Chapter 11

1. Since Yang Chen had promised Old Li to visit his home, he naturally wouldn’t forget. Keeping one’s word is a quality a man should have—well, Yang Chen once again elevated a trivial matter to a grand level of human dignity.

Because he had no money and didn’t want to stay with Lin Ruoxi, the cold and crazy beautiful girl, any longer, Yang Chen chose to walk home. The distance wasn’t far, and Yang Chen’s physical strength was beyond that of an ordinary person, so it didn’t take him much time to get home.

It was already evening. After taking a cold shower, Yang Chen opened his wooden box, glanced through it, and took out a light blue shirt with white stripes. He put on a pair of classic white shorts, buttoned them up somewhat awkwardly, and then looked at himself in the cracked mirror on the wall. He finally looked somewhat handsome.

The room still had a faint fragrance of jasmine, left by Lin Ruoxi. Yang Chen took a deep breath, thinking about how he was going to register for marriage with a woman he had only known for a day, which seemed rather absurd. However, every time he thought of Lin Ruoxi’s resolute gaze that made his frozen heart feel a fiery heat, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with this incredibly beautiful woman.

Was it to make up for something? Or was she really that different? Yang Chen didn’t know, so he decided to marry her and let time tell him what kind of feelings he had for her.

Old Li’s home wasn’t far, but with no transportation, Yang Chen, who had to walk, took about half an hour to get there. It was an old residential area in the western district, surrounded by residents who couldn’t afford to move to new houses, living in this ancient and elegant neighborhood with a Jiangnan atmosphere for generations.

After passing a few small houses with smoke curling from their chimneys, Yang Chen knocked on a dark red wooden door.

Before he had knocked a few times, the wooden door was suddenly pulled open, revealing a clear and fresh face. “Big Brother Yang, you’re here!”

“Jingjing, it’s been a long time.” Yang Chen smiled warmly. The girl in front of him had changed a lot in the past half year, which surprised him.

Li Jingjing’s face was still as clear and refined as ever, with curved eyelashes, a delicate little nose, and a lovely little mouth, typical of a Jiangnan girl. She wore a white short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of light blue jeans that tightly hugged her shapely buttocks, revealing a pair of white and slender legs.

Seeing Yang Chen’s eyes scanning her up and down with a mischievous smile, Li Jingjing felt both shy and secretly pleased. She pouted and said, “Big Brother Yang, come in quickly, don’t stare.”

Yang Chen laughed, “Jingjing knows how to be shy now. Letting Big Brother look won’t make you lose any flesh, are you afraid your boyfriend will be jealous?”

“What! I don’t have a boyfriend!” Li Jingjing immediately denied it, her eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

“Okay, okay… I was just joking…” Yang Chen felt a bit helpless. He knew what the girl in front of him was thinking, but how could he, with his body permeated by dark blood, defile such a pure soul? So, he always made Li Jingjing understand that he was her brother and not the person she thought he was.

Entering Old Li’s living room, Old Li greeted him with a smile, “Little Yang, they say girls are more outgoing. Jingjing was just helping her mother cook, but when she heard you knock on the door, she ran out like a rabbit!”

“Dad! Don’t talk nonsense!” Li Jingjing blushed and pulled Old Li to stop him from saying more.

Yang Chen chuckled and sat down with Old Li. The furniture in the room had been used for decades, the red wood paint peeling off, but it gave off an ancient and simple charm.

Under the dim yellow light, summer insects buzzed around the room, and a gentle breeze blew through the corridor, making the atmosphere peaceful and serene.

Drinking the clear tea Li Jingjing had prepared, Yang Chen suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of contentment. His eyes gazed at the night sky outside the door, where the moon was rising and the stars were turning, and he became lost in thought.

“Young man, don’t look like you’ve seen through the world. A bright future awaits you,” Old Li teased as he sipped his green tea.

Yang Chen snapped back to reality and smiled, “These days, women like deep and serious men. I’m just practicing being deep and serious.”

“Hehe,” Old Li laughed, “Little Yang, others may not know, but I’ve been with you for over half a year and understand your character. You’re not pretending. If you hadn’t experienced something in the past, why would you like to eat lamb skewers on the street?”

Yang Chen didn’t want to say more. Old Li, who had experienced the vicissitudes of life, could naturally see some of the things in his heart, but what did it matter? The gap between what they thought and the real him was still too great.

Some people are destined to be lonely because no one can truly be with them.

Dinner was very sumptuous. The Li family had specially slaughtered an old hen they had raised, making a delicate chicken soup, and brought out fish and crabs. For the Li family’s financial situation, this was more luxurious than the New Year’s Eve dinner.

“Little Yang, eat more. Although it’s simple, it’s our family’s heartfelt offering,” Aunt Li said, her face full of wrinkles and a warm smile, treating him like her own son.

Yang Chen didn’t say much and didn’t pretend. He ate the meat in large bites because he knew that only in this way could he truly make the couple happy.

Li Jingjing also kept serving Yang Chen dishes and would secretly look at him when her parents weren’t paying attention. When she heard him say the food was delicious, her heart felt as sweet as honey because most of the dishes were made by her.

Originally, Yang Chen didn’t plan to drink, but he hadn’t quit smoking, and he had already started drinking, which led to the marriage situation. So, he didn’t bother being picky and drank a few glasses of local liquor with Old Li, feeling a fiery and comfortable sensation in his gut.

“Little Yang, if it weren’t for the money you lent us over the past half year, we wouldn’t have been able to get by. Now Jingjing has found a job, so come to our house often, and Auntie will cook you some good food!” Aunt Li said with a smile.

Yang Chen’s face was already red, but his mind was still clear. He asked happily, “Oh, Jingjing found a job? What kind of job?”

“I’ve been accepted by Zhonghai No. 1 Middle School to be an English teacher. I’m also temporarily taking over as the head teacher because the original head teacher is on maternity leave,” Li Jingjing said with a serene smile.

“Being a teacher… and an English teacher, and a head teacher, Jingjing is really something.” Yang Chen nodded in satisfaction. “The salary must be good, don’t forget your Big Brother Yang when you get it!”

The Li couple also smiled proudly. They had a daughter late in life, and now that she had a bright future, they were naturally very happy.

Li Jingjing pouted shyly, “Then Big Brother Yang should come to the school to see me, or how will you remember me?”

“Sure, I’ll definitely come. Zhonghai No. 1 Middle School is a key high school, I’ve never been there before…” Yang Chen agreed with a smile.

After dinner, Yang Chen was enthusiastically pulled by Old Li to drink tea and play chess. To be honest, Old Li, who was a poor chess player, only played with Yang Chen, who didn’t know how to play. As for Li Jingjing, she obediently helped her mother clean up the dishes.

After losing a game, Yang Chen felt the soup, alcohol, and tea churning in his stomach. He asked Old Li to wait a moment and ran to the toilet to relieve himself.

Old Li’s toilet was at the back of the house, a separate small room. After passing through a small corridor, the slightly dazed Yang Chen pushed open the wooden door of the toilet…

“Ah!”

A clear and panicked voice rang in Yang Chen’s ears. He looked up and immediately froze.

In front of him was Li Jingjing, who had just finished bathing. She was completely naked. Although the 40-watt light bulb wasn’t very bright, it was enough for Yang Chen to see her youthful and snow-white body. Her black, lustrous hair hung to her waist, and her breasts, which she hastily tried to cover with her hands, were still full and formed a round shape. Below her smooth, flat abdomen, her other hand covered the dense forest, and her round, firm thighs tightly clamped the sensitive area.

Li Jingjing’s action only added to the allure of her half-hidden, half-revealed body.

Yang Chen, already a bit dizzy from the alcohol, felt a surge of hormones and a violent, possessive desire rise within him.