Transmigrating Into a Book, the Villain Becomes the White Moonlight!

83: Chapter 83 Lin Wan’s Research Over the Past Two and a Half YearsLin Wan knew exactly what she was saying, knowing that the vague engagement represented not just a jest between elders, but also an important safeguard for her family business’s current standing.

She had begun to engage with and understand these matters; she was no longer the student from two years ago who perhaps only vaguely knew her family relied on the Su Family but was unaware of the specific implications.

So that’s how it was.

Su Bai leaned back in his chair, finally understanding. He understood her unusually intimate gestures at dinner tonight, her seemingly considerate words and actions, and even this current ’twenty-minute roadside parking drama’—all of it pointed to one fundamental goal: to maintain the crucial facade of a marriage alliance between the Lin Family and the Su Family.

For this, she was even willing to proactively play the role of an understanding, pre-engaged fiancée with an emotional foundation.

Su Bai’s silence lasted only a moment. He turned his head to look at Lin Wan, his face devoid of expression, his tone indifferent as if it had nothing to do with him: ”But, there’s a very crucial question—”

He paused, then clearly articulated the rest: ”What does it have to do with me?”

”I have no obligation to sit here by the road with you, acting out this twenty-minute scene of warmth.”

”How you want to maintain your family’s relationship with the Lin Family and the Su Family, and what methods you use to ensure your family’s business runs smoothly, that’s your problem, your issue. Not mine.”

Deep down, Su Bai truly didn’t care much about who he would marry in the future.

More precisely, he had long understood that his so-called freedom in this matter was extremely limited.

It would simply be that at some point, his father, Su Zheng, would present him with a stack of profiles and photos of girls who had been thoroughly vetted and met all the family background requirements, and let him choose one.

Lin Wan was merely one of those photos, favored by the elders precisely because of the two families’ old acquaintance.

In this marriage alliance concerning family interests and reputation, his personal preferences were compressed into the smallest corner.

Therefore, he couldn’t be bothered to put in effort and resisted investing any unnecessary emotions.

Did he dislike Lin Wan?

No, not really. He even felt that compared to other unfamiliar girls who might resort to unpredictable, exaggerated behaviors to curry favor with the Su Family, Lin Wan was at least a known quantity.

Moreover, objectively speaking, she really did make Shang Hui very happy, which he observed, and to some extent, it saved him some trouble.

”You’re right,” Lin Wan wasn’t provoked by his indifference; instead, it was as if she had anticipated he would say this.

Her voice returned to its previous steady tone: ”This indeed doesn’t directly concern you. But Su Bai, think about it, no matter who the family ultimately arranges for you to be with in the future, won’t you inevitably have to put on a show in front of others? To feign harmony, to feign respectability, even if it’s just basic cooperation. At the very least, it must appear to outsiders that the Su Family’s heir has a fulfilling marriage that meets expectations.”

She turned sideways, facing him more directly: ”Even without me, the family would choose another woman for you. At that time, wouldn’t you still have to get to know a stranger all over again, and then, in countless settings, accompany her in performing that awkward, needing-to-be-honed respectability? At least now...”

She paused, her voice slightly lowered, her face faintly flushed, ”At least with me, we’ve known each other for so many years, we know each other’s boundaries, and pretending... wouldn’t it be a bit less effort? A bit more comfortable?”

Su Bai’s fingers on the car door handle froze.

He didn’t immediately open the door.

Lin Wan’s words stirred the unspoken assumption deep within him that he was too lazy to delve into.

He couldn’t refute this logic.

The family’s deliberate efforts since childhood to have him and Lin Wan interact more, to cultivate those pitifully meager shared memories, wasn’t the fundamental purpose a form of groundwork?

To make a potential future union appear less abrupt, so that even if it was ultimately a contractual marriage for the exchange of interests, it could still be reluctantly wrapped in a thin veil of some emotional foundation, making it look good on the surface.

As Lin Wan said, even if he were to strongly object now and insist on a different person.

Could he change it?

Yes.

But what he would get in return would still be a stranger, drawn by the Su Family’s prestige.

He would still have to perform alongside someone he didn’t know or understand, in countless situations throughout the rest of his life where a couple needed to appear together.

In comparison, with Lin Wan... one could only say that the family’s arrangements back then indeed had an effect; he and Lin Wan were at least familiar with each other.

Marriage, at its core, was about being responsible for the overall interests and reputation of the Su Family, not for his personal happiness or feelings as Su Bai.

He had known this for a long time.

He slowly withdrew his hand from the car door handle and leaned back into the seat.

No agreement, no further rebuttal.

The resolute stance of wanting to immediately pull away and draw a clear line had imperceptibly relaxed.

He looked at the small patch of road illuminated by the headlights ahead and said, ”There’s something I need to make clear.”

”I promise,” Lin Wan immediately interjected almost simultaneously with his words, her voice slightly hurried, as if eager to dispel any conditions or warnings he might propose, a subtle hint of relief even flashing in her eyes.

”This is the last time I will speak ill of you in front of Auntie in that manner.” She cleverly avoided direct terms like ’complaining’ or ’sabotaging,’ opting for a gentler phrasing.

Su Bai glanced at her, saying nothing.

When did this person become so aware of his reactions, even able to anticipate what he was about to say?

This feeling of being somewhat understood made him a little uncomfortable, but he was too lazy to ask more.

He simply took out his phone, his finger casually swiping across the screen, tapping open a game icon he had made.

Lin Wan sat quietly in the driver’s seat, not disturbing him, but her gaze never left him.

Her eyes fell on his lowered profile, on his fingertips sliding across the screen, on his relaxed posture that signaled ’do not disturb’.

For the past two and a half years, every winter and summer break, every weekend, whenever she had the chance, she would go to the Su Family home.

Initially, it was a polite visit; later, it became a habit.

She chatted with Shang Hui, listened to her talk about Su Bai’s childhood, and observed Su Bai’s space in the Su Family villa—the game room that remained untouched even when its owner was away, the style of cup he habitually used, and even his preferred indoor temperature.

She was like someone completing a crucial research project, silently memorizing and repeatedly pondering Su Bai’s life trajectory, personality habits, and even some harmless minor flaws from the past twenty years.

She was convinced that, given Su Bai’s core personality, even after two years abroad and experiencing different environments, there would be no revolutionary changes.

Indeed, he was still himself.