"Damn it!" Zhang Yang angrily threw his phone onto the sofa.
"I can’t do this anymore. You guys play without me."
Seeing Zhang Yang so furious, Wang Xinxin thoughtfully hugged his head.
Feeling the softness pressed against him and the faint fragrance of the young woman, Zhang Yang’s mood lightened significantly.
Losing a game? So what. The monkey on the other side could never imagine that he was the real winner in life.
After enjoying the moment for a while, Zhang Yang stood up. "Alright, carry on. I’m going to take a shower."
The three girls replied in unison. They were clearly not tired of playing yet.
Especially Xu Caimei, who was a pro; both Li Lingyu and Wang Xinxin were counting on her to lead them to victory.
Zhang Yang went into the bathroom, but he hadn’t been gone long.
Li Lingyu’s phone started ringing. "Girls, it’s Liu Chao calling me. What should I do? Pick up or not?"
Xu Caimei and Wang Xinxin immediately said in unison, "Pick it up."
Wang Xinxin added, "Then make it clear to him that he shouldn’t contact you again."
Xu Caimei nodded. "Exactly. Don’t be afraid; I’ve got your back."
With their encouragement, Li Lingyu felt slightly more composed.
After answering the call, Li Lingyu spoke first, "Liu Chao, what do you want now? If it’s nothing important, don’t call me again. We’ve broken up and have nothing to do with each other."
"Yu’er, why did you break up with me? There has to be a reason, right?"
Liu Chao’s tone took a drastic turn from earlier in the day. He spoke softly and sweetly.
But Li Lingyu only felt disgusted. "The reason is, I don’t want to do a long-distance relationship anymore. Plus, there are a lot of things about you that I dislike. Let’s just part ways peacefully."
Li Lingyu was determined not to give Liu Chao any chance.
But Liu Chao replied, "I’ve already called your parents. They’re on their way now, and I’ll come along with them to find you. Let’s talk things over face-to-face. Where are you?"
Hearing this, Li Lingyu panicked a little. "Liu Chao, are you crazy? Why are you dragging my parents into this?"
Laughing, Liu Chao said, "Both our parents have known about us for a long time, and your mom and dad really like me. They don’t agree with this breakup, so they’re coming too."
"Or do you mean to say you won’t even listen to your parents now?"
Xu Caimei and Wang Xinxin, who had overheard, both thought Liu Chao was incredibly manipulative.
Faced with this situation, Li Lingyu had no choice but to agree to meet Liu Chao.
With resignation, she said, "Where are you now?"
"I’m at the gate of your university. I can already see your parents getting out of the car."
Over the phone, Liu Chao’s overly enthusiastic voice could be heard. "Uncle, Auntie, you’re here. I’m on the phone with Yu’er now."
Soon after, her parents’ voices came through. "Honey, why would you break up with Liu Chao out of nowhere? We’re heading over with him right now to talk to you."
"Mom, I’ll come find you."
Li Lingyu didn’t want Liu Chao to know where they were currently living.
But her father’s tone became stern. "We heard that you’ve rented a place outside. We’ll just come over directly. It’ll give us a chance to see what the place is like."
"Dad, I’m sharing the apartment with friends. It’s not convenient."
"What’s so inconvenient about that? Just send us the address. We’re heading over."
With that, the call ended abruptly.
Li Lingyu was furious. Liu Chao actually got her parents involved.
But there was no way around it. She could only send over the address.
Then she turned to Xu Caimei and Wang Xinxin, saying, "When my parents come, make sure not to mention anything about Zhang Yang’s relationship with me. Just say Zhang Yang is Wang Xinxin’s boyfriend."
"Don’t worry; we get it," Xu Caimei assured her.
Zhang Yang was still in the shower, completely unaware of what was unfolding outside.
It didn’t take long for Liu Chao to show up with Li Lingyu’s parents.
When the parents saw there were three girls in the apartment, they seemed visibly relieved.
Xu Caimei, Wang Xinxin, and Li Lingyu had all changed into fresh clothes.
Liu Chao made himself at home, even helping himself to the snacks on the table.
Li Lingyu’s mom was the first to speak up. "Why did you stop living in the school dormitory?"
"Mom, I’m already a senior. I need to get used to living out in the real world."
Her father waved it off dismissively. "That’s a minor issue. The real question is, why did you break up with Liu Chao? You’ve been together for so long."
"You’re about to graduate. Once you find stable jobs, it’ll be time to settle down and get married. Breaking up now is just irresponsible. What problems can’t be talked through?"
"Liu Chao has done very well in school. He’s guaranteed a good job right after graduation."
"A guy as excellent as Liu Chao, whose background we know well, is hard to come by. And you’re still not satisfied?"
Liu Chao sat there, grinning smugly. A person as outstanding as him is truly one in a million.
But Li Lingyu retorted, "Dad, please stop interfering in our relationship. I wasn’t happy or satisfied being with him."
Wang Xinxin jumped in to support her. "Exactly. Uncle, Auntie, I’ve seen firsthand how unhappy Yu’er was with him."
"Besides, Liu Chao isn’t as great as you think he is."
Xu Caimei chimed in as well and recounted what had happened earlier that day.
What surprised all three girls, though, was that Li Lingyu’s parents still stood by Liu Chao.
"Alright, Liu Chao already told us about this, and it’s not a big deal. It was just a pair of sneakers. He knows he was wrong."
"But Dad, he’s been booking hotel rooms with other women. Do you think that’s no big deal too?"
Hearing this, her parents finally hesitated a little.
Liu Chao quickly jumped in to explain. "That was just because of the distance between us. I was influenced by my classmates and made a mistake in a weak moment. But I swear, it won’t happen again."
"I promise this, Uncle, Auntie. I can even write it down if you’d like."
Liu Chao’s skill at coaxing people was truly impressive. His sincerity won over Li Lingyu’s parents.
"Once you both graduate and settle down, everything will be fine. So, just don’t break up."
Xu Caimei frowned slightly. The reaction from Li Lingyu’s parents was very odd.
Aren’t parents supposed to stand up for their child if she’s been wronged?
No matter how "gifted" Liu Chao was, he wasn’t that exceptional, was he?
"Uncle, Auntie, what will you do if Li Lingyu insists on breaking up with Liu Chao?" Xu Caimei probed.
"Absolutely not!" Li Lingyu’s father suddenly declared firmly.
Her mother sighed and added, "Better not break up. It could impact the relationship between both families."