In the KTV private room.
Lin Qinghe had finished a whole bottle of whiskey. The alcohol was indeed potent. Although she wasn't drunk yet, she felt terribly unwell.
Xiao Ziyi remained unfazed, continuing to stare at her with amusement. "There are still four bottles left, keep it up!"
"Keep it up, my ass!"
If she could, Lin Qinghe truly wanted to lunge forward and slap Xiao Ziyi to death.
But the situation didn't allow it. She gritted her teeth, suppressing the discomfort in her body, and opened another bottle of whiskey, continuing to gulp it down.
After a few mouthfuls, the door to the private room was shoved open with a loud "bang," a rather startling noise.
Xiao Ziyi, Lin Qinghe, and the others in the room were all taken aback.
Lin Qinghe turned to look.
You Rong!
Why had he come back?
Had he returned to see how miserably his friend was tormenting her?
Lin Qinghe's thoughts drifted, her expression hazy, unsure if it was due to the alcohol or something else.
You Rong, with a dark expression, strode to Lin Qinghe in a few steps. Upon seeing the empty bottle of whiskey, his gaze then fell upon the half-empty bottle in her hand.
Flames danced in You Rong's deep eyes. He snatched the whiskey bottle from Lin Qinghe's hand and hurled it forcefully at Xiao Ziyi.
Xiao Ziyi fumbled to catch the bottle, preventing it from smashing onto his head. However, he was doused in liquor, his shirt sticking to him, looking rather disheveled.
Xiao Ziyi wasn't angered. He asked with a smile, "What's with the temper, kid? You almost caved my head in."
You Rong replied with a cold face, "Mind your own business!"
Xiao Ziyi maintained his smiling facade externally, but his thoughts churned internally.
Seeing You Rong like this, could it be that he still harbored feelings for this vain girl who had hurt him?
From their brief exchange, Lin Qinghe gleaned a piece of information: the deliberate torment was not You Rong's intention. In fact, his return was to stop his friend from badgering her.
Lin Qinghe's eyes flickered, and she quickly reacted. Feigning drunkenness, she let out a belch, then pitifully reached out to pull You Rong, her voice trembling as if on the verge of tears, "You Rong, I feel sick..."
You Rong lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on Lin Qinghe's flushed face. He pursed his thin lips, his expression growing more somber. He roughly flung her hand away.
Lin Qinghe tumbled onto the sofa as intended, feigning complete unconsciousness. Mumbling incoherently, she cried out, "You Rong... I feel sick, so sick, I want to vomit..."
You Rong remained unmoved. He shot Xiao Ziyi a warning glance and turned to leave.
Lin Qinghe, with one eye slightly open, saw You Rong about to leave. Anxious, she subtly pinched her thigh, hidden from view. The pain brought tears to her eyes instantly. With a choked sob, she cried, "You Rong, *sob sob*... I feel so sick, *sob sob*..."
She gambled that You Rong still had a shred of concern for her. She couldn't believe he would remain indifferent even if she were crying.
As Lin Qinghe had predicted, You Rong, who had reached the door, paused. He stood frozen at the doorway for a few seconds before returning with a sullen expression. He bent down, scooped up the seemingly intoxicated Lin Qinghe, and strode out.
Xiao Ziyi watched You Rong's retreating back disappear through the door. His expression shifted, and he murmured, "It's amusing, but it seems I'll have to transfer back to A University to prevent this silly boy from being toyed with again. He's always been soft-hearted since he was a child..."
You Rong carried Lin Qinghe out of the KTV and into his car.
Lin Qinghe was overjoyed inwardly. Her gamble had paid off. You Rong at least cared a little bit about her!
Once in the car, You Rong, with a darkened expression, placed Lin Qinghe onto the car seat. He didn't look at her, sitting there sullenly, saying nothing.
The driver nervously swallowed and quietly asked, "Young Master, do you want to send this lady back first? Or..." Su Dan novel network
Send Lin Qinghe where?
It was so late; the gates of A University had long been closed.
After a long pause, You Rong said coldly, "Home."
"Yes, Young Master." The driver obeyed You Rong's command and started the car, heading towards the You family villa.
Lin Qinghe kept her eyes closed. She was somewhat surprised that You Rong was taking her home. She had expected him to at least dump her at a hotel, even though he used to bring the original owner to his house frequently.
The car continued to drive forward. The interior was silent. Even with her eyes closed, Lin Qinghe sensed the oppressive aura emanating from You Rong beside her.
Lin Qinghe's mind raced. Wouldn't it be a waste not to do anything? After all, if she hadn't pretended to be drunk, she wouldn't have had the chance to be so close to You Rong.
Perhaps she should continue the act of being drunk?
Lin Qinghe made up her mind. She immediately opened her eyes, looked around in a daze, then her gaze settled on You Rong. Slowly, she shifted her attention and threw herself into his arms, hugging him like an octopus.
You Rong's face instantly turned as cold as ice. He barked, "Lin Qinghe! What are you doing? Let go!"
"Sob sob, I won't let go, You Rong, I feel sick, I feel so sick..."
"Let go!" You Rong gritted out.
Seeing that You Rong was about to forcibly pull her away, Lin Qinghe panicked. She tightly wrapped her arms around You Rong's neck, buried her face in his neck, and blinked hard, forcing tears from her eyes.
As You Rong felt the warmth on his neck, his body stiffened. His hands, which had been ready to wrench her away, also halted.
Seeing this, Lin Qinghe seized the opportunity, weeping with exaggerated grievance, "Sob sob, I feel sick. I know I was wrong. Why do you still bully me? Just now, and at school, you've always been bullying me..."
As she cried, the alcohol took hold, and with the constant troubles of the past few days, she genuinely felt wronged.
"Do you know that at school, my classmates bully me? They put all sorts of cockroaches and snakes in my desk. In the cafeteria, they deliberately bump into me with their food. They even locked me in the toilet stall and poured water on me. In the dormitory too, others wet my quilt, and I had no blanket to sleep with at night, it was so cold... The worst part is, even the teachers help you bully me, making me stand for punishment, even when I was sick. And also..."
Lin Qinghe hiccuped as she cried, "Why didn't you even pay attention to me? I told you I knew I was wrong, and you still ignored me, *sob sob*..."
The driver, who was in the front, secretly glanced back. He accidentally met You Rong's warning gaze and flinched, quickly averting his eyes and continuing to drive, looking straight ahead.
In the past six months, the Young Master had changed so much. He had never shown such an expression before.
Lin Qinghe clung to You Rong, sobbing and recounting her grievances. She didn't know if You Rong was listening, but he remained silent and didn't try to pull her away forcefully.
After crying for a while, coupled with the effect of the alcohol, Lin Qinghe was genuinely tired. She nuzzled into You Rong's shoulder, wanting to sleep.
As her consciousness grew hazy, she felt a warm hand stroking her hair.
She also heard the system's prompt: "Progress increased by 1%, total progress is 6%."
After hearing this, Lin Qinghe didn't even have time to be happy before she completely fell into a deep sleep.