Chapter 1469: 1469: Depression and Decadence

Chapter 1469: Chapter 1469: Depression and Decadence

In the following two days, Luo Ziling stayed at school and didn’t return to Ling Ruonan’s place.

He didn’t turn off his phone again. When Ling Ruonan called, he just said he had things to deal with for the next few days and told her not to worry about him.

Ling Ruonan seemed to have figured out what was going on and didn’t say much, only advising him to think carefully about handling the situation.

Ouyang Feifei might have also known about it or possibly was upset with him, so she didn’t bother him either.

Luo Ziling called Yang Qingyin several times, but she never picked up.

The messages he sent her received no replies either.

He tried calling Ye Xiaoli, but her phone was also unreachable, and his messages went unanswered.

He even called Yang Qingye. At first, she didn’t answer, and later, she outright turned off her phone.

This left Luo Ziling feeling a sense of despair.

The thirteenth day of the first lunar month had already arrived, and the school was about to start soon. The registration date was set for the sixteenth, which was considerate enough to allow students to enjoy the Lantern Festival before returning. However, many students had already come back early, including Luo Ziling’s roommate, Li Fuming, who returned on the twelfth. With Li Fuming back, the dorm was no longer just his alone, and Luo Ziling found this a bit irritating.

He wanted to be alone to think everything through calmly.

Li Fuming, however, didn’t disturb him much. After returning to school, he vanished early in the morning, no one knew where he went off to play.

On the morning of the thirteenth, Luo Ziling skipped his morning exercise and stayed in bed, sleeping in.

Half-asleep and half-awake, he suddenly heard a loud knocking on the dormitory door.

“Luo Ziling, open up,” a woman’s voice called from outside.

“Who is it?” Luo Ziling asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

“Open up now, or I’ll kick the door down.”

Luo Ziling finally recognized the voice as belonging to Luo Yuqing. Reluctantly, he got out of bed and opened the door.

As soon as the door cracked open, Luo Yuqing stormed in like a whirlwind.

“Spill it, what’s going on? You’ve been missing these past two days,” Luo Yuqing said furiously, glaring at him sprawled out in a defeated state. “Your mom sent me over to check on you and tell you to go back. But before that, you need to explain what the hell is happening!”

“Nothing much,” Luo Ziling muttered irritably, not wanting to talk.

But Luo Yuqing wasn’t having it. “Did you have a falling out with Yang Qingyin?” she pressed.

Luo Ziling remained silent.

“I asked Ouyang Feifei and that Wang Zhenjun guy who was with you that day. I pieced together what happened: that day, Yang Yunlin came to threaten you, and then you happened to take a call from Ouyang Feifei, which Yang Qingyin overheard. After that, she ran off, isn’t that right?” Luo Yuqing stared at him with disdain after delivering her deduction, then added salt to the wound. “Serves you right for getting dumped. Who told you to string along multiple women?”

“What do you want?” Luo Ziling snapped, glaring coldly at her.

“Why are you yelling at me?” Luo Yuqing said angrily. “I’m your sister, and I haven’t done anything to you. I’m just trying to help.”

“My business is none of your concern.” Luo Ziling waved her off impatiently. “Leave, I have things to do later!”

“Look at you now. Do you even resemble a prince charming anymore?” Luo Yuqing dragged Luo Ziling to the bathroom and made him look in the mirror. “Take a good look at yourself. Letting something this minor drag you down like this—do you even have any backbone?”

Luo Ziling didn’t respond, angrily glaring at her instead.

“Hmph, let me tell you about my plight, then. My beloved prince charming turned out to be my younger brother! The budding feelings I had for him—crushed in their infancy. And I still have to see this annoying guy every single day. Don’t you think I’m pitiful?” Luo Yuqing blinked her beautiful eyes at him, looking utterly aggrieved.

“I’m washing up. Go outside,” Luo Ziling said, grabbing his toothbrush and getting ready.

“Do you want me to tell you about Yang Qingyin?” Luo Yuqing asked with a sly grin, refusing to leave.

Luo Ziling’s mood immediately shifted to excitement. “Did she contact you?”

“She didn’t contact anyone,” Luo Yuqing scoffed. “I got the scoop from Yang Qingye.”

“I tried contacting her, but she didn’t answer my calls,” Luo Ziling said.

“Your future brother-in-law practically wants to come after you with a knife,” Luo Yuqing said, huffing. “Ignoring you already counts as him cutting you some slack.”

Luo Ziling ignored her and focused on brushing his teeth.

“Wow, you’re really acting snobbish with me now. Believe it or not, I’ll leave right now and never speak to you again!” Luo Yuqing huffed in anger.

“Just spill it already; I’m not in the mood!” Luo Ziling said impatiently.

This incident was entirely different from the one involving Ouyang Huihui before.

Back then, with Ouyang Huihui, he had a clear conscience and confidently pursued Yang Qingyin. But this time, faced with Yang Yunlin and Ouyang Feifei double-teaming him, his confidence was thoroughly crushed, leaving him frustrated and at a loss.

“Yang Qingyin isn’t in Yanjing anymore,” Luo Yuqing suddenly revealed.

“What?!” Luo Ziling shot up, startled. “Where did she go?”

He recalled Yang Qingyin mentioning that her father, Yang Yunlin, was pressuring her to study abroad and leave Yanjing. He knew that this was a ploy to separate them.

Hearing Luo Yuqing say Yang Qingyin was gone from Yanjing only confirmed his fears.

Thoughts of Ouyang Huihui, who had also left Yanjing for Europe, made his frustration grow even deeper.

“According to Yang Qingye, she boarded a flight out of Yanjing yesterday evening but didn’t disclose her destination,” Luo Yuqing said, glaring unhappily at him. “I’d honestly like to know—if one day we had a fight and I left in a fit of anger, would you be this devastated?”

“Who’s devastated?” Luo Ziling retorted, glaring back at her.

“You are! Look at you—completely unkempt and miserable! Isn’t it obvious?”

“I just haven’t figured out how to fix this yet,” Luo Ziling sighed, then quickly asked, “Where did she go?”

“I told you, no one knows,” Luo Yuqing said, angrily pinching his arm. “But that shouldn’t stop you. Get someone to investigate her travel records. Whether it’s a train or a plane, she would’ve left a trail. Don’t you know that even buses require real-name registration now?”

Hearing this, Luo Ziling’s eyes immediately lit up with new hope.

He picked up his phone and called Wang Zhenjun, asking him to track Yang Qingyin and Ye Xiaoli’s whereabouts.

“Young Master, they went to Chang’an,” Wang Zhenjun replied as soon as Luo Ziling finished speaking. “It was a 7 p.m. flight last night, and they arrived in Chang’an around 10 p.m. However, their hotel check-in information is blocked—likely thanks to Ye Xiaoli.”

“Got it,” Luo Ziling said without doubt, quickly hanging up before opening his flight booking app.