Let you be a great man, not a scumbag

Huang Yuqi jumped up from Jiang Cheng's lap as if she had been burned, standing helplessly to the side.

A series of hurried footsteps were followed by a man's voice, trembling with sobs: "Grandma Zhang! Grandma Zhang, I'm here!"

Before he could finish speaking, a young man in a white shirt rushed in.

He was still clutching a basketball in his hand, and sweat was dripping from his forehead; it was Zhao Bing.

He had obviously heard the news that "Huang Yuqi brought her boyfriend home".

His face showed obvious grievance and anxiety.

When he saw Jiang Cheng sitting at the octagonal table, he stopped abruptly, his eyes instantly darkening.

He stared directly at Jiang Cheng, his eyes filled with hostility.

He took the initiative, extending his hand to Jiang Cheng with a polite smile on his face.

His words, however, carried a barb: "Hello, I'm Yuqi's neighbor, Zhao Bing. Yuqi and I grew up together. When Yuqi isn't home, I take care of her grandmother."

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng smiled.

Zhao Bing's meaning was quite clear.

His relationship with Yuqi is unusual. And where are you from?

Jiang Cheng didn't reach out, but simply nodded.

This attitude froze Zhao Bing's hand in mid-air, and his face darkened slightly.

"Yuqi, come to my house for dinner tonight. I bought a lot of groceries this morning."

Upon hearing this, Huang Yuqi refused decisively: "No need, Teacher Zhao, we have guests at home today."

Zhao Bing's expression changed instantly after being rejected.

He then looked at Grandma Zhang, his tone softening, "Grandma Zhang, you're not in good health. If you need anything, just call me anytime. I'm here every day."

"Xiao Zhao, I know you mean well." Grandma Zhang noticed something was wrong and quickly smoothed things over. "Xiao Jiang is Qiqi's friend. He came to visit me."

"Friends?" Zhao Bing clearly didn't believe it, and his gaze fell on Huang Yuqi again, with a hint of accusation, "Yuqi, they said you brought your boyfriend back, is that true? Is it him?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Yuqi's expression froze for a moment.

Just as he was about to explain "no," he heard Jiang Cheng speak.

"Not yet."

After saying that, he looked at Huang Yuqi with a deliberately amused expression in his eyes, "However, I'm working on it."

These words instantly made Huang Yuqi's eyes widen.

What's the meaning!!

Is Jiang Cheng telling the truth?

She looked up and met Jiang Cheng's deep gaze.

Thinking about how she had just fallen into Jiang Cheng's arms, her face flushed even more.

Huang Yuqi's blushing face made Zhao Bing's expression turn completely dark.

The knuckles of his fingers, gripping the basketball, had turned white.

"Yuqi is a good girl, not someone you can joke around with."

"Do I look like I'm joking? I came here today specifically to see Grandma. And also... to talk to Yuqi about something."

Zhao Bing glanced at Jiang Cheng again.

Her jealousy was practically overflowing. "Yuqi, what have you thought about what I told you yesterday? It's about going hiking together this weekend. I've already made plans with my colleagues; they all want to meet you."

Huang Yuqi had no time to think about Zhao Bing at that moment.

My mind was a jumbled mess, all I could think about was why Jiang Cheng had said that.

She frowned and refused again: "No, I need to pack my bags and take care of some other things these next few days..."

He saw Huang Yuqi reject him in front of Jiang Cheng.

Zhao Bing grew anxious, and his voice rose a little, "Yuqi, I've liked you for so many years, don't you realize that? Those people outside, they look glamorous, but who knows what they're really thinking!"

"What! You like me?"

She had never thought about this question.

In her eyes, Zhao Bing was just like Principal Zheng of Hope Primary School.

They are friends you can talk to about school and your grandmother; they are like "comrades-in-arms".

He suddenly said he liked me?

Huang Yuqi's mind isn't quite working.

There was even a hint of disbelief and bewilderment in their voices, as if they had heard something out of the blue.

Looking at the blankness in her eyes, Jiang Cheng felt a surge of irritation from Zhao Bing, which had been stirred up by him. In its place, he felt a kind of indulgent urge to laugh.

Huang Yuqi's psychological trauma was genuine; there was absolutely no acting involved...

"Yes! I've liked you for many years!" Zhao Bing thought she finally understood, and a glimmer of hope ignited in his eyes.

"Don't joke around! I've always considered you a buddy, like Principal Zheng, a comrade-in-arms! I've even seen you as a kid wearing open-crotch pants, how could I possibly like you?"

With a loud "boom," Zhao Bing froze as if struck by lightning.

The hope on his face vanished instantly, replaced by utter despair, and he shouted, his face flushed red.

"You still bring up things from when we were kids! That happened so many years ago! I genuinely like you, how can you say that! I help your family fix the pipes and change the light bulbs every day, and I bring fruit to Grandma Zhang, and you actually say I'm just a friend? What's so great about him anyway? Isn't he just someone who has a few stinking bucks?"

"Zhao Bing!" Grandma Zhang quickly stopped him, "How can you talk like that! Xiao Jiang is a good boy, you can't talk to him like that."

Zhao Bing was still unwilling to give up. He stubbornly said, "Some men just think they can have everything because they have a little money. From what I know of Yuqi, she's not a gold digger. You can't corrupt her..."

Upon hearing Zhao Bing's words, Huang Yuqi immediately blushed slightly.

“Zhao Bing,” Huang Yuqi interrupted him, “Can you please stop saying things like that? It makes me blush. And you’re not allowed to talk about Jiang Cheng like that…”

Seeing how protective she was of Jiang Cheng, Zhao Bing felt even worse. He retorted, "Yuqi, I'm doing this for your own good! What does he do? Do you even know him?"

Huang Yuqi took a deep breath, turned to look at Jiang Cheng, her eyes filled with determination.

Then, looking at Zhao Bing, he said, word by word, "I know him better than you do."

She paused, looked at Zhao Bing's astonished expression, and said clearly, "So what if he's my boyfriend?"

Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow and finally spoke, his tone still calm, yet carrying an undeniable aura.

"Teacher Zhao, right? Thank you for taking care of Qiqi and Grandma Zhang. But I won't trouble you with these things anymore; I'll take good care of them myself. Also, just a reminder: don't confuse being a simp with being deeply affectionate."

"You!" Zhao Bing was speechless, his face turning red and then white. He turned to look at Huang Yuqi, his eyes red.

Are you coming with me this weekend or not?!

Grandma Zhang sighed, took Zhao Bing's hand, and said gently, "Little Zhao, you're a good boy, and you care about our Qiqi. Grandma can see it all. But you can't force feelings; it depends on Qiqi's feelings."

He looked at Huang Yuqi's unwavering gaze, then glanced at Jiang Cheng, who stood beside him with a calm expression.

The grievances and anger in my heart surged up instantly, and tears almost fell.

Unable to stay any longer, she abruptly turned around and ran out of the yard, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Mom! I've been dumped!"

The loud voice, tinged with sobs, echoed through the poorly soundproofed courtyard, drawing many tightly closed doors and windows open as people peeked out to watch the spectacle.

The courtyard fell completely silent. Grandma Zhang shook her head helplessly and followed her out, muttering, "This child, really..."

Huang Yuqi frowned and muttered to herself.

"No, I've known Zhao Bing since I was a child. I've even seen him wearing open-crotch pants. I really thought he was like Principal Zheng Qiu. You know, Principal Zheng Qiu treats me like a brother."

Jiang Cheng finally understood why Huang Yuqi was always so open and honest with him.

I even went out of my way to cultivate my conscience for her.

It seems this girl is still quite immature when it comes to relationships!

Zheng Qiu had said before: "Aside from being ugly, Teacher Huang is a really good person."

Given the freckles on her face and her old-fashioned clothes, isn't it normal to treat her like a brother?

Jiang Cheng looked at her blank expression and couldn't help but smile.

He stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder: "You're right, he's overthinking it. Don't worry about him..."