32: Small punishment

The dinner finally concluded in an atmosphere of subtle harmony and underlying tension.

Mother Lin enthusiastically packed the leftovers, insisting to Su Qingxue's mother, "Sister, take these home. You can warm them up tomorrow, don't waste them!"

"Look at you, you're too kind!" Su Qingxue's mother demurred with her words, but her hands honestly accepted the package.

The family then grandly escorted their guests downstairs.

In the elevator, the atmosphere became somewhat strange again. Chen Rui stood in the corner, hands in his pockets, silent. Su Qingxue, meanwhile, held her mother's arm, chatting with Lin Yao, but her gaze constantly and inadvertently swept over Lin Yu and Chen Rui.

Upon reaching the underground parking lot, the dim yellow lights stretched everyone's shadows long.

"Alright, this is far enough. Go back now," Su Qingxue's mother said to Lin Yu's parents as she opened the car door.

"Drive safely on the way!" Mother Lin was still waving.

Just as Lin Yu was about to turn and go back with his parents and sister, a voice called out to him.

"Lin Yu... right? Wait a moment."

It was Chen Rui.

He walked over from beside the car, a somewhat uncomfortable, self-important gentle smile on his face.

"Uncle, Auntie, Yao Yao, you all go up first," Chen Rui turned to the three from the Lin family. "Xiao Yu and I will chat alone for a bit. We're all young people; maybe there's something I can help him with."

His words sounded high-minded.

Father Lin and Mother Lin exchanged a look, somewhat hesitant.

Lin Yao immediately became wary, stepping forward to stand in front of Lin Yu.

"If my brother needs anything, we'll help him ourselves. No need to bother you."

"Yao Yao!" Su Qingxue interjected, gently pulling her sister's arm, a perfectly appropriate smile on her face. "Uncle, Auntie, don't worry. Chen Rui just wants to discuss things in the professional circle with Xiao Yu. He means no harm. I'll be here watching."

Su Qingxue's words clearly carried different weight.

She was Lin Yao's best friend, Lin Yu's peer, and Chen Rui's girlfriend.

With her saying so, Father Lin and Mother Lin's doubts immediately vanished.

"Then... alright," Father Lin nodded. "Xiao Yu, have a good chat with him."

Mother Lin also reminded him, "Don't be impolite."

Lin Yu nodded reassuringly to his parents and sister.

"You all go up first; I'll be right there."

Seeing that Lin Yu himself had said so, Lin Yao had no choice but to give up, though she still looked back worriedly every few steps as her parents pulled her into the elevator.

For a moment, only Lin Yu, Chen Rui, and Su Qingxue remained in the parking lot.

Su Qingxue's mother was already in the car, poking her head out to urge, "Qingxue, you two hurry up too."

Su Qingxue had come with Chen Rui and was not in the same car as her mother.

But they were both going back to the Su family home tonight.

"Mom, you go ahead. I'll be right there," Su Qingxue told her mother, then turned and walked towards Chen Rui and Lin Yu.

She was worried.

She knew Chen Rui well. He was arrogant and cared deeply about his reputation. He must have been seething during dinner tonight.

Su Qingxue thought that at most, he would make a few sarcastic remarks or lecture Lin Yu using his status as a Level 30 seasoned professional, just to flaunt his superiority.

Physical violence, however, seemed unlikely.

After all, this was beneath Lin Yu's home; making a big scene wouldn't benefit anyone.

However, she still underestimated the foolishness of a man driven by jealousy.

She had only taken a few steps when she saw Chen Rui extend his hand to Lin Yu, a fake smile on his face.

"Lin Yu, let's reintroduce ourselves. I'm Chen Rui, Qingxue's boyfriend."

He emphasized the words "boyfriend" in his tone.

Lin Yu looked at him calmly and extended his own hand.

Their hands met.

In that instant!

Su Qingxue saw the veins bulge on the back of Chen Rui's hand gripping Lin Yu's, and a faint, almost imperceptible earthy yellow glow flashed from his palm!

Attribute light!

He was using his professional power!

Alarm bells rang in Su Qingxue's heart.

This isn't good!

Chen Rui was a Level 30 [Rock Warrior], with a half-strength, half-constitution build. His strength attribute was already nearing the 50-point mark!

This handshake, seemingly a formality, was actually an attack imbued with power!

What did 50 points of strength mean?

Bending steel bars with bare hands was effortless!

This guy still couldn't hold back!

What did he want to do? Cripple Lin Yu's hand?

Su Qingxue's face instantly turned pale. She clutched her skirt and sprinted towards them.

"Chen Rui! What are you doing!"

In Chen Rui's mind, there was only one thought at this moment.

Just a small lesson.

He certainly wouldn't cripple Lin Yu, but making him suffer in bed for ten days to half a month, making him understand the gap between them, was perfectly acceptable.

He had used his attributes, but only three-tenths of his strength.

In his opinion, three-tenths of his strength was more than enough to deal with a good-for-nothing like Lin Yu, who had been out of society for five years.

He even anticipated that in the next second, Lin Yu would let out a pig-like scream and painfully collapse to the ground.

However... a second passed.

Nothing happened.

The sound of bones shattering that he had envisioned didn't come, and there wasn't even a trace of pain on Lin Yu's face.

Chen Rui was stunned.

What's going on?

He applied a little more force.

Still no reaction.

He felt like he wasn't holding a human hand.

It was a piece of... granite frozen by ten thousand years of profound ice!

No!

It was even harder than that!

How could this be!

Chen Rui's self-esteem was challenged like never before at this moment.

He refused to believe it!

Just a good-for-nothing! How could he withstand his strength!

It must be an illusion!

"Break!"

Chen Rui roared in his heart. He no longer held back, his professional core furiously operating, and all 50 points of strength, without reservation, poured into his right hand!

He wanted to completely crush this hand that made him feel humiliated into powder!

Lin Yu still stood calmly.

The moment Chen Rui made his move, Lin Yu didn't even have to think.

[Hardening].

The professional skill was activated, then amplified by the terrifying one million forty-eight thousand five hundred seventy-six times multiplier of the Ghost Card Amplification Cycle.

In that instant, the physical defense attribute of his hand had surpassed the definition of any known material on this planet.

Chen Rui's strength, in his eyes, was no different from the struggle of an ant.

In fact, it was somewhat laughable.

"Crack—"

A crisp, teeth-grinding sound of bone breaking finally echoed in the dead silent parking lot!

But the source of the sound was completely opposite to what Chen Rui had expected!

"Ah—!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream tore through the night sky.

Chen Rui violently pulled back his hand, staggering back two steps, his face filled with extreme pain and disbelief.

His proud right hand was now twisted at a grotesque angle, and the stark white bone fragments had even pierced through the skin, exposed to the air.

Blood gushed from between his fingers.

Su Qingxue, who had just rushed close, witnessed this incredibly horrifying scene.

She froze completely.

Chen Rui... used all his strength to squeeze Lin Yu's hand... and ended up breaking his own bone?