Chapter 75: Unexpected Interruption and Lingering Suspicions

When Su Yao and Lin Qing emerged from the warehouse, the basketball court was already deserted, save for Liu Hong.

Given that it was a long break between classes, offering a full twenty minutes of rest, time was certainly abundant.

“Su Yao, are you two alright? The warehouse door lock is so flimsy, and the teacher didn’t even warn us. What negligence!”

The moment he saw Su Yao step out of the warehouse, Liu Hong eagerly rushed forward, hoping to accumulate some goodwill.

After all, he was the one who had opened the warehouse door; otherwise, Su Yao and Lin Qing might have been trapped inside indefinitely.

Alas, Su Yao did not spare a single glance for Liu Hong’s fervent overtures.

Her expression, which had been so vivid and intense when facing Lin Qing, now held no trace of such animation.

She couldn’t even bother to offer a polite smile, her dark eyes reflecting only a cool indifference and detachment.

Her apathy towards Liu Hong was palpable.

Indeed, it seemed she cared for no other man, with Lin Qing being the sole exception.

The atmosphere with Lin Qing had been perfect, only to be abruptly shattered by Liu Hong’s sudden interruption.

‘What a bothersome insect,’ she thought.

‘One that made her long to crush it beneath her heel.’

However, school life was set to continue for a considerable period, and during this time, Su Yao knew it was best to do nothing overtly.

She needed to maintain a facade of pleasant normalcy.

Only then would everything proceed smoothly.

Both the company’s inheritance and others’ perceptions of her would benefit from such a strategy.

It was for these precise reasons that, despite finding Liu Hong’s eagerness incredibly annoying, she had not acted against him.

Otherwise, with the Comet Group’s power, she could easily make Liu Hong vanish from her sight entirely.

‘Enough,’ she mused, ‘no more thoughts of insects. I should focus on the positive.’

Lin Qing would no longer evade her.

At least, outwardly, he would cease trying to maintain his distance.

With this in mind, she knew she had to take further steps to ensure her steady pursuit of Lin Qing remained unbroken.

Recalling the intelligence she had gathered over the past two days, and the trap she had meticulously laid, it was now time to reel it in.

‘Hmm.’

‘Yes, today it is!’

Pondering these thoughts, Su Yao’s mood brightened instantly, and she began to anticipate the end of the morning’s classes.

‘Things were certainly going to become very interesting soon.’

After Su Yao’s crisp footsteps faded away, Liu Hong remained rooted to the spot, huddled miserably like a dog caught in the rain, his features etched with profound grievance.

As Su Yao’s graceful silhouette disappeared from his view, Liu Hong couldn’t fathom why she was so cold only towards him.

‘Could it be because he was too clingy?’

“Good work.”

While Liu Hong nursed his grievances like an overgrown child, Lin Qing took out his phone to check the time, then addressed Liu Hong.

With only a few minutes left until class, he needed to quickly change out of his sportswear.

“Lin Qing, you…”

However, before Lin Qing could even turn to leave, Liu Hong suddenly called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

Liu Hong’s voice was gravely serious.

The image he had witnessed in the warehouse moments ago refused to be erased from his mind, persistently resurfacing and inexplicably provoking his irritation.

‘Were Su Yao and Lin Qing truly siblings?’

It was as if he had guessed incorrectly, and his inner thoughts were now prompting him towards the true answer.

Once this idea took root, all the previous subtle clues rushed forth like an incoming tide.

It left Liu Hong feeling utterly breathless.

“What is it?” Lin Qing asked.

“I want you to continue helping me get together with Su Yao.”

Still, despite his surging suspicions, Liu Hong dared not voice them aloud.

It was as if Pandora’s Box lay before him, and before he could succumb to the urge to open it, he had to endure a torturous period of deliberation, questioning whether to unleash its contents.

Thus, Liu Hong pondered deeply and ultimately decided to postpone the matter.

“You won’t refuse, will you?”

As he spoke, Liu Hong stared intently at Lin Qing, and while awaiting his answer, he keenly observed Lin Qing’s every movement.

He wanted to discern Lin Qing’s true thoughts.

Lin Qing, however, was oblivious to Liu Hong’s internal struggle. Upon hearing that Liu Hong remained persistent in his pursuit of Su Yao, he simply nodded in agreement.

Liu Hong’s unwavering obsession with Su Yao was, for Lin Qing, a rather fortunate turn of events.

At the very least, with Liu Hong’s persistent interference, Su Yao wouldn’t be able to focus all her attention on him, nor cast a wider net to ensnare him later.

Lin Qing now felt relieved that Su Yao hadn’t investigated his background. Otherwise, if she discovered his decade-long experience of being abducted, there was no telling what she might do.

Undoubtedly, she would only become even more interested in him.

Beyond merely distracting Su Yao, there was also his lurking deskmate, Wang Fanran, to consider.

The mere thought of these two individuals gave Lin Qing a splitting headache.

Hearing Lin Qing speak without a hint of hesitation, a significant portion of Liu Hong’s anxiety immediately dissipated.

He began to think he might have been overthinking things and worrying needlessly.

‘If Lin Qing truly had an ambiguous relationship with Su Yao, how could he so readily agree to help him court her?’

‘He must have been imagining things.’

“I’ll come up with something as soon as possible.”

Noticing Liu Hong’s apparent relief, his expression no longer as solemn as before, Lin Qing cast a puzzled glance his way but said nothing further.

Time was short; he needed to change out of his sportswear quickly.

****

Despite his haste, Lin Qing still couldn’t find the time to change out of his sportswear.

Everywhere he went, there were people. Lin Qing detested exposing his body in front of others and had no desire to endure the Infirmary Teacher’s lectures, so he simply continued to wear it.

Fortunately, Wu Gang had informed the other teachers about the locked warehouse door, and they did not trouble Lin Qing about it, simply continuing class as if they hadn’t noticed.

Seeing this, Lin Qing decided to simply keep it on.

Throughout the next two classes, Lin Qing found himself unable to concentrate, for reasons he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Frustrated, he began idly doodling in his textbook.

Then, glancing down at the words ‘Su Yao’ in his textbook, Lin Qing paused, his pen hovering.

He swiftly blacked out the two characters, making them vanish from his sight.

‘Why is she everywhere?’

Ever since returning from the amusement park, his mood had been peculiar.

An uncontrollable tingling sensation persistently gnawed at his heart.

It felt as if he craved something.

Though it was a dangerous yearning, he found himself unable to ignore it.

He had initially believed that keeping his distance from Su Yao might curb these feelings, but now that plan had clearly failed.

Recalling Su Yao’s voice and movements in the darkness of the warehouse, Lin Qing stiffened.

He then raised a hand to clutch his chest, trying to stem the spreading itch within him.

‘Indeed, he couldn’t afford to get close to her!’

“What are you thinking about?”

As Lin Qing’s mind wandered, lost in a multitude of thoughts, Su Yao’s voice abruptly cut through his reverie.

Accompanied by the rap of her knuckles on his desk, Lin Qing’s attention snapped back to reality.

He then noticed that all the other students had already left the classroom, leaving only Su Yao and him.

‘It’s already after school!’

“Su Yao, you don’t need to specifically stay behind to call for me. I can go home by myself.”

“Oh, no. I forgot to mention, I plan to go home with you this afternoon~”

“???”