When Shen Yanlin heard that Ye Linchen was going to buy a gift for Gu Jingran, his expression became complicated.

A strange emotion began to spread through my heart.

It was like a spilled vinegar dish, sour and unpleasant, and like a tiny needle pricking his heart again and again.

After a long silence, he finally asked, "You two are so close..."

Ye Linchen didn't notice Shen Yanlin's change. While picking out a gift, he casually said, "I rely on Brother Gu for a lot of things. He always brings me gifts when he goes on business trips. I rarely get to come out, so of course I have to give him a gift to express my gratitude."

As she spoke, she picked up a delicate seashell and examined it closely, seemingly considering whether or not to buy it.

Looking at her focused expression, Shen Yanlin felt even more uneasy.

He asked tentatively, "He's helped you so much, what are your thoughts about him?"

Ye Linchen looked up at him, puzzled, when he heard his strange question.

"What's wrong? Are you still disliking Brother Gu because of Gu Yifei?"

Shen Yanlin stared at Ye Linchen, seemingly trying to decipher the meaning behind her words.

"Brother Gu is a good person, unlike Gu Yifei," Ye Linchen explained.

Shen Yanlin lowered his eyes and shook his head: "I...I'm just a little curious."

"What are you curious about?"

Shen Yanlin did not answer the question, but instead turned his head and pointed to the other side.

"These are all local specialties. If you can't choose one, you can go to the handicrafts section over there. You might find something suitable there."

Ye Linchen suddenly realized and patted his head.

"That's right! I want to buy a special gift, so of course I should choose handicrafts! How come I didn't think of that! Come on, let's go take a look!"

After saying that, he walked excitedly toward the handicrafts section.

As soon as she walked over, her eyes were drawn to a wind chime made of seashells.

The wind chimes are unique in design and exquisite in workmanship; each seashell has been carefully polished and refined.

A gentle breeze blows, and the wind chimes sway softly, making a tinkling sound.

"it's beautiful!"

Ye Linchen stroked each of the small seashells and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The wind chimes are a bit pricey, costing several tens of yuan.

But for Ye Linchen now, this amount of money is nothing.

"This is it."

She had already imagined the wind chimes hanging under Gu Jingran's window, swaying gently in the breeze.

Ye Linchen asked the shop assistant to wrap it in a box and then specially made some beautiful lace decorations on it.

Seeing Ye Linchen's extravagant spending, Lin Xiaojuan and Feng Linlin couldn't help but tease her.

"Wow! Mr. Ye's actions are truly extraordinary!" Feng Linlin said with a smile.

"Not only is it beautiful, but it was also made with care. Brother Gu will definitely like it!" Lin Xiaojuan winked at Ye Linchen.

Shen Yanlin walked over, looked at the gift box in Ye Linchen's hand, and suddenly asked, "Xiao Chen, if we hadn't come to Haicheng, would you have bought us such an expensive gift?"

He really wanted to know what place he held in Ye Linchen's heart.

Ye Linchen glanced at him and said with a smile, "Of course, you are my best friends, of course I have to buy it for you. It will definitely be more expensive than this."

Lin Xiaojuan immediately asked, "Really?"

"I won't mince words. I'll treat you all to a seafood feast at noon today. Order whatever you like; it's on me!"

Ye Linchen kept his word. As soon as he finished buying the goods, he and the three of them went to the high-end steamed seafood restaurant that they hadn't been willing to spend money on a few days ago.

Today, everyone contributed to beating Meng Zihan and Liu Mingxuan, especially Shen Yanlin, who rushed forward without hesitation for her sake.

Therefore, we should eat well and treat everyone.

However, the atmosphere at the hotel was not so pleasant for Meng Zihan and Liu Mingxuan.

Because of his argument with Ye Linchen, Liu Mingxuan lost face. On the way back to the hotel from the police station, he had a livid face and didn't say a word no matter how much Meng Zihan called him.

When they got back to the hotel, as soon as she closed the door, before Meng Zihan could even stand up straight, Liu Mingxuan slapped her hard across the face.

Meng Zihan was so badly hit that she staggered and almost fell to the ground.

"You... why did you hit me too?"

Meng Zihan's voice was choked with sobs.

She never expected that Liu Mingxuan would actually hit her.

Liu Mingxuan glared at Meng Zihan, his face contorted with rage.

"Hit you? Hitting you is too lenient! You troublemaker! You jinx! If it weren't for you and your jinxed cousin, would I have lost face like this? Would I have ended up in the police station? Let me tell you, I, Liu Mingxuan, have never been so humiliated in my life!"

He ripped off his glasses, which had a broken half, and waved them excitedly.

"Break up! From today onwards, from this moment on, you and I have nothing to do with each other!"

Meng Zihan was completely stunned. Ignoring the pain on her face, she grabbed Liu Mingxuan's arm and cried out, "Why do you want to break up? Didn't we agree to get married? How can you break up with me over such a small thing?"

She had absolutely no idea how things had turned out this way.

They were still sweetly dreaming about their wonderful future this morning, and now, just a short while later, Liu Mingxuan wants to break up with her!

The argument just now wasn't her fault; she was a victim too!

How could I take my anger out on her!

She can't accept it!

Meng Zihan's lunge was too forceful. Liu Mingxuan, who was already sore all over, staggered a couple of steps after being tackled by her. He quickly grabbed the wall to steady himself.

This retreat aggravated his injuries, causing him to grimace in pain.

He flung Meng Zihan away, struggled to put his glasses back on, and pointed to his multicolored face.

"A little thing? There's not a single part of me that's in good condition!"

"After my cousin beat me up, her female classmates followed, and after the female classmates beat me up, the male classmates beat me up. I was beaten up by them all, and I even had to go to the police station to listen to the police's lecture. They called me a hooligan and a stalker. I've never been so humiliated in my life!"

Liu Mingxuan became more and more upset as he spoke, and he was about to cry.

"I, a graduate student and workshop director, have fallen to this state because of you, because of your cousin. How can I marry you? I only regret that I met you and that I fell in love with you!"

"Mingxuan, it's not my fault! I was beaten too! I was taken to the police station too! Look at my face, it's swollen from being hit! My ankle is twisted, it hurts to walk! You really can't blame me!"

Meng Zihan looked at him, tears streaming down her face, crying so hard she could barely speak.

Liu Mingxuan didn't care about her tears at all, and only cursed viciously: "Every time I see you, I think of how I was chased and beaten in front of everyone. You are the disgrace of my life! Get as far away from me as possible! Don't bother me again, or I won't be polite to you!"

"I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to have married a troublemaker like you!"

Liu Mingxuan shoved Meng Zihan aside, slammed the door, and left the room.

Before leaving, he casually dragged away the suitcase that Meng Zihan had packed for him.