Well.

Sigh.

Lin Yu let out a sigh to himself.

Things had reached a point where there was nothing left to say.

He wasn't willing to give up either Tang Manman or Xia Muzhu.

As for Qing Mo...

Yeah.

She definitely wouldn't be willing to let him go, either!

Since that was the case...

Then so be it.

He just didn't know if he had the ability to make them coexist peacefully.

At the thought of this, Lin Yu felt a faint headache coming on.

Among the three of them, Xia and Tang had met, and Qing and Tang had met.

In short, back then, none of them could stand the sight of each other.

So in the days to come, how was he supposed to maintain the relationship between the three of them?

Lin Yu felt troubled. A second later, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself across the face.

And you still say you're not a scumbag!

Exhaling a long breath, Lin Yu leaned back against his chair, his body slumping down powerlessly.

Sigh.

He could only take it one step at a time.

This kind of thing couldn't be rushed; he had to take it slowly...

Then again, maybe rushing it a bit wasn't entirely out of the question?

What if he just organized a few small group gatherings to help everyone desensitize and get familiar with each other?

Damn it!

To come up with such an evil idea, and you still say you aren't a scoundrel!

Lin Yu was a bit angry at himself for coming up with such a filthy idea.

Sigh.

Better to take it slow and cross that bridge when he comes to it.

They would just have to adjust to each other bit by bit.

As for Ye You, Wang Yanyan, Luo Xiaoxiao, Gu Xinran, Zhou Yise, Zhou Yijin, and that whole crowd, Lin Yu wanted to spit on them, but was afraid he'd dirty his own saliva.

He didn't want to have the slightest involvement with them ever again...

...

No, wait.

He still needed to meet them once.

Lin Yu furrowed his brows. With that bastard destiny causing trouble, he really ought to keep an eye on these people.

It would be a disaster if, a few years down the line, a Little Lin Yu suddenly popped up!

Wouldn't that just turn into The Campus Belle Shows Up at My Door with a Child?

Right!

Speaking of which.

Last time with Sister Zhuzi, and a while back with Qing Mo, it seemed like they didn't...

Crap!

Would taking the morning-after pill still work now?

Lin Yu's headache grew even worse.

There really were quite a lot of things to deal with; he would just have to handle them one by one.

While Lin Yu's thoughts were running wild, Xia Muzhu finally finished eating and returned to the hospital room.

Since he still had many things to take care of, Lin Yu didn't have the patience to stay here and keep Xia Muzhu company any longer.

But just leaving like this...

Made Lin Yu feel a bit guilty.

After all, he had just kept Tang Manman company for so long, yet now, with his official girlfriend, he was slipping away after barely taking a glance.

That wasn't very nice, was it?

But those matters really were urgent. After thinking about it, Lin Yu decided to paint a rosy picture for Xia Muzhu first.

Sister Zhuzi, I have to go now. I have some things to take care of in a bit.

Ah...

Okay.

Xia Muzhu's eyes dimmed, clearly a bit disappointed.

But she quickly adjusted her emotions, giving Lin Yu a faint smile as she said gently,

Go ahead and get busy. I'm here with Little Shan, and I've also hired a caregiver, so you don't need to worry.

Seeing Xia Muzhu's understanding demeanor.

Lin Yu felt somewhat moved.

Was this the charm of an older girlfriend?

No drama, no fuss, always understanding you, and silently supporting you from behind.

So touching.

I want to cry~

However, while feeling moved, Lin Yu didn't forget to feed her empty promises.

Sister Zhuzi, once I'm done with my work, I'll come back tonight and spend some quality time with you, okay?

As he spoke, Lin Yu tried to act as tenderly as possible. He held Xia Muzhu's hand, looking into her eyes with sincerity and gentleness.

Under Lin Yu's tender gaze, Xia Muzhu suddenly grew shy.

She lowered her head, her gaze dodging his, and her earlobes turned hot and red.

She nodded, letting out a soft, nasal response.

Mhm.

???

Three question marks popped up above Lin Yu's head.

What was wrong?

Sister Zhuzi, what are you being shy about?

Isn't it just keeping you company to look after Xia Yueshan tonight?

What's there to be shy about...

Wait!

You couldn't be...

Sister Zhuzi, what on earth are you thinking about!

Lin Yu was truly defeated.

But there was nothing he could do.

Even though Sister Zhuzi seemed to have gotten the wrong idea, he didn't seem to have any way to correct her.

He couldn't exactly reject her, right?

What if she overthought things even more?

Sigh.

Then he would just have to roll with it!

After sharing a brief hug and reminding Sister Zhuzi not to work too hard, Lin Yu left the hospital room, planning to go find Qing Mo first to discuss some matters.

Taking the elevator all the way downstairs, Lin Yu left the inpatient department. He hadn't walked far when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

Tao Yaoyao?

She actually found her way here?

Lin Yu rolled his eyes, turning around with the intention of changing directions and leaving through the hospital's side entrance.

Lin Yu didn't feel any pity for Tao Yaoyao.

She was just Xu Mingyao's lackey, nothing more.

Although he had experienced some things with her in the past, how could interactions built on deception and scheming be considered genuine?

Therefore, Lin Yu never gave her a good look.

Moreover, after what happened, Lin Yu felt that not actively seeking trouble with her was already the utmost benevolence on his part!

Did she still want to beg him for help?

To hell with her!

Lin Yu turned around, intending to avoid her.

But out of nowhere, Tao Yaoyao suddenly sensed something. She glanced in Lin Yu's direction and caught sight of his back.

Lin Yu!

Tao Yaoyao called out in a delicate voice.

Lin Yu pretended not to hear her, solely focused on walking toward the hospital's small side gate.

Lin Yu!

Seeing that Lin Yu was about to leave, Tao Yaoyao grew anxious and hurried to chase after him.

Tao Yaoyao didn't know why, but lately, Qing Mo's attitude had been changing constantly.

Over ten days ago, after that incident, Qing Mo had only targeted the Xu family's businesses.

Although from the looks of it, she seemed bent on taking down the Xu family, in commercial competition, as long as it wasn't an all-out desperate resistance, one could always retain a shred of dignity in defeat.

But just two days ago, everything changed.

Qing Mo suddenly exposed a massive pile of dark secrets about the Xu family, having the media controlled by the Qing family heavily publicize them.

Just one or two of those shady scandals would have been enough to ruin the Xu family.

Qing Mo released four or five of them in rapid succession, directly sending Xu Mingyao's father to the police station for tea several times.

The only reason he could still come out was that the current evidence hadn't been fully investigated yet.

He was now restricted from leaving the country. If things continued like this, it wouldn't be long before Xu Mingyao's father would take up permanent residence in the police station.

Not even Xu Mingyao escaped unscathed; due to her involvement in a brawl, she was also invited in for a cup of tea.

Tao Yaoyao initially thought this was the limit of Qing Mo's revenge.

But who could have known that at noon today, a group of people appeared out of nowhere and directly kidnapped Xu Mingyao.

What surprised Tao Yaoyao was that the group didn't touch her at all; they only abducted Xu Mingyao from right beside her.