Let Me Go, My Childhood Sweetheart [Rebirth] - Chapter 41

That morning, when they were messaging on WeChat, Chu Weiran had told Jin Yi to come and pick her up. She hadn’t expected Chu Weiran to show up here on her own.

“How did you get here? Didn’t we agree to wait until I arrived?”

“How did I get here?”

Chu Weiran squinted, staring at Jin Yi before shifting her gaze toward the person whose back was turned to them. She completely ignored Qu Yin.

Qu Yin screamed internally, “Do I have zero presence or what? I’m doing this for your love! I’m guarding Jin Yi for you!” Of course, no one heard her, and even if they had, no one would have cared.

After a single glance at Jin Yi, Chu Weiran kept her eyes fixed on the stranger’s back. Her gaze was somewhat dangerous. Zhai Xiao had been momentarily dazed when she heard that voice, and she turned around with a hint of excitement. The two women locked eyes.

Qu Yin suddenly sensed something was off. She leaned toward Jin Yi and whispered, “What’s the deal here? Don’t you think it’s a bit strange?”

“I think so too.” Jin Yi swallowed hard. She was about to call out to Chu Weiran, but the latter waved her off and walked to her side. Chu Weiran grabbed Jin Yi’s arm and said coquettishly, “Didn’t you say you were coming to pick me up? I waited for you for so long.”

“I was just about to,” Jin Yi started.

“I waited forever and you didn’t show up, so I came here first.”

Chu Weiran’s tone was much more sultry than before. Her body went soft, and she practically hung herself off Jin Yi. Qu Yin immediately switched back into “shipper” mode. The ultimate WLW visual couple, they look so good together!

Zhai Xiao’s expression, however, darkened significantly as she stared at their joined hands. But she adjusted quickly.

“Since you’re busy, Junior, I won’t disturb you any further.” Without waiting for a response, she walked straight away.

The atmosphere became awkward. Qu Yin, in particular, felt the tension.

“Weren’t you two going to get pizza? Aren’t you going?”

Jin Yi’s expression was pained. She forced out a dry reply, “Yes, we’re going now.” Qu Yin’s sharp eyes caught where Jin Yi was being pinched; she winced, feeling the pain herself.

“Then I’ll head out first. Oh, and Senior Chu, don’t get the wrong idea. Xiao Yi and I have been together the whole time. Zhai Xiao didn’t say anything to her just now.”

Chu Weiran looked back. Her expression wasn’t great, but she tried to force a smile. “I get it. If you don’t leave now, should I call Miao Miao to come get you?”

“I’m going, I’m going! I’m leaving right now!” At the mention of Jing Miao Miao, Qu Yin’s head started to throb, and she bolted.

Left alone, the two faced each other. Jin Yi stiffly tried to remove Chu Weiran’s hand from her arm because it hurt too much. The pain was so sharp her eyes were starting to well up.

“I think you shouldn’t be pinching me, right?”

She had seen the situation clearly. Although Zhai Xiao was very focused on her, the woman’s eyes had visibly lit up when she saw Chu Weiran. Chu Weiran had noticed it too, of course.

But her terrifying possessiveness over Jin Yi was acting up. Regardless of the reason, whenever someone she wasn’t familiar with got that close to Jin Yi, she felt a sense of crisis. It forced her to act in ways that defied logic.

“You were talking to that woman just now! We just made things official, and you’re already talking to other women. And last night we just did that, and yet you’re talking to other women.”

She kept circling back to the same point: talking to other women.

“No, Ranran, that woman,” Jin Yi tried to interject, but before she could finish, Chu Weiran spoke again. “I didn’t talk to her; you talked to her. Do you know my legs are still weak and my waist hurts? And you actually dared to talk to another woman.”

Chu Weiran was truly angry; her face was flushed red. Even though she knew this wasn’t really Jin Yi’s fault, she felt miserable. Everything felt miserable.

“You need to wash your mouth!”

“What?!” Jin Yi looked at her in disbelief, her eyes wide. “I have to wash my mouth?” Jin Yi gestured toward her own mouth and then toward Chu Weiran, her hands hovering awkwardly. She honestly thought she was mishearing things.

“No, wait. Yes! You have to wash your mouth.”

Chu Weiran had spoken too fast and hadn’t realized what she was saying. She had meant to say “brush your teeth,” but it came out as “wash your mouth.” Her face, already flushed with anger, turned an even deeper shade of red. It was always like this; the moment she dealt with Jin Yi, all her rationality vanished.

“Are you being unreasonable?”

“Yes, I am!”

Chu Weiran’s tone was so self-righteous it left Jin Yi speechless.

“I just don’t like you talking to other women. I’m even holding back my temper when it comes to Qu Yin.”

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved Chu Weiran felt. Tears were almost starting to fall. Jin Yi panicked, pulling her into a hug and trying to soothe her. “Okay, okay, don’t cry!”

Chu Weiran didn’t make a scene this time. She leaned obediently into Jin Yi’s embrace, waiting to be coaxed. Jin Yi was about to speak when her phone rang. She didn’t want to answer, but the caller was persistent. It was her advisor.

Jin Yi picked up. A voice came through the receiver, “Jin Yi, did you get into a fight last night?”

The moment those words were spoken, the petty squabble stopped. Both of their expressions turned serious. Jin Yi had thought Ye Yuan wouldn’t be shameless enough to report it, but it turned out he was.

“Yes, I was in a fight yesterday.”

Chu Weiran, still in her arms, gripped Jin Yi’s collar with a worried expression. Jin Yi gave her a reassuring look and said into the phone, “I’ll head over right now.”

After hanging up, Jin Yi pursed her lips. “No pizza for us. I have to go deal with this.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“There is no need.”

“Why no need? We haven’t even settled the score from just now.”

When the two arrived, Ye Yuan was busy complaining, detailing how viciously Jin Yi had beaten him. The “Old Witch” from the Business School was also there. She had originally held high hopes for Ye Yuan, but he was becoming more of a disappointment. She hadn’t wanted to come because getting beaten up by a girl was embarrassing, but since it involved a dispute between two departments, she had to show her face.

Jin Yi was greeted by heavy stares the moment she entered. Two pairs of eyes were fixed on her. The former’s eyes were dark and full of hostility; the latter’s were scrutinizing. Jin Yi felt she hadn’t done anything wrong; Ye Yuan was the one who had made the first move.

“Hello, Professors.”

Jin Yi nodded politely and was about to continue when Chu Weiran followed her inside. Jin Yi had told her to wait outside, but she had come in anyway. As soon as the Old Witch saw Chu Weiran, her expression instantly became warm and friendly. Ye Yuan’s face, however, turned green.

“Student Chu, what are you doing here?”

The Old Witch didn’t know their relationship and was a bit confused.

“Jin Yi is my girlfriend.”

Chu Weiran was perfectly composed, while Jin Yi felt a bit shy. Even though they were free to date, did they have to be so public about it? But since Chu Weiran had said it, she wasn’t going to deny it.

“Yes, Chu Weiran is my girlfriend.”

Ye Yuan’s face was covered in bruises, and his eyes were bulging, making him look quite frightening. The Old Witch beside him glanced at him, her contempt becoming painfully obvious. Jin Yi’s department head was a man in his thirties named Director Chen. He had a very upright and serious appearance. Having observed Ye Yuan’s reaction, a trace of disdain flickered across his face.

It was unclear who had started the fight, but it was a fact that Jin Yi had beaten him into this state.

“Alright, let’s get down to business.”

Director Chen spoke. Chu Weiran had no connection to him, and he wasn’t as snobbish as the Old Witch. However, he thought very highly of Jin Yi.

“Student Ye says you injured him, but he can’t clearly say who moved first. Jin Yi, why don’t you tell us what happened?”

After Director Chen finished speaking, he glanced at the Old Witch. He noticed she wasn’t as overbearing as when she first arrived; instead, she had shrunk back and remained silent. He sneered inwardly. She was truly a person who changed her tune based on who was in the room. Before Chu Weiran arrived, every word out of her mouth was in favor of her student. Now, she didn’t dare make a sound.

“Last night, I was passing by the grove and heard people arguing.”

The moment Jin Yi started, Ye Yuan snapped like a cornered animal. “There was no one arguing! You just started hitting me the moment you saw me!”

That had been Ye Yuan’s story all along: a chance encounter where Jin Yi suddenly attacked him. He had expected the Old Witch to change her attitude because of Chu Weiran, so he had prepared a story that he and Jin Yi were both pursuing Chu Weiran, leading to a conflict. However, he hadn’t expected Chu Weiran to actually show up, and he certainly didn’t expect her to admit to the relationship. He had only suspected their relationship wasn’t ordinary, but he never thought that Chu Weiran would actually be with Jin Yi.

“Alright, it’s one person’s word against another’s. Is there any evidence?” Director Chen asked. He felt the situation wasn’t simple. Ye Yuan seemed very driven by a specific agenda but was trying to hide something. The man was clearly foolish but had a crooked heart.

“Qin Chaomu was there last night. Would you like to call her in, Professor?”

When Jin Yi said this, the others didn’t react much, but the Old Witch couldn’t keep her cool. “This involves Qin Chaomu again?”

She looked at Ye Yuan with disappointment and stopped talking. A short while later, Qin Chaomu was brought in. But calling her was useless. She helped Ye Yuan cheat his way through the story, claiming she hadn’t seen Jin Yi at all.

From the moment Qin Chaomu arrived, Chu Weiran’s expression had been exceptionally grim. She grabbed Jin Yi’s sleeve and said tersely, “Why didn’t you tell me the full story about yesterday?”

“I said I hit Ye Yuan.”

“But you didn’t say Qin Chaomu was there.”

Jin Yi looked down, feeling a bit guilty and unsure of what to say.

“Tell me everything you heard yesterday. Right now.”

Jin Yi’s eyes lit up, and her heart softened. While Qin Chaomu was speaking, Jin Yi quietly recounted everything from the previous night to Chu Weiran. Once the room went quiet, Chu Weiran crossed her arms and walked up to Qin Chaomu. She was about to speak when Jin Yi stopped her. “Let me do it.”

She knew Chu Weiran was doing this for her sake, but she didn’t want Chu Weiran to think she was someone who could only be protected. Qin Chaomu had a bad feeling looking at them and instinctively placed her hand over her lower abdomen.

Jin Yi looked at her and said loudly, “Yesterday, I heard the two of them talking about getting an abortion. I didn’t want to disturb them, but Ye Yuan seemed worried I would tell someone. He used it as a threat and was the one who made the first move against me.”

Jin Yi’s appearance the night before had been sudden. Neither of them had expected her to overhear their conversation. For a moment, neither knew what to do. Qin Chaomu looked at Ye Yuan, and Ye Yuan looked at the Old Witch.

The Old Witch frowned, utterly disappointed in him.