Chapter Twenty-Nine: Villains All Have the Habit of Keeping Diaries!

As a handsome man, Qin Luo always felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Every time he saw someone more attractive than himself, his first instinct was to go over and land a few punches on their face.

Indeed, the man standing behind them was undeniably good-looking: thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes—he wouldn’t even need makeup to star in a Taiwanese idol drama.

However, his voice was cold and sinister, his lips thin, giving off an impression of cunning and ruthlessness.

“Li Qingyang, this is between us. He has nothing to do with it,” Li Qingcheng raised an eyebrow, her tone filled with displeasure.

“Well, well, the infamous Black Widow actually speaking up for a man? Is the sun rising in the west today?” The man shot Qin Luo a hostile, mocking glance.

Li Qingcheng?

Qin Luo tilted his head at a forty-five degree angle, thinking carefully. Why did that name sound so familiar? He’d definitely heard it somewhere before.

“This is my business. It has nothing to do with you, either,” Li Qingcheng sneered, clearly unimpressed.

“Of course it has nothing to do with me.” Li Qingyang nodded. “But if you’re going to swap men, at least pick a better one. This kind of guy is a dime a dozen.”

Qin Luo had been planning to slip away quietly. After all, he didn’t really know these people. Whether they argued, cursed, or even started a knife fight, it had nothing to do with him. Besides, Lin Huanxi was probably already waiting for him outside.

But suddenly, the man turned his attention to Qin Luo, which made him extremely uncomfortable.

We’re all human—who are you to insult me?

“Hey, Li. I don’t really know her. Your quarrel has nothing to do with me. So don’t drag me into this—I have no part in it,” Qin Luo said, looking straight at Li Qingyang.

Li Qingyang let out a contemptuous laugh, gesturing at Qin Luo as he spoke to Li Qingcheng, “This time you’ve really picked a loser. He’s slept with you but doesn’t even have the guts to take responsibility?”

“Li Qingyang, let me repeat myself: I have nothing to do with him. I rejected you because I don’t like you. Always putting on that self-important, sour face—honestly, it’s a miracle I haven’t spat in your face already. Do you really think you’re some peerless gentleman?” Li Qingcheng’s fiery temper flared, her hands on her hips as she berated him.

“And what are you? Nothing but a whore who’ll sleep with anyone!”

“Exactly. And you can’t even win over a woman who’s supposedly available to everyone. Why are you still alive? You might as well just die,” Li Qingcheng retorted with practiced ease, her face unflinching as she handled the confrontation.

“You—you vile woman! Just wait and see how I deal with you,” Li Qingyang’s face contorted with rage, clearly wounded by her words.

“A man who only knows how to threaten women—how do you have the nerve to go on living? Why not just drop dead?” Li Qingcheng shot back.

“Li Qingcheng, keep acting arrogant. One day you’ll be begging me for mercy,” Li Qingyang spat, jabbing a finger at her. Then he turned to Qin Luo, poking him in the face, “And you. Kid. You’re on my list now.”

Qin Luo nodded, fished his phone out of his pocket, scrolled for a bit, and then recited a string of numbers to Li Qingyang.

“What?” Li Qingyang looked utterly confused.

“That was my phone number,” Qin Luo explained.

“And what? You planning to beg for mercy?” Li Qingyang sneered.

“No. I just thought you might have trouble finding me when you want to ‘deal with’ me. So I’m giving you my number—call me when you’re ready, and I’ll make sure to cooperate,” Qin Luo replied with a grin.

There was an old foreign saying: when someone slaps your left cheek, offer them your right. Qin Luo thought he embodied this principle quite well.

“You—damn, you’ve got guts. Good.” Li Qingyang trembled with anger, pointed at Qin Luo, and stormed off.

The look in his eyes as he left was full of hatred, promising nothing good.

After he’d gone, Qin Luo glanced at the alluring woman before him, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

“Little brother, what do you want to ask? Anything you want to know, I’ll tell you. For helping me just now, even if you want my measurements, I won’t hold back,” Li Qingcheng said with a sly, seductive smile.

“You’re Li Qingcheng?” Qin Luo asked, averting his gaze from her mesmerizing eyes.

“That’s right,” she answered frankly.

“I’ve heard of you,” Qin Luo admitted. It seemed that whenever someone mentioned Lin Huanxi, Li Qingcheng’s name would come up as well. Apparently, the two of them were some kind of ‘Ice and Fire’ duo.

“Do you always hear gossip about me? What do they say?” she asked, her curiosity now making her seem almost childlike.

“Not very nice things,” Qin Luo said tactfully.

“Let me guess—things like ‘Li Qingcheng is a slut, changes men every week, sleeps with dozens of guys a year,’ that sort of thing?” Li Qingcheng teased with a wry smile.

“…Something like that,” Qin Luo replied, taken aback by her self-awareness.

“So, would you like to be my new man? After all these men, I’m quite skilled in bed,” she said, biting her lip deliberately.

“We’re not suited for each other,” Qin Luo gritted out, frustrated. He hated being tempted—and every time, his heart wavered.

He hated making choices.

“How would you know if you haven’t tried? I’d be very cooperative,” Li Qingcheng chuckled, thinking this seemingly naive man was quite amusing.

“I have things to do. I’ll be off. You carry on,” Qin Luo said hurriedly, turning away before she could trap him further.

“Hey, little brother, don’t forget—you still owe me something!” she called after him, then laughed shamelessly.

Qin Luo shivered and broke into a run.

Urban women are tigers—there’s no denying it.

**********************************************

When Qin Luo reached the school gate, Lin Huanxi’s champagne-colored BMW was already waiting for him.

He’d hoped to avoid attention, but he’d underestimated Lin Huanxi’s allure. In the shops, restaurants, and at the bus stop near the entrance, countless medical students lingered, pretending to be busy while sneaking glances at the elegant figure calmly waiting in her car.

Caught up in a ‘student romance’ scandal, Lin Huanxi was the most talked-about figure on campus. Her presence at the gate in her luxury car was a spectacle everyone suspected had a story behind it.

Sure enough, as Qin Luo braced himself and walked over, he felt the sudden swell of murmured conversations around him. People pointed, whispered, even took out their phones to take pictures…

For a fleeting moment, Qin Luo felt a surge of pride. So this was what it felt like to be a celebrity?

“Were you waiting long?” he asked with a smile.

“No,” Lin Huanxi shook her head, starting the car.

If she hadn’t promised to wait for Qin Luo, she would have driven off long ago. Being stared at like a national treasure was completely out of character for her.

And yet, for reasons she couldn’t quite name, she hadn’t called to hurry him or suggested another meeting place.

“My mindset is changing,” Lin Huanxi thought to herself.

A normal life—falling in love, getting married, having children—was that really for her? Could she truly accept such a life?

But then, why did she still find herself so repulsed by those men? Why did every conversation with them leave her so irritable?

In the garden, Lin Qingyuan was watering the flowers, with his secretary Chen Lei standing by.

When Chen Lei saw Qin Luo, he greeted him with a smile. “Qin Luo, you’re back. I heard you’re teaching now—congratulations!”

“Thanks,” Qin Luo replied, patting Chen Lei on the shoulder. He’d always liked this straightforward friend.

But as Chen Lei turned to Lin Huanxi, his face flushed bright red and he stammered, “Sister Lin, you… you’re back?”

“Mm,” Lin Huanxi answered coolly.

Seeing the two return together, Lin Qingyuan smiled. “Qin Luo, you’re back.”

“Grandpa Lin, how come you’re home so early today?” Qin Luo asked, puzzled. The hospital was always busy, and the old man usually worked late into the night.

Moreover, Lin Qingyuan didn’t look well. Even his smile seemed forced—a detail Qin Luo didn’t miss. Clearly, something had happened at the hospital.

“Heh, I’m getting old. Watering flowers and tending vegetables is a blessing in itself, isn’t it?” Lin Qingyuan replied with a smile, though his tone was tinged with obvious reluctance.

“Did something happen?” Qin Luo approached the old man.

“Sigh, you’re as sharp as ever,” Lin Qingyuan sighed, tossing the watering can aside. “Today, the ministry called me in for a talk. They want me to step down early.”

“Step down? Well, that’s not so bad—you can focus on your garden,” Qin Luo said cheerfully.

“I know that in my head. I’m not power-hungry. I’m old and it’s my time. But I can’t accept this,” Lin Qingyuan said angrily. “If the position went to someone else, I could accept it. But to hand it to Ma Youcai—I can’t rest easy.”

“Ma Youcai becoming director?” Qin Luo was shocked. Why did this despicable man always manage to survive and stir up trouble? No matter how hard you tried to get rid of him, he kept coming back.

“They tried to persuade me to retire voluntarily before. I only refused because I didn’t want to hand things over to Ma Youcai, and I’d just been commended for some work thanks to your help. They couldn’t push me then.”

“But this time, who knows what strings he pulled. The decision’s already been made, and the official appointment is coming down soon,” Lin Qingyuan sighed, shaking his head, clearly frustrated by his powerlessness.

“He must have connections up top,” Qin Luo said with a bitter smile.

“Exactly. Otherwise, how could someone like him become director? He’s a slick bureaucrat, not a real doctor. A true doctor must have medical ethics—does he have any?” Lin Qingyuan spat.

“Then find a way to stop him,” Lin Huanxi interjected coldly.

“What could I possibly do?” Lin Qingyuan shook his head. “At my level, I can only make recommendations, not decisions. Even if I recommend someone else, the higher-ups might not listen.”

“Don’t worry, Grandpa Lin. Heaven has long arms—evil seldom goes unpunished,” Qin Luo said reassuringly. “These days, even villains tend to keep diaries. Who knows when their secrets will come to light?”