You Rong's face was grim, and he said coldly, "Let go!"
"You Rong! You!" You Ziming's eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour You Rong. Angered, he raised his fist and punched You Rong in the face.
You Rong grabbed his incoming fist and pushed him away forcefully.
You Ziming was a bit drunk. He staggered back a few steps, his balance unsteady, and he fell to the ground with a thump.
You Ziming scrambled up in a fit of rage, intending to lunge at You Rong again. You Rong's eyes turned cold, and he warned, "You'd better stop, or I'll call the police! I heard the You family has been working hard to go public. If some scandal breaks out, even if it's your own son, that man will break his legs!"
Mention of his strict father, You Ziming's raised hand froze in mid-air. He was afraid, and didn't dare to throw the punch.
Facing the cool and composed You Rong, You Ziming's anger intensified. He sneered, "What? So concerned about You Group? Are you trying to come back as an illegitimate son to grab something?"
You Rong said expressionlessly, "I have no interest in anything belonging to your You family. I don't want any connection with you for the rest of my life, nor do I ever want to see any of you again!"
To climb into bed with a daughter from a wealthy family, You Guowen had abandoned his wife and child. Before his mother left, she made him swear a solemn oath never to acknowledge You Guowen, never to have any relation with the You family, and even if he starved to death, he was not to take a single cent from the You family.
You Rong kept all of this in his heart.
You Rong tidied his clothes, disdaining to pay attention to You Ziming's provocation, and turned to leave.
Seeing You Rong's dismissive attitude, You Ziming was almost exploding with anger. He sneered, "Heh... You think anyone would fancy you now, a cripple, a disabled person? Let me tell you the truth, Lin Qinghe confessed to me, and I rejected her. She's playing hard to get with me and knows I hate you, so she deliberately sought you out, just to use you to provoke me! Don't forget, to please me, she could find someone to break your legs without batting an eye!"
You Rong's steps faltered for a moment. Without looking back, he walked out of the restroom.
Standing in the staff corridor, You Rong's face was pale.
You Ziming's words were like a thorn piercing his heart.
It hurt, it really hurt.
You Rong closed his eyes slightly.
He knew what Lin Qinghe was like from the start and never harbored any hope for her. Why did his heart ache now?
Seeing that You Rong had been gone for a long time and You Ziming was nowhere to be seen, Lin Qinghe became worried and came to find him.
Seeing You Rong standing there with a pale face, she asked with concern, "You Rong, you look so unwell. Are you not feeling well? I'll tell Brother Wang, and I'll take you to the hospital!"
You Rong looked up, his gaze fixed on Lin Qinghe. He remained silent, his eyes unfathomably deep, revealing none of his thoughts.
Lin Qinghe touched her face in confusion, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
You Rong lowered his eyes and said faintly, "It's nothing. Let's go back."
"Is it really nothing? But you look so unwell, I really think I should take you to the hospital."
"No need."
"But you..."
You Rong interrupted her, "I'm fine."
Lin Qinghe was helpless and could only go along with You Rong. After a moment's thought, she tentatively asked, "I don't see You Ziming either. You didn't run into him, did you?"
You Rong pursed his lips, suppressing his inner irritation, and said, "...No."
"Oh, that's good. I was worried he might have troubled you. Then... let's go back quickly, we'll be off work in half an hour."
That night, You Rong returned home.
Granny Lin had already gone to sleep. After washing up, You Rong lay on his bed. In the darkness, he kept his eyes open, unable to sleep.
He didn't doubt what You Ziming had said. He had seen the arrogant Lin Qinghe looking at You Ziming with eyes full of love before.
Lin Qinghe genuinely liked You Ziming.
To spite him, she had endured her disgust and interacted with him, even rashly changing her major for it.
You Rong closed his eyes and placed his hand over his heart.
He wasn't surprised by any of this, so why... did he feel such an inexplicable discomfort?
***
The next day.
Lin Qinghe clearly felt that something was off with You Rong, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was, so she dismissed it as her own overthinking. Su Dan Fiction Network.
After class, most people had left. Lin Qinghe gathered her things and asked with bright, smiling eyes, "What do you want to eat for lunch? We can go to the library after eating!"
You Rong's gaze deepened. After a few seconds of silence, he replied, not to her question, "The five thousand yuan I owe you, I've transferred it to you on WeChat. Remember to check."
Lin Qinghe was stunned by You Rong's sudden words, "Why are you returning the money all of a sudden? Didn't we agree that the rest would be offset by your tutoring fees?"
You Rong said, "From today onwards, I will no longer tutor you. I suggest you switch back to the music department as soon as possible. You don't understand computer science at all, and you have no interest in it. There's no need to jeopardize your future for some trivial matter."
He believed that changing majors would be easy for Lin Qinghe. Normally, third-year students couldn't change majors, but she could, likely due to her family's connections. It wouldn't be difficult to switch back now.
Lin Qinghe was confused, "Why would you suddenly stop tutoring me? Did I do something to upset you? Tell me, and I'll definitely change!"
"You didn't," You Rong lowered his eyes slightly and insisted, "In any case, starting today, I will no longer tutor you."
"No, You Rong, I really..."
You Rong left, and Lin Qinghe stood there, completely bewildered.
Everything had been fine. Why had You Rong suddenly stopped tutoring her?
Lin Qinghe racked her brain but couldn't figure out what she, who had been so cautious every day, had done to displease You Rong.
For the next two days, You Rong reverted to his previous self, treating Lin Qinghe with extreme indifference and avoiding her as much as possible.
For example, in class, if Lin Qinghe sat in the seat next to him, he would switch seats with a classmate. As soon as class ended, he would pack his things and leave by himself.
At his part-time job at the bar, it was the same. If Lin Qinghe went east, he went west. After work, to avoid Lin Qinghe, he would change out of his waiter's uniform and leave through the back door, causing Lin Qinghe to wait for him at the bar entrance.
Lin Qinghe was on the verge of going mad. After racking her brains for a long time with no ideas, she decided to take a gamble and confess to You Rong at the library.
Library.
As soon as You Rong saw Lin Qinghe approaching, he frowned, closed his laptop, and started packing his books to leave.
Lin Qinghe blocked his path and said word by word, solemnly, "You Rong, I have something to tell you!"