TCBHIWAF Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Don’t Use Something Like This to Deceive Me

Ye Xingchen stared intently at Lin Yu, his gaze seeming to want to see right through him, searching for even the slightest hint of deception in his eyes.

Lin Yu, not backing down, returned Ye Xingchen’s stare with a steadfast gaze, appearing as if he would never change his story.

After a moment of tense silence, Ye Xingchen slowly released his grip on Lin Yu’s neck, took a deep breath, and tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart. His voice was low and tinged with threat:

“Yu, you better think this through. Don’t use something like this to deceive me.”

Lin Yu rubbed his neck, which was still sore from being choked. Though he felt a lingering fear, he stubbornly held his ground, saying, “I’m not deceiving you. I’m serious. She’s very important to me.”

Ye Xingchen took a step back, his face etched with a complex and indecipherable expression, a mixture of anger, disappointment, and unwillingness.

He let out a cold laugh: “Alright, very well. Since that’s what you say, then I’ll just have to see what’s so good about her that makes you willing to fall out with me over her.”

Lin Yu’s heart tightened. He hadn’t expected Ye Xingchen to react this way. He originally thought that throwing out the “girlfriend” card would make Ye Xingchen back down, but he hadn’t anticipated that it would instead ignite his curiosity and fighting spirit.

Lin Yu forced himself to remain calm, saying, “Don’t be unreasonable. Our love is genuine. Don’t bother us anymore.”

Ye Xingchen scoffed as if he had heard something ridiculous, retorting:

“Genuine love? We’ve known each other for so many years, how come I’ve never heard you mention this person? Do you think you can get rid of me with some made-up reason?”

Lin Yu was momentarily speechless, unsure of how to respond.

He began to regret his impulsive decision, but the words were already spoken, and he couldn’t take them back easily.

Seeing Lin Yu’s expression, Ye Xingchen became even more convinced that he was lying, but he was frustrated by the lack of evidence.

He narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then said, “In that case, find a time to bring her out and let me see if your relationship is truly as strong as you claim.”

Lin Yu bit the bullet and agreed: “Okay… Next time, I’ll bring her to meet you.”

He thought, he would ask Xia Meng to help him again, to pretend to be his girlfriend and dispel Ye Xingchen’s doubts.

Ye Xingchen looked at Lin Yu’s clearly unconfident demeanor and sneered inwardly. He knew there was something fishy going on, and he was determined to uncover his “lie” himself.

Then, Ye Xingchen changed the subject, saying, “Since you can’t prove it right now, come downstairs and have dinner with me. I’m hungry.”

Lin Yu was speechless, unable to resist complaining in his mind: “I suspect this guy was a glutton in his past life. Even at this tense moment, he’s still thinking about food.”

But at that moment, he couldn’t refuse, so he just replied irritably, “Fine.”

The two of them went downstairs one after the other and entered the restaurant.

Lin Yu told the servants to hurry up with the dishes, while he sat at the table, still racking his brains to figure out how to deal with Ye Xingchen.

Ye Xingchen, on the other hand, looked relaxed. He picked up his chopsticks and began to devour the food without restraint, occasionally glancing at the absent-minded Lin Yu across the table.

“Why aren’t you eating? Still thinking about your girlfriend? The last time I saw her, I felt something was off. Are you sure she’s really your girlfriend?”

Lin Yu glared at him, saying irritably, “Mind your own business. Of course she’s my girlfriend.”

Although his words were strong, Lin Yu’s heart was pounding, since Xia Meng was only temporarily helping to pretend.

Ye Xingchen put down his chopsticks, stared at Lin Yu, and said with a smile that wasn’t a smile, “How did you two meet, exactly?”

Lin Yu secretly cried out in his heart. In his haste, he had no choice but to come up with a story: “We just met by chance. She dropped something on the road, and I helped her pick it up. We chatted for a bit and found we got along well.”

Ye Xingchen raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him.

“Oh? That’s quite a coincidence? Then how long have you been together?”

“Since you left last time, I got together with her.”

Ye Xingchen chuckled.

“So fast? Seems like a lot happened after I left.” He narrowed his eyes, a hint of suspicion in his gaze.

“Hurry up and eat.” With that, Lin Yu lowered his head to eat.

The meal tasted like nothing, Lin Yu’s mind was filled with thoughts of how to deal with Ye Xingchen’s questioning, while Ye Xingchen frequently sized up Lin Yu, trying to find a flaw in his expression.

After the meal, Lin Yu went straight to the study on the second floor, picked up a book at random, and pretended to read it calmly.

But he had no interest in reading at all. Although his eyes were fixed on the pages, his thoughts had already drifted far away, his mind filled with how to get Xia Meng to help him and successfully get through Ye Xingchen’s scrutiny.

Ye Xingchen naturally didn’t plan to let Lin Yu off the hook, and followed him to the study.

He casually found a place to sit, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Yu.

Lin Yu felt uncomfortable being watched, and after reading only a few pages, he put the book down and went to the gym.

In the gym, Lin Yu walked to the treadmill, turned it on, and started running, trying to calm himself down through exercise.

Ye Xingchen also came in. He didn’t work out, but leaned against a piece of equipment, quietly watching Lin Yu.

As the speed of the treadmill increased, Lin Yu’s breathing gradually became rapid, and sweat dripped down his forehead.

He could feel Ye Xingchen’s piercing gaze on his back, and he became increasingly agitated.

Finally, he couldn’t help but stop the treadmill, turn to look at Ye Xingchen, and say irritably, “What exactly do you want? You keep staring at me, how am I supposed to work out?”

The corners of Ye Xingchen’s mouth turned up slightly, revealing a faint smile.

“I’m just seeing if you’re so eager to avoid me because you have something to hide.”

Lin Yu frowned and replied, forcing himself to remain calm, “What could I possibly have to hide? Don’t be unreasonable, you’re affecting my workout.”

Ye Xingchen, however, was relentless, taking a step forward and staring intently at Lin Yu.

“Yu, you better tell the truth. Don’t think you can fool me by just finding someone random.”

Lin Yu was forced back a step by Ye Xingchen, his heart in a mess, but he still stubbornly said, “What I’m saying is the truth, believe it or not.”

Ye Xingchen looked into Lin Yu’s eyes, trying to find a hint of guilt or panic, but Lin Yu was now going all out, forcing himself to meet his gaze.

The two of them stood there in a stalemate, and the atmosphere in the gym instantly became tense.

After a while.

Lin Yu gave in first, “Get out of the way, I still want to work out.”

He walked towards the dumbbell rack and picked out a pair of heavier dumbbells.

He held the dumbbells steadily in both hands, took a deep breath, and began to do dumbbell bench presses.

With each lift, his muscles tensed up due to the effort, and sweat dripped down his arms, falling to the floor.

Seeing this, Ye Xingchen frowned and said, “Be careful, you’re using something so heavy, what if you get hurt later?”

Lin Yu, while struggling to lift the dumbbells, said stubbornly, “I won’t.”

As soon as he finished speaking, due to excessive force and distraction, Lin Yu’s arm suddenly weakened, and the dumbbells almost fell on him.

Ye Xingchen reacted quickly, rushed forward in a flash, and steadily supported the dumbbells, helping Lin Yu put them back on the rack.

Lin Yu looked at Ye Xingchen with some embarrassment, feeling both annoyed and helpless, but he didn’t appreciate the help, saying, “Who needs your help, I can do it myself.”