Chapter 43: Too Much Interference

The café’s silence lingered, heavy and sour.

Chen Dongyang barely registered leaving with Jiang Yuxin.
His mind churned—Yin Xiran’s suppressed anger, Yin Qingle’s helpless gaze.
He’d fumbled, making things worse.

Jiang Yuxin walked beside him, half a meter apart, silent.
Her white dress glowed in the harsh afternoon sun, her aloofness almost otherworldly, like she could vanish into the light.

His frustration shifted to unease.
He slowed, wanting to speak but unsure how.

A black car glided to a stop before them.
The window rolled down, revealing a man in his early forties—sharp, handsome, in a tailored gray suit, collar open, faintly unruly.
Fatigue lined his face, but his hawk-like eyes were piercing.

He looked at Jiang Yuxin, expressionless.
“Where to? I’ll drive you.”

“No need,” she replied curtly, moving to bypass the car.

“Get in,” he said, his calm tone unyielding.

She froze, shot him a cold glance, then opened the back door and got in.

Chen Dongyang stood awkwardly.
He recognized the man—Jiang Lin, Jiang Yuxin’s father, founder of Linjiang Technology, seen once in a parent-teacher conference slide.

He hesitated, unsure whether to greet or flee, when Jiang Lin’s gaze landed on him.
“Your classmate?” His eyes scanned Chen Dongyang, calm but dissecting.

“Yes, hello, Uncle,” Chen Dongyang mumbled.

“Since you’re Yuxin’s friend, get in. I’ll drive you,” Jiang Lin said, polite but commanding.

“No need, he can walk,” Jiang Yuxin cut in, her voice ice.

Chen Dongyang glanced at her.
She leaned against the window, face cold, detached from the scene.

“Safety first,” Jiang Lin said, ignoring her resistance, his tone softening but firm.
“Yuxin, let him in.”

Sensing the tense father-daughter dynamic, Chen Dongyang got in to avoid escalating things.

The car merged into traffic, its leather seats luxurious but the air stifling.

“You went to the library today?” Jiang Lin asked casually, eyes on the road.

Chen Dongyang blinked, realizing the question was for him.
“Yeah, to look up some info,” he said vaguely.

“Really?” Jiang Lin nodded, glancing at his daughter in the rearview mirror.
She sat motionless, staring out the window.

“You’re Yuxin’s classmate?”

“Same class.”

“Studies going well?”

“Fine.”

“Your family?”

The questions felt like an interrogation masked as concern.
“My dad’s a writer, mom’s a community hospital doctor,” Chen Dongyang answered.

“Great professions,” Jiang Lin said, his tone neutral.
“Come by the house sometime. Yuxin doesn’t have many friends. I’m glad you get along.”

The words were kind but carried a condescending edge, as if friendship with his daughter required his approval.

Chen Dongyang paused, then said, “Jiang’s great, just quiet. It’s nice being her friend.”

Jiang Lin glanced at him in the mirror, saying nothing.

The car fell silent, the tension thick.
Jiang Yuxin’s fingers twitched on her knees.

“Uncle, I’ll get off here. My place is around the corner,” Chen Dongyang said at an intersection.

Jiang Lin pulled over smoothly.
“Thanks, Uncle,” Chen Dongyang said, adding, “Goodbye, Uncle Jiang, goodbye, Jiang.”

Jiang Yuxin gave a faint “hm,” not looking at him.

He stepped out, and the car vanished into traffic.
Standing roadside, he exhaled, the brief ride more draining than facing the shadow monster.

—

Inside the Car

Jiang Lin glanced at Chen Dongyang’s figure in the rearview mirror.
“Your classmate seems honest.”

Jiang Yuxin didn’t respond, eyes fixed outside.

“But his background’s ordinary,” Jiang Lin continued, matter-of-fact.
“Yuxin, you’re different. Your future circle will be different. Friends are fine, but distinguish between those who matter and those who don’t.”

Her hands clenched slowly.
She turned, staring at his profile, half-lit by streetlights.
Her voice was frigid.
“He’s not just passing through. And you’re interfering too much.”