Chapter 69: Just like a beaten dog

One must admit Ye QiuXue's cooking skills are mind-blowing.After the meal, HuMing still had an appetite for another bowl, but it was already late, and Ye QiuXue still needed rest. He couldn't shamelessly stay any longer.

Before leaving, HuMing took it upon himself to wash both their bowls, even though Ye QiuXue hadn't asked him to. Seaʀch* The nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Get some rest early," HuMing said with a satisfied burp as he walked to the door.

Behind him, Ye QiuXue couldn't help but roll her eyes.

'Can't he be a bit more civilized?'

Although she couldn't help but complain inwardly, Ye QiuXue still stood at the door and waved him goodbye.

"Rest well, Han HuMing."

HuMing waved back, cutting down a potential never-ending conversation, and slowly stepped down the stairs.

Ye QiuXue watched him disappear, but as soon as he was gone, she rushed to the window to watch him leave from there instead.

......

HuMing exhaled deeply, experiencing sudden weightlessness throughout his entire being.

After a long and tiring day, he finally had a moment to unwind. However, he was aware that this was just the beginning.

He needed to find out who was behind locking Ye QiuXue up. This had to be planned---how else could she have ended up trapped without anyone noticing?

With this thought, HuMing's expression grew cold.

With his hands tucked away in his pockets, he strolled ahead, feeling the gentle caress of the evening summer breeze.

However, he hadn't gone very far when he became aware of a presence behind him. It seemed that someone was following him.

He abruptly stopped and turned around.

Over by the lamppost stood a man in his middle years, casually puffing on a cigarette. The man appeared to have become aware of HuMing's gaze.

He flicked the cigarette to the ground and walked straight towards HuMing.

The cigarette butt smoldered on the pavement, a thin wisp of smoke curling into the night air.

The man's face bore the telltale signs of hastily shaved stubble, and his attire suggested he wasn't from a struggling household.

'Doesn't look like a mugger.'

HuMing quickly deduced. However, the look in the man's eyes was anything but friendly---if anything, it was tinged with disdain.

"What's your name?"

"None of your business."

HuMing didn't plan to tolerate the man's attitude, and his blunt reply sure-shotly ruffled some feathers.

The man reached out, intending to grab HuMing by the collar, but HuMing swiftly caught his wrist and pinned him to the ground.

The man hadn't expected HuMing to move so quickly. He didn't even have time to react before being pinned down.

Gritting his teeth, his expression twisted in pain, the man snarled,

"Stay away from that girl!"

"Girl? You mean the president? What's she got to do with you?"

HuMing's brow furrowed as he released the man, shoving him away.

The man staggered but got back on his feet, his hostility toward HuMing unwavering.

"It's none of your concern. Just keep your distance from her!"

"You won't even tell me who you are, and you expect me to listen to you? Who do you think you are?"

"You!"

The man bit down on his words, clearly restraining himself. But the disdain in HuMing's eyes only fueled his anger.

"She's my daughter. Is that enough?!"

"Daughter? You're the president's father?"

HuMing studied the man before him, noting the subtle resemblance to Ye QiuXue. But HuMing wasn't swayed by his words.

Not to mention, he had saved the president earlier today. More importantly, the president had been missing from home for such a long time, and as her father, this man hadn't even noticed. HuMing couldn't see how this man was a competent father.

Furthermore, when HuMing was in the president's apartment, he noticed no signs of anyone else living there. The only shoes by the door were the president's pink slippers. The balcony had clothes that were her own.

All that led HuMing to effortlessly deduce that the relationship between this man, who claimed to be Ye QiuXue's father, and Ye QiuXue was far from good.

The two men locked eyes in the darkness of night, illuminated by a streetlamp.

HuMing had considered calling Ye QiuXue but remembered that she was not in good health and needed to rest, so he dropped the idea.

"QiuXue is my daughter. What are you, a boy, doing at a girl's place in the middle of the night instead of going home?!"

The man's voice was filled with rage as he stared at HuMing. He had come to see his daughter today but had to wait hours without seeing her.

Just as he was about to return home, his daughter appeared, accompanied by a boy. And the two of them were chatting and laughing, clearly on friendly terms!

Seeing this made the man furious.

Yet, he was painfully aware of the strained relationship between him and his daughter. If he were to confront her directly, it would only drive her further away.

So, he decided to wait downstairs for HuMing, intending to give him a severe warning when he came down.

To his surprise, HuMing wasn't intimidated in the slightest. On the contrary, the way the young man scrutinized him made him feel distinctly uncomfortable.

"Even if you are her father, I'm under no obligation to answer your questions. But you, on the other hand, your daughter comes home this late, and you have no idea what's happened? I don't think you're in any position to be questioning me."

"This is none of your business, outsider!"

"Whether it's my business or not isn't for you to decide. It's up to the president," HuMing replied, his gaze calm and persistent.

HuMing ignored the anger in the man's eyes, crossing his arms over his chest with an air of ease and confidence.

The man was shaking with rage but found himself at a loss for words to counter HuMing.

Over the years, the distance between him and his daughter had only grown. When he first learned that she had come to study here, his initial reaction was happiness. But when he visited her, she had coldly sent him away.

He could never forget that look in her eyes---his own daughter staring at him as if he were a stranger, telling him to leave.

The man felt a twinge of awkwardness but convinced himself that, with time, his daughter would surely change her attitude towards him.

That was why he made an effort to visit her every weekend despite always returning with a heavy heart and a sense of defeat.

And now, seeing this young man so close to his daughter only soured his mood further.

"In any case, keep your distance from her. I don't want anyone to have the chance to spread rumors about my daughter."

With that, he clutched his arm and turned to leave.

However, his steps were unsteady, and he staggered as he walked away.

Watching the man's retreating figure, Hu Ming couldn't help but think of a line from a movie:

'He looks just like a beaten dog.'

With a resigned shake of his head, HuMing decided to keep the incident to himself, not wanting to add any more trouble for Ye QiuXue.

Meanwhile, after washing up, Ye QiuXue lay down on her bed.

She picked up her phone and, seeing a message from someone, calmly deleted the chat history.

Upon exiting the chat, she noticed the red dot on HuMing's profile.

Smiling slightly, she typed three words into the chat box:

[See you tomorrow.]"