyes and said, “Fine. But until then, you mustn’t bother me again.”
With a grin, Yao Chen readily agreed, “Sure.”
True to his word, Yao Chen indeed stopped pestering Han Yanyan. He occasionally picked her up after school or work, or drove her home afterward.
Their relationship remained unannounced, and colleagues at Jin Hao were none the wiser. Han Yanyan was assigned to the eighth section, serving customers. When she spotted Yao Chen, she’d lower her head and call out, “President Yao,” stepping aside to let him pass.
In the private rooms, Yao Chen would hold Ying Ying or Emily, a cigarette in hand, and watch her with a smile. Han Yanyan acted as if she couldn’t see. Whenever he reached for her while she poured wine, she would quickly pull her hand away, never letting him succeed.
Using the two thousand extra she had received from Yao Chen previously, she paid her rent, continuing to live in her little place. This month she didn’t send money home; when her parents called, berating her on the landline, she simply cut the phone line. After a while, they used another number to reach her mobile, their tone softening at last.
The one who pays has the louder voice. Only a fool would pour their sweat and blood into something and still be treated poorly.
Han Yanyan wasn’t a fool; in this world, she had no obligations.
She had her parents in check, agreeing to watch their behavior before deciding whether to continue paying for her brother’s medical expenses next month. However, from their reactions, she didn’t see any signs of Yao Chen taking action. The three-month period he mentioned had only just begun, so she wasn’t in a rush.
Curious, she thought about using a rogue to deal with a bully and wondered how effective it would be.
Over these three months, Yao Chen’s pursuit became more normal, behaving like a typical man seeking a woman. They occasionally went out on dates, shared meals, and shopped together. Physical contact was limited to kisses, and whenever Yao Chen’s impulses surged, Han Yanyan would use his own words against him to put him in check.
Yao Chen gritted his teeth in annoyance, pinching her waist and grinding out, “Little demon, just wait!”
Before they knew it, the New Year passed, and school was on break. Classmates returned home to welcome the holiday. Han Yanyan hadn’t been back home for the New Year in two years. Instead of reuniting with her family, it was more feasible for her to earn money in K City for her parents. This year, she had even less intention of returning, opting to stay at her rented place and only going out at night to work at Jin Hao.
Yao Chen was somewhat aware of her isolated lifestyle and found it strange, “What do you do during the day?”
“Reading,” Han Yanyan replied. “I used to juggle multiple tutoring jobs and was really busy. Now, being able to read quietly without being disturbed is pure bliss.”
Yao Chen, who had dropped out of high school and was an actual slacker in school, found himself at a loss for words.
The three-month deadline arrived in a blink, and Han Yanyan figured it was time for Yao Chen to give her an answer.
One evening, Yao Chen came to pick her up, calling beforehand, “Dress nicely, especially your underwear.” His tone was lazy, like telling a sweet lamb on the plate to lie down while he prepared to feast.
Han Yanyan realized this matter needed resolution. Sure enough, she dressed beautifully for the occasion. Her wardrobe no longer consisted of cheap clothes; from underwear to outerwear to bags, everything was provided by Yao Chen.
“Clothes do make the person,” and even in cheaper attire, Han Yanyan was stunning. Dressed in expensive garments, she exuded an enchanting yet tranquil beauty, radiating intelligence.
Yao Chen was pleased. He was satisfied with both Han Yanyan and his own taste.
“Don’t you have work today?” she asked.
“No work today, and never again,” Yao Chen replied.
Han Yanyan gazed at him. Yao Chen rolled his eyes, “I’m your boyfriend; what need is there for work?”
She asked, “Is the matter resolved?”
“Don’t rush. Let’s eat first.” Yao Chen blew a smoke ring, eyeing the delicious lamb on his plate with a grin.
Dinner consisted of steak and red wine in an elegant restaurant with exquisite food. Yao Chen surprisingly demonstrated solid Western dining etiquette, which made sense only if he’d trained with a coach, considering his background as a dropout with connections to the underworld.
After finishing the meal, Han Yanyan set her napkin aside, asking, “Can we talk now?”
After sipping his wine, Yao Chen swirled his glass and said, “Your etiquette is quite good.”
“I attended a seminar at school,” Han Yanyan replied.
But those seminars often lack practical knowledge, merely imparting theoretical stuff. Details like handling cutlery and maintaining posture take proper training to master. In the past, noble girls abroad practiced for years to perfect such skills.
Yao Chen must have indeed sought professional instruction, but Han Yanyan exhibited even better skills, as she had absorbed the traits of upper-class ladies entirely.
Though he felt an odd discomfort, Yao Chen brushed it off as trivial.
Once the plates were cleared, Yao Chen said, “Why not call your parents and check?”
Skeptical, Han Yanyan dialed their number, only to find out she had been blocked. She hadn’t blacklisted her parents; it was they who had blocked her.
Han Yanyan was taken aback.
With a smile, Yao Chen handed her a brown paper bag. She opened it to find a stack of legal documents. Examining them closely, she gasped in disbelief, “Is this a predatory loan?”
Three months prior, Yao Chen’s associates had bombarded her brother’s phone with promotional text messages. Her brother, desperate for new equipment, had foolishly contacted them without caution, signing a burdensome loan contract with no barriers—borrowing twenty thousand, only to receive five thousand in cash, all elated to buy his coveted gaming laptop.
When the repayment was due and he couldn’t pay, he was coaxed into signing a six hundred thousand IOU, and the cycle continued… In three months, a loan of five thousand multiplied into seven hundred thousand.
When Han Yanyan’s parents finally discovered the truth, it felt like the sky was falling.
“Typically, five thousand could escalate to two hundred thousand in three months. But to reach seven hundred thousand? The intelligence of your brother…” Nothing short of baffling! Good thing Han Yanyan seemed to have her wits about her; Yao Chen felt reassured just at that thought.
Han Yanyan said nothing, buried in the last paper, handwritten in appearance.
After swelling to seven hundred thousand, the threats began—intimidating phone calls, paint being splattered on their door, and public harassment, leaving Han Yanyan’s family on the edge of collapse. However, they had no cash to spare. After exhausting their meager savings of less than a hundred thousand to pay off the lending company, the Han family faced a foreclosed home. At that point, the company representatives suggested, “I heard your daughter is a university student and very pretty?”
Under the coaxing of the loan company, her parents willingly signed a letter guaranteeing that every penny owed would be repaid by their daughter Han Yanyan.
If this were ancient times, it would be akin to selling a daughter to repay debts. No wonder they blocked her.
Once she finished reading, Han Yanyan flung all the documents onto the table, leaning back in her chair, enveloped in a heavy silence. No matter how she truly felt inside, her persona required her to embody “an inner strength, unwilling to endure her family’s oppression yet caught in the shackles of blood ties, suffering and conflicted.”
Her hand on the table was still clenched tightly into a fist, her knuckles white—emphasizing her attention to detail.
“They thought we would kidnap you to force you into prostitution. That was their implication,” Yao Chen remarked.
Watching her long lashes droop and her eyes redden, he sighed, reaching out to cover her hand on the table with his own, comforting her gently, “Don’t be sad. Blood ties aren’t that significant. They didn’t give you life so selflessly; you were just a byproduct of their indulgence. Thinking about it this way might ease the burden.”
He patted her hand before holding it tightly.
His grip was firm; despite his words of comfort, it reminded her of his ultimate intentions for tonight. He was determined.
Han Yanyan raised her eyes, gazing at the man before her.
Heh.