Su Hua came downstairs, and Butler Wang smiled, "Miss, has Young Master Lin Xuan come to his senses?"
Butler Wang, now in his fifties, has been by Su Hua's side ever since she returned to the Su family. He has long regarded her as his own daughter. Su Hua's heart has only ever belonged to Lin Xuan. If only Lin Xuan could genuinely stay by her side, everything would be perfect.
"Come to his senses?"
Su Hua's lips curled into a mocking smile. "He’s just become smarter, that’s all. It’s just a way for him to escape from me. He’s protecting the woman he loves, afraid I’ll harm her."
"But it’s best if he keeps up the act forever, otherwise..."
Su Hua's eyes darkened.
Butler Wang shuddered.
He could foresee that if Lin Xuan was indeed pretending, as Su Hua said, and if he ever revealed his true feelings, Su Hua would likely lose her mind.
Upstairs, Lin Xuan plugged in his phone to charge. As soon as it turned on, countless QQ messages popped up, mostly from Wang Dahe and Qin Ruoyao, along with a barrage of missed calls from Wang Dahe.
Lin Xuan called Wang Dahe back.
"Xuanzi, how are you? I’ve been trying to reach you all day!" Wang Dahe’s voice was frantic as soon as he answered.
Lin Xuan replied, "My phone died, and I didn’t notice. I just turned it on."
Wang Dahe sighed in relief. "Good to hear you’re okay."
"By the way, Xuanzi, how’s the wedding with Qin Ruoyao going? Is she willing to spend the wedding night with you?"
Lin Xuan said, "The wedding’s off."
"Off?" Wang Dahe’s eyes widened in anger. "Did that little minx Qin Ruoyao call it off? She’s really toying with your feelings!"
"Honestly, Xuanzi, I don’t think she ever truly liked you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ignored you at school. And this wedding—she didn’t even let your relatives and friends attend!"
"She just didn’t want people to know she married you. Now she’s deliberately calling off the wedding to humiliate you!"
Wang Dahe was genuinely upset on behalf of his friend.
Lin Xuan was too submissive in front of Qin Ruoyao, a complete doormat. If Qin Ruoyao told him to go east, he wouldn’t dare go west.
Even if Qin Ruoyao slapped him or insulted him, Lin Xuan wouldn’t show a hint of anger.
Wang Dahe remembered one time when Qin Ruoyao was sick, and Lin Xuan found out. Lin Xuan skipped class to buy her medicine.
When Lin Xuan secretly handed her the medicine, other students caught them.
Afraid that her relationship with Lin Xuan would be exposed, Qin Ruoyao slapped him in public and sneered, "Lin Xuan, I don’t like you. Can you stop bothering me? Your clingy behavior is disgusting."
Wang Dahe had been there, and those words still haunted him.
After the incident, Lin Xuan blamed himself excessively, saying it was his fault for being careless and letting others find out.
His friend had been completely brainwashed.
Wang Dahe didn’t know why Qin Ruoyao had agreed to marry Lin Xuan, but it certainly wasn’t out of love.
"Xuanzi, promise me, if she called off the wedding, just let it go. Don’t go begging her to marry you again."
Wang Dahe was genuinely afraid his friend would go back to licking Qin Ruoyao’s boots.
Lin Xuan said, "I’m the one who called it off."
Wang Dahe was stunned, thinking he’d misheard. He dug at his ear. "What did you just say?"
Lin Xuan repeated, "I’m the one who called off the wedding."
Wang Dahe was sure he hadn’t misheard this time.
"You called it off?"
What on earth was going on?
With Lin Xuan’s personality, even if the sky fell, he would never have taken the initiative to call off the wedding.
"Xuanzi," Wang Dahe couldn’t help but worry. "Did something happen? Maybe I can help you figure it out."
Lin Xuan said quietly, "Nothing happened. I just came to my senses. I think being a kept man isn’t so bad."
"A kept man?"
Wang Dahe was speechless.
"Xuanzi, with our looks, we’re not exactly heartthrobs. Let’s not dream of unrealistic things. With our circumstances, we can’t live off a sugar mommy," Wang Dahe advised.
Lin Xuan said, "I’ve actually managed it."
This sugar mommy was Su Hua, who had practically forced it on him.
Wang Dahe rolled his eyes. "Alright, tell me, what kind of sugar mommy are we talking about?"
Lin Xuan replied, "A massive estate, dozens of servants, a room over a hundred square meters, a personal chef, bodyguards when I go out, luxury cars, and a top-tier company run by a female tycoon."
Wang Dahe was more confused the more he listened.
"So, this female tycoon you’re talking about, is she in her fifties or sixties?"
Lin Xuan said, "No, she’s only three years older than me, with a great figure and stunning looks. She’s the kind of woman who shines wherever she goes."
Wang Dahe burst out laughing.
"Xuanzi, you’ve got some wild dreams! A woman like that would be interested in you? Hahaha, come back to reality, buddy."
"Wait," Wang Dahe’s laughter suddenly stopped. He asked worriedly, "Xuanzi, did something happen to you? Did you have a mental breakdown or something?"
"No, we need to meet. Where are you? I’ll come find you."
Lin Xuan sighed. "We’ll talk about meeting later. I need to smooth things over with Qin Ruoyao first. She’s a bit upset about the wedding." He was still being kept under lock and key—how could he meet anyone?
"Alright, but if you need anything, call me," Wang Dahe said, relieved that Lin Xuan seemed okay.
Lin Xuan hung up the phone and lay on the bed, crossing his legs and lazily counting sheep—one Pleasant Goat, two Pretty Goats, three Lazy Goats, four Fit Goats, five Warm Goats, Red Wolf, Grey Wolf...
Soon, he fell into a deep sleep. Last night, Su Hua had drained him completely, and he needed to catch up on rest.
He slept until 1 PM, only waking up when Qin Ruoyao’s QQ messages buzzed on his phone. Lin Xuan was annoyed—he hated being woken up!
[My Darling Yao (Lin Xuan’s nickname for Qin Ruoyao on his phone): Lin Xuan, who was that woman who took you away at our wedding? What’s your relationship with her?]
[My Darling Yao: It’s not just a simple relationship, is it? Lin Xuan, you always said you loved me, but you’ve been sneaking around with another woman! Is this what your love looks like?]
[My Darling Yao: Are you with her because of her money? I never thought you’d be the type to chase wealth. I’ve misjudged you!]
[My Darling Yao: I fought with my family and overcame so many obstacles to marry you, and this is how you repay me?!]
[My Darling Yao: I order you to leave her immediately!]
[My Darling Yao: Lin Xuan, why aren’t you replying? Are you feeling guilty? Say something!]
[My Darling Yao: If you don’t reply, don’t bother seeing me again! Our wedding is off!]
Even through the screen, Qin Ruoyao’s fury was palpable.