Chapter 42 Meeting Them Her Calm Was Too Obstructive…

Chapter 42: Running Into Them

Her composure was unnerving...

"Mom, I gave this relationship careful thought before getting into it," Qin You couldn't help but explain. "The girl I like is absolutely the right one for me. Don't doubt her—we get along very well."

"Then why did you apply to that university?" Qin’s mother pressed him, staring into his eyes. "This doesn't sound like a decision you'd make yourself."

"It was my decision," Qin You lowered his head. "I just wanted to be closer to her. I didn't overthink it."

Hearing this, Qin’s mother grew even more disappointed.

On one hand, she was heartbroken that her son had let emotions cloud his basic judgment; on the other, she realized that the girl’s academic performance was likely worse than her son’s, and the university she got into was far from ideal.

"What kind of person she is and what school she attends—that's her family's concern. But you are my child, and I have to be responsible for your future."

Biting back her anger, Qin’s mother spoke earnestly, "I hope you can stay rational now and not let emotions blind you. However strong a relationship might be, without a solid future as its foundation, it will never be stable."

"You’re right," Qin You said, coming to his senses after his mother’s questioning. "I’ll listen to you."

Qin’s mother didn’t say more. Only after watching him revise his college application did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"The older you get, there’s less and less I can do for you. But parents have their responsibilities. Even if you resent me for this, I’ll accept it."

Perhaps only when children truly grow up will they understand their parents’ good intentions. But for now, he still needed time.

Qin’s mother didn’t want him to one day regret the choices he made in the moment. Feelings are important, but there are things far more important than that.

If Qin You were to look back then, he'd be utterly miserable.

"Is that girl your classmate?" Qin’s mother searched her son’s eyes.

"No," Qin You shook his head. "She’s a humanities student."

"Like Yu Kui?" Qin’s mother thought of Yu Kui, and felt a pang of sadness.

If only her son and Yu Kui hadn’t had a falling out—how wonderful that would have been.

"She’s in the same class as Yu Kui," Qin You said, his mood turning complicated at the mention of Yu Kui. "I really like her."

Hearing this, Qin’s mother realized that the issues between Qin You and Yu Kui were related to this girl, and her opinion of the girl dropped even further.

"How are her grades?" Qin’s mother asked pointedly. "Can she get into the same university as you?"

Qin You looked troubled. "Mom, academic qualifications aren’t everything."

"Academic qualifications indeed don’t mean everything," Qin’s mother agreed, "but other factors have clouded your judgment."

"Mom doesn’t care about academic qualifications, but character and behavior are what really matter. You need to think carefully about this."

Some things Qin’s mother could only hint at. Whether Qin You would take them to heart depended entirely on his own reflections.

But how could a passionate young man truly understand her concerns?

After revising his college application, Qin You changed his clothes and eagerly went to see Tao Jiang, wanting to explain why he had changed his mind.

After receiving her acceptance letter, Yu Kui signed up for swimming and calligraphy classes... planning to spend her holiday exploring interests she'd always been curious about.

Sun Shuya occasionally called her to hang out. "Yu Kui, want to go play an escape room?"

"I’m at the bakery," Yu Kui said, busy making cream puffs. "You guys go ahead."

"That guy is here too," Sun Shuya said with a laugh. "Sure you don’t want to come?"

"No," Yu Kui squeezed cream into a puff. "You guys have fun."

"You’ve been acting like a hermit lately—always learning this or that. It’s making the rest of us look bad."

"Just exploring things I’m interested in."

"Alright then," Sun Shuya said. "I’ll come to your place tomorrow and see if I can drag you out."

"Sure," Yu Kui replied. "I’ll treat you to hot pot."

"Deal."

Yu Kui packed the finished cream puffs to take home for her mother when the door chime jingled twice.

She looked up and saw two all-too-familiar figures walking in.

"It’s my dad’s birthday, so I have to make the cake myself," a girl’s cheerful voice rang out. "You can help me out in a bit."

"Okay," the boy replied, ruffling her hair. "What kind of cake are you planning to..."

Before he could finish, the two noticed Yu Kui sitting not far away, watching them calmly with deep, quiet eyes.

Qin You immediately pulled his hand back from Tao Jiang’s head, his gaze shifting uneasily toward Yu Kui. "What are you doing here?"

"Learning baking," Yu Kui said, as if unaware of the tension. She stood up, preparing to leave.

"Still pretending?" Tao Jiang wrapped her arm around Qin You’s arm, challengingly looking at Yu Kui. "Since you’ve already found out, there’s no use hiding it anymore."

Yu Kui paused, meeting Tao Jiang’s mocking eyes, and said calmly, "I wish you happiness."

None of the heartbreak, sadness, or tears Tao Jiang had expected appeared. Yu Kui was eerily composed, as if Qin You being with her was no big deal.

But Tao Jiang knew exactly how much Yu Kui had liked Qin You.

This wasn’t like Yu Kui at all.

"Actually, we’ve been together for a while," Tao Jiang said with a smile. "Not just after the college entrance exams—Qin You liked me since sophomore year. Surprised?"

Yu Kui ignored her boasting, stepping around them to continue toward the door.

Tao Jiang was taken aback. Seeing that Yu Kui truly didn't care about what she said, her mood instantly darkened.

This wasn’t what she had expected.

She thought Yu Kui would become hysterical, questioning her like a madwoman. Then, she could deliver crushing words, pushing Yu Kui into despair while standing triumphantly above, relishing her pain and humiliation.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to hide her relationship with Qin You.

But now, Yu Kui clearly wasn't bothered about their romance.

How could she be so calm? What gave her the right to be so calm?

Tao Jiang couldn’t comprehend it.

Her dramatic tendencies seemed to begin to crack, revealing the obsessive and uncontrolled behavior beneath.

"Why care about her?" Qin You saw she was acting strange, reached out to hug her, and said, "So what if she knows? You and I are in a normal relationship—what does it have to do with her?"

"Then why did you let go of my hand just now?" Tao Jiang stared at him coldly. "Are you still thinking about her?"

"How is that possible?" Qin You couldn’t quite explain why he had acted so out of character at that moment and instinctively replied, "I was just afraid she might become emotionally unstable and hurt us."

"Are you sure?" Tao Jiang narrowed her eyes. "Is that really what you think?"

"Of course," Qin You said with certainty, affirming that he did not like Yu Kui. "Who I like—shouldn’t you know that better than anyone?"

"But she liked you before," Tao Jiang said quietly. "I thought she would have lost it just now."

Qin You also expected Yu Kui to confront him, but both his and Tao Jiang’s expectations were wrong, making their behavior seem especially ridiculous.

Yu Kui simply didn’t care who he was with—even if it was Tao Jiang, she could turn a blind eye.

This left Qin You feeling deeply unsettled, as if he had been hoping for a strong emotional reaction from her, something that would confirm she was still the same girl who had once depended on him.

Still, he felt a sense of relief.

The College Entrance Exam was over. Even if Yu Kui told his mother about his relationship, it wouldn’t affect his and Tao Jiang’s feelings.

After leaving the bakery, Yu Kui stood by the roadside for a long while before finally letting her anger subside.

She really wanted to confront Qin You and Tao Jiang—to ask why they had hurt her when she had always been so kind to them.

But she held back.

Perhaps indifference was the best ending.

Someday, all these painful emotions would fade away.

A month and a half later.

Yu's dad pushed the suitcase behind his wife and daughter, watching the students coming and going with a cheerful smile. "So this is where our daughter will study for the next four years. This school is really impressive—even more impressive than the one I went to back in the day."

"Of course," Yu's mom shot him a look. "What was your score back then, and what was our baby’s score? How can you even compare?"

Yu's dad: "..."

After completing registration, the family went to the dorm to get settled. There were four beds in the dorm, and the other three were already occupied. Yu Kui got the spot by the door.

"Hi," the three girls who had already settled in looked at Yu Kui curiously. "Do you need any help?"

"No need," Yu Kui shook her head and took out some snacks her mom had bought to share. "I’m Yu Kui, a freshman in the law department. I’m really happy to be living with you all."

"We’re all in the same major," the three girls introduced themselves. "We’ve heard of you—your score was really high, and you’re pretty well-known at our school."

Yu Kui smiled a little shyly. "We all got into the same university, so we’re all equally outstanding."

After arranging the bedding and luggage, the family of three went out for a meal. Soon, Yu's mom and Yu's dad had to return to work.

Yu Kui was reluctant to see them go. "Mom, I’m going to miss you."

"If you miss me, just call me every day," Yu's mom hugged her daughter. "I’ll miss you too."

Yu's dad watched the mother and daughter. "What’s with all this? It’s not like it’s a life-or-death separation. It’s just a few hours by plane—you can come visit on weekends."

Yu Kui: "..."

After seeing her parents off, Yu Kui walked around the campus to familiarize herself with the surroundings.

"Yu Kui, have you finished registering?" Sun Shuya called her. "How’s the school? Is it really nice?"

"It’s great," Yu Kui sent her a few photos. "How about on your end?"

"Ugh, there are still some of our old classmates in the dorm," Sun Shuya snorted lightly. "I’m going to have so much freedom these next four years."

After some thought, Sun Shuya had applied to study Chinese Language and Literature at a local university. Many girls from their liberal arts class had applied to the same school, so the chances of running into familiar faces were high.

"I really envy you," Yu Kui couldn’t help saying. "But my roommates seem really easy to get along with too."

"That’s good," Sun Shuya said. "Are you going home for National Day in October? Let’s go out together—you stood me up last time."

"Sure," Yu Kui said softly. "Where do you want to go?"

"Is City B fun?" Sun Shuya wanted to visit her. "You get familiar with the place first, then show me around, okay?"

"Okay," Yu Kui thought for a moment. "What if my parents come along? Is that alright?"

"That’s fine," Sun Shuya said. "You make the plans, and I’ll come find you with them."

"Alright."

After hanging up, Yu Kui felt warm inside.

As she was about to return to her dorm, she received another call.

"Yu Kui, can you show me around the school?"

Yu Kui walked to the school gate. Xie Xingzhi, wearing a white shirt, stood quietly under the shade of a tree across the street, attracting attention from many passersby.

"How did you know I was here?" Yu Kui quickly walked over to him, surprised. "I never told you which school I was going to."

"I asked Sun Shuya," Xie Xingzhi came closer to her. "If you wouldn’t tell me, someone else would."

Yu Kui touched her forehead. In the novel, Xie Xingzhi hadn’t come to City B—he had gone to a city much farther away.

"Did you also register today?" Her eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Which university are you attending?"

"The school across from yours," Xie Xingzhi said. "It takes less than five minutes to come find you."

Yu Kui: "..."

"We can have meals and study together from now on," Xie Xingzhi said with a slight smile. "Aren’t you happy?"

Yu Kui: "..."

"I had no idea you were going to the school across from mine," Yu Kui sighed inwardly. "What’s your major?"

"Finance," Xie Xingzhi said with a sigh. "You can't tutor me anymore."

Yu Kui: "..."