Ling Yucheng's cool face flickered with a hint of helplessness. He said calmly, "I'm very busy. I'll trouble you with my girlfriend's case."
"The case isn't..."
Mid-sentence, Situ Jing's face instantly turned pale. She looked up and asked incredulously, "What did you say? Girlfriend?"
Ling Yucheng's lips curved slightly, his tone seeming to hold more gentleness than before.
"Yes, girlfriend."
Those four short words felt like several sharp stabs to her heart.
Situ Jing's expression became stiff, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Your girlfriend is… Xia Wantang?"
She had already understood the entire case, so she knew who Xia Wantang was.
Ling Yucheng turned to look at her, his eyes full of seriousness. "Yes, it's her."
Although it was cruel, he still had to say it. It was best to break any lingering illusions early on.
He didn't like Situ Jing. Even though they had grown up together since childhood, dislike was dislike.
Situ Jing's red lips trembled slightly, her face full of hurt. Her heart felt as if it had shattered into pieces.
He had a girlfriend.
His girlfriend was Xia Wantang.
A stranger's name, a stranger's person.
She understood Ling Yucheng. What he said was definitely true. Those he acknowledged were definitely the ones he had chosen.
"Brother Yucheng, I wish you happiness."
Ling Yucheng could feel her sadness, but he wouldn't overstep to feel sorry for her, so he just nodded gently.
"Thank you."
Situ Jing shook her head with a bitter smile, stood up without a word, and walked out in a daze.
Ling Yucheng watched her leave calmly, without saying any unnecessary words.
If he couldn't give her what she wanted, then any unwarranted concern and affection had to be completely severed.
He couldn't give her any hope, couldn't let her hold onto any illusions.
Situ Jun, after reaching the top floor, lingered in the secretary's office area, teasing the female secretaries.
He knew his sister's feelings, so he deliberately delayed his time. Who knew that in just a moment, his sister would come out looking lost and dejected.
He lost the mood to tease the secretaries and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Why did you come out so soon? Didn't you catch up with Yucheng?"
Situ Jing glanced at him, her expression gloomy, and ignored him, walking straight past him.
Situ Jun was confused and quickly chased after her, asking what happened and what had gone wrong.
Before entering the elevator, Situ Jing said in a hoarse voice, "Yucheng… has a girlfriend."
Situ Jun's mouth gaped open in surprise, as if he had heard the most bizarre news in the world.
He shook his head, "Impossible, impossible. How could he possibly have a girlfriend? There isn't even a woman around him."
Situ Jing ignored him, directly entered the elevator, and pressed the button for the first floor.
The moment the elevator doors closed, her tears finally broke through, falling in streaks.
Situ Jun, however, had no intention of leaving. He turned and directly barged into Ling Yucheng's office.
"Ling Yucheng, where did you get a girlfriend? You can't lie to my sister. You know she's liked you for so many years."
Ling Yucheng sat on the sofa, lighting a cigarette. He took a deep drag, then exhaled, the smoke gradually dissipating.
He looked at Situ Jun, who had sat down on his own, his expression unreadable. His words almost made Situ Jun fall to the ground.
"Thanks to you, otherwise how could I have this fate?"
"What are you saying? Don't talk nonsense. If my sister finds out, she'll tear me apart. I've always wanted you to be my brother-in-law." Situ Jun said with a look of horror.
Ling Yucheng let out a light laugh, then raised his eyebrows. "Have I ever lied to you since we were kids?"
Situ Jun fell silent, his expression gradually becoming serious. His amber eyes fixed on the person in front of him.
He asked in a deep voice, "Are you serious? What's going on?"
Ling Yucheng pondered for a moment, then selectively explained what had happened.
This whole thing was actually triggered by Situ Jun.
If he hadn't insisted on dragging Ling Yucheng out for a drink, Ling Yucheng would have returned to Linglu Mountain after work that day.
And if that wasn't enough, he had to slip an aphrodisiac into the drink, causing his internal fire to become blocked.
In the end, he had no choice but to temporarily stay at a hotel.
Situ Jun grabbed his hair, feeling extremely frustrated and with a look of wanting to die.
If he had known that a casual joke would cause him to lose a brother-in-law, he would never have done it.
However, he also knew that Ling Yucheng had no feelings for his sister at all.
Ling Yucheng extinguished the cigarette in his hand in the ashtray and said helplessly, "Since we were young, I've only treated your sister as a sister. I hope you can comfort her well. I didn't intend to hurt her."
Situ Jun was almost pulling all his hair out. How was he supposed to tell his sister? If she knew this karmic debt started because of him, she'd probably flay him alive.
Ling Yucheng reminded him, "Your sister went out alone. You should go check on her."
Situ Jun nodded, stood up, and walked out. His expression was just as dejected as his sister's when she left.
He and Situ Jing were twins. Although they bickered since childhood, they had a very good relationship.
But he understood that feelings couldn't be forced. Although his sister had liked Ling Yucheng for many years, it had always been one-sided.
Ling Yucheng had no intentions towards her.
After Situ Jun left, Ling Yucheng took out his phone to check the time. It was almost lunchtime.
He pulled out his phone, found Xia Wantang's number, and dialed it.
Xia Wantang had just finished class and was eating in the cafeteria.
She had two classes in the morning and one in the afternoon. After class, she could go home.
Just as she had served her food and sat down, before she could even pick up her chopsticks, her phone rang.
She took out her phone and saw that the caller ID was Ling Yucheng.
She quickly pressed the answer button. On the other end of the line, a deep, magnetic male voice came through.
"Are you eating?"
Xia Wantang replied, "Yes, I'm eating."
"Are you at home? Or somewhere else?"
"I'm at the cafeteria. I'm a tutor at Borren Training Institution."
The voice on the other end quickly replied, "What time do you get off work? I'll pick you up."
"Ah, no need. I have one more class this afternoon and then I'm off. You're so busy with work, just focus on yours. I'll go back by myself."
Ling Yucheng was silent for a moment, then said "Mm" and hung up.
Xia Wantang blinked, recalling the conversation. She hadn't said anything wrong, had she?
Unable to figure it out, she decided not to dwell on it and picked up her chopsticks to start eating.
After eating, she could go back to her office and take a nap. Her class was the second one in the afternoon.
She would be off work around three o'clock and could go home.
After work, she would buy some groceries and cook dinner. She wondered if Ling Yucheng would be back for dinner.
Thinking of this, she took out her phone, but looking at the number, she didn't have the courage to call.
In the end, she copied the number and went to the social app WeChat, searched for the contact, and sent a friend request.
To her surprise, it was accepted as soon as she sent it. His profile picture was the default avatar, and his WeChat name was just a single dot.