Chương 136: Lin Che's Decision

Before Lin Che could react to Luo Bingli's pointed words, Su Yuqing jumped up from the spot like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

She strode up to Luo Bingli, grabbed her shoulders and shook them violently, her voice filled with disbelief and indignation:

"Well, Li! I knew you weren't up to any good! You've 'betrayed' me twice, so that's what you were planning! You're so cunning!"

Luo Bingli was a little dizzy from being shaken by Su Yuqing, but the smile on her face did not change at all: "Of course, it would be fine if no one made any requests, but since you have already asked Yuqing to let Xiaoying sleep with you again, then I—of course I should have a share too, right?"

"After all, the energy cores I gave out last night were no less than what you gave out."

"It seems—that's the truth, there's no way to refute it—." Su Yuqing lowered her head in frustration, her voice becoming weak and listless.

But soon, she suddenly raised her head again, her bright eyes rekindling her fighting spirit, and a confident smile returned to her face.

"Anyway, I'm sure I can find other ways to get you to willingly transform and sleep with me, A-Che. Speaking of which, take a look at this!"

Under Luo Bingli's slightly helpless gaze, she took out her phone from her pocket. On the screen was the photo that Ji Ying had taken unexpectedly last night. It seemed that she had even carefully set it as her lock screen wallpaper and chat background.

Looking at Su Yuqing's shameless expression that clearly said "I've got you figured out," and the irrefutable evidence of his past that made him want to die on the spot, Lin Che felt dizzy and almost couldn't catch his breath.

"Didn't we agree to delete it after last night?! Why is it still here? Delete that photo right now! Immediately! Right now!"

"Hey? But I finally managed to take this picture. Xiaoying is so cute, I haven't had enough of admiring her yet." Su Yuqing pouted, feigning reluctance.

"Look, look! Once you delete it, you'll never see it again. This little video is so cute, don't you feel any regret, A-Che?"

"I don't regret it at all! In fact, I can only sleep well at night after deleting it!"

Lin Che snatched the phone from Su Yuqing's hand and quickly deleted the "dark history" photo that he couldn't bear to look back on.

After doing all this, he even carefully checked the cloud storage and the recently deleted items on his phone.

After repeatedly confirming that the "sinful" photo had completely disappeared from the world, I finally breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling that my heart, which had almost exploded from shame and anger, had finally calmed down a little.

However, just as he returned the phone to Su Yuqing, he saw the calm expression on her face, which carried a hint of regret but not any real annoyance, and the fleeting glint of cunning in her eyes.

A strong sense of foreboding surged into his heart again without warning.

Something's not right! Why is this girl being so agreeable today? She just let me delete the photos so easily? Without even a hint of bargaining or resistance? This isn't like her at all.

He looked at the girl in front of him suspiciously and tentatively asked, "Yuqing, aren't you being a little too easy to talk to today? You let me delete the photos so easily? You didn't even secretly keep a backup or anything?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yuqing immediately straightened her back, a self-righteous expression on her face: "Of course! How could you think of me like that, A-Che?"

"Didn't we already agree? As long as you didn't undo 'Xiaoying's' transformation last night, I would delete that photo this morning. I, Su Yuqing, keep my word; once I promise, I will never go back on my word!"

Something seems a bit suspicious—did she really not keep a backup plan to blackmail me?

Looking at Su Yuqing's confident demeanor, Lin Che, though still harboring doubts, couldn't find any reason to refute her, and could only shake his head helplessly.

Luo Bingli, who had witnessed the whole farce from the sidelines, subtly shifted her gaze elsewhere when she heard Su Yuqing's righteous and eloquent defense, and her expression became somewhat subtle.

Su Yuqing keenly noticed the subtle change in her friend's expression, immediately flashing a threatening look while silently mouthing a clear message: "Don't! Tell! Her!"

Luo Bingli subconsciously touched the small phone in her school uniform pocket, nodded slightly, and mouthed in response, "Put it in."

Lin Che remained oblivious to all of this. He walked behind the two of them, staring at Su Yuqing's phone, seemingly searching for a hidden backup of the picture, or perhaps pondering something else.

Soon the three of them arrived at the fork in the road in front of the teaching building. Luo Bingli stopped, turned around, and waved gently to Lin Che and Su Yuqing: "Lin Che, Yuqing, I'm going to the junior high section first."

"Okay, Li, see you after school this afternoon," Lin Che replied with a smile.

"Bye-bye, Xiao Li! Let's go get some crepes after school!" Su Yuqing waved enthusiastically.

Luo Bingli smiled and nodded, waved again, and then turned and walked towards the junior high school building. Her slightly slender figure seemed to have more ease and vitality than usual in the morning light.

Lin Che watched her figure disappear around the corner of the teaching building. The smile on his face gradually faded, and his gaze turned to the direction she left, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

Su Yuqing keenly noticed Lin Che's unusual behavior. She leaned closer and asked curiously, "Che, what's wrong? You've been distracted since earlier. Are you still worried about Xiao Li?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Che snapped out of his reverie, gently shook his head, and a warm smile returned to his face: "It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something. Let's go inside quickly, or we'll be late for morning self-study."

Then, he waved his phone, somewhat hesitantly asking, "Speaking of which—Yuqing, you really—didn't you make any backup of that photo?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yuqing immediately rolled her eyes adorably and shook her head, saying, "If you can find that photo, I'll let you do whatever you want with me. When have I ever lied to you about something like this?"

Lin Che shook his head helplessly and smiled, "Alright, I believe you."

Su Yuqing nodded in satisfaction, took her phone back from Lin Che, put it back in her pocket, hummed an off-key tune, and skipped into the high school building ahead of Lin Che.

Lin Che watched her slightly excited back, but the unease in his heart remained, undiminished by her "assurance".

I have a feeling that things aren't that simple. Although it may not be related to that photo, this girl is definitely up to something!

He shook his head helplessly again, temporarily putting aside these chaotic thoughts, and stepped into the teaching building.

Another day of classes passed quietly and uneventfully. As evening approached, the afterglow of the setting sun painted the sky a warm orange-red.

Lin Che walked out of the school gate with his schoolbag on his back, but did not go home with Su Yuqing and Luo Bingli as expected.

"Yuqing, Xiaoli," he looked at the two girls in front of him with an apologetic smile, "I have some things to take care of tonight, so I might be late going home. You two go home together first, and be careful on the way."

Su Qingwen asked curiously, "Hey? A-Che, what's wrong? Do you need my help?"

Luo Bingli also cast a concerned glance at her.

Lin Che shook his head: "It's not about 'that place,' it's just some personal matters. I can handle it myself. You guys should go back now, don't keep Mom, Dad, and Xiaoye waiting."

Seeing Lin Che's resolute attitude, Su Yuqing, though still somewhat curious, did not press him further. She simply told him to go home early. Luo Bingli glanced at Lin Che, seemingly trying to discern something from his expression, but ultimately just nodded gently.

Watching the two girls disappear around the street corner, Lin Che's smile gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression. He took a deep breath and turned to walk in the opposite direction from home.

Finally, he stopped in front of a slightly old apartment building, looked up at a window with a light on, and tried to calm his heart, which was racing slightly with nervousness.

He knew that what he was about to do was presumptuous, and might even cause Xiao Li to start rejecting him again.

Distance yourself from yourself.

But—he had no other choice.

This was a decision he had silently made in his heart last night after listening to her heartfelt and desperate outpouring at the bathroom door.

Some things must be done by someone, and some "fumes" must be opened by someone's own hands.

This process may be incredibly painful, but only in this way can the wound truly begin to heal, and only then can that sensitive yet incredibly strong girl truly emerge from the shadows of the past and embrace her new life.

Upon reaching the door, his outstretched finger paused in mid-air for a moment before, with unwavering resolve, he gently pressed the doorbell.

"Ding-dong 1_" The crisp sound of the doorbell rang out clearly in the quiet hallway.

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