Chapter 21, Part Two: No Longer Contacting Each Other - How Come the Good Student Is Here...?

But Qin You felt very uncomfortable after hearing what Yu Kui said next.

How dare she say that to him? Does she even know what she's saying?

"Only third place," Qin You said coldly, "Do you think I've made you forget how bad you used to be?"

"Qin You!" Seeing the two arguing, Qin's mother was stunned. "How could you speak to Yu Kui like that?"

Qin You seemed not to hear her mother's voice, her gaze fixed on Yu Kui, "My ranking has nothing to do with you, you have no right to judge me."

"And what about you?" Yu Kui raised her head and said stubbornly, "You think you can boss me around?"

Qin You looked at her, expressionless, and said, "This is the last time."

His condescending manner made Yu Kui feel humiliated once again.

It's always like this; even though she hasn't done anything wrong, he always looks down on her as if she's committed a terrible mistake.

“It should have been done a long time ago,” Yu Kui said softly, “Let it be like this.”

She turned away, not letting Qin You see the sadness in her eyes.

Seeing this, Qin You pursed his lips and clenched his fingers tightly. He didn't mean to hurt her, but he just couldn't help it... that feeling of everything being out of his control made him feel unlike himself.

"What exactly happened between you and Yu Kui?" Qin's mother's face turned extremely ugly. "You're older than Yu Kui, how could you hurt her like this?"

"Mom, this is between her and me," Qin You said in a deep voice. "Don't interfere."

"But the Yu family has treated you so well, how could you..."

“I know the Yu family has been very good to me,” Qin You interrupted her, “but this matter does not affect my relationship with Yu Kui. Just pretend you don’t know anything about it.”

"But your Aunt Yu will definitely be angry if she finds out." Qin's mother sighed, not understanding what her son was trying to do. "Yu Kui has been very dependent on you since she was little. Even if you don't want to be friends with her, you need to explain things clearly to her. Don't do it out of spite, otherwise..."

“I know,” Qin You said, watching Yu Kui walk toward the restaurant. She never looked back, her back filled with determination. “I will handle things between her and me.”

Of course, this excuse was just to appease Qin's mother. When would he and Yu Kui have a chance to clear things up? After today, she would probably distance herself even more.

When she reached the restaurant entrance, Yu Kui didn't go in. Instead, she found a corner to hide in, afraid that her mother would see the tears on her face.

Qin You...

She murmured the name, her heart aching as if she were dying.

Why does he hurt her so mercilessly every time she calms down and wants to have a proper talk with him?

Is it because she's easy to bully?

But she's human too; she gets hurt and sad too. After so many years of relationship, why didn't he ever consider her for a moment? What did he think of her?

Yu Kui clutched her clothes tightly to her chest, her breathing became rapid, and tears kept falling.

It's so painful.

If she could do it all over again, she would never want to meet Qin You again, and she would never want to be friends with him again.

But the past is too heavy, how can the feelings invested be easily taken back?

This is what Yu Kui despises most about herself.

She should have decisively severed ties with Qin You, but she just couldn't let go. After countless internal struggles, she remained like a coward, unable to escape the vortex of the past.

Is liking someone really this painful?

Yu Kui had never liked anyone, but she knew that true love wasn't like that; she had simply chosen the wrong person.

She lost in both friendship and love.

She just won't admit it.

Yu Kui squatted on the ground, crying until her vision blurred. The excessive pain made her gag and almost throw up her lunch.

"What's wrong?" A clear, melodious voice rang out behind her. "Good student, hiding here crying?"

Yu Kui's eyes were blurred with tears, and she ignored the voices behind her.

A tall, slender figure squatted down beside her, looking at her tear-streaked face, and clicked his tongue twice, "You look so pathetic, even your nose is running."

As she spoke, a tissue landed on Yu Kui's face. The girl's wet eyelashes trembled slightly. She slowly raised her head and looked at the boy beside her—

"Why are you looking at me?" The boy gently wiped away her tears with his fingers. "I know you're happy to see me right now, but please restrain yourself."

"You..." Yu Kui began in a hoarse voice, "How is it you?"

"Why can't it be me?" Xie Xingzhi took out two tissues and stuffed them into her hand. "You look so disheveled. Hurry up and wipe yourself clean."

Yu Kui instinctively took the tissue, sniffed, and asked, "How did you find out?"

"You were crying so hard, it was hard not to notice."

Yu Kui looked at the wall beside her and realized it was a restaurant window. The person inside had clearly seen her crying her eyes out, and her face instantly turned red. "I..."

She was so heartbroken that she didn't even notice the window.

"Don't worry, no one but me will look out the window," Xie Xingzhi said with a half-smile, looking at her swollen eyes. "You've been dumped, huh? You're crying so hard."

Yu Kui lowered her eyes. "It has nothing to do with you."

"At least I brought you tissues," Xie Xingzhi shrugged. "Tell me about it."

"I don't want to talk about it," Yu Kui said, her nose stuffy and her voice muffled. "You're not allowed to tell anyone about what happened today."

“Who should I talk to?” Xie Xingzhi stood up. “Wait here for me for a bit.”

Yu Kui blinked. "What are you doing?"

"Just wait, I told you to." Xie Xingzhi turned and went into the hotel. Yu Kui watched his back and felt ashamed that he would see her looking so terrible.

I really hope he forgets about it soon.

She stood up unsteadily, intending to call Yu's mother to ask why she hadn't come out yet.

Just as she took out her phone, Xie Xingzhi came out of the restaurant. He strode over to Yu Kui, looked at her pale face, and shoved the milk tea into her hand. "Have something to drink first."

The milk tea was warm, and the cozy temperature made Yu Kui's fingertips curl up. She stared blankly at Xie Xingzhi, "Why...?"

She just wanted to find a quiet place to vent, and never thought that anyone would discover her sadness.

His appearance left Yu Kui feeling lost and confused.

"What do you mean, why?" Xie Xingzhi looked down at her, smiling, and said, "You think I'm particularly considerate, and you've fallen in love with me?"

"Nonsense!" Yu Kui hurriedly denied.

"Then what do you mind?" Xie Xingzhi asked unhurriedly.

Yu Kui didn't speak. She just didn't like having her weakness discovered, as it made her feel very embarrassed.

She took a deep breath, looked at Xie Xingzhi earnestly, and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Xie Xingzhi winked at her. "Helping others is something I should do."

Yu Kui: "..."

"I never thought a good student could be so heartbroken," Xie Xingzhi sighed and said quietly, "He must have just broken up with his girlfriend."

Yu Kui gritted her teeth inwardly, "That's not true."

"Why is that?" Xie Xingzhi looked at her moist eyes. "So that you can't have a happy New Year?"

Yu Kui's expression darkened. "I can't tell you."

“I understand,” Xie Xingzhi said with a smile still on his lips, “but I still wish you a happy new year. Next time you cry, choose a place where no one is around.”

Yu Kui: "..." This person is really annoying.

Just then, Yu Kui's phone rang. It was her mother calling, asking where she was and why she hadn't gotten on the bus yet.

Yu Kui looked at Xie Xingzhi, the boy waved his hand, turned around and walked into the restaurant.

He was very tall, with a straight back, and as free and unrestrained as the wind.

Yu Kui rubbed her face to make herself look less haggard, then walked towards the car parked by the roadside.

"Where did you go?" As soon as she got into the car, Yu's mother asked, "I've already come out, but I haven't seen you."

"I went to browse the boutiques on the side," Yu Kui lied without batting an eye.

Sitting next to her, Qin's mother looked at her red eyes, wanted to say something, but then reluctantly looked away.

Qin You sat on the other side. He had noticed Yu Kui's unusual behavior long ago, but he showed no expression and just looked at the scenery outside the window.

“I didn’t even go inside to find my mom,” said Yu’s mother. “When I was paying the bill, I ran into a naughty kid who spilled his drink on me. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken so long.”

"Are you alright?" Qin's mother asked, changing the subject at the opportune moment.

“No, not at all,” said Mrs. Yu. “I just went to the bathroom to tidy up.”

"That's good," Qin's mother said with a smile, chatting with Yu's mother to divert her attention from Yu Kui, afraid that she would discover the conflict between Yu Kui and Qin You's fingertips.

Little did she know, Yu's mother had already seen her daughter's face in the rearview mirror. She looked like a wronged little animal, her eyes filled with sadness.

Yu Kui grew up happily and rarely felt sad like this, but in the past six months, her mother had witnessed this situation far too many times.

She didn't say anything, but she seemed uninterested when chatting with Qin's mother.

Seeing this, Qin's mother felt uneasy and reached out to push her son, hoping to ease the tension, but Qin You remained motionless.

Qin's mother gave a dry laugh and then fell silent.

After entering the residential area, Qin's mother and son got out of the car first, while Yu's father went to the basement to park the car.

Once Qin You and her son were completely out of sight, Yu's mother said, "From now on, our family will have nothing to do with them." Yu Kui's eyes widened, and Yu's mother reached out and touched her flushed face. "You're crying so hard, it makes me sad too."

Yu Kui's eyes darted away, trying to avoid her gaze, "I didn't..."

"If you lie again, Mom will get angry." Yu's mother cupped her face, looking at her red eyes. "You are my child, how could I not know what you're thinking?"

Yu Kui felt a lump in her throat. "This has nothing to do with you and Aunt Qin."

“How can it be unrelated?” Yu’s mother said seriously, “I consider her a friend because you consider her son a friend. You like this friend very much, so I am also willing to get in touch with them.”

"All of this is based on the premise that you like them, not on how good they are."