Campus Ace Girl

Chu Ci’s heart felt like it was being pricked by countless needles, but outwardly he maintained a faint smile, "Why didn’t you give a heads up?"

After saying that, he felt a bit dazed himself.

It’s been quite a few years, hasn’t it? They hadn’t really kept in touch, not even the family. Except one year, when they received a postcard she sent from England, showing a maple leaf, with no picture of her.

At that time, Chu Ci was also present. The postcard was received by his father, who cheerfully showed it to everyone, but his mother burned it on the spot.

Chu Ci still remembered the feeling, exactly the same as when his mother attempted suicide by taking pills. When he saw the postcard being burned, he knew his mother not only didn’t miss Yan Yan, but still hated her. Burning it was to cut off any thought of reconciliation, simple yet cruel.

At that time, Chu Ci didn’t react. He couldn’t react. If he did, his mother might take out the pills in the next second. To keep his mother alive, he had to give up his most precious thing.

In the past few years, he thought about having someone look after Chu Yan, or even going himself to have a glance occasionally, but in the end, he didn’t. He no longer had the right to impose on her.

Chu Ci came back to his senses and looked at Chu Yan again, "Come home when you have time."

Chu Yan didn’t exchange pleasantries with him, smiled lightly, "Okay."

This time, Chu Ci was a little stunned, not expecting her to agree so readily.

Chu Yan smiled again, "I’ll bring my boyfriend when I visit."

Gu Anxi sprayed a mouthful of water, accidentally spraying it onto Wang Qin’s face. She quickly pulled out a tissue and said, "Sorry, it’s not much, just a little, right?"

Wang Qin couldn’t help but laugh, "Just a little bit."

Then both of them turned their gaze to Chu Ci, waiting for his reaction.

Wow, Chu Yan really has ambition, already has a boyfriend, and Chu Ci’s expression is so interesting, like a husband whose wife has cheated!

Gu Anxi wished she could record this and show it to Uncle Bo, thinking it was such a pity she couldn’t.

Chu Ci also knew others were watching. He should control his expression, but at this moment, he had no desire to restrain it. In a slightly cold voice, he said, "Well, congratulations."

Chu Yan’s voice was soft, "Thank you, Mr. Chu."

Chu Ci’s face looked even worse, and he returned to his seat without saying goodbye. It wasn’t long before his secretary went to settle the bill, and Chu Ci left directly afterward.

Gu Anxi exclaimed, deliberately saying to Chu Yan, "So ungentlemanly, good thing you didn’t end up with him."

Chu Yan merely smiled and continued her meal.

She was very calm, so calm that Gu Anxi and Wang Qin couldn’t figure out if Yan really had no feelings towards Chu Ci anymore. In theory, if love was gone, there should be at least a little hate, but there wasn’t. Chu Yan was completely clean.

Suddenly, Gu Anxi’s nose tingled.

It’s nice, Yan Yan’s back cleanly. Even if she doesn’t forget those unpleasant things, she’s put them behind her. She asked lightly, "Really have a boyfriend?"

Chu Yan smiled, "Yes, I do. Since returning to the country, I’ve been living with him."

The spoon in Wang Qin’s hand dropped, and along with it, her jaw.

She stammered, "Living together... living together?"

Chu Yan made a sound of acknowledgment.

At this point, Wang Qin’s mouth opened wide, "Isn’t that celebrity Bai Xun over there?"

He’s walking over towards them...

Chu Yan said quite plainly, "My boyfriend."

Ah... Wang Qin’s jaw dropped again.

Bai Xun had likely arranged to meet them, as he calmly sat down and greeted Gu Anxi and Wang Qin. Gu Anxi was somewhat acquainted with him and frowned upon seeing the pair facing each other.

She always felt something was off. The two of them didn’t have any sparks of passion, like old married couples without the usual charm...

To say she was discerning was an understatement, unlike Wang Qin, who was just resting her chin on her hand—

So handsome and good-looking, they match well with Chu Yan.

Bai Xun is easy to get along with, known to come from a good family, well-mannered, and considered one of the few clean celebrities in the industry. But Bai Xun is... an artist signed under Chu Ci’s company, right? In other words, Chu Ci is his boss.

Wang Qin’s look became complicated: Stealing Chu Ci’s woman, is that going to be okay?

Gu Anxi kicked her, annoyed with her nosiness.

Wang Qin felt wronged and quietly glanced at Gu Anxi.

Chu Yan was quite frank, "We’re giving marriage a trial run."

"Oh." Wang Qin responded while looking at Gu Anxi.

Gu Anxi rolled her eyes, "What are you looking at me for? Whether it works or not, you should ask them."

Wang Qin choked, "What does it mean if it works or not? Anxi, you’re too straightforward."

"What are you thinking?" Gu Anxi glared at her, then smiled at Bai Xun, "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Bai Xun smiled faintly, "If Chu Yan thinks it’s suitable, we can get married anytime."

Gu Anxi touched her chin, "Doesn’t sound impulsive."

Of course, she wouldn’t meddle in someone else’s affairs; she just had a meal with them and then left with Wang Qin.

Sitting in the car, Wang Qin complained, "Anxi, you didn’t help check on Chu Yan’s important life event."

Gu Anxi tugged at her ear, "You, a living god, calculating that would be better, wouldn’t it?"

"That’s all just trickery, okay?" Wang Qin shouted, "You know it too, yet you keep me tricking people, making me wear robes to fool others at critical moments. Fang Ming even finds it amusing. Anxi, you’re putting me in tough spots."

Gu Anxi laughed slightly.

After a while, she took out a laptop from the side, her fingers moving quickly, Wang Qin puzzled, "What are you up to?"

"Checking on Bai Xun," Gu Anxi said softly, and a moment later, she whispered, "Got it."

She spoke word by word, "Two years ago, Bai Xun had leukemia and underwent a bone marrow transplant in England."

Wang Qin was stunned, "He had that disease? You can’t tell at all."

Gu Anxi stared at her, then softly said the next words, "Donor, Chu Yan."

Wang Qin jumped up in an instant, like a cat having its tail stepped on, "How could that be? They have that kind of relationship? How could they be together? Is Bai Xun doing this out of gratitude? Why would Chu Yan accept it? No wonder you said there’s no chemistry between them, so that’s why."

Gu Anxi closed the laptop, then whispered, "No one is to mention this, including Fang Ming."

Wang Qin responded obediently.

But no matter the promise she made, it was useless. That night, while at Fang Ming’s place, after some ordeal, she revealed everything Gu Anxi had said. Fang Ming was quite surprised but he usually wasn’t interested in such gossip, so he put it aside until one day he brought it up again.

Over there, Bai Xun led Chu Yan out of the restaurant and said goodbye to Gu Anxi and the others. After they left, he turned around and said, "I’ll take you back."

He put her luggage in the trunk, then opened the car door to let her in.

After Chu Yan got in, he closed the door and walked around to the other side. While fastening his seatbelt, he paused for a moment before leaning over and kissing her on the forehead. Chu Yan was startled but didn’t avoid it.

Bai Xun smiled brilliantly, "Let’s go home."

He’s two years younger than her and very popular, almost to the point of being overwhelmingly famous. He is the most expensive star in Chu Ci’s entertainment company. The company probably doesn’t know about his relationship.

Chu Yan... Only knew he was a celebrity and never thought he was part of Chu Ci’s company, and Bai Xun never connected Chu Yan to the Chu Family either.

Just like that, they accidentally ended up together.

After about ten minutes of driving, he spoke softly, "I have a schedule to catch up on later. Rest well on your own."

Chu Yan suddenly asked him, "We’re not living together, right?"

Bai Xun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, "I might not have much time at home; I mostly stay in hotels."

Chu Yan didn’t say anything else, and she didn’t seem to mind much.

Bai Xun took her to his apartment and, after settling her in, left in a hurry...

After he left, Chu Yan finally had the time to take a good look at the apartment. The apartment belonged to Bai Xun, approximately 160 square meters with good decor. Chu Yan looked around and finally settled in a guest room with a bathroom.

Life afterwards proved Bai Xun was indeed telling the truth. He hardly ever came back; when he did, it was just to change clothes before continuing work. Chu Yan feared he wouldn’t be able to handle such a lifestyle and complained that his boss was a vampire.

Bai Xun just smiled, saying nothing.

After resting at home for two days, Chu Yan set up her own company, located in the city center.

Once she settled into her office and opened the blinds at the window, she suddenly realized it was very close to Chu Ci’s company...

Close enough that you could see Chu Ci’s office directly with a pair of binoculars.

She smiled slightly and was just about to get to work when her phone rang. Thinking it was Bai Xun, she picked it up only to see it was Chu Ci.

She had long deleted Chu Ci’s number, but after dialing it for over a decade, she still remembered it. She didn’t understand why he was calling now, but she answered anyway, "Hello."

Chu Ci spoke softly on the other end, "Have you settled in?"

Chu Yan responded with a hum.

There was a moment of silence from Chu Ci before he asked, "Living with your boyfriend?"

Chu Yan’s breathing paused, and after a while, she calmly said, "Yes, living together."

On the other side, Chu Ci took a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and took a long drag before saying, "If you have time, let’s have a meal together."

Chu Yan replied in a hoarse voice, "Sure."

"Next Saturday is Dad’s birthday. Bring your boyfriend home for dinner." Chu Ci said calmly, "I’ve told our parents you’re back, and they know you have a boyfriend. They want to meet him."

Suddenly, Chu Yan said, "If I have a boyfriend, would you still ask me to come home?"

After saying this, there was a momentary silence from Chu Ci.

After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, "It depends on whether you want to come home."

Chu Yan abruptly interrupted him, "Since everyone knows, there’s no need to go back. I think... she should be at ease."

Chu Ci’s voice suddenly turned stern, "Are you implying you’ll never come back?"

This almost blatant argument left both sides uneasy; they used to be the closest of people.

She called him "brother," and she always liked to snuggle in his arms playing games while he read. When he went to film, he always took her along, like a keepsake, wherever he went. They shared many beautiful years together, but now it’s like two porcupines with barbs, each trying to hurt the other more.

Chu Yan was the first to break the deadlock, "This getting dragged on is rather meaningless, Mr. Chu. My willingness to tell you my current situation is as kind as I can be to the Chu Family. I have a boyfriend now, so you all... she doesn’t need to think about this anymore. Everyone can live their own lives well in the future."

Her voice was slightly hoarse, "Sorry I came back and made you uncomfortable."

With that, she hung up the phone.

Chu Ci quietly listened to the silence from the other end and hung up the phone. After a long while, he tossed the phone onto the sofa.

He stood there, looking outside.

For so many years, he was always alone, hoping for someone to return, yet fearing that someone would return, fearing that she would return only to be sad, hurt, and bullied. Sometimes he thought she might actually be better off in the UK.

She came back, and when he saw her, he realized how excited he was inside, but he had to suppress himself not to show too much excitement, for fear of scaring her and making her unwilling to come home.

But now she told him that she had a boyfriend, reassuring everyone.

Does she mean she’s found someone else and will definitely not get tangled up with him again?

Chu Ci laughed coldly with a hint of mockery.

Just then, the door opened, and his secretary entered, "Mr. Chu, Bai Xun is back."

Chu Ci turned his head, a bit of warmth in his gaze.

Bai Xun was the first artist signed after he founded the company; he became enormously popular within a few years and is the most lucrative artist for the company. Furthermore, there’s a distant familial relation between them... a very distant one, not closely tied.

Because of this relationship, they are quite casual with each other, and Bai Xun has always treated his office like his own place, lying on the sofa as soon as he arrived, letting out a long sigh, "Taiyi’s work is maddening, Mr. Chu, someone’s bound to collapse at this rate."

Chu Ci smiled, "Want a vacation?"

"I do. I want to be with my girlfriend." Bai Xun said half-jokingly.

Chu Ci didn’t believe him, "If you want a vacation, maybe next year."

Bai Xun protested, "I’m a patient."

"The illness has long been cured. You’re now stronger than a bull." Chu Ci said unemotionally, "As for the person who donated bone marrow to you, they’re likely a robust young man."

Bai Xun complained, "You didn’t even visit me after my surgery. After all, I’m your cash cow, right?"

"For a cash cow that might drop dead anytime, there’s no need to waste too much effort," Chu Ci replied coldly, as always.

Bai Xun felt wounded and immediately got up, "Fine, I’m leaving."

But Chu Ci stopped him, "The reason I called you in is because there’s a script for you to review for filming next month."

"Isn’t this schedule a bit tight? What’s so special about this script?" Bai Xun took the script from Secretary Yin’s hands and was stunned upon looking at it.

It was "Island" written by Gu Mingzhu. A great script based on Mr. Chu’s personal experiences.

Instinctively, Bai Xun asked, "Who’s playing the female lead? It wouldn’t be Chu Yan herself, right?"

After saying that name, there was a slight curve at the corner of his mouth...