"I have something else to do," You Rong said.
You Rong walked past Lin Qinghe, wanting to leave. Lin Qinghe, seeing no other option, grabbed his arm and shouted, "You Rong! I like you!"
You Rong's body visibly stiffened, his pupils constricting. However, after a moment, a flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Other people in the library turned to look. Most of them recognized Lin Qinghe and You Rong and began to whisper and gossip amongst themselves.
Lin Qinghe swallowed, gazing at You Rong. "You might not believe me when I say I like you, especially after all the awful things I've done to you before. But... I'm telling the truth! I like you, and if it's possible, I want you to be my boyfriend!"
The emotions in You Rong's eyes were complex and difficult to decipher.
He pursed his thin lips, pulled away Lin Qinghe's hand, and said sternly, "You don't need to go this far for You Ziming."
"What?" Lin Qinghe was bewildered.
She was going this far for You Ziming?
You Rong couldn't possibly think that her confession was instigated by You Ziming, that she was trying to play him?
Lin Qinghe anxiously explained, "I'm not doing this for You Ziming, I genuinely like you! Believe me!"
You Rong's brow furrowed as he asked, "You say you like me, but what is it about me that you like?"
"I..." Lin Qinghe faltered.
What did she like about You Rong?
The first thing that popped into her mind was his face. After all, You Rong was truly handsome. But she couldn't say that directly; it wouldn't sound sincere at all.
In that moment of hesitation, You Rong's expression shifted slightly.
Lin Qinghe pondered for a moment and then said earnestly, "I like you as a person, I like your personality, I like your filial piety towards your grandmother, I like your positive outlook. You have a great sense of responsibility as a man. In short... I like everything about you!"
She thought that after saying all this, You Rong might be moved. To her surprise, he merely looked at her with a faint expression.
You Rong said, "I'll say it again. You don't need to do things that harm yourself just to spite You Ziming. Especially not with feelings. Don't treat them as a joke."
"You... you don't believe I genuinely like you?"
You Rong didn't reply. He turned and walked away.
Lin Qinghe chased him out of the library and blocked his path. "What will it take for you to believe that I like you? I told you... I truly like you, why don't you believe me?"
It wasn't that You Rong didn't believe her. It was that he had seen Lin Qinghe truly in love before. He could tell that she didn't genuinely like him.
She was just deliberately approaching him to anger You Ziming.
You Rong's thin lips moved, about to speak, when a man in his early fifties, dressed in a suit, walked over and said, "Miss, young master sent me to pick you up and take you home."
"Steward Wang? Why would my brother send you to pick me up?"
Steward Wang replied, "Young master just returned from overseas this morning and wants to see you. Miss, it would be best if you came home with me first."
"I... I don't have time. Tell him I'll come back another day!"
Steward Wang's expression turned difficult. "Miss, young master said he must bring you back. Please don't make things difficult for me. Will you come back with me?"
While she was talking to Steward Wang, You Rong had already left. Lin Qinghe wanted to chase after him but was blocked by Steward Wang. With no other choice, she said irritably, "Got it! Let's go, I'll go back with you."
Steward Wang slightly shifted to the side, making a gesture to invite her. As Lin Qinghe walked towards the expensive, extended Bentley, he opened the door for her to get in.
Lin Qinghe got into the car. Steward Wang instructed the driver to start, and the car slowly drove out of the NanDa campus.
As soon as Lin Qinghe entered the house, a man in his early thirties, slender, and handsome, walked over, embraced her, and smiled, "You haven't seen your brother for so long, have you missed me?"
Lin Qinghe was taken aback, and memories of the original host's feelings towards Lin Yi surfaced in her mind.
When the original host was ten years old, a car accident had claimed the lives of her father and mother. The original host was seriously injured in the accident and had been very weak, requiring several years of recovery before she could live a normal life.
Lin Yi, the only family she had in the world, doted on the original host to an outrageous degree. He gave her whatever she wanted and couldn't bear to even scold her.
She wasn't the original host, so she was unaccustomed to Lin Yi's intimacy. She pushed him away slightly and forced a dry laugh. "Heh heh... Brother, you're back."
Lin Yi ruffled Lin Qinghe's hair affectionately. "Mm, I rushed back to see you as soon as I got home. You... you haven't been eating well lately, have you? You look thinner."
"I... I haven't lost weight, it's just your imagination."
Lin Yi ignored her and continued, "You'll stay home for the next couple of days, and I'll fatten you up properly. For now... go upstairs and change your clothes. Brother has a surprise for you."
Lin Qinghe looked puzzled. "A surprise? What surprise?"
Lin Yi smiled without answering and had a maid take Lin Qinghe to a bedroom upstairs. She changed into an elegant black evening gown and came down. He took her hand and led her to the car.
Half an hour later, Lin Qinghe was confusedly brought to a business reception, and more specifically, to You Guowen and You Ziming.
Lin Yi held Lin Qinghe's arm and nodded slightly. "Director You, this is my younger sister, Qinghe."
You Guowen immediately said, "This is Miss Lin. She's truly beautiful. I heard she attends NanDa with our Ziming, is that right?"
You Ziming replied, "Yes, Dad, Qinghe and I are friends."
Lin Qinghe's eyes rolled internally.
How dare he call them friends? Did he ask her first?
"Oh, is that so? Haha... You two standing together, you look quite well-matched." You Guowen said with a smile.
Lin Yi chimed in, "Director You's son is a fine young man. He and our Qinghe are indeed quite well-matched."
After saying this, You Guowen and Lin Yi shared a knowing smile.
You Ziming chatted with Lin Yi.
Lin Qinghe's mouth twitched. She finally realized, belatedly, that this was a setup for a blind date!
Was this the surprise Lin Yi had planned for her?
Lin Qinghe grabbed Lin Yi's arm and said, "Excuse me, I have something to tell my brother. I'll be right back." With that, she pulled Lin Yi towards a deserted balcony.
As soon as they left, You Guowen's kindly smile vanished, and his face turned serious. "Ziming, I don't care if you like Lin Qinghe or not. The alliance between the Lin and You families is imperative. It's not up to you to decide!"
You Ziming replied, "Dad, I understand. The alliance is crucial for You Enterprises to go public. I will take it seriously."
You Guowen smiled with satisfaction. "I've already arranged for someone to secretly take photos. Tomorrow, when the photos are released, the news of our You-Lin family alliance will spread, which will be even more beneficial for You Enterprises going public."
On the other side.
Lin Qinghe anxiously asked, "Brother, what do you mean? The surprise you mentioned for me was to set me up with You Ziming?!"
Lin Yi smiled indulgently. "That's right. Don't you like You Ziming? Your brother will grant your wish. Your father and I have discussed it, and we plan to have you and You Ziming engaged in two months."