"...Auntie, thank you. Goodbye!"

Blushing at Auntie's question, Tang Rou hesitated for a moment without giving an explanation, said goodbye to her, and left with Lin Feng.

"This kid..." Auntie murmured, looking down at the necklace in her hand. Although she knew nothing about jewelry, she exclaimed, "This necklace must be worth a fortune! She gave me such a valuable gift just for a few words? What a lovely and adorable little girl..."

What Auntie didn't know was that the necklace was a birthday gift from Tang Zhendong to Tang Rou when she turned 16. The necklace was purchased in South Africa and worth 1,000,000!

After leaving the village, Lin Feng saw that Tang Rou was weak. Without hesitating, he carried her back up to the top of Zhizi Mountain. They packed up briefly, leaving even the tent behind, and carrying only their backpack, descended the mountain.

They took the only bus that passed through the village at the foot of the mountain. After two transfers, they arrived back in Jiangzhou City.

...

It was noon by the time Tang Rou returned to her villa in Jiangzhou.

She tidied up her clothes and then entered the living room, hoping that her father Tang Zhendong was not home. However, as soon as she walked in, she saw his familiar figure sitting on the sofa.

"Rou'er, you're back? Come, let's eat."

Seeing Tang Rou had returned, Tang Zhendong showed no odd behavior. There were a few simple dishes on the living room table, as if he had been waiting for her for a long time.

Tang Rou sat nervously beside Tang Zhendong, hanging her head low, too scared to meet his eyes.

"What's wrong? Something bothering you?" Tang Zhendong asked kindly.

"No... nothing."

"As long as you're okay, Rou'er. Don't you know how worried I've been? Since you were a child, you've always been a good listener, and you've never lied to me. Why did you lie to me yesterday, saying that you were staying over at Shan's House? I called her last night, and Shan'er said you didn't visit their house at all. I dialed your number so many times, but you didn't answer a single call. Did you know that if you hadn't come back, I would've gone to the police?"

As Tang Zhendong spoke, his gaze fixed on his beloved daughter, and he became quite emotional.

"Rou'er, your mother left us early. You're the only thing I care about in this world, my only love. When you lie to me, it worries and hurts me. Do you understand that?"

"Dad, I'm sorry..." Tang Rou felt very guilty as Tang Zhendong spoke.

"I'm not blaming you. It's just that you haven't entered society yet. You have no idea how dark and dangerous the world can be. All I hope is that you make your decisions after consulting with me, okay? Don't keep secrets from your father."

"Okay."

Tang Rou nodded, her eyes welling up with tears.

Last night, when Tang Zhendong discovered that Tang Rou had not stayed at the relative's house, he was immediately thrown into a state of panic. He asked Guo Yun to find her, but to no avail. Then, Guo Yun suggested that they could try to find Lin Feng. However, they didn't find Lin Feng either. Therefore, Tang Zhendong guessed that Tang Rou had likely gone out to have fun with Lin Feng.

As for elopement, Tang Zhendong knew his daughter well enough that he knew she would never do such an irrational thing.

As expected, early in the morning, Guo Yun informed Tang Zhendong that someone had seen Tang Rou at the train station in Jiangzhou City, and she was with Lin Feng, looking very happy, as if they had gone camping.

"Just the two of them?" Tang Zhendong asked at that time.

Once Guo Yun had confirmed it, Tang Zhendong fell silent.

"Rou'er, who did you go out with last night?"

After a moment of silence, Tang Zhendong hesitated, then asked, without mentioning Lin Feng by name.

"A... a classmate," Tang Rou said, somewhat guiltily.

"A male classmate?"

"...Yes."

"What's his name?"

"Lin... Lin Feng."

Tang Rou was not the type to lie, especially not to Tang Zhendong.

Fortunately, Tang Rou didn't lie, which brought a sigh of relief from Tang Zhendong. He continued to ask, "Did you two go camping?"

"Yes."

"Just the two of you?"

"Dad... I... yes."

Understanding what Tang Zhendong was implying, Tang Rou, embarrassed and anxious, wanted to explain something, but she couldn't express it, so she simply nodded.

"Rou'er, you don't have to explain," Tang Zhendong motioned for Tang Rou to stop. "About that Lin Feng—I had him investigated. He comes from a family with no significant background. Besides, he's been a slacker and a poor student in his class since he was young. Rou'er, I forbid you to be with a person like him. Also, last night... did you two... you know...?"

"Dad..."

Hearing Tang Zhendong's question, Tang Rou blushed. The memory of last night, sleeping side by side with Lin Feng and him carrying her down the mountain, warmed her heart.

"It's not that I'm making wild guesses. I just don't think that Lin Feng is a proper gentleman. He might be approaching you with ulterior motives. So, Rou'er, tell Dad honestly, did anything happen between you two last night?"

Tang Zhendong had seen all sorts of people, and he knew his daughter was graceful and attractive. Therefore, it was normal for him to suspect this. After all, Lin Feng's previous reputation at school was far from good.

"We... we didn't!" Tang Rou hung her head low, her face blushing, murmuring her reply.

Tang Zhendong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good, that's good..."

"Dad, what are you thinking about!" Tang Rou seemed helpless seeing Tang Zhendong's reaction.

"I'm not thinking about anything. I just hope that in the future, you'll associate less with people like him, as it could affect your grades. Before you go abroad, I don't want you to be distracted by other things, understand?" Tang Zhendong said with a cheerful smile, pouring Tang Rou a drink.

"Go abroad?"

"Yes, Rou'er, I need to tell you, I've picked out some schools for you. With your current grades plus some assistance from me, getting into any of these schools won't be a problem. It's all up to you."

Hearing this, for some reason, Tang Rou's heart suddenly sank, as if she had lost something.

"Dad... which... schools did you choose for me?" Tang Rou asked feebly.

"I've tentatively narrowed it down to four universities: Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford. These four are among the top educational institutions in the world today. I hope my Rou'er will return accomplished from her studies and help me manage the business," Tang Zhendong said with a smile.

For these universities, Tang Zhendong had connections he could call upon. And if worse came to worst, donations were also an option. In short, as long as Tang Rou set her sights on one, he would stop at nothing to fulfill his daughter's wish.

However, as Tang Rou heard the names of these universities, her mood plummeted.

After a moment of silence, Tang Rou asked, "Dad... can I... not go abroad?"

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