Watching Xiao Ziyi's smiling face, Lin Qinghe felt an urge to punch him.
She took several deep breaths inwardly, suppressing the impulse.
After all, You Rong seemed to have a good relationship with Xiao Ziyi. She couldn't, in a fit of anger, hit Xiao Ziyi and make You Rong even more displeased with her.
However, Xiao Ziyi's deliberate attempts to test her were truly irritating!
Lin Qinghe replied with a forced smile, "Thank you, but I'm sorry, I don't like it. Please take it back and give it to someone who needs it."
No one knew that when Lin Qinghe said this, You Rong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Ziyi raised his eyebrows slightly, "You don't like this brand of bracelet? Or do you want something else? Cosmetics? A bag, just say it, whatever it is, I can give it to you. I truly like you, please believe me."
I believe you, my foot!
Lin Qinghe glanced at You Rong, whose expression turned grim, and his heart skipped a beat.
Xiao Ziyi must be doing this on purpose, wanting to make her covet these luxury items and let You Rong see her as vain!
Lin Qinghe gritted her teeth secretly and decided to be more direct. "I'm sorry, I don't like you. The person I like is You Rong! Please don't do things like this again that make me uncomfortable, thank you!"
"Oh? The person you like is You Rong?"
Xiao Ziyi looked meaningfully at You Rong. You Rong ignored him. Xiao Ziyi then said with a smile, "What a shame, You Rong doesn't like you. Look... I'm as handsome as You Rong, and I'm also rich. How about... you like me instead? What do you say?"
You Rong's eyes darkened, and he clenched his fists slightly.
Lin Qinghe was even more infuriated, on the verge of going crazy.
Did Xiao Ziyi not understand human speech!
"Classmate Xiao!" Lin Qinghe suppressed her anger and said seriously, "Liking someone is not a joke. Liking a person is liking them; it's not something that changes in two or three days. I like You Rong! I will always like him, and I will never like anyone else!"
Rejected so directly, Xiao Ziyi was not annoyed. He still maintained his usual roguish and insincere demeanor.
A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed. He bent over, clutching his calf, and cried out, "Ouch... it hurts so much..."
Lin Qinghe blinked her clear eyes slightly, confused.
Was this karma? Shouting in pain for no reason?
You Rong glanced at Lin Qinghe indifferently. Seeing her confusion, he explained, "He kicked the leg of the table."
Lin Qinghe gave a faint "Oh," "So that's what happened..."
Heh! It really was karma! Serves him right!
Xiao Ziyi looked at You Rong and Lin Qinghe, who were both indifferent to him, and felt like a glaringly obvious third wheel. They both clearly disliked him.
Xiao Ziyi muttered resentfully, wanting to say something, but his words were interrupted by a classmate at the door.
"Classmate Xiao, the teacher wants you to go to her office. It's about the exchange student information."
Xiao Ziyi frowned and said helplessly, "Got it, I'll be right there."
Xiao Ziyi withdrew his gaze, looked at You Rong, then at Lin Qinghe. Just as he was about to speak to Lin Qinghe, You Rong impatiently urged, "The teacher is waiting for you, hurry up and go. How long do you want the teacher to wait?"
Xiao Ziyi sighed inwardly, "...Yes, yes, yes, I'm going now..."
In fact, it wasn't that he was afraid of making the teacher wait, but rather that he didn't want to see him fawning over Lin Qinghe.
Little did they know he could see through that.
Xiao Ziyi left, and Lin Qinghe immediately felt the air become much fresher.
She secretly glanced at You Rong a few times, hesitated, and tentatively asked, "You Rong, are you and classmate Xiao very close? Are you childhood friends? I don't think you've ever mentioned him before..."
If You Rong and Xiao Ziyi's relationship was not close, she wanted to assassinate the latter tomorrow and throw him into the river to feed the fish, so he wouldn't keep plotting against her.
Little did she know, You Rong's expression instantly turned cold at Lin Qinghe's question. "What's it to you!"
Asking him about Xiao Ziyi, was she trying to confirm if Xiao Ziyi was really a rich second generation and then accept his pursuit?
Lin Qinghe, naturally unaware of what You Rong was thinking, cursed herself inwardly.
Brainless!
If Xiao Ziyi and You Rong weren't close, why would Xiao Ziyi be afraid of You Rong being deceived again and try his best to expose her as vain in front of You Rong?
Lin Qinghe had to abandon the idea of assassinating Xiao Ziyi. She smiled and said, "It's nothing, I was just asking casually. It's okay if you don't want to say... Well, I have class this afternoon, so I'll head back first. See you tomorrow."
Lin Qinghe took two steps, then suddenly stopped and turned back to look at You Rong, her expression hesitant.
After a moment, she walked back. You Rong looked up at her, as if silently asking if there was anything else.
Lin Qinghe said, "Well... You Rong, can you promise me something?"
You Rong furrowed his brows slightly, "What is it?"
"No matter what bad things Xiao Ziyi says about me to you, you can't believe it! Can you? I feel like he doesn't like me much and will definitely try to badmouth me to you. What he said just now was just him playing with me, I didn't take it seriously..."
That she never took Xiao Ziyi's confession seriously?
You Rong's somber expression softened a little. For once, he replied to Lin Qinghe, "I know."
Although it wasn't a definitive answer, Lin Qinghe was still very happy. At least You Rong didn't completely ignore her.
Her eyes curved, and she smiled brightly, nodding vigorously. "Okay, I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow."
Ten minutes after Lin Qinghe left, Xiao Ziyi returned from the teacher's office.
Xiao Ziyi plopped down next to You Rong. You Rong still acted as if he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him, not even looking at him.
Xiao Ziyi sighed dramatically and muttered to himself, "That's strange, why didn't Lin Qinghe accept the bracelet I gave her? Doesn't she like it? It's quite expensive, and I had a friend help me get this limited edition. What do you think... is she playing hard to get?"
The words "playing hard to get" struck You Rong's ears like nails.
He glanced at Xiao Ziyi and said disdainfully, "Heh... expensive? She's received better! I gave her a custom-made bracelet from Dior. Naturally, she wouldn't care for this kind of bracelet."
Dior was a well-known luxury brand. Custom pieces were limited to only three spots each year, not only expensive but also requiring a strong family background to secure a spot.
Comparing such a custom piece to the limited edition bracelet Xiao Ziyi had, anyone with eyes could see which was more valuable.
Xiao Ziyi looked as if he suddenly understood. "So that's why... Lin Qinghe didn't fancy my bracelet. It turns out she's seen better things from you before. No! I have to up the ante for her to even glance at me. Tomorrow, I'll bring my mother's treasured jewelry to try."
Xiao Ziyi pretended not to see You Rong's icy glare, nudged his shoulder, and whispered slyly, "You remember, right? My mother's treasured jewelry sets are worth tens of millions. If Lin Qinghe sees them, she should at least be interested in me, right?"
You Rong snorted coldly, turned his face away, and stopped paying attention to Xiao Ziyi.
However, he felt an indescribable sense of suffocation.
He even regretted saying what he did just now. What if Lin Qinghe really was tempted by jewelry worth tens of millions? He...