At the large table laden with grilled food, the old man was pushed to the head of the table to eat hot porridge, and the family's children and grandchildren gathered around.
The old man arranged for Li Wanru and Chen Jiancheng to sit next to each other, and Li Wanru's eyes crinkled with a smile.
Chen Jiancheng sat beside her, grilling meat and placing it on a plate. She secretly thought he was actively grilling meat for her and felt happy.
The two ate in silence, listening to Chen Licheng and his wife ask Ming Jian questions.
To summarize the situation, Ming Jian, our glorious male lead, is the female lead's childhood sweetheart. Due to a slight misunderstanding about their feelings, Ming Jian went to Australia for a long time. Now he has returned, wanting to pursue Meijin once more.
The two families were also acquainted, so Chen Licheng became more and more enthusiastic with his questions.
Li Wanru, sitting next to them, watched Meijin's family happily, feeling a little wistful.
In the real world, she had no family. In this world, having one was like having none. She forced a calm expression to eat.
Chen Jiancheng noticed her awkward expression and chuckled. He casually asked, "Do you have class tomorrow?"
Wanru froze, startled by her own guilty conscience.
She stammered, "Uh... No."
"Do you want to intern early? I have a friend who works at a travel agency."
Wanru's face turned pale. If she agreed now, she would have to re-enroll in school, but the re-enrollment procedures weren't something that could be done immediately. So, agreeing would expose her right away.
"My dad already paid for my tuition!"
Chen Jiancheng looked at her, his gaze full of determination, making her unable to meet his eyes.
"Then what about next semester? What about the times after this?" he asked.
She looked at him, slightly surprised, and dared not answer.
The resentment in her heart swelled, making all the organs in her chest feel difficult to function.
Realizing he had raised his voice a little, he stood up and went inside the house.
She watched his retreating back, feeling flustered.
She wondered if he was disappointed in her.
Even Chen Jiancheng, who was sitting next to her, left, making her feel even more desolate at the dining table. She lowered her head, trying to eat as if nothing had happened.
Her emotions surged even more when a rather thick fur coat was draped over her from behind.
She turned around, and Chen Jiancheng was already back in his seat, his expression still indifferent as he asked, "What are you looking at?"
Like a child who had just been scolded and then appeased with candy, she secretly laughed at herself.
Chen Jiancheng had noticed earlier that she was wearing a rather thin shirt, and they were having an outdoor barbecue. The weather at night was quite cold.
He saw everyone in the house wearing comfortable loungewear, while Ming Jian was only wearing a shirt.
So he had to go inside to get another coat.
He hadn't expected to be met with a look as if he had just bullied her.
But he didn't care, continuing to grill meat, occasionally placing a few pieces on Wanru's plate.
The old man, Chen Licheng, and Meijin exchanged many glances as they watched this scene.
Everyone saw that the old man was immensely pleased.
They deliberately separated the two, and although they felt a little sorry for Wanru's loneliness, seeing Chen Jiancheng like that, they all felt satisfied.
A moment later, Li Wanru seemed to realize something and quietly whispered to Meijin, "Jin, I'm going home first. I have something urgent at home!"
Wanru knew that if she stayed until the end, Ming Jian would be the one to take her home later.
She didn't want to have overly private contact, so she had to make her escape early.
"Huh, so early? Let me ask Uncle Chen to take you home, Ru."
Meijin looked around for Chen Jiancheng, but when she turned back, Wanru was gone.
"Uncle Chen, can you take Wan Ru home for me? She ran off!"
Chen Jiancheng looked around, nodded, and went to drive the car.
As soon as he exited the gate, he saw the girl's figure walking along the sidewalk.
He pressed the accelerator and sped over.
"Get in, I'll take you home."
When Wan Ru saw Chen Jiancheng, she automatically smiled, obediently opened the car door, and got in.
"Why aren't you wearing a jacket?"
"It's your jacket!"
He didn't answer, just turned up the air conditioner's temperature.
She saw this and lowered her eyes. In a moment of hesitation, she decided to tell him.
"Uncle! I've taken a leave of absence. You don't need to ask your friend to help me."
His face was strangely calm. He continued to drive leisurely, only speaking after a while.
"I said I would help, but you didn't need it. Now you've taken a leave of absence. I know I have no authority over your decisions, but I would never offer you a disadvantageous proposal."
Wan Ru's eyes widened as she looked at him. At this moment, she didn't know what to say.
He spoke gently now, but every word seemed to overpower her. She explained weakly.
"I don't want you or others to think that I'm relying on you or taking advantage of you. You have everything, and I have nothing. If I suddenly approach you and benefit from you, what will people think?"
"Sometimes in life, you have to put your ego aside. Do you think it's worth caring what others think, only to end up suffering losses yourself?" It was rare for Chen Jiancheng to speak so much reason to her.
"But I truly like you, so I think it's worth it. My affection is real, but if people twist it into a different meaning, it will hurt both you and me. I truly like you, so I don't want that to happen."
She frankly expressed her thoughts. The two words "taking advantage" had become the original owner's nature. But now she was herself, not the original owner, and she didn't want others to always call her someone who took advantage of others.
Chen Jiancheng glanced at her expression and sighed.
"Don't like me. I'm not sure I can reciprocate your feelings. But if liking me causes you to suffer losses, then I don't think it's necessary."
Li Wanru understood his meaning. She sat up straight, her eyes gazing into the distance.
When she was little, she often heard people say that her parents abandoned her because they didn't like her. When she was a little older, she had a long-distance relationship with someone, but she was also betrayed. She was 27 years old, but she didn't have a single close friend who considered her a confidante. Now, having transmigrated into another world, she still had no parents, and she was rejected even before confessing her feelings.
Her face flushed as she tried to hold back her tears.
Li Wanru was truly miserable. Even Cai Jinru, who transmigrated into Li Wanru, was truly miserable.
On the way home, the two fell into a pensive silence, neither speaking a word to the other.