The four people at the table all froze because of Jian Youyou's action, especially Yu Hekun, who stiffened into a rock.
The kind that would shatter into pieces with a gust of wind.
Huo Jiaoyue was slightly surprised, her mouth opening a little, and she exchanged a discreet glance with Yu Mingzhong.
Yu Mingzhong also had no idea what Jian Youyou was up to. He had always been a good judge of character, but from the very beginning, he had never been able to figure out Jian Youyou's behavior.
The first to react was Yu Hekun, who jerked his hand away as if electrocuted, flinging off Jian Youyou's hand that was resting on top of his. Her hand knocked over a cup of soy milk on the table. The soy milk flew a short distance before pouring straight in Yu Mingzhong's direction. Not a single drop of the milky-white liquid was wasted, instantly splattering Yu Mingzhong's face, the front of his clothes, and, including an indescribable area, leaving everything dripping wet.
Yu Mingzhong reached up with a trembling hand to take off his glasses, his expression extremely grim. He had almost never been so humiliated in a public setting like this before.
Everyone at the table looked at Yu Mingzhong with varied expressions. Jian Youyou quickly stood up, rapidly saying, "I'm so sorry, Brother..."
She then pressed tissues onto Yu Mingzhong's face and clothes, pressing so that his head bobbed back and forth. After a moment, he could bear it no longer and grabbed Jian Youyou's wrist. Her slender wrist felt as fragile as if it would snap with a single twist in his palm. Yu Mingzhong used every ounce of his self-control to stop himself from committing murder on the spot.
He said through gritted teeth, "That's enough. Stop wiping."
Jian Youyou immediately stopped, her face flushed crimson, her lips pressed tightly together. But it wasn't from embarrassment or apology—it was because she was damn near pissing herself from holding back laughter.
Because he was sitting, the most severely affected area wasn't his face or chest, but that indescribable place below his waist. Oh dear.
Her wrist was gently shaken off. Yu Mingzhong, face dark, picked up his glasses and stood from his seat, the tendons in his neck standing out. He took off his suit jacket and draped it quite elegantly and naturally over his forearm, cleverly blocking the unsightly stain. Then he quickly strode towards the door.
Jian Youyou watched him leave with eyes still glistening (from laughter). The moment his body turned the corner, she switched herself from vibrate mode to speakerphone, letting out a wild and utterly impolite shriek of laughter, causing people nearby to look over.
Jian Youyou really couldn't hold it in. Gasping for breath, she turned and slapped Yu Hekun's shoulder, "Did you see that? Hahahahahaha... ha... hic!"
"Your brother's face, just like a pig's belly! Hahahaha!"
Having gained the upper hand and seeing Yu Mingzhong so discomfited, Jian Youyou simply couldn't control herself. She slapped Yu Hekun again, leaving him utterly stunned. "He's never been this embarrassed before, right? Hahaha!"
Jian Youyou naturally leaned against Yu Hekun's shoulder, giggling non-stop, saying intermittently, "I really... haha... didn't do it on purpose..."
Jian Youyou laughed until her stomach ached. Truly, her laughter and voice were too infectious. A lovely young girl with a clean, pretty appearance, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons when she laughed, revealing a neat row of little white teeth—it was hard for anyone not to feel a sense of goodwill.
Onlookers couldn't help but smile along with her. Huo Jiaoyue could sense that Yu Mingzhong was genuinely angry. She had rarely seen Yu Mingzhong almost unable to suppress his anger in public. He was always that unflappable, imperturbable person. Even back when they were in their ambiguous phase, Huo Jiaoyue had never truly been able to guess his thoughts.
And the consequences of Yu Mingzhong's anger were usually quite severe.
Huo Jiaoyue hadn't initially found it funny, but seeing Jian Youyou laugh so heartily, she too couldn't help but show a hint of a smile. Seeing someone who was always so proper and meticulous in such a disheveled state—this kind of secret satisfaction really had nothing to do with whether they were friends or not.
A long-dormant, slightly mischievous streak was stirred in Huo Jiaoyue's heart. Propping her elbow on the table, she touched the tip of her nose with a slender finger, unable to hide her smile.
Only Yu Hekun wasn't laughing. He hadn't expected to suddenly see Huo Jiaoyue here. He was nervous as hell. On one hand, he was completely unprepared. After all, he had liked her for so many years and hadn't seen her for just as long. Suddenly, she appeared right in front of him. He felt all the pent-up longing and fantasies from those years come crashing down on him all at once, making it hard to breathe.
But that wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was that he wanted to grab Jian Youyou and run away immediately. He didn't want them to meet. It was too awkward and humiliating. Being caught by the person he had yearned for for so many years with what was essentially her replacement—the situation itself was mortifying enough.
But what he feared most right now was that Jian Youyou, upon seeing Huo Jiaoyue, would be hurt and heartbroken.
Just as Yu Hekun was about to stand up, Jian Youyou had taken his hand and pressed it onto Huo Jiaoyue's hand. Yu Hekun simply didn't know how to describe the complex feelings of being stuck in such an awkward scene.
He thought Jian Youyou was doing it on purpose. She was heartbroken, and that's why she was using this seemingly nonchalant act, along with the loud laughter, to cover up the tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She liked him so much...
Jian Youyou had indeed laughed until tears came, after all, making Yu Mingzhong lose face like that was just too satisfying. Oh, that patch of milky-white stain... how on earth would he explain it if he ran into an acquaintance? Hahaha.
She finally managed to stop laughing, wiped the tear from the corner of her eye with her hand, rubbed her face, and said to Huo Jiaoyue, "Sorry about that, sis. Hope we didn't embarrass ourselves too much."
A smile also spread in Huo Jiaoyue's eyes. After all, as a woman, she understood women best. How could she not see that Jian Youyou's laughter wasn't fake? She was genuinely delighted by Yu Mingzhong's setback.
Who had ever gotten the better of Yu Mingzhong? Huo Jiaoyue recalled how Yu Mingzhong had described this Jian Youyou, calling her a wildcat.
That inexplicable anger Huo Jiaoyue had felt all those years ago when Yu Mingzhong had smilingly rejected their ambiguous relationship, which had been stuck in her heart for so long, showed signs of being somewhat healed today by this Jian Youyou.
So she said sincerely as well, "It's fine. It was indeed rather funny."
Jian Youyou nodded in agreement, "Right?"
She then turned her head to look at Yu Hekun, "Right, Brother Kun?"
The corners of her eyes were still damp, and her face was a bit stiff from laughing, making her expression somewhat unnatural. Yu Hekun's face showed no trace of a smile. Looking at Jian Youyou like this, then glancing at Huo Jiaoyue, he suddenly stood up and said to Huo Jiaoyue, "Welcome back to the country. I have some things to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."
With that, he pulled Jian Youyou, who was just about to continue eating, and quickly left as well, not even giving Huo Jiaoyue a chance to respond.
Huo Jiaoyue's gaze couldn't help but follow the two. Jian Youyou was baffled, "Hey, Brother Kun, Brother Kun! We haven't eaten yet, I'm starving! Isn't it rude to just leave your friend like this? Hey, hey, are we really leaving?"
Dragged out by Yu Hekun, she still remembered to turn her head and wave to Huo Jiaoyue, "Bye, sis!"
Oh, she smiled. The female lead's smile is really quite beautiful.
Jian Youyou was inwardly praising the situation as she was pulled out of the dining room by Yu Hekun.
Huo Jiaoyue slowly turned her head, reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, elegantly picked up her glass, took a sip of water, and then, remembering how the young girl had pressed a tissue to Yu Mingzhong's face, couldn't help but let out a soft "heh" of laughter before quickly suppressing it again.
She cleared her throat and composed her expression, but the amusement in her eyes was practically tangible, rivaling the sun outside in its brilliance.
Huo Jiaoyue's return to the country this time had actually been fraught with difficulty. After all, with her family's business in trouble, as the person in charge, it was impossible for her not to be overwhelmed.
She had thought that Yu Mingzhong asking her to deal with the woman by Yu Hekun's side would be a catfight of the sort she most despised. But for the sake of her family, Huo Jiaoyue was prepared to endure it. It was true that compared to fundraising everywhere, an investment from the Yu Family would be the best solution for the Huo family.
However, it was quite clear that the girl by Yu Hekun's side was nothing like what Yu Mingzhong had described. Huo Jiaoyue habitually twirled her glass, then the corners of her lips curled up again. This promised to be quite interesting.
Jian Youyou, whom the female lead had categorized as 'quite interesting,' was dragged all the way into his room by Yu Hekun. Once inside, she was still utterly confused. "Brother Hekun, aren't you hungry? We haven't even had breakfast yet. I'm starving."
Jian Youyou was in a great mood, the smile not yet faded from her face. Yu Hekun stood by the door, looking down at her, and suddenly said, "Don't smile if you don't feel like it."
Jian Youyou let out a "Huh?"
Yu Hekun reached out and hugged Jian Youyou, pressing her head against his chest. After a moment, he said in a muffled voice, "Give me some time to sort things out. You don't need to mind her."
Jian Youyou, "What?"
"It won't take long," Yu Hekun took a deep breath, thinking of Huo Jiaoyue. She was still as beautiful and gentle as ever, but he would no longer act the fool like he did back then, just to get a few more words with her.
Thinking of this, Yu Hekun genuinely felt a pang of heartache for Jian Youyou. In his eyes, her behavior just now was precisely that—acting the fool, trying to use loud laughter and a cavalier attitude to cover up the hurt she must be feeling inside.
"Brother Hekun, you're smothering me," Jian Youyou didn't understand what had suddenly gotten into him. Was he overly excited from seeing the female lead?
But if he was excited, he should go talk to the female lead! What was the point of hugging her?
Yu Hekun, however, held Jian Youyou even tighter, his mind in turmoil.
Jian Youyou finally managed to free her face from his embrace and looked up at Yu Hekun. "I'm hungry! What's suddenly wrong with you?"
Jian Youyou originally wanted to say: Your sweetheart is sitting right there in the dining room. Shouldn't you go catch up with her? What are you doing dragging a stand-in mistress into a room and hugging her? Isn't that just asking for misunderstandings?
As if there won't be enough dramatic confrontations later on, young man! All these things will come back to haunt you later!
Her part as the vicious supporting female character was almost over. After it ended, there was still so much story left, and that's all pits you're digging right now, young man!
But in the end, she didn't say it. She couldn't appear too eager either, after all, she was still holding the script for the vicious supporting female character and had several more plot points to fulfill.
So, she performed another one of her duties as the vicious supporting female character, saying, "I know that dazzling beauty is Huo Jiaoyue, the woman you've liked for so many years. You're excited to see her, right?"
If you're excited, go for the real person! Who leaves the real person sitting there and hugs the stand-in this tightly?
Yu Hekun knew she was jealous, and instantly felt so guilty it was like knives were cutting his heart.
Meeting Jian Youyou's eyes, which were red-rimmed from being held so tightly she could barely breathe, Yu Hekun's lips moved but no words came out. Any explanation felt pale. It was an undeniable fact that he had once liked Huo Jiaoyue, that he had sought out Jian Youyou because of Huo Jiaoyue, and that today he had been affected by Huo Jiaoyue's presence again.
Unable to find the words to comfort Jian Youyou, Yu Hekun could only lower his head, seeking her lips, and kiss her deeply. It was a rough, urgent kiss, charging forward as if trying to prove something, desperate like someone who hadn't eaten for three days and three nights.
Jian Youyou thought, What's wrong with you, little brother? If you're hungry, go eat! Since when do you eat people?
