NOVEL WEB
Chapter 11
Jiang Yan had an ardent love yet was able to keep a clear head. Jiang Zhi was born cold and numb when it came to emotions, innocent as a child. It was destined that the confession would end without disease.
However, Jiang Yan had a task: to be driven from the house.
This seemed a good method.
Her appearance was deceiving—soft, white cheeks, round grape-like eyes clean as water, delicate features, charming figure. She was like a sweet younger sister who had walked out of an anime.
But in fact, from the moment Jiang Zhi appeared with a rose, she had already considered the possibility.
The system was hit too hard by Jiang Zhi's actions. At that moment, it was looping in Jiang Yan's consciousness: "Refuse him, refuse him, refuse him..."
It was a bit like a worried father afraid his daughter would be cheated away. But Jiang Yan knew it was just angry and exasperated.
Jiang Yan lay on the soft princess bed in her bedroom, lazily playing with her pink piggy bank, reasoning with the system: "But if I agree to him I can complete the task."
"What?" When it came to questions that required thinking rather than deduction, the system would freeze up.
"If I'm with Jiang Zhi, his family will definitely be angry. If they get angry, won't they drive me out?" Jiang Yan coaxed like soothing a child, patiently explaining.
Anything related to the task, the system found hard to refuse. It was quiet for a while, then inexplicably said something human: "You're taking advantage of Jiang Zhi's feelings for you."
What Jiang Yan liked most was the system's lack of human understanding. What she hated most was the same. Or rather, the system had poked her sore spot.
"Forget it then," Jiang Yan said calmly, full of malice in her eyes. "I agree it's not very good."
The system panicked: "No! You only have three months left at most. Finish the task quickly, or you'll face punishment."
Jiang Yan covered her eyes with her slender forearm, suddenly too lazy to act, perfunctorily saying: "Oh, alright then."
The next morning, she sent Jiang Zhi a message with two words: yes.
Jiang Zhi, who hadn't slept all night, thought his eyes were deceiving him. After confirming many times, the corners of his mouth rose to the heavens.
His roommate joked: "What happened, Brother Jiang? Good news?"
"I have a wife now." Jiang Zhi couldn't help but laugh.
"No way, for real?!"
"Damn! You're taken now!"
"When did this happen?!" Jiang Zhi was in a good mood and didn't want to haggle with them. He left the chaos behind, rushing out to buy food and flowers, preparing to see his wife.
He didn't care why she had agreed. She had agreed and that meant she couldn't go back on it.
But after calling Jiang Yan, he silently returned the fresh bouquet of roses.
"You're home?" Jiang Zhi casually asked. "Mom and Dad are here too?"
Jiang Zhi had to switch to a low-key bouquet of white spider lilies, but still reluctantly, asking the florist to tuck a red rose inside.
In some straight men's eyes, red roses were the most obvious expression of love.
Jiang Yan didn't have class yesterday. After watching a movie, she went back to school to grab something then went straight home. She definitely should have told Jiang Zhi, but yesterday's sudden confession had disturbed both their thoughts, so she forgot.
"You brat, you know to come back!" Jiang Zhi's mother laughed and scolded, then suspiciously asked: "What are you holding?"
"Flowers for my sister!" Jiang Zhi said without hiding anything. His family knew he and his sister were close. Bringing her flowers was normal.
After a while, Jiang Zhi's mother suddenly remembered the meaning behind white spider lilies—unwavering love, just for you—and laughed, shaking her head: "All grown up and still doesn't know how to buy flowers."
Jiang Yan was still lounging in bed. Swift footsteps suddenly sounded from the stairs, then her door was pulled open. Jiang Zhi held a bouquet, smiling. "Girlfriend, good morning!"
Jiang Yan groggily looked at him from the bed. He tactlessly closed the door, set the flowers on the table, crouched by the bed watching her half-asleep, utterly adorable.
"It's boyfriend perspective today," Jiang Zhi said, laughing.
Since the two were already exceptionally close, after starting a relationship there was surprisingly little change.
Jiang Zhi didn't make a move. Jiang Yan, usually so wooden, became anxious instead. Especially when Jiang Zhi urged her to come clean with his parents soon.
Jiang Yan wanted a thunderous rage that would drive them out. Of course she couldn't confess.
So the eternally unchanged Jiang Yan took initiative for once. When Jiang Zhi's mother came upstairs with fruit, Jiang Yan stood in front of him, expressionlessly saying: "I'm going to kiss you."
She pretended to be calm but her eyes were extremely flustered. Sweetness poured into Jiang Zhi's heart.
But fearful of scaring her away, he bent down and closed his eyes, waiting.
What came wasn't the girl's touch but Jiang Zhi's mother's ominous voice: "Jiang Zhi!"
Jiang Zhi opened his eyes wide. His mother's bony claw greeted his face. His mother usually valued self-cultivation most yet suddenly whipped out formidable martial arts.
Jiang Zhi had confidence reasoning with his mother, but seeing his girl seemingly frightened, he acquiesced and let himself be driven from the Jiang family home.
Bewildered Jiang Yan from start to finish hadn't been yelled at. Why not berate me? Why not drive me out?
Jiang Zhi's mother turned back to look at her. Her fury had already dissipated. Gently, she said: "My girl, that brat doesn't understand. I know it was him being poorly taught that led you astray. I've driven him out so don't be scared..."
Jiang Yan thought: I'm not scared at all.
Jiang Zhi's mother unilaterally decided it was his fault and indignantly told Jiang Yan's father, eliciting one team member who also scolded Jiang Zhi.
Unable to return home, Jiang Zhi could only live in his dorm. He resentfully hadn't gotten to kiss her.
Because she hadn't been driven out, Jiang Yan's task hadn't gone as planned. She was equally dejected.
Lying in bed, Jiang Zhi planned for the future: "After break I'll sneak you out. Let's go on vacation to my family's island. My dad bought it. It'd be a waste not to use it.
"There's a coconut grove there. You can eat specially flavored coconuts and fresh seafood. You'll definitely like it.
"We can ride a boat at sea and swim..."
The last orange glow faded from the horizon. The protagonist hugged a coconut in one hand and held his girl, afraid of the dark, walking back. Light shone brightly in the distance.
It made the single boys in the dorms envious.
Jiang Yan had quietly listened lying in bed. Suddenly she had an idea and asked: "When's break?"
Jiang Zhi said: "Soon, less than a month left."
Still enough time.
On A University's break day, Jiang Yan packed a small suitcase and secretly left, only to be caught red-handed by Jiang Zhi's mother at the front door.
But Jiang Zhi's car was already parked and he effortlessly took Jiang Yan's suitcase, saying to his mother: "Don't worry, I'll take good care of your daughter-in-law."
Jiang Zhi's mother, incensed: "If you're leaving, then don't come back!"
Initially hearing this, Jiang Yan instinctively turned back. Suddenly the system's voice appeared in her mind: "Task complete."
Jiang Zhi thought she was afraid and pulled her along, saying: "Don't worry. How could Mom truly be angry with you? She'll definitely call you in less than two days. I understand my mother perfectly clearly. Trust me?"
"I trust you."
Jiang Zhi successfully eloped with his little sister, even if it was right under their old mother's nose.
At least in that moment, Jiang Zhi felt he had attained happiness. His beloved girl was in his embrace.
But perhaps it had all gone too smoothly, so much so that he had a strange sense of foreboding, a dangerous, parting, unpleasant, fearful feeling. He instinctively touched Jiang Yan's forehead, wanting to find some sense of reality.
But no one could have expected that disaster would strike in that moment.