Qin Ruoyao Learns the Truth

Luo Yuan leaned on his cane as he followed Qin Ruoyao to a secluded grove of trees.

"Luo Yuan, what happened to your leg?" Qin Ruoyao asked with concern. "I've been trying to reach you, but you've been ignoring me and skipping school. I’ve been so worried about you."

"It's nothing," Luo Yuan replied gloomily. "I saw something exciting and jumped out of bed, ending up with a fracture."

"What was it?" Qin Ruoyao’s tone was curious.

Luo Yuan didn’t answer. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, what do you want from me?"

"Luo Yuan, I broke up with Lin Li," Qin Ruoyao said.

"I know," Luo Yuan clicked his tongue. "Your affair with him was the talk of the town. There was no way you two could stay together."

Qin Ruoyao frowned. Instead of seeing excitement on Luo Yuan's face, she sensed a hint of gloating.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke with grievances. "I didn't know he was engaged. I thought he was single, which is why I agreed to be with him."

Her tears fell like raindrops, creating a picture of distress that stirred pity.

"I didn't realize he was deceiving me," she wept. "The love I thought was real turned out to be a joke, and now I’m seen as the other woman by everyone."

"If I had known he was engaged, I never would have gotten involved with him."

Luo Yuan sneered.

Wouldn’t have been the other woman?

Not likely, considering Qin Ruoyao’s nature.

Even if she had known about Lin Li’s engagement, she would have eagerly pursued him, scheming to oust his fiancée and take her place.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Luo Yuan asked, leaning on his cane, his face full of mockery.

"Luo Yuan, these past few days, I've locked myself in my room, thinking a lot. I’ve realized I was just a clown. The people I loved looked down on me."

"The one who truly loves me, I’ve ignored. True love surpasses everything."

Qin Ruoyao looked at Luo Yuan with tears in her eyes.

"And so?" Luo Yuan asked, frowning.

"Luo Yuan, through all this, I’ve finally understood. Only you truly care for and cherish me. You’re the one I can trust my life with."

Qin Ruoyao shyly lowered her head. "I’ve thought it over. I want to be with you."

Luo Yuan: "..."

Evidently, shamelessness makes one invincible.

"Qin Ruoyao, weren’t you head over heels for Lin Xuan and Lin Li? So quickly in love with me now?" Luo Yuan taunted.

If Qin Ruoyao had said she wanted to be with him before, he would have been overjoyed.

But now, hearing her say those words, he only felt disgust.

Qin Ruoyao frowned.

Luo Yuan’s tone irked her. Surrounded by gossip and scrutiny, why was his tone still so cutting?

Didn’t he know how painful and miserable she was feeling?

Even if he wasn’t going to comfort her, couldn’t he soften his words?

If it weren’t for Luo Yuan’s wealth—a resource she still needed—she wouldn’t bother with him at all.

Still, Luo Yuan had always been infatuated with her, harboring resentment since she had led him on. That was only natural.

Qin Ruoyao bit her lower lip. "I still see you as a friend, but I’ll try to love you."

"Luo Yuan."

She reached out to take his hand. "Let’s be together, okay?"

"Don’t touch me," Luo Yuan snapped, pushing her hand away.

"Qin Ruoyao, do you really see me as a dumpster for your leftovers?" Luo Yuan sneered.

Qin Ruoyao froze.

What was Luo Yuan saying? Did he mean...she was trash?

Luo Yuan’s gaze was scathing. "Let me be clear: I wouldn’t date you, let alone make you my mistress. Women who throw themselves at other men so easily—I find them filthy."

He didn’t leave Qin Ruoyao with any dignity. "Do you really think I don’t know your game? You were with Lin Li because you wanted his money."

"Now that you’re disgraced and Lin Li’s discarded you, you come crawling back to me, hoping I’ll keep funding you."

Qin Ruoyao’s face flushed crimson as her schemes were laid bare. "That's not it, Luo Yuan. I truly want to be with you."

"Truly? Who are you trying to fool? Do you think I’m still the clueless lapdog who blindly believed in you?" Luo Yuan sneered.

"Luo Yuan, why are you talking to me like this?" Qin Ruoyao couldn’t accept his attitude toward her now.

How could he?

He had once loved her so deeply, so devotedly...

"Qin Ruoyao, I can’t be bothered to beat around the bush. You don’t know this, but after my family went bankrupt and you said those things, I saw your true colors."

"The time after that? I was just playing along with you."

Luo Yuan’s face was full of mockery.

Only Qin Ruoyao, with her inflated ego, could still believe he had feelings for her after that incident.

"You were just pretending with me..." Qin Ruoyao’s eyes widened in disbelief.

A deep panic gripped her.

If what Luo Yuan said was true—that he’d been acting all along—then why had he played along with her? What was his true purpose?

Qin Ruoyao remembered the day Luo Yuan had come to her with a cake, wine, and roses.

That was the day his attitude toward her had shifted dramatically.

After she changed her clothes, Luo Yuan had gone from being affectionate to coldly indifferent.

That day, she had just recorded a video of herself with Lin Li. While she was changing, her phone had been in the living room.

The video had always been stored on her phone, which she never parted with—except that one day...

Could it be that Luo Yuan had leaked the video?

No, it couldn’t be.

How could Luo Yuan do something like that to her?

"Luo Yuan, what are you saying?" Qin Ruoyao’s face paled, her voice quivering. "You’ve always treated me so well. How could you have been acting?"

Luo Yuan: "Qin Ruoyao, still lost in your delusions, are you? Let me tell you this: your current situation? It’s partly my doing."

And a significant part at that.

"No, it can’t be," Qin Ruoyao stumbled, her voice faltering. "Luo Yuan, you’re joking, right?"

"Qin Ruoyao, since you don’t believe me, fine. I’ll spell it out for you."

Luo Yuan’s words shattered Qin Ruoyao’s illusions piece by piece. "I already knew about your affair with Lin Li. I approached you to secretly film the two of you, aiming to expose your relationship with him."

"But I didn’t anticipate that Lin Li had no real feelings for you and discarded you easily. He stopped meeting you for a long time, leaving me no chance to film anything."

"So, I encouraged you to seduce him, hoping you’d record something yourself. The birthday cake I brought that day? It was just an excuse to get my hands on the video on your phone."