Chapter 107: The Unyielding Heart and an Unexpected Birthday

The students returned to their respective seats, settling down. However, Liu Hong’s arm, having been struck, had caused his wound to reopen. He immediately stood up, informed the teacher he was heading to the infirmary, and then swaggered out, his bandage conspicuously stained with blood.

The teacher, in the middle of lecturing, seethed with unspoken frustration.

‘To have such a troublesome student in his class,’ he thought, ‘was truly the epitome of bad luck.’

Although the injury on Liu Hong’s arm appeared severe, he should have at least explained the situation properly to the teacher before leaving.

Yet, Liu Hong had always behaved this way, and no one dared to intervene. The teacher quickly dismissed the incident from his mind, continuing with his lesson.

Lin Qing sat at his desk, seemingly attentive to the teacher’s lecture. His upright posture gave the impression of diligent study, but his thoughts had long since drifted far away.

A faint itch lingered where Su Yao had poked him earlier, a sensation that made him want to arch his chest to alleviate it.

Not long ago, when Su Yao had feigned a gentle persona, Lin Qing had felt nothing for her.

Now, with her back to her true self, his heart was pounding wildly.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was acting strangely.

‘Could it be that I truly prefer strong-willed women?’ he pondered.

Before he met Su Yao, he had always been drawn to gentle, kind-hearted girls.

Girls who were honest, benevolent, and pure of heart, much like his mother.

However, no matter how he looked at Su Yao, she was the antithesis of his preferred type.

She was fierce, cunning, and malicious.

Once her true nature was revealed, his instinct was to keep as much distance as possible.

Yet, despite all this, he found himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Lin Qing mused over these thoughts as time swiftly passed, and soon the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Since Wang Fanran had left home and was now on academic leave, and the classroom seating arrangements were fixed, Lin Qing’s desk mate had never appeared. To this day, he remained without a partner.

For Lin Qing, the absence of the usual clamor was rather pleasant.

He recalled the deceased Wang Fanran and the guards who had died at the abandoned slaughterhouse. It was as if they had vanished without a trace; the local news media had reported nothing on the incidents.

He wondered how it had all been handled.

Lin Qing had previously decided not to get involved with the Darkborn organization again. Thus, despite his curiosity, he hadn’t asked Liu Hong or Su Yao for updates.

Having resolved to stay out of it, there was no need to indulge his burgeoning curiosity.

****

“Lin Qing, let’s go to the restroom together!”

Just as he was free from the annoyance of a troublesome desk mate, Liu Hong had emerged as a new form of harassment.

Lin Qing looked up at Liu Hong, who had just returned from the infirmary, his wound bandaged. Liu Hong’s face was alight with excitement, as if he harbored a scandalous secret he was eager to share with a comrade.

The invitation to the restroom immediately brought to Lin Qing’s mind Liu Hong’s infamous ‘toilet secret theory.’

“No.”

Lin Qing’s reply was firm and immediate. He simply picked up his textbook and stood it upright on his desk, shielding himself from Liu Hong’s intense gaze.

Though he had no idea what Liu Hong wanted to say, he reasoned that nothing major had happened recently.

It was probably nothing important.

“Aw, come on, let’s go! Isn’t it normal for guys to go to the restroom together? Just think of it as keeping me company!”

“…”

However, upon hearing Lin Qing’s refusal, Liu Hong refused to give up.

He reached out and pushed the textbook down, his grinning face reappearing before Lin Qing.

“Even if you’re, uh, short, I won’t laugh—”

“Alright, let’s go!”

Not wanting Liu Hong to continue his crude remarks, Lin Qing reluctantly agreed. Liu Hong beamed with satisfaction, immediately acting like a brother as he led Lin Qing to the restroom.

Zhou Lin and Wang Jian, Liu Hong’s two cronies, seized the opportunity to follow along.

It seemed these two were also privy to whatever Liu Hong intended to say.

This piqued Lin Qing’s curiosity, making him wonder what exactly Liu Hong wanted to discuss.

As the group of four advanced toward the restroom, students in the hallway, seeing their imposing presence, scurried back into their classrooms to avoid catching the attention of the school bullies.

Those who couldn’t escape in time stared blankly out the window or at the wall, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.

However, their surreptitious glances at the four carried a mixture of fear and anger.

They watched the slender boy walking in the center, clearly the target of bullying. ‘How pitiful,’ they thought, ‘to be singled out by a mad dog like Liu Hong.’

Yet, despite their sympathy for Lin Qing, no one dared to speak up.

Liu Hong was tall and imposing, while Zhou Lin and Wang Jian looked every inch like delinquents, swaggering with an air of arrogance. Just their sight was enough to make people tremble.

Many silently cursed their trashy high school. ‘Even if its college acceptance rate is dead last in the city, does it really have to accept *anyone*?’ they thought. ‘They’re turning the school into a den of iniquity! How can anyone even study here?’

Unaware of the students’ silent thoughts, Liu Hong and Lin Qing, along with their entourage, made a grand entrance into the restroom. Before Liu Hong could even speak, the remaining students, intimidated by their presence, quickly scurried away.

Liu Hong then glanced at Zhou Lin and Wang Jian, and his two cronies immediately nodded in understanding.

They proceeded to check the individual stalls. Once certain no one else was present, they locked the restroom door, forming a circle around Lin Qing.

“Lin Qing, listen closely to what I’m about to say!”

With all preparations complete, Liu Hong’s usual jovial demeanor vanished, replaced by a grave expression as he spoke.

It was as if he were about to announce something of immense importance.

Lin Qing silently watched Liu Hong, waiting to hear what he had to say.

‘What is it?’

‘So mysterious.’

“Regarding what you said this morning, I’ve thought about it carefully. With Zhou Lin’s reminder, I’ve found a job that doesn’t require too much interaction with people, and it’s perfect for us!”

Lin Qing listened to Liu Hong, having expected something truly significant. To his surprise, it was merely about finding a job?

He had previously refused Liu Hong, citing his reluctance to interact with too many people.

But Liu Hong hadn’t given up. Lin Qing’s lips twitched in exasperation, yet he couldn’t help but admire Liu Hong’s persistence.

“What kind of job?”

After Liu Hong’s repeated attempts to engage him, Lin Qing, despite his utter lack of curiosity, understood that this man’s persistence wouldn’t fade with a simple refusal.

Therefore, Lin Qing did not reject him again but instead picked up the thread of conversation, asking for more details.

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong’s face lit up, and he thought, ‘Looks like there’s still hope!’

“Trash collecting!”

…

Upon hearing Liu Hong’s words, Lin Qing was at a loss for what to say. He had genuinely thought Liu Hong had found a good job.

“I’m not talking about picking up bottles on the street, you know? Zhou Lin has some relatives who are minor supervisors for street cleaning. They can arrange for us to join their team, and we’d be responsible for keeping a specific area clean.”

Though Lin Qing’s hair obscured his expression, his entire demeanor radiated resistance, prompting Liu Hong to quickly offer a detailed explanation.

Zhou Lin, standing nearby, chimed in at this moment.

“Don’t let the ‘trash collecting’ part fool you; it’s quite easy and suitable for students like us looking for short-term work. Just pick up trash for two days on the weekend, and the job’s done! Compared to the strenuous task of sweeping streets, collecting trash is nothing.”

Lin Qing listened to Zhou Lin’s helpful explanation, then fell silent for a moment before shaking his head, rejecting Liu Hong’s proposal.

He felt a pang of guilt, knowing Liu Hong had filtered through many jobs just for him and finally found a suitable one. Yet, Lin Qing currently had no desire to work.

The five thousand yuan in prize money and assistance he’d received from the police station would last him for a while longer. There was no urgent need to go out and earn money right now.

No one knew if the vanished Chen Sen was still in the city. Lin Qing felt it was best to lie low during this period, as he had no desire to get further entangled with the Darkborn organization.

“Lin Qing, are you really going to refuse? Although the pay for collecting trash isn’t much—a hundred yuan a day—there are four weeks in a month, and two days each week, which adds up to eight days! Eight hundred yuan isn’t a small amount!”

Liu Hong, however, was not discouraged and continued to press his case. His demeanor suggested he wouldn’t let Lin Qing leave the restroom until he agreed.

Yet, seeing Lin Qing’s unwavering head shake, Liu Hong knew it would be difficult to persuade him.

‘Had he failed again this time?’

In an instant, the previously enthusiastic Liu Hong deflated like a frost-bitten eggplant. His two cronies, witnessing his dejection, felt a pang of sympathy.

They immediately put their heads together, trying to devise a way to help Liu Hong succeed. Though they didn’t know why Brother Liu was so fixated on Lin Qing, they understood that they *had* to get Lin Qing to agree to work with them.

Suddenly, inspiration struck Wang Jian.

“Lin Qing, do you know that the twentieth of next month is Su Yao’s birthday?”

At Wang Jian’s words, Liu Hong’s eyes lit up, while Lin Qing froze in place.

‘Su Yao’s birthday?’

Despite having engaged in intimate acts like kissing with Su Yao, Lin Qing knew surprisingly little about her basic information. Had Wang Jian not mentioned it, he wouldn’t have known her birthday was next month.

His role as the unwilling recipient of her affections had made Lin Qing reluctant to learn too much about Su Yao, wishing only to distance himself.

Even if he couldn’t leave, he didn’t want to grow close. This had been his original mindset.

However, ever since he developed feelings for Su Yao, Lin Qing’s perspective had shifted. He no longer resisted her as he once had.

It felt like a real-life nurturing game; he had been ‘nurtured’ by Su Yao.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Lin Qing suddenly smiled. He couldn’t control his heart, and there was no point in making any more excuses.

“Ahem, Lin Qing, you’ve known Su Yao for a while now. Don’t you want to prepare a gift for her? If you work with us, you could—”

“No need to say more.”

Just as Liu Hong’s hope reignited and he began to press his advantage, Lin Qing immediately interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. This left Liu Hong stunned, thinking, ‘Lin Qing is truly a wall of bronze and iron! No matter how hard you hit it, you can’t break through.’

‘Even mentioning Su Yao can’t make Lin Qing agree?’

‘This is tough now.’

‘Do I really have to abandon my small plan to work with Lin Qing and quickly foster our bond?’

“I’ll go.”

The surprise, however, was too sudden, leaving Liu Hong momentarily speechless. Hearing Lin Qing’s sudden agreement, Liu Hong was stunned for a good while before his lips finally curved into a joyous smile, thinking, ‘He finally succeeded!’

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