"Rong Rong, what's wrong?"
"I won't lend you money. Don't even think about getting that spot," Qin Rong suddenly said coldly.
Cheng Miao's face changed dramatically. "Rong Rong, what do you mean?"
Cheng's Father and Cheng's Mother immediately became anxious.
Cheng's Father frowned and said, "Aren't you my son's girlfriend? And my daughter's best friend? What's wrong with helping out? Why are you speaking so harshly? If we had time to gather the money ourselves, we wouldn't need to ask you. It's not like we won't pay you back!"
He then looked at Cheng's Mother with displeasure and said, "And she still wants to marry our son?"
Cheng's Mother also said unhappily, "Rong Rong, we've been treating you like family. Are you throwing a tantrum because Cheng Yue hasn't visited you lately? You should consider your family's attitude too. Your family doesn't respect us, so of course my son can't go there. Even if you want to throw a fit, you shouldn't sabotage Cheng Miao at such a crucial time. And you call yourself her best friend!"
Cheng's Mother finished with a slight smirk, "It's fine to make a fuss at other times, but not now when it's so urgent."
She thought she could easily manipulate a woman who moved in with her son after less than a week of dating.
Cheng's Mother had already started putting on airs like a domineering mother-in-law.
Qin Rong looked at Cheng's Mother with a stiff expression. Though she couldn't manage a truly fierce look, her face was somewhat contorted.
"Your son is trash, and my family treats him accordingly. He doesn't deserve respect from my family."
Upon hearing this, the three members of the Cheng family were stunned.
Cheng Miao looked at Qin Rong in disbelief, trying to grab her sleeve, but she shook him off. "I came here today to break up with Cheng Yue and take back my paintings from his rental apartment. I'm not here to be your scapegoat."
She almost shouted these words, loud enough for the entire office and even the corridor to hear.
The four members of the Qin family, who had just stepped out of the elevator, also heard it.
They all froze in place.
[Oh my, has the water in her brain finally drained?]
The Qin family members' faces immediately lit up. It was the first time they had heard Qin Rong shout like that.
But soon their hearts were in their throats because Cheng Yue had just stepped through the door.
They quickly followed him.
"Rong Rong, what are you saying?" Cheng Yue asked, suppressing his anger.
Qin Rong finally saw Cheng Yue. In the past, she thought his looks were roguishly handsome and very cool. The fact that such a free-spirited person seemed to be completely devoted to her made her feel incredibly happy.
But now, in Qin Rong's eyes, he was just an ill-mannered, rude, and arrogant little hooligan!
She knew she had been too caught up before, as if under a spell. But that night, when a series of messages shattered her world, she came to her senses and realized that everything had been predictable. She had been so stupid. All those things that had attracted her were just layers of filters she had added herself.
She had thrown away her future and ruined her prospects for this piece of trash. She was disgusted with herself for being so foolish.
Looking back now, she must have been bewitched. How could she have fallen for such a repulsive creature? The very thought made her want to vomit.
Cheng Yue saw that Qin Rong was just staring at him intently without speaking, and he didn't know what to say. After all, throughout their relationship, he had always been in a dominant position, at most just teasing Qin Rong a bit. He had never been gentle or considerate.
He glanced at Cheng Miao, who quickly gave him a meaningful look, hinting that he should try to pacify her.
Remembering what Qin Rong had said earlier, if he couldn't smooth things over now, the money for Cheng Miao's overseas trip would be a problem.
Cheng Yue felt a bit impatient but still held up the lunch box he was carrying. "Here, don't be angry. You must be hungry. I made this for you. Eat something first, then we'll talk."
Every time he used this trick, it would remind Qin Rong of how he had saved her before, and she would forget all her worries and continue to stay obediently by his side.
This time, Qin Rong did take the lunch box, but before anyone could react, she opened the lid, raised her arm, and smashed the box right into Cheng Yue's face.
As the food splattered, she even ground it in a bit.
A scream of pain echoed throughout the entire floor, attracting even more onlookers eager for drama.
"Ahh!!!" Cheng Yue screamed, frantically trying to wipe the scalding food off his face.
The Cheng family was completely stunned, frozen in place.
Cheng Yue, unable to control his temper due to the pain, reflexively revealed his true nature and raised his hand to strike.
But just as his hand was about to come down, it was caught by an iron-like grip.
Before Cheng Yue could see who it was, he was kicked away. With a muffled groan, he fell to the ground.
When he looked up, he saw an imposing couple standing behind Qin Rong. The person who had kicked him looked familiar, as Cheng Yue had surely done some basic research on his potential backers before going to the Qin Corporation.
Now, with this backer standing before him, exuding an aura of authority, and sweeping a cold gaze over him, Cheng Yue's legs began to shake uncontrollably. He couldn't even stand up.
In an instant, all of Cheng Yue's temper vanished. He knew well enough which people he couldn't afford to offend.
The Cheng family quickly rushed over to help Cheng Yue up. Cheng's Mother, looking at her precious son with heartache, was the first to start shouting.
"How dare you use violence! All of you are so ill-mannered! My son made that meal out of kindness..."
"Ahem, that plastic bag holding the lunch box seems to be from a chain restaurant," Ji Fei, leaning against the doorway, began to muse aloud. "Ah, not long ago when my little sister had no appetite, I tried to cheer her up by saying I'd cook for her myself. But knowing my terrible cooking skills, I ended up ordering takeout from this very restaurant and pretended I made it. Looks like your son and I had the same idea. Though he's quite stupid, isn't he? If you're going to pretend, at least change the packaging."
This comment made the surrounding onlookers burst into laughter.
Cheng's Mother's face immediately turned red. Of course, she knew it was takeout, but she hadn't expected to be exposed on the spot. Still, she stubbornly insisted, "We... we were just reusing the bag."
"Your mouth is harder than a duck that's been dead for days. Should I call the restaurant right now and order something to compare?" Ji Fei continued with a smile.
"You... what business is it of yours?" Cheng's Mother shouted angrily.
Cheng Miao awkwardly pulled at his mother's hand. "Stop arguing. They're Qin Rong's family too!"
Cheng's Mother was immediately silenced.
Cheng Miao figured that Qin Rong must have gotten angry because Ji Fei had accidentally exposed the lie about the food.
"Rong Rong, even if my brother lied about cooking for you, his feelings for you are real. After all, you've been living together. You should be able to feel that, right?"
Hearing this, Ji Fei quickly took out her phone and started recording.
Her action triggered a chain reaction, with many in the crowd of onlookers following suit.
Ji Fei wasn't doing this to keep any dirt on Qin Rong, but rather out of concern for potential rumors. Now that Qin Rong had come to her senses, she could clarify everything later. But without complete video evidence, given how prone Cheng Miao and his mother were to spreading rumors, who knows what trouble they might cause?
Although the Qin family wasn't afraid, it would still be unpleasant. So Ji Fei decided to harness the power of the crowd. With multiple videos, it would be difficult for the Cheng family to twist the story later.
However, Ji Fei never expected Qin Rong to start with such an explosive statement.
"Living together? You mean tricking me into being your brother's maid, taking care of him, but not allowing us to have a romantic relationship?"
The crowd was shocked, embarrassed, at a loss, curious, and hungry for gossip.
Cheng's parents didn't know what was going on, while Cheng Yue and Cheng Miao were dumbfounded, staring at Qin Rong. They couldn't believe that someone like Qin Rong would dare to speak so directly.
Qin Rong stepped forward, glaring fiercely at the two of them. "And then, you two were fooling around behind my back! You're disgusting!"
