Chapter 51 Coming to Blows Who’s Her Real Boyfriend…

Chapter 51: A Brawl Erupts—Who is Her Boyfriend?

"What a shame," Mother Qin sighed. "I'd hoped to treat you all to a meal over the New Year."

"There'll be other chances," Yu Kui's mother said. "Let's call it a day. We need to get Yu Kui home to rest."

"Alright."

Mother Qin rose to see the trio out. Watching Yu Kui's mother affectionately link arms with Yu Kui, her envy deepened.

She picked up her phone to call Qin You, curious about his weekend.

But Qin You didn't answer; only a persistent busy signal met her ear.

Mother Qin lowered her phone, gazing at the empty living room, and let out a long sigh.

During the winter break, Yu Kui and Sun Shuya went out a few times.

Sun Shuya took her to an arcade to play the claw machine. "Let me tell you, two guys in our class like me."

Yu Kui's eyes widened. "Really? Are you going to start dating?"

"Of course it's true," Sun Shuya said, hands lightly on her hips. "I'm a real beauty. If there weren't so few guys in the Chinese Language major, even more would be after me, wouldn't they?"

"That's a given," Yu Kui immediately gave a thumbs-up. "You're my certified beauty."

"Haha," Sun Shuya laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. "You're so funny. Three months apart, and you've gotten sassy."

"Do you like them?" Yu Kui asked.

"No," Sun Shuya replied coolly. "Even though they're utterly smitten with me, I'm destined to be the unattainable beauty. Let them pine in silence."

Yu Kui: "..."

"But there are lots of handsome guys at the nearby sports school," Sun Shuya mused, smacking her lips. "Broad shoulders, long legs, and they play basketball too. I really like that."

Yu Kui: "Got your eye on someone?"

"A small target," Sun Shuya said playfully. "Maybe I'll be off the market by next semester."

Yu Kui blinked. "Then you'll have a better friend than me in the future."

"Don't be silly! You're you, and a boyfriend is a boyfriend. He's not my husband—how could he ever surpass you?"

Yu Kui: "So, once you have a husband, he *can* surpass me?"

Sun Shuya hesitated, then said weakly, "A husband is definitely different, you know."

Yu Kui: "I'm breaking up with you." She turned as if to leave, but Sun Shuya grabbed her tightly. "Don't abandon me! You're my best friend right now. Why get upset over someone who hasn't even appeared yet?"

Yu Kui: "Buy me a fruit tea, and I won't be mad."

"Alright, alright, wait here for me," Sun Shuya said, heading towards a nearby milk tea shop. "Want any toppings?"

"No."

"OK."

Once Sun Shuya was out of earshot, Yu Kui turned around and saw Tao Jiang not far off, wearing a short white down jacket. Next to her was a very tall guy, bending down to talk to her, his tone intimately affectionate.

"I want this panda. Get it for me," Tao Jiang pointed at the claw machine. "If you can't grab it, don't bother looking for me again."

"Alright, alright," Zhou Xiao said helplessly. "Is it just because I didn't have time to reply to your WeChat yesterday? Do you have to be this angry?"

"Was it just not replying to WeChat? You didn't even think about me," Tao Jiang said coldly. "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't treat me like this."

"My lady, haven't I treated you well enough?" Zhou Xiao looked at her face, exasperated. "To celebrate your birthday, I specially took you to the seaside, bought you a bag and a necklace—I spent two months' worth of living expenses."

"What do you mean by that?" Tao Jiang narrowed her eyes. "Regretting taking me out?"

"Of course not. But can you stop being so unreasonable?" Tao Jiang’s aggressive attitude made Zhou Xiao very uncomfortable. "I want to be in a relationship with you, not become your marionette. If you want to be with me, stop dwelling on every small issue. I'm so busy every day—how can I constantly be at your beck and call?"

Tao Jiang’s face darkened as she stared into Zhou Xiao’s eyes, her tone unfathomable. "You never treated me like this before."

"That was then. Now we're in college. Shouldn't you have your own life too?"

Tao Jiang pressed her lips together, looking at his well-defined features. She couldn't imagine how the guy who once traveled far to celebrate her birthday could say such things now.

Wasn't he the one who used to listen to her every word?

"Now, every day, I have to attend classes and learn to handle family affairs. Even today, I took time off to be here," Zhou Xiao said quietly. "If you want something, I'll give it to you if I can. But if you keep throwing tantrums, I won't indulge you. I don't have time to waste on this drama."

Zhou Xiao grabbed the panda stuffed animal and handed it to Tao Jiang. "We're adults now. I hope you can understand me."

Tao Jiang looked at the stuffed animal but didn't reach out to take it.

Zhou Xiao shrugged. "Miss Tao, what else do you want me to do?"

"Let's end it here for today." Tao Jiang ignored him and turned to leave.

Zhou Xiao grabbed her hand. "Do you really have to make a scene in public?"

"I'm not making a scene," Tao Jiang said without looking back. "You're the one who disrespected me."

Zhou Xiao almost laughed in frustration. "You really know how to take advantage. Fine, fine, I'll apologize, okay? From now on, I'll reply to your WeChat as fast as possible. Can you stop this?"

Tao Jiang finally turned back. "You said it yourself."

"I said it." Zhou Xiao didn't even blink. "Can we just have a good relationship?"

"Yeah." Tao Jiang knew when to stop. If she pushed too hard, she might anger Zhou Xiao. Unlike Qin You, he had a temper deep down.

The two continued playing the claw machine. Zhou Xiao guided Tao Jiang’s hand from behind, helping her grab one of the plushies.

Yu Kui glanced at them, then turned away calmly, wondering if Qin You knew about Tao Jiang and Zhou Xiao’s relationship. Even if he did, he might still put up with it for Tao Jiang’s sake.

But this time, she was no longer the "obstacle" between them, and they couldn't pin all the blame on her.

"Here," Sun Shuya walked back quickly to Yu Kui’s side. "Grape flavor. Pretty good, huh?"

"Mm. Let's go watch a movie," Yu Kui said, pulling her hand as they headed toward the cinema on the fifth floor. "A new mystery movie came out today."

"Great. You're paying."

"Fine."

After the movie, as they were about to take the elevator downstairs, they suddenly heard loud arguing from below.

"They're fighting! Call the police! They're fighting!"

Yu Kui stopped in her tracks and instinctively looked down, only to see a hot pot restaurant diagonally below crowded with people.

"Pull them apart quickly, they're fighting so fiercely!"

"For a shameless woman, is it worth getting this angry?"

"What are you just standing there for? Call the police!"

"..."

"Who is it? Fighting in a hot pot restaurant? How dangerous." Sun Shuya curiously headed downstairs.

"Don't go," Yu Kui grabbed the hood of her down jacket. "Just call the police to help."

"Let's just watch from outside," Sun Shuya insisted. "I've never seen a scene like this!"

Yu Kui sighed helplessly. "What if you get accidentally hurt?"

"How could I be that unlucky?" Sun Shuya grabbed her hand. "If you're scared, wait for me here. I'll be right back."

Yu Kui: "..."

Sun Shuya took the elevator down and made her way to the entrance of the hot pot restaurant. Watching the two boys tangled in a fight, she was about to see the "stunning beauty" who caused the trouble when she spotted Tao Jiang standing at the other end of the aisle.

Sun Shuya was stunned, not expecting it to be her.

Tao Jiang kept her head down, so Sun Shuya couldn't see the expression on her face but could sense her distress.

Because one of the people fighting for her was Qin You. He was getting beaten badly by the other person, but he refused to admit defeat, repeatedly ramming his head into the guy. Even though his forehead was already bleeding, he didn't back down.

Sun Shuya had never seen such a reckless fighting style and stood frozen.

"Yu Kui," she looked toward the girl standing by the elevator entrance and slowly spoke, "...Yu Kui, can you come down?"

Yu Kui couldn't hear her clearly but could see the expression on her face. She took the elevator down. "What's wrong?"

Sun Shuya pointed at the boys inside the hot pot restaurant. "Do you... recognize who that is?"

Yu Kui followed her arm and saw Qin You, his face covered in blood. He was being restrained from behind, but his eyes were filled with rage and ferocity, like a cornered beast, making onlookers shudder.

Yu Kui's pupils slightly contracted. "How... is that him?"

Earlier, when she saw Tao Jiang and Zhou Xiao, Yu Kui didn't pay much attention, thinking the two would leave soon. She never expected they would get caught by Qin You.

This was a major departure from how things were supposed to go. In the storyline, although Qin You and Zhou Xiao were love rivals, it never escalated to this extent.

His disheveled and fierce appearance felt utterly unfamiliar to Yu Kui.

"Serves them right!" Sun Shuya tutted twice and sneered, "Always knew they wouldn't end well. They brought this upon themselves."

Sun Shuya had seen Tao Jiang and Zhou Xiao together before and thought Qin You would be cheated on for a long time. She never expected he would notice something wrong so quickly.

"You dare hit me? Who the hell do you think you are!" Even after being pulled apart, Zhou Xiao continued to shout insults at Qin You, "She's my woman. A loser like you, still trying to compete with me? Don't you see if you're even worthy?"

Qin You didn't say a word, but everyone present could feel his tense energy. He was like a spring coiled too tight, ready to rebound at any moment.

Tao Jiang stood not far from him, didn't take sides from beginning to end. Perhaps even she herself never anticipated a day like this would come.

She had told Qin You she would stay at home today but secretly went on a date with Zhou Xiao, never expecting to get caught by Qin You.

"Miss, which one is really your boyfriend?" someone shouted. "They're both bleeding for you. Shouldn't you give an explanation? Otherwise, was this fight pointless?"

"She's my girlfriend," Zhou Xiao immediately said. "Everything she's wearing—her clothes, what's on her hands and neck—I bought them all for her."

He looked provocatively at Qin You. "We've been classmates since middle school and stayed in touch. We started dating after starting university and even went on a trip to Haishi half a month ago. I'm her boyfriend."