Surrounded by the Billionaire's Deep Doting-Chapter 370 - 337: Is Saying ’I Like You’ Really That Hard? (2)
He walked briskly forward, but in his rage, he didn’t watch his step and stumbled.
Bai Shunyuan was dumbfounded, hurriedly went over to help her, "Did you hurt yourself? Why didn’t you watch the road?"
Su Jin immediately shook off his hand, pushed herself off the ground, brushed the dust off her clothes, and continued forward without a word.
Bai Shunyuan grabbed her arm, "Wait a second!"
"Let go!"
Su Jin was furious.
The evening had been quite enjoyable, playing games with Ming Liang and Ming Xu, and even when she braved the cold wind for a walk with Bai Shunyuan, chatting felt good.
Who knew Bai Shunyuan would suddenly flip like a lunatic!
Su Jin had never encountered such an unpredictable man before; who had spoiled him into having such a temper?
She had known since early on that he was a campus bully, but after several interactions, she thought they were friends.
No matter how overbearing Bai Shunyuan was, could he really be overbearing to her?
Then Bai Shunyuan used his actions to tell her she was overthinking.
"Isn’t my apology enough? At least check if your leg is hurt."
"No need."
Su Jin was annoyed, not just by Bai Shunyuan’s strange temperament, but also by her own mood swings.
"Su Jin, you—"
"Bai Shunyuan, let’s keep our distance from now on."
Su Jin looked at him, said it, then shrugged off his hand and walked toward the Yin Family Manor.
Bai Shunyuan was frozen in place...
In that moment, she looked at his indifferent expression, her distant words; what difference was there from when they first met?
Bai Shunyuan felt a kind of panic...
The sense of superiority he could get from other girls was completely absent with Su Jin.
She was like a kite, a kite without strings.
But he just thought the kite strings were too fine to see.
He believed he could catch her, if only he had a bit of patience, but in the end...
Whether he could catch the kite was not about his patience, his speed, his reach, or his reflexes...
It depended solely on whether the kite was willing to fall.
Just from one look, Bai Shunyuan almost concluded... their impossibility.
She had no feelings for him beyond friendship.
It seemed like anyone could be her friend as long as there was no ill will and they could talk about a mutual topic.
That’s how it was with Shan Minglang, with Shan Mingxu, and with anyone else.
With him... what was the difference?
He couldn’t quite articulate what he liked about her, just that... not seeing her would leave him missing her.
Wanting to be with her, talking about anything and everything, even if her words always left him feeling defeated.
Yet every word, he didn’t have to worry about being true or false, because... she said what she thought, whatever there was to say.
She looked especially stunning when she fought, and there was charm when she typed on the keyboard...
...Yet why was it so hard for him to speak?
Just saying "I like you" was truly so hard.
It was as if those two words were precious treasures, sending them would mean... "losing".
He just felt... he’d be rejected, definitely... rejected.
Su Jin had always known herself well.
She knew her personality was not very likable for a girl.
But fortunately, she never intended to please anyone.
And what she appreciated most about herself was her excellent ability to adjust her mindset and self-control.
Therefore, the influence Bai Shunyuan had on her didn’t last very long. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
She returned to her room, changed clothes, examined her leg; only her knee was bruised, it didn’t hurt though.
Lying on the bed, feeling slightly agitated, unable to sleep she got up and started on her programming homework.
Luckily, this agitation didn’t last long, programming tired her out and she fell asleep at her desk.
Meanwhile, Bai Shunyuan returned to Yijing Manor but couldn’t sleep all night.
Ah Bu saw the lights were still on in Bai Shunyuan’s room, so he pawed at the door, Bai Shunyuan let Ah Bu in...
He shared his innermost thoughts with a dog all night...
Until Ah Bu started snoring.
Under the sparse stars and moonlight, he yet couldn’t make anyone understand his thoughts.
The night deepened, and the Yin Family Manor also sank into darkness.
The manor had several independent courtyards, occupying the east, south, west, north and a main hall.
At the moment, the lights in the eastern courtyard had not yet gone out.
Guo Tong wore a silky nightdress, showing her fragrant shoulders, lounging languidly on the bed.
Yin Bowen had just come out of the bathroom, and seeing Guo Tong’s enticing posture, desire stirred within him.
He climbed into bed and pulled her into his arms, kissing her fervently before finally releasing her, somewhat reluctantly.
"Dressed like this, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?"
Guo Tong wrapped her slender arms around his neck and leaned into him, "Don’t you like it?"
"Little temptress, you’re pregnant now, so stop thinking about seducing me."
Yin Bowen said this, but his face was full of joy as he held her close, with one hand covering her small belly. He sighed softly, "In the future, when you see my uncle’s family, try to avoid them. Honestly, even outside the Yin Family, in the whole of Beijing, not many people dare to provoke my uncle."
Guo Tong’s expression dimmed, and she said nothing.
Yin Bowen saw the tears hanging from her eyelashes...
He was about to wipe them away when the tears fell on his hand, causing him a pang of heartache.
"I know you were wronged today, but Xiao Tong, just as my uncle said, entering the Yin Family’s doors is not that easy."
Yin Bowen kissed her hair as he spoke, "You’re only aware of how well Su Xiaomeng is doing in the Yin Family now, but you don’t know how much resistance she faced when she first joined the family."
"Bowen, I’m not someone who can’t handle grievances. I just didn’t expect Xiao Meng to say those things to me..."
Guo Tong sniffed, "Turns out she never saw me as her cousin..."
"Alright, let’s not talk about it anymore. I promise, no matter what happens, I’ll stand by you and protect you, okay?"
"Okay."
Guo Tong nodded in agreement.
Just then, there were two knocks on their room door.
It was followed by Shi Haiyan’s voice, "Are you asleep yet?"
Upon hearing his mother’s voice, Yin Bowen quickly said, "Not asleep yet!"
Then he urged Guo Tong to get dressed quickly, and she did so without hesitation, tidying up her clothes.
She had only known Yin Bowen for about half a year, but from his words, she had a general understanding of the Yin Family’s situation.
Not being liked by Yin Shixiu and Su Xiaomeng wasn’t a big deal, but she could not afford to be disliked by Shi Haiyan and Yin Shiqing.
Once Guo Tong was dressed, Yin Bowen went to open the door.
Shi Haiyan was also in her pajamas, looking as if she was about to go to bed.
Upon entering the room, she glanced at Guo Tong, who was leaning on the bed, "Are you feeling any better?"
Guo Tong quickly said, "Yes, much better, sorry for troubling you, Auntie."
"Since you’re feeling better... let me say a few more words."
Shi Haiyan’s expression turned cold, and the atmosphere felt somewhat solemn.
"Auntie, please go ahead."
Shi Haiyan approached the bedside and sat down, speaking seriously to Guo Tong, "If something like today happens again, Guo Tong, you can forget about marrying Bowen."
Guo Tong’s heart skipped a beat.
"Mom, you—"
"Keep quiet."
Yin Bowen frowned.
"I’m teaching her now so that in the future, neither your uncle nor anyone else in the Yin Family will have to teach her."
Shi Haiyan said earnestly.
Guo Tong clenched her fists slightly. Although she didn’t like being lectured, she had already understood that Shi Haiyan coming over to "teach" her at this hour meant she had essentially acknowledged her relationship with Yin Bowen.
In any case, she should at least pretend to be eager to learn.
"In this household, apart from yourself, no one can fully protect you. Bowen likes you a lot now, but he also liked his ex-wife, Zhu Lan, a lot at first, so what happened in the end?"
Yin Bowen was momentarily speechless. Was there a mother like Shi Haiyan?
Guo Tong was also taken aback.
"Zhu Lan was eventually forced out of the Yin Family because of her inability to see the bigger picture, her arrogance, and lack of discretion. Guo Tong, you seem determined to marry into a wealthy family, not to become the second Zhu Lan."
Shi Haiyan’s eyes flashed with a moment of shrewdness as they settled on Guo Tong.
At this moment, Guo Tong felt as though all her thoughts had been laid bare by Shi Haiyan.
"I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a girl wanting to marry into a wealthy family and become a rich wife. On the contrary, if you can make Bowen revolve around you and hold you dear, that’s your ability. I have to acknowledge that."
Every word Shi Haiyan spoke made Guo Tong’s heart race.
One moment she was sure of herself, and the next, she faltered, unsure of Shi Haiyan’s intentions behind these words.
"But ability aside, whether you have the destiny for it is something you need to clarify for yourself. If you cause Bowen’s status in the Yin Family to diminish because of you, do you think... you’ll still get what you want?"
Shi Haiyan’s expression remained cold, "You haven’t even set foot in the Yin Family yet, so think twice before you speak and act. Don’t make yourself unlikable before you even enter the door."
"Auntie, I... I’m sorry."
Guo Tong pressed her lips together.
"In the Yin Family, apologizing is one of the most meaningless things. You must always remember, Bowen can bring you wealth and prosperity, and you need to help Bowen establish his footing in this family, not drag him down."
"You’re smart, you must understand, only when Bowen is respected will you be respected."
"...I understand."
Shi Haiyan stood up, her gaze falling on her abdomen, "Don’t put on this weak act in front of me. Having a baby boy is the only way to truly secure your position in the Yin Family."
After sending Shi Haiyan off, Guo Tong leaned against the headboard, her feelings unsettled for a long time.
She was not just making a show of listening to Shi Haiyan’s teaching...
Yin Bowen held Guo Tong’s hand, "My mom rarely smiles and can seem quite stern at times, but..."
