Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 268 - 256: Blowing Up (Birthday + Update)

Yu Mingli shook his head, "With such a big target, no wonder she can see."

Qian walked straight over, opened the car door, and directly got in the back seat. Yu Minglang turned around, waving with his uninjured hand.

"Qian, did you miss me?"

Qian glanced at him, but said nothing.

Mr. Yu thought about it and felt something was off, "Qian, how did you know Minglang was with me?"

It’s amazing, just one phone call and she tracked him down. This girl is too sharp, tracking him from miles away!

Since getting in the car, Qian hadn’t said a word, nor did she look at Yu Minglang. She just kept her head down, seemingly deep in thought.

The quieter she was, the less assured Yu Minglang felt.

If Qian cried or caused a scene, it would be better. Her silence gave Yu Minglang a sense of unease, like the calm before a storm.

Yu Mingli couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked Qian,

"How did you know Minglang was in my car?"

"You can’t get a long vacation unless you’re injured."

"...You knew it all along and still called to test me. You’re too cunning, girl." Mr. Yu felt helpless.

He and his brother together couldn’t keep it from her.

"I just wanted to see how many people intended to keep me in the dark."

Yu Minglang saw Qian like this and quickly tried to smooth things over.

"I just didn’t want you to worry."

"Injured your arm?" Qian looked at his hanging arm and asked.

"Left shoulder, just a bit, not a big deal. Initially, I didn’t even want to wrap it, but my mom insisted on making a fuss. There’s really no problem; I could show you a one-handed push-up."

Yu Minglang’s words didn’t bring Qian any relief, instead her eyes grew deeper.

Mr. Yu, perceptive as ever, seemed to sense the atmosphere was off, and sped up to drop them off downstairs.

"I’ll head off, you two have a good chat." Mr. Yu decided to slip away.

Disregarding his brother’s pleading eyes, he hit the gas and took off.

"That brotherless businessman." Yu Minglang still thought that if Mr. Yu were there, his Qian wouldn’t be so hard on him. But the businessman was gone.

It seems Qian left a deep impression on Mr. Yu while he was away, enough for him to avoid her.

The two quietly went upstairs, while Yu Minglang racked his brain on how to make Qian not worry, as she maintained a serious and repressed emotion from beginning to end. This emotion spread to Yu Minglang, making him tense too.

It felt like something was off with her.

The Yu family’s young aunt had gone grocery shopping, Mr. Yu and Mrs. Yu were at work and hadn’t returned; the empty house left only Yu Minglang and Qian.

The two sat down in the living room, Yu Minglang extended his uninjured arm, trying to embrace her like usual, but Qian avoided him.

"Qian?"

"Is your injury because of me?" Qian pointed at his shoulder.

"How could it be, it was just an accident. In the mountains, there are always unexpected events. A newcomer violated protocol, so I shielded him." Yu Minglang explained seriously.

Qian shook her head, "You’re not someone careless. If it weren’t for something dividing your attention, you wouldn’t be injured."

Her reasoning pointed to herself as the distraction.

"What are you imagining? I was simply careless; in our line of work, there’s hardly anyone who hasn’t been hurt. Being hurt shows we’re committed."

Qian seemed as if she didn’t hear him, she began cruel reasoning and analysis.

"Because before you left, I was upset with you, so while you were out, you were distracted thinking about me and got hurt."

Yu Minglang saw her attitude wasn’t right, his Qian seemed to be overthinking it.

"I admit I did think about you, but it has nothing to do with my injury. It was really just an accident, but I’m back safe, aren’t I?"

"This time you’re safe, but what about next time?" Qian stood up, took a deep breath, and walked to the bathroom to start washing her hands. The jade bracelet on her wrist, nurtured over months, became more lustrous.

When she was very distressed, this bracelet helped her out of many emotional dilemmas, but now she applied some soap on her hands and desperately tried to remove the bracelet.

Following closely, Yu Minglang saw her trying to take off the bracelet, panic struck his heart, and he quickly stepped forward to grasp Qian’s hand, stopping her.

"Why are you taking it off?"

Qian had gained a bit of weight since returning, making the bracelet hard to remove. After pulling it for a long time, her hand turned red, but it stayed stuck there, unwilling to come off—just like the man in her heart, who wouldn’t want to leave. Even if you want to pull it out, it leaves a deep scar in the heart, too painful to breathe.

"You’re hurting me, let go!" Qian pushed him away heartlessly, forcefully removed the bracelet.

Solemnly, she handed it to Yu Minglang.

He didn’t take it, instead looked at her with complex eyes.

"What do you mean."

"I think you could give this to a more suitable woman. I’m not good enough; my existence only constrains your development without any other contribution."

"You’re being ridiculous!" He searched through his vocabulary and could only find these three words.

"Yu Minglang, when you first met me, you knew I wasn’t a good woman. I used you, your money, your feelings, your connections, everything about you. Now that I’m well, my family has relocated, I’m financially secure, I don’t need you anymore."

"Enough!"

Yu Minglang sternly stopped her, but Qian pushed him away, ignoring his protests, and continued with her heartache.

"Not enough! I’m not a woman worth your effort. Since our existence hinders each other’s development, we should separ—"

Before she could finish, he sealed her lips, refusing to hear those cruel two words.

If only they could remain like this forever, preventing her from uttering such heartless words.

Yu Minglang couldn’t even fathom how a mere trip resulted in such an emotional upheaval, leading to the prospect of breaking up?

Releasing her, he gripped her shoulder with one hand, "If there’s anything you want to say or you’re unhappy about, tell me directly. We’ll talk it out, but don’t push my boundaries."

He could agree to anything, except this.

"What about my boundaries?"

"What?" Yu Minglang was confused.

Qian pushed him away, retreated a step, leaned against the sink, trying hard not to look at his injured face.

"Ever since I started being with you, my work efficiency plummeted, my study efforts became nonexistent. You come and go as you please. Have you considered my feelings? Yes, I admit saving people is remarkable, you’re innately just, willing to help others. But I don’t have that high sense of contribution, I’m merely a worldly person, and my boundaries have been repeatedly shattered for you."