Chapter 224 (1/2)

Chapter 224

Get Out!

Zhou Qin's jaw clenched when she saw her fathe—ahem—Zhou Keqiang walking in . That mental slip made her want to slap herself . She didn't have a father anymore . Why was he here anyway? Why did he even care? Surely, he had dozens of career-saving phone calls to make? Why on earth was he wasting his time on her? She was a cripple now . A burden . A liability . Wasn't it better for him to abandon her and go do his own thing?

”Leaving already?” Zhou Keqiang said, stopping beside the bed . ”So soon?”

”Yeah . ” Li Yundong gave her a smile . ”I think she's tired . ”

A horde of b.u.t.terflies sp.a.w.ned inside Zhou Qin's stomach . Her heart fluttered in response .

The fluttering stopped the moment she noticed Zhou Keqiang's eyes on her . Zhou Qin turned her head away to look out of the window instead . She didn't want to look at Zhou Keqiang . She didn't even want him here .

The room plunged into an awkward silence . Despite her mask of aloofness and her determination to avoid Zhou Keqiang's eyes at all cost, Zhou Qin couldn't help but sneak a few glances at Li Yundong .

Finally, after what felt like forever, Li Yundong broke the silence .

”Well then!” he said almost too cheerily . ”I really should go . I'll be back again tomorrow, Uncle Zhou . ”

”Ah, yes . Right . . . ” Zhou Keqiang said, though his tone sounded a little weird .

Zhou Qin turned away from the window to look at Zhou Keqiang, her eyes narrowing slightly . Zhou Qin didn't like the way Zhou Keqiang was looking at Li Yundong . Not one bit .

”So you'll be back tomorrow?” Zhou Keqiang asked hopefully .

Li Yundong looked from Zhou Keqiang to Zhou Qin, then back to Zhou Keqiang again . ”If you guys don't mind, of course . ”

Zhou Qin opened her mouth to speak, but Zhou Keqiang beat her to it .

”Of course we don't mind,” Zhou Keqiang said . ”In fact, I think it's a great idea . I think… I think you should come visit Qinqin more often . After all…” Zhou Keqiang suddenly trailed off .

Zhou Qin's eyes narrowed even further . Oh no, you don't . . .

”Yes, Uncle Zhou?”

Zhou Keqiang cleared his throat . ”After all, Qinqin—”

”You don't have to be here tomorrow, Li Yundong,” Zhou Qin said quickly, glaring at Zhou Keqiang . ”I'm fine . ”

Li Yundong, who was already at the door, smiled at her .

Zhou Qin's heart did that fluttering thing again .

”Nah . It's fine . I've got no plans tomorrow anyway . Rest well, Zhou Qin . ” Then, Li Yundong looked towards Zhou Keqiang and smiled . ”Until tomorrow, Uncle Zhou . ”

Zhou Keqiang answered with a nod .

Zhou Qin watched the door close behind Li Yundong .

After a while, she heard Zhou Keqiang's loud sigh .

”Don't you think you should let him know how you feel?”

Zhou Qin tore her gaze away from the door .

”What I do is none of your business,” she said coldly .

”Qinqin . . . Sometimes being stubborn isn't going to get you what you want . ”

Zhou Qin ignored her fath—ugh, dammit! Ex-father .

”Try telling him tomorrow,” Zhou Keqiang said . ”Maybe he—”

”And what would be the point in that,” Zhou Qin cut him off sharply . ”He's already . . . ”

In love with someone else .

And worse, her love rival was a woman who Zhou Qin cared about and had no desire to hurt .

”Besides . . . ” Zhou Qin continued . ”I'm pretty sure he already knows how I feel . . . ”

”Even so,” Zhou Keqiang argued, ”you should make your feelings clear to him . Lay all your cards on the table . ”

And then what? Scare him away? Or be rejected right in the face? No thanks .

”Don't you see? Now is the perfect time for you to capture his heart,” Zhou Keqiang continued . ”Right now, he feels indebted to you . If you tell him how you feel, then maybe he—”

”He's already in a relations.h.i.+p,” Zhou Qin snarled . ”I'm not going to ruin his relations.h.i.+p by guilt-tripping him into being with me . That's just . . . ”

Selfish . Not to mention utterly and disgustingly pathetic .

Zhou Qin sighed . ”His faithfulness is why I fell for him in the first place . If . . . If he's the type who's willing to abandon his lover, or the type who gives in to temptation easily, then I might end up despising him . ”

”Good G.o.d, Qinqin . What are you even saying?” Zhou Keqiang said exasperatedly . ”So you're just going to keep torturing yourself by watching him from afar? By watching him love someone else? Are you a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t?”

Zhou Qin kept staring out the window . She didn't even know what she was looking at . She was just . . . looking .

”I don't have to be with him . . . ”

”What—”

”I'm happy if he's willing to spend time with me and just be my friend . . . Maybe chat with me . Cook me a meal once in a while . . . ”

”Qinqin . . . You . . . You've really lost your mind!” Zhou Keqiang yelled .

Zhou Qin smiled wryly . Maybe she had . She didn't care anymore .

”Look . . . ” Zhou Keqiang sighed . ”You said that your feelings for him might disappear if he turns out to be the unfaithful type, right? That's what you said . ”

Zhou Qin bristled at those words . She had a pretty good idea what Zhou Keqiang was suggesting, but she said nothing .

”I say you do it,” Zhou Keqiang continued . ”Tempt him . Confess to him . Do everything you can to win him over . What do you have to lose anyway? The way I see it? There can only be two outcomes if he leaves his girlfriend and chooses to be with you . One, your feelings for him remain, in which case you can be with him and be happy . Two, his infidelity disgusts you and you end up hating him, which is still better because then you won't have to suffer the pain of watching the man you love be with another woman . ”

Zhou Qin turned away from the window and glared at Zhou Keqiang .

”It's the most logical choice, Qinqin,” Zhou Keqiang said tiredly . ”I don't want you to get hurt—”

”Out!!!” Zhou Qin pointed at the door . ”I don't need your concern! Get out!!”

”Qinqin, please . . . ”

”I said, OUT!” Zhou Qin grabbed any object within reach and hurled it at Zhou Keqiang . ”Out! Get out of my sight!!”

***

The TV was turned on when Li Yundong stepped into his apartment . Ruan Hongling was lounging on his couch, totally making herself at home . There were also noises coming from the kitchen . Someone, who could only be Zi Yuan, was chopping vegetables inside the kitchen .

Li Yundong's backpack bounced a few times when he dumped it onto the couch .

”What are you doing here?” Li Yundong chuckled and stared at Ruan Hongling . ”You don't have a TV back at your own place?”

Ruan Hongling turned away from the TV and gave him a dirty look . ”Oh . So we're unwelcome at your home, is that it? Despite everything Elder Sister Zi Yuan has done for you?” Ruan Hongling rolled her eyes and stood up from the couch . ”Fine then! I'll leave!”

Then, before Li Yundong could even get another word out, Ruan Hongling turned to face the kitchen and yelled, ”Elder Sister Zi Yuan! I think we should go! Somebody here doesn't like the fact that we're here and wants to kick us out!”

”Hey! When did I say—” Li Yundong closed his eyes and sighed . ”It was a joke, okay? A joke . ”

Ruan Hongling eyed him tauntingly . ”A joke?” She smirked . ”Oh, alright . ” Ruan Hongling plopped down on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table . ”Then I'm sure you won't mind if I make myself at home . ”

”Hey!” Li Yundong glared at her angrily . ”Feet off the table!”

Ruan Hongling stuck her tongue out . ”Make me . ”

”Tsk! You little—” Li Yundong pointed at the coffee table . ”Feet off! Now!”

Li Yundong's harsh tone must have worked because Ruan Hongling suddenly flinched and let her feet drop from the table .

Then, as though embarra.s.sed for allowing herself to be intimidated by Li Yundong, Ruan Hongling sprang to her feet . ”Look at him, Elder Sister Zi Yuan! He's bullying me again!”

”Will you two stop bickering like a bunch of three-year-olds?” Zi Yuan walked out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of something . ”I swear to G.o.d you two belong in a kindergarten . ”

”But he's (she's) the one who started it!” Li Yundong and Ruan Hongling shouted at the same time .

Li Yundong froze, then whipped his head around to stare at Ruan Hongling, who was also staring back at him .

”Why are you copying me?” they both asked at the same time .

Zi Yuan set the bowl on the dining table .

”Well, well, well . Would you look at that,” Zi Yuan said dryly . ”So much chemistry between you two . ”

”C- Chemistry?!” Ruan Hongling gaped for a moment . ”With him? Eww!!! Elder Sister! That's just so disgusting . Eugh! Bleh! Bleh! Bleh!”

”As if I care . ” Li Yundong snorted . ”The only person I want to have chemistry with is my princess!”

”Oh . You mean with that demon witch?” Ruan Hongling snorted . ”Wow . Great stuff there . ”

Anger rose inside Li Yundong . ”What the h.e.l.l did you say?!”

Ruan Hongling suddenly ran towards Zi Yuan and hid herself behind the older woman's back . ”Look at him, Elder Sister . He's bullying me even though I'm your s.h.i.+mei . You're my s.h.i.+jie . Won't you do something about him?”

Li Yundong glared at Ruan Hongling as Zi Yuan rubbed her temple .

”Just stop talking,” Zi Yuan said tiredly . ”Both of you . ”

Li Yundong grabbed his backpack from the couch and walked towards his room without another word . He was so done with this s.h.i.+t . Today was too emotionally taxing, and he needed some s.p.a.ce to work through things . It was bad enough that he had to deal with his guilt after finding out about Zhou Qin, not to mention the divine punishment he had to face . And now Ruan Hongling had to start giving him s.h.i.+t in his own f*cking home . He was so f*cking tired .

”Hey, where are you going? Dinner is almost ready . ” Zi Yuan's voice sounded behind him .

”I'm not hungry,” Li Yundong said numbly, then slammed the door shut behind him .

It's all your fault, Li Yundong . . . It's all your fault . . .

Li Yundong's legs felt like lead as he padded over to his bed . At the edge of the bed, he lowered his backpack to the floor and pulled out the Fan of Seven Treasures . Do I even deserve this? He chuckled sadly, then lay the fan on top of the mattress . His eyes lingered on the h.e.l.lo Kitty piggy bank that lay beside his pillow .

With a sigh, he climbed into bed and lay down on his side to stare at the piggy bank .

”I miss you, my princess,” he whispered to no one in particular . ”I miss you so much . . . ”

***

Ao Wushuang's patience was wearing thin, mostly because her beloved disciple was about to drive her nuts with her antics—scratching her hair once every few seconds, running circles around the room, poking her head out the window . It had been that way for hours . Hours . Enough was enough .

Ao Wushuang slammed the ma.n.u.script she'd been reading down onto the table .

”For Heavens' sake, Chan'er! What on earth is the matter with you?” Ao Wushuang growled . ”Why are you acting so antsy?”

Chan'er withdrew her head from the window and turned back around to face Ao Wushuang .

”Come here,” Ao Wushuang ordered, her sharp tone causing Chan'er to flinch .

Seconds later, Chan'er shuffled back towards the square table and sat down on the stool .

Honestly, what was the matter with this girl? Ao Wushuang had been super tolerant with her already . Letting her write to her beloved Yundong? Telling her about the progress the Heir had made in his training, or the fact that he had pa.s.sed the Zhuji phase? What more did Chan'er want?

Why couldn't she just focus on her own training?

Although Chan'er wasn't the most talented Cultivator out there, she still possessed above-average talent . With hard work and persistence, Chan'er had the potential to become a six-tailed fox spirit, and that was exactly what Ao Wushuang wanted to help her achieve . But ever since Chan'er met the Heir, it was like she had lost all interest in Cultivation .

It was frustrating for Ao Wushuang to see that Chan'er had made little to no progress in her training despite the months since Ao Wushuang had separated her from the Heir .

Little to no progress .

How utterly infuriating!

This could not go on .