You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

Upon hearing the word "girlfriend," Su Qinghe's tense body instantly went limp.

After all, they haven't officially defined their relationship yet, and she didn't expect Jiang Che to be so direct and open in front of outsiders as to say that she was his girlfriend.

The slight bitterness that had just begun to rise in my heart was instantly dispelled by a huge wave of sweetness.

Su Qinghe sat obediently in Jiang Che's lap, nodded to Liu Mengyao, and said in a soft voice, "Hello."

However, Liu Mengyao was stunned.

Her eyes widened, her gaze fixed on Su Qinghe's face, her mouth slightly open, unable to close for a long time.

"Su...Su Qinghe?... "

Liu Mengyao's voice rose slightly, a few octaves higher, as if she were wondering if she had mistaken someone for someone else. "You are... Su Qinghe, the school beauty from Class 9 of Senior Three?!"

As a student at No. 1 High School, Liu Mengyao was a well-behaved girl who didn't gossip much and was oblivious to what was going on outside, but she had still heard of Su Qinghe's name.

After all, the title of "school beauty of No. 1 High School" is just too famous.

Moreover, the recent incident of Su Qinghe suddenly dropping out of school and disappearing caused quite a stir at the school, with all sorts of rumors circulating.

Some people said she transferred schools, some said something happened to her family, and some even said she eloped with someone.

Who would have thought that this influential figure, who had been missing for over a month, would actually appear here?

And... she even became Jiang Che's girlfriend?

"Yes, it's me." Su Qinghe was a little embarrassed by her reaction and nodded gently.

"Oh my god..." Liu Mengyao gasped, glancing at Su Qinghe and then at Jiang Che, her eyes gleaming with gossip. "When...when did you two get together?"

"It's a long story."

Jiang Che interrupted Liu Mengyao's endless questions, pointed to the empty seat opposite, and said, "Since we've run into each other, let's not stand and sit down to eat together."

Liu Mengyao hesitated for a moment, but couldn't suppress her curiosity, so she sat down opposite the two of them with her plate.

"Um... Su, where have you been for the past month?" Liu Mengyao couldn't help but ask as soon as she sat down. "Every time I bring your homework, I can hear your homeroom teacher, Ms. Zhao, talking about you in her office. She says you're a promising student, and it's such a pity that you suddenly dropped out of school."

When this topic was brought up, Su Qinghe's expression dimmed slightly.

She lowered her head, unsure how to explain the changes that had occurred in her family, and even less willing to reopen her wounds in front of this stranger.

Jiang Che keenly sensed Su Qinghe's emotional change. He took Su Qinghe's hand under the table and gently squeezed it.

"There was a slight mishap, but it's all resolved." Jiang Che shielded Su Qinghe from the situation, speaking in a relaxed tone, "She'll be back at school in a few days, and then we'll be classmates again."

"Oh, that's good."

Liu Mengyao was a smart person. From Su Qinghe's reaction and Jiang Che's glossed over the matter, she could tell that neither of them wanted to talk about it, so she didn't press the issue.

She lowered her head and ate a couple of bites of rice, then suddenly seemed to remember something and looked up at Jiang Che: "By the way, what are you two doing at the hospital? Is an elder in your family sick?"

Because Su Qinghe was wearing a long down jacket when she came out, which completely covered her hospital gown, Liu Mengyao did not know that Su Qinghe was sick and hospitalized.

"Ah, Qinghe is sick and has been hospitalized for the past few days," Jiang Che explained with a faint smile, then sighed helplessly, "This girl keeps making a fuss about wanting her boyfriend to stay with her, so I have no choice but to come over and keep her company every day."

I was caught off guard and fed a mouthful of dog food again.

Liu Mengyao felt that the braised pork in her bowl didn't taste good anymore.

She glanced at Jiang Che with a hint of resentment, thinking to herself, "Why is this guy like this? He usually seems so aloof in class, but how come he's so lovey-dovey when he's in a relationship?"

"By the way, since you brought this up, I remember you just said... you came to see your aunt?" Jiang Che suddenly changed the subject and asked.

"Yes." Liu Mengyao nodded. "My mom is hospitalized in the endocrinology department upstairs. My brother asked me to bring her lunch."

"Your brother?" Jiang Che paused, his brows furrowing slightly. "Liu Wei?"

"Yes," Liu Mengyao replied innocently, clearly unaware of the problem. "What's wrong?"

Jiang Che narrowed his eyes, several thoughts racing through his mind.

When Liu Zhenguo left last night, he clearly instructed that Liu Wei would be in charge of taking care of the hospital during this period.

If Liu Wei is in charge, why did they specifically send Liu Mengyao over to deliver the food?

Liu Wei, as a soldier, is responsible and always acts decisively. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would push the responsibility of taking care of his mother onto his younger sister who is in her final year of high school.

Unless... he did it on purpose.

Jiang Che couldn't help but recall Liu Wei's meaningful question during their morning run: "What do you think of my sister?"

It was as if he was trying to sell his sister off.

Is this old fox planning to play some kind of "first come, first served" trick?

Knowing that he was at the hospital with Su Qinghe, he deliberately brought Liu Mengyao over to create an opportunity for a "chance encounter".

Having figured this out, Jiang Che couldn't help but curse in his heart: "You old cunning bastard."

Who would specifically ask their sister to be a mistress?

"It's nothing." After snapping out of his thoughts, Jiang Che smiled calmly. "I just think your brother is really good at ordering people around. You're already a senior in high school, and he still makes you run between school and the hospital. He's really inhuman."

"Who can argue with that!"

The mere mention of Liu Wei seemed to trigger some mysterious switch, and Liu Mengyao immediately launched into a吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to roast or complain) mode.

"You have no idea, my brother is practically a dictator!"

"He's been in the military for so long that he treats his home like a military camp, wanting to control everything and listen to everything he says."

"I was exhausted after my run this morning, and I barely made it through the morning. I was planning to go home and take a nap at noon, but he insisted that I come over to deliver lunch. He said something... he said that his mother was making a fuss about wanting to eat the food I bought, or she would starve to death."

While complaining, Liu Mengyao poked at the rice in her bowl, completely unaware that she had betrayed her own brother.

Jiang Che listened quietly to what Liu Mengyao said, and his suspicions were being confirmed little by little.

Aunt Zhang is a calm and composed person; she would never say something like a little girl throwing a tantrum.

Besides, it's just buying food; doesn't it all matter who buys it? If there's any difference, it's probably just the taste of the food.

It was obvious that Liu Wei's excuse was so lame that only his family members failed to notice anything amiss.

"So... Liu Wei came to the hospital too, right?" Jiang Che asked tentatively.

"You're here." Liu Mengyao pouted. "She's in the ward upstairs. When she's not doing anything, she doesn't sit down. She just stands there like a doorman, scaring the nurses so much that they don't dare to go in to change her dressings."