4 Chapter 4 Rival in Love

On the train from Zhongzhou to Nanluo City, Su Yang sat by the window, his gaze fixed outside.

Su Yang had just turned eighteen this year, but he had already been in the military for three years, having joined the army at fifteen.

Fifteen – an age when many kids have just started their first year of high school. But that year, something happened that would change Su Yang's life forever. Because of that incident, Su Yang was forced to leave school and joined the military for three years.

After three years, having gone through a lot, Su Yang had changed significantly. What brought the greatest change was a book his father gave him when he was leaving.

The book had a strange name, it was called Destiny's Tome. Moreover, what was most peculiar was that the book had no words in it – at the time, Su Yang even wondered if his father had mistakenly given him a blank notebook. However, a year later, after returning from a mission with injuries, his blood accidentally dripped onto the book, causing words to finally appear on the first page only.

Though it was just one page, it contained an abundance of content, covering everything from martial arts, inner strength, medical skills, cooking, brewing, and even geomancy. It even contained cultural knowledge, nothing short of miraculous. It took Su Yang a whole year to memorize the contents of the first page, then another year to master seventy percent of it. Just two days ago, words started to appear on the second page. That was when he left the army.

The train arrived at the station. Su Yang gathered his thoughts and got off, carrying his backpack. As soon as he stepped out of the station, a crowd swarmed around him, bombarding him with questions, "Brother, do you need a taxi?"

"Bus, here! Buses to the county!"

"Dude, how about a motorcycle taxi? It's convenient, fast, and cheap!"

Su Yang pushed through the crowd, spotting a tall girl standing under a pavilion in the distance. A red BMW convertible was parked beside her – in Nanluo City, that was considered a luxury car. What's more, the girl was beautiful, fair-skinned, and had a graceful bearing; she was indeed attractive. However, her expression was cold and aloof, keeping people at arm's length.

At that moment, a taxi driver was still pestering Su Yang, "Young brother, take a taxi, it's the most convenient, can take you anywhere."

Seeing Su Yang staring straight at the girl, the taxi driver became speechless and said, "Buddy, stop looking, a beauty like that is out of our league."

Su Yang didn't respond, simply gazing at the girl quietly. He knew her, her name was Lin Qingru, and they had been betrothed since they were children. The incident three years ago had also started because of her.

That year, Su Yang and his best friend Fatty had gotten into a conflict over Lin Qingru with a gang. They accidentally injured someone from that group, who later ended up in a vegetative state. Because of this, Su Yang's father sent him away from Nanluo City to the army for three years of training.

Now, seeing her again, Su Yang couldn't quite explain why, but he felt a sense of unfamiliarity, devoid of the childhood intimacy they once shared.

Lin Qingru saw Su Yang too. A flicker of irritation crossed her face as she waved at him and called out, "Here, over here!"

"You really know her?" The taxi driver's eyes widened in disbelief. He simply couldn't understand how this young man, carrying a shoddy backpack and having travelled by train, could possibly know such a beautiful and affluent woman.

As Su Yang quickly approached Lin Qingru, a young man dressed in a suit came over and said cheerfully, "Yo, Brother Yang is back!"

A sharp glint flashed in Su Yang's eyes – he also knew this young man, named Liao Yuxuan. They had been classmates for many years, but had never gotten along well, to say the least. Liao Yuxuan had been pursuing Lin Qing since long before and always had a rivalry with Su Yang, consistently throwing obstacles his way, both openly and secretly. Even the incident from three years ago, Su Yang suspected Liao Yuxuan had a hand in it, but he was sent away immediately and had no time to investigate the matter.

Taking a deep breath, Su Yang glanced at Liao Yuxuan and then at Lin Qingru, but didn't say anything.

Lin Qingru had a look of displeasure on her face and shot back, "What's with that expression? My car broke down, and it just so happened that Yuxuan was nearby, so he gave me a lift here to pick you up. Isn't that okay? Alright, I won't talk about this anymore. Let's hurry up and go, I still have a gathering to attend later."

"I've just come back, yet you're worried I'll delay your gathering," Su Yang thought with a bitter smile.

Three years, enough time for a lot to change. He just hadn't expected Lin Qingru to have changed so much. Not only was she impatient with him, but she also brought Liao Yuxuan to him, wasn't this a slap in his face?

Liao Yuxuan's eyes carried a teasing smile, as if gloating over a victory. Seeing that Su Yang made no move, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "Brother Yang, does this car embarrass you to ride in?"

Finally, Su Yang looked at Liao Yuxuan and said with a half-smile, "Embarrass? No, I'm just worried about the quality of the car."

"Do you even know about cars?" Liao Yuxuan retorted immediately, "My car cost over a million, not quality? Then what kind of car is? Do you have to drive a tank to be satisfied?"

"Over a million?" Su Yang walked to the side of the car, circled it twice, and patted the body a few times as if studying the vehicle. Ultimately, however, he turned and walked away, "I'd rather not ride in this car. If it doesn't start later, that would be troublesome."

Lin Qingru instantly became irritated and snapped, "Su Yang, what are you doing? I know you have issues with Yuxuan, but it's all a misunderstanding, Yuxuan is a good person. Moreover, Yuxuan kindly came to pick you up, what kind of attitude is that?"

Su Yang turned his head and looked at Lin Qingru with a faint smile, "What does it matter to me whether he's a good person?"

"You... Why are you such a person!" Lin Qingru said anxiously, "Su Yang, I really didn't expect you to be so narrow-minded, you're truly a disappointment to me!"

I disappoint you? You brought the person who once sabotaged me, my love rival, to pick me up, and you are so intimate with him. Doesn't that disappoint me?

Su Yang let out a light breath and smiled slightly. During these three years, he had been reflecting on his relationship with Lin Qingru. And in the end, he found that his feelings for Lin Qingru were not as deep as he had thought. So, this time, it seemed it was time to end this marriage that never should have existed in the first place!

But for Liao Yuxuan, this was a moment of great joy. He had come here just to provoke Su Yang and to make Lin Qingru's impression of Su Yang even worse. Now, his goal had been achieved.

"Qingru, don't stoop to his level. Su Yang is just like that, arrogant and petty. Otherwise, why would he have turned that child into a vegetable three years ago?" Liao Yuxuan said with a look of regret, "Well, if he doesn't want to go with us, it's not our fault. Besides, you've come to get him; your father won't have anything to say about it. Let's go, I'll take you to the gathering first, so you won't be late!"

Watching Su Yang get into a taxi, Lin Qingru looked annoyed, then turned and got into the car herself.

Liao Yuxuan, smug as he settled in, hit the ignition button, but the vehicle made not a sound. He was taken aback; the car was known for its reliability, how could this be happening? He pressed the button another dozen times, refusing to give up, but it was all in vain.

"What happened?" Lin Qingru asked, looking over.

Liao Yuxuan, sweating profusely, said, "The car, how… how come it won't start?"