Chapter 92
Lin Ruo's eyes were filled with undisguised astonishment. Ning Yuan... had taken the initiative to invite her to chat alone? This was a complete first. A thought popped up uncontrollably: Has he... changed his mind about her? Has his attitude finally softened slightly? She subconsciously checked the system prompts in her mind. However, nothing happened.
At this moment, Ning Yuan's cold voice sounded, interrupting her thoughts: "Filming will officially start next week." He stated concisely, with his usual sense of alienation between his words, and his eyes fell on her again, "I need you... to play the role of 'Master of Metaphysics' well."
"Huh?" Lin Ruo let out a short, startled cry. Then, suddenly, she realized she'd passed the audition! The casting director had mentioned her passing before, but she had never expected him to tell her again. She was stunned once again.
"It's okay, you can go back." Ning Yuan didn't expect her to respond, or felt that he had said everything he needed to say. He waved his hand casually, his movements smooth and unhurried, and then turned around, leaving behind a cool and upright back.
"Is that... it?" Lin Ruo watched him disappear around the corner of the corridor, standing there in a daze. He sighed softly, turned around and walked towards where Meng Mian and Qin Yu were.
However, as she approached the living room, she was captivated by the scene on the sofa. Qin Yu lay on the cushions, his hands tightly gripping his phone, his knuckles whitening from the strain. His head was bowed, his hair covering his brows, and a sense of low pressure enveloped him. Although he said nothing, Lin Ruo almost instantly guessed the reason: there was probably only one thing.
She walked lightly to his side, leaned down slightly, and asked cautiously and concernedly: "What are you thinking about? Did something happen?" Her eyes fell on the phone that was hot from his grip.
Qin Yu seemed to be awakened by her voice and slowly raised his head. His voice was a little dry: "Teacher...he just called me and asked me to come over."
"??? They let you go? Why?" Lin Ruo subconsciously asked, but as soon as she said it, she understood. Today, Lu Yiming completely exposed the truth about the plagiarism in the live broadcast, pointing the finger directly at the teacher. The other party must be extremely anxious now, and their first reaction is naturally to find Qin Yu, the person involved. Whether it is coercion, inducement, or attempts at appeasement, they must meet in person.
Qin Yu's visit to his teacher was inevitable; it had always been part of their plan. Lin Ruo worried about him facing the pressure alone, and even more worried about him being soft-hearted or deceived, so she immediately said firmly, "I'll go with you!"
"Okay." Qin Yu agreed without much hesitation.
After comforting Qin Yu, Lin Ruo turned his gaze to Meng Mian beside him. His injured arm was still slung across his chest. Although the doctor had told him to rest, he was looking at them eagerly, his eyes filled with worry and disquiet. He walked over and reminded them again, worriedly, "Meng Mian, just rest well at home. Don't move your arm, okay? We'll be back when we're done."
[Congratulations, host! Your capture target, Lu Yinzhou's affection towards you has risen to 16.]
The sudden system notification in her head startled Lin Ruo. It had risen again? When? She instinctively raised her eyes, her gaze fixed on Lu Yinzhou, who sat on a nearby sofa. He was looking down at the tablet in his hands, seemingly lost in thought.
As if sensing her gaze, Lu Yinzhou raised his head almost instantly. Their eyes met unexpectedly in mid-air. In that instant, Lin Ruo clearly caught the complex emotions that flashed across his eyes: inquiry, perhaps a hint of... tenderness? But in a split second, he quickly turned his head away, his gaze returning to the tablet, as if the previous exchange of glances had never occurred.
Lin Ruo suppressed her doubts and didn't ask any further questions. She glanced down at her phone. It was already late. She briefly instructed Meng Mian and then stood up and headed upstairs. She had to accompany Qin Yu to face a tough battle tomorrow, so she needed to conserve her energy.
The next morning, Lin Ruo woke early. As she finished packing and descended the stairs, she was surprised to find the living room filled with people. Lu Yinzhou, Ning Yuan, Qin Yu, and even Meng Mian, who had his arm in a sling, were already seated. The morning sun streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a faint golden glow on everyone. The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee, accompanied by the gentle clinking of cups and plates.
Seeing her coming down, Meng Mian immediately raised his uninjured hand and greeted her warmly: "Sister! This way! I saved a seat for you!"
Lin Ruo walked over, her eyes sweeping across the four faces in turn. Lu Yinzhou remained calm, Ning Yuan expressionless, Qin Yu looked troubled, and Meng Mian tried to appear relaxed. She sat down on the sofa reserved for her.
"Would you like some coffee? It's freshly brewed." Qin Yu stood up and quickly poured a cup of hot coffee from the coffee pot next to him and carefully handed it to her.
"Thank you." Lin Ruo was indeed feeling a little tired and needed a boost of energy. She took the warm coffee cup, took a sip, put it down, looked at Qin Yu beside her, and got straight to the point: "When are we leaving?"
Qin Yu subconsciously glanced at his watch: "Wait a little longer, the appointment time hasn't arrived yet."
"Okay." Lin Ruo nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Time slipped by quietly. Feeling it was almost time, Lin Ruo and Qin Yu exchanged a glance and stood up simultaneously, ready to leave. Lu Yinzhou had already arranged for a driver, the same one who had taken them there yesterday, and the car was already waiting outside.
At this moment, Meng Mian also stood up with a "swoosh". His movements seemed a little clumsy with his arms hanging, and his face was full of worry: "Wait! I'll go with you!" he said anxiously.
Lin Ruo stopped and turned, her eyes falling on his bandaged arm. Her brows furrowed slightly. "Your injury hasn't healed yet, what are you going to do? Resting well at home is the right thing to do." Her tone was filled with unquestionable concern. "Don't worry, the two of us can go, and everything will be fine."
"But..." Meng Mian took a step forward unwillingly, trying to fight for it, "Just the two of you going, isn't that too few people? What if..." He didn't say the rest of the words, but it was obvious that he was worried.
"I'll go."
A low, calm voice suddenly rang out. Everyone, including Lin Ruo and Qin Yu, turned in disbelief and surprise to the source of the voice. Ning Yuan, sitting on the single sofa in the corner, raised his eyes and calmly met everyone's gaze.
Lin Ruo and Qin Yu exchanged a quick glance, each seeing the same shock in the other's eyes. Ning Yuan offered to accompany them? Why?
After a brief silence, Lin Ruo was the first to react. She suppressed the turmoil in her heart, nodded at Ning Yuan, and tried to keep her tone steady: "Okay, thank you for your help." Qin Yu also nodded in agreement.
So, the originally planned trip for two people turned into a trip for three people.
The black sedan drove smoothly out of the villa area and merged into the morning traffic. The interior was spacious, yet filled with a strange silence. As soon as Ning Yuan got in, he leaned back in the back seat and closed his eyes, as if he was resting his mind and refusing to communicate.
Lin Ruo and Qin Yu sat on either side of him, tacitly agreeing not to interrupt. Lin Ruo tilted his head to watch the street scene pass by quickly outside the window, his mind churning. Qin Yu, on the other hand, looked down at his phone screen, his fingers unconsciously sliding, clearly preparing for the upcoming meeting.
After a while, the car arrived at the agreed location. Qin Yu opened the door and got out first, followed closely by Lin Ruo and Ning Yuan. The further they walked, the more Lin Ruo felt something was wrong. The path Qin Yu was leading seemed to lead to the rooftop?! Why would they meet in a place like this? This...
Her heart tightened, and she subconsciously wanted to reach out and grab Qin Yu in front of her, but she finally held back. She calmly slowed down her pace, moved a little closer to Ning Yuan beside her, and lowered her voice quickly, "Pay more attention to Qin Yu's condition later."
Ning Yuan tilted his head slightly when he heard that. His cold gaze stayed on her face for a moment, and then he nodded slightly: "Yeah." It was considered an agreement.
The three of them walked onto the empty rooftop, where a rusty wind blew towards them. Lin Ruo immediately spotted Lu Yiming, standing not far from the edge of the rooftop. Lu Yiming's gaze was like a poisoned needle, piercing Lin Ruo fiercely. He raised his finger and pointed at her, his voice filled with resentment: "Witch! How dare you come here!"
Lin Ruo raised his eyebrows slightly, crossed his arms over his chest, and said with a hint of sarcasm: "What? Are you furious because your true identity was exposed in public?"
"You..." Lu Yiming's face turned red from being choked, and he wanted to curse, but was interrupted by the middle-aged man next to him: "Xiaolu! Shut up!" Qin Yu's teacher.
The teacher then turned his gaze towards Qin Yu with a kind expression: "Xiao Yu... I'm doing this for your own good!"
Lin Ruo was filled with questions and could not help but turn his head to look at Ning Yuan beside him. Ning Yuan's face, which usually had no expression, now clearly showed a trace of incomprehensible confusion. He was probably also shocked by the teacher's high-sounding reason.
Although she and Ning Yuan both thought this reason was absurd, looking at Qin Yu again, he was clearly wavering. Lin Ruo immediately stepped forward and raised her hand to gently but firmly pat Qin Yu's shoulder. Qin Yu reacted, turned his head to look at her and nodded slightly.
The teacher seemed to have not noticed Lin Ruo's actions and continued to try to impress Qin Yu with words: "Think about it, you have just entered our school and your foundation is not yet solid. If you suddenly publish such a heavyweight paper, how much jealousy and criticism will it attract? A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind! The teacher is trying to help you block it and share some of the pressure..."
Lin Ruo couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she interrupted him and asked sharply, "So, what you call sharing the pressure is that you're jealous of his talent and want to take it for yourself?"
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