Chapter 44: Be Careful You Might Not Get Married

“Wait a minute,” Tao An suddenly paused, frowning. “Brother Nan, how could a struggling student afford a Walkman?”

“I gave it to her. Got a problem with that?” Jun Nanye raised an eyebrow.

Tao An looked half-convinced. “Since when have you been sponsoring students? And why didn’t I hear about it? Also… do you even know where to buy a Walkman?”

Jun Nanye: “……”

Why hadn’t he noticed Tao An was this sharp before?

“I’ll go get it fixed right away!” Tao An blurted, clutching the half-broken Walkman like it was a live grenade. He bolted from the room, terrified Jun Nanye might ship him off to work in a mine somewhere.

It wasn’t until Tao An had left that Jun Nanye realized—this Walkman could be a lead to investigate Classmate Cheng’s background.

Cheng, Cheng, Chen… Three surnames with the same pronunciation. He still leaned toward He Cheng Cheng, even though she insisted it was Er Dong Chen. Something about that just felt wrong.

As for Cheng, he dismissed it entirely. It was too rare. If that were her real surname, she probably would’ve made up a fake one just to mislead him.

After running around the city, Tao An finally found a repair shop willing to take a look. But the shopkeeper shook his head after one glance. “Hopeless. It’s completely destroyed—there’s nothing left to fix.”

“I’ll pay, no matter the cost,” Tao An insisted, puffing himself up.

The shopkeeper shook his head again. “Honestly, it’d cost more to fix than to just buy a new one. In fact, I’ve got the exact same model right here.”

“No thanks,” Tao An replied, glancing at the new Walkman, then at the old one. “Do you know who the manufacturer is?”

Eventually, after a long and tiring search, Tao An tracked down the manufacturer. For eight hundred yuan, they managed to restore the Walkman. Only the back casing remained original; nearly every other part had been replaced. As he walked away, Tao An muttered under his breath, “A brand new one would’ve cost the same… and this tape? It’s got Xia Wanwan’s songs.”

Back at the villa, Tao An placed the fully restored Walkman in front of Jun Nanye. “Brother Nan, is the person you’re sponsoring a girl?”

Before Jun Nanye could respond, Tao An barreled on, “A lot of girls really love Xia Wanwan’s songs. Brother Nan, what’s her name? And when did you start getting so personally involved?”

His curiosity wasn’t unfounded. Jun Nanye had sponsored people before—usually orphanages—but they’d always just donated money and stayed hands-off. This was different.

“You said girls like Xia Wanwan?” Jun Nanye opened the Walkman and examined the cassette. Alongside the song titles was a portrait of the singer.

“Exactly! Like Xiao Chen’s niece—she’s obsessed. Has all her albums, posters, postcards, you name it. Spends her allowance collecting them. Even fights with her younger brother over who gets to play the tapes.”

Tao An, once he got going, could really talk. “She even spent eight hundred eighty yuan on a concert ticket just to see Xia Wanwan live!”

“Good, not bad,” Jun Nanye said approvingly.

Tao An blinked in surprise. A compliment? That was rare. He suddenly felt a little flustered.

That evening, when Cheng Yuan received her repaired Walkman, she beamed. “Wow, thank you!”

Her happiness was infectious, her joy unmistakable even in the dark. The small scratch she’d left on the back was still there, proof it was hers. She’d been right to trust him.

Jun Nanye, unable to see her expression, could still feel the delight in her voice. It’s just a Walkman from her dad, he thought, a little bewildered. Why is she this happy?

Still, he found himself smiling faintly. “Want to go to Xia Wanwan’s concert?”

“Huh?” Cheng Yuan froze.

“She’s holding a solo concert in Hai City on the 21st. Want to go?” Jun Nanye asked again, casually.

Without hesitation, Cheng Yuan nodded—then remembered he couldn’t see her. She quickly grabbed his hand. “Yes! I really want to! Can you get tickets?”

Xia Wanwan—her idol across two lifetimes. That voice had brought her through dark nights and heartbreak, comforting her again and again.

“Of course.” Jun Nanye nodded confidently. “But how should I get the tickets to you?”

“No need to mail them. Just bring them yourself!” Cheng Yuan said shamelessly. “Two tickets—one for me and one for my friend.”

“To thank you for the tickets,” she added, “I’ve decided I’ll come keep you company every night from now on.”

Noticing how that sounded, she quickly corrected herself. “I mean, I’ll sleep here every night from now on. You won’t have to suffer insomnia anymore. No need to thank me.”

Jun Nanye: “Cheng Yuan, why can’t I see your face?”

Hands on her hips, she snapped, “Well, you’re the one keeping your eyes closed! If you don’t want me here, just say it. No need to act like I’m some shameless hanger-on.”

Jun Nanye: “……”

Are all girls these days this bold?

“So fierce,” he muttered. “Be careful, or you’ll never get married.”

Sprawled out on the icy bed, Cheng Yuan shot back, “Don’t worry. Even if I stay single forever, I won’t be clinging to you. Just because you’re handsome doesn’t mean I’d marry a man with a venomous tongue. Only someone blind would make that mistake.”

She paused, then added, “And if someone did marry you, it’d be for your looks or money—not for your personality.”

Jun Nanye: “Cheng Yuan, that sounds like jealousy.”

“It’s just the truth,” she huffed. Lying back, she glanced around the pitch-black room. Though it was sparse—just a bed and darkness—she felt a strange peace here. Like she belonged. Like she’d slept here before.

“I’m just too kind-hearted. No need to thank me~” Her teasing tone carried a familiar flair, fiery and unrestrained.

Jun Nanye took note of her lilting intonation. “You’re really not going to see Xia Wanwan? VIP tickets. Front row.”

“……”

Tempting. Very tempting.

“You could even go onstage to present her with flowers,” Jun Nanye added.

“……”

Hold it together. She had her pride, didn’t she?

“I could even arrange for you to have dinner with Xia Wanwan.”

With each offer, his tone grew more dangerous—like he knew exactly how to push her buttons.

How long could she resist?