Chapter 22

As soon as Wang Bo returned to the classroom, he received a call from Huang Wen.

"Hey, Wang Bo, I'm at the school gate. Where are you? Can you come out for a moment?"

"Sure, wait a minute, I'll be right there." Hearing the urgency in her voice, Wang Bo hung up and hurried out of the classroom.

He walked out of the school gate but didn't see the Mercedes-Benz. Looking left and right, he finally spotted Huang Wen standing at a small alley by the wall. She was wearing a sun hat and large sunglasses, carrying a big travel bag. It was hard to recognize her at first glance.

She also saw Wang Bo and waved him over. They walked into the alley, and Wang Bo asked what was wrong. She said, "Wang Bo, I can't stay at home anymore. I'm planning to run away. Can you help me?"

"Ah?" Wang Bo exclaimed, "How can I help you? Besides, why are you running away? Did your parents scold you or something?"

"All my other friends have some connection with my family, so they can't help me. I can only rely on you," Huang Wen said anxiously. "Find a place to hide me for a week or so. I can't let my family find me these few days, or you'll never see me again!"

"Wow, that serious?" Wang Bo said, "What did you do? Are your parents going to kill you?"

"It's all because of you. They found out about us pretending to be a couple, which really upset my parents. They want to send me abroad for further studies! They've already arranged everything. I don't want to go abroad, and you have to take responsibility for this. Hide me quickly!" she said urgently.

"Really? Your parents are that ruthless?" Wang Bo was also a bit anxious but then thought, "Wait, they've already arranged everything? That doesn't make sense. We've only been pretending to be a couple for two days. Even if your parents found out, they couldn't have arranged everything so quickly. This must have been planned a long time ago."

"Uh..." Huang Wen was speechless for a moment, then said, "Okay, it's not your fault about the study abroad thing, but you have to help me. I beg you, I don't want to go abroad."

"Tell me what's really going on. Why do your parents want to send you abroad?" Wang Bo said. "I need to know the reason to help you. And why did you ask me to pretend to be your boyfriend?"

Wang Bo felt there was a connection between the two things. Pretending to be a couple didn't seem as simple as Huang Wen said, just to pass the time.

If she didn't explain, Wang Bo might not help her. Huang Wen had no choice but to tell the truth: "Actually, I only found out yesterday that they were sending me abroad. Something happened at home recently, and my parents' relationship has become very tense. They come home very late, and even when they're home, they don't talk to each other or care about me. I think their relationship is in trouble. I asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend to make them worry about me, so they would spend more time with me. This way, I could try to ease the tension between them."

"But they didn't give me a chance," Huang Wen said, her voice breaking, almost on the verge of tears. "They want to send me abroad, probably to get rid of me so they can divorce. I absolutely can't go abroad. If I leave, they will definitely split up! If they split up, I'll have no home. I'll be on my own abroad, and they'll form new families, thinking I'm a burden and letting me fend for myself."

Hearing this, Wang Bo thought, indeed, every family has its own problems. Even wealthy families aren't always harmonious. Huang Wen's father is a billionaire and still in his prime, facing many temptations. It's not surprising that he might want to leave his wife.

However, to send their daughter abroad to prevent her from interfering with their marriage is too inhumane. This fits Huang Wen's father's style—decisive and ruthless to achieve his goals.

"Running away won't solve the problem," Wang Bo sighed. "Your parents' relationship is their own business. Even if you try to intervene, you can't change what will happen. As the saying goes, 'If the sky wants to rain, and the mother wants to remarry, what can a child do?'"

He continued, "If you don't want to go abroad, how about this: confront your parents. Don't interfere with their relationship, whether they divorce or separate, let them decide. Just ask to stay in the country and not go abroad."

"Will that really work?" Huang Wen asked uncertainly. "If I go back, what if they lock me up? I won't be able to escape. They're sending me to Hong Kong this Saturday, and the tickets are already booked. Next week, I'll fly to the UK..."

Rich people are indeed efficient. They notified you about studying abroad yesterday and have already booked your tickets. They might have even paid the tuition. Wang Bo wasn't sure and said, "I can't guarantee it, but it's worth a try."

Huang Wen took off her sunglasses and said angrily, "Try? My future is not something to experiment with. One mistake and I'll be abroad. Why don't you try it yourself?" To her, studying abroad was like going to prison, not considering that many people want to go but can't.

"No, I need to lie low. I can't go back and walk into a trap," Huang Wen decided.

Wang Bo said, "If your father really wants to find you, hiding won't help. You think you can avoid it, but you'll just make things worse. I bet you'll be taken to Hong Kong this Saturday."

"What should I do then?" Huang Wen asked, her face full of worry. She knew her father was very influential in Guanglin and could find her easily. "I still want to see the concert by Liang Jingru."

Wang Bo was exasperated, "At a time like this, you're still thinking about the concert? Think of a way to avoid studying abroad."

The two of them thought hard. Suddenly, Huang Wen's eyes lit up. "How about this, Wang Bo. Let's go all the way. I'll tell my parents that I'm already yours and can't live without you. If they send me abroad, I'll kill myself. What do you think?"

Wang Bo chuckled and said sternly, "Your father will put me in a sack and throw me into the Jinlin River. Can you think of a more reliable plan? Don't always try to drag others into your mess."

Huang Wen pouted, "Then I have no choice but to wait for the worst. Wang Bo, we'll only be able to see each other through video calls. If you want to see me in person, you'll need to save up for about two years to buy a round-trip ticket to London."

She muttered pitifully, and Wang Bo couldn't help but comment, "Don't be so dramatic. Students have holidays, you're not going away forever. I don't believe your parents will abandon you in the UK."

"Hmph," Huang Wen pouted, "I'm going abroad, and you're not worried at all? Do you have any sense of being a boyfriend?"

"It's not like we're really dating..." Wang Bo mumbled. Suddenly, he was silenced as Huang Wen kissed him. She forced his mouth open, explored his tongue, and then angrily said, "After this, we're still not dating!"

Wang Bo wiped the saliva from his lips and glared at her, "I already apologized for that. Don't use it to blackmail me. Okay, I think you should still confront your parents as I suggested. It might work. If they're determined, don't make a scene. Studying abroad is a good thing, and they're doing it for your own good. Many people want to go but can't."

"Are you really not a bit sad? Not even a little?" she asked seriously.

Wang Bo said heartlessly, "Don't be silly. If I transferred schools, would you be sad? We're not really dating."

"Hmph, I thought you were my friend, Wang Bo. You're a big jerk!" Huang Wen shouted and stormed off.

Wang Bo chased after her, "Hey, if you really go to Hong Kong this Saturday, remember to let me know. I'll come to the airport to see you off."

"Shut up, I don't want to talk to you right now." Hearing him say he would see her off, Huang Wen felt a mix of emotions, the complexity of unrequited love.

She hailed a taxi and, before leaving, rolled down the window and asked, "Wang Bo, if I could send you to study in the UK, would you go with me?"

Wang Bo chuckled and didn't answer her question. He made a gesture to call him and said, "Remember to stay in touch."

The taxi sped away. He didn't answer, but Huang Wen understood his meaning. She was just being one-sided. She looked back at Wang Bo through the window, his figure growing smaller and smaller, like a fleeting passerby in her life. A faint sadness rose in her heart, thinking this was probably what it felt like to be heartbroken.

In the end, Wang Bo didn't receive a call from Huang Wen or see her before she left. She was probably taken to the airport by her father's people. Her family had come to the school to handle her departure. Huang Daxian, the cheerful girl with short, neat hair and a tan complexion, had left for her studies abroad.

At that moment, both of them thought they might never see each other again, but they didn't know that their reunion would come much sooner than expected.

[The story continues...]

[End of the chapter]