Ch. 22
Chapter 22. The Return Gift from My Fiancée
At the ceremony venue, while countless people were cheering for the fairy-tale couple on stage,
Lin Wan, who had been escorted back to her seat by security, stared ahead with bloodshot eyes. She bit her red lip so hard that it broke, and bright blood dripped onto her snow-white dress.
"Jiang Yichen! You bastard! Why did you keep it from me?"
Lin Wan's face was full of grievance, as though she were the one who had been deceived by Jiang Yichen.
The Boss of the Yanhuang Team, the eldest young master of the Jiang family—why had he lied to her and said he was just an ordinary rich second-generation heir?
If Jiang Yichen had told me from the very beginning, I never would have listened to Ye Chengyu and broken up with you!
It's all your fault! Why did you lie to me?!
Lin Wan cried until her eyes turned red, gasping in heartbreak, as though she were the victim.
But the classmates around her felt not the slightest sympathy. All she got were whispered curses.
"Serves her right! This woman finally got what was coming to her."
In the front row, Chu Xingchen stood with his arms crossed and could not help smiling when he saw Lin Wan's miserable state.
Tang Long laughed as well. "Brother Yichen must've taken the wrong medicine today. He used to protect Lin Wan like she was a princess, but just now he slapped her without hesitation. That was satisfying as hell."
"Seriously though, is that really Brother Yichen? Has he actually decided to turn over a new leaf and marry into the Su family alliance?"
Tang Long stared at the wedding-like surprise Jiang Yichen had prepared for Su Linyu on stage, disbelief written all over his face.
"Not necessarily." Chu Xingchen shook his head. "Even if Jiang Yichen has changed his mind, the Su family still won't agree."
"Why not?"
"If it were you, would you let your daughter—someone with SSS-grade martial talent, a Martial God seed—marry a loser with A-grade martial talent who's still stuck in the Second Realm?"
Tang Long fell silent for a moment, then his face stiffened. "Damn, you're right."
"Besides, the Su family has been getting very close to the Zhou family over the past four years. My guess is that Jiang Yichen is acting so out of character because he wants to ease the tension between the Su and Jiang families."
Chu Xingchen analyzed the situation. "I bet the Su family is definitely going to stir up trouble during the graduation assessment three days from now."
"Holy hell, Hero Chu, you've got the makings of a strategist." Tang Long praised him, then added, "So what do we do? Should we help him out before the graduation assessment?"
Chu Xingchen clicked his tongue and turned his head aside. "Who's helping him? I never said I was making up with him."
Tang Long sighed, glanced at Jiang Yichen on the stage, and shook his head slightly.
...
The graduation ceremony continued, but Jiang Yichen pulled Su Linyu and ran out of the venue.
Damn it, he had basically turned the graduation ceremony into a wedding. If he didn't run now, when would he?
System, this surprise blind box of yours is way too much of a surprise.
The two of them ran all the way to the school's artificial lake before finally shaking off the students chasing after them with cameras.
"Wow, Brother Yichen, that was so exciting! It felt like we were eloping at the altar!"
Holding her bouquet, Su Linyu's excitement was written all over her face. Her jade-like legs, wrapped in white stockings, bounced lightly under the moonlight.
Jiang Yichen smiled helplessly. "Exciting, yes, but I was planning to stay and watch the graduation performances. Now that's not happening."
In his previous life, he had never properly savored the atmosphere of a graduation ceremony because he had been too busy simping after Lin Wan.
Now, aside from taking graduation photos, watching the performances would have been a nice part of it too. Unfortunately, after Lin Wan pulled that stunt, there was no way he could stay in the venue.
Today's slacker routine had lost a bit of its fun.
Still, that slap across Lin Wan's face had felt genuinely satisfying!
The corners of Jiang Yichen's lips lifted slightly.
"A performance?" Su Linyu suddenly scooted closer, smiling brightly. "Brother Yichen, I can do that, I can. Do you want to hear me sing or watch me dance? I can do either."
Hearing that, Jiang Yichen could not help recalling the dance Su Linyu had performed before the ceremony began.
"Uh... let's not."
"Brother Yichen, I really can. Look."
Su Linyu pulled out a pair of bunny ears from her storage pouch and put them on her head. The crystal high heels on her feet tapped out a rhythmic click-clack.
"Little white rabbit, so white, so white,
with two little ears standing upright,
it loves to eat carrots, it loves greens too,
hopping and bouncing, so cute through and through..."
As she sang, she moved along with the lyrics. The bunny ears bobbed adorably, and in the end, she bounced right up in front of him, clenched her fists, and held them beside her cheeks.
"Brother Yichen, isn't it cute?"
"Uh..." Jiang Yichen nodded. "It's... pretty good."
"Then... Brother Yichen, I really, really, really loved the gift you gave me today, so I want to give you a return gift too."
Su Linyu touched her pink storage pouch and took out a jar filled with folded paper stars, holding it out with both hands.
"What's this?" Jiang Yichen studied the transparent jar carefully. Other than the folded stars inside, there was nothing else in it.
Su Linyu fidgeted shyly. "These are the words I wrote to you every day during the four years you kept avoiding me, Brother Yichen. There are 1,490 stars in total."
"It isn't expensive, but I think it's very meaningful."
Jiang Yichen looked surprised. "You wrote one every day for four years?"
"Mhm." Su Linyu nodded. "Brother Yichen, I also drew your portrait using your name. I'll give that to you next time on your birthday."
"No, no, that's wrong. Then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. Brother Yichen, forget that, forget it."
Jiang Yichen could not help smiling. In his previous life, the gifts Su Linyu gave him had never been expensive watches or luxury goods.
They had all been handmade by her. Only that kind of gift made her feel it truly meant something.
What was laughable was that Lin Wan, whom he had loved for four years, had never once given him a gift.
Meanwhile, the fiancée he had always wanted to cast aside had long since prepared everything for him.
Jiang Yichen accepted the jar filled with folded paper stars and said with a smile, "Thank you."
The instant Su Linyu heard that, she let out a cry of excitement. "Wuwuwu, after four years of giving gifts, this is the first time Brother Yichen has thanked me! This is amazing!"
She began bouncing with joy. Every previous gift she had given him had either been smashed in public or thrown straight into the trash.
Not once had he ever accepted one and thanked her for it.
"I've decided! I'm going to make today 'Brother Yichen's Exclusive Gift Day.' I'll celebrate it every year from now on."
Su Linyu took out her phone, opened her calendar, and marked today's date with the note: Brother Yichen's Exclusive Gift Day.
"..."
Jiang Yichen's mouth twitched. "You don't have to take it that seriously..."
"Of course I do. Anything related to Brother Yichen is extremely, extremely important." Su Linyu's expression was utterly resolute.
Jiang Yichen: (◎_◎;)
So this was what a pure-love warrior was like? Even the me from my previous life couldn't compare.
After putting Su Linyu's gift into his system space, Jiang Yichen and Su Linyu had planned to take a walk by the lake and enjoy the comfort of the evening breeze.
But then a stretched Bentley suddenly drove up and stopped in front of them.
Whoosh!
The driver opened the door, and a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit slowly spoke from inside.
"Linyu, get in the car."
At those words, Su Linyu's expression changed. She slowly backed away and hid behind Jiang Yichen.
"Dad, I want to stay with Brother Yichen tonight..."
"Nonsense! Get in the car, or tomorrow I'll personally come to cancel your engagement." Su Zhan's voice was stern.
That immediately cowed Su Linyu, and she looked to Jiang Yichen for help.
His gaze met Su Zhan's cold eyes. In his previous life, Su Zhan had been fiercely opposed to the engagement between him and Su Linyu.
One reason was his love for Lin Wan. The second was that he was simply too weak.
In this world, where demonic beasts ran rampant and martial strength reigned supreme, someone with A-grade martial talent who had only reached the Second Realm after four years of university had no hope left on the martial path.
But Su Linyu possessed SSS-grade martial talent and was hailed as a genius with the potential to become a Martial God. Naturally, Su Zhan was unwilling to marry his daughter to a waste like him.
But what did the me from my previous life have to do with the me now?
Jiang Yichen smiled faintly. "Go back first."
"Brother Yichen..." Su Linyu tugged at the corner of his clothes, her face full of reluctance.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Hm?
But the moment he said that, Su Linyu's eyes widened, and she nodded frantically before climbing into Su Zhan's car, turning back to look at him with every step.
"Brother Yichen, I'll make you a love-filled lunch tomorrow morning." Su Linyu waved at him.
Su Zhan found the sight unbearable. A dignified young lady of the Su family cooking and delivering meals to a man—what kind of behavior was that?
He glared at Su Linyu, then turned to Jiang Yichen. "Jiang Yichen, don't think that just because you put on a little performance for me, I'll believe you've really turned back."
"If you can't produce results in the graduation assessment three days from now, then your engagement with Linyu must be dissolved."
Bang!
The car door shut, and the Bentley drove away.
???
A performance? What was that supposed to mean?
Jiang Yichen thought about it for a moment and gradually understood.
Jiang Feng wanted to drag him down from the position of heir, so he had the Zhou family invite Su Zhan to watch the graduation ceremony. What he had wanted was for Su Zhan to witness Jiang Yichen begging Lin Wan for forgiveness after their breakup.
That way, they would have an excuse to come to the door and cancel the engagement.
But he had not done that. Instead, he had given Su Linyu a surprise, so Su Zhan assumed he was just putting on an act for him.
Sigh. How could an impression built over four years possibly be changed by one brief moment of unusual behavior?
Jiang Yichen shrugged and rubbed his chin. "The graduation assessment... he wants me to produce results?"
【Ding! A slacker choice has been triggered.】
【Choice One: Just like in your previous life, go back and apologize to Lin Wan, ask to get back together, and give up preparing for the graduation assessment. Reward: the title 'Top-Tier Simp.'
Choice Two: A graduation ceremony is a competitive game. They want you to compete? Not happening. You directly slack off and skip the graduation assessment. Reward: 'Low-Level Slacker Gift Pack.'
Choice Three: In your previous life, you struggled as hard as you could and still failed to qualify for the graduation assessment. Now that you've lived a second life, and slacking off makes you stronger anyway, there are still three days left before the graduation assessment. You do not plan to do any pre-exam preparation. You want to slack off. You want to improve your quality of life and enjoy the good life. Reward: 'High-Level Slacker Gift Pack.'】