Chapter 53

Standing under the nearby street lamp, Shang Xian couldn’t see what happened after the car door was opened and then concealed.

All she noticed was that the approaching girl seemed stiff all over, with flushed cheeks and eyes filled with confusion and disorientation.

Shang Xian squinted her eyes.

Although she didn’t know what her dear brother had done, it was clear that he didn’t want their conversation with Su Miao Miao to go smoothly.

And judging by the outcome, he succeeded.

Shang Xian felt a mixture of anger and resignation.

—

Shang Yan’s attention was completely focused on this girl named Su Miao Miao. But if Su Miao Miao really was the daughter of Su Yiqing, then it meant she truly had the congenital heart disease that even the Su family found troublesome…

Shang Xian sighed slowly and silently.

The autumn night grew colder.

She hugged herself lightly, her gaze passing over the girl’s slender shoulders and landing on the car parked not far away.

That’s congenital heart disease…

Shang Yan,

Have you really thought this through?

Lost in thought, Shang Xian was snapped back to reality when Su Miao Miao approached her.

“Sister Shang…” Su Miao Miao cautiously addressed her with this slightly unfamiliar term, “Did you call me out here for something?”

The girl’s voice was gentle and soft, almost ethereal in the cool night, as if it could dissipate with a gust of wind.

Shang Xian’s gaze flickered, and she regained her focus. Her eyes settled on Su Miao Miao.

A faint smile naturally curved her red lips.

“Don’t be nervous, there’s nothing serious… Just some idle chatter, really.”

Su Miao Miao breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, though her face didn’t show it.

She nodded slightly, “Okay.”

Shang Xian’s eyes flashed, and she suddenly asked with a smile, “What do you think of Shang Yan?”

Su Miao miao was taken aback.

“You don’t have to hold back, just speak your mind,” Shang Xian winked at her. “As you can see, the relationship between my brother and me is not that harmonious. I’d love to hear some embarrassing stories or gossip about him from you.”

Su Miao Miao lowered her head, her brows furrowing tightly in thought.

After pondering for a while, the girl lifted her head.

“He doesn’t like studying Chinese.”

Shang Xian: “??”

Su Miao Miao: “Does that count?”

Shang Xian: “…………”

Su Miao Miao: “Actually, I don’t think it really counts… because I don’t like physics, chemistry, or biology either.”

Shang Xian: “… Besides that, is there anything else?”

Su Miao Miao shook her head.

Shang Xian stared into the girl’s eyes without blinking.

After ten seconds of eye contact, she conceded defeat.

—

Su Miao Miao wasn’t lying. She genuinely believed that her unruly and rebellious brother had no flaws other than “not liking Chinese,” which didn’t even count as a fault.

A perfect match indeed.

Shang Xian was so exasperated that she almost wanted to applaud the two of them.

Noticing the change in Shang Xian’s expression, Su Miao Miao looked at her earnestly.

“He really is very good.”

Shang Xian followed up, “In what ways, for example?”

Su Miao Miao was taken aback by the question but instinctively answered, “In many ways.”

This time, without waiting for Shang Xian to guide her, Su Miao Miao continued on her own, “He’s very good at studying. In the midterm exams, even though he didn’t pass Chinese, he got full marks in physics, chemistry, and biology, and ranked fourth in the whole grade. He’s also great at sports; he can run four laps around the track without breaking a sweat and is very good at basketball, everyone likes him. His computer skills are the best, everyone in the training group says many people from other schools admire him. He’s also very gentle with people, never gets impatient when teaching, and…”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Shang Xian interrupted, feeling a headache coming on.

She finally understood that asking the girl to say something bad about Shang Yan would take ages, and even then she could only come up with “doesn’t like Chinese.” But if asked to talk about his good qualities, this seemingly quiet girl could probably talk for a whole day and night.

Shang Xian felt helpless but couldn’t help laughing.

“So, do you like him?”

“…Ah??..”

The girl, who had been so eloquent just a second ago, suddenly froze.

She blinked silently and after a few seconds, finally spoke, her voice and gaze lowering together.

“Of course I like him,” Su Miao Miao replied. “He’s my mentor, of course I like him.”

Shang Xian, who had previously heard about this “mentor-disciple bond” from Bo Yi, glanced helplessly at the parked car. She then noticed that Shang Yan had gotten out of the car at some point. He was wearing only a thin black shirt, without his jacket, and was chewing on an unlit cigarette, looking over with a furrowed brow and a restless expression.

The questions Shang Xian wanted to ask swirled around her mouth, but she ultimately swallowed them back down. She turned her gaze back to the girl in front of her.

“I know my brother pretty well. He’s been single for eighteen years and has never given a second glance to the many girls who chased after him. It made me and my parents quite worried, thinking he might be a bit narcissistic or perhaps gay…”

She made a joke and then sighed softly.

“Miao Miao, before you, I’ve never seen him care so much about any girl.”

“…”

Su Miao Miao was stunned for a long time before she vaguely understood what Shang Xian meant. She was at a loss for words, opening her mouth to explain but finding no way to start.

Seeing the girl’s discomfort, Shang Xian smiled gently. “Don’t be nervous, I said it’s just a casual chat.”

Shang Xian glanced at the boy under the streetlight in the distance and couldn’t help but lower her eyes, laughing silently.

“We’ve spoiled him, Miao Miao. From the moment he was born, our whole family has treated him like a prince. His life has been smooth and without setbacks, but the only unfortunate thing is that he’s always been lonely… But you know what?”

Shang Xian sighed and looked at her with a deep and worried expression. “If it were up to me, I’d rather he remain lonely up in the clouds forever than see him fall one day, head over heels for someone, ending up battered and bruised, losing all his pride and spirit. I really don’t want to see that day.”

Su Miao Miao was completely bewildered by this point. She looked at Shang Xian in confusion and after a long moment, shook her head

“That won’t happen. My teacher is so proud; he would never be in such a sorry state.”

Shang Xian smiled bitterly. “Is that so?”

But no matter how she saw it, her brother had already taken the plunge without hesitation.

Shang Xian slowly sighed and reached out to gently pat the top of the girl’s head. “Miao Miao, I’m entrusting my brother to you.”

“Uh… what?”

Su Miao Miao was a bit flustered. She waved her hand awkwardly, but then, as if thinking of something, she quickly clenched her fingers back. Her cheeks flushed with a beautiful rosy color.

“I’m not good at taking care of people…”

“You don’t need to take care of him,” Shang Xian lowered her hand, smiling with her eyes crinkling, “Just take care of yourself, and don’t let him worry too much… That would put my mind at ease.”

Su Miao Miao listened, somewhat understanding and somewhat not. Shang Xian waved her hand, “Go back, Shang Yan must be getting impatient.”

Su Miao Miao hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. She turned and walked back to the car.

The boy’s tall shadow was cast among the fallen leaves on the ground. Hearing the sound of footsteps, he moved. The boy, biting an unlit cigarette with a furrowed brow, lifted his dark eyes and carefully observed the girl from head to toe before finally seeming to relax.

With a hint of warning, Shang Yan glanced up at Shang Xian.

Shang Xian couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused.

The stubborn little brother. He showed no hesitation in choosing between his sister and his crush.

As she was about to turn away, she saw the boy, who had just displayed his defiant gaze a moment ago, lower his eyes.

His voice, devoid of any deliberate softness, drifted through the quiet night and crisp moonlit breeze. “You’re about to get into trouble in thirty seconds, kid,” he threatened, leaning in close.

The girl murmured in response, her head hanging low.

When Shang Yan’s gaze swept over her, his brows furrowed. “Why are you still dawdling with so little on? Get in the car.”

“But you’re dressed even more…”

Su Miao Miao began, her gaze halting midway as she noticed the cigarette the boy had taken out and placed beside him.

After a silent pause, she raised her dark, wet eyes, her delicate face tightening imperceptibly. Despite her glamorous appearance, her expression remained neutral.

“Are you smoking?” her gaze made Shang Yan inexplicably guilty.

“It’s not lit,” he replied quickly.

“…”

After a few seconds of silence, Shang Yan cleared his throat and looked down at the girl.

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

“…”

Su Miao Miao remained silent.

Shang Yan frowned, reaching out to pinch the girl’s delicate chin, squinting slightly.

“Speak, Su Miao Miao,” his tone carrying a hint of danger.

But the girl refused to back down.

She pulled away the boy’s hand with a hint of annoyance, her tone dissatisfied and disappointed.

“Shang Yan, how could you smoke?”

—

She had just praised him like that in front of Shang Wei.

Shang Yan sighed helplessly. “I won’t touch it again.”

If he remembered correctly, one of the taboos for congenital heart disease was the stimulating components in cigarettes.

But Su Miao Miao didn’t know about his inner thoughts, so she looked at him with mixed feelings.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“But… what if I see it again next time?”

—

Shang Yan fell silent for two seconds, then leaned in front of the girl, propping himself up on his knees, staring into her clear eyes with a hoarse chuckle.

“It’s up to you. Whatever you decide, I’m fine with it.”

Su Miao Miao: “…”

It felt strange.

Before Su Miao Miao could make sense of the familiar feeling, a voice came from behind her—

“Shang Yan, the way you’re acting so shamelessly, I really want to take a picture and send it to Mom and Dad.”

“…”

Shang Yan frowned impatiently and turned his head slightly to look at Shang Xian standing behind the girl.

He looked at her with disdain.

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

Shang Xian replied, “I just suddenly remembered something that I haven’t told Miao Miao yet.”

“…?”

Su Miao Miao turned around curiously.

Shang Xian walked up to her and beckoned her with a gesture.

After a moment of hesitation, Su Miao Miao walked over.

Shang Xian leaned in close to the girl’s ear and whispered something.

The girl was taken aback, then nodded.

Shang Xian had a “just as I thought” expression on her face and looked at Shang Yan with a very complicated gaze. Then she bent down again and whispered more into the girl’s ear.

After this exchange, Shang Xian straightened up, lazily waved her hand at Shang Yan, and then turned and went back to her place.

Shang Yan was just about to ask something when he saw the girl lower her head and silently walk past him to get into the car.

Shang Yan: “…”

He cast a dangerous glance in the direction Shang Xian had gone, then, with a bit of frustration in his eyes, turned and got back into the car.

In the car, the driver, accustomed to chauffeuring the two, glanced in the rearview mirror.

“Young Master, do you still want to go to school?”

Shang Yan raised his wrist to look at his watch. It was just past seven thirty. If it had been before tonight, he would have told the driver to head straight to the No. 3 High School, but now…

Shang Yan looked at Su Miao Miao, who had been silent the whole way.

“Are you tired, kid?”

“…Huh?”

Su Miao Miao, a bit slow to react, shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Shang Yan frowned slightly but still spoke, “Head straight to the Wen family’s villa.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Su Miao Miao looked at him in confusion. “It’s just after seven, aren’t we going to the training group?”

“No, not tonight,” Shang Yan replied, lowering his gaze. “I’m tired.”

Su Miao Miao responded with a soft “okay.”

The car then drove into the villa area and stopped at the small road near the Wen family’s villa.

Su Miao Miao picked up her backpack from the car. “Then I’ll just—”

“I’ll walk you down,” Shang Yan interrupted.Su Miao Miao was taken aback. “Didn’t we agree before that dropping me off here was enough?”

Shang Yan had already opened the door. Hearing her words, he looked at her with his dark eyes. “From today onwards, that agreement is null.”

Su Miao Miao: “……?”

Without giving her a chance to argue, the young man had already turned and got out of the car.

Left with no choice, Su Miao Miao followed him.

The villa area was even quieter. There wasn’t a single person on the road; only the shadows of trees swayed gently on the ground, creating beautiful ripples like those on water.

From the corner to the Wen family’s villa, it was only a few dozen steps. Su Miao Miao and Shang Yan walked slowly and silently.

They stopped in front of the Wen family’s main courtyard.

“You should go back—”

“Shang Yan—”

They both spoke at the same time, looking at each other.

A hint of a smile appeared in Shang Yan’s eyes, and his lips curved slightly.

“Go ahead,” he said.

Su Miao Miao hesitated for a moment.

The question Shang Xian had whispered in her ear before parting seemed to echo in her mind once more—

“Did you ever bite Shang Yan once, near the collarbone?”

Su Miao Miao clearly remembered the complex feelings she had at that moment. There was panic, embarrassment, a sense of being caught, worry, and a lot of confusion…

Even now, she could easily recall those feelings. Remembering what Shang Xian said afterward made Su Miao Miao even more uneasy. The girl’s pale cheeks flushed slightly. After holding back for several seconds, she finally mustered the courage to look up at the boy.

“Did the bite mark I left on your collarbone heal?”

Shang Yan was taken aback. Then he chuckled softly. “Yes, it healed a long time ago.”

He leaned down slightly, with a half-smile. “Why, do you want to bite me again?”

Su Miao Miao, however, looked back at him without blinking, her gaze clear.

“Can I see it?”

“…”

Shang Yan froze in place.

After a moment, he narrowed his eyes slightly. “What did Shang Xian tell you?”

Hearing this question, the girl seemed to confirm something. She stood there, stunned by this realization.

After a few seconds, she snapped out of it, slowly biting her lower lip, her eyes welling up with emotions like water.

“…I want to see.”

She spoke with rare and almost commanding anger.

Shang Yan paused. After a moment, he smiled helplessly.

Clearly trying to act tough, yet her eyes were watery, as if she might cry at any moment.

Such a soft yet firm threat.

…..

He seemed unable to resist.

“You really need to see it?”

“…Yes!”

“Fine.”

Shang Yan straightened up, pulling at his thin black shirt. He lifted one arm, bringing his right hand to the perfectly fastened collar, and undid the top button.

The black shirt loosened, revealing a stretch of his smooth neckline.

He lowered his gaze.

His dark eyes met the girl’s, which were fixed intently on his fingers. Shang Yan lightly licked his teeth and suddenly let out a low laugh.

He dropped his hand and asked with a lazy smile,

“—Well?”

“Kid, if you want to see it, why should I do it myself?”

Su Miao Miao was stunned.

Shang Yan bent down, resting his hands on his knees. With only one button undone, nothing was visible.

Su Miao Miao’s gaze lifted to his face.

He just looked at her like that, with a hint of a smile.

His beautiful black eyes gleamed like obsidian hiding fragments of stars.

He seemed to be betting, betting that she wouldn’t dare to reach out and unbutton his collar.

Su Miao Miao held her breath.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she raised her hands.

Her pale pink fingers emerged from her sleeves, with a slight, unconscious tremor.

Shang Yan’s lips curled slightly.

He stared into the girl’s eyes and chuckled softly.

“If you’re scared, forget it.”

“…”

Su Miao Miao bit her lip, her heart pounding. She made up her mind and reached up to the man’s shirtfront. With determination, she quickly undid the top two buttons.

Then she grabbed the left side of his shirt and pulled it down gently.

The smooth and sharp line of his collarbone emerged.

Along with it, revealed at the spot where she had bitten him, covering the original scar perfectly…

A red tattoo.

He had tattooed the bite mark on himself, stitch by stitch.

The red against his fair skin made her eyes sting.

Su Miao Miao held her breath, her face pale.

After what seemed like an eternity, she lifted her head in frustration, her eyes red and glaring at the boy—

“Shang Yan, are you… are you insane!?”

This was the fiercest insult the girl had ever learned in her life.

She was furious.

Her thin shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

If her eyes weren’t so red and tears weren’t swirling in her dark pupils, it would have been even better…

Shang Yan sighed.

“Yes, I’m insane.” He reached out and lightly pinched the girl’s nose. “So don’t cry over a crazy person, isn’t it not worth it?”

The girl angrily dodged his hand.

Her breath trembling, her left hand still clutching his shirt, she looked at him unwillingly and uneasily.

Blood-red, blood-red.

It looked very painful.

And it had only just healed not long ago…

The more Su Miao Miao thought about it, the angrier she became, and tears were about to fall.

Her eye sockets were completely red.

Shang Yan felt even more distressed seeing this.

He sighed.

“I brought this upon myself, but it’s not worth crying over, right?”

Su Miao Miao choked up.

The words Shang Yan had said in the library came back to her—

“Or, whenever you never want to see me again, you come cry in front of me—cry three times, and then you can dig a hole and bury me.”

The bitterness of those words was somewhat diluted by this sudden realization.

Su Miao Miao’s residual annoyance was mixed with a sense of helplessness.

She looked up at the boy, her gaze hesitantly brushing over the red tattoo.

After taking a deep breath, she asked softly, with a hint of bitterness in her voice, “Why did you do this?”

Shang Yan sighed. “Did Shang Xian tell you?”

Shang Xian hadn’t meant to hide this point, so after thinking it over, Su Miao Miao nodded slowly.

“That devil woman…”

A hint of disdain flashed in Shang Yan’s eyes.

“You still haven’t answered me,” the girl said, looking at him discontentedly.

Shang Yan returned his gaze to her.

After a two-second pause, he smirked.

“I don’t know… Maybe I was out of my mind.”

Su Miao Miao was taken aback by this answer.

“Then… does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Shang Yan replied without hesitation.

Su Miao Miao was slightly annoyed. “You’re lying. It’s still a bit swollen.”

Shang Yan went along with it. “Okay, it still hurts a little.”

Su Miao Miao’s eyelids drooped, feeling both angry and concerned.

“What should we do then?”

Shang Yan half-lowered his gaze, lazily smiling.

“I already taught you a method.”

Su Miao Miao: “…?”

Shang Yan continued, “I taught you on the ambulance that time.”

“…”

Remembering what Shang Yan had said about the method, Su Miao Miao’s cheeks flushed, and then she felt a bit annoyed.

“That worked that time, but not this time.”

“Why?”

“This time, it’s your own… you caused it yourself!” the girl exclaimed angrily.

Shang Yan chuckled helplessly.

“So, on that day, were you only willing to listen to me because you saw it as a reward for being your knight in shining armor?”

“…”

Su Miao Miao bit her lip, not saying anything. Her dark eyes were watery, and her cheeks were flushed with a hint of red.

Shang Yan frowned slightly.

“But it really does hurt.”

Su Miao Miao: “…”

“Even though the tattoo was my doing, it seems like I’m not responsible for the scar?”

“…”

The hand clutching his shirt gradually loosened, and the last trace of blood faded from the pale fingertips.

There was a long silence between them.

Just as Shang Yan decided to regain some humanity and stop teasing the girl, he heard her speak in a muffled and soft voice.

“One last time…”

Before he could react, the girl grabbed his shirt and tiptoed.

A light kiss landed on the tattoo on the boy’s skin.

Shang Yan stiffened.

Almost simultaneously, an incredulous exclamation rang out—

“What are you two doing!?”

Su Miao Miao suddenly turned around and saw the Wen family parents standing there, as well as Wen Susu, who was standing still.