Chapter 43 0045: Why Must It Be Ye Linglong? (Third Update, Vote Requested)

After Chu Yun emerged from the principal's office, he held a card in his hand. It contained the tuition fees and scholarships already paid for three years, totaling a million gold coins—a windfall not to be wasted.

When Hou Manman learned of this, she found him in the cafeteria and mocked him, "Now that you’re someone of note, can’t you stop being so shallow and obsessed with money? Don’t make me lose the rare bit of goodwill I’ve developed toward you."

"How noble do you expect someone who grew up in the slums to be?" Chu Yun replied indifferently as he queued for his meal, completely unfazed by her scorn. "So, you actually have a good impression of me? That’s bad news—I should work harder to lose some points."

Just then, as Chu Yun joined the long line, the person ahead of him turned around, saw him, and reacted as if a mouse had seen a cat, immediately making space for him. "Brother Yun, please go ahead."

Chu Yun was confused but didn’t hesitate to accept the spot. As he stepped forward, several students ahead of him stirred slightly at the sight of him, and soon the ones at the front started calling out, "Brother Yun, you can take my spot, come queue here."

At that moment, a tall, burly young man shouted at the crowd, "Are you all blind? Why aren’t you giving way to our number one? Do you know who’s standing at the very end?"

The booming voice belonged to Ming Cheng, one of the eight great peaks of Lan Feng, who had once tried to block Chu Yun. After hearing that Chu Yun had defeated Duanmu Ci, Ming Cheng had been on edge, remembering how he’d nearly gotten into a fight with Chu Yun at the dormitory that day, and was secretly relieved he hadn’t acted.

Today, spotting Chu Yun in the cafeteria, Ming Cheng rushed to curry favor. The surrounding students, though unaware of Chu Yun’s formidable reputation, dared not provoke Ming Cheng. At his shout, they all made space for him to cut in line.

Yet Ming Cheng approached Chu Yun with a respectful smile, saying, "Brother Yun, please, go ahead."

"Do you think I’d do something as uncivilized as cutting in line?" Chu Yun shot him a look, then handed him his tray. "Go get my food."

"Of course! Find a seat, I’ll be right back!" Ming Cheng promptly took the tray and hurried to the front to serve Chu Yun.

Hou Manman was speechless at Ming Cheng’s behavior—it was almost too genuine, not even a token resistance.

Chu Yun found a seat and sat down casually, and Hou Manman followed, continuing their earlier conversation. "Money isn’t an issue. If you want, countless families would offer you generous salaries to recruit you." She held her chopsticks but didn’t eat, blinking. "Ever thought of joining our Hou family? You’re probably not a stranger to my second grand-uncle. Isn’t it wise to keep the benefits within the family?"

Chu Yun replied, "If I ever form alliances, I’ll always be the leader, not a follower."

Though he may have fallen from grace, he could never stoop to being someone else’s lackey. If those who once fought alongside him knew, they’d probably die laughing.

"Oh, really." Hou Manman smiled. "Ambitious, but do you realize how hard it is to grow into a force of your own with limited resources?"

"That’s why I’m marrying into the Ye family. It’s perfect." Chu Yun looked proud of his decision.

"Pathetic!" Hou Manman rolled her eyes and asked with interest, "Honestly, do you actually like Ye Linglong? I don’t get it—why her family? Why not mine?"

Chu Yun said, "Your family has too many rules. I dislike rules. Compared to other women, Ye Linglong doesn’t impose any restrictions on me. Besides, regardless of how things go between us in the future, she wouldn’t ever neglect my mother. She still holds genuine kinship for her, which is quite different from other women."

If one day, he and Ye Linglong drifted apart or he was often away from home, any other woman might harbor resentment toward his mother because of grievances with him. But Ye Linglong wouldn’t. She’d known Chu’s mother for years and often visited her in the hospital—even before their engagement, as a gesture of friendship between the two families.

On this point, no matter how he might disregard Ye Linglong in the future, she would never retaliate against his mother.

That was the real reason Chu Yun chose Ye Linglong.

"You do like her," Hou Manman said.

"My mother likes her," Chu Yun replied with a bitter smile.

That was a major factor. In this world of cold human relations, Ye Linglong was perhaps the only person his mother could truly rely on.

If he hadn’t inherited this body, if ‘Chu Yun’ hadn’t had a mother, he’d have no reason to get involved with any woman. But since he’d been reborn into this life, he felt he owed the Chu family a proper closure, so that wherever he went afterward, he’d have no more ties or obligations.

Thinking of his mother, Chu Yun realized it had been some time since he’d visited her.

After finishing his meal, Chu Yun went to the hospital. In the ward, he saw Ye Linglong keeping company with his mother. After a while of chatting and laughter, Ye Linglong noticed Chu Yun arriving and quietly left the room.

Chu Yun merely exchanged a glance with her before entering the ward to spend time with his mother.

Half an hour later, when he came out, he found Ye Linglong had been waiting for him in the corridor.

She approached, took something from her bag, and handed it to him. "This is for you."

Without another word, she turned and left.

Chu Yun tore open the envelope and found inside the original marriage contract set by their two families in the previous generation.

After leaving the hospital, Ye Linglong got into a flying car.

Her younger brother, driving, remarked in confusion, "I saw brother-in-law just now."

"Where did you get a brother-in-law?" Ye Linglong glared at him.

"Chu Yun. Isn’t he about to marry into our family and become my brother-in-law?" Ye Wuzhao said nervously.

Ye Linglong cast him a disdainful glance. "Now you remember to call him brother-in-law after he defeated Duanmu Ci? Where were you before?"

Ye Wuzhao grinned sheepishly.

Once the car started, Ye Linglong gazed at the towering skyscrapers outside the window, sighing inwardly, and then said to her brother, "Don’t call him that again. He’s not your brother-in-law."

"Why not?" Ye Wuzhao protested. "Wasn’t it all settled? Sis, how can you let such a good man slip away?"

Ye Linglong replied, "I’m not good enough for him."

No sooner had she spoken than someone knocked on the car window.

Ye Wuzhao saw it was Chu Yun and quickly opened the door.

Chu Yun sat down beside Ye Linglong and said to Ye Wuzhao, "Let’s go home."

(Third update of the day. More tomorrow.)