Vol. 1 - Chapter 224 - I’ll make sure he can’t get by.

HuMing didn’t let Ye QiuXue return home just yet. Instead, he dragged her straight into a supermarket to buy clothes and shoes!

According to HuMing, before heading into battle, one must arm themselves to the teeth.

If Ye QiuXue went out dressed in her usual clothes, she’d lose the fight just on momentum alone!

Ye QiuXue wanted to pay for the items herself, but the moment she saw the clothes HuMing had picked out, she chickened out.

He went all out, choosing the most expensive options while still matching her style. As for the shoes, not only did HuMing throw away her old ones, but he also immediately bought her new sandals.

If Ye QiuXue hadn’t adamantly refused to wear high heels, HuMing might have arranged for those as well.

“Are you out of your mind?! How could you throw away my shoes?”

“Those shoes? Please, you’ve been wearing them for years—they’re more wrinkled than my hands! If you keep wearing them, one day they might just fall apart right on your feet!”

“You didn’t have to throw them away! I don’t even like wearing sandals to class,” Ye QiuXue grumbled, her tone filled with frustration.

HuMing ignored her complaints and accompanied her back to her apartment building.

Sure enough, that woman was there, waiting.

The moment the woman saw Ye QiuXue, she rushed up, her tone agitated as she said, “Ye QiuXue, that’s your brother! How could you not help him? Let me tell you, if you don’t, I’ll make sure everyone knows you’ve abandoned your father. Let’s see how you’ll manage to stay here after that!”

As HuMing squinted at the woman’s sharp, shrewish face, he felt a sense of déjà vu. Ah, yes—her words reminded him of that couple.

He didn’t even want to think about that pair. If not for them, things wouldn’t have been such a mess now.

Just as Ye QiuXue opened her mouth to respond, HuMing pulled her behind him. Staring directly at the woman, he asked, “Excuse me, ma’am, who exactly are you to Ye QiuXue?”

“Me? I’m her father’s wife!” The woman answered smugly, casting a scrutinizing glance at HuMing.

HuMing ignored her look and continued, “Oh, so you’re unrelated to Ye QiuXue, then? What are you here for? Looking to get scolded? Last I heard, you told Ye QiuXue to never contact her father again. And now here you are, groveling. What happened? Did you miss getting slapped around?”

The woman’s face burned under the sweltering sun, as if she’d been slapped hard.

She glared at HuMing and snapped, "Did you eat too much for lunch? Why are you meddling?"

"Whether I ate too much for lunch or not has nothing to do with you. But if you're planning to mess with Ye QiuXue, that's something I will get involved in."

“You!”

“You said Ye QiuXue wouldn’t be able to stay here? Do you underestimate her significance? She’s one of the city’s key talents, you know. As for your family’s problems—trying to use her connections to get your son into a good school? If that comes to light, Ye QiuXue would get a bad reputation. Tell me, where do you get the gall to make such a request?”

The woman froze, stunned by HuMing’s words. But soon, she sidestepped him and turned to Ye QiuXue. “Ye QiuXue, are you really going to listen to this boy? Let me tell you, our family’s influence here is greater than you think!”

“Stop bluffing. If you were so influential, you wouldn’t be begging Ye QiuXue for help. And don’t even think about pinning the blame on her. If people find out her father abandoned her for your son, what do you think will happen to you? No need to guess—I’ll make sure everyone knows. I’ll stir things up so much your son won’t even want to step into school again.”

HuMing’s expression was devoid of humor, sending a chill down the woman’s spine.@@novelbin@@

Behind him, Ye QiuXue silently gazed at his back.

She had lost count of how many times HuMing had stood in front of her like this, shielding her from people like this woman.

No matter the situation, he was always there, standing firm.

Somewhere along the way, she had begun to care about his presence, feeling lost when he wasn’t around and irritated when other women liked him.

People said she was an unbeatable student council president, capable of anything. But who would know that, deep down, she was just a coward?

For her, HuMing now held a significant place in her life—second only to her grandmother.

She had never imagined it could be like this.

“Who exactly is Ye QiuXue to you? Why are you going to such lengths to protect her?” the woman asked, unable to comprehend the boy’s actions.

Her plan was simple—capitalize on Ye QiuXue’s lingering anger toward the past and pressure her into compromise. But this boy had appeared out of nowhere, derailing everything.

And judging by the expensive clothes Ye QiuXue was wearing—clothes the woman couldn’t afford even in her dreams—it was clear who had paid for them.

A boy spending that much on a girl? The meaning was obvious.

She’s not like those girls poisoned by online nonsense, believing in things like "pure friendships between men and women”.

When a man suddenly buys an expensive gift for a woman without any warning, it's likely that his intentions are far from innocent.

Thinking of this, the woman silently swallowed her saliva, only to realize that, at some point, a smile had returned to Hu Ming's face.

“So, ma’am, if you keep pestering her, I can’t guarantee I’ll stay polite. Maybe you’d like to see what real influence looks like?”

“No! I didn’t say anything! I wasn’t here!” The woman bolted in terror, her high heels clicking furiously on the pavement.

She didn’t make it far before stumbling and falling face-first, landing in a humiliating heap. Her high heel had snapped.

“Good thing I didn’t buy high heels for you. Imagine the embarrassment if the heel broke,” HuMing muttered.

Turning back to Ye QiuXue, he froze in place. Her eyes were red, lips pressed tightly together, as if holding back something.

“Oh no, President, you’re not feeling overwhelmed by how much you owe me, are you? Afraid you’ll never repay it?”

‘Idiot who ruins the moment!’

Ye QiuXue screamed internally.