Chapter 12 Exonerating Lin Shuangyu

Chapter 12 Exonerating Lin Shuangyu

Si Yuan pursed her lips, her fingertip tracing a faint line on the car window.

I secretly drew a crying face.

She changed the subject: "By the way, did my brother want to see me today?"

Song Yan finally turned to look at her.

"Can't I come pick you up from school if there's nothing wrong?" he said casually. "You used to always walk home with me after school, didn't you?"

Si Yuan felt as if she were being soaked in her favorite sour plum drink, her heart aching and tight.

She nodded, forcing a light smile: "I thought you were with your sister-in-law."

As soon as the words "sister-in-law" were uttered, Song Yan's hand tightened instantly.

Perhaps it was because the rainy season was too humid, but Song Yan felt a tightness in his chest and an inexplicable irritability.

He remained silent for a while before speaking: "Mom really likes Shuangyu."

Si Yuan lowered her eyes, feeling a pang of sadness, and forced a smile.

Your mother isn't the only one who likes Lin Shuangyu.

Haven't you always protected her too?

But Si Yuan had long since learned how to hide her true feelings and how to paint a rosy picture.

She calmly tilted her head back, her eyes shining with a smile: "Yes, brother and sister-in-law are a perfect match, childhood sweethearts, they're a match made in heaven."

Song Yan stared at her smile and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were still angry about what happened that day."

When he suddenly left the class reunion that day and brought up things from high school, Song Yan couldn't help but overthink it.

Si Yuan curled her fingertips slightly, her voice light: "I'm not that petty."

If she were truly angry, Song's mother would probably say that she was being unreasonable.

He had promised Song's father that he would not disobey him in the future.

Song Yan believed him, and his tone softened a bit, with a touch of emotion: "Actually, Shuangyu also feels guilty about what happened in the past."

He paused, then lowered his voice further: "That day she thought you left because you didn't want to see her, and she cried in my arms for a long time. She really knew she was wrong."

"Xiao Yuan, who doesn't make mistakes when they're little?"

Si Yuan lowered her eyes, unconsciously rubbing the scars on her wrist.

Yes, who doesn't make mistakes when they're young?

Was Song Yan referring to her with those words?

She secretly raised her eyes and quickly glanced at Song Yan's profile.

The light fell on his well-defined jawline, which was as smooth and lustrous as jade, yet not allowing anyone to covet it.

This time, however, her heart didn't race; only a calm coolness remained.

Whether Lin Shuangyu realized his mistake or not, Si Yuan didn't know.

But she has already realized her mistake and corrected it.

I will never like him again.

The wipers swept away a layer of water mist, which was quickly covered by new raindrops.

Song Yan continued talking about how guilty Shuangyu felt later, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and doting affection for Lin Shuangyu.

He was so focused on defending Lin Shuangyu that he didn't notice that Si Yuan's smile had long since faded, replaced by a bitter, cold feeling.

If only he would turn his head slightly, even just for a glance.

You can see her reddened eyes, her clenched hands, and that her anxiety has flared up again, with her brows furrowed in discomfort.

But Song Yan did not.

He just didn't want Si Yuan to hold a grudge against Lin Shuangyu anymore.

——

The day before the banquet, Ding Cheng suggested a meeting.

They called it rehearsals beforehand.

The meeting place was a Western restaurant, and when Si Yuan arrived, Ding Cheng was already waiting there.

Si Yuan sat down, and Ding Cheng quickly noticed that she was colder than the last time they met.

"What would you like to eat?" He handed over the menu.

"I've already eaten." Si Yuan shook her head: "Let's get down to business."

Ding Cheng smiled and said, "Your family probably won't believe us in this state tomorrow, will they?"

Si Yuan lowered her eyes slightly and frowned in disgust.

"Dingcheng".

Ding Cheng's eyes lit up, and he listened attentively.

Si Yuan's fingertips pressed against the cold handle of the dinner knife, her voice as frosty as ice: "You started as a model, and only a few years ago did you step into the entertainment industry with a third male lead role in a youth drama. Over the years, you've had no shortage of scandals, changing actresses more often than scripts, from supporting actresses to internet celebrities outside the industry, right?"

Each word was light, yet like a fine needle, piercing Ding Cheng's carefully crafted facade.

His grip on the water glass tightened suddenly, and he sneered, "What do you mean? Investigating me?"

"It's not really an investigation."

Si Yuan raised her eyes, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them. Her tone was completely flat. "I just did some research beforehand. After all, we're playing a 'loving couple' tomorrow, so I can't be completely clueless about my co-star. I need to be worthy of the paycheck I'm getting and cooperate well with tomorrow's schedule. I should keep my mind to myself."

"What are you thinking?" Ding Cheng's face darkened completely, and he angrily tugged at his tie. "Miss Si, have you forgotten the original purpose of our cooperation? You're tearing me apart now. Aren't you afraid I'll say a few more words to your family tomorrow?"

Ding Cheng's coercive and enticing demeanor looked very familiar.

Exactly the same as Lin Shuangyu.

There are really a lot of people like this in the world.

Instead, she raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint, mocking smile curving her lips: "Do as you please."

Anyone can threaten her now.

unlucky.

Seeing Si Yuan's composure, which felt like punching cotton, Ding Cheng clenched his fist, about to say something threatening again.

Suddenly, a weary and impatient voice came from behind.

"Make way."

Ding Cheng turned around abruptly, his anger still lingering on his face, but the moment he saw who it was, all color drained from his face.

He recognized Jiang Wang.

Everyone in the industry knows him—the ruthless and unforgiving new president of the Jiang Group. Even his backers treat Jiang Wang with utmost respect, let alone a small-time actor like him who relies on his sugar daddy.

Ding Cheng practically jumped up from his seat immediately, his face beaming with a fawning smile like a dog seeing its master, his voice trembling as he pleaded, "President Jiang? What brings you here? Do you remember me? I was there at President Sun's dinner party last time, toasting you alongside him..."

He kept trying to get closer to the other person, attempting to evoke even the slightest impression.

But Jiang Wang didn't even lift his eyelids, his gaze going straight past him and landing on Si Yuan, who was sitting quietly in the booth.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and he uttered only one cold word from his thin lips: "Get lost."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of pressure.

Ding Cheng's smile froze instantly.

Not daring to utter a word of explanation, he could only slink back, practically fleeing in disarray.

Only after Ding Cheng's figure completely disappeared from the restaurant entrance did Jiang Wang stride over and sit down opposite Si Yuan.

Si Yuan didn't look at him, but she could still feel his gaze caressing her inch by inch.

Jiang Wang pushed aside the cutlery in front of him with obvious disgust and went straight to the point: "You'd rather choose this kind of trash than me?"

Si Yuan curled her fingertips, her earlobes flushed slightly, and her tone was somewhat embarrassed: "I only discovered that Ding Cheng was acting strangely a few days ago, but the banquet is tomorrow, and it's too late to replace him at the last minute."

"How can it be too late?"

Jiang Wang raised his eyes, a hint of amusement in his dark pupils, and casually tapped the table with his fingertips.

The implication in his words couldn't be clearer.

Isn't he already a ready-made one?

Si Yuan met his gaze, her eyes meeting his sharp, roguish gaze.

Just like always.

Her Adam's apple bobbed, but she ultimately lowered her eyes and looked away: "No."

"Why?"

Why?

She once endured Lin Shuangyu's bullying for a whole year in order to keep it from Song Yan.

Later, in order to protect herself, she engaged in a shady relationship with Jiang Wang for half a year.

Being pushed into countless shackles by one lie, and getting involved in countless other lies, Si Yuan never wants to experience this again.

She stood up, picked up her coat from the back of the chair, and avoided Jiang Wang's gaze: "Thank you. I'll explain everything to my parents tomorrow."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and left.

Jiang Wang remained seated in the same spot.

After a long silence, he muttered a curse.

"Being too proud is a recipe for suffering."

In the end, it all comes down to Song Yan, doesn't it?

She was afraid of getting entangled with him again, which would delay her wholehearted affection for Song Yan.

Jiang Wang felt a pang of discomfort in his heart.

He couldn't explain it, and naturally, he couldn't suppress it.

When I opened my eyes again, I took out my phone and dialed a number.

If President Jiang is unhappy, then tonight there will inevitably be casualties.

"Handling personal matters."

A friend's teasing voice came from the other end of the phone: "Oh, even President Jiang has someone he needs to deal with personally? Who's this big shot?"

Jiang Wang leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the tableware that Ding Cheng had just used.

"A minor actor."