Campus Ace Girl

Chu Yan set the things down and paused before asking, "What’s the matter?"

The assistant whispered, "A wedding invitation came."

Chu Yan probably guessed what it was, and slowly sat down in the chair: "Let me see."

The assistant knew about her and Chu Ci’s situation, so he handed it to her slowly. It was a gold-engraved invitation, obviously for a wedding.

Chu Yan wasn’t surprised, she just picked it up casually to look.

It was indeed Chu Ci’s wedding invitation, scheduled for half a month later.

So soon, seemingly impatient.

Chu Yan smiled faintly and looked up: "I know, you can go out first."

The assistant nodded and quickly left.

Chu Yan glanced at the invitation again and then dialed Bai Xun’s number.

Bai Xun answered the phone quickly, and Chu Yan said, "Chu Ci is getting married. The invitation has both of our names. It’s in half a month. Do you have time to come back?"

Bai Xun chuckled softly: "Do you want me to attend the wedding or do you miss me? Half a month alone at home is tough, right?"

He was like this, teasing again. If he was in front of her, Chu Yan probably would have kicked him, but she couldn’t deny that she indeed missed him a bit, so she spoke softly: "When are you coming back?"

"We’ll see," Bai Xun said lightly. "If I have time, I’ll come back for a night and leave early in the morning."

After he finished speaking, neither of them spoke, just listening to each other’s breathing quietly.

They were young lovers, just starting out. How could they not miss each other after being apart for so long?

After hanging up, Chu Yan rested her chin on her hand and opened her computer to search for houses.

She and Bai Xun were bound to get married, and his hobbies seemed quite varied. The apartment they lived in might not be enough now.

Chu Yan made some rough calculations. Besides the usual three suites, they’d need a gym, her studio, and Bai Xun’s random interests. They’d need at least 500 square meters. She wanted to find a villa, it could be expensive as long as it’s comfortable.

Chu Yan wasn’t one to drag things out. She soon liked a villa, quoted at 120 million. It seemed reasonable, so she contacted the agency for a viewing in the afternoon, bringing her assistant along.

Chu Yan drove herself. When she drove into the villa complex, the assistant was amazed: "Wow, what a fancy villa complex. Must be expensive?"

"Not too bad," Chu Yan smiled.

The assistant hesitated, then cautiously asked: "Um, boss, are you going to get married?"

"I plan to," Chu Yan hadn’t teased for ages, so she suddenly joked, "With Bai Xun’s personality, I’d better spend all his money so he won’t run around."

She didn’t know back then, but now she roughly guessed his temperament.

The assistant was astonished: "You can buy a villa with his money? "

Chu Yan hummed: "What else?"

Looking back now, Bai Xun was indeed cunning, knowing he’d be exposed sooner or later, so he handed his money over first. Even if she kicked up a fuss, it wouldn’t affect him.

Thinking of this made Chu Yan amused and annoyed, too lazy to argue with him anymore.

Her car slowly drove to the building. The agent was already waiting for her and greeted her as soon as she got out of the car, "Miss Chu, you’ve arrived. Let me introduce you to this house. The owner’s surname is Zhong, about to immigrate, newly renovated, never lived in, perfectly suited as a wedding house."

Chu Yan smiled slightly: "I’ll take a look inside."

The agent gestured invitingly for her to enter.

The assistant followed Chu Yan inside and exclaimed as soon as they entered: "This décor is amazing."

It was decorated in American style, with tasteful furniture and décor. Chu Yan quite liked it, and the assistant’s jaw dropped.

The agent saw Chu Yan’s liking and was equally pleased; he had done his homework and knew Miss Chu could afford this house.

He dutifully led Chu Yan upstairs, showing her several suites, plus the gym and study. The entire layout was to Chu Yan’s liking, but she still thought to discuss with Bai Xun first, taking some photos to ask his opinion. Bai Xun replied five minutes later.

"Quite suitable as a wedding house."

Chu Yan: Still mischievous.

She put her phone away and said to the agent, "I’ll buy this one."

The agent was overjoyed and immediately arranged for her to sign the intention contract.

Everything was ready, and when it was time to sign, Chu Yan realized the original owner was Chu Ci. She hesitated, the agent looked at her: "Is there a problem, Miss Chu?"

Chu Yan shook her head, "No, I wanted to ask if this house is fully entrusted to you, or will the owner come forward later?"

The agent confidently replied, "Mr. Chu handed everything over to me."

"Isn’t the surname Zhong?" Chu Yan chuckled.

The agent sheepishly smiled.

Chu Yan lowered her gaze and set the pen down—

She looked around and smiled faintly.

No wonder it felt familiar here.

During those years in Hokkaido, she had leaned beside Chu Ci and talked about wanting a big fireplace in winter, liking American décor, dark carpets, and owning a cat.

Chu Ci had made such a room for her, but now he was selling it, likely to say goodbye to the past as he got married.

Chu Yan didn’t have the sentiment of randomly buying it, not being wealthy enough to spend a fortune for a childhood dream. She thought for a moment and told the agent, "I’m sorry, I can’t take this house. Also, don’t tell Mr. Chu I came to see it."

The agent was initially puzzled, then suddenly realized.

This one’s surname was Chu, and there were rumors Chu Ci had a sister... The agent’s eyes held a hint of ambiguity, Chu Yan saw it but pretended not to, feeling it was a mess.

Taking the assistant out, once she was in the car, the assistant asked puzzledly, "Is this house really Mr. Chu’s?"

"Seems so." Chu Yan said softly, "So I can’t buy it."

The assistant chuckled twice: "Afraid Bai Xun will be angry first?"

Chu Yan snorted: "Do I look like I’m afraid of him?"

"Not necessarily," the assistant said quietly, "I think you care a lot."

Chu Yan glared at her, and the assistant didn’t dare to speak further.

Meanwhile, the agent was about to leave the villa but reconsidered and called Chu Ci, explaining the situation.

Chu Ci sat behind his desk, listened, and after a long silence said hoarsely, "Don’t sell this house for now."

The agent was surprised.

Chu Ci hung up the phone.

A moment later, he looked at the phone, intending to call Chu Yan but put it down again, and instead dialed the agent, leaving just one sentence: "Transfer the property for me."

"Who?" The agent swallowed.

After a moment of silence, Chu Ci said calmly, "Chu Yan, I’ll have Secretary Yin send you her information shortly."

The agent was naturally pleased, immediately expressing that they could handle it right away.

Chu Ci hung up the phone and smoked for a while. Secretary Yin came over to tell him that all the documents had been sent and the property deed could be transferred over by tomorrow. Chu Ci nodded lightly.

Secretary Yin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Miss Zhao just called. She said the wedding dress has been ordered and it’s ready for fitting tomorrow. She wanted to know if you have time."

Chu Ci flipped through the documents and said in a calm voice, "Next time. Let her go tomorrow by herself."

Secretary Yin had been with him for years and naturally knew he wasn’t enthusiastic about the wedding, so she didn’t press further and left.

...

On the other side, Chu Yan didn’t return to the company either. After dropping her assistant near the company, she went home first, then took a taxi to the supermarket to buy some groceries. She had a feeling Bai Xun would come back these days.

She wasn’t much of a cook, only capable of basic things like fried rice. So she spent quite some time choosing vegetables before buying a small bag and walking out of the supermarket. While waiting for a car at the door, a black Porsche stopped in front of her, and Chu Ci’s voice came out: "Get in."

Chu Yan glanced at him and said calmly, "I’ll just get a taxi."

"I’ll give you a lift since it’s on the way." Chu Ci’s voice was even calmer than hers. "I’m about to get married, what are you afraid of?"

If Chu Yan still didn’t get in the car, she’d seem a bit pretentious, but when she got in, she didn’t sit beside him, opting for the back seat instead, taking care not to dirty his car with her groceries.

She was truly cautious and polite, as if just catching a ride. In the past, if she felt tired, she’d lie in the back seat, pulling a small blanket, and affectionately say, "Bro, I’m exhausted."

Just thinking about it made Chu Ci’s heart ache, and he drove very slowly.

Chu Yan remained silent, not mentioning the house visit that afternoon.

Chu Ci finally broke the silence, speaking softly, "You went to see the house?"

Chu Yan was taken aback, but she didn’t deny it, "Yes, I saw it, but I’m not planning to buy it."

"Is it because you used to want it, but now you don’t?" Chu Ci asked, holding his breath.

Chu Yan didn’t deceive him and explained directly, "Not really. The main thing is, the house is yours. I feel I should avoid suspicion. Your wife probably wouldn’t want me to buy it, and Bai Xun... I think he would mind."

Chu Ci’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel, and after a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Now, you’ve started to care if he minds?"

Chu Yan didn’t want to discuss it, but it was clear that Chu Ci wanted to talk about it. She wasn’t foolish; she could sense that even though he was getting married, he still bore a grudge against Bai Xun.

After some hesitation, she said again, "We really don’t need to be entangled anymore."

"Then why get in the car?" Chu Ci’s voice was taut.

Only then did Chu Yan realize his car was moving extremely slowly, covering only less than half the distance in quite a while. She got a little angry, "If you’re going to talk like this, please stop the car immediately."

Chu Ci knew her temper well, so he reined in his words a bit, focusing on driving while occasionally checking her in the rearview mirror...

After a long time, he said hoarsely, "Just suddenly... you like him now? Have you thought it through? Even if there’s no possibility for us... I still hope you choose wisely, especially in matters like this."

Chu Yan turned her face towards the other side of the car window, muttering, "It’s not yet to the point of marriage. I can only say being together is happy; even if we break up one day, I hope it ends peacefully."

Of course, with Bai Xun causing such a big issue, she hadn’t thought of breaking up, and the possibility in the future seemed low.

She was already distracted, thinking about Bai Xun, and couldn’t snap out of it, evidently inattentive in her conversation with Chu Ci.

Chu Ci wasn’t stupid, his grip on the steering wheel tightened even more.

He drove her all the way to her apartment building. Chu Ci turned off the engine but looked straight ahead, saying lightly, "Bai Xun is back."

Chu Yan was stunned, then got out of the car with her groceries.

She saw Bai Xun.

Bai Xun was leaning against a black sports car, looking slimmer and tanner after half a month—maybe closer to his true self.

Chu Yan looked at him, slowly walked over, then faster and faster until she stood before him and said softly, "You’re back?"

She then asked, "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaned in to kiss her lips lightly, then patted her, "Go upstairs."

Chu Yan refused, "We just ran into each other."

Just happened to meet?

Bai Xun chuckled lightly.

If it were him, he wouldn’t believe it was a coincidence either. How should he describe Yan Yan? Sometimes she’s quite sharp, especially when dealing with him, but she’s rather muddled when it comes to Chu Ci, probably because she grew up trusting him and still does.

It was obviously being followed!

Seeing him laugh like that, Chu Yan couldn’t help but say, "Do you think everyone schemes like you do? Aren’t you tired?"

She was reasonable too, "Alright, I’ll head up first. I’ll give you five minutes, and don’t get hurt—not a scratch. I’m quite particular."

There was a spark in Bai Xun’s eyes, and he smiled.

After she left, he turned to Chu Ci, "Why are you following her? Aren’t you afraid of Aunt going crazy?"

He added quite seriously, "If Chu Yan gets hurt, she’s not just anyone to you, but she is someone I care about."

Chu Ci leaned on the car hood, lighting a cigarette, "What, I can’t give my sister a ride?"

Bai Xun took a few steps forward and sneered, "You know what you think of her. You know very well why you’re getting married. Deceive others as much as you want!"

In reality, drawing the line now with Chu Yan and marrying a wife only makes it publicly acceptable for him to be related to Bai Xun’s family. At critical moments, maybe he even intends to cuckold him. The Chu family really is insidious!

Others might not be aware, but Bai Xun, with his sharp instincts, saw through it all.

Chu Ci listened to him but didn’t deny it, just sat quietly smoking on the car hood.

Bai Xun emphatically said, "I’m not going to fight you! I want to keep this body healthy for my wife."

After saying that, he kicked the ground and headed upstairs.

Leaving Chu Ci there, his gaze tightened.

No matter how much he didn’t want to admit it, he was very clear about what kind of relationship Bai Xun and Chu Yan had now...

It was a living-together relationship, one where Bai Xun could hold her whenever he wanted!