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The saying goes, "There's no smoke without fire," and rumors don't just spring up out of thin air. Do they really eat in the student cafeteria every day? It's practically a blatant display of affection!

Jiang Zhiming felt utterly disappointed. He seemed to hear a "thud," and all the blood in his body drained away from the soles of his feet.

Professor Cai was once his idol. When he listened to his lectures, he was attracted by his profound knowledge and admired him endlessly. He always imagined that he would study hard and one day be as outstanding as him, so outstanding that he could stay at the school to teach at a young age.

I never expected him to be this kind of person!

Jiang Zhiming felt his idol had fallen from grace, and he was plunged into utter despair and anger. As a human being, he felt utterly unsatisfied; born in a remote mountain village, he had finally managed to get into Q University, becoming a high-achieving student—something he admired.

Sure enough, the professor is a beast. Why call him Professor Cai? He should just be called Beast Cai!

Jiang Zhiming's eyes blazed with fury, his face was ashen, and his hands were clenched into fists. He stared intently at Cai Wenchuan, and then, in a fit of impulse, he charged straight at Cai Wenchuan and Ye Wenyu like a runaway train.

"Ye Wenyu—" He rushed up to them and called her name loudly.

Ye Wenyu was under immense pressure because she was being watched while eating when she suddenly heard a familiar male voice calling her name. Startled, she looked up blankly and saw an angry Jiang Zhiming staring at her with a dark expression. The veins on his forehead were bulging, like thunder in a stormy sky.

Ye Wenyu raised one eyebrow, wondering what he wanted from her. And why did he look so angry and strange?

Jiang Zhiming said to her in a hoarse voice, "Come out for a moment, I need to talk to you." He felt as if his throat was bleeding. If she rejected him because their families were poor, he could understand. But if she didn't love him, yet loved Professor Cai without any self-respect, then he was truly angry and heartbroken!

Ye Wenyu was still looking at Jiang Zhiming. His clothes were disheveled, his trousers were covered in dirt, his hand was bleeding, one eye was black and blue, his hair was messy, and his nose was still bleeding. He seemed to be injured. The left side of his face was swollen like a bun, and the corner of his mouth was cracked.

Did he get into a fight with someone?!

An idea flashed into Ye Wenyu's mind like a summer lightning bolt, lingering there for a long time.

As the top scorer in the college entrance examination in a western province, would the honest and upright Jiang Zhiming get into a fight at Q University?

Why would Jiang Zhiming come to see her in this state? Last time, she refused his offer to help her find a job and returned the umbrella he lent her. She understood his feelings but didn't want to get entangled with him any further, so she rejected his confession. She told him that he would meet a suitable girl in the future, and she thought that their relationship had come to an end, that they had become unrelated people and would never cross paths again.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, he came to see her again, his emotions spiraling out of control.

She wanted to put an end to their relationship, but Jiang Zhiming's answer seemed like an ellipsis, a hesitant gesture. Ugh, it's really a headache—

Ye Wenyu helplessly rubbed her forehead. She didn't want to argue with Jiang Zhiming anymore. She thought he was angry because she had rejected him last time. So, seeing Jiang Zhiming like this, she lowered her head again, slowly picked up rice grains with her chopsticks and put them into her mouth, and said slowly, "I haven't finished eating yet."

The implication is that I have nothing to say to you, and I don't want to talk to you.

Jiang Zhiming was furious. He stepped forward, picked up Ye Wenyu's lunchbox, and said to her, "Come on, I'll go out to eat with you!"

What?! Ye Wenyu stared wide-eyed in shock. Jiang Zhiming had always been polite and refined in front of her. When had he ever been so domineering and rude?

She took her lunchbox from the student cafeteria and went outside to eat. What kind of behavior is that?

Seeing the boy's domineering attitude, Cai Wenchuan stood up to try and stop him. For the first time, Jiang Zhiming showed no fear in front of Cai Wenchuan. He said loudly, "Professor Cai, please have some self-respect!" His voice trembled like a tree shadow in a storm.

Cai Wenchuan was stunned for a moment, then looked at Jiang Zhiming. He saw that Jiang's big eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. He was filled with anger and hatred.

Cai Wenchuan was completely confused.

Not wanting things to escalate, Ye Wenyu said to Jiang Zhiming to appease him, "Alright, alright, I won't eat anymore. Let's talk outside."

She then said to Cai Wenchuan, "Professor Cai, I'm full. You can go back now."

Jiang Zhiming gave up and walked out of the cafeteria first. Ye Wenyu sighed inwardly and followed him helplessly.

Why? Since her rebirth, all she wanted was to live a peaceful and happy life with her brother Wen, but people and things from the past kept bothering her.

Cai Wenchuan watched their backs. They were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, the same age and the same status. That's why the boy had loudly reminded him to have some self-respect, wasn't it?

He felt a pang of sadness, and even felt a sense of inferiority because of his age and status.

Jiang Zhiming walked outside the cafeteria, crossed his arms, and stood there silently waiting for Ye Wenyu, like a volcano about to erupt. Ye Wenyu, recalling Jiang Zhiming's rude behavior in the cafeteria earlier, couldn't help but feel angry. She walked up to him and stood beside him, watching the flow of people leaving the cafeteria after they had finished eating. Ye Wenyu coldly said, "Speak, what is it?" She felt both annoyed and helpless.

Jiang Zhiming remained silent, continuing to walk forward with his head down. Ye Wenyu quickened her pace to catch up, but Jiang Zhiming's strides were long and his walking speed was fast, making it very difficult for Ye Wenyu to keep up. She called out to his back, "Hey, Jiang Zhiming, I can't catch up with you!"

Pursuing? Upon hearing this word, Jiang Zhiming froze, his heart trembling violently. She said she was pursuing him? A bittersweet feeling welled up inside him. Was she really pursuing him? If only she really was! What a pity—

He turned around and waited for her slowly, his gaze as he looked at her was as sad as the autumn rain. When Ye Wenyu approached, breathless, he said gently to her, "Let's go to the grove behind the library. This is not the place to talk."

Regardless of the truth of the matter, he still only wanted to reduce the harm he caused her to zero.

The area around the cafeteria is full of various snacks and is the liveliest place on campus. Various clubs usually hold activities during students' mealtimes, and the area outside the cafeteria is filled with stalls from various clubs, with people coming and going like a tide. Although he was very angry, he still cared about Ye Wenyu and did not want the rumors about her and Professor Cai's teacher-student relationship to continue to spread.

With that thought in mind, he lowered his head and continued quickly toward the grove behind the library.