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

Seeing his usually obedient younger sister suddenly erupt in anger, Liu Wei was initially stunned. After recovering, he adopted the air of an older brother, coldly reprimanding her: "Mengyao, what's wrong with you? How dare you talk to your older brother like that? How could I be acting like this just for myself?"

"Ha, Mom said so much, and you didn't take it to heart at all, did you?"

Liu Mengyao tilted her head slightly, smiling, but tears streamed down her cheeks and fell to the ground.

"You keep talking about marriage alliances and resource exchanges! Frankly, you just think the Liu family's fortunes have stalled, and you need the Jiang family's money to pave the way for you!"

"You want to use me as a bargaining chip, to exchange me for the Jiang family's bank cards!"

"Liu Mengyao! Shut up!"

When his younger sister touched a raw nerve, Liu Wei became furious and slammed his hand hard on the metal railing at the foot of the hospital bed.

Zhang Suyun slowly closed her eyes, unwilling to watch the shameful farce unfolding before her.

Liu Mengyao remained unyielding, her gaze fixed on Liu Wei's eyes, which were filled with rage. Her smile grew even more mocking. "Big brother's so angry, it seems I was right?"

"What do you mean, 'right'?! Liu Mengyao, are you even speaking human language? Who have I risked my life for all these years in the army? Wasn't it all so that our family wouldn't be trampled on!"

"I went to great lengths to pick a good tree for you, and now you're pointing your finger at me and accusing me of selling my sister for personal gain?"

"Going to such lengths for me?" Liu Mengyao smiled faintly, then retorted clearly, "Jiang Che's words just now were spot on. You're a man nearing forty, and instead of striving for your own future, you're scheming to sell your sister for resources."

"Liu Wei, I'm so embarrassed for you standing here."

"How dare you!"

Liu Wei was consumed by rage and raised his right hand high, ready to slap Liu Mengyao across the face.

"I didn't say anything wrong!" Liu Mengyao raised her face without fear. "Liu Wei, I get to decide who I marry! I want to marry the person I love!"

"Even if he has to work as a bricklayer or sweep the streets, as long as he's sincere towards me, I'd be willing!"

"I don't care about the Jiang family's money, nor do I care about your so-called class! You treat power like your father, but to me, it's just dog shit!"

Liu Mengyao poured out all the humiliation she had been holding in all morning: "First you arranged for the two of us to train together, and then you called me to the hospital at noon. Wasn't that just so you could give me a chance to be alone with Jiang Che?"

"I brought them to the ward to dissuade you from trying to match us up, not so you could belittle Su Qinghe in front of me!"

"Do you know how I felt standing there? I felt like a unwanted, unsold item that I was willing to pay anyone to buy!"

"I can't control whether you want to elevate yourself by stepping on other people's dignity, but I, Liu Mengyao, would rather rot at home for the rest of my life than do anything so despicable as to interfere in other people's relationships!"

Looking at his sister's stubborn and humiliated tears, Liu Wei stiffly turned his head to look at his mother on the bed, whose face was already full of disappointment. He felt that the mother and daughter were simply crazy.

In this dog-eat-dog world, without capital and power, even survival is a struggle.

He only wanted to choose the shortest path so that his family could have a smoother life in their later years. How did he end up being called an unforgivable sinner?

"You have no idea how treacherous people are outside."

Finally, Liu Wei slowly withdrew his hand, his tone turning completely cold. "When Old Master Jiang kicks the bucket and the Jiang family is devoured by others, Jiang Che will realize how ridiculous his act today was."

"Even if he kneels on the ground begging me, I will not offer him any help."

Liu Wei straightened his disheveled collar and put on his arrogant expression again.

"I've shown him the right path; if Jiang Che doesn't want to take it, so be it."

"And you, Mengyao." Liu Wei looked down at his sister. "When you leave the ivory tower and are skinned alive, you'll understand one thing—naivety won't save your life, nor will it give you the life you want."

"It's none of your business whether I live or die!" Liu Mengyao closed her eyes and turned away from her tear-stained face.

Seeing Liu Wei's stubborn refusal to back down even after hitting a wall, Zhang Suyun waved her hand wearily: "Get out. My heart aches just looking at you."

"Go back to your unit. Don't come to the hospital for the next few days."

Liu Wei stood still, his brows slightly furrowed. "Mom, I took five days off specifically to come back from Beijing to take care of you..."

"Didn't you hear me tell you to get out!" Zhang Suyun grabbed the remote control next to the pillow and smashed it on the ground, shattering the plastic casing.

Liu Wei clenched his teeth, his eyes still filled with resentment and stubbornness.

A moment later, he resolutely turned around and strode toward the door, but paused when he grasped the doorknob.

"Just wait and see. Whether it's Jiang Che or any of you, you'll all regret it someday."

After saying that, Liu Wei opened the door and walked out, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

It was right after lunch break, and the classroom was noisy, with most students chatting and laughing in small groups.

Jiang Che returned to the classroom, walked to his seat, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Wang Kai was sleeping with his head on the table when he heard a rustling sound next to him. He turned his head groggily.

"Brother Che, you're back."

Wang Kai rubbed his eyes hard, straightened up from the table, stretched, and yawned widely.

After his mind cleared up a bit, he suddenly remembered something, then bent down and pulled a brand new shoebox from under the table like a treasure, before slamming it on the desk.

"look!"

Wang Kai yanked open the shoebox lid, revealing a pair of eye-catching fluorescent green running shoes inside.

Jiang Che narrowed his eyes, staring at the brightly colored running shoes for a few seconds, before slowly typing out a question mark, "Why did you buy these? To be a traffic cop and direct traffic?"

Wang Kai chuckled, reached out and took out the running shoes, holding them in his arms and looking at them from left to right, clearly admiring them.

"What traffic control? These are my new combat boots!"

Wang Kai solemnly explained to Jiang Che the origin of the new shoes he was holding, "Let me tell you, I didn't even eat lunch today to buy these shoes. As soon as get out of class was over, I took a taxi to the boutique in the city center. Top-notch cushioning! The latest model!"

"I'll wear these shoes for a run tomorrow morning, they'll be so cool! Yao Yao will spot my bright green immediately!"

Jiang Che didn't react much at first, but when he heard the name "Yao Yao" and saw Wang Kai's infatuated look, he realized what was happening and couldn't help but rub his temples.

He was disgusted twice at noon, and he's still in a bad mood. His mind is foggy, and he's even forgotten that he promised Wang Kai he'd take him to train with Liu Wei tomorrow.

Jiang Che hadn't expected Wang Kai to be so concerned about this matter. After not seeing him for only half a day, the fat man had even prepared all the necessary equipment. Jiang Che was somewhat reluctant to pour cold water on him.

Wang Kai didn't notice Jiang Che's increasingly uncomfortable expression. He kept his head down, immersed in the joy of running with his beloved goddess the next day.

While touching the new shoes in his arms, he chuckled and asked Jiang Che, "Brother Che, can you give me a sneak peek at tomorrow morning's special training? Just how strict is Instructor Liu?"

"You said it's my first day there, could he reduce the portion size a little for me, just for your sake?"