Lin Zhiyu smiled lightly, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Before class, I overheard some students gossiping. They mentioned a post that listed men who admired Ruan Jiaojiao, and your name stood out among them.”
“I…I…about her…” Hua Yutang hesitated. He had indeed liked Ruan Jiaojiao and had sent her flowers. That must have been when someone secretly photographed him, and it spread online. But he wasn’t ready to reveal that, not yet. Lin Zhiyu was testing him.
He had heard Wu Tiantian and the others discussing this before class, but their words had been harsher. Wu Tiantian, like many of Lin Zhiyu’s students, had nothing to do with the Ruan family, but the mention of Hua Yutang’s name among foreign admirers had stuck with him.
Lin Zhiyu believed that anyone infatuated with Ruan Jiaojiao was bound to display behavior that could harm others or engage in something distasteful. He didn’t want to waste time guessing, so he cut straight to the point. And now, with Hua Yutang’s reaction, it was obvious.
Jiang Weihua’s face darkened as he immediately cut in, coldly: “There’s no need for us to eat together.”
The Ruan family, at best, had tried to destroy Lin Zhiyu. At worst, they had attempted to kill a national treasure—an irreplaceable talent—and smear the reputation of the entire country. For Hua Yutang to still love Ruan Jiaojiao with peace of mind meant that, in Jiang Weihua’s eyes, Hua Yutang lacked not only human decency but also any sense of loyalty. Hua Yutang had immigrated three years ago and was now a citizen of Country M, but still—Jiang Weihua’s perception of him had plummeted.
“I…I love Jiaojiao, but that doesn’t mean I support what the Ruan family has done!” Hua Yutang hurried to explain.
“And Jiaojiao doesn’t know about any of it. She’s innocent!” Hua Yutang reached out to grab Lin Zhiyu’s arm, but Lin Zhiyu deftly stepped back.
“Let’s find another restaurant,” Lin Zhiyu said, his tone icy. He had no interest in dealing with someone like Hua Yutang.
“I agree. Let’s go elsewhere.” Jiang Weihua turned to leave.
Hua Yutang’s face fell. He felt the situation slipping away, so he rushed ahead and blocked their path, staring directly at Xie Youzhou.
“Youzhou, we grew up together. Even if we haven’t seen each other much recently, we’ve known each other for years. You can’t just side with them—right?”
Xie Youzhou didn’t bother to hide his disdain. His face, usually warm, had turned cold as ice. “Hua Yutang, let me ask you something. Think of the person you love the most—whether it’s a relative or a lover. Let’s say it’s your mother. How would you feel if your mother was repeatedly framed, insulted, and almost murdered by a group of scum? Could you still associate with the people responsible for that?”
Hua Yutang’s face twisted with discomfort. Of course, he couldn’t!
“But I didn’t hurt Lin Zhiyu,” he protested.
Xie Youzhou’s voice was low and harsh. “And what if one of your friends got along with those very same people who attacked your mother? If he acted like it was no big deal, would you still consider him your friend?”
“This… it’s not the same!” Hua Yutang tried to reason. “Jiaojiao told me that her family regretted it. Most of those things were done by her third uncle. Her father and grandfather didn’t even know about it.”
Hua Yutang, now visibly shaken, continued desperately, “Jiaojiao is innocent. She feels terrible about everything. She’s kind and guilt-ridden—she cries all the time. She’s even more innocent than you think, Zhiyu. The pressure she’s under is unbearable. Since you’re okay now, wouldn’t it be better to just…forgive?”
Although he doesn’t get to see Jiaojiao, and usually just waits for Jiaojiao to reply to his message online, Jiaojiao’s sad and lonely voice made him feel distressed.
So this time, he made his own decision and tried to go back to Hua Xia to find his friend Xie Youzhou to be the lobbyist to persuade Lin Zhiyu to put down his hatred and express his forgiveness in person.
In this way… he could see Jiaojiao again.
However, Ruan Jiaojiao had no intention of getting in touch with Hua Yutang, whose family was not particularly outstanding. A few days ago, Ruan Jiaojiao’s uncle Ruan Yanshun mentioned that Lin Zhiyu was friends with the youngest son from the Xie family. Hua Yutang of the Hua family seemed to be a childhood friend of Xie Youzhou. Her uncle asked her if she had any contact with Hua Yutang. Only then did she realize that she seemed to know Hua Yutang. After only a week of chatting, Hua Yutang took the initiative to return to China to find Xie Youzhou and Lin Zhiyu to resolve the matter peacefully, which satisfied her.
Before he could finish, Xie Youzhou’s fist collided with his face.
Hua Yutang staggered, clutching his face in shock. “Xie Youzhou, what are you doing? We’ve been friends for so many years, and you’re hitting me?!”
“Who said we’re friends?”
Five or six solid punches later, Hua Yutang’s face was swollen, and his nose was bleeding.
Xie Youzhou’s eyes were dark, filled with fury. But before he could strike again, Lin Zhiyu gently grabbed his wrist.
“That’s enough.”
Lin Zhiyu’s voice was calm as he shook his head. “Let’s go.”
Xie Youzhou clenched his jaw, his hands still itching to continue the assault. But after a moment, he nodded, exhaling sharply.
“Okay… I’ll listen to you, gege,” he muttered, releasing the last bit of his anger.
Jiang Weihua was so angry that he grabbed the armrests of his wheelchair. He left after saying a few words to him coldly.
“Hua Yutang, do you not understand human language?! I advise you never to come near Xiao Xie and the others again. ”
Hua Yutang was also beaten to the point of anger, but at the same time, he felt discomfort that could not be ignored.
How could it have come to this point?
How could it have come to this point…
He just came to have a good talk with Xie Youzhou and Lin Zhiyu, why did these two people not allow him to express his opinions?!
Not only did he not help Jiaojiao, but he might have ruined his friendship with Xie Youzhou…
And that Lin Zhiyu? What did he do to confuse Xie Youzhou like this??
The love-minded Hua Yutang has not yet realized that he and his beloved Ruan Jiaojiaowere the ones who were the problem. A perpetrator forcing the victim to forgive them is simply the most disgusting thing in the world. Describing the perpetrator Ruan Jiaojiao as a poor victim is even more disgusting!
Jiang Weihua and Xie Youzhou were both very angry, but Lin Zhiyu was indifferent. He even comforted them with a smile.
“It’s nothing. People like this are few and far between. There’s no need to take it to heart.”
“I’m hungry. Let’s find a place to eat quickly.” Lin Zhiyu patted Xie Youzhou’s arm.
“Okay, gege, what do you want to eat?” Xie Youzhou temporarily suppressed the anger in his heart and a series of speculations rose in his heart about Hua Yutang’s behavior.
The sun was shining bright through the steaming air, and it made Lin Zhiyu want to have a cold drink.
“Should we go to Jiugong Barbeque City? Their barbecue is delicious, and their iced almond tofu is amazing.”
“Okay.” Xie Youzhou agreed immediately.
Jiang Weihua also nodded: “I don’t have any objection.”
“Gege, wait a moment, I’ll bring the car over.” Xie Youzhou said and walked quickly to the parking place.
Lin Zhiyu tilted his head slightly and glanced at the sky in the distance intentionally or unintentionally.
He had never doubted Xie Youzhou’s ability and principles in making friends. He felt that Hua Yutang should have been a person with relatively normal views.
So why did he turn out this way?
Is it because Hua Yutang had never met anyone he liked before, so his serious love-brain nature had not been exposed? Or…because Ruan Jiaojiao had some kind of magic power?
It shouldn’t be the latter, Lin Zhiyu thought to himself.
Otherwise, it would be too much of a fantasy. He would have no way to get his revenge.
On the other side, Hua Yutang got a video call from Ruan Jiaojiao.
“Brother Yutang…” Ruan Jiaojiao seemed to have just woken up from a nap, her voice was very sticky, sweet, and soft, making Hua Yutang completely melt.
The irritability and discomfort in Hua Yutang’s heart suddenly disappeared, leaving only excitement and surprise.
“Sister Jiaojiao, why did you call me?”
Jiaojiao had never called him before.
“Brother Yutang, didn’t you say yesterday that you were going to find your friend today? I’m worried about you. I’m afraid… I’m afraid that your friend won’t listen to your explanation. He might vent Lin Zhiyu’s anger on you by finding trouble with you. I’m afraid you will be bullied…”
This softened Hua Yutang’s heart and he felt like he had eaten the sweetest honey in the world. The discomfort and anger just now were completely gone.
“I’m fine, Jiaojiao, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“How can I not care about you? It doesn’t matter if I am wronged or misunderstood, but I don’t want you to be misunderstood …”
Ruan Jiaojiao lowered her eyes, looking particularly lonely and fragile, kind and beautiful, and earth-shatteringly pure…
Hua Yutang was fascinated, and at the same time, he was heartbroken.
“Jiaojiao, you are too kind. You will be hurt like this. Xie Youzhou, Lin Zhiyu, and the others are just stubborn and do not know right from wrong. You don’t need to care about them anymore.”
Ruan Jiaojiao felt bad after hearing this, her face turned pale and she was crying: “Brother Yutang, you have already gone to find them, right? Are they unwilling to forgive me? ”
How could this Hua Yutang be so useless, although she didn’t have high hopes to begin with?
“They…what did they say?” Ruan Jiaojiao asked, choking with sobs.
