Let Me Go, My Childhood Sweetheart [Rebirth] - Chapter 42

“You’re lying! That never happened. You were the one who started it yesterday!”

Ye Yuan’s eyes bulged, and the look he directed at Jin Yi was filled with intense hatred. He didn’t understand. Before Jin Yi appeared, things weren’t like this between him and Chu Weiran. Back then, although Chu Weiran hadn’t responded enthusiastically to his advances, she had at least tacitly allowed them.

But ever since Jin Yi ruined his confession, Chu Weiran had become cold and indifferent, acting as if he were invisible whenever they met. He even blamed Jin Yi for his affair with Qin Chaomu being exposed. If it weren’t for Jin Yi, he wouldn’t have been so irritable, and he wouldn’t have sought out Qin Chaomu to vent his frustration. How could he not hate her?

“Director, don’t listen to her one-sided story. None of that happened! Qin Chaomu and I have absolutely no relationship!”

Ye Yuan directed these words toward the Old Witch. He desperately needed her trust right now, so he didn’t care about Qin Chaomu’s feelings. In fact, he didn’t care at all. Beside him, Qin Chaomu’s face was terrifyingly pale. She cared, but she didn’t dare make a sound.

Jin Yi twitched the corner of her mouth at the scene. She recalled the hysterical Qin Chaomu from her past life and couldn’t reconcile her with the woman standing here. Her love was so humble and so mad. Right now, she didn’t dare defend herself, yet in a previous life, she had personally killed the man she loved for years.

“Qin Chaomu, tell me. Do you or do you not have a relationship with Ye Yuan?”

The Old Witch believed half of what Ye Yuan said, specifically the part about not listening to a one-sided story. She had originally felt that Ye Yuan, despite his poor background, was hardworking and sweet-talking. She had even recommended him for his internship. But now, Ye Yuan was embarrassing her over and over again.

“I am with,” Qin Chaomu’s voice was tiny. The moment she spoke, Ye Yuan glared at her fiercely. Terrified, she fell silent again, biting her lip hard. If she spoke, Ye Yuan would surely blame her, and it would impact their relationship. But if she didn’t speak, what about her child? Would she have to have another abortion? She didn’t want to. A child might not be enough to keep Ye Yuan, but without the child, she would definitely lose him.

Everyone saw Qin Chaomu’s hesitation. The four onlookers looked at Ye Yuan with disdain and had no sympathy for Qin Chaomu, especially the Old Witch. She was tired of this farce.

“I believe Student Jin. Xiao Chen, I’ve caused you trouble. Since Ye Yuan was the one who started it, let’s leave it at that. Ye Yuan has already received his punishment.”

The Old Witch’s tone was very polite. Director Chen nodded, unable to push further. Since his student wasn’t being implicated, there was no reason to keep prying into their business.

“Director,” Ye Yuan tried to protest, but he was silenced by a single look from the Old Witch. He was in the wrong to begin with, and his only leverage was his injuries. He was the one who got beaten, and there were no cameras near the grove. He had thought Jin Yi wouldn’t have a chance to turn the tables and that he might even get compensation, but things hadn’t gone as planned.

Ye Yuan turned and glared at Qin Chaomu with extreme malice, as if the woman before him wasn’t the same one he had shared intimate moments with. Qin Chaomu avoided his gaze, not daring to look at him. She knew that regardless of right or wrong, Ye Yuan would blame her.

The Old Witch’s intention was clear. While fighting was a serious matter, if Qin Chaomu was truly pregnant with Ye Yuan’s child, the nature of the situation would change. Now, it was perfect; the person who was beaten had started it, so the two sides cancelled each other out. They could resolve it privately.

Director Chen couldn’t say much. If they went into detail, both students would likely be punished. The Old Witch protected Ye Yuan, and he wanted to protect Jin Yi. However, he didn’t expect Jin Yi to be so indifferent to the politics.

“I think it’s better to be fair. Even though I injured Ye Yuan, he was the one who initiated the fight.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I didn’t start it!” Hearing Jin Yi’s words, Ye Yuan felt like he was going to explode. Anger made him incoherent. He clutched his hair and shouted violently, “I was only grabbing Jin Yi’s collar yesterday! I didn’t actually hit her! Why won’t anyone believe me?!”

His voice was loud, and everyone heard him clearly. The Old Witch’s expression shifted rapidly as she looked at him like he was an idiot. Realizing the atmosphere had turned wrong, Ye Yuan realized he had slipped up.

“No! I didn’t,” he tried to explain. But nothing he said was right; the more he spoke, the worse it got.

Chu Weiran watched coldly from the side, thinking that this man was even stupider and more subhuman than in her previous life.

“You grabbed Jin Yi’s collar because she heard something, didn’t you? So you tried to coerce her.”

The word “coerce” carried heavy weight. Chu Weiran knew Jin Yi wasn’t someone who could be easily intimidated by Ye Yuan, but using that term escalated the issue immediately. Ye Yuan panicked. No one was listening to his explanations, and being slandered by Chu Weiran made him even more frantic.

“I didn’t! I had no idea she heard those things! I was just very dissatisfied!”

“Dissatisfied with what?”

“I’m dissatisfied with why you treat her so differently! I’ve been pursuing you for so long!”

Chu Weiran crossed her arms and smiled faintly, saying softly, “Oh, so that’s how it is.”

That cold indifference snapped Ye Yuan back to reality. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning. What had he just said? He instinctively reached out to grab Chu Weiran, hoping to save his image. But what image did he have left? His disgraceful behavior left everyone stunned, including Qin Chaomu.

She knew Ye Yuan’s ambitions were sky-high and that he constantly thought of escaping poverty, but she hadn’t expected his honesty to be so hurtful. She bit her lower lip to keep the tears from falling. Heartbreak, sorrow, and despair nearly crushed her in an instant. She felt a dull ache in her lower abdomen, and her vision began to blur.

Chu Weiran was the first to notice. She signaled to Ye Yuan to look behind him, but by the time he turned around, Qin Chaomu had already collapsed.

The farce ended with Qin Chaomu being sent to the hospital. Her condition wouldn’t be known until she was discharged. Director Chen kept Jin Yi behind for a lecture, telling her not to be so impulsive in the future and to be mindful of her strength.

Chu Weiran waited for her outside. Hearing Director Chen’s words, she couldn’t help but think that good students really were favored. However, this director was certainly talkative. She had been waiting for nearly half an hour and was already hungry. She decided she would have to punish Jin Yi once she came out.

Ten minutes later, Jin Yi finally emerged.

“I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”

“It’s fine.” Chu Weiran’s expression wasn’t great. She was a little angry and quite hungry. She didn’t even let Jin Yi hold her hand. They walked out of the school gates one after the other. When they hailed a taxi, Jin Yi solicitously opened the door for Chu Weiran.

Chu Weiran smiled and said thank you. An excited Jin Yi thought she was no longer angry and tried to sit in the back with her. But just as she was about to enter, Chu Weiran stopped her.

“Go to the front.”

Jin Yi blinked, looking at Chu Weiran piteously as she tried to plead her case. But Chu Weiran’s expression was firm, so Jin Yi reluctantly sat in the passenger seat.

“Driver, Pizza Hut, please.”

Sitting in the back, Chu Weiran watched Jin Yi talking to the driver and felt a surge of sweetness in her heart. That brat, she actually remembered what I wanted to eat.

Once they arrived at Pizza Hut, Jin Yi handled most of the ordering. She chose everything according to Chu Weiran’s tastes. If she weren’t currently playing at being angry, Chu Weiran would have wanted to kiss her in public.

“That should be enough food. What do you want to drink?”

“Whatever.” She had to keep up appearances and couldn’t give in too quickly.

Jin Yi thought for a moment and said, “Drinking black coffee all the time isn’t good. How about some juice?”

Chu Weiran froze, looking at her with a look of surprise.

“What’s wrong? Is that not okay?” Jin Yi saw her staring and thought she simply didn’t want juice. She changed her mind and told the waiter, “Actually, make it a black coffee.”

“Never mind, juice is fine.” Chu Weiran brushed aside her surprise. She told the waiter, “I’ll have whatever she ordered just now.”

“I haven’t ordered yet.”

“Then hurry up.” Chu Weiran’s tone was a bit impatient. She was genuinely startled by Jin Yi’s suggestion. She didn’t think Jin Yi should know about her habit of drinking black coffee. She hadn’t liked it as a child; she only started liking it during her senior year of high school. It was a bit strange.

The pizza arrived quickly. While Chu Weiran was dazed, Jin Yi placed a slice on her plate and apologized for the day’s events.

“First, I shouldn’t have spoken to that senior today. Second, I should have told you about yesterday as soon as I got back. Third, I let you go hungry for so long. I’m sorry.”

Since deciding to be with Chu Weiran, Jin Yi had anticipated similar situations. Chu Weiran had a bit of a temper, and if Jin Yi was in the wrong, she was determined to apologize. If both were at fault, they could discuss it later. Her apology was so sincere that it actually made Chu Weiran feel a bit embarrassed.

“I wasn’t… angry.”

“Oh, you were just a little unhappy. I know.”

Having her words taken out of her mouth made Chu Weiran a bit annoyed. She placed a chicken wing in Jin Yi’s bowl and said somewhat petulantly, “Are you thinking to yourself that I’m being unreasonable?”

Jin Yi blinked innocently. “No, you aren’t being unreasonable at all. I know it wasn’t entirely your fault today, and I know you aren’t angry. You’re just a little unhappy. I exhausted you so much last night, and then I talked to another girl today. You have every right to be unhappy, right?”

Jin Yi nodded in agreement. “Yes, exactly.”

The more she agreed, the more anxious Chu Weiran felt. She was afraid Jin Yi would think she was being difficult and would eventually stop putting up with her.

“You have your own feelings about it too.”

Jin Yi paused. She didn’t expect Chu Weiran to be so sensitive. She did have some feelings today because of Zhai Xiao. Since Chu Weiran had pointed it out, she admitted it directly.

“Yes, I do. Even though Zhai Xiao was the one talking to me, the way she looked at you wasn’t normal.” She didn’t want to say that the woman’s eyes were glowing as if she wanted to eat her up. Saying that would make it seem like she was very jealous.

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

Chu Weiran moved to sit next to her, feeding her a piece of pizza. She said sweetly, “Don’t be jealous. I only like you. I already belonged to you after last night.”