Chapter 30: An Unexpected Third Wheel

In Yan’s embrace, Chen Lin finally calmed down completely.

He did not rush to push her away. Instead, he asked her a question in a calm voice: “Suppose one day I’m killed by you—what do you think the reason would be?”

Chen Lin hoped for a satisfactory answer from Yan, one that would dispel the doubts swirling in his mind.

But Yan answered without a moment’s hesitation. “I love you the most, big brother. I could never hurt you.”

As she spoke, Yan tightened her arms around him.

“Does that mean no matter what I do to you, you won’t hold a grudge?” Chen Lin asked, puzzled.

“I’m not really sure. I guess so,” Yan replied.

Chen Lin felt that this answer did not clear his mind—on the contrary, it only confused him further.

Yan’s naive reply made her all too easy to believe.

The warm, lovely smile on her face as she spoke could instantly boost anyone’s fondness for her.

Chen Lin was willing to trust her. If he hadn’t been killed twice already, he might have believed her completely.

Just then, his phone alarm went off. Chen Lin pulled himself free from Yan’s arms and glanced at the time displayed.

This was the latest he could leave if he wanted to meet Shihan on time. Any later and he’d be late.

He turned to look at Yan. Flustered, she realized her clothes were disheveled and began to tidy them up.

First, she adjusted her undergarments, then slipped back on the knee-high socks that Chen Lin had pulled off and tossed on the bed.

“Don’t stare…” she said shyly, covering her legs with her hands.

While she put on the socks, Chen Lin kept his eyes fixed on her, making her feel awkward.

He quickly averted his gaze. He had no interest in her young body; his constant surveillance was born purely from fear.

He was afraid she might suddenly produce a weapon and stab him, ending his life.

His behavior seemed too obvious—Yan had noticed. He needed to be more discreet.

“By the way, why did you call me over so early in the morning?” Yan asked.

After wiping away her tears, she seemed to have already forgotten about being bullied by Chen Lin earlier. Instead, she was curious why he had brought her here.

In truth, Chen Lin had invited Yan over precisely to get the assassination over with—sooner rather than later.

But things never went as he expected.

Yan carried no weapon and showed no sign of hostility whatsoever.

Even after being treated so roughly, she hadn’t gotten angry at all.

After careful thought, Chen Lin finally answered, “I called you out because I wanted to ask you to go to the aquarium with me.”

“The aquarium? I love it!” Yan said cheerfully, looking forward to it.

Compared to just watching a movie, the aquarium felt more like a date venue.

Chen Lin hadn’t thought it through. He simply felt that keeping Yan within his sight would make him safer.

He had the whole day to keep an eye on her and find out why she wanted to kill him.

Thus, Chen Lin led Yan out of the house and arrived at the meeting spot with Shihan.

At the usual conspicuous spot near the station, Shihan was already growing impatient, glancing at her watch repeatedly.

Chen Lin was half an hour late. Unbelievable.

Usually, the girl was the one who showed up late. What was a guy doing being late? And not just by a few minutes—a full thirty minutes.

If he didn’t show up in another ten minutes, she would go home immediately.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she dismissed it. Going home right away seemed too willful. Should she call him to ask about his situation? That would be more appropriate.

What if he was stuck in some unavoidable circumstance? Then she ought to be understanding.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” came the long-awaited voice beside Shihan.

Overjoyed that Chen Lin hadn’t stood her up, she still put on a displeased face. “Seriously, how could you be this late? It’s been half an hour!”

But when her eyes fell on him, she saw Yan hiding behind Chen Lin, peeking out with a wary expression.

“Who… who is she?” Shihan’s eye twitched, but she forced a graceful smile as she asked.

Before Chen Lin could answer, Yan tugged at his sleeve and asked discontentedly, “What’s going on? Wasn’t the aquarium date supposed to be just us?”

So Chen Lin briefly introduced Yan to Shihan, then said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to bring Yan along to the aquarium today.”

“But I only have two free tickets,” Shihan said reluctantly.

Yan seemed to understand immediately. She looked at Shihan with a hint of alertness. Perhaps it was female intuition, but she instantly sensed that Shihan might be a romantic rival.

Using free tickets to lure Chen Lin into a date?

Was this the reason he had stood her up yesterday?

“I’ll buy my own ticket,” Yan quickly declared.

Shihan also sensed something off. Yan hiding behind Chen Lin so intimately, clinging to him like that—it was suspicious.

She was a middle school student; she shouldn’t be arguing with a grade-schooler. But for some reason, Shihan felt a surge of annoyance.

“A grade-schooler like you can just buy a child’s ticket later, right?” Shihan’s words carried a bite.

Yan caught the sarcasm. Not wanting to be belittled, she shot back, “My height is almost 135 cm, far above the 120 cm limit for children’s tickets. If I’m buying a child’s ticket, so should you.”

Shihan’s eye twitched. She could feel Yan mocking her for being short. Rotten little brat.

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