Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 474 - 475: You’re afraid of hurting her, but aren’t you afraid of hurting me?

Chapter 474: Chapter 475: You’re afraid of hurting her, but aren’t you afraid of hurting me?

Gu Anxi was a little surprised, then smiled faintly. "How did you know?"

Chu Yan lowered her head. "I heard Mom and Dad arguing." She slumped on the bench. "Anxi, did you know? Not only am I not their child, I’m also the child of... of the woman who gave birth to me, the one who hurt Mom—or, more accurately, Chu Ci’s mom."

"I finally understand why Mom has always been so indifferent to me." Chu Yan laughed bitterly. "If it were me, I don’t think I could be so magnanimous either."

Gu Anxi actually knew some of it, but not everything. She quietly kept Chu Yan company. After a long while, Chu Yan said, "Anxi, I want to move out."

Gu Anxi was startled. "Move out?"

Chu Yan’s eyes looked a little lost. "Yes, move out. I... I don’t want to make things difficult for Chu Ci."

He wasn’t actually her brother; she knew that now.

Even though she was young, when she heard her parents arguing, heard her mother’s sharp voice uttering those words, she finally understood her place in the Chu Family. She understood the feelings behind how her brother treated her, and for the first time, she bitterly realized... what was impossible!

After listening to her, Gu Anxi reached out and stroked her small head. "What did Chu Ci say?"

"I didn’t tell him. He doesn’t know that I know the truth." Chu Yan gazed at the horizon, then after a moment, she whispered, "Anxi, please don’t tell him either."

Gu Anxi agreed.

Chu Yan probably hadn’t slept well; her eyes were a little puffy. Soon, she fell asleep, her head resting near Gu Anxi’s hand.

Gu Anxi watched her quietly and sighed. Stroking Chu Yan’s small head with one hand, she sent a message to Chu Ci with the other: "Chu Yan knows about her parentage."

She didn’t say anything else. Chu Ci was an adult, very mature; he could handle it himself. She had known Chu Ci for several years now and had seen how he doted on this younger sister...

After sending the message, she tossed her phone aside and quietly basked in the sunlight.

About ten minutes later, Chu Ci replied, "How is she?"

Gu Anxi stared at the message for a long time before slowly typing her reply, "Wait for her to tell you herself."

Chu Ci didn’t message back again.

Chu Yan slept soundly. When she woke up, she seemed to have returned to normal... Gu Anxi didn’t ask.

When school ended, an incredibly cool sports car was parked at the entrance of Beicheng University.

Chu Yan followed Gu Anxi out. Her gaze froze on the car, then she looked at Gu Anxi.

"I asked him to pick you up. Talk things through properly." Gu Anxi patted her shoulder. "Think carefully. They’re the parents who raised you for twenty years. Can you really bear to leave them?"

Chu Yan’s eyes reddened. After a long moment, she nodded. "I know."

Just then, the sports car’s window slid down, revealing Chu Ci’s infuriatingly handsome face. He looked at Chu Yan. "Get in."

Chu Yan slowly shuffled over, silently opened the car door, and sat beside him.

Chu Ci immediately put on his sunglasses. The car window rolled up, and the expensive sports car started at once.

At the entrance gate of Beicheng University, a large group of girls screamed wildly—

"Chu Ci! Chu Ci!"

...

With her hand in her pocket, Gu Anxi watched silently for a moment before taking out her phone to make a call.

When the other end connected, she said calmly, "Chu Changhe, if Chu Yan wants to move out, just let her."

The person on the other end was surprised and shocked, speechless for a long moment...

Meanwhile, in the sports car, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Chu Yan clutched her small backpack, her body curled into a little ball, and she remained silent.

Her eyes were a little red.

Chu Ci focused on driving and didn’t speak either.

After a long time, Chu Ci’s car stopped in front of a villa—the one he lived in.

Chu Yan opened her eyes wide and whispered, "Why are we here?"

Chu Ci lowered the car window and lit a cigarette. "Weren’t you the one who didn’t want to live at home anymore?"

Chu Yan’s heart began to beat a little faster. She turned her head to look at him.

Chu Ci silently finished his cigarette before saying, "You can stay here for now." As he spoke, he made a move as if to get out of the car.

Chu Yan immediately grabbed his hand. "Brother."

He slowly turned his head, his voice deliberate. "You still call me brother? I thought... you already knew."

Chu Yan’s lips trembled slightly, but she couldn’t utter a single word.

Chu Ci settled back into his seat, leaning against the backrest with his eyes half-closed. "After all these years, I thought you would eventually grow up, that you would understand."

In contrast to his composure, Chu Yan was visibly agitated. She pressed her lips together tightly, and only after a long while did she speak, her voice low and hoarse, "Actually, I don’t understand."

She enunciated each word slowly, "If I hadn’t overheard, would you have never told me? Would we have just gone on like this for the rest of our lives?"

Chu Ci slowly opened his eyes. His usually doting gaze was now somewhat sharp. "And now? You know now, so what’s your choice?"

Chu Yan lowered her eyes. "I don’t know."

Chu Ci’s voice was somewhat cruel. "No, you do know... Your choice is to give up! To give up on this family, and to give up on me. Isn’t that right?"

"I didn’t!" Chu Yan blurted out in denial.

Chu Ci watched her silently, not saying a word, just continuing to smoke.

Chu Yan had never seen him like this. She was a little frightened and curled herself into an even smaller ball.

Chu Ci finished his cigarette and asked quietly, "So, what about now? What are your thoughts now?"

Chu Yan’s pupils dilated. After a long moment, she lowered her eyes. "I don’t know."

"You don’t know, or you haven’t thought about it?" he asked, his voice raspy and tinged with bitterness.

Chu Yan hugged her knees, her eyes filled with tears, looking somewhat timid.

The events of a single day had been too much of a blow for her.

She wanted to pretend nothing had happened, but when she saw Fang Ming and Wang Qin together, she thought of Chu Ci.

They could no longer be as they were before.

She lowered her small head and said very softly, "It would break Mom’s heart."

Chu Ci’s voice was strained. "That’s good. So you’re not afraid of breaking my heart?"

She didn’t have a chance to answer; her mind was a complete blank.

Chu Ci spoke again, "Or have you already made up your mind?"

Chu Yan didn’t make a sound. Her small head was lowered, and she looked utterly lost.

Chu Ci watched her silently for a good while, then reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt. He had done this countless times, but this time, Chu Yan seemed startled and shifted slightly...

His hand paused, and he lifted his eyes to look at her.

After a moment, he reluctantly withdrew his hand and said lightly, "Stay here for now. As for everything else, we’ll talk about it later."

With that, he got out of the car and opened her door.

Chu Yan got out of the car and looked at him.

He showed no intention of entering the villa, standing with his hands in his pockets, watching her silently.

Chu Yan wanted to step forward, but she hesitated.

Chu Ci walked around to the other side, opened the car door, and was about to get in when Chu Yan, summoning courage from nowhere, ran over and grabbed the corner of his shirt. "Chu Ci."

She rarely, if ever, called him by his name.