Su Xiangyang looked puzzled, but when he saw the chicken leg in the lunchbox in the other person's hand, his eyes lit up. He grabbed it and stuffed it into his mouth, saying indistinctly, "This is for me, right? Then I won't be polite. I'm not full."

Deng Jiaqi didn't even have time to refuse. Watching him wolf down the chicken leg, she said dejectedly, "Didn't you already have lunch? How could you not be full?"

Even if Su Xiangyang was oblivious, he would know that Deng Jiaqi had seen him having dinner with Xiang Shanshan.

For the sake of the chicken leg, he added, "Xiang Shanshan is so stingy, she only ordered one meal for me, and I wasn't even full. Since it's free, why shouldn't I eat it? Now my mother isn't feeding me, and I won't have any dinner tonight. If I don't freeload some food now, it would be a waste of my wallet. With my meager salary, it's not even enough to feed myself."

When Xiang Shanshan came out after paying the bill, she was stunned by what she heard.

Unexpectedly, Su Xiangyang came here to freeload because he had no money for food!

Knowing this would be the outcome, how could she accept it? She had actually been taken advantage of by Su Xiangyang for a free meal, and he even called her stingy behind her back!

Deng Jiaqi hadn't expected Su Xiangyang to explain anything, but hearing how serious he was, and the expression on his face didn't seem fake.

"Is that really all? She didn't ask you for any help?" Deng Jiaqi asked cautiously.

"She asked me to go change her light bulb."

"So, did you agree?"

Deng Jiaqi's heart jumped, and she nervously clasped her hands together, eagerly awaiting his reply that he hadn't agreed.

"No, taking leave will result in a deduction in pay, so I can't take leave. What are you thinking? Go back to work."

Upon hearing that Su Xiangyang had refused to help Xiang Shanshan change the light bulb, Deng Jiaqi's face instantly lit up with a smile, her eyes sparkling with joy. She hurriedly asked, "Are you still hungry? What do you want to eat? I'll buy it for you."

Su Xiangyang reached out and pressed on the back of Deng Jiaqi's neck, half-pushing and half-shoving her towards the newspaper office, muttering, "What are you still eating? We have to go to work soon, let's hurry up and go."

His action, though seemingly rough, actually carried a hint of intimacy.

Xiang Shanshan stood there, her eyes practically spitting fire.

Watching Su Xiangyang and Deng Jiaqi's intimate backs, she trembled with anger, her teeth grinding together, the jealousy in her heart almost overwhelming her.

"Damn it! What makes that fat bastard better than me? What kind of spell did she cast on Su Xiangyang to make him so devoted to protecting her!"

She cursed viciously in her heart, her eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.

Just then, Zhang Heng came out to eat and happened to see Xiang Shanshan with her teeth clenched.

He knew perfectly well that Xiang Shanshan's attempt to seduce Su Xiangyang had failed again.

Xiang Shanshan is brainless; she still uses those outdated methods to deal with Su Xiangyang.

Why doesn't this woman understand that you have to use a few tricks to deal with men? Men are visual creatures; once they've been touched or froze, how can they not think about it?

But Su Xiangyang wasn't stupid. He could only look but not touch. How could he possibly take the bait willingly?

Zhang Heng called out to Xiang Shanshan, "Let's go to the bookstore together to buy some review materials."

When Xiang Shanshan saw that it was Zhang Heng, a smile immediately spread across her face. She walked up to him and said, "Let's go. I happen to have a little extra money on me recently."

The two exchanged a glance, both understanding the unspoken agreement.

As they walked, Zhang Heng suddenly stopped, looked at Xiang Shanshan with a serious expression, and said, "Shanshan, let's break up. I'll only be a burden to you."

Because of me, you have remained chaste, but Su Xiangyang cannot see your sacrifices and will no longer give you money.

Su Xiangyang is now the manager of the newspaper. If you stay with him, life won't be so hard. I'm sorry, I've dragged you down.

Even if you really get together with Su Xiangyang, I will still love you. Everything you've done for me, I, Zhang Heng, will remember in my heart for the rest of my life.

"Zhang Heng, what do you mean by that!" Upon hearing this, Xiang Shanshan glared angrily at Zhang Heng, her eyes filled with disbelief.

What I mean is, let's break up. I don't want to hold you back anymore.

As Zhang Heng spoke, his eyes were filled with loneliness and the pain of parting, as if he had made a tremendous decision.

"Just like you think, I'm planning to take a break from school. I don't want to be a burden to you anymore," Zhang Heng added, his tone filled with deep helplessness.

"No, you only have one year left before graduation. How can you take a break from your studies at such a crucial time? What will happen to your future? I don't agree!" Xiang Shanshan said anxiously, her eyes filled with worry.

"Are you having some difficulties? Let's figure out a solution together," Xiang Shanshan asked again, her face full of concern.

Seeing Xiang Shanshan's nervous and sad expression, Zhang Heng knew it was time to lay his cards on the table, so he said, "I'm sorry, it's my father... Don't worry about my affairs."

"Don't shoulder everything alone. I'll figure out how to handle the money. But taking a leave of absence is absolutely out of the question, or everything will be ruined!"

As she spoke to Shanshan, she reached into her pocket, pulled out the last two yuan, and stuffed them into Zhang Heng's hand, not forgetting to offer him a few words of comfort.

Over the years, she had spent a lot of money on Zhang Heng and done so many things for him. Seeing that Zhang Heng was about to make something of himself, how could she let him give up like this?

The two talked all the way, their faces looking rather grim, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the bookstore.

Xiang Shanshan immediately spotted Xie Lin'an organizing the bookshelves, but she didn't see Su Xiulan anywhere.

After buying the books and leaving the bookstore, Zhang Heng made up an excuse and left in a hurry.

Before leaving, he held Xiang Shanshan's hand tightly, looked at her deeply, and said, "Thank you, Shanshan. No matter what, I will love you. I will definitely get into university and cherish you even more in the future."

Xiang Shanshan watched Zhang Heng leave, then looked at the tree again, remembering the generous man from that day, but not seeing him today, and a sense of disappointment rose in her heart.

Just then, a group of people suddenly rushed into the bookstore, their target clear: Xie Lin'an.

"Teacher Xie, I've come to ask you to tutor my child. I'm hoping he can get into university and bring honor to our family!" a parent shouted.

“Teacher Xie, my child is already twenty years old. If he doesn’t get into university this year, there’s no hope for him in the future. You must help my child!” Another parent chimed in.

Several mouths were talking at the same time, and the once quiet bookstore instantly erupted into chaos, the noise almost hurting one's ears.

Xie Lin'an's brow twitched as he looked at the large group of people who had suddenly appeared, all asking him to tutor their children. He quickly raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, trying to calm them down.

"I'm sorry everyone, I've been tutoring other kids lately, so I really don't have that much time. You should find a more professional teacher."

Xie Lin'an said politely, with an apologetic look on his face.