The doctor examined Lin Qinghe and, after confirming she was not seriously injured, discharged her from the hospital.
After leaving the hospital, You Rong took Lin Qinghe to the police station to give her statement. Huang Mao, San Ge, and the others had already been detained.
Upon leaving the police station, You Rong drove Lin Qinghe back to school. At the entrance of the girls' dormitory, Lin Qinghe held onto You Rong's hand, reluctant to let go.
"You Rong, will you be coming to class tomorrow? Can I come find you for lunch?"
You Rong frowned. "I'll be in class. You should take a couple more days off. The cut on your forehead hasn't healed yet; you need to rest."
Lin Qinghe's eyes curved into a smile as she shook her head. "It's fine. The doctor said it's nothing serious and it won't leave a scar. I can attend classes as usual tomorrow! I'll come find you for lunch tomorrow, okay?"
You Rong hesitated, but he couldn't resist Lin Qinghe's soft, pleading voice. He finally nodded in agreement. "Okay."
"What do you want to eat tomorrow? I'll buy it for you!"
You Rong replied, "I'll bring lunch from home. You come find me at noon, and we'll eat together."
She was injured and had just been discharged from the hospital; she needed to eat well to recover.
As long as she could have lunch with You Rong, Lin Qinghe didn't care what they ate. She nodded with a smile. "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow at noon. You should go back now, and text me when you get home."
"Mhmm."
You Rong stood there, watching Lin Qinghe enter the girls' dormitory before turning and driving away.
Lin Qinghe returned to her dormitory. Her roommates weren't there, but she didn't mind. She sat on her bed, her brow furrowed, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Logically, now that You Rong was with her, the progress bar should be around ninety percent. Why was it still at sixty-six percent?
Was there a problem somewhere?
Lin Qinghe pondered and pondered but couldn't figure it out, so she decided to stop thinking about it for now.
Since You Rong was with her and hadn't gotten engaged to Wen Qianyun, she could try to be more intimate with him later to increase the progress bar.
In the car.
You Rong sat in the back seat, his eyes closed, deep in thought, his brow furrowed.
The driver hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "Young Master, Old Master has agreed not to force you to get engaged to Miss Wen. You and Miss Lin have resolved your misunderstanding and are together. Why do you still seem unhappy?"
You Rong opened his eyes slightly, his gaze complex and unreadable. "...It's nothing. I'm probably just tired."
The driver believed him. "Then you should get some rest. I'll call you again when we arrive home."
You Rong let out a soft "Mhmm" and closed his eyes. He was wide awake, with no hint of sleepiness.
-------------------------------------
The next day at noon.
As soon as Lin Qinghe's class ended, she couldn't wait to go to You Rong's classroom to find him. The moment she saw him, she declared with no pretense, "You Rong, we've only been apart for one night, and I already miss you so much..."
You Rong's ears turned slightly red. He turned his face away uncomfortably and said, "Are you hungry? Let's eat lunch. Uncle Wang prepared some soup and dishes. See if you like them... If you don't, I'll ask someone to bring another set."
Opening the food containers, she saw a balanced assortment of meat and vegetables, all looking and smelling delicious. It was clear they were prepared by a skilled chef.
Lin Qinghe's eyes narrowed into a smile. "No! I'm not picky, and besides, eating with you, anything... I'll find it delicious!"
You Rong pursed his lips, handed Lin Qinghe the chopsticks, and placed a piece of meat into her lunchbox, gesturing for her to eat quickly.
Lin Qinghe, of course, didn't stand on ceremony. As she ate, she kept picking up food for You Rong and personally feeding him, her eyes narrowing with pleasure as she watched his ears turn red while he ate.
Xiao Ziyi, who was sitting nearby, couldn't stand it and slapped the table. "Hey, hey, hey! Are you guys treating me like I'm dead? I'm still here! You two are looking at each other with those goo-goo eyes..."
Xiao Ziyi eyed them both. "I smell something fishy!"
You Rong kicked him with annoyance. Xiao Ziyi immediately clutched his leg and yelped, "Damn! You Rong, what are you doing! I treat you like my own brother, and you want to cripple me!"
You Rong glanced at Xiao Ziyi, his tone dismissive. "Annoying!"
"You!" Xiao Ziyi gritted his teeth in anger.
Lin Qinghe held You Rong's hand and dangled it in front of Xiao Ziyi, saying contemptuously, "What do you mean 'fishy'! We're boyfriend and girlfriend! This is called open, aboveboard, and legitimate flirting!"
People like Xiao Ziyi should just shut up if they don't know what to say! No one said he was mute!
Xiao Ziyi was taken aback by this statement. His gaze flickered between You Rong and Lin Qinghe. Seeing that You Rong didn't object, he immediately burst out laughing.
While it was a bit unexpected, it was also within his expectations. He had guessed they would get together, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
After Lin Qinghe and You Rong finished lunch and made plans to go out for dinner and a movie that evening, she returned to her own classroom for class.
As soon as Lin Qinghe left, Xiao Ziyi lewdly slung an arm around You Rong's shoulder and grinned. "Not bad, little brother... I didn't expect you to get a girlfriend so quickly. Tell me, how did you come around? Weren't you acting like you absolutely detested Lin Qinghe just a few days ago?"
You Rong flicked his arm away, too lazy to engage.
Xiao Ziyi wasn't bothered and chuckled. "However... I am a little curious. Lin Qinghe worked part-time at the KTV for over a week to earn money to buy you a birthday gift. What exactly did she buy you? Did she give it to you?"
You Rong froze. "What did you say? She worked part-time at the KTV to buy me a birthday gift?"
"Yeah! It was quite hard work, pulling all-nighters. She slept in class during the day and even got scolded by the teacher, I heard. During that time, she begged me every day to buy her lunch for you, probably so she could snatch a nap in the classroom."
You Rong recalled the pair of sneakers he had thrown away.
They were a birthday gift she had specifically bought for him!
You Rong suddenly felt suffocated, as if he could barely breathe.
Not only had he thrown away the birthday gift Lin Qinghe had worked so hard to buy, but he had also said so many hurtful things to her. He...
You Rong wished he could slap himself.
Seeing You Rong's unusual expression, Xiao Ziyi asked with confusion, "Hey? What's wrong?"
You Rong didn't answer. He stood up abruptly and strode out.
Xiao Ziyi became even more bewildered. "You Rong! Where are you going? Class is about to start! Hey..."
No matter how much Xiao Ziyi called out, You Rong didn't even look back, leaving in a hurry.
This caused Xiao Ziyi to mutter in dissatisfaction, "What's going on! He's really changed. He used to stick to me all the time, calling me 'Gege' this and 'Gege' that. Now he doesn't even acknowledge me when I call him..."
You Rong walked directly towards Lin Qinghe's classroom.
He wanted to see her immediately!