Lin Qinghe found it uncomfortable being carried on his shoulder. She struggled a bit, "You Rong? Put me down. We can talk properly if you put me down..."
You Rong, suppressing his anger, ignored Lin Qinghe's struggles. When they reached his van, he pulled open the door and threw her onto the seat.
Lin Qinghe slumped onto the car seat, dazed. Before she could recover, she heard the car door slam shut. She looked up to see You Rong getting in, his face a dark storm as he stared at her.
His gaze was filled with a burning rage, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Lin Qinghe swallowed, propped herself up with her arms, and tentatively asked, "You Rong? What's wrong? You..."
You Rong stared at Lin Qinghe, the fire raging in his heart making him feel wretched. His throat felt as if something was constricting it.
He had told her he didn't need any compensation from her, that he didn't need her to do those things! Did she not understand at all!
"You Rong? Why aren't you speaking?"
You Rong remained silent, his face grim, his thin lips tightly pressed together.
Lin Qinghe was utterly bewildered. And what about You Rong's words just now? Had he heard from someone that she had asked Zhang Shanghua for a favor? Was he angry that she was interfering in his affairs and didn't want to accept her goodwill at all?
Lin Qinghe frowned, sighed softly, and asked, "You Rong, you know? About me asking Director Zhang... those things?"
You Rong clenched his fists, his expression darkening further.
Seeing this, Lin Qinghe became even more certain that her guess was correct.
She felt a headache coming on and said with mild helplessness, "You Rong, you don't need to feel burdened. This was all voluntary. I wanted to make it up to you, and I owe you..."
Seeing Lin Qinghe's dismissive attitude, You Rong's anger intensified. He was so furious that he didn't even realize the mixed emotions swirling within him.
You Rong recalled the red marks on Lin Qinghe's neck from a few days ago. His eyes darkened, and he let out a few cold laughs, his words dripping with venom.
"Lin Qinghe! I don't need you to make it up to me for anything. And you, devaluing yourself so much, treating your body as a bargaining chip, what do you think you are? What's the difference between you and a streetwalker with prices clearly marked?!"
Lin Qinghe froze. "You Rong, what are you talking about?!"
You Rong grabbed Lin Qinghe's shoulders with such force that she felt a sharp pain.
You Rong looked directly into Lin Qinghe's eyes and said word by word, "I said! I don't need you to compensate me for anything, and I certainly don't need you to force things on me that you bought with your body. I find it disgusting!"
Lin Qinghe was confused for a few seconds before quickly understanding.
You Rong suddenly showing up, coupled with these words, meant that what she and Zhang Shanghua had said in the bathroom had been overheard and had reached You Rong's ears.
You Rong misunderstood her relationship with Zhang Shanghua, and even more so, he misunderstood that everything she had done was for him.
Meeting You Rong's furious gaze, Lin Qinghe's thoughts stirred. A spark ignited, and she thought of a way to quickly increase the progress bar.
Lin Qinghe quickly got into character. Her face paled, tears welled up in her eyes, her voice trembling, and she said with a wounded tone, "You Rong... In your heart, am I that kind of person?"
Seeing Lin Qinghe's tears, You Rong's heart felt as if it had been scalded, and he instinctively panicked.
Had he misunderstood her?
It was precisely this panic that caused Lin Qinghe to suddenly raise her hand and slap You Rong hard. "Slap!" The sound echoed as You Rong's head was jerked to the side.
Lin Qinghe's voice choked with sobs. "You Rong! You scoundrel!"
After speaking, Lin Qinghe quickly pushed You Rong away, opened the car door, and got out, running away crying.
You Rong's head remained turned to the side. He sat stiffly in the car, only moving after a long time. He lowered his head and sat in the car, gripping his dark hair fiercely.
He knew he was a scoundrel. Everything she did was for him, and he had said such hurtful words... But thinking of her engaging in a physical transaction with Zhang Shanghua, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible to breathe.
On the other side.
Lin Qinghe ran a distance and met Zhang Shanghua, who was waiting for her. Seeing her teary eyes, Zhang Shanghua felt both heartbroken and anxious.
"Oh, my precious darling, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Good girl... don't cry, don't cry. Did that brat You Rong bully you? You wait! I'll go teach him a good lesson right now!"
Just then, Lin Qinghe heard the system prompt: "Progress increased by ten percent. Total progress is forty-seven percent."
Lin Qinghe couldn't afford to be happy. She quickly grabbed Zhang Shanghua's arm, "Dad! No, don't misunderstand. It has nothing to do with You Rong!"
"How can it have nothing to do with him! I see it's that brat who bullied you! Looking like that just now, no! I must beat him up to vent your anger!"
Besides, he had wanted to beat up You Rong for a long time!
Lin Qinghe held onto Zhang Shanghua's arm tightly, genuinely afraid that if she couldn't persuade him, he would directly go and hit You Rong. It wasn't just about him getting hurt, it would ruin her future plans! Sudancn.com
Lin Qinghe was at her wit's end. Fearing she couldn't hold Zhang Shanghua back, she pretended to be on the verge of tears. "Dad... I don't want to see You Rong right now. I... I just want to go home. Take me home, okay?"
Seeing Lin Qinghe about to cry again, Zhang Shanghua's heart ached, and he stopped caring about anything else. If she wanted the stars from the sky right now, Zhang Shanghua would fetch them for her.
Zhang Shanghua hugged Lin Qinghe and comforted her, "Alright, don't cry, don't cry. Daddy will take you home now."
Lin Qinghe secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "...Mm."
Zhang Shanghua took Lin Qinghe into his own car, called the director of "Ask the Heavens" to inform him, and then drove Lin Qinghe back.
More than three hours later, Zhang Shanghua's car stopped in front of his villa. As he opened the car door and helped Lin Qinghe out, he noticed a flash of light.
Zhang Shanghua frowned and looked over. A shadowy figure was lurking in hiding. Without thinking, he knew it was a paparazzi taking surreptitious photos.
Lin Qinghe clearly noticed it too. "Were we just secretly photographed by paparazzi?"
Zhang Shanghua nodded. "Mm, don't worry. I'll tell the PR department to handle anything they've taken, so there won't be any rumors."
Lin Qinghe's eyes narrowed, a sly glint flashing in them. She suddenly hugged Zhang Shanghua's arm intimately and asked with a smile, "Dad, do you want to make our relationship public? Let everyone know I'm your biological daughter?"
Zhang Shanghua replied without hesitation, "Of course I do! But... you're asking this because you want to announce our father-daughter relationship? You weren't willing to make it public before, were you?"
"Well... it's a long story. Let's talk about it inside. As for the paparazzi who took the photos, we don't need to worry about them. Let them release the photos."
Lin Qinghe intimately held Zhang Shanghua's arm and walked into the villa. The hidden paparazzi thought they hadn't been discovered and quickly took a few more intimate photos of the two.