TFS | Chapter 12

Qi Yue refused to go to the hospital, so the housekeeper called in the family doctor. Only after the examination did they learn that it was a muscle injury. Fortunately, it was not serious, and a week or two of rest at home would be enough for him to recover.

He did not like studying, his grades were awful, and he usually went to school just to drift through the days, hanging around and messing around with a bunch of worthless friends. Now that he had injured his precious rear end, the housekeeper simply took half a month off for him.

The young master did not forget to do his research while recovering.

He decided to take advantage of this chance to push things forward and elevate his relationship with Xu Linruan. Who was he, Qi Yue? He was famous for being wild and unrestrained!

At long last, after a weekend had dragged by, Xu Linruan arrived only after the young master’s eager gaze had waited and waited.

This guy had been arrogant as hell even before he got hurt, and now that he was injured, he acted even more like a pampered lord. If anyone took care of him in a way that did not suit his liking, he would throw a fit, and the housekeeper could only coax him like they were serving an ancestor.

Still, these past few days had not been easy for him either, because the injury was to his ass, so he could not sit or lie down. He could only sleep on his stomach.

Just as Xu Linruan stepped into the room, the young master started putting on a show again, staring at her with aggrieved eyes. “…Why are you late again? I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

They could not see each other five days out of the week, and this woman did not even bother sending him messages. Now that the weekend had finally come, she was still late. Did dates really have to start early? She clearly did not care about him.

As soon as Qi Yue thought of that, the aggrieved expression he had deliberately put on took on a bit of genuine meaning. It was not as though he was being sincere, but when the other side did not take him seriously either, he still got very unhappy. His chest felt tight and dull.

Even though he still cared about that bet, the hurt in his heart was real too.

Xu Linruan froze for a moment, then immediately got the hint. A gentle, bright smile spread across her lips as she walked over and said, “Wasn’t it because I had too many classes and no time? What’s wrong, did you miss me?”

She knew how to coax people, she was beautiful, and she was good with words. The young master had originally been full of smothered anger, ready to vent it all, but under her sweet-talking attack, it melted into a pool of warm water. Red-faced and stiff-necked, he denied it. He would never admit that he just missed her.

Anyway, the young master’s face was thick enough to rival a city wall. While blushing on one side, he still grabbed her hand with the other and refused to let go. He thought that the two of them were still properly boyfriend and girlfriend. Sure, she had unilaterally announced a breakup, but he had not agreed to it yet, had he? So what was wrong with him thinking about his own girlfriend? It was not illegal.

What was shame, anyway? He had already been utterly embarrassed in front of her. Would he even care about a little face-saving now?

So Qi Xiaoyue acted up with full force. Probably because he felt spoiled, his arrogance came right back up. “…Hmph. And who exactly did I get injured like this for? After all this time, you didn’t even know to call me. I see it. You clearly don’t care about me…”

He was quite good at taking an inch when given a foot. Xu Linruan watched his unreasonable expression, waited until he had finished complaining, then looked at him with a gentle air. “Are you done? Do you want some water? You look a little thirsty.”

As she spoke, she even poured him a cup of water and handed it over.

That utterly unconcerned attitude almost blew Qi Yue’s top.

She was really too good at making people angry. Her tone was soft and gentle, coaxing at every turn. If this were normal, he would even think his girlfriend was tender and considerate. But now that he was this angry, she was still speaking so calmly, and it was downright maddening.

“You just don’t care about me.” Qi Yue accepted the reality, his voice suddenly rising. At the same time, a wave of irritation surged in him. Being her boyfriend was way too stifling.

“Why would you think that?” Xu Linruan sat down by the bed. Warm light spilled over them, and the girl’s face seemed to be covered in a hazy glow. Smiling, she explained to him, “If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t have come. You know how busy I usually am with classes. Do you think I’d waste time taking care of someone I don’t care about?”

After hearing her explanation, the corner of the young master’s mouth, which had been pressed into a straight line, finally lifted slightly. Of course he knew what kind of person Xu Linruan was. Back when he had chased after her, he had spent plenty of time and effort on it.

But then he thought of what she had said before, and the worry he had just set down rose again.

He turned around and tightened his grip on Xu Linruan’s hand.

“Really? You’re not lying to me?” He actually was not sure whether Xu Linruan was just coaxing him again. Mainly because she looked too calm, not at all like someone who liked him to the point of losing control, so Qi Yue got a little uneasy.

He still remembered what she had said the day she wanted to break up. He had not cared at first, but for some reason these past two days, every time he thought that those words had come from her, his chest would feel blocked up, so stifled that it hurt. Was he really that awful?

“Are you thinking that once I’m better, you’ll stop coming? I know. You just despise me, think I’m embarrassing, and think my grades are too bad to bring out in public…”

The more he said, the more wronged he felt. By the end, even his voice had changed, as if he had really gotten a little angry. “…You even want to break up with me. Tell me, do you have some other dog out there, so you won’t even call me?”

Xu Linruan: “…”

This guy really was endless when he acted up, practically like Lin Daiyu possessed him. Xu Linruan felt it was necessary to put him in his place.

After waiting for a long time and still not hearing her answer, Qi Yue suddenly got a little nervous. He stole a glance at her from the side. The girl’s thick lashes were slightly lowered, her eyes clear and glossy. At such close range, he could clearly see the fine down on her face. Her skin was very fair, and even without makeup she was beautiful, so beautiful that it was hard to look away.

Qi Yue suddenly felt a little dazed. He thought that he must have been blind before. How could he have thought such a good-looking girlfriend was only so-so in appearance?

When Xu Linruan saw the boy suddenly spacing out, she leaned toward him with a smile and asked softly, “Do you want to kiss?”

Qi Yue instinctively leaned in.

Then he blushed in embarrassment again. It was just too humiliating. This person was always like this, kissing him whenever she felt like it. He had said it before, hadn’t he? He was not that kind of casual person.

That kiss left the young master in utter disarray. A layer of unnatural red rose over his handsome face, his breathing turned ragged, and his eyes grew misty, like a beautiful young man just fished out of water.

After spending a long time with this person, the young master had also learned restraint. Once the kiss was over, he hurried to let go, because he knew she would not indulge him without limit.

Only after finally pressing down that strange restlessness in his chest did he rest his chin in the crook of Xu Linruan’s neck and said happily, “I knew it. You like me, right? Xu Linruan, you won’t leave me, right?”

He seemed to be in a good mood now, his brows and eyes lifted, even his voice carrying a trace of swagger.

Xu Linruan raised a brow and smiled at him gently. “Mm, well, as long as you don’t do anything to betray me, of course I won’t leave you.”

“But you know, what I hate most is people lying to me.”

The boy’s smile suddenly stiffened.