When the Villain Falls Madly in Love with Me - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Put Away

“Beep-beep-beep—”

The phone continued to ring stubbornly. In the past, with the speed of an extreme internet addict like Li Yan, the phone wouldn’t ring past the second chime, but today, no one answered for a long time.

Jiang Le pursed her lips and dialed again. This time, it was picked up quickly.

“Hello?”

But the voice was not Li Yan’s. Jiang Le’s heart sank: “Auntie, where is Li Yan?”

Li Yan’s mother paused for a moment, then sighed softly: “Lele, I’m so sorry to worry you. Yan Yan… is asleep. She’s just not in a good state, and I’m afraid she won’t be able to go out and play with you tomorrow.”

After a few more apologetic words, Jiang Le replied calmly: “It’s alright. When she wakes up tomorrow, please ask her to call me back, okay?”

Li Yan’s mother agreed repeatedly. It seemed there was some movement on her end, and the phone was quickly hung up.

“How is it?” Jiang Congyue asked with concern from the side.

Jiang Le slightly frowned: “She said she was fine. She’s probably holding her anger in.”

After saying this, she immediately dialed Chen Ting’s number without hesitation.

The call was answered, and Chen Ting quickly preempted her: “I’m busy; talk later.” Before the last word was out, only a dial tone remained in the receiver.

Jiang Le held the phone, stunned for a few seconds, then turned to look at Jiang Congyue, her eyes full of confusion.

“Alright,” Jiang Congyue took her phone subtly. “This is between the two of them. They have to solve it themselves. Outsiders can’t easily interfere.”

Jiang Le’s lips moved, as if wanting to object, but she finally nodded and turned to continue packing her luggage.

Seeing her absent-minded look, a rare hint of displeasure flashed across Jiang Congyue’s face, but she immediately smiled again: “Lele, if one day, the person you like suddenly left without saying goodbye, and you knew there was a hidden reason… what would you do?”

The question came out of nowhere. Jiang Le stopped what she was doing and glanced at Jiang Congyue leaning by the bed: “I don’t have anyone I like.” Her tone was firm, taking it as another one of Jiang Congyue’s tests.

“I said if. Suppose that day comes in the future. What would you do?” Jiang Congyue pressed on relentlessly, leaning forward slightly, looking extremely curious.

Seeing her serious expression, Jiang Le pondered for a moment, then decisively spat out the answer: “I would hate her.”

Jiang Congyue clicked her tongue, clearly not very satisfied with the answer, but didn’t press further. Instead, she asked: “Then what kind of person does Lele like?”

“Doesn’t date early,” Jiang Le answered straightforwardly.

Jiang Congyue couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It seemed the last incident had left quite a shadow on her, and she felt a little guilty.

“You’re almost graduating; it’s okay to talk about it.” Jiang Congyue’s eyes curved into crescent moons with laughter.

What kind of person does she like? Jiang Le subconsciously touched her face, then answered with conviction: “Someone like me.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Congyue laughed so hard she bent over backward, her white hair reflecting fragmented light under the lamp, making Jiang Le a little dizzy.

She rubbed the clothes in her hands hard, thinking that Jiang Congyue must be laughing at her extreme narcissism, her ear tips starting to burn uncontrollably.

She believed that no one in this world could surpass her, not even Jiang Congyue, who treated her so well. But listening to the sustained laughter, she grabbed her hand in annoyance. She shouldn’t have said that.

Her head was suddenly gently ruffled. Jiang Le looked up, meeting Jiang Congyue’s smiling gaze: “Oh dear, then I can rest assured. Since Lele likes herself so much, she’ll definitely take very good care of herself in the future, right?”

Jiang Le’s back instantly tensed. She pushed the hand away in slight displeasure. She didn’t like discussing this topic, even though separation and death were common occurrences in the world.

“Don’t worry too much about the two of them. Chen Ting is a smart girl; she’ll handle it,” Jiang Congyue withdrew her hand sheepishly, advising her gently.

“Got it,” Jiang Le replied sulkily.

“Alright, get some rest early once you’re done packing.” Jiang Congyue smiled, waved her hand, and left the room.

The moment the door closed, a sudden, inexplicable irritation seized Jiang Le without warning. She angrily messed up the neatly folded clothes.

After sitting restlessly for a moment, she got up, opened the drawer, and carefully took out the longevity lock from the cloth bag. The cold metallic touch pressed against her palm.

If only humans could be immortal. In the not-so-long time they had shared, Jiang Congyue had quietly integrated into her life, becoming an inseparable part of her.

She desperately wished that she could stay by her side for a long time.

Jiang Le sighed lightly with regret. Her fingertips lingered on the intricate patterns, but she ultimately wrapped it up carefully and put it back in its original place. Eternal life, like this longevity lock, is beautiful yet heavy, and hanging it around the neck only leaves the suffocating feeling of the cord tightening. So, it can only be taken off and put away.

She could only learn to accept the fact that Jiang Congyue would eventually leave.

The next day, Li Yan called back, telling Jiang Le in a firm tone that she and Chen Ting had completely broken up, her voice revealing an undeniable exhaustion.

Jiang Le only told her to rest well. As for Chen Ting’s choice, that was her business and had nothing to do with Jiang Le.

On the trip, Jiang Congyue took Jiang Le to experience countless new things she had never seen before, coloring her pale world little by little.

Back at school, Li Yan seemed to have recovered, putting all thoughts of Chen Ting out of her mind. It was only a few months of dating, after all; it couldn’t be considered unforgettable.

That day, the class teacher brought up the topic of college applications.

As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom immediately burst into discussion, everyone’s face filled with excitement for the future.

“Hey, Jiang Le,” Li Yan threw an arm around Jiang Le’s shoulder, wailing dramatically, “If you go to Beishi, won’t we not see each other for a long, long time? I’ll miss you like crazy!”

Jiang Le chuckled: “You were in a long-distance relationship before, and you were so bold, saying it was just a plane ticket away? Why is it ‘a long, long time’ when it comes to me?”

“Hey!” Li Yan glared at her in mock anger, then covered her head and buried it on the desk. “We agreed not to mention that! You’re not allowed to bring it up again; it’s so embarrassing!”

Hearing her complain like this, Jiang Le knew that the matter was mostly over for her.

It seems that the ‘love’ they talk about is nothing much. Jiang Le thought to herself.

The days spent buried in practice tests flew by like a white colt passing a crack. The more Jiang Le frantically tried to grasp time, the more she could only watch helplessly as the countdown number on the blackboard grew smaller each day. She neglected sleep and food, even holding a vocabulary book while brushing her teeth. She visibly lost weight, enduring immense suffering.

Fortunately, the end was finally in sight.

“Admissions ticket, ID card, pens, ruler…” The night before the exam, Jiang Congyue checked the items to be taken tomorrow for the fourth time. She looked as if she were facing a formidable enemy, her expression even more nervous than Jiang Le, who was about to sit the exam.

Finally, she walked over as if nothing was wrong, took Jiang Le’s hand, and reassured her repeatedly: “Don’t be nervous. It’s just an exam. With your grades, you don’t need to worry at all. Just do your best…”

Jiang Le’s heart, which had been slightly accelerated due to nervousness, was instead calmed by Jiang Congyue’s demeanor. She smiled, pulled her hand back, tilted her head, and looked at the other person teasingly: “Are you nervous, or am I?”

Her careful thoughts were mercilessly exposed. Jiang Congyue coughed lightly and waved her hand: “Alright, alright, as long as you know what you’re doing. I’m not going to worry anymore. I’m suddenly a little tired, going to sleep now. Don’t forget to drink the milk on the table.” With that, she practically fled.

Watching that swift figure disappear at the door, Jiang Le couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Her steps were much more vigorous than her previous appearance of being breathless after only a few steps. She shook her head, dismissing some untimely thoughts, turned off the light, and closed her eyes to review in the darkness.

—

At the school gate.

The scorching sun overhead did not deter the enthusiasm of the parents. Everyone held a fan, gathering to chat and laugh, but their eyes anxiously cast toward the school gate from time to time.

Inside a low-key black sedan, Jiang Congyue spoke into her phone, her expression calm: “The Chen family?”

She seemed to be thinking of something, the corners of her lips slightly turning up almost imperceptibly. “We can talk.”

“Oh! Isn’t that Lele and Yan Yan!” The driver honked the horn twice happily.

Jiang Congyue looked over at the sound, her gaze instantly fixed on the particularly striking figure in the crowd.

Jiang Le, wearing a light white dress, had a faint smile on her face. She was slightly tilting her head, attentively listening to the girl beside her chattering about something.

Her heart felt gently nudged by something, a feeling of indescribable sourness washing over her. She quickly said into the phone: “I’ll handle the specifics at the company tomorrow,” and then cut off the call.

Outside the car, Jiang Le and Li Yan also spotted them and walked over quickly.

The car door opened, and the cool air instantly dispelled the surrounding heat.

Li Yan plopped down and immediately launched into a chatter: “Hey! The exam was super easy this time! If I had really taken the exam…”

Everyone in the car listened with a smile to her vivid description.

When she finally stopped, out of breath, Jiang Congyue timely handed her a bottle of water.

While Li Yan was drinking, Jiang Congyue said: “To celebrate your escape from this misery, I’ve booked a private room. Why don’t you two go back and take a shower, and then we’ll go?”

“Yay!” Li Yan’s eyes lit up when she heard about the feast, and she cheered excitedly.

Jiang Le, leaning against the seat back, met Jiang Congyue’s smiling eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively shifted her gaze away, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt. It was that strange feeling of familiarity again.

Jiang Congyue was amused by Li Yan’s words again and laughed: “Yan Yan’s liveliness, is it becoming more and more like you?”

Li Yan’s mother was also amused by her daughter. Looking at the two faces reflected in the rearview mirror, she casually chuckled: “Of course. If you spend too much time together, you’ll become alike. Hey, Boss Jiang, you and Lele are also looking more and more alike.”

As she spoke, she looked closely in the rearview mirror and added, “Seriously, with those eyebrows and features, if you walked out and asked people, who could say you aren’t mother and daughter?”

“Wow! Really! I think so too!” Li Yan immediately leaned closer, looking back and forth at the two with great seriousness, nodding repeatedly in agreement.

Jiang Congyue’s face broke into an even bigger smile, and she echoed repeatedly: “Indeed, isn’t it?”

The speaker might have been unintentional, but the listener felt struck by lightning. Jiang Le felt as if her heart was tightly squeezed by an invisible hand and then violently slammed down.

Normally, Li Yan’s mother’s words would only make her secretly happy. However, at this moment, against the backdrop of the doubts lingering in her mind, a cold chill suddenly shot up from the soles of her feet, instantly engulfing her.

“What’s wrong, Lele?” Jiang Congyue noticed her abnormality, leaned over, and placed her palm on her forehead. “Why is your face so pale?”

Jiang Le snapped back to reality, forcibly suppressing her churning emotions, and shook her head: “Just finished the exam. A little tired.”

Jiang Congyue immediately gripped her cold fingers, worried: “Is the air conditioning too low? This hot and cold change is the easiest way to catch a cold.” She looked toward the front seat.

“Oh, yes, yes, yes. Look at my memory.” Li Yan’s mother quickly adjusted the air conditioning temperature higher.

“You must be tired, my precious,” Jiang Congyue affectionately pulled her close, resting her head on her shoulder. “Lean on me and rest for a bit.”

The shoulder wasn’t actually comfortable; it was even a bit bony. But the warmth radiating from the palm strangely soothed Jiang Le’s heart, which was being gnawed by unease.

She obediently nestled closer, resting her forehead against Jiang Congyue’s hand, slowly leaning her body’s weight onto that slightly thin shoulder. That faint sense of pain paradoxically made her vague and confused thoughts a little clearer.

No matter what, the remaining time was limited after all. Why worry about gains and losses? Seizing the present was the most important thing.

…

Jiang Congyue: 33