Chapter 27 I'll Make You Apologize

Yu Qing stared blankly at the birthday card in her hand, then sat back down in her seat, her mind filled with suspicion, but also with a mix of inexplicable emotions.

There was no signature on the paper, so he didn't know who wrote the greeting card, but he didn't care who sent it.

This feeling made Yu Qing feel somewhat uneasy.

It felt like the first time I'd ever been truly valued.

He held the birthday card in silence for a moment, then tucked it into the book and set it aside.

Lu Chi, standing to the side, watched Yu Qing's actions, hesitating several times before speaking.

Just then, Yu Qing turned his head and met his eyes. He noticed that Lu Chi was looking at him and asked, "Is there something on my face?"

Lu Chi shook his head: "No...no."

After saying that, he lowered his head, took out his school uniform from his desk, and slowly handed it to Yu Qing: "This... this is for you."

Yu Qing looked at the blue and white school uniform and suddenly remembered that it was the one he had lent to him yesterday. So he took it. The clothes had a faint smell of laundry detergent, which smelled very pleasant.

Since using the laundry detergent, he hadn't smelled that familiar scent in a long time, and Yu Qing couldn't help but sniff.

"I've already washed," Lu Chi quickly explained upon seeing Yu Qing's actions.

Yu Qing simply put her school uniform in her desk and replied with two words: "Thanks."

"It's okay," Lu Chi said in a low voice. He knew Yu Qing was a germaphobe, so he went back and washed her several times.

The classroom gradually became lively.

Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Lin Yueyue, gave her gifts and blessings, and the atmosphere was very harmonious with laughter and chatter.

Only Yu Qing and Lu Chi remained silent, as if they were detached from the commotion, as if it had nothing to do with them.

To outsiders, the two were outliers.

People seem to understand Lu Chi's situation, since he is a reclusive person and it's normal for him to be unsociable.

But everyone was a little confused about Yu Qing's puzzling behavior. After all, it was common knowledge throughout the school that he liked Lin Yueyue. Shouldn't he have shown it more at this time?

"Aren't you going to deliver the gift?" Lu Chi asked softly.

Yu Qing didn't even look up: "I'm not going."

Lu Chi gave a soft "Oh," looked up at Lin Yueyue, then at Yu Qing who was engrossed in her book, and hesitated before asking, "Are you short of money?"

Yu Qing looked up and said impatiently, "It's none of your business."

Lu Chi looked at him for a while, but in the end didn't ask anything more. He lowered his head, rummaged through his schoolbag, took out a stack of crumpled banknotes from the tin box, and placed them in front of Yu Qing.

Yu Qing looked at the scattered banknotes in front of her, all five-cent and one-yuan notes, probably several dozen yuan in total. Yu Qing looked at him, puzzled, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"This is my living expenses for this month, that's all I have," Lu Chi said.

Yu Qing was stunned.

He knew about Lu Chi's family situation. Every year, Lu Chi was among the students admitted to poverty programs. The school's subsidies were not high, and he usually brought his own lunch to eat at school. Even when he ate in the cafeteria, he would only order the cheapest vegetarian dishes.

Yet this person, who was struggling financially, would voluntarily give him all of his living expenses.

Yu Qing didn't know how to describe her feelings.

Seeing this, Lu Chi said, "If it's not enough, I can spare a little more..."

Yu Qing interrupted him: "I never pay back the money I borrow."

"I know."

"Knowing you still borrowed it, are you stupid?"

"It's okay if you don't pay it back."

Yu Qing stared at him for a while, then impatiently pushed the banknotes aside and said coldly, "Take them, I don't need them!"

Lu Chi looked puzzled. He didn't seem to understand why Yu Qing didn't want his money. In the past, when he lent money to others, they were always happy to do so.

But Yu Qing didn't seem happy.

Lu Chi couldn't figure it out, so he folded the money on the table, put it into the rusty iron box, and then put the iron box into his schoolbag.

"Then let me know when you need it."

Yu Qing looked at Lu Chi's appearance.

Is the person in front of me really the serial killer from ten years later?

Even if it's a disguise, this is just too convincing!

In that instant, Yu Qing was bewildered!

He didn't know whether he should believe the other party's good intentions.

Just as Yu Qing was lost in thought, two girls suddenly came from the back of the classroom, playfully fighting, and bumped into Lu Chi's desk as they passed by.

There was a loud clang.

The metal box in the schoolbag rolled out of the desk and fell to the floor, scattering the banknotes that were originally inside.

The classroom fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes turned to this side. When they saw the denominations of the banknotes on the ground, their faces immediately showed surprise.

"Holy crap, is that metal box Lu Chi's piggy bank? It's full of five-cent and one-yuan coins. Even the aunties at the market don't have as much change as him."

“The last time I saw him, he always brought a stack of loose change when he topped up his meal card, and the auntie who topped up the card had to count it for a long time each time.”

"Tsk tsk, if it were me, I couldn't do something like that, it would be so embarrassing!"

The surrounding chatter reached Lu Chi's ears.

Lu Chi lowered his head and didn't say a word, but bent down to pick up the scattered banknotes on the ground.

Seeing this, the two girls next to them replied dismissively, "Sorry, it wasn't intentional."

Although they apologized, the two showed no intention of helping to pick up the money. Instead, they gave Lu Chi a disdainful look and left.

Seeing the two people's attitude, Yu Qing frowned deeply.

Suddenly he stood up, his face dark, and shouted at the two girls, "Hey, who gave you permission to leave?"

The two stopped, glanced at Yu Qing, and pouted in dissatisfaction: "But we've already apologized."

Yu Qing said coldly, "If apologies were enough, what would we need the police for?"

The two were speechless, and one of the girls with short hair couldn't help but say, "Yu Qing, what exactly do you want? We didn't do it on purpose."

Yu Qing was so angry she laughed!

He slammed his hand on the table.

With a "snap".

Everyone in the classroom jumped in fright.

The two girls were almost in tears.

Yu Qing pointed to the iron box on the ground and said, "I'm asking you to apologize to it."

Yuanxiu then realized what was happening and quickly stepped in front of Yu Qing, saying in a condescending tone, "Yu Qing, that's enough. They've already apologized. Don't go too far."

"Besides, today is Lin Yueyue's birthday. Is it appropriate for you to make such a scene? We're not children anymore. Can't you be a little more mature? Don't make us look down on you."

These words sound like advice, but they are tinged with hypocrisy and condescending contempt.

Yu Qing naturally understood his implied meaning, but he didn't have time to settle scores with Yuan Xiu at the moment, so he simply reached out and pushed him aside.

Yu Qing stared coldly at the two girls and said, word by word, "I'll say it again, apologize to it."

"Yu Qing, don't go too far," Yuan Xiu said, embarrassed and angry.

Yu Qing ignored him and yelled at the two girls, "Apologize immediately."

The two girls trembled with fright, gritted their teeth, and reluctantly said to the metal box on the floor, "I'm sorry."

"Has it been restored?" Yu Qing asked.

The two girls' expressions turned even more unpleasant.

The slightly deformed iron box on the ground was so glaringly conspicuous; its rusty marks seemed to smile at them like some kind of dark aura, making them too ashamed to lift their heads.

Yu Qing ignored the two and turned to Lu Chi's side, helping him bend down to pick up the scattered banknotes.

Lu Chi stared blankly at Yu Qing.

This moment.

His heart, like a rotten onion, quietly sheds a layer of rotten skin.