Ch. 1571..1580
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1571
“Yishu will be there too?”
Sporting an incredibly friendly smile, Wen Jingrou whispered, “Of course. Yishu and I are friends, so he’ll definitely come to my birthday party.” Afraid that Tang Yuanyuan would not buy it, Wen Jingrou contemplated before adding, “Also, Chufeng will be there too.”
“Feng will be there too?” Now Tang Yuanyuan was slightly convinced by this older girl, who had a gentle smile and smelled really good.
At this point, Zhang Xiaolu snorted and commented, “Do you think you can prove you’re Yishu’s friend just like this? It seems a little unconvincing. What if you’re lying to us? If something happens to Yuanyuan, as the ones who’ve been with her, how are we going to inform her family?”
Hearing this, Yuan Yuehan added, “That’s right. We came out together. If you take her away, how are we going to explain to her family?”
These two girls next to Tang Yuanyuan looked fashionable and refined, appearing to be entirely different from Tang Yuanyuan. Wen Jingrou was tempted to ignore them, but seeing how relentless the two were, she commented with a fake laugh, “I reckon that you two are Yuanyuan’s classmates. Perhaps you guys should tag along. I hope that’d save you some worries.”
Having achieved what they wanted, Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu gave each other a look.
“The car’s waiting outside; the three of you can sit in the back seat. Is that fine? By the way, do you guys have any formal attire to attend a birthday banquet?”
“I do, but it’s in my dorm. We’ll have to go there and get it.”
“Forget it then. Sounds like too much of a hassle. I’ll ask someone to get you some later.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
While Tang Yuanyuan was hesitating, Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu had willingly accepted the invitation. They told her, “Don’t be afraid, Yuanyuan. As long as both of us are there, even if that person is a liar, she won’t be able to do anything to you, Yuanyuan.”
“She’s right. We’ll protect you!”
“Are we really going?”
“Of course. Birthday parties are fun, and Yishu is going anyway; there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be there.”
“She’s right. What if Yishu found a girlfriend behind your back?”
The word ‘girlfriend’ caused Tang Yuanyuan to look baffled. “Yishu is looking for a girlfriend?”
“Yes. Since he’s so handsome, there must be many girls at school who like him and want to go on a date with him. It’s obvious that the girl earlier liked your brother, or else she wouldn’t have come all the way here to invite you to her birthday party.”
“But…” Feeling perplexed, Tang Yuanyuan bit her lower lip as she had never thought that Yishu would be looking for a girlfriend. But they’re right. Yishu is so good-looking. It makes perfect sense for many girls to like him. Even though she knew that it was just a matter of time before he found a girlfriend, the thought of that somehow… made her feel downcast. Just like that, Tang Yuanyuan kept quiet all the way until they arrived at the birthday party.
Whilst at the birthday party, her sad feelings disappeared the moment she saw all the amazing food on the table. She no longer had the thought of changing into something appropriate. All that she wanted to do now was eat. And she did—she was busy enjoying a piece of cake while Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu were getting changed.
At this moment, Wen Jingrou sat down in front of Tang Yuanyuan. “Yuanyuan, today’s my birthday party. Would you like to get changed into a nice dress with them? There will be many people coming later.”
Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “No thanks, Miss. I’m good.” She reckoned there would not be anything that would look nice on her since she was plump.
However, Wen Jingrou liked what she was seeing—a fair-skinned little girl with a slightly pink skin tone that looked clean and adorable and was as pure as water. She was indeed pure and naïve from the defenseless look she had on her when she sat there and enjoyed her cake. This reminded Wen Jingrou of how different she was compared to this little girl in front of her. She wondered what Tang Yuanyuan would be like when she got to her age. She gently rubbed Tang Yuanyuan’s head and whispered, “It’s okay if you don’t want to get changed. You can stay right here and enjoy the cake. I’ll go and check on the guests.”
“Okay. Thank you, Miss.”
Wen Jingrou got up, headed outside the hall, found a quiet place, and gave Yuchi Yishu a call. Of course, she was actually calling Zhong Chufeng, since she did not have Yuchi Yishu’s number. When Zhong Chufeng’s phone rang, he took a quick look at the last few digits of the caller ID and knew who the caller was, as Wen Jingrou would call him every time she wanted to look for Yishu.
Ever since the incident last time, Zhong Chufeng had grown impatient toward her. Before she could say anything, he immediately said, “Stop calling me, will you? I won’t answer your calls anymore. Can you stop bothering me?”
“Zhong Chufeng, wouldn’t you like to know who I’ve invited to my birthday party?”
“Well, whoever it is, it doesn’t concern me. Does it look like I’d care?”
“She’s here enjoying her cake. In fact, she couldn’t take her eyes off the food the moment she saw it, and there’s no way I could get her to change. Zhong Chufeng, who do you think this person is?”
Shock flashed across Zhong Chufeng’s face after hearing the description and he had forgotten about yelling at her. It took him a good while before he could react. “You b*tch, who’s that?”
“Who do you think she is? You probably know her well, and she’s very adorable and pure like a piece of white paper. How on earth is there still someone like this in this world? Who do you think she is, Zhong Chufeng?”
The dismissive look on his face turned into a stern one after figuring out that the person was Tang Yuanyuan.
“What do you f*cking want? I’m warning you, Wen Jingrou, if you do anything to her—forget about Yishu—I’ll be the first person to seek vengeance.”
“Why are you so serious? I just invited her to my birthday party. Zhong Chufeng, please help inform Yishu on my behalf that I’ll be here waiting for him.” Wen Jingrou then hung up right away.
Before Zhong Chufeng could add anything, the line had gone dead. He was so upset that he almost crushed his phone. He turned around and immediately saw Yuchi Yishu, who was callously staring at him. “What’s going on?”
“That was Wen Jingrou—”
That name caused Yuchi Yishu’s eyebrows to tangle. He began to look infuriated. Her again?
“She would like you to attend her birthday party,” Zhong Chufeng explained after some hesitation.
Immediately, Yuchi Yishu bent over and put his shoes on, looking cold and callous.
“Yuanyuan is there too.”
Those words made Yuchi Yishu freeze. A few seconds later, he looked up at Zhong Chufeng. “What did you say? Who’s at the party?”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1572
“Yuanyuan.”
At this moment, Zhong Chufeng was particularly stern-looking. “Wen Jingrou called earlier and told me that Yuanyuan was at her birthday party. She doesn’t normally lie, and it seems like she’s done her homework.”
Yuchi Yishu remained silent for a few seconds as his expression changed drastically—Tang Yuanyuan was someone whom he took extremely good care of. Yuchi Yishu would normally be upset whenever Zhong Chufeng said something about her to him.
Now, by taking her to the birthday banquet, Wen Jingrou had definitely crossed the line as she knew well that this would infuriate Yuchi Yishu. However, she still did it nonetheless.
Zhong Chufeng could almost foresee how this would go without even thinking about it.
Yuchi Yishu asked with a deep tone, “Where’s the birthday party?”
“I have the address already. Are we heading over now?”
Looking indifferent, Yuchi Yishu put his jacket on and zipped it. “Let’s bring Yuanyuan back.”
At the birthday party, Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu had already changed into their dresses and had even put on some make-up. Prior to this, they had only attended birthday parties of the people around their age. Today was different as almost everyone here was older than them by at least a couple of years. Besides, there were also many good-looking guys here, which made the two nervous.
“If it weren’t because of Yishu, I’d totally go for them.” Staring at a good-looking guy, Yuan Yuehan tried to resist herself, feeling that it was such a shame to let this opportunity slip.
As for Zhang Xiaolu, she sniggered and whispered, “Set your bar higher. These people are without substance. Yishu is the one and only.”
“You’re right. Though we’re be better off without him, since he’s already come into our lives, it’s difficult to get him out of our heads—at least not before he rejects us.”
As the two carried on with their conversation, they accidentally looked in the direction where Tang Yuanyuan was—she was still not dressed up and was happily eating a fruit cake with her eyes narrowing into a satisfactory smile. It was an adorable sight.
At the same time, the two girls let out a contemptuous look.
“She’s already so fat. Why is she still eating? Doesn’t she know what she looks like?”
“Someone like her doesn’t have that sort of self-awareness. In her world, there is only food. She doesn’t give a d*mn about what she looks like.”
“Tsk. If she weren’t Yishu’s younger sister, I’d have never been her friend. She doesn’t even have any idea how fat she is. Does she think she’s cute this way?”
“I don’t know. Anyway, I’m just disgusted, but since she’s his younger sister, I’ll have to endure it. When and if I become her sister-in-law, I’ll make sure she loses some weight with me.”
Not knowing that she was the subject of a discussion, Tang Yuanyuan’s eyes were fixated on the delicious fruit cake that she was holding in her hand. She wondered which bakery it came from and considered asking Wen Jingrou about it later so that she could ask Yishu to buy some for her.
The thought of having cakes to eat in the future delighted Tang Yuanyuan.
Everyone at the birthday party was invited by Wen Jingrou, and they were either here to showcase themselves or to see what was going on. There was no one like Tang Yuanyuan, who came only to eat.
One of Wen Jingrou’s besties stood next to her and saw Tang Yuanyuan.
“Is she really Yuchi Yishu’s younger sister? She’s such a big eater and doesn’t really resemble Yuchi Yishu.”
Swirling her wine glass, Wen Jingrou scoffed gently. “They are not blood-related. They merely grew up together.”
“What? Not blood-related? Grew up together?” These facts shocked them. “And you still brought her over. Aren’t you afraid that she—”
“Nope.” The smile on Wen Jingrou’s face was especially confident. “Their relationship is simple. Haven’t you seen that little girl? The only thing she cares about is food.”
They turned to Tang Yuanyuan and let out a sigh of relief.
“Good thing she’s fat. Girls like these never attract any guys. You don’t have to worry.”
Hearing this, Wen Jingrou frowned unhappily. “What did you just say?”
“Huh? Was I wrong?”
“To Yuchi Yishu, she’s his sister, which also makes her my sister. How dare you say that she’s fat!”
“I—”
“Whatever. Just stop talking and go somewhere else.”
Feeling annoyed but afraid to say anything, that bestie of hers went to a corner.
“Ms. Wen, Yishu is here!” someone yelled. Just as Wen Jingrou began to feel nervous, two slim and tall youngsters were seen walking in from the entrance and heading straight to Tang Yuanyuan, who was in the middle of the birthday venue.
In the meantime, Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan had been looking for Yuchi Yishu. They were perplexed because they heard that he was coming but had not seen him at all.
While they were thinking about this, they saw Yuchi Yishu walk in from the entrance. Seeing that, they quickly held their skirts and ran toward him.
At this moment, Tang Yuanyuan, who was still eating cake, sensed that something was not right.
My goodness, I’ve only been eating cakes since I got here. I never went to look for Yishu. I hope he’s not mad at me.
Looking conflicted, Tang Yuanyuan stared at the unfinished cake in front of her, contemplating whether to continue eating it or to look for Yishu first before getting back to it after.
Right at this moment, she heard a voice from behind.
“Yuanyuan.”
Yishu?
Surprised, Tang Yuanyuan turned around and saw Yuchi Yishu’s gorgeous face, albeit looking unusually stern and serious.
“Yishu, you’re finally here.”
Seeing the half-eaten fruit cake, Yuchi Yishu sighed and proceeded to give her a napkin after noticing the cream around her mouth.
“Wipe your mouth.”
Because of Tang Yuanyuan’s love for food and her tendency to not wipe her mouth after eating, Yuchi Yishu had gradually cultivated the habit of always having some napkins with him in the event that she did not wipe her mouth after a meal.
“Thank you, Yishu.” Tang Yuanyuan took the napkin and used it to wipe her mouth. This crude action of hers caused Yuchi Yishu to frown. He remarked, “Be gentler.”
In the end, he could no longer take it. He took out another piece of napkin and began helping her wipe her mouth while asking, “Are you done eating?”
“Not yet,” Tang Yuanyuan responded.
“Forget about it. I’ll get you another one.”
Tang Yuanyuan was surprised to hear that. “Another one? So we’re not eating here?”
“Not here.”
Hearing this, Zhong Chufeng smiled and added, “Let’s go, Yuanyuan. I’ll pay for whatever you want to eat today. Let’s go somewhere else.”
No matter how slow Tang Yuanyuan might be, she noticed that something was not right.
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1573
“Yishu, what’s going on?” Tang Yuanyuan looked at Yuchi Yishu with confusion.
Her eyes were pure without any contamination, and in order to protect her from seeing negative things, he whispered, “You’re just a kid. Please don’t ask so many questions. Just come with me.”
Growing up with him, Tang Yuanyuan had always listened to and trusted Yuchi Yishu a great deal. Hearing those words, she submissively got up and walked up to Yuchi Yishu without asking any questions.
“Let’s go.”
Holding her hand, Yuchi Yishu was about to turn around and leave. Right at this moment, he ran into Wen Jingrou, who was walking toward him. She was in a beautiful dress with a birthday crown on her head and she wore a pair of crystal heels. In the eyes of Tang Yuanyuan, that was what the princesses in cartoons looked like.
Tang Yuanyuan was simple-minded and had no idea what was going on. She kept staring at Wen Jingrou, thinking that she looked pretty.
“Yishu, you’re late to the party. Yuanyuan has almost finished an entire cake as well as many desserts.”
Lips tightly pursed, Yuchi Yishu callously stared at Wen Jingrou. At the same time, Zhong Chufeng did not look too friendly, either, although he was not making any mean comments to Wen Jingrou like he usually did.
The two guys were both trying to stay calm.
Wen Jingrou had never seen them like this before. She reckoned that it was because of Tang Yuanyuan, and she had made the right decision in bringing her to this party. Had she not put in this effort, Yuchi Yishu would never have appeared at her birthday party.
Wen Jingrou’s gaze fell on Tang Yuanyuan’s face as the two were silent.
“Yuanyuan, did you like the cake?”
The taste of the fruit cake came back to Tang Yuanyuan. She remarked gently, “It’s delicious. Thank you, Miss. Miss, would you be able to tell me where you got it from?”
“You’re such a foodie.” Of course, Wen Jingrou did not plan on telling her where she got it. She responded with a smile on her face, “If you like it, I can always bring you over to have some.”
“Forget it,” Yuchi Yishu jumped in blandly. “She’s not supposed to eat so much sweet stuff. Thank you for your offer, Jingrou.”
Zhong Chufeng added right away, “He’s right. You can easily end up with diabetes if you don’t control your sugar intake. Yuanyuan, you shouldn’t be having any more of these in the future as you’ve had more than enough today. Aunt Muzi called earlier to ask what time you’ll be home for dinner tonight. We have to go now.”
Tang Yuanyuan was baffled by what Zhong Chufeng just said. Before she could react, Yuchi Yishu lifted her in his arms and left the birthday party together with Zhong Chufeng.
In the meantime, Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu got there too late and missed Yuchi Yishu.
Seeing Yuchi Yishu leave with Tang Yuanyuan, they were stopped by Wen Jingrou before they could catch up to him.
“I see that you guys have changed into your dresses. We’re about to start. Please stay.”
“But Yuanyuan—”
“Yuanyuan has something important so she has to leave with her brother. You guys can still stay and have fun. I’ll ask someone to send you home later.”
Before Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu could say anything, the three of them had vanished from their sight. They looked at each other helplessly and decided to stay.
At this point, one of Wen Jingrou’s besties came up to her and asked, “Jingrou, wasn’t it your plan to make Yishu show up when you brought his sister over? Why are you letting them go just like that?”
“What else can I do? Can I force them to stay?” Wen Jingrou rebutted.
“Does that mean all of our efforts today have gone to waste?”
Efforts have gone to waste? Wen Jingrou sniggered. How would that be possible? Before this, she had always felt that Yuchi Yishu was indifferent and restrained as it seemed like nothing would catch his attention. But today, she found out about a person that he cared about.
Furthermore, Tang Yuanyuan was such a foodie. She could easily be bought off by food.
After leaving the birthday party, Tang Yuanyuan was still in Yuchi Yishu’s arms like he was carrying a baby, and that position was hurting her arms.
“Yishu, let me down.”
Yuchi Yishu let her down and knelt in a half-squat position. “Come up here.”
Then, Tang Yuanyuan lay on his shoulder.
“Yishu, what’s going on? That lady gave me cakes. She’s a good person.”
“I never said she’s a bad person.”
“But you don’t seem to like her. Did she do something to you before?” Lying on his shoulder with her hands around his neck, Tang Yuanyuan inquired curiously.
Zhong Chufeng burst out laughing. “Yuanyuan, what do you know? Wen Jingrou wants to win Yishu’s heart.”
“Huh?” Tang Yuanyuan was slightly surprised. “Win Yishu’s heart?”
“That means she wants to become your sister-in-law. She likes Yishu, which was why she intentionally brought you to the birthday party.”
Likes…
Hearing this word, Tang Yuanyuan blinked and did not respond.
A few seconds later, Tang Yuanyuan followed up softly, “Yishu, are you going to let her be my sister-in-law?”
“What are you—”
“Stop it. She’s still young and doesn’t understand these things.”
Sounding bland, Yuchi Yishu interrupted Zhong Chufeng, “No matter what, if she ever comes and finds you again in the future, you should never go out with her. I’ll make sure she never finds you again. Understand?”
“Oh.”
Zhong Chufeng puckered up his lips. “You’re a little over-protective, aren’t you? She’s in high school already; she’s not that young anymore. Yuanyuan, you already have someone you like in school, don’t you?”
Tang Yuanyuan was puzzled. There was not a trace of embarrassment found on her face.
Zhong Chufeng was rendered speechless as he saw the look on her face.
Does she really have no idea what love is? Is this for real?
“Have you ever seen any boy at school whom you think is good-looking and gives you the urge to express your admiration for him?”
“What do you think you’re saying?” Annoyed, Yuchi Yishu stopped in his tracks and stared at Zhong Chufeng.
“Yishu, I’m sorry!”
Zhong Chufeng stuck his tongue out. He was actually thrilled and content to find out that Tang Yuanyuan had no idea what he was talking about.
It did not worry him that she did not have any idea what love was; it would worry him if she did. If she found a boyfriend in high school and continued dating that person until they graduated college, it would be too much for him to handle.
He figured he should just let it be until she went to college. As much as he wished that she would stay this way until she graduated college, that was unrealistic. His only hope right now was for her to keep her eyes on food until she went to college.
What Zhong Chufeng did not know was that everything and every conversation that took place today had silently sown a seed in Tang Yuanyuan’s heart.
When she got back home, she wrote the following in her diary: ‘Like? What does it mean to like someone? Chufeng said that the pretty lady likes Yishu and wants to be my sister-in-law. But does Yishu like her? Is she going to become my sister-in-law? I’m confused. What does it mean to like someone?’
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1574
This question gave Meng Kefei a shock.
“W-Why are you asking me something like that so suddenly?”
As she lay on the table, Tang Yuanyuan looked listless. “Fei, I know you know the answer. Please tell me.”
“I-I don’t know. How would I know?” Meng Kefei shook her head in denial as she blushed, even though she was wondering why Tang Yuanyuan asked this question. “Why did you suddenly ask about this? Do you like someone?”
Right away, Tang Yuanyuan recounted the incident yesterday to Meng Kefei, who was startled.
“A beautiful girl is trying to win Yishu’s heart?”
“That’s what Chufeng told me. He said that the pretty lady liked Yishu and wanted to be my future sister-in-law.”
“B-But what did Yishu say?” Feeling guilty, Meng Kefei inquired.
“Yishu…” Looking confused, Tang Yuanyuan tried recalling what happened yesterday and she remembered that she did not see the look on Yishu’s face as she was lying on his shoulder.
Meng Kefei got the answer from the look on Tang Yuanyuan’s face—Tang Yuanyuan had no idea what love was. Therefore, Meng Kefei began to ask some leading questions.
“You don’t have to try to remember anything. Let me ask you; did Yishu admit that she’s your sister-in-law?”
Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “No.”
“Since he never admitted to it, you don’t have to worry about it too much. He’s probably not into that girl.” Meng Kefei simultaneously let out a sigh in relief. Hearing about this incident from Tang Yuanyuan had sent her on an emotional rollercoaster.
“But Yishu didn’t deny either.” Tang Yuanyuan recalled again and remembered that Yishu was only telling Chufeng to stop talking nonsense; he never said that it wasn’t true. After all, that lady was so beautiful and gentle.
Perhaps Yishu… will like her?
“Yuanyuan, not denying it doesn’t mean it’s true. And since he never admitted to it, it’s more likely than not that that’s not the case. Yishu loves you so much. He won’t find a girlfriend anytime soon.”
Meng Kefei patted Tang Yuanyuan’s hand and gently comforted her, “Don’t overthink, okay?”
“No matter how much Yishu loves me, one day he’ll have to find a girlfriend, won’t he?” Still lying on the table, Tang Yuanyuan tilted her head and looked Meng Kefei in the eye. “Am I right?”
“Uh-huh.” Meng Kefei did not want to hide this fact from her. She nodded and explained, “Yishu’s not young anymore, and it’s normal for him to start dating someone. Do you know that many girls in our school have started dating?”
“Really?” Eyes as clear as glaze, Tang Yuanyuan looked surprised. “Isn’t puppy love prohibited? School is important. Mommy told me that dating at such an early age will have an impact on your academic results.”
Meng Kefei looked at her, almost choked, and responded, “You aren’t dating anyone, but I don’t see how good your results are.”
“You’re right.” This embarrassed Tang Yuanyuan. Even though she was not dating anyone, she had not put much effort into her studies. All her time was spent on either sleeping or eating. Fortunately, Yishu was naturally intelligent and would help her with some last-minute reviews before her exams. Even so, Tang Yuanyuan never seemed to have learned her lesson.
Perhaps it was because of Yuchi Yishu that Tang Yuanyuan never felt the need to work harder in her studies.
“Alright. You should stop overthinking.”
Even though Tang Yuanyuan agreed with what Meng Kefei told her, she still had a dream that night.
In that dream, Yishu was with the pretty lady, who ended up becoming her sister-in-law. Standing next to each other, the two were very well matched; this included their height and outward appearance.
It was a match made in heaven.
When Tang Yuanyuan woke up, she did not feel happy. She lay there for a good while until Meng Kefei came down from the top bunk to freshen up.
“Good morning, Fei,” Tang Yuanyuan greeted Meng Kefei without a second thought.
Surprised to see how early Tang Yuanyuan got up, Meng Kefei looked at her. “Yuanyuan, why are you up so early?”
Shortly after, Meng Kefei was shocked to find that Tang Yuanyuan was tearing up.
“Yuanyuan, what happened? Why are you crying?”
Huh?
This question prompted Tang Yuanyuan to feel troubled. “Am I crying?”
How did I not know that?
Nonplussed, Meng Kefei quickly went up to her bed and helped wipe her tears. She had never seen Tang Yuanyuan like this before. “What happened? Please don’t cry. You can tell me anything.”
Frankly, Tang Yuanyuan had no idea what happened as she did not even realize that she was tearing up. All that she could remember was that she was trying to recall the scenes in that dream before she felt somewhat depressed. And when she noticed that Meng Kefei was up, she thought she should greet her.
Who knew that she was crying?
Tang Yuanyuan reached out, touched the corner of her eye, and found tears.
What’s going on?
“Yuanyuan?”
Meng Kefei helped her up and worriedly looked her in the eye. “What happened?”
Having spent so many years together, Tang Yuanyuan was extremely comfortable with Meng Kefei. The moment Tang Yuanyuan was asked this question, she described what happened in that dream to Meng Kefei right away as well as how she felt earlier.
Meng Kefei was worried until she heard what Tang Yuanyuan had just described to her. After a moment of silence, she whispered, “Are you hoping that Yishu does not find a girlfriend?”
“No, Fei.” Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “I didn’t think that way. I thought that they looked really good together.”
“But you were crying,” Meng Kefei followed up gently while becoming heavyhearted. In addition to her worried look, Meng Kefei now felt slightly conflicted.
“Fei, I don’t know why I cried. Was it because I’m afraid that I’d lose Yishu after he gets a girlfriend?”
“Well, that might be the case.” Meng Kefei tried to comfort her. “Don’t think too much. Dreams are always the opposite of reality—if you dreamed that they were together, that means that they would never be together in reality.”
“Is that true?” Hands around her knees, Tang Yuanyuan buried her head in between her thighs and kept quiet.
“Alright. That’s it for today. Since you’re up already, let’s get freshened up and you can follow me to the library today.”
“Okay.” Tang Yuanyuan accepted her invitation.
In the afternoon, Zhong Chufeng showed up, and his presence delighted Tang Yuanyuan as that meant that Yishu was also around.
After looking behind Zhong Chufeng for a while, Tang Yuanyuan did not see Yuchi Yishu. Feeling somewhat disappointed, she asked, “Chufeng, is Yishu here too?”
Her words pierced Zhong Chufeng’s heart. “Yuanyuan, you’re hurting my heart. Do you only care about Yishu?”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1575
Lips puckered up, Tang Yuanyuan did not respond.
The next second, Zhong Chufeng took out a bottle of peach-flavored yogurt drink for Tang Yuanyuan.
“You’re heartless. I came all the way to send this yogurt drink to you, and is this how you treat me?”
Tang Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw the yogurt drink. “Thank you, Chufeng.”
Zhong Chufeng proceeded to open the lid for her and sat next to her. Meng Kefei saw it and got up, remarking, “Yuanyuan, I’ll need to find some documents, so I’ll leave you with Chufeng for a short while.”
“Alright. Please come back as soon as you can.”
“Uh-huh.”
After Meng Kefei left, Zhong Chufeng flashed a smile and his gaze rested on the dull-looking Tang Yuanuan, who was lying flat on the desk.
“What’s going on with you? Why do you look unhappy?”
Zhong Chufeng had a pair of long legs, so he had to almost kneel on the ground and stretch out his legs to be able to get down to Tang Yuanyuan’s level.
“Nothing.”
Tang Yuanyuan shook her head while drinking the bottle of yogurt drink. “I’m not unhappy.”
“Really? Why do I feel that you look unusually sad?”
Then, Zhong Chufeng gently rubbed the back of her head. “Would you like me to bring you to get some barbecue tonight?”
The word ‘barbecue’ enlivened Tang Yuanyuan. She added, “Is Yishu coming too?”
“Yuanyuan, why do you have to keep bringing him up? Yishu’s such a busy man, unlike me.”
“Yishu is busy?”
Chufeng sniggered, “Yes. He’s busy being with the girl who likes him. Yuanyuan, you should just come with me to have some barbecue and leave Yishu alone.”
Tang Yuanyuan paused and gave him a confused look. “Is that girl the one that we saw at the birthday party?”
For reasons unbeknownst to her, the feeling that she had this morning came back to her. It was as if something was choking her.
“Not just her.” Zhong Chufeng sounded shady. “How can there be only one? So many girls like Yishu and that girl is just one of them.”
“T-That many?” Tang Yuanyuan’s eyes widened. She asked in disbelief, “Are there more than ten?”
“More than that.” He shook his head; he appeared to be counting as he was mumbling. “I’ve never really counted how many there are, but around eighty percent of the girls at school like Yishu. Apart from those, there are still some from the school nearby who have previously come to our school to deliver chocolates and cakes to Yishu.”
“Chocolates and cakes?”
“Yes. These are the gifts that girls love to give when they are confessing to a guy. Some of them even baked some cookies or made him breakfast. You name it.”
Zhong Chufeng clicked his tongue a couple of times. “I’m so jealous of how famous he is.”
“Does no one like you, Chufeng?”
“Yeap.”
Zhong Chufeng lowered himself and looked her in the eye. “No one would ever notice me as long as I’m with Yishu. It’s like what you just did to me. You only ever ask me about Yishu even when I’m standing right in front of you. It hurts so much,” he said these words sentimentally with a sad look on his face. Tang Yuanyuan naïvely believed him and thought that he was genuinely sad, so she quickly patted his hand.
“Don’t be sad, Chufeng. I won’t ask you that anymore.”
“Are you sure?” Zhong Chufeng maintained his pitiful look. “When I bring you the yogurt drink every day in the future, you won’t be asking for Yishu—is that what you mean?”
Though conflicted, Tang Yuanyuan felt that this should be normal even though she had never given it a thought before: Yishu was older than her by a couple of years, so she reckoned it should be normal for him to find a girlfriend.
And if Yishu was busy, she… would just stay put.
At this juncture, Tang Yuanyuan nodded.
“Yeah. Don’t worry, Chufeng; I won’t ask you again.”
Zhong Chufeng did not expect that his tactic would work on Tang Yuanyuan, but he felt that it was not enough. “So, are you coming with me for some barbecue tonight? It’s barbecue! After dinner, I’ll send you back to your dorm.”
“Sure.” Tang Yuanyuan nodded before adding, “Can I bring Fei along?”
“For sure. Just bring her. You can bring anyone from your dorm who would like to come.”
To Zhong Chufeng, as long as Yuanyuan was willing to come, it did not matter to him how many people eventually turned up—as long as the atmosphere would not be awkward. At this stage, he just wanted to show up in front of her—the more frequently the better.
Zhong Chufeng was not in the same league as Yuchi Yishu, who grew up with Tang Yuanyuan and had always taken care of her well. Since Zhong Chufeng appeared later in her life, it would naturally take some time and effort before Tang Yuanyuan could get used to his presence.
For this reason, Zhong Chufeng was all prepared to reach his goal.
“Sure.”
“Let’s do it, then. I’ll pick you up from school later today.”
“Alright. See you then.”
Meng Kefei came back not long after Zhong Chufeng left. Seeing her come back empty-handed, Tang Yuanyuan was confused.
“Fei, didn’t you go to look for some documents?”
Looking embarrassed, Meng Kefei responded, “Yes, I did, but then I realized that I’ve already seen those documents before. I’ll have to pay a visit to the library in town sometime in the future.”
“Would you like me to go with you?”
“It’s okay. I’ll go some other day. It’s not urgent.”
Meng Kefei proceeded to sit down next to her and opened a book. Alas, not being able to hold back her curiosity, she asked, “By the way, why did Chufeng come to see you?”
Her question immediately reminded Tang Yuanyuan of the barbecue tonight, so she told Meng Kefei about the dinner plan.
“I’ve promised Chufeng to go get some barbecue with him tonight, and I’ve also told him that I’d like to bring you along. Would you join us tonight?”
Meng Kefei shrieked and let out an apologetic look.
“Yuanyuan, I’m sorry, but I’ll need to do some reviews tonight, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it. Would you mind going by yourself? Perhaps you can eat my portion.”
“Reviews? Again?” A disappointed look washed over Tang Yuanyuan’s face. “You’ve already done so many reviews. Aren’t you tired?”
“Not really. I’ll have to study hard to get a scholarship.”
“Scholarship?” Tang Yuanyuan thought about it and realized that scholarship meant money. She grabbed Meng Kefei and whispered, “Forget about the scholarship. How about I ask my mother for some money and give it to you?”
Meng Kefei was shocked and could not utter a word.
“Yuanyuan, you—”
“How does that sound? In that case, you don’t have to study so hard anymore. You always stay up late at night and get up early. One day, you’re going to collapse.”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1576
Having been friends for so many years, Meng Kefei understood Tang Yuanyuan’s good intentions as Tang Yuanyuan had never looked down on her because of her family background. Tang Yuanyuan had even brought her home, let her wear pretty dresses, have sleepovers on the same bed, watch the sunrise, and even introduce Yishu to her.
For this reason, Meng Kefei knew that Tang Yuanyuan was harmless, and everything that she just said was genuinely out of her concern for Meng Kefei.Nevertheless, something welled up within Meng Kefei that injured her pride.
She was aggrieved to realize that something that she had been working hard for could easily be replaced by someone’s words. Nothing was fair.
“I’m fine.” Meng Kefei softly rejected Tang Yuanyuan’s suggestion and forced a smile. “I’ll work hard to get the scholarship.”
“But—”
“It’s okay, Yuanyuan.” Meng Kefei held her by her hands. “I understand where you’re coming from and that you’re concerned for me. But I really don’t need this help.”
Her insistence caused Tang Yuanyuan to give up. There was no way Tang Yuanyuan would invite her to the barbecue place tonight again.
After receiving the news that Tang Yuanyuan was about to get some barbecue tonight, Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu put on some thick make-up and decided to tag along.
When they arrived at the barbecue place, they only saw Zhong Chufeng. Disappointed, they pulled Tang Yuanyuan aside and whispered to her, “How come Yishu isn’t here?”
“Yishu is busy so he’s not coming tonight.” Of course, Tang Yuanyuan would never tell them the truth. She came up with whatever she could think of and saw the disappointed look on the two.
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
“She’s right. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Tang Yuanyuan was stunned. “What do you mean? Aren’t you here to eat barbecue?”
She was nonplussed. I thought they came here to eat barbecue. So, what does that have to do with Yishu?
Although confused and unsure, Tang Yuanyuan felt like she was getting some idea.
When the two realized that their intentions might have been exposed, they quickly saved themselves, adding, “It’s not what you think. We thought that Yishu would be here, but it turned out that he wasn’t, so we’re just feeling a little disappointed because of our expectations. You understand, right?”
“Disappointed?” Tang Yuanyuan was puzzled. “What does that have to do with whether or not Yishu’s here?”
“Of course it does, but it’s not just because of Yishu. If it’s only Yishu alone who showed up tonight without anyone else, we’ll also feel slightly disappointed. Let’s say we were supposed to be eating barbecue, but we found out after we arrived that you wouldn’t be coming; that’s how disappointment comes about. I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from, can’t you?”
“Oh, okay.” Tang Yuanyuan thought she kind of understood, but not really. Head tilted, she gently asked, “Are you two hoping to see Yishu?”
Tang Yuanyuan remembered her conversation with Chufeng this afternoon about how many girls liked Yishu—these two girls standing right in front of her seemed to be part of that group.
Being slightly naïve and simple, Tang Yuanyuan proceeded to drop the bomb without a second thought.
“Do you guys like Yishu?”
Is Yishu really so popular that even my own classmates are after him?
Surprised by the question, Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu came to their senses and explained, “Yuanyuan, why did you ask this question so suddenly? Did someone say something to you?”
“Oh, no.”
Tang Yuanyuan did not feel good about throwing Chufeng under the bus.
“We’re close to you because you’re a pure and adorable person; not because of any other reasons. Please don’t misunderstand us.”
Zhang Xiaolu felt chills in her spine. It must be that girl Meng Kefei’s fault. I thought she had stopped doing that already. Never thought she’s been waiting for this moment.
I gotta settle this with her.
For Yuan Yuehan, she could almost foresee what was going to happen to Meng Kefei.
Tang Yuanyuan asked that question out of curiosity after her conversations with Zhong Chufeng. Little did she know that this would spell disaster for Meng Kefei.
“Yuanyuan.”
In the near distance, Zhong Chufeng was waving at Tang Yuanyuan. “Come over here and pick what you want.”
Hearing his voice, Tang Yuanyuan immediately ran up to him.
Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu sniggered as they saw this scene. “This guy has such a unique taste. Can’t believe he likes someone like her.”
“That’s right. To be honest, he looks decent; he’s tall and skinny and looks pretty strong. He should be looking for the prettiest girls of a department or a class. How did he fall for this fatty? Is he blind?”
“That’s men for you. They are strange and unpredictable. Who would know?”
Their conversation did not reflect that of high schoolers.
“You can take whatever you’d like to eat. After dinner, I’ll bring you for a walk before sending you back.”
“Thanks, Chufeng.”
Tang Yuanyuan then began selecting what she wanted while Zhong Chufeng stood in the corner, deciding to pamper her. When she was about to reach for a bottle of iced coke, he immediately stopped her.
“It’s better for girls not to take so many cold drinks. Sir, can we have some room temperature ones?”
Hearing this, Tang Yuanyuan pouted. “I’m not changing it. Iced drinks go well with barbecues.”
“Who taught you to have this unhealthy habit that you have to drink something cold while eating barbecue? You’re not having anything cold. Just the room temperature ones.”
Zhong Chufeng managed to get Tang Yuanyuan’s iced coke exchanged for a room temperature one, which annoyed Tang Yuanyuan. She pouted and stood there.
“Chufeng, you’re horrible. I don’t want the room temperature one. I want the iced one.”
“Little girl, you’re such—” Her stubbornness shocked Zhong Chufeng, who helplessly rubbed the back of his head. “Can you please listen to me just once tonight and not drink something cold?”
Tang Yuanyuan remained silent.
“Fine. You win. Let’s compromise, okay?”
“What do you mean?” Curious, Tang Yuanyuan stared at him.
“We take an iced one and one that’s of room temperature, and each of us can take half a bottle of each of these. How does that sound?”
Tang Yuanyuan felt this was reasonable. So, she nodded right away.
“Sure. I’ll drink the first half and leave the rest for you.”
“You said it.”
It took them a while to finally reach a conclusion on what drinks they should have. When they were back at their table, Zhong Chufeng’s phone rang. He took a look at the caller ID and saw that it was from Yuchi Yishu.
What the f*ck? Why’s Yishu calling me at this time?
Needless to say, Tang Yuanyuan looked up and asked with anticipation, “Chufeng, is that Yishu?”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1577
He was very annoyed but he decided to hold it in.
He gave Tang Yuanyuan a quick look and whispered, “I’ll need to take this call outside, and I’ll be back right away.”
Without answering her question, he proceeded to leave his seat and head outside.
Feeling disappointed, Tang Yuanyuan lay on the table to wait for him to come back.
The sight of this gave Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu an idea to get Yishu here.
“Yuanyuan, that has to be Yishu. Go shout his name and invite him to join us.”
“She’s right. That has to be Yishu.”
Their overreaction stunned Tang Yuanyuan. “How do you know?”
“Of course we do. We speak from experience. If it wasn’t Yishu, why did Chufeng have to take the call outside? He could’ve just answered it here.”
“Right.”
“But, even if it’s Yishu, Chufeng didn’t have to take it outside. Why did he have to do it outside?”
Tang Yuanyuan was nonplussed as she felt that this should not be a big deal.
You idiot. That’s because Chufeng likes you. Can’t you tell? You’re really an idiot. Zhang Xiaolu cussed Tang Yuanyuan in her heart, though, she remained cool on the surface. She pretended to be secretive and commented, “I just know. It’s up to you whether or not to believe us.”
Yuan Yuehan hinted softly, “To be honest, it doesn’t matter if that’s Yishu or not. All you have to do is shout his name while standing next to Chufeng. If it isn’t Yishu, then no bother. But, if it’s him, he’d know that you’re here. Am I right?”
“Yes. So long as Yishu hears your voice, I suppose he’ll come and find you. Don’t you want Yishu to come and find you?”
‘Of course I do’ was what went through Tang Yuanyuan’s head. She quickly got out of her seat and rushed outside. Then, she saw Zhong Chufeng on his phone standing outside.
“Yishu, this is my first time being out here by myself. What’s wrong? Do I have to report to you my whereabouts?”
“No, you don’t. I’m just grabbing some food right now and I-I’ll be back soon.”
“Chufeng, is that Yishu?”
Zhong Chufeng felt that the world was coming to an end when that voice sounded out. All the effort that he put into explaining to Yishu had just gone to waste, and he would probably get beaten up by Yishu when he got home later tonight.
“Zhong Chufeng?”
He was right. Calling him out by his full name, Yuchi Yishu’s voice turned deep and serious.
D*mn it. Zhong Chufeng remained silent.
“Address.”
“Sure; I’ll send you my location right away.”
After the call, Zhong Chufeng immediately sent his location to Yuchi Yishu before he bent over and looked Tang Yuanyuan in the eye. “Your Majesty, I’m just out here taking a call. Can’t you come out slightly later?”
He sounded rushed, yet helpless.
Once Yishu is here, how is she still going to pay attention to me?
Tang Yuanyuan puckered up her lips and whispered, “I was just curious. Are you mad at me, Chufeng?”
“I can’t afford to do that. Sigh. Let’s get back in. Yishu will be here in a bit.”
Zhong Chufeng was indeed perplexed, though, not to the extent of getting upset. If it did not work this time around, he would try again next time. He was ready to fight this battle. Since this was for the future, he reckoned he should not rush it.
After all, she was still young and ignorant. It would be horrible for him to confess to her at this point.
Teenagers nowadays were precocious, so it was perhaps common for the high schoolers to start dating already. However, Tang Yuanyuan was still a simple person, which was a result of her being overly shielded. There was no way Zhong Chufeng would expose her to these things before she even understood what they meant.
“Yishu is coming?” The name of Yuchi Yishu enlivened Tang Yuanyuan; she had a look on her that Zhong Chufeng had never seen while she was with him. He reckoned he still could not come close to Yuchi Yishu.
But fortunately, Yuchi Yishu was her elder brother, even though they were not blood-related.
Soon enough, Yuchi Yishu showed up. At the birthday party, Yuan Yuehan and Zhang Xiaolu wanted to speak to him, but they were only able to see his back as he walked away from them after grabbing Tang Yuanyuan.
To them, it was a shame, but they did not expect to be able to see him again today.
So, when Yuchi Yishu showed up, the two girls greeted him together with Tang Yuanyuan.
It was obvious that Yuchi Yishu had only responded to Tang Yuanyuan’s greeting before he found a seat and sat down. Later, he grabbed another chair and placed it next to him and waved Tang Yuanyuan over.
Seated next to Zhong Chufeng, Tang Yuanyuan got up right away after seeing Yuchi Yishu’s wave and moved to the seat next to Yuchi Yishu.
Zhong Chufeng was so dispirited that he did not even want to speak to Yuchi Yishu.
Throughout the entire night, Yuchi Yishu had been helping Tang Yuanyuan with the barbecue while not eating much himself. Besides, he did not look too great: he had an emotionless look on him and would throw glances at Zhong Chufeng from time to time.
The look Yuchi Yishu gave him felt like piercing daggers that made him shiver and caused him to lose his appetite to eat.
On the other hand, Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan had been trying to engage in small talk with Yuchi Yishu. In the beginning, he would either respond to them briefly to spare Tang Yuanyuan’s feelings or nod in agreement. As time went by, the two girls just could not seem to stop talking, and that had greatly annoyed him.
Whenever Yuchi Yishu was unhappy, he would not show anyone mercy.
So, he pursed his thin lips and turned to the two with much displeasure.
“Has no one ever told you to not speak while you’re eating?”
The smile on the faces of the two vanished right away as they heard that.
Embarrassed, Yuan Yuehan’s face turned red. She bit her lower lip, dropped her chopsticks, and left.
“Yuehan?” Tang Yuanyuan was utterly confused. Just as she wanted to follow suit, Yuchi Yishu stopped her. “Since you’re already here, why don’t you finish your food before leaving?”
Feeling perplexed at first, Zhang Xiaolu suddenly let out a smile after realizing that Yuan Yuehan was out of the picture.
Since Yuan Yuehan had passed up this opportunity, Zhang Xiaolu now had it all to herself. Only the rich and spoilt would be bothered by those words. If one could not even take those words, how could she expect to be married into an affluent family?
Reckoning she was better than Yuan Yuehan, Zhang Xiaolu jumped in with a smile, “Yuanyuan, don’t be bothered by her. That’s her character. Let’s finish up and head back to school.”
“Uh-huh.”
After they were done, Zhang Xiaolu apologized to Yuchi Yishu in a gentle voice, “Yishu, my apologies for my friend’s tantrum. I’d like to apologize to you on behalf of her for what she did earlier.”
“No need.” Yuchi Yishu gave her a bland look and turned to Tang Yuanyuan, who was standing next to him. “Are we ready to go?”
“Yes.” After wiping her mouth, Tang Yuanyuan pulled Yuchi Yishu by his sleeve. “Yishu, please don’t treat my friends so terribly. They don’t know or understand you, so they might think that you’re a bad person.”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1578
Whether he was a bad person or not, Yuchi Yishu could not be bothered.
But if that behavior annoyed Tang Yuanyuan, he was willing to change it. He nodded. “Sure. I’ll be mindful of that.”
“Thank you, Yishu.”
After dinner, Yuchi Yishu and Zhong Chufeng sent the two girls back to their dorms and waited until they entered the building.
“What were you trying to do?”
Yuchi Yishu’s voice was cold and callous. The evening breeze blew off the heat on Zhong Chufeng’s body together with the smile on his face.
He turned to Yuchi Yishu while his intention to pamper Tang Yuanyuan had gradually died down.
“I wasn’t thinking of doing anything apart from buying her dinner. What’s wrong?”
“If that’s the case, why did you have to act so suspiciously?”
“Suspiciously? Didn’t you see two of her classmates?”
Staring at Zhong Chufeng with his deep eyes, Yuchi Yishu did not respond.
A short while later, rage began to rise within Zhong Chufeng.
“We’ve been close friends for so long, so I don’t wish to hide anything from you. I’d like to make her happy. Is that okay?”
Yuchi Yishu let out a frown.
“Are you out of your mind? She’s so young.”
“I can wait. Besides, being in high school is not considered young anymore. Since she’s pretty oblivious at this stage, I’ll wait until she’s more mature to confess my feelings to her. I just want to spend more time with her right now. Am I not allowed to do that?”
Zhong Chufeng puckered up his lips and decided to squat down somewhere near the entrance of the school while staring at the streetlight far away from him. “Three more years. That’s how long I’ll wait before I tell her my feelings.”
He looked up at Yuchi Yishu.
“Don’t worry; I won’t cross any lines. We’ve been close friends for so long—don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
Frankly, Yuchi Yishu should have seen this coming. After all, Zhong Chufeng had not been hiding his feelings for Tang Yuanyuan. Yuchi Yishu had just been telling himself that Zhong Chufeng was taking care of her because she was his younger sister—nothing more.
But who knew that Zhong Chufeng would painstakingly admit to that in front of him?
Yuchi Yishu pursed his thin lips for an instant and responded, “You can’t do that to her.”
Zhong Chufeng almost exploded in a wild rage. “Why can’t I?”
“No reason.”
“Yuchi Yishu, I don’t care what it is, but you have to tell me. Tang Yuanyuan isn’t your biological sister, so there’s a limit to your involvement in her life. Do you understand?”
The last thing Zhong Chufeng wanted to hear from Yuchi Yishu was his disapproval; this was why he was nice to Tang Yuanyuan after all.
“Since we grew up together, she’s closer to me than a biological sister. You can go after anyone but her.”
“You’re wrong.” Zhong Chufeng smirked and looked him in the eye. Even though he was upset, he still had to maintain his composure. “What’s wrong with me? Do you think I’m not worthy of her? You may be right. I admit that I don’t come from the right family, but I’ll work hard to provide her with a happy life.”
Yuchi Yishu was rendered speechless. At this point, he decided to stop this conversation and leave. Unwilling to give up, Zhong Chufeng immediately followed suit.
“You owe me an explanation today. Why can I go after anyone but her? She’s not just a younger sister to you, is she?”
Yuchi Yishu remained silent.
“Yuchi Yishu, you son of a b*tch. You have feelings for her too, right?”
Zhong Chufeng finally voiced out his speculation.
Yuchi Yishi, who had been ignoring Zhong Chufeng, stopped in his tracks all of a sudden and turned around. He gave Zhong Chufeng a sharp look and growled in a raspy voice, “What did you just say?”
The look in his eyes was as cold and sharp as a knife.
“Can you repeat what you just said?”
After calming down, Zhong Chufeng realized what he had just said. Startled, he quickly explained, “No, Yishu, it’s a mistake. I wasn’t in the right mind when I said that. Please ignore it; will you? It’s my fault!”
How could he say such things? Yuchi Yishu loved Tang Yuanyuan so much, and Zhong Chufeng should not have doubted his intentions.
No matter how much he apologized, some words once said could never be taken back. Yuchi Yishu walked up to him. “If I hear those words again, we’re done.”
Zhong Chufeng quickly swore, “Not a chance! I’m clearly not in the right mind today. It won’t happen again!”
Lips pursed, Yuchi Yishu walked away.
“So, I won’t say that again, but I’d really like to pursue your sister. Yishu, could you give me a chance, please? I know Yuanyuan is still young and oblivious now, but I never planned to do anything at this stage. Tonight, I merely wanted to buy her dinner for her to get to know me a little more. I’ll only tell her my feelings when she goes to college, and by then, I’ll let her make her own decision. Is that okay?”
No matter how much he said, Yuchi Yishu did not respond.
Just like that, Zhong Chufeng did not stop talking as the two walked back to their dorms. After they got back, Yuchi Yishu was still unresponsive when Zhong Chufeng had exhausted his words. Eventually, Zhong Chufeng decided to stop trying.
Meanwhile, Yuchi Yishu lost sleep that night.
It had been a while since he was insomniac. So much was going through his head, which made him struggle to fall asleep. He was confused, and all the things that Zhong Chufeng said to him tonight were still echoing in his ears.
Ridiculous! Truly ridiculous!
How can he say such things? How can I possibly feel that way about Yuanyuan? Is it something I did that caused others to misunderstand?
Yuchi Yishu opened his eyes and stared at the calm night outside his window.
Anyway, Yuanyuan has already grown up. She’s in high school, and I’m a freshman in college. We’re no longer little kids like we used to be. We’re different now, and we are not blood-related. Things can no longer be the same as before.
Even though nothing was happening between him and Tang Yuanyuan, from an outsider’s point of view, it would be strange for two persons who were not biological siblings to be so close to each other.
He might be fine with that, but what about Yuanyuan?
Just like that, Yuchi Yishu did not sleep for an entire night.
But that was not the case for Zhong Chufeng, who fell asleep right away the moment his head hit the pillow. He slept soundly, even though he was very upset before that.
The next day, Zhong Chufeng woke up to Yuchi Yishu sitting right in front of his bed, quietly staring at him.
This gave Zhong Chufeng a jolt. He quickly grabbed his pillow. “Yishu, you’re scaring me to death!”
Lips pursed, Yuchi Yishu remained silent and looked him in the eye.
“Why did you say what you said last night?”
Zhong Chufeng immediately sat up and begged him. “Yishu, I’ve admitted that I’m wrong. I was clearly angry when I said those things. I didn’t mean any of them. Can you please forgive me?”
“People normally tell the truth when they’re angry. Why did you say what you said?”
“I was just talking nonsense.”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1579
Nonsense? Most nonsense usually turns out to be the truth. People may speak without thinking, but how could they blurt it out if the thought had never crossed their minds before? The words that are spoken without thinking are the most brutally honest reflection of one’s thoughts.
“Yishu, I’ll apologize to you, alright? I’ll also promise that I will never say something like that ever again. No, that’s not right. I didn’t say even anything like that yesterday.”
Yuchi Yishu watched him quietly, slightly pursing his thin lips.
Zhong Chufeng didn’t know what else to say. After saying those words, he immediately came to regret his actions. After all, if their relationship had been pure, then what he said would have caused their relationship to become twisted. Therefore, he had regretted it so much that he wanted to bite his tongue off right then. How could I have said such outrageous words? “Yishu, I…”
Even so, Yuchi Yishu said nothing as he got up and walked outside.
Zhong Chufeng let out a sigh, wishing he could kill himself and get it over with.
Meng Kefei was having a bad day today. Early this morning, she was on her way to the library when she was stopped midway by the people Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan had brought with them. It was still early in the morning. Furthermore, this was a road that had relatively low traffic. When she saw that the other party had so many people with them, she intuitively knew that she was in a grave situation. Thus, she immediately turned to leave.
However, the people Zhang Xiaolu brought with her instantly stepped forward and blocked off Meng Kefei’s escape route.
“What do you want with me?” Meng Kefei asked, pretending to be outwardly calm as she hugged the books in her hand close to her.
Zhang Xiaolu crossed her arms in front of her chest. Then, she stepped forward, sneering, “Before asking about what we want, why don’t you ask yourself what you did or said instead?”
Meng Kefei was puzzled. “What do you mean by that? What have I said?”
Zhang Xiaolu walked forward impatiently. Snaking her hand out to grab Meng Kefei’s lower jaw, she warned her in a low voice, “Meng Kefei, what kind of act are you trying to put on? Now that you’re scared, you refuse to admit to it? Why didn’t you think about the possibility of something like this happening when you were saying all sorts of nonsense in front of Yuanyuan?”
Yuanyuan?
“What has this got to do with Yuanyuan?”
Meng Kefei had been studying diligently recently. Every single day, she was either at the library or on the way to the library. She had not been interacting with Yuanyuan. She didn’t even join Yuanyuan for the barbeque the other day.
“Why don’t you tell me?” Zhang Xiaolu leaned forward, squinting at her dangerously. “I’ve warned you to stay out of my way before. Otherwise, I would leave you in a state where you don’t even know how you died. Even so, you…” She lightly patted Meng Kefei’s fair face and sneered, “Why can’t you just be a good girl? Why did you have to run your mouth? Why did you have to say all those things in front of Yuanyuan? Why? Did you think that if you eliminated the two of us, her brother would fall for you? Is that it?”
Meng Kefei’s expression changed when she heard those words. “What nonsense are you spewing?”
“Don’t think I don’t know what filthy thoughts you hold in your heart. You obviously have those intentions, yet you pretend otherwise, portraying an innocent and flawless façade. B*tch, I’ve seen my fair share of people like you.” After saying that, Zhang Xiaolu violently pushed her to the ground. Then, Yuan Yuehan impatiently grumbled by the side, “Can we get down to it already? Why do you have so much to say?”
She was still furious over the events from the night before. Thus, she was especially annoyed today. Besides, the more she looked at Meng Kefei, the more she found her annoying. Then, her anger grew stronger and stronger the more she thought about it. In the end, she stepped forward and used Meng Kefei as her punching bag, kicking her ferociously. “How dare you speak nonsense! How dare you!”
Meng Kefei was in so much pain after being kicked that she could only think of retaliating. Thus, she grabbed at Yuan Yuehan’s legs. Not expecting that to happen, Yuan Yuehan lost her balance and fell over. After that, she shrieked in anger, “Are you all zombies?! I brought you here to teach her a lesson, so why are you all standing there stupidly? Get her!”
After she gave her order, those people surrounded Meng Kefei and began to beat her up.
Meng Kefei was alone—there was no way for her to win against them. In the beginning, she struggled against them. In the end, she was in so much pain that she lost all her strength, and could only wrap her hands around her head and curl into a ball. Countless punches and kicks rained on her like raindrops against her skin, dealing intense pain to her.
Yuan Yuehan was done, having let off enough steam. Then, she stood up and viciously kicked her in the stomach again. “The next time you speak nonsense in front of Yuanyuan again, I will rip your mouth off.”
Meng Kefei’s voice was weak as she said, “What the hell… are you talking about?”
“What are we talking about?” Zhang Xiaolu laughed coldly as she continued, “If it wasn’t because Yuanyuan told us what you said, we wouldn’t even have known about it. Meng Kefei, it’s true that we like Yuanyuan’s brother. Even so, that’s not something you have the right to talk about. Do you understand? Oh, right. If you dare say a word about the incident today, you might want to think about your mother working in the textile factory. Let’s go!”
After waiting for them to leave, Meng Kefei lay on the ground half-dead. The books that were scattered around her were a dirty mess after being trampled by those people. The clothes on her back were slightly torn and she could barely move her body. Those people were very experienced. They left her face alone, targeting only the parts where her clothes could cover. Not to mention, her stomach was severely hurt by the kicks from Yuan Yuehan.
She felt despaired. Did Yuanyuan say those things about me to Zhang Xiaolu and the rest? Or, did they make that story up? But, why would they do that? Zhang Xiaolu has always been domineering; it’s not the first time she tried to pick a fight with me. There was no need for her to make up excuses like that.
After lying on the ground for some time, she finally dragged herself to her feet. Then, she picked up her books, one by one.
She knew that she should file a report with the teachers of the Department of Academic Affairs. After all, campus violence was taken very seriously. However, the families of Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan were very influential. Since they knew that her mother was working in a textile factory, they were indicating that she had no way of getting back at them.
If she filed a report against them, her mother would be dragged into her mess. In the first place, she came from a poor family—it wasn’t easy for her to attend school. Thus, she did not want to cause any more trouble for her mother. Enduring the pain, she stood up and limped her way back.
That day, Meng Kefei rested for the whole day in the dormitory. After applying some medicine to her injuries, she was too tired to move. Besides, there were no visible injuries on her body, so Tang Yuanyuan was completely oblivious to her injuries. Only when she asked Tang Yuanyuan to apply for leave from school on her behalf did Tang Yuanyuan become concerned. “What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Fei, shall we go to the hospital and get you checked out?”
The hospital? That isn’t a place poor people like me can afford to go. I’ll just recuperate at home for these sorts of small injuries. Thus, she shook her head as she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzzing, “I’m fine. I think my period is coming, so my stomach is cramping.”
“Ah! I’ll buy you a heating pad and make you some brown sugar ginger soup!”
“Okay, thanks.” Meng Kefei looked at the innocent-looking Yuanyuan. Then, she suddenly called out to her, “Yuanyuan.”
“Hmm?”
“Did… you mention anything about me in front of Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan?”
Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1580
When Tang Yuanyuan heard that question, she seemed confused. “Huh? What do you mean?”
Then, she gave Meng Kefei a look of complete incomprehension.
“It’s nothing.” Meng Kefei shook her head. Her lips and her complexion looked pale. “It was just a sudden thought, so I thought I’d ask you.”
Tang Yuanyuan might be naïve, but she was not stupid. After hearing those words, she immediately caught on that something was amiss. “Did something happen?”
When they went out for barbeque the other day, she did not bring Fei along with her. However, the other two had tagged along. Besides, Zhang Xiaolu had picked a fight with Meng Kefei just the other day—the two of them didn’t get along.
“Nope.” Meng Kefei shook her head. “It’s probably because my period is around the corner. I’m not feeling too well because of it. It’s making me have nonsensical thoughts.”
“Then you shouldn’t think about it. I’ll go make you some brown sugar ginger soup.” After that, Tang Yuanyuan made her the soup and prepared a heating pad for her. Then, it was time for classes, so she left.
Meng Kefei stayed in the dormitory alone. Looking at the bowl of brown sugar ginger soup that was made for her, she smiled bitterly. After a while, she got up and drank it. How can the injuries on my body get better with this? Let’s just take this as a form of psychological comfort, she thought.
That weekend, she did not return home with Tang Yuanyuan, claiming that she was feeling unwell. She only wanted to sleep and she didn’t want to go anywhere. Thus, Tang Yuanyuan also decided to stay behind, loyally keeping her company in the dormitory.
Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan saw that Meng Kefei had not dared to say a word about the incident the other day; she spent the past few days quietly recuperating on her own instead. Moreover, there was no news from the teachers, and Yuanyuan’s attitude toward them remained the same. Thus, they left the school without any worries. In the end, only Tang Yuanyuan and Meng Kefei were left in the dormitory.
On the other hand, Zhong Chufeng finally endured until the weekend came. Thinking that he could finally see the little girl again, he purposely bought a lot of her favorite snacks for her. However, the girl claimed that she was not going home that weekend. Hearing that, he was immediately disappointed.
Strangely enough, Yuchi Yishu did not say a word about going home either. Since the day Zhong Chufeng misspoke, Yuchi Yishu had been in a moody state. He barely said a word and ate very little, in addition to his poor sleep. Zhong Chufeng highly regretted his actions; he berated himself in his heart countless times. Even so, these actions did nothing to help change the situation for the better.
During the weekend, the two of them stayed in their dormitory. Zhong Chufeng lay around for a long time before saying, “Honestly, what I said the other day was unintentional. Only a b*stard like me would say such things. Other people wouldn’t even dare dream about it. You and Yuanyuan grew up together. Besides, her family gets along so well with yours. If you were any closer, your mother might just adopt her into the family as her daughter.”
That’s right. Yuchi Yishu had grown up together with Tang Yuanyuan, along with Little Sprout. The three of them were very close to each other. However, he also noticed that something wasn’t quite right after Zhong Chufeng said those words. My fondness toward Tang Yuanyuan seems to be beyond my own expectations. I may think nothing of it, and Yuanyuan is so naïve that she too wouldn’t think too much of it. However, how does it look in the eyes of others? The words of Zhong Chufeng may have been unintentional, but what if there were two or three others who thought the same way?
“Don’t say these words in front of her,” Yuchi Yishu replied solemnly after mulling over it for a long time.
“Of course, Yishu! I wouldn’t say these in front of Yuanyuan even if I died!” Tang Yuanyuan was as pure as a piece of blank paper. For that reason, Zhong Chufeng could never make such impudent remarks in front of her.
“Remember what you said and watch what you say next time.”
“Of course, Yishu! I’ll watch myself properly!”
After all, this matter was related to Tang Yuanyuan’s reputation. So, he too placed great importance on the matter.
After a while, Yuchi Yishu said in a low voice, “If you are interested in her, then—” Having said that, he paused. Then, he seemed to be making some sort of decision. It was a long while before he added, “Be nicer to her. Just like what you said—wait for her to enter university before confessing your feelings for her. If she doesn’t like you, you cannot force her, nor harass her in any way.”
Zhong Chufeng was so ecstatic to receive Yuchi Yishu’s blessing that he nearly jumped for joy.
“Yishu, you will be my real brother in the future! I’m serious! If Yuanyuan and I become a couple in the future, I will treat you like my biological brother!”
“Get lost.”
Zhong Chufeng was extremely jubilant. He bounced up from the bed immediately. “I heard that Yuanyuan chose to remain in the school this weekend. She must be bored right now. When she gets bored, she tends to get the munchies. I’m going to send some food over to her.” He gathered his stuff while putting on his shoes. “Yishu, do you want to join me?”
“You go ahead.” Yuchi Yishu closed his eyes. His handsome face revealed none of his emotions as he neutrally said, “I’m sleepy; I’m going to sleep for a bit.”
Zhong Chufeng twitched his mouth. “Alright then. I’m going to go visit Yuanyuan. Hehe.”
After Zhong Chufeng left, the room went back to its quiet state. A long while later, Yuchi Yishu opened his eyes again; a light sigh came from the depths of his heart. His best friend wasn’t a bad person. They had known each other for so long. So, he was quite sure he knew just what kind of person Zhong Chufeng was. If Yuanyuan was willing to get into a relationship with him, it didn’t seem like a bad idea. Even so, he couldn’t shake the strange feeling that rose up in his heart—he couldn’t understand the reason behind it.
Tang Yuanyuan kept Meng Kefei company in the dormitory for the past two days. Meng Kefei seemed to be very exhausted as she just lay there every day. For one, she only ate what Tang Yuanyuan bought back for her. Moreover, she only ate several mouthfuls before losing her appetite. Additionally, her complexion was very poor.
Most importantly, Tang Yuanyuan noticed that she was not on her period. She isn’t on her period yet, so why is she so weak? She found it rather suspicious, so she suggested Meng Kefei go see a doctor.
The moment Meng Kefei heard the word ‘doctor’, she shook her head. “There’s no need. I’m not that ill. I don’t need to see a doctor.”
“But, your complexion is very bad. Besides, you’ve barely eaten anything over the past two days. Fei, are you afraid to tell me that you’re sick? Are you scared of worrying me?” Tang Yuanyuan looked at her innocently.
Meng Kefei looked at Tang Yuanyuan, then the pent-up frustrations in her heart seemed to ease slightly. I must be overthinking it. Yuanyuan is so pure-hearted. Even if she did say something in front of Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan, it would have been unintentional. Or, it could be that they had dug it out of her. After all, those two are good at that. If they wanted to trick Yuanyuan into saying something, she wouldn’t be able to hide anything from them.
Over the past few days, her frustrations had been building up over this matter. Thus, she had been feeling very down because of it. Now that she changed the way she thought about it, she seemed to have brushed away all her doubts.
At that moment, a knock came from outside. “Is Tang Yuanyuan here?”
“Who is it?” Tang Yuanyuan got up and glanced outside.
A stranger was standing outside their dormitory door. When she saw Tang Yuanyuan walking toward her, she said, “Your brother is here looking for you. He told me to call for you; he’s waiting for you at the school gate.”