Chapter 112: Unexpected Encounters and Hidden Agendas

“Why are you here?”

The initial surprise of seeing Su Yao quickly subsided. Lin Qing tried to appear normal, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, and quickly walked towards the barbecue restaurant.

However, the hurried pace of Lin Qing’s steps was enough for Su Yao to notice the change.

Her gaze drifted towards the barbecue restaurant behind Lin Qing, her dark eyes swirling subtly, and the curve of her lips deepened into an undeniable smile.

“I suddenly wanted to see you, so I came.”

Su Yao skillfully masked her true thoughts. As Lin Qing stood before her, she smiled and reached out, taking his hand. The warmth that passed between them filled him with a comforting sensation.

Su Yao’s fingers were slender, impossibly soft.

“What’s wrong? Are you not happy? I was so delighted when I saw your reply just now.”

Noticing Lin Qing’s silence, Su Yao spoke again, but this time, she didn’t cling to his hand, instead releasing it with a decisive ease.

Yet, the moment Su Yao’s hand slipped away, Lin Qing unexpectedly turned the tables.

He raised his hand once more, firmly grasping hers.

This sudden gesture was entirely unforeseen, uncharacteristic of Lin Qing’s usual demeanor. Still, it carried an ineffable charm, like a feather lightly tickling one’s heart.

Su Yao chuckled, tightening her grip on Lin Qing’s hand and bringing it to her chest. She didn’t question his unusual behavior.

She waited for him to speak.

“I met a strange woman.”

The sudden appearance of Little Fish was deeply suspicious, and Lin Qing had no intention of concealing it from Su Yao.

If he didn’t speak now, and Su Yao were to uncover the truth herself, the repercussions would be far worse.

“Strange?”

“Yes, she kept trying to get close to me, and it was clearly with an agenda.”

Upon hearing Lin Qing’s words, Su Yao raised an eyebrow, surprised by this turn of events.

While someone presumptuously touching her ‘toy’ should have angered her, Lin Qing’s evident resistance left Su Yao utterly incapable of feeling any pique.

Her carefully orchestrated hunt was steadily progressing.

Lin Qing, this fiercely vigilant kitten, had gradually lowered his guard. Now, with wide, curious eyes, he was quietly drawing closer, completely oblivious to the trap that had long been set.

So docile, so endearing.

Bringing him home to raise was certainly an option.

Lost in these thoughts, Su Yao released one of his hands. Just as she had imagined, she gently pinched Lin Qing’s chin, much like one might playfully scratch an adorable, tsundere cat.

Lin Qing froze, unsure of what Su Yao was doing.

‘Was she not angry?’

When he spoke of Little Fish’s deliberate advances, Lin Qing had braced himself for Su Yao’s wrath.

After all, it wasn’t his fault; the blame lay entirely with someone else’s ulterior motives.

However, Su Yao, despite her notoriously difficult temper, was also possessive and somewhat petty when it came to him.

‘An interesting development. If she wants to get close to you, let’s see what her true intentions are!’

As if she had divined Lin Qing’s thoughts, Su Yao spoke again, her words conveying that she wasn’t angry in the slightest.

Perhaps, if Lin Qing hadn’t rejected Little Fish, she might have been furious.

But his strong resistance only made Su Yao find the situation more amusing.

She wanted to tease him a little more.

Nevertheless, despite her playful demeanor, she resolved to thoroughly investigate that woman once they returned.

Teasing Lin Qing did not equate to condoning danger.

Everything had to remain firmly within her control.

“I hate her.”

For some inexplicable reason, after hearing Su Yao’s rather unexpected reply, Lin Qing felt a flicker of displeasure. It was like a household with a beloved cat suddenly adopting a dog.

The cat, accustomed to exclusive affection, now found its attention divided.

Yet, considering Su Yao was far from a normal person, anything she did seemed perfectly natural.

‘My thoughts are simply too numerous.’

Lin Qing no longer denied his affection for Su Yao; it had long surpassed his feelings for anyone else.

However, due to Su Yao’s unique nature, he couldn’t allow that affection to deepen any further.

Maintaining the status quo was the best approach.

Even if his heart refused to obey, he could still control his actions.

“I hate her too. But don’t you want to know her reason for deliberately approaching you? If it were just a simple test, Lin Qing, you wouldn’t be so resistant.

It seems her offensive is quite swift and undisguised. Such a person will quickly reveal their true colors.”

Noticing Lin Qing’s slight vexation, Su Yao ceased stroking his chin. Her fingertips slowly moved, gently caressing his Adam’s apple as she spoke, her gaze fixed intently upon him.

Her eyes, dark as ink, held a profound meaning, as if she had already seen through Lin Qing’s uncontrolled heart, knowing it would soon become hers entirely.

“I have no interest in her, and I dislike trouble.”

However, Lin Qing didn’t allow Su Yao to continue. He quickly raised his hand, took hers, and after finishing his words, he released her hand.

Then, he turned and silently walked away, suddenly disinclined to speak with Su Yao further.

Seeing this, Su Yao chuckled softly, realizing she had thoroughly agitated Lin Qing.

Lin Qing was so innocent.

He harbored no complex schemes.

He was like a blank canvas, waiting for her to paint in the other colors.

This precious treasure was becoming increasingly difficult to let go of.

Su Yao quickly followed, naturally reaching out to take Lin Qing’s hand. Without a word, their fingers intertwined as they walked forward.

The bustling crowd around them seemed to fade into the background.

Only the two of them remained.

And their clasped hands, neither willing to let go.

****

After parting ways with Su Yao, Lin Qing didn’t go anywhere else but headed straight home.

Having washed up and eaten dinner, Lin Qing lay in bed, feeling a profound weariness.

Though collecting trash wasn’t overly strenuous, the constant bending and picking up items was undeniably exhausting, leaving him feeling utterly spent.

Adding to his fatigue was Little Fish’s deliberate approach, which had left Lin Qing feeling perpetually annoyed.

He distinctly felt he had seen Little Fish somewhere before.

Why couldn’t he remember?

Although Su Yao had told him not to worry about Little Fish, assuring him that her true intentions would soon be revealed, Lin Qing instinctively recoiled from Little Fish’s proximity and wanted no further contact with her.

He couldn’t articulate the reason; it was just a feeling.

It was as if he had encountered something deeply repulsive, and his body automatically reacted with aversion.

Lin Qing had never experienced such a sensation with anyone else, which made him find it incredibly strange.

Even though Little Fish had three white skull-like growths above her head, even Su Yao, with her ten white skull-like growths, had initially only instilled fear in Lin Qing, not the same sense of disgust he now felt towards Little Fish.

Perhaps it was merely his dislike for Little Fish’s ulterior motives that brought about this feeling?

Lin Qing decided not to delve deeper into his thoughts, fearing they would spiral out of control.

‘Time to sleep!’

Tomorrow was Monday, the start of a new school week.

*Buzz, buzz, buzz*

However, just as Lin Qing was about to drift off to sleep, his phone suddenly vibrated.

He opened it to find a message from Liu Hong.

[Brother Liu]: Are you asleep?

[Lin Qing]: No.

Lin Qing looked at Liu Hong’s message, wondering what he wanted to say.

It was getting late.

Whatever it was, it could surely wait until morning, as they were in the same class anyway.

[Brother Liu]: Lin Qing, you like Su Yao, right?

[Lin Qing]: ……

However, Lin Qing hadn’t expected Liu Hong to suddenly bring up Su Yao.

Lin Qing fell silent, eventually only sending an ellipsis.

Although Lin Qing knew Liu Hong wanted to be his friend, they weren’t yet close enough for such intimate conversations.

[Brother Liu]: Don’t worry, I’m not trying to gossip. It’s just that I’ve met a girl I like again, and I’m starting to feel a bit anxious, I don’t want to miss out on her.

[Brother Liu]: If you like Su Yao, then I’ll feel relieved. At least Little Fish won’t be able to win your heart, and I’ll still have a chance!

[Brother Liu]: Of course, Su Yao is such a wicked woman, it’s normal for you to pretend to like her. You probably like a gentle and lovely girl like Little Fish too.

[Brother Liu]: *Cries in agony*

Lin Qing then looked at Liu Hong’s messages, finding himself caught between laughter and tears.

So, it was all about that woman, Little Fish.

Lin Qing wasn’t pretending, nor did he like Little Fish.

[Lin Qing]: I’m not pretending, and I don’t like Little Fish.

While Lin Qing didn’t directly state his feelings for Su Yao, his subsequent words clearly expressed his stance.

Though Su Yao was undeniably wicked, she was also remarkably forthright.

She had never hidden her determination to claim him.

Even if she constantly set traps and lured people into them, her objective was simple.

Murder.

She had never concealed this from Lin Qing.

Instead, she would occasionally leave hints, a trail of breadcrumbs.

She wanted to see if he could discover them and perhaps thwart her murderous plans.

It was a kind of perverse amusement.

This open wickedness was far preferable to Little Fish’s veiled treachery.

[Brother Liu]: That’s all I needed to hear. I’ll work hard to win Little Fish’s heart!

[Brother Liu]: *Smiling emoji*

After that, Lin Qing stopped replying to Liu Hong’s messages.

He needed to sleep.

He hoped he wouldn’t dream of Su Yao tonight.

Lest she be drawn into his nightmares…

After a night of restless sleep, Lin Qing woke up promptly early the next morning.

He quickly washed up and ate breakfast.

Afterward, Lin Qing locked his front door and stepped out of his apartment complex.

“Hey, Lin Qing, heading to school together!”

Just as usual, he encountered Liu Hong, and just as usual, he refused the soy milk Liu Hong offered him.

Lin Qing watched Liu Hong drink two portions of soy milk by himself, shaking his head with a helpless sigh.

“Liu Hong, you don’t always have to wait for me. Besides, I’ve always eaten breakfast at home; it’s become a habit.”

Finally, Lin Qing spoke, hoping to persuade Liu Hong to stop waiting for him.

“It’s not even on the way.”

“It’s fine, I don’t have much to do anyway, and it helps me burn off some of my excess energy.”

However, Liu Hong merely chuckled at Lin Qing’s words.

“By the way, I’ve asked Little Fish to go shopping and see a movie next Saturday. Could you come with me?”

As they neared the school gate, Liu Hong hesitated repeatedly before finally asking.

Even if Su Yao might “snip” him afterwards, Liu Hong was willing to risk it all to pursue the girl he liked!

Though Liu Hong had wanted to go shopping and on a date with Little Fish alone, she had flatly refused, citing being too busy as an excuse.

In desperation, Liu Hong suggested bringing Lin Qing along, which quickly changed Little Fish’s mind.

However, Lin Qing hadn’t agreed at all. How was he supposed to convince Lin Qing?

Upon hearing Liu Hong’s terrible suggestion, Lin Qing was about to retort with a flat refusal, but his peripheral vision caught sight of a certain figure, causing him to immediately halt his steps.

‘Little Fish, why is she here?’

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