When Qingmian arrived at the dormitory, her other roommates were already unpacking their luggage.
Over the years, she had grown accustomed to being a loner and didn't greet anyone.
She walked to her bed, opened her suitcase, took out a few scattered coats and pajamas, and put them into the wardrobe beside.
A roommate nearby saw this and curiously craned her neck. "Qingmian, you only brought so few clothes?"
Qingmian was startled and instinctively became vigilant. She eyed the girl warily. "How do you know my name?"
The girl was taken aback by her sudden attitude. It took her two seconds to point at the name tag on the bed. "It's... written here..."
Qingmian followed the girl's finger and saw her full name, Chen Qingmian. She realized her overreaction and apologized to the girl. "Sorry."
The girl smiled at her and shook her head like a rattle. "It's okay. We're all classmates. My name is Chen Yixia. I'm from Chuancheng."
"These are Shen Shuang and Su Chu. They're also from the imperial capital. Maybe you know them?" Chen Yixia introduced the other two roommates to Qingmian boldly.
Qingmian nodded at them. She didn't know them.
Back in the imperial capital, she only liked to follow Chen Yu'an around and had no interest in making friends. Moreover, after being away from the imperial capital for three years, it was even less likely that she would know anyone from there.
The girl named Shen Shuang gave her a meaningful look and quickly shifted her gaze. Qingmian was rummaging through her bag for tissues and didn't notice Shen Shuang's look.
Chen Yixia noticed the dense beads of sweat on Qingmian's forehead and asked with concern, "Qingmian, why are you sweating so much? Did you go for a run just now?"
Qingmian continued rummaging through her bag. "The dormitory building is a bit far. I walked for too long and got a bit tired."
Chen Yixia frowned and tilted her head. "Huh? Far? Where did you come from? It only takes ten minutes to get here from the freshman registration area."
Qingmian stopped what she was doing. A thought suddenly popped into her mind, and the memory of Chi Yu taking her to the top of the mountain at the campsite flashed through her mind.
Chi Yu had tricked her again.
...
At the same time, in the president's office on the top floor of Ming'an Group.
Knock, knock—
"Come in."
Tan Si pushed open the door and walked into the office. Standing in front of the desk, he reported to Chen Yu'an, "Sir, Miss An is here."
Chen Yu'an didn't stop signing the documents in his hand. His voice showed no emotion. "I'm busy."
Tan Si immediately understood. "Understood, sir." He turned around and walked out of the office.
He walked into the reception room next door. An Ya was sitting on the sofa gracefully in a cheongsam. When she saw Tan Si, she immediately asked, "Is A Yu busy?" Without giving Tan Si a chance to speak, she still wore a smile on her face. "It doesn't matter. I'll wait for him here."
Tan Si seemed not to hear her words. "Miss An, the sir's schedule is uncertain. You can go back first. I'll arrange a meeting for you when the sir is available."
An Ya's eyes instantly turned cold. How dare a lackey talk to her like this? In the past three years, she had come to the company at least a hundred times, but every time she had to wait in this damned reception room. Every time Tan Si used the same excuse, saying to wait until the sir was available. She had never been able to enter Chen Yu'an's office. She, the only daughter of the An family, couldn't even enter her fiancé's office. This would be a laughingstock if it got out.
Tan Si was about to leave after speaking, but An Ya didn't follow his words as she used to. She stood up from the sofa and walked towards Chen Yu'an's office.
Over the years, she had been careful in everything she did in order to melt Chen Yu'an's heart. Now that Chen Qingmian was back, she couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
Tan Si didn't have time to stop her. An Ya's hand was already on the doorknob.
She pushed open the door of the office and looked at the man sitting in front of the desk.
Chen Yu'an looked up and saw An Ya without any extra expression.
Tan Si followed closely behind An Ya. "Sir, this..."
Chen Yu'an looked past An Ya at Tan Si behind her. "It's okay. You can go and do your work first."
"Yes, sir." Tan Si nodded. He gently closed the door when he left the office.
The office was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"Do you have something to say?" Chen Yu'an was the first to break the silence.
He didn't look up and was flipping through the documents on the desk.
An Ya sensed Chen Yu'an's coldness. She forced a smile and took two steps forward. "A Yu, our wedding is next month, and the wedding dress hasn't been decided yet. Do you have time today? Can you accompany me to try on wedding dresses?"
Chen Yu'an stopped what he was doing and looked up at An Ya. His eyes were as deep and dark as a well.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, An Ya became a bit anxious. "It doesn't matter if you're not available today. It was a bit abrupt of me to tell you this suddenly. What about tomorrow? Is tomorrow okay?" She paused and added, "The day after tomorrow is also fine. Just accompany me to try on wedding dresses."
Chen Yu'an thought for a moment and was about to speak when his phone on the desk rang.
He swiped his finger across the phone and answered the call. Lu Wenxuan's excited voice immediately came from the other end of the phone. "A Yu, why didn't you tell us that your sister is back! Are you still our brother! You don't know how much Xia Xi misses your sister. You're so unkind! I'm organizing a gathering tonight. Remember to bring your sister along!" The background noise on the phone was noisy. "Okay, I won't talk anymore. The game is about to start here. I'll hang up first."
Chen Yu'an was arranged for the evening's schedule without saying a word.
He hung up the phone and looked at An Ya again. "Sorry, I may not be available tonight."
Lu Wenxuan's voice was as loud as a horn. An Ya wasn't deaf, so of course she heard the content of the call. She still maintained a dignified smile on her face. "It doesn't matter. We can go another day. The wedding is next month, so there's still time."
"Okay." Chen Yu'an was quite satisfied with An Ya's understanding. He didn't have control over his marriage, so it didn't matter who his wife was. An Ya's quietness and non - fussiness made him feel satisfied.
Chen Yu'an pressed the phone beside him. "Come and escort Miss An downstairs."
Tan Si appeared in the office the next second. He made a gesture to An Ya. "Miss An, please."
An Ya stood still and stared at Chen Yu'an.
Chen Yu'an looked up, with a hint of annoyance between his eyebrows. "Do you still have something to say?"
"Can you take me to the gathering tonight?"
Chen Yu'an frowned tightly. An Ya was starting to make him uncomfortable today.
"A Yu, I'm your fiancée." This sentence was like a magic spell, reminding Chen Yu'an.
Reminding him that he had no say in who he married.
Reminding him that this was Wei Jianguo's way to restrain him.
Reminding him that the imperial capital was not yet his world.
Reminding him of the helplessness of sending Qingmian to Mexico.
Chen Yu'an's face darkened, and the temperature around him seemed to drop. His eyes looking at An Ya were icy cold. "Miss An, don't remind me all the time."