Chapter 428: Wen Leyu: Let

Zhang Rui watched Li Ye and the others leave, standing frozen for a long time, filled with deep shame.

But Li Ye, as he departed, felt no particular ease.

Because since he got into the car, the atmosphere inside had become strangely tense.

His sister Li Yue, driving, asked calmly: "Little Ye, you just said a whole platoon of girls chased you? How come I never heard about this? Why don't you bring a few over sometime so I can take a look?"

"."

After Li Yue spoke, Wen Leyu, sitting to his left, Fu Yiruo, sitting to his right, and even Yang Yujiao, sitting in the front, all turned their heads toward him.

Though the car was dark and unlit, Li Ye could still feel the mischief and curiosity in the three girls' gazes—they were clearly very interested in whether his "platoon leader" title was real.

How could that possibly be true? I'm not a player.

"A whole platoon? Hahaha, Sister, you actually believed that?"

Li Ye laughed cheerfully: "How could there be a whole platoon? Don't you recognize bluffing when you hear it? Besides, you've always known how terrified I am of girls since I was a kid."

"Hmph, that was then."

Li Yue snorted coldly, scolding in the tone of an elder sister who was like a mother: "You've got to know your limits when you lie. What if someone misunderstands?

And I'm warning you—you've got a girlfriend now. Don't get entangled with any other girls, or I'll kick you out of the family. Don't think just because I'm married I can't beat you."

"As for that Zhang Rui just now, you should've just chased him off right away. Why let him blabber on like that?"

"."

Hearing his sister's scolding, Li Ye wanted to say he never intended to let Zhang Rui inside— he'd only planned to chat with him in the yard and then send him off. It was you who invited him into the living room, Sister!

But Li Ye ultimately said nothing, because beneath Li Yue's scolding, he heard a quiet undercurrent of concern.

Li Ye's tangled history with Lu Jingyao was known to Wen Leyu at least six or seven tenths; in Li Yue's mind, Lu Jingyao was a taboo topic between Li Ye and Wen Leyu.

And just now, Zhang Rui mentioned in the living room that Lu Jingyao was Joanina's personal assistant, and Joanina had ties to Pei Wencong. Now Li Yue warns Li Ye not to have any dealings with other girls—do you really need her to spell it out?

"Did you hear me? Did you remember?"

Li Yue ended her elder-sister lecture with a sharp question.

Li Ye nodded obediently: "I heard. I remembered. I promise I won't have any dealings with any other girls."

"Pfft~"

Fu Yiruo, to Li Ye's right, finally burst out laughing.

Since arriving on the mainland and recognizing Li Ye as her brother, her impression of him had always been two words—defiant.

But today, she saw that even the most stubborn man has his weakness—in certain situations, Li Ye could be surprisingly obedient!

Li Ye was irritated by his sister's chuckle and immediately prepared to launch his "blame transfer."

You scold me? I'll scold you. You're younger—you deserve it.

But before he could open his mouth, he felt a shoulder lean against his left side.

Wen Leyu, seated to his left, leaned close, her small head tilting forward until it was right before Li Ye's face, staring at him silently.

Their faces were nearly touching, only a few centimeters apart.

Li Ye slowly leaned back, trying to increase the distance to over ten centimeters.

But Wen Leyu moved with him, continuing to fix her gaze on his eyes.

Fine. Li Ye understood what to do.

Since I've got nothing to hide, go ahead and stare.

On Wen Leyu's first day at Qingshui County No. 2 High, she'd stared at him like this.

When she wanted answers, she trusted her own observations more than anyone's words.

Li Yue dropped Li Ye, Wen Leyu, and Fu Yiruo off at Jingda, then drove her sister-in-law Yang Yujiao back to Zhongguancun.

It was freezing cold. Li Ye had planned to immediately take Wen Leyu and Fu Yiruo back to the girls' dorm, but Wen Leyu asked Fu Yiruo: "Xiao Ruo, your brother and I are going for a walk by the lake. Are you coming?"

"."

Am I coming? Sister-in-law, why ask that? Do you want me to be the lightbulb lighting your romantic path?

"Sister-in-law, I won't go—hah, it's way too cold. You two enjoy your romance. I'm heading back to the dorm to warm up."

Fu Yiruo left, giving Li Ye one last look—"good luck surviving this."

Fu Yiruo knew about Wen Leyu and Li Ye's regular "lake walks," and she even envied their unique romantic rhythm—but in this weather?

Snow-laced trees bloomed like jade, crimson and indigo hues drifted into dreams—yes, the post-snow scenery sounded beautiful, but you're supposed to admire it in daylight, right? What are you two doing out here at night, romancing like fools?

Once the lightbulb was gone, Wen Leyu naturally linked arms with Li Ye and strolled along the lakeside path.

Usually, they walked in silence. Their thoughts aligned; the comfort of closeness surpassed any sweet words—why say more than needed?

But today, as they walked, Wen Leyu said: "Actually, you don't need to take your sister's words too seriously—'don't have any dealings with other girls'? How is that even possible?

You'll inevitably meet many female colleagues and friends. If you follow her rules, you'll just become a weirdo in others' eyes."

Li Ye was deeply moved. Even though he was used to Wen Leyu's thoughtfulness, right now his heart felt warm.

Just moments ago, his sister had scolded him; now Wen Leyu offered gentle comfort. Loving a girl like this saved you from countless unnecessary troubles.

Li Ye thought for a moment and said: "Actually, your sister's point is that I shouldn't contact Lu Jingyao again. But I swear—since I met you, I've never actively reached out to her.

As for her becoming Joanina's personal assistant, I truly didn't know. But…"

Li Ye sighed, speaking frankly: "But I did know Joanina hired Lu Jingyao as a temporary translator when she signed the translation contract in Hong Kong. I didn't tell you then because I thought it was unnecessary."

Li Ye only knew Lu Jingyao had translated for Joanina for a few days—he didn't know she later became her permanent personal assistant in Britain.

He thought telling Wen Leyu would only cause unnecessary stress. After all, the temperaments of those modern "fairies" had left deep impressions on him.

A tiny thing, harmless on its own, could spiral into eighty-eight accusations if you let suspicion take root. You'd have to kneel before the keyboard dozens of times just to survive—more tyrannical and domineering than even the 76th Bureau.

"Why would you tell me?"

Wen Leyu glanced at him, puzzled, then chuckled: "If you had to report every little thing like this to me, how fragile would our relationship be?"

"."

Wen Leyu tightened her grip on his arm, pulling him closer, then said seriously: "I trust you completely. And I already know most of what happened with Lu Jingyao."

"Huh? You know? How?"

Li Ye was surprised. Wen Leyu wasn't the type to bluff. If she said she knew, she knew.

Wen Leyu smiled mysteriously, looking at him: "Zhang Rui has friends at Jingda. Doesn't that mean I can have connections outside Jingda?"

"."

Wen Leyu tugged his arm, pulling him along as she continued: "Most undergraduate programs in Britain are three years.

Lu Jingyao was supposed to return after graduating this summer, but she chose to enroll in a prestigious university for her master's—self-funded.

Even though British master's degrees only take one year, the tuition is beyond what someone in her situation could afford. So a little inquiry was enough to figure it out."

"."

Li Ye was stunned. It turned out Wen Leyu, who seemed so cold and indifferent to everything, was actually sharp and thorough on certain matters.

She spoke lightly, but anyone would suspect she'd deliberately investigated Lu Jingyao—possibly even kept surveillance on her.

Isn't the saying "capable in public, skilled at home, can outwit a mistress, can fight a thug" just a legend?

Then again, Li Ye remembered several sharp women from his past life who regularly checked up on their husbands' exes, asking about their latest gossip.

But…

【Damn, has my wife been digging into my past too? Good thing I've got nothing to hide.】

As Li Ye was reassuring himself, Wen Leyu added: "Also, based on what I know of Lu Jingyao, she's a very stubborn person. So even if she happened to cross paths with you, she likely wouldn't have any romantic involvement with you."

"Romantic involvement"? What kind?

After a few seconds of silence, Li Ye said seriously: "Actually, I'm pretty stubborn too."

Wen Leyu smiled slightly and nodded: "So am I. That's why, once I chose you, I never doubted you—even if everyone else doubted you, I'd still believe in you."

"."

Li Ye and Wen Leyu both stopped, gazing at each other, their eyes growing heated.

In this moment, how could they not deepen their intimacy to match such sweet atmosphere?

Two minutes later, breathless, they finally pulled apart.

This time, Wen Leyu didn't say "pfft, pfft, pfft"—she just rested her head on Li Ye's shoulder, turning her face outward so he couldn't see her flushed cheeks.

Li Ye tightened his arm, pressing her closer, listening more clearly to her rapid heartbeat.

"Your lung capacity is weak. You need to exercise more."

"Huh? I'm not weak!"

Wen Leyu sensed his intent, but stubbornly refused to admit it.

"Then try again."

"."

"Try? Fine, let's try."

Li Ye smiled smugly—he'd used a little trick. Even the cleverest girl could get swept up in love.

Love is mutual. He liked it—didn't she?

"Crunch… crunch… crunch…"

Someone was walking through the snow. Wen Leyu sprang away like a nimble cat, leaping two meters off. Li Ye's Deyi plans were ruined.

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Li Ye cursed inwardly, looking up—and saw it was Professor Mu.

Professor Mu wasn't alone—he was strolling with another man.

Li Ye pulled Wen Leyu aside silently, stepping a few meters out of the way to let them pass.

Mu Yunning only now recognized Li Ye, clearly startled, then nodded to him and walked off with the man.

"Forget it, I'll walk you back! Get up at six-thirty tomorrow morning! You haven't practiced bayonet drill in days—your lung capacity must be dropping."

Li Ye took Wen Leyu's hand and decided to walk her home; after all, they had plenty of time—tomorrow he could add an extra drill during bayonet practice.

But Wen Leyu ignored Li Ye's words, pulled his hand back, and quietly followed in the direction Mu Laoshi had gone.

"What are you doing, Xiao Yu? Spying? That's not right!"

"Hmph, she interrupted us—why can't we interrupt them?"

"."

You make a good point.

(End of Chapter)