Chapter 73: The Arrival of Ye Rong |
Liu Changqing's words made Zhao Yalin's expression darken.
Her gaze fixed on Liu Changqing, filled with doubt as memories of him surfaced one by one in her mind.
There was no mistake—it had to be him.
Her expression turned anxious, and she placed a hand over her chest.
"It's me! Zhao Yalin! You can’t possibly not recognize me!"
"But I really can't remember who you are."
Liu Changqing frowned as he answered.
He wasn’t lying.
This woman named Zhao Yalin, whether by her appearance or her name, left no deep impression on Liu Changqing.
"..."
Hearing his reply, Zhao Yalin was momentarily at a loss for words. After a while, she stepped forward, looking at Liu Changqing.
"Let’s sit down and have a proper talk..."
"..."
Now it was Liu Changqing's turn to remain silent.
After thinking for a moment, he responded to Zhao Yalin.
"Miss Zhao, if this is how your company conducts its business, then... I’m sorry, I don’t think there’s any need to collaborate."
"No, that’s not it!"
Zhao Yalin appeared flustered.
But Liu Changqing couldn’t shake the suspicion that he didn’t actually know her. He strongly suspected this was just a strategy from her company.
Pretend to be an old acquaintance, gather random bits of information beforehand, and then use the guise of being classmates to ease communication.
Unfortunately, Liu Changqing wasn’t buying it.
"If you really know me, then tell me when we supposedly met."
He mocked with a sneer.
"We were middle school classmates."
"Just as I thought."
Liu Changqing’s expression clearly said, "I knew it."
"Are you going to say next that we were desk mates or seated in adjacent rows?"
"I sat in front of you..."
"Alright, stop right there."
Liu Changqing interrupted her, his tone growing impatient.
"Do you expect me to believe such a coincidence? I write novels, your company reaches out to me, and by sheer chance, we also happen to be old classmates?"
He glanced at Zhao Yalin before turning away.
"I’m leaving."
With that, he pushed the door open and walked out.
Perhaps their voices had been loud during the conversation, for as soon as Liu Changqing stepped out, he was met with the curious gazes of over twenty employees in the office.
The rows of interested eyes made him feel uneasy. With a darkened expression, he left the premises.
Inside the office, Zhao Yalin stood frozen in place.
She didn’t try to stop Liu Changqing from leaving.
Instead, she stood there, puzzled as to why he didn’t remember her at all.
Memories flooded her mind.
After a long while, she let out a sigh.
Liu Changqing opened the car door, and once everything was set, he drove off.
He felt that what had happened today was utterly ridiculous.
Sitting in front of him in middle school?
In Liu Changqing’s faint recollection, his front desk in middle school was a boy—not a girl named Zhao Yalin.
Not even the gender matched. Who were they trying to fool?
In hindsight, he thought it would have been better to contact the novel website directly and let them arrange a deal with the publisher. At least that would have saved him from unnecessary trouble.
With a sigh, Liu Changqing headed home. On the way, he stopped to buy some paper and pens.
Since the concept of Pocket Monsters was already taking shape in his mind, it was better to start drafting ideas as soon as possible. Although he wasn’t skilled in game development, drawing was right up his alley.
Otherwise, all those years of studying art in his past life would have been wasted.
After parking in his usual spot downstairs, Liu Changqing grabbed the paper and pens he had bought and prepared to head upstairs.
As he approached the building, he noticed a luxury car parked not far away and was a bit surprised. Seeing such a car in this area was rare.
However, Liu Changqing wasn’t particularly concerned about cars. To him, they were just tools for transportation. Of course, he’d upgrade if he had more money in the future.
He started climbing the stairs.
Just as he was about to reach home, his steps faltered.
Standing at his door was someone he hadn’t expected.
In that moment, Liu Changqing’s expression turned icy.
“Is she inside?”
“Madam just arrived,” said the driver at the door.
Liu Changqing recognized this driver well. Back when he was still married, they had exchanged words occasionally.
The driver stood tall, his years only adding to his aura. Women with a preference for mature men would probably swoon over him.
Hearing the driver’s response, Liu Changqing didn’t say more.
He simply took out his keys, patted the driver on the shoulder, and said, “Step aside. I need to open the door.”
“The door’s unlocked.”
“...”
Liu Changqing pocketed his keys, reached out, and grabbed the doorknob.
He pulled the door open.
Inside, Liu Xiazhi was already awake and sitting on the sofa, her posture prim and ladylike. She was making a visible effort to maintain it.
Beside her sat another woman.
She had short hair and dressed fashionably, her makeup thick but skillfully applied, making her skin appear smooth and pale. Her face bore an uncanny resemblance to Li Wanran’s.
Ye Rong.
Liu Changqing would never forget this face.
“A rare guest,” Liu Changqing said flatly as he closed the door.
This was the first time since his transmigration that he had met this woman—the one he loathed deeply in his memories. Still, his gaze carried a hint of curiosity.
He wanted to see what kind of person could be so shameless.
Ye Rong ignored him entirely, as if he were invisible.
She sat beside Liu Xiazhi, observing her.
Liu Xiazhi, trying her best to maintain an unnatural sitting posture, looked visibly strained.
Ye Rong noticed and spoke in a firmer tone, “Always keep a gentle smile on your face. That’s the basic requirement of a lady.”
Startled by the remark, Liu Xiazhi flinched and quickly forced a strained expression, which to Liu Changqing looked painfully unnatural.
Ye Rong stared at her face, her gaze flickering with a hint of disappointment.
“That’s enough for now,” she finally said, her tone indifferent.
To Liu Xiazhi, however, it sounded like a signal of liberation.
She exhaled deeply, her tense expression collapsing as she slumped against the sofa, completely drained.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and glanced sideways.
Ye Rong, noticing her posture, frowned in displeasure, prompting Liu Xiazhi to quickly sit upright again, frightened.
Liu Changqing couldn’t watch anymore. He stepped forward, gently patted his daughter’s head, and said softly, “Be good. Go to your room.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Nodding rapidly, Liu Xiazhi got up without hesitation and scurried into her room.
With a bang, the door slammed shut.
From the moment Liu Xiazhi entered her room, silence fell over the living room.
After a moment’s thought, Liu Changqing sat on the sofa, keeping some distance from Ye Rong.
He picked up a cup from the coffee table and poured himself some water.
“I don’t drink this kind of water,” Ye Rong remarked.
Liu Changqing paused for a moment but continued filling the cup.
He then picked it up and downed the entire contents in one go.
“I wasn’t pouring it for you. Besides, we don’t have cups that suit someone of your stature.”
He added as if remembering something, “Oh, right. If you’re thirsty but find our cups dirty, I’d suggest heading to the bathroom sink. Just open the tap and drink straight from there.”
He gave her a mocking smile.
“That way, you won’t dirty your mouth, right?”
“Are you trying to gain the upper hand with words?”
Ye Rong’s expression remained unchanged, her head slightly tilted upward. She looked at him with the condescending gaze of someone born to look down on others.
This kind of disdainful gaze disgusted Liu Changqing.
“If that’s how you interpret it, I have nothing more to say. After all, I’m just looking out for you by suggesting the most practical option.”
Liu Changqing shook his head with a faint smile.
“Breaking into private property—this is a family trait of yours, isn’t it?”
He leaned back against the sofa, mimicking her posture by tilting his head upward as he stared at her.
“Your daughter did this before, and now you’re doing the same. Coming and going as you please without notice. So…”
He paused, his sharp eyes locking onto her.
“Do you think I don’t exist? Back then, it was written in black and white—you took everything, and I got custody of the two kids. So what’s the meaning of this now?”
Ye Rong looked at Liu Changqing, her eyes flashing with a hint of surprise.
This once submissive man seemed different now.
But that didn’t deter her. She reached into her bag, pulled out a bank card, and placed it lightly on the coffee table, pushing it toward him.
“There’s 500,000 yuan in this card.”
“Double the amount? Your daughter only gave 100,000 last time.”
“You’re out of money now, aren’t you? I’ve already heard—you’re working in a bookstore.”
Ye Rong’s words brought a flicker of surprise to Liu Changqing’s face.
She noticed it and wasn’t surprised, thinking she had struck a nerve.
But what Ye Rong didn’t realize was that Liu Changqing’s surprise wasn’t due to her knowledge of his bookstore job.
He was amazed at how outdated her information was. Hadn’t she followed up on him since learning about the bookstore?
Lowering his head slowly, Liu Changqing appeared as though she had touched on a sore spot. His body trembled slightly, as if struggling to suppress himself.
Ye Rong furrowed her brows briefly before relaxing.
As expected, still the same—no growth at all.
Liu Changqing clenched his fists, his face reddening as if from anger.
Then, glaring at Ye Rong with wide eyes, he bellowed, “Even if I have no money, I will raise my two children myself!!”