Yu Mingzhong hung up the phone and, hearing the boarding announcement for his flight, stood up pulling his suitcase. He looked down at his phone as he slowly followed the crowd, actually sending a message to someone to ask what was going on with Yu Hekun.
The person he asked was none other than Zhan Cheng, who had always been good friends with Yu Hekun. Zhan Cheng replied almost instantly: What else could it be? Hekun's been entangled by a thousand-year-old fox demon. Brother, are you coming back? Let's go exorcise the demon together!
Seeing this kind of statement, Yu Mingzhong frowned slightly and didn't reply further. Just as he put his phone away, he heard a very soft and sweet female voice.
"What a coincidence! You're on this flight too? Heading back home?"
Yu Mingzhong turned his head and saw a girl in a light-colored suit dress, so beautiful it was hard to look away. She was smiling, waiting for his reply.
Yu Mingzhong paused his steps, looking at the tall beauty who had attracted the gaze of most people around them. He raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Jiaoyue, long time no see."
As he spoke, his phone rang again with an incoming message. Yu Mingzhong gave Huo Jiaoyue an apologetic nod, then took out his phone. It was another message from Zhan Cheng.
Brother, you better come back quick. I'm about to be pissed to death by that little enchantress. Who knows what kind of potion she's fed Hekun? Hekun just got angry with me, damn it! He hasn't lost his temper with me in almost ten years!
Yu Mingzhong's brow furrowed again. Meanwhile, at that very moment, Zhan Cheng put down his phone, walked back in from outside the door, and asked Yu Hekun again, "Hekun, do you believe her or me? That stuff all over her really wasn't me!"
Yu Hekun pinched the bridge of his nose, saying nothing. But it was precisely because he said nothing that Zhan Cheng felt a chill in his heart. The damn thing was there was no surveillance camera covering the blind spot by the door. He couldn't help but curse that fox spirit, warning her to watch out or he'd make her pay.
Who knew Yu Hekun was awake? And who knew that crazy fox spirit would suddenly pour the hot congee in her hand over her own head, then shove the takeout container into his hand?
Damn it! Zhan Cheng felt like he was in some TV drama, playing the idiot who gets framed, desperately in need of a Judge Bao to clear his name!
He might be a bit unscrupulous, but he wouldn't really use such methods against a woman. He had been planning to target the little enchantress through her family, but who knew before he could even make a move, he'd get this shit dumped on him?
The key point was that his buddy of over ten years didn't believe him now!
"Fine, fine," Zhan Cheng nodded resentfully. "Hekun, sooner or later, you'll be conned out of your very underpants!"
After saying that, Zhan Cheng stormed off in a huff. Jian Youyou came out of the bathroom, her hair damp, a slightly red patch on her forehead. Of course, it wasn't from a burn; it was drawn on with blush.
She didn't really expect to sever the over-ten-year brotherhood between Zhan Cheng and Yu Hekun with this. She just wanted that dog Zhan Cheng to stay away from her. Anyone who hindered her from making money was an enemy.
So, Jian Youyou didn't cry or complain to Yu Hekun about Zhan Cheng bullying her. After letting out a scream, she had just entered the bathroom with congee all over her head, washing until now, and came out still silent and sullen.
Compared to her silence, Zhan Cheng was eager to explain, cursing and calling Jian Youyou a fox spirit and whatnot, his foul mouth giving Yu Hekun a headache and finally making him lose his temper.
With her goal achieved, Jian Youyou didn't deliberately play pitiful either. She simply sat on the edge of the bed and said to Yu Hekun, "The congee is gone. What would you like to eat? I'll go buy something else."
Her demeanor was natural. She didn't mention Zhan Cheng pouring stuff on her, nor did she look hurt. It was as if she truly didn't care about being bullied, only caring that Yu Hekun had no congee to eat.
Yu Hekun turned his head to look at Jian Youyou, seeing the faint red on her forehead, a look of apology on his face. "I'm sorry. Zhan Cheng... he's just blunt and speaks his mind."
As he spoke, he reached out to touch Jian Youyou's forehead. Jian Youyou dodged slightly but ultimately let him touch it obediently. This time, she hadn't drawn it on carelessly; it wouldn't rub off.
"What he's like has nothing to do with me," Jian Youyou said, reaching up to grasp Yu Hekun's hand resting on her head. "Why are you apologizing?"
A somewhat gratified smile touched Yu Hekun's lips. He didn't really believe Zhan Cheng would do such a thing either, but who would pour hot congee over their own head for no reason? It was so hot, and girls care most about their faces. But Zhan Cheng's demeanor earlier didn't seem like he was lying either. Yu Hekun couldn't figure it out clearly.
If Yu Hekun had been born into an ancient imperial family, he would absolutely have been a foolish ruler. Fortunately, this didn't involve matters of state; it was just a conflict between a lover and a friend. He could just try not to let them meet in the future.
Jian Youyou, like a little kitten, held Yu Hekun's hand and buried her face in it, nuzzling. Her soft lips pressed against his palm, tickling him so much his fingers curled, but he didn't pull away, letting Jian Youyou nuzzle for a good while.
"What do you want to eat?" Jian Youyou asked again.
"Don't trouble yourself," Yu Hekun said. "Aunt Yun will bring food later. We'll eat together then."
Jian Youyou was only asking anyway. It was best if he didn't want anything troublesome. Yu Hekun recovered quite quickly. By the next day, he could already walk around like nothing was wrong.
Early in the morning, Yu Hekun's secretary from the company came by, and he started handling work again. Jian Youyou just quietly played on her phone beside him. The two of them were surprisingly harmonious.
However, by noon, it seemed there was a relatively important meeting at Yu Hekun's company that he had to attend in person.
They had no choice but to return home. After he showered and changed, Jian Youyou, who had been following him all along, also showered and changed at home. Wearing soft cotton pajamas, her hair damp and draped over her shoulders, she smiled with gentle warmth, like a virtuous and kind-hearted wife. She saw him off at the door and reminded him, "Don't overwork yourself. Come back early tonight. Even though we don't need to go back to the hospital, Aunt Yun has scheduled a home doctor. Your constitution is too weak; you need to recuperate properly."
Yu Hekun was putting on his shoes. After all, he was still young; he actually recovered very quickly. Apart from a lingering redness at the corner of his eye, his waist and legs only ached faintly. He wasn't running a fever, had eaten a good lunch, and felt quite energetic now.
When feeling energetic, of course, he felt invincible. Hearing Jian Youyou say his constitution was weak, he paused his movements, turned his head, and gave her a light, meaningful look. "How would you know I'm weak?"
Jian Youyou was really getting better, even learning to flirt.
After saying this, Yu Hekun also realized he had casually made a flirty remark and felt a bit embarrassed, scratching near his ear before continuing to put on his shoes.
Was Jian Youyou afraid of a little rookie like him who only talked big? She retorted, "I don't know. So when are you planning to let me find out?"
Yu Hekun straightened up after putting on his shoes, standing at the door looking at Jian Youyou with a complicated expression. He said quietly, "How can you be so shameless?"
His tone held no insult, leaning more towards helplessness. Jian Youyou hugged her arms, smiling at Yu Hekun like a sunflower.
"What face would I be saving with you? If I cared about face, I wouldn't have gotten you," Jian Youyou said, stepping forward to wrap her arms around Yu Hekun's waist. "Come back early, okay? I'll miss you so, so, so much."
Yu Hekun pushed at her shoulders. "Don't be so mushy."
He pretended to be stern, but a smile was unmistakable on his face. Before leaving, he added, "It should be over in about two or three hours."
Jian Youyou nodded, expressing how much she was looking forward to him coming home. Once Yu Hekun was out the door, her expression faded. She rubbed her cheeks, stiff from smiling, gave a bored wiggle on the spot, and headed upstairs.
She planned to catch up on some sleep, having rested poorly in the hospital the previous night. She lay down on the soft bed and closed her eyes.
But after trying for a while, sleep wouldn't come. Her mind was fixated on the book, the book, the book.
Opening her eyes again, she glanced toward the pillow. Sure enough, the book was right there beside it.
Jian Youyou picked it up and flipped to the page she had folded, which corresponded exactly to the story point she was currently in. She began studying the upcoming plot while lying on her stomach.
According to the original plot, there was quite a lot of dramatic confrontation on the cruise ship. But after her daring leap, all those scenes were skipped. After disembarking, Yu Hekun, humiliated by the shipboard incident, would become completely cold toward her.
What followed was her, the vicious supporting female character, going mad for love and attempting to sneak into his bed, only to be thrown out into the courtyard by Yu Hekun and left to freeze for half the night.
This plot point was described at great length, emphasizing how Yu Hekun didn't return to the villa for several days afterward, staying at the company instead, plunging their relationship to an icy low.
Then, the female lead would return to the country, kicking off the main storyline between the male and female leads, along with all the various schemes of her, the vicious supporting character.
The current situation was different from what was written in the book, but the book itself hadn't given her any prompts. Clearly, this deviation didn't matter much.
If it did matter, the book would give warnings. For instance, if she tried to tell others about this dream-crossing situation, the book would issue warnings—whole pages covered in red X's, and the text would disappear.
The book's plot had only progressed a few pages. The vicious supporting character's scenes lasted until the middle part of the story. Jian Youyou was incredibly eager for each of these plot points, because completing one meant she was one step closer to the massive breakup fee.
No time like the present. She planned to attempt the bed-sneaking tonight.
Yu Hekun didn't return in the two or three hours he had mentioned, because Yu Mingzhong had come back to the country. Instead of going to the Yu family villa, he went straight to the company.
Yu Hekun was detained at the company by Yu Mingzhong, who interrogated him about Jian Youyou as if conducting an inquisition. Zhan Cheng also showed up to join the fun. The two of them picked apart every detail, lecturing Yu Hekun on what a scheming woman was, what a green tea btch was, and all the holes in Jian Youyou's story this time.
But Yu Hekun only believed what he had seen with his own eyes. "I really did see her jump off the ship. Surviving that is miracle enough. As for what she said, does it even matter?"
Yu Hekun's expression was grim. Hearing this, Yu Mingzhong took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He asked Zhan Cheng, "Investigate the lifeguards on your ship that day. Could one of them have found her first and helped her hide the truth?"
Jumping ship certainly required courage, but surviving and not reappearing, pretending to be dead, clearly had a purpose. Besides, with so many people watching, how could she have hidden without help? Where did she hide? When did she get off the ship, and where was she hiding afterward? If the person helping her was just someone she hired, that might be one thing. But what if it was someone with ulterior motives?
What if even this woman's appearance was specifically arranged by people with ulterior motives? Then this matter wouldn't be so easily dismissed.
Someone had cast a long line to hook his foolish younger brother. Yu Mingzhong wanted to see just who had such grand designs and what their ultimate goal was.
Yu Hekun kept checking his watch and picked up his phone intending to message Jian Youyou, but Zhan Cheng snatched it away the moment he touched it. Zhan Cheng pleaded earnestly, "Hekun, just listen to me for once. Dump her already, okay? You're really no match for her. A woman who dares to pour congee on her own head to frame me—I've never met anyone like that in all my years!"
Yu Hekun frowned at Zhan Cheng. "Give me back my phone."
"So you just don't believe me, is that it?" Zhan Cheng seemed genuinely hurt. "We've been brothers for so many years. Would I lie to you about something like this?"
Zhan Cheng then looked pitifully at Yu Mingzhong. "Brother, talk some sense into him. He won't believe me!"
"That woman obviously has problems," Zhan Cheng said, pressing on Yu Hekun's shoulder. "Think back carefully. Do you really think she likes you?"
And Yu Hekun really did think so.
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