The pattering rain outside made You Rong restless, and he paced back and forth in the room incessantly.
He suddenly gazed out at the balcony for a long time, and finally, unable to control himself, walked over.
Standing on the balcony, he saw Lin Qinghe, soaked and disheveled, still squatting outside the villa gate in the rain.
You Rong's heart clenched.
An inexplicable anger surged within him.
You Rong, with a grim face, turned and walked quickly downstairs to go outside. Uncle Wang, seeing him, quickly grabbed an umbrella and followed.
"Young Master, wait for me. It's raining so heavily, where are you going?"
You Rong strode out of the villa. Uncle Wang, panting, caught up to him and held the umbrella over him. "Young Master, what are you doing? It's raining so hard, let's go back inside."
You Rong stood still. Uncle Wang followed his gaze and saw Lin Qinghe, drenched and beaming.
"You Rong... you came out!"
You Rong stood only a few steps away from Lin Qinghe, his lips tightly pressed together, trying his best to suppress something.
Lin Qinghe, disregarding her own sorry state, ran to You Rong and managed a smile. "I... You Rong, it's so good that you came out. I didn't come for any other reason today. I know tomorrow is your birthday, and you'll be very busy with people celebrating with you, so I thought I'd give you your birthday gift a day early."
Lin Qinghe held out the pair of sneakers she had been protecting in her arms. "This is a birthday gift I specially picked out for you... I hope you like it."
Rainwater streamed down Lin Qinghe's face. It was raining so hard that she could barely keep her eyes open.
You Rong looked at Lin Qinghe before him, and a mixture of grief and anger churned in his chest.
He knew, clearly, that Lin Qinghe was insincere. She was like this with everyone – with Jiang Jing Tian, with Xiao Zi Yi, and with countless other wealthy young men. Yet, he still wanted to believe her!
You Rong's face, with its well-defined features, was as cold as ice. He let out a contemptuous laugh. "Heh heh... Lin Qinghe, are you done acting? What exactly do you want from me? Money?"
Lin Qinghe froze. "What do you mean?"
You Rong slightly closed his eyes, then opened them again, his gaze full of mockery. "If it's money, then wait. I'll have someone get it for you immediately! How much do you want? One million? Five million? Or ten million?!"
Lin Qinghe's face changed drastically. "You Rong! What do you mean? I came to give you a birthday present. If you don't like it, you can simply refuse it. You don't need to insult me like this!"
She had waited here for hours, gotten soaked like a drowned rat, and finally managed to get him to come out, only to be met with cold sarcasm. How could Lin Qinghe not be angry?
You Rong lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the gift in Lin Qinghe's hand.
"Ha? Birthday gift... Is pretending to genuinely like someone your specialty? Is this the same trick you use when you're stringing along other rich second-generation heirs? Is it?!"
Lin Qinghe glared at You Rong, her anger burning. "You Rong! You're going too far!"
Instead of holding back, You Rong's words became even more biting and sarcastic. "To put in so much effort, you really deserve more money. Ten million isn't enough, is it? After all, someone like you, who is so vain..."
Lin Qinghe's shoulders trembled slightly with anger. You Rong took a step forward, confronting her. "Do you know what? I utterly detest you right now. Just looking at you makes me sick to my stomach. I can give you money, but don't ever show your face to me again!"
"You Rong!"
Lin Qinghe's eyes reddened, wishing she could pounce on him and bite him to death.
Who was he insulting?
If it weren't for the mission, she definitely would...
Lin Qinghe clenched her fists, telling herself she was completing a mission and there was no need to argue with You Rong. Yet, a strange sense of grievance and bitterness welled up inside her.
You Rong ignored Lin Qinghe's anger and turned to say, "Uncle Wang, go get a check for twenty million and send this person away. It's annoying to have her lingering at the door like this, such bad luck!"
Lin Qinghe could no longer tolerate it. She threw the sneakers in her hand directly at You Rong's head and, in her anger, slapped him across the face.
"You bastard!"
With a crisp slap, You Rong's face was knocked to the side.
Uncle Wang exclaimed, "Young Master! Are you alright? How could you hit someone! Do you want us to call the police right now?!"
Lin Qinghe didn't even look at either of them again and turned away, fuming.
If she stayed any longer and heard another insulting word from You Rong's mouth, she would be so angry that she would forget the mission and kill You Rong first!
After Lin Qinghe left, You Rong stood in the rain, his head tilted, motionless. Uncle Wang called out worriedly, "Young Master... it's raining too hard outside. Shouldn't we go back inside?"
You Rong's expression was vacant. His eyes moved, and he turned his head, his gaze falling on the sneakers, their packaging box soaked in the rain. He looked for a long time, then said in a low voice, "Uncle Wang, take them and throw them away."
He would no longer believe Lin Qinghe, no longer be played for a fool by her!
Uncle Wang responded with a "yes," handed the umbrella to You Rong, and then picked up the sneakers and threw them into the trash can.
When Uncle Wang returned, he saw You Rong staring at the trash can without moving and couldn't help but frown. "Young Master, let's go back inside."
You Rong withdrew his gaze, said nothing more, and walked back.
Upon returning to the house, he bumped into Grandpa You, who was coming out of the study. Seeing that his clothes were wet, Grandpa You said with concern, "What happened? Why did you go out in such heavy rain? You're all wet. Steward Wang, quickly take him upstairs to change! Don't catch a cold."
Before Uncle Wang could speak, You Rong said first, "Grandpa, I'm fine. I'll go upstairs to change now. I'm also a bit tired and want to sleep. You all have dinner first, don't wait for me."
With that, he went upstairs without looking back.
Grandpa You sensed that something was wrong and looked at Uncle Wang. "Steward Wang, what's wrong with You Rong?"
Uncle Wang, with a worried expression, hesitated for a moment before telling Grandpa You the whole story.
"It's all because our Young Master is too kind that he's always being deceived. After the Young Master's confession last time, he tormented himself relentlessly and stopped smiling. Who knew that woman would still be lurking around... I'm really afraid the Young Master might do something foolish again..."
Grandpa You suppressed his anger and pondered for a moment. "A girl like that isn't worthy of our You Rong. Just wait! I will find a girl who is well-matched in status and kind-hearted to be You Rong's fiancée!"
"This... Old Master, do you already have someone in mind?"
"Yes, the granddaughter of an old friend. It's convenient that tomorrow is You Rong's birthday. I'll have her come over to meet You Rong, and then we'll arrange the engagement and settle it for them."
"They're going to get engaged so soon? Isn't it too fast? Young Master he..."
"Don't worry so much. They'll get along well in the future, and You Rong will fall in love with her. Look at You Rong's parents, his grandmother and I... weren't all our marriages arranged? And didn't we live happily ever after?" Grandpa You said dismissively.
Uncle Wang didn't say anything further, but he was very worried in his heart.
He felt that the Young Master would not agree to the engagement.