After kicking the guard away, Qin Hanchu turned towards another guard.
Seeing this, the guard quickly retreated, withdrawing from the fray.
"Who are you?" Wang Shao angrily demanded of Qin Hanchu.
Qin Hanchu glanced at Ye Siqing and smiled, "Her bodyguard."
"Don't let me see you again." Young Master Wang wasn't foolish; he knew his guards were no match for Qin Hanchu, and continuing would only put him at a disadvantage.
Unwillingly, he left with a parting threat and turned to leave with his guards.
"I didn't expect you to be eighth-grade!" Ye Siqing exclaimed in surprise after Wang Shao left.
Qin Hanchu smiled, "Am I amazing?"
"Why didn't you act sooner? You just stood by and watched the show," Ye Siqing said, annoyed.
"Giving you time to perform."
Just as Ye Siqing was about to speak, her phone rang.
After answering, she turned to Qin Hanchu, "Do you have plans tonight?"
Qin Hanchu shook his head, "Why?"
"A class reunion, come with me."
"Why would I go to your class reunion?" Qin Hanchu asked, puzzled.
Ye Siqing smiled and said, "If I get drunk, you'll be responsible for taking me home."
Qin Hanchu was taken aback, then grinned mischievously, "You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of you?"
"Stop the nonsense, let's go." Ye Siqing grabbed Qin Hanchu's sleeve and pulled him forward.
Half an hour later, they entered a top-tier private room at a KTV.
The room was already filled with over twenty people, buzzing with activity.
"Siqing is here, who is this handsome guy?"
"Siqing, is this your little boyfriend?"
Seeing Ye Siqing, several men and women teased her.
Just then, a disbelieving voice called out, "Qin Ning!"
Hearing the voice, Qin Hanchu's heart skipped a beat.
He followed the sound and saw that it was indeed Murong Yanran.
Qin Hanchu was frustrated, wondering why he'd run into her here.
This Longmen was too small!
At this moment, Murong Yanran was overcome with emotion, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Long... long time no see!" It was too late to leave now, Qin Hanchu said with an awkward smile.
Upon hearing Qin Hanchu's reply, Murong Yanran ran towards him in tears and embraced him.
Ye Siqing was stunned, and the other young men and women stared blankly at Murong Yanran and Qin Hanchu.
What was going on?
Qin Hanchu stood frozen, awkwardly asking, "Why are you here?"
"You scoundrel, I messaged and called you, why didn't you reply?" Murong Yanran raised her small fist and hit Qin Hanchu's chest, "I thought you were dead!"
Hearing this, the crowd looked at Ye Siqing with strange expressions.
In their eyes, Ye Siqing seemed to have a green hat on her head.
Ye Siqing was also feeling awkward; she felt like a third party.
But she had only just met Qin Hanchu.
She had asked Qin Hanchu to come as a shield.
She never expected this scene to unfold.
"I went to Evil Man Valley, and my phone was lost." Qin Hanchu could only lie. If Murong Yanran knew he had deliberately ignored her, it would be too hurtful.
He couldn't bear to hurt her, given how concerned Murong Yanran was about him.
"I know, I sent people to look for you, but they found Wang Jiuhan's body."
Qin Hanchu knew Murong Yanran had sent people to Evil Man Valley to find him; she had mentioned these things in her messages.
"We were ambushed by experts from Evil Man Valley, and Wang Jiuhan was killed saving me."
Murong Yanran choked as she held Qin Hanchu, "I'm glad you're okay."
"Yanran, what's your relationship?" Ye Siqing asked.
Murong Yanran suddenly remembered that Qin Hanchu had come with Ye Siqing.
Panic filled Murong Yanran's eyes. Could Qin Hanchu already be Ye Siqing's boyfriend?
Had she missed her chance?
"You two...?" Murong Yanran asked back.
Ye Siqing could only tell the truth, "Roommates, he just rented the room next to mine today."
Upon hearing this, Murong Yanran's face lit up with a happy smile, "We are good friends."
"Just good friends?" a girl questioned.
Murong Yanran shyly replied, "He pretended to be my fiancé once."
"Your business really is broad," Ye Siqing commented to Qin Hanchu.
Qin Hanchu remained in an awkward state.
"My parents will be very happy to know you're alive," Murong Yanran said.
Qin Hanchu quickly replied, "Let's not let your family know about this. What if the old man forces me to marry you?"
"Would marrying me be a hardship for you?" Murong Yanran pouted shyly.
"Oh!" Hearing this, all the girls present started to tease.
Murong Yanran was making her feelings for Qin Hanchu clear.
Hearing the teasing, Murong Yanran quickly added, "I didn't mean anything by it, just joking with him."
Qin Hanchu sighed inwardly. Since they had met, he had to make things clear.
He needed to maintain a distance from the Murong family, otherwise, it would inevitably lead to trouble for them.
"Don't think too highly of yourself. Are you worthy of Yanran?"
"The Murong family would force you to marry her? How absurd."
From the crowd, a young man said coldly to Qin Hanchu.
Without needing to guess, this young man was clearly one of Murong Yanran's suitors.
"Ruan Yichen, watch your attitude. He is my friend," Murong Yanran said displeasedly.
Ruan Yichen shot Qin Hanchu a cold glance and then remained silent.
"Let's go out and talk," Qin Hanchu said.
Murong Yanran nodded, "Okay."
The two of them left the KTV and walked side-by-side on the sidewalk.
"Honestly, have you developed different feelings for me?" Qin Hanchu asked directly.
Murong Yanran hadn't expected Qin Hanchu to be so direct. She lowered her head and nodded, "After you left, your image constantly appeared in my mind. I didn't expect you to have taken root in my heart so quickly."
"We can only be ordinary friends," Qin Hanchu stated.
Murong Yanran stopped, her heart feeling a pang of discomfort, "Why? Am I not good enough?"
"You are excellent, but love has nothing to do with it."
"It's best we maintain some distance. Getting too close to me won't do you or the Murong family any good."
Hearing this, Murong Yanran asked puzzledly, "What do you mean?"
"You'll understand later," Qin Hanchu sighed. "Go back and remove me from your heart. We didn't spend much time together, and we never started anything. Forgetting me shouldn't be difficult."
"I..."
"Go back, I'm leaving first." Without waiting for Murong Yanran to finish, Qin Hanchu turned and walked away.
"Qin Ning!" Murong Yanran called out, tears streaming down her face.
Qin Hanchu didn't stop, leaving resolutely.
Standing alone, Murong Yanran's tears flowed uncontrollably.
She had thought she could "start anew" with Qin Hanchu, but she never expected him to directly reject her.
Why was this? Qin Hanchu was unwilling to give her a chance!