Chapter 233

"Ah? I, I don't really understand." He Lele glanced at Li Yiquan again, but he had already finished his move.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand, ask him to teach you hand-in-hand! Girl, come over, teach your junior sister well! I'm going out for a stroll, I'll come back to check later."

"Uh... Auntie Zeng!"

"You have to call me Master when you're holding a sword!"

"Zeng, Master Zeng, I..."

"Don't add the surname, I'm not a chef or a driver. Alright, you guys practice slowly!"

"Master!"

Just as He Lele wanted to follow, the gentle and soothing voice of Li Yiquan already reached her ears. "Don't want me to teach you?"

"I..."

"It doesn't matter, I've already found a good teacher for you." Li Yiquan smiled.

"Brother Yiquan!"

Just as Li Yiquan finished speaking, a tall girl in a dark blue sportswear walked into the activity room and greeted him. After an introduction, Li Yiquan put away his sword and sat by the wall, quietly watching the direction of the two girls.

"Are you... Brother Yiquan's girlfriend?" Zhu Zhu asked in a low voice while correcting He Lele's movements.

"...No, I—" He Lele didn't know how to explain.

"Ah... then it's a future girlfriend, understood, understood. Waist here, yes, eyes look in the direction of the sword."

He Lele didn't know where to look at all. Fortunately, after asking this question, Zhu Zhu didn't continue to mention Li Yiquan, but taught very attentively. Before long, He Lele also calmed down, carefully watching Zhu Zhu's movements and learning with her heart.

Outside the activity room, Zeng Xiangyi lay on the window and looked in, discovering that it was actually Zhu Zhu, the daughter of an old colleague, teaching He Lele, while her son was just sitting on the side, looking thoughtful. What was wrong with the brat? He didn't even know how to use the opportunity she created for him?

Zeng Xiangyi quietly returned to the activity room and sat beside her son. "Why did Zhu Zhu run over?"

"I called her."

"What are you doing? Don't you like Lele? Such a good opportunity to perform."

Li Yiquan shook his head, looking at He Lele who was learning sword attentively. "Pushing too hard will only make her want to run away."

"...So you plan to just follow at this distance, until she gets used to your existence, and even unknowingly lowers her defenses toward you?"

Li Yiquan didn't deny it, just quietly looking in the direction he was attached to.

"Advancing by retreating, paralyzing the opponent. You brat, how come you're so cautious and step-by-step even when falling in love."

"Because... no matter the reason, I don't want her to cry because of me again."

"You, you brat! I haven't seen you fall for a woman for so many years, but you're so deep in love the first time you do... be careful of being deeply hurt too!" Although she scolded him as a brat every day, he was, after all, the treasure in her heart. Seeing Li Yiquan's deep love, Zeng Xiangyi couldn't help but worry.

Hearing his mother's worry, Li Yiquan withdrew his gaze, smiled at Zeng Xiangyi, and embraced her shoulder. His handsome face was like jade, exceptionally handsome. "No confidence in me?"

"...Brat!" At her age, she was almost electrified by her own son. Zeng Xiangyi glared at Li Yiquan irritably and got up to walk toward He Lele.

At noon, Zeng Xiangyi naturally asked He Lele to eat together again. He Lele glanced at Li Yiquan and politely declined Zeng Xiangyi's invitation. Zeng Xiangyi wanted to insist but was persuaded by Li Yiquan, so she had to give up.

"Then do you have anything to do this afternoon? Let's go shopping again? Winter is coming soon, I want to pick two coats for this brat." Zeng Xiangyi brought up the invitation again.

"Auntie Zeng, I..."

"Between people and people..."

"Sorry, I have to take a call." He Lele took out her phone. Seeing it was an unfamiliar number, her body reflexively shivered, and it took her two seconds to react to why she had such a reaction.

Shen, Shen Tu Mo?

Should she answer? He, he...

"What's wrong?" Seeing He Lele's face change, Li Yiquan glanced at the phone screen in her hand and asked softly.

Quickly glancing at Li Yiquan, He Lele forced herself to calm down as soon as possible. When she looked at the number again, her heart stirred—it didn't seem to be Shen Tu Mo's number.

"Hello? Hello? This is He Lele."

"Miss He, hello. Long time no see, this is Wu Ming, Ruan Lin's manager, do you remember?"

Later... I will never say any bold words again... No wonder I gain weight like crazy even without eating much. Eating one's words and getting fat, the ancients did not deceive me!

Accepting criticism...

☆, (9 Fresh Coins) Chapter 254: Like a Curse

"Sorry, Miss He, for bothering you so rashly."

He Lele twitched the corners of her mouth, placed the teacup on the coffee table in front of Wu Ming, and sat down on the sofa opposite him. When Wu Ming called her, he had already arrived outside Dong× University. It was lunch time, and the shops outside the west gate were crowded with students, making it inconvenient to talk, so she had to invite Wu Ming to the rental apartment.

"You don't have to be so polite, if you have anything, please tell me directly."

He Lele's straightforwardness made Wu Ming not know where to start. He actually didn't know whether he should come, but watching Ruan Lin on the verge of collapse while he was powerless to do anything forced him to come.

"Then I'll be direct. Ruan Lin... if he continues like this, he'll be ruined."

He Lele's heart was shocked. "Just, just a little negative news, it shouldn't be that bad, right?"

"Once or twice is of course no big deal, but what if it's negative news all the time from now on?"

"..."

"Miss He, what do you think is the most valuable thing about Ruan Lin as an artist?"

He Lele thought for a while. "Acting skills?"

Wu Ming shook his head.

"Appearance?"

"It's his image, the perfect gentleman image he spent seven years building. The fans' love and the advertisers' favor are all built on the foundation of this image. Once this image collapses, the value of the name Ruan Lin... might cease to exist, and there will be no chance to recover."

"...Fake things will always have a day when they collapse. If he chooses not to pretend anymore, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. With his strength, even if he encounters a trough, he will definitely be able to return to the peak soon. And, facing the world with his truest self, he will also live more easily, won't he?"

Wu Ming was really surprised. He thought she would say something like "What does it have to do with me how he is." He was thinking about what to do if she didn't care about Ruan Lin's life or death at all. Now it seemed... this girl wasn't completely indifferent to Ruan Lin! Especially, her unhesitating confidence in Ruan Lin in her words.

"Yes, that's right, but what if he doesn't intend to face the world with his true self, but is determined to destroy his own acting life?"

Wu Ming left.

He Lele sat heavily on the sofa, constantly wiping away the images that emerged in her mind, but Ruan Lin's figure—his domineering and arrogant appearance, his fierce and roaring appearance, his dissolute appearance, his angry and awkward appearance, his affectionate and doting appearance, his injured and heartbroken appearance, his struggling and desperate appearance... scene after scene, like a dam bursting, washed her broken heart wall into pieces.

That day at Memory's anniversary celebration, Liang Ge's young model girlfriend "accidentally" spilled a few drops of red wine on Ruan Lin. This kind of old-fashioned and outdated way of picking up men, which everyone tacitly understood, was usually very successful when used by beauties, but that day Ruan Lin pushed away the young model's hand that was trying to wipe the wine stain without any politeness. Liang Ge, who happened to see this scene, went over to question Ruan Lin. Ruan Lin turned and left with a cold face. Liang Ge, feeling he had lost face, took the red wine from the waiter's tray and splashed it on Ruan Lin's face.

If it had been the Ruan Lin of the past, first, he wouldn't have pushed away the young model's hand, but would have smiled and stepped back; second, he wouldn't have refused to give Liang Ge face, but would have made up an excuse that both sides could step down from; third, even if he was insulted in public, he would absolutely not... beat the person half to death.

Four or five people almost couldn't hold him back, and Liang Ge was finally beaten until he passed out while crying.

Muse spent a lot of effort to calm public opinion and appease Memory, while ordering Ruan Lin to stay in the apartment and not go out. This afternoon's announcement was not only a promotion but also a test. If Ruan Lin couldn't recover his state, he would be banned from going out until "One Life, One Lifetime" was released!

At the same time, Shen Tu Mo also issued a personal warning—if Ruan Lin didn't obey the handling and went out at will, he would generously charter a plane to send Ruan Lin back to his country!

"Did, did you give Ruan Lin a tie?"

Before leaving, Wu Ming asked her this. Seeing her nod, he sighed softly. "Then it's no wonder, he... was wearing it that day."

Ruan Lin...

Her throat was suddenly blocked by something. Air could be sucked into her chest, but no matter what, she couldn't spit it out. He Lele grabbed her thigh tightly, biting her teeth hard, trying to endure the terror and pain of suffocation. However, in the end, she still couldn't hold it back...

The sourness in her throat surged to her nose, and the moment her throat opened, cold tears streamed down her face.

Lele, I beg you, marry me... I beg you... I beg you...

Like a curse!

"The smile you gave, I repay with tears, wishing you who love me, to stay away from worry and suffering..."

The melodious singing suddenly rang out, startling He Lele from her trance.

Where did the sound come from? And this singing—wasn't it her own?

Such a bizarre thing made He Lele, who had never believed in ghosts or gods, feel a bit frightened. But after calming down, He Lele stood up and listened carefully to the source of the sound—the sofa opposite, the phone.

It wasn't Ji Jie's or Qin Zhixiu's. Was it left behind by Ruan Lin's manager, Mr. Wu Ming? Why did Mr. Wu Ming have her singing audio? And used it as a ringtone? He Lele looked at the "Little Demon King" caller ID on the phone screen, not knowing whether to answer. After a moment of hesitation, the call had already hung up, leaving only a red missed call mark.

He Lele checked the time. Wu Ming had a 2:00 PM flight to City C to meet up with Ruan Lin. He should be on his way to the airport now. If he discovered he had left his phone behind, it wouldn't be too late to turn back.

Waiting, waiting, waiting... After waiting until 1:00 PM on an empty stomach without seeing Wu Ming return, He Lele picked up her bag and walked around the sofa several times, biting her lip.

She was going to return the phone, not to see Ruan Lin! Yes, that was it!

Thinking this, He Lele grabbed her cloth bag and rushed to the door. Just as she opened it, she saw Li Yiquan raising his hand, in the middle of knocking on the door.

Girls, do you remember~~ Uncle Wu Ming's ringtone is Lele's singing~ Hehehehe~~ So truth is stranger than fiction~~ Alright~~ There definitely won't be any tonight~~ Night owls should also sleep early~~ Love you all!!

Thank you girls for your tolerance~~ concern~~ messages~ votes~ support and gifts~~ and Qiqi girl's recommendation~~ Group pressure!

☆, (12 Fresh Coins) Chapter 255: Love and Punishment

— Author's Notes —

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