Lu Qilin didn’t ask much, silently driving all the way to send Tang Yanqi to the school. Just three minutes after they left, a bus slowly arrived at the station, empty except for the driver.
Lu Qilin’s car couldn’t enter K University, so he simply parked at the usual spot by the side gate. As Tang Yanqi got out to thank him and leave, Lu Qilin spoke first: "Yanqi, can you walk with me? Just to your dorm, and I’ll take you back."
Tang Yanqi refused without a second thought: "I’m familiar with this road, senior, you don’t need to worry."
She dodged the real issue, focusing on "going back to the dorm," thus rejecting Lu Qilin without hurting his feelings.
Given Lu Qilin’s usual attitude towards her, Tang Yanqi thought he would understand her meaning and follow her lead, but he seemed different tonight. Being a lawyer, he naturally exuded a lawyer’s unique sense of thoroughness.
He looked at Tang Yanqi intently: "Yanqi, didn’t you say we’re still friends? If we’re friends, you wouldn’t reject me . Or are you saying my confession last time scared you? Are we no longer friends?"
Not a single word from Lu Qilin was excessive, yet strung together they inexplicably made one feel suffocated and at a loss for words.
Tang Yanqi pursed her lips and nodded: "Let’s go."
Entering through the side gate, Tang Yanqi always kept a not-too-close, not-too-distant distance from Lu Qilin. For some reason, she suddenly felt very suffocated and awkward.
Her relationship with Lu Qilin had always been good, and it wasn’t the first time the two walked on campus, but now was the first time it felt so awkward.
Lu Qilin walked a little ahead of Tang Yanqi. She looked up at his back and lowered her head again. Today, it seemed someone also walked with her through the campus . Was it awkward then too?
But why, in retrospect, Tang Yanqi realized that her awkwardness almost entirely came from the gazes of others around, not from the person walking with her through the campus. This text is hosted at novel·fire.net
Tang Yanqi lightly sighed inwardly, was it really different?
No matter what her relationship with Sheng Jianan was, Sheng Jianan was ultimately that person in her heart, an untouchable forbidden zone inside her, whereas Lu Qilin was not; she only considered him a friend. So, when certain things were exposed, awkwardness inevitably prevailed.
Tang Yanqi hadn’t spoken all the way. Just as they were almost at the dormitory, Lu Qilin suddenly stopped, turned, and looked intently at Tang Yanqi.
"If one day you want to leave, please be sure to tell me."
Lu Qilin’s sudden words left Tang Yanqi puzzled, yet Lu Qilin suddenly laughed, returning to the warm and gentle senior he used to be.
"Nothing, just remember my words. Go on up."
Lu Qilin reached out to touch Tang Yanqi’s hair. He intended to ruffle it like before but ultimately held back.
Tang Yanqi marrying into the Sheng Family was not her wish, but no matter what, she had ultimately married someone else, becoming someone else’s wife, and Lu Qilin was mindful of boundaries.
However, if one day she wanted to leave, he would spare no effort to take her away.
Watching Tang Yanqi go upstairs, a complex look flashed in Lu Qilin’s eyes. Tang Yanqi’s weak point was her mother, which was also why the Tang Family could control her. Trying to cut off the source, he once attempted to help her find her mother, but he failed.