Ghost Exorciser: Is Loved By All-Chapter 825: Advice

"You’re blackmailing me!" Qiao Li whispered fiercely, eyes burning.

Ou Lin leaned back in his chair, still holding her hand tightly under the table.

"You can call it whatever you want," he said with a shrug.

"But here’s the deal: you don’t say anything to your mom, and you’ll hold my hand all through breakfast. Starting now."

He gave her hand a soft squeeze.

"Oh, and one more thing," he added casually, "from now until I leave this house, you will be the one holding my hand first. Every day."

Qiao Li stared at him in shock, her mouth slightly open.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to slap him. She wanted to throw a spoon at his head.

But instead, she just sat there, frozen, completely trapped.

Inside, she was screaming at herself.

Why didn’t I just leave this morning? Why didn’t I run away when I had the chance? Now I’m stuck in this stupid rich guy’s evil trap!

And worst of all?

Her heart was still racing like crazy.

And she hated that she didn’t really hate the feeling of his hand in hers.

Just as Qiao Li was about to open her mouth and say something sharp, the kitchen door opened and Mrs. Qiao walked in with a tray in her hands.

Qiao Li panicked.

Quick as lightning, she pulled her hand away from Ou Lin’s and placed both hands on her lap, acting like nothing had happened.

Her heart was thumping like crazy — not just from being scared her mom might have seen, but also... because she had kind of liked it.

Just a little bit.

Ou Lin, on the other hand, was calm and very, very happy. He didn’t think Qiao Li would actually let him hold her hand that long. He had expected her to hit him, shout at him, or run away.

But she hadn’t.

She stayed.

And that gave him hope.

Maybe deep down, even if she said she didn’t care about him anymore... she still did.

He had loved her for more than ten years — kept every gift she ever gave him in a secret safe. He could never throw them away. He couldn’t even yell at her properly. The worst he did was push her away when he thought she might suffer with him.

But now that he finally had a chance, he wasn’t going to let it slip away again.

Not ever.

Mrs. Qiao sat down at the table as the servants began placing more dishes.

Ou Lin, like a sweet boyfriend, picked up a spoon and started putting Qiao Li’s favorite foods onto her plate.

He even added a few boiled carrots.

As soon as Qiao Li saw them, she frowned.

"I’m not eating carrots," she said flatly, crossing her arms.

Ou Lin looked at her and smiled like he was already used to her attitude.

"You should eat them," he said gently. "Even if you hate them. It’s been a month since you’ve had any, right?"

Qiao Li blinked.

Wait... how did he know that?

She had been skipping carrots for the past month. Every meal. On purpose. Because she hated them.

Mrs. Qiao noticed the way her daughter froze and smiled secretly to herself.

When a boy remembers even what food you haven’t eaten in a whole month... she thought, That’s love.

Qiao Li looked at the carrot like it was her worst enemy. Then she glanced at Ou Lin.

For the first time, she tried to look cute and said in a soft, pouty voice, "But I don’t wanna eat carrots today... I really don’t like them."

Ou Lin’s heart melted.

She was acting so cute, he couldn’t help it.

He leaned forward and pinched her cheek gently.

"Well, even if you don’t want to eat it," he said with a grin, "you have to. Carrots are good for you. Vitamin A, beta-carotene, all that smart stuff."

Qiao Li’s face turned red.

Her cheek felt warm from his touch, and she looked away quickly.

She didn’t want to admit it, but... when it came to Ou Lin, she was kind of a softie. A big, mushy doormat.

Still blushing, she pushed his hand away — not too hard — and started eating quickly, like the food would disappear if she didn’t.

She didn’t say another word.

When she finally finished her breakfast, she wiped her mouth and tried to stand up.

But.

Ou Lin didn’t let go of her hand.

He was still holding it, super casually, while eating a piece of toast with the other hand.

Qiao Li sat back down, confused and flustered.

She glared at him, and he looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"What? Are you waiting for me?" he asked, acting all innocent.

"No, I—"

"You didn’t leave yet," he said with a smirk. "So it looks like you’re waiting for me."

Qiao Li’s face turned pink again. She was about to argue when—

"Ahem."

Mrs. Qiao looked up from her bowl.

"I think she’s sitting because of me, not you, Ou Lin," she said with a firm voice. "She has college. You should let her go now."

Ou Lin blinked.

Then, like he finally got the hint, he released Qiao Li’s hand.

Qiao Li stood up so fast it was like she’d been freed from prison.

She smiled brightly at her mom. "Yes, Mom! I was waiting for you! But since you’re still eating, I won’t disturb you. I’ll just... quietly leave now."

And with that, she slipped away like a ninja, escaping before Ou Lin could trap her again.

Once she was gone, Mrs. Qiao looked at Ou Lin, who was happily sipping tea like nothing had happened.

She sighed.

"Don’t bully my daughter too much," she said with a tired smile.

Ou Lin chuckled softly and said, "I’ll try not to."

Qiao Li reached her college and sat on the bench near the garden, where she always waited for her small friend group to arrive.

She didn’t have many close friends. Just a few classmates who sometimes helped her out with studies, gave her advice about boys, and talked about silly stuff like nail polish colors and K-dramas.

She wasn’t super close to them... but right now, she needed to hear what they had to say.

Soon, the girls arrived—laughing, talking loudly, and carrying bubble teas in their hands.

"Heyyy, Qiao Li~" one of them waved at her. Another girl, who had bright blue-dyed hair and wore chunky earrings, plopped down beside her with a loud thud.

"Something happened, huh?" the blue-haired girl asked, squinting at Qiao Li.

Qiao Li blinked. "What?"

"You’re glowing," the girl said, pointing at her cheeks. "Like... seriously glowing. You look like someone who just got kissed or confessed to."

Qiao Li’s eyes widened. "W-What?!" She quickly touched her face with both hands. "Do I really look like that?"

"You do," another girl agreed. "It’s weird. You usually look like a sleepy kitten, but today you look like a cat who found a fish pond."

"I’m not happy," Qiao Li muttered, crossing her arms. "I’m the opposite of happy. I’m... miserable."

The blue-haired girl leaned forward. "Okay, now I’m curious. Spill. What happened?"

Qiao Li paused.

She didn’t want to say it was about her. It was too embarrassing. So she made up a story... sort of.

"It’s about a friend," she said slowly. "Yeah... a friend."

All the girls leaned in, waiting.

"She liked this guy for ten years," Qiao Li began, "and she always chased after him. But the guy kept pushing her away, saying stuff like... she was just a responsibility and he didn’t really like her. He even said her family made him stay close to her."

The girls gasped.

"That’s harsh," one of them said.

Qiao Li nodded, pretending to be calm.

"So then... the girl gave up," she continued.

"She finally moved on and started looking for someone new. Maybe even trying to get a boyfriend."

"And then?" the blue-haired girl asked, sipping her drink like it was popcorn.

Qiao Li sighed.

"And then the guy comes back. Out of nowhere. Starts flirting. Holding her hand. Saying stuff like... ’I’ve got time just for you,’ and acting like he’s the perfect boyfriend. Like the past ten years never happened."

All the girls blinked.

"...So what should my friend do?" Qiao Li asked softly. "Should she forgive him? Or keep ignoring him?"

The blue-haired girl sat back and gave the most honest middle school advice ever:

"If that guy didn’t treat her right for ten years, then suddenly comes back now just because she’s moving on, that’s a big red flag."

"Exactly," another girl chimed in. "He’s only interested now because she’s not chasing him anymore. That’s called being selfish."

"But what if he actually loves her?" Qiao Li asked, her voice a little small.

The blue-haired girl shrugged. "Then he should’ve shown it earlier. Love isn’t about doing things when it’s easy. It’s about choosing someone even when things are messy."

She sipped her drink again and added,

"Tell your friend she should take her time. Don’t rush. If he’s really serious, he’ll prove it. With actions, not flirty words."

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