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Jiang Zhiming silently endured this pain, momentarily lost in thought. The overwhelming joy, the bewildered nervousness, the exhilarating rush of blood to his heart, and the pounding of his heart like a nest of rabbits in his chest that he had never experienced with Lin Tingyue when he first met Ye Wenyu.

A person will only truly love one person in their entire life!

In his sorrowful silence, Ye Wenyu was surprised to find that one side of his face was higher than the other. It was obvious that one side of his face was swollen and looked bruised, like a spoiled white steamed bun, as if he had been slapped hard not long ago.

She looked at his face and asked him softly, "Your face?"

In the gloomy winter light, Jiang Zhiming looked extremely haggard and depressed.

Who would dare to hit Jiang Zhiming? Ye Wenyu was almost certain that only one person would dare to lay a hand on him. But she couldn't believe it; weren't they deeply in love? They were inseparable, a perfect match, and she'd heard that they were getting engaged after Jiang Zhiming graduated from university.

In the dim light, Jiang Zhiming reached out and mechanically touched his face, then smiled slightly, his mouth filled with bitterness, and said to Ye Wenyu in a hoarse voice, "It's nothing."

The library was as quiet as a silent valley, as cold as a cellar. He remembered that he had come to see her not to gain her attention, nor to regret the true love he had lost. Therefore, he rallied his spirits, looked at Ye Wenyu, and asked her, "What exactly is your relationship with Lin Tingfeng?" Although he tried to control himself, a thousand tender feelings welled up in his heart when he looked at her.

The library was quiet; you could hear the pages turning. But for Ye Wenyu, this question was like a bolt from the blue.

Ye Wenyu froze, as if she had tripped and fallen unexpectedly while walking on flat ground; a hint of displeasure crossed her face. This morning, Lin Tingfeng's wife had come to ask her about her relationship with Lin Tingfeng. Now, less than a day later, Jiang Zhiming had come to the school again, asking her about her relationship with Lin Tingfeng. Why should she answer? Did she have any obligation to answer? Who are you?

Her little face hardened, and she remained silent.

The chill seemed to deepen, and the people studying in the library slowly stood up and left.

Jiang Zhiming's hands and feet were freezing. When he saw Ye Wenyu's cold eyes, he could only hurriedly explain, "Xiaoyu, don't misunderstand, I'm just concerned about you! Three hours ago, Lin Tingfeng's wife came to my workplace because she heard that you and I were classmates and that I know about your situation. So she wanted me to answer whether you and Lin Tingfeng are dating."

So that's how it is! Ye Wenyu understood, and alarm bells rang in her mind. It turned out that Lin Tingfeng's wife had gone to the school to confront her, but after leaving empty-handed, she was still not reassured, distrustful, or at ease. So she went to Jiang Zhiming, wanting to get to the bottom of things and confirm that she and Lin Tingfeng were indeed dating?

This woman is really persistent!

Ye Wenyu felt both troubled and anxious, as if a heavy lead plate was pressing on her chest. She wondered why, even though nothing had happened, her life was still entangled with everything related to Lin Tingfeng, like a tangled mess.

Her hands gripped the book pages tightly, her heart filled with unease.

Seeing that her face had suddenly turned as pale as paper, Jiang Zhiming said to her, "I said no, I said you and Lin Tingfeng are not dating, and you have someone else you like."

Hearing this, Ye Wenyu glanced gratefully at Jiang Zhiming, a warm feeling washing over her. Thankfully, Jiang Zhiming wasn't Lin Tingyue, and he hadn't listened to his girlfriend Lin Tingyue. But wait—

She suddenly raised her head and looked at his face carefully again. Had he disobeyed Lin Tingyue and thrown mud at her, causing Lin Tingyue to hit him in disappointment and anger?

The thought flashed through her mind like a summer lightning bolt, and then lingered for a long time.

Although I didn't witness many things firsthand, I can deduce them. Given Lin Tingyue's personality, if she couldn't persuade her sister-in-law to hit Ye Wenyu, she must be planning some other trick. This young lady's hatred for her came out of nowhere, yet it was as high as a mountain and as deep as the sea.

If Jiang Zhiming had listened to Lin Tingyue, he wouldn't be sitting across from her with a swollen face, showing her such concern right now. If Jiang Zhiming loved Lin Tingyue, he wouldn't have disobeyed her.

Wait a minute, a blush rose to Ye Wenyu's pale face as she thought of this. She thought to herself, "Don't think nonsense. Jiang Zhiming definitely loves Lin Tingyue. They've been together for over two years, and I heard they'll get married after graduation."

Therefore, she calmed herself down and cleared her mind like a basin of muddy water.

Jiang Zhiming gazed intently at Ye Wenyu, watching the changes in her expression, not missing a single clue.

Suddenly, as if possessed, he confessed, "I didn't listen to Lin Tingyue."

Ye Wenyu froze, her hand, which had been on the table, recoiled and instead went under the table. She was now almost certain that Lin Tingyue had instigated Lin Tingfeng's wife to come to the university to beat her up, and after failing, she still wanted to smear her. Therefore, she thought of Jiang Zhiming. She had originally thought Jiang Zhiming would be like an obedient puppy, always following her lead, and would definitely help her, standing with her and working together to smear her, Ye Wenyu. But Jiang Zhiming hadn't done that.

Why didn't he do that?

A big question mark appeared in Ye Wenyu's mind. She thought about it, but she told herself not to overthink it.

Jiang Zhiming still gazed sadly at Ye Wenyu and said softly, "She is very sad. She hit me, but I have my principles and bottom line. I cannot go against my conscience. I cannot hurt you."

Seeing his sad and helpless eyes, the wound on his face, and thinking about his relationship with Lin Tingyue, Ye Wenyu could only say gratefully, "Thank you, Zhiming."

Jiang Zhiming's protection and care for her was a rare warmth in this cold winter, and she would remember it forever. Outside, the north wind howled like a stampede of horses, and it looked like it was about to snow.

A warm feeling washed over Jiang Zhiming, and a smile appeared on his face. Hearing Wen Yu's words of thanks, he immediately felt that everything had been worthwhile. At this moment, even sitting in the unheated library in winter wearing only a shirt, he felt warm, as if he were in the middle of winter.

He smiled and said, "Xiaoyu, this is what I should do. I can't do anything against my conscience, I can't lie, I can't harm you. I could harm anyone but you, because you are my—"