Jinxiu City Apartment District, Jiang Feng rang the doorbell of Situ Yan's home.
With the sound of slippers dragging on the floor, Situ Yan came to open the door listlessly.
Upon seeing Jiang Feng standing outside, Situ Yan was taken aback, "It's you? Why are you here?"
Jiang Feng frowned. It had only been a few days, but Situ Yan looked completely different from before, even somewhat disheveled. She wore a unisex tank top and large sports shorts, her hair a mess, face bare of makeup. Yet, this did not diminish her beauty; it only added to her allure.
"I heard from Niu Tao that you took a leave, so I came to check on you." Jiang Feng saw her disheveled state and knew she was still unaware of Chu Yan's prison escape. So, he said nothing about it and spoke calmly.
"You came specifically to see me?" Situ Yan smiled, indeed a bit surprised, then opened the door wider, "Come in."
She squatted on the ground to find slippers for Jiang Feng. Because her tank top was too loose, Jiang Feng, looking down, caught a glimpse of the snow-white and depth within her neckline. He immediately raised his head, avoiding the view.
Men rarely visited her home, and only after a long search did Situ Yan find a pair of men's slippers, tossing them at Jiang Feng's feet, "Put these on."
It was Jiang Feng's third visit to Situ Yan's home, but the first time as a proper guest, changing into slippers before entering.
"Have you had breakfast?" Situ Yan asked.
"No." Jiang Feng indeed hadn't eaten; he had been instructing Feng Yueji all morning, and all the breakfast vendors were closed by the time he came.
"Perfect timing, go wash up; I've just made some noodles. Let's eat together." Situ Yan brushed it aside and headed to the kitchen.
Jiang Feng shook his head, watching her back as he went to the bathroom, washed his hands, and also his face to calm himself.
Casually grabbing a towel, Jiang Feng walked into the kitchen while wiping his face, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Situ Yan was just serving the noodles and glanced at Jiang Feng casually, "No need, you go and wait..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly saw the towel in Jiang Feng's hand, immediately blushing as she snatched it away, annoyed, "Why are you randomly using someone else's things?"
"Huh?" Jiang Feng was puzzled. Her house had quite a few rules; he washed his face, and she wouldn't let him dry it?
"How can you carelessly use someone else's towel?" Situ Yan's face reddened, glaring fiercely at Jiang Feng.
"Are you a germaphobe? If you're worried I dirtied it, I'll wash it for you." Jiang Feng said lightly.
"Who said I'm worried? That's my body towel; you used it for your face?" Situ Yan retorted, annoyed.
"Uh..." Jiang Feng suddenly understood what Situ Yan meant, stunned, "That's what you use for your body?"
Situ Yan silently scolded herself for speaking too much. Why did she have to say it out loud? Blushing, she snorted coldly, "Grab a bowl!"
Then, she turned around in a huff and put the towel back.
...
At the dining table, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Jiang Feng casually ate a few bites of noodles. Situ Yan's culinary skills were just average; the noodles were edible but lacked flavor.
Putting down his chopsticks, Jiang Feng looked at Situ Yan, "Can you tell me now what you're going through?"
Situ Yan was shoveling noodles into her mouth when she paused at his words, then, unfazed, said, "Nothing's wrong. Aren't I doing fine?"
"You expect me to believe that when you aren't going to work? Besides, I can't see anything good about how you look now." Jiang Feng frowned.
"Jiang Feng, aren't you busy enough? You just caused an uproar in North City, and now you have time to meddle in my affairs?" Situ Yan glanced at Jiang Feng sideways.
"Are you refusing to talk to me properly?" Jiang Feng showed no emotion.
Situ Yan gazed deeply at Jiang Feng. For a moment, she almost couldn't hold back the urge to vent her emotions on him but ultimately restrained herself.
She nonchalantly stirred the noodle soup with her chopsticks, "You're overthinking. I'm really fine, just a bit tired lately, so I took a few days off."
"Alright, maybe coming here today was a mistake. I thought we were friends." Jiang Feng said no more, standing up, ready to leave.
"Stop right there!" Situ Yan suddenly stood up as well, her body trembling slightly, "Jiang Feng, you come and go from my house as you please?"
Jiang Feng frowned, turning to look at her.
Situ Yan's eyes were red, "Even if I told you about it, there's nothing you could do to help, nor should you help! Just consider our acquaintance a mistake. We won't have many chances to meet in the future anyway!"
"Are you leaving Binhai?" Jiang Feng's eyebrows knitted into a line. He keenly sensed that the matter might be even more serious than he had imagined.
Situ Yan felt deeply regretful. She had decided not to tell Jiang Feng, but in a moment of agitation, she still let it slip, making her even more remorseful.
She needed to calm her emotions; otherwise, she might truly break down in front of Jiang Feng, so she said, "Finish your noodles. Even if you're leaving, at least finish what I made, so I won't feel any regrets over a small matter."
With that, Situ Yan went straight to her room, shutting the door heavily behind her.
Jiang Feng gazed at her tightly closed door in thought.
...
In the room.
Situ Yan sat on the bed alone, slipping off her slippers, hugging her feet in a daze.
She didn't want to cry, but tears fell uncontrollably, quickly wetting her cheeks. She bit her lip hard to keep from making a sound.
She didn't want to tell Jiang Feng because she didn't want to involve him. She knew with Jiang Feng's temperament, if he found out about her predicament, he would surely lose his temper and confront her grandfather and brother!
And she was aware of Jiang Feng's skills; if things got out of hand, it wouldn't end well. Jiang Feng would even offend the entire Binhai military garrison!
In the end, an arm can't outmatch a thigh. No matter how strong Jiang Feng was, he was just one person; how could he contend with two giants at once?
Moreover, if Jiang Feng found out she was turning back because of him and agreeing to the engagement with the He Family, he would blame himself even more. The conflict with the He Family would become irreconcilable, truly leading to a path of no return!
Situ Yan's life was already ruined; she didn't want Jiang Feng to follow in her destruction.
Taking a deep breath, Situ Yan fiercely wiped away her tears, murmuring to herself, "Why am I even thinking about this? The fact that he came to see me today shows he still has me in his heart, and that's enough for me. It's a final period for our relationship."
Smiling bitterly, Situ Yan regained her composure, took off her tank top, and walked towards the wardrobe, preparing to present herself decently and openly in front of Jiang Feng one last time.
...