Chapter 836 - In Your Heart
Jane was no longer a little girl by royal standards. It was normal for a girl her age to have children. Her popularity among the nobles did not help her cause. Yang Chen was at a loss because this was the first time he was notified of this.
“But… Yang Chen, hear me out. Jane is a girl from the royal family. She is expected to carry on our bloodline. Her marriage is inevitable.” Catherine tried to persuade him. “I’ve been meaning to call for a while now. Please persuade her to reconsider. She has to stop living in her fantasy and start facing reality.”
Yang Chen was anguished. “Alright, I’ll talk to her tomorrow. But let me warn you, no one can force her to do what she does not want.”
Catherine sighed and ended the call.
That night, Yang Chen could not sleep. He tossed and turned reminiscing about his past with Jane. From the moment he met her, she was already special in his eyes. He thought about the times he spent with her in the UK. Before he knew it, Jane wormed her way into his heart.
The next afternoon, Yang Chen departed for the biochemical engineering department in Zhonghai University with Lin Ruoxi after handling some documents in the office.
Ever since they announced their marriage, most people from Yu Lei International were used to seeing the both of them together.
Zhonghai University was one of the top universities in China. They hired many top international scholars to teach their students.
The campus was situated around a small hill with a lot of green spaces. It was equipped with more than adequate infrastructure, including road for cars to drive inside the campus.
Due to Jane’s identity, the university and the government had placed high importance on this project. The municipal committee leaders and notable people from the university were required to attend the event. The field was bustling with people which looked like a social gathering from afar.
In the field, socialites and politicians mingled around catching up with one another. This event wasn’t just for Jane and the introduction to her project. This was also a time for people to create business opportunities.
Paparazzi surrounded the fence and were being held back the the security guards. Their cameras flashed continuously to take as many photos as possible.
The public was only aware of Jane’s identity as a scholar. They were not aware of her other identity as the princess of Wales. Her true identity was only privy to the elites in society.
Lin Ruoxi attracted a lot of attention. She was, after all, the main investor of this project.
For most people, Lin Ruoxi was more important to connect to compared to Jane.
Since Yu Lei International was the one profiting from this project, it was more important to be a part of that.
Lin Ruoxi looked especially refreshing in her beige dress but no one dared to approach her because of her chilly expression.
People only came up to greet her out of respect. Many were afraid to continue the conversation due to Lin Ruoxi’s uninterested tone.
On the other hand, no one paid attention to Yang Chen despite being Lin Ruoxi’s husband. People started speculating about how he solely depended on Lin Ruoxi to survive. Yang Chen wasn’t interested in socializing with the crowd so he stood away from the crowd.
If it was in the past, Lin Ruoxi would have dragged him around to greet people. But now that she knew part of his background, she didn’t bother to do so and left him alone.
Jane made her appearance around lunchtime.
She was wearing a figure-hugging off-shoulder dress which matched her blue eyes. Her amber-colored hair was let down, framing her flawless facial features. They couldn’t imagine that a delicate woman like her would be a scientist because they assumed she would be unkempt!
Everyone started to quiet down when the emcee invited Jane up the stage to deliver her speech.
Some even started to compare Jane and Lin Ruoxi but they couldn’t decide who looked better due to them being different ethnicities.
Jane spoke with an especially serious voice, contrasting with her usual lazy tone. Her English was flawless and fluent. Nothing short of the world’s best.
At the end of her speech, Jane sprinkled in some Mandarin to add to her charm. “That’s all I have to say regarding the project. Lastly I would like to thank each of everyone of you. I know many of you might not have understood what I said. It’s completely normal since my students didn’t understand it either. But thank you all for not falling asleep during my speech.”
The guests cheered as they gave her a round of applause.
Yang Chen raised his glass from afar and he sighed when he realized that the helpless but intelligent girl he had met in the church of Riviera back then was now all grown up.
The party continued on and almost everyone was immersed in serious talks. Even Lin Ruoxi was having a discussion with the officials about the future of the project. Yang Chen knew no one since he wasn’t involved in the project. Therefore he was left alone and by himself.
He walked over to the woods behind the laboratory. It was peaceful and quiet there.
Yang Chen layed down on the grass and stared at the trees.
Although Catherine hadn’t said much regarding the situation, he still felt his heart squeeze at the thought of it.
He had never dreamt of making Jane one of his women. But now that she was about to be wed off to someone else, he couldn’t help but feel a little possessive of her.
The complex feeling overtook his mind and Yang Chen couldn’t think of anything else.
Light footsteps were heard approaching a few minutes later.
Yang Chen knew who it was without looking.
He saw a pair of slender legs stop right next to him. Looking up, he saw a pair of lacy underwear under a blue dress. There was another side to her underneath her graceful appearance.
“Aren’t you afraid of the paparazzi?” Yang Chen didn’t dare to continue looking, smiling as he turned around.
Jane stuck close to him, not caring that the grass might dirty her dress.
“I came through the back road so they wouldn’t know. But, if they happened to catch us together, I wouldn’t mind a scandal. I would actually like that.”
Yang Chen sighed. “You shouldn’t have come. You’re making things difficult for your mother.”
Jane eyes darkened as she asked, “Would you consider my feelings or my mother’s first?”
“She’s your mother. There’s nothing else to consider,” Yang Chen said.
“No,” Jane denied. “I’m asking you as a woman. Do you care about me, or my mother more?”
Yang Chen was caught off guard and contemplated her question. “I don’t know. I couldn’t sleep after that call with Catherine.”
Jane smiled softly. “I like your answer. At least I made you restless.”
Yang Chen smiled bitterly. “The both of you have watched me grow over the years. Both of you hold a special place in my heart.”
“Are we really the ones ‘in your heart’?” Jane asked cheekily.
Yang Chen frowned as he got up into a sitting position and shook his head. “I’m not going down that road. You’re much smarter than me. But the problem is that no matter how smart you are, you are still the Princess of Wales who needs to be wed.”
Jane scooted closer to Yang Chen and leaned backwards on him.
“You know why I’m here.”
Yang Chen took a deep breath. “Jane, every time I see you, I am reminded of the beauty of a raw crystal—untouched, uncarved. It’s an art piece formed by the heavens. But I also know that if I leave it alone, it’ll stay a crystal forever. The crystal is perfect in my heart but it’ll never be an artwork. It would be a selfish choice to make.”
“Then just leave it uncarved forever,” Jane mumbled. “Let the crystal stay next to you quietly. You can protect it and it’ll be happy.”
Yang Chen couldn’t reply, his hands curled into fists.
Jane glanced at him and smiled gently, “I like you, Yang Chen. I really do. I’m very sure of it…”