Chapter 303: Chapter 303

Wan Chu’er was completely oblivious to the fact that someone was behind the glass of the shop, watching her with fiery eyes.

Yan Hui pointed to the distant Phoenix Mountain and asked, "What mountain is that? Is the scenery nice up there?"

Wan Chu’er smiled and said, "That’s called Phoenix Mountain. There are a few temples there, but now it’s winter—everything is bleak, and there’s not much scenery. However, standing at the top, you can see the whole of Wutong County. It’s very peaceful up there."

"Phoenix Mountain, Wutong County—these names here are pretty good. The phoenix settling on the Wutong, that must be how the names came about, right?"

Wan Chu’er laughed, "Hmm, probably. Let’s go to one place first, and later on, I’ll take you up to Phoenix Mountain for a stroll. Whenever I felt down in the past, I would often hide up there alone, quietly watching everything below, and then my mood would improve."

A brightness appeared on Yan Hui’s face, "We must take a stroll up there. Maybe this mountain really has some magic that can cheer people up."

"Hahaha..." Wan Chu’er burst into laughter.

Although Zhuo Yao couldn’t hear what Wan Chu’er was talking to that man about, just seeing the smile on Wan Chu’er’s face made her feel it was exceedingly ugly and unbearable to watch.

Having stayed in Beijing for a year, Wan Chu’er had undergone such a great change and even snagged such a golden bachelor. Meanwhile, Zhuo Yao could only stay in another second-tier city.

Everything Wan Chu’er had was supposed to belong to her.

Zhuo Yao clenched her teeth, came out of the shop, and slowly followed behind Wan Chu’er and Yan Hui. She didn’t know what she intended to do, but with a heart full of towering hatred, she cautiously followed the two people ahead.

Wan Chu’er brought Yan Hui to the entrance of the Glass Factory Family Quarters and stopped there. After hesitating for a while, she said:

"Mr. Yan, could I discuss something with you?"

Yan Hui spoke with a gentle tone, "Go ahead."

Wan Chu’er said with some embarrassment, "Well, I’m going in to visit our old neighbors. You don’t know them, and it’s actually quite boring. Why don’t you walk around outside by yourself first? I’ll come out soon so that they don’t misunderstand anything again. It’s quite troublesome to have to explain."

She really didn’t want to repeat the scene that happened at the noodle shop before; Yan Hui was very popular with all the aunties and sisters.

Arriving at the entrance and thinking about ditching him, Wan Chu’er was a bit uncertain whether Yan Hui would take it the wrong way.

But Yan Hui simply chuckled and said, "Alright, I’ll just take a walk nearby. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

Not expecting Yan Hui to be so accommodating, Wan Chu’er quickly flattered him, "Thank you, Mr. Yan. You’re really a good person."

Yan Hui’s lips curled slightly, then he left cheerfully.

Only then did Wan Chu’er, carrying her bag, enter the Glass Factory Family Quarters. With the New Year approaching, many people in the courtyard were preparing their New Year’s goods, greeting Wan Chu’er warmly upon seeing her.

From a distance, Zhuo Yao saw Yan Hui turn around and leave, while Wan Chu’er entered the courtyard alone. A flicker of confusion crossed Zhuo Yao’s eyes. After pondering for a moment, she followed Yan Hui.

Yan Hui, distinguished and elegant, clothed in high-quality attire, stood out remarkably in Wutong County.

The more Zhuo Yao looked, the more she felt that Wan Chu’er didn’t deserve Yan Hui.

Walking and walking, she saw Yan Hui took a turn and vanished into an alley, Zhuo Yao hurriedly quickened her pace and ran in.

But she saw Yan Hui standing leisurely in the alley, with a hint of a smile, quietly watching her.

"Hello, may I ask if you are following me?" Yan Hui asked gently.

Zhuo Yao’s face turned red in an instant, she could only hear her heart thumping wildly, she was a bit flustered, the person before her eyes was truly a gentleman, gentle, polite, and his voice was also very pleasant.

A thought flashed rapidly through Zhuo Yao’s mind, she licked her lips, then stuttered:

"That... My name is Zhuo Yao, I grew up with Wan Chu’er since we were little, we are good friends. Just now I saw Chuchu talking to you, so... so I wanted..."

Hearing her words, Yan Hui smiled and then said even more amiably: "So you are Wan Chuchu’s friend? Chuchu went to visit her former neighbors, and I’m just strolling around aimlessly."

Seeing that Yan Hui didn’t suspect her and was even more approachable, Zhuo Yao felt joyful inside,

"Uh-huh, her family used to live in the Glass Factory Family Quarters, I would often go there to play with Chuchu when I was little. After her family moved away, I didn’t go there anymore, since Chuchu is visiting neighbors, why don’t... why don’t I accompany you on a stroll, so you won’t feel bored."

A glint flashed through Yan Hui’s eyes, he said with a smile on his face: "Won’t that trouble you..."

"Not at all, not at all, I’m not doing anything anyway." Zhuo Yao quickly shook her hands.

"Then I’ll trouble you," Yan Hui expressed his gratitude.

Zhuo Yao was overjoyed inside, wracking her brains thinking of a few places in Wutong that were still worth visiting, and started walking slowly with Yan Hui, complaining to herself that this lousy place had nothing fun to offer.

"Are you Chuchu’s boyfriend?" Zhuo Yao asked cautiously.

Yan Hui smiled without answering, instead, he asked: "Can you tell me about Chuchu’s past?"

To Zhuo Yao’s view, this was Yan Hui tacitly agreeing, she felt a bit upset, then perked up and said:

"Sure, actually, my dad and Chuchu’s dad were comrades-in-arms, so our families are very close, and I grew up playing with Chuchu. Chuchu was particularly well-behaved when she was young, everyone liked her."

"But after that, Uncle Wan had an incident, and Chuchu changed. She became somewhat different from before, often arguing with Aunt Bai, and sometimes Chuchu even ran away from home, Aunt Bai would go out to look for her in the middle of the night.

Chuchu’s grades also plummeted, by the time she reached high school, I don’t know what happened, she upset several students at school, always got into fights, teachers would try to educate her, and she would backtalk, Aunt Bai did not dare to tell her off, because whenever she did, Chuchu would scold Aunt Bai."

As Zhuo Yao spoke, she carefully observed Yan Hui’s expression, regrettably, Yan Hui’s face always wore a faint smile, showing not a hint of displeasure, which made Zhuo Yao even more upset.

She gritted her teeth and continued: "Originally, there was an uncle who was particularly good to Aunt Bai, but Chuchu thought the man wanted to replace her dad, so she picked up a broom and chased that man down the street, and even slapped Aunt Bai, calling her shameless. That time, Aunt Bai nearly committed suicide."

"You know, Chuchu was really in full teenage rebellion then, she didn’t mean it, she just disliked other men getting close to her mom, so she acted impulsively, but Chuchu didn’t have any ill intentions."

Yan Hui gave a light "hmm" indicating Zhuo Yao to continue.

Zhuo Yao couldn’t quite grasp Yan Hui’s mood, so she had no choice but to go on: "However, during her second year of high school, Chuchu suddenly changed again. She began to study hard, and she reconciled with Aunt Bai as well, look, she even became our province’s college entrance examination top scorer, and got into the first university." As Zhuo Yao said this sentence, she felt very bitter inside.

"However, everyone says Chuchu’s change was because of someone, that person is very famous in our Wutong, he is the boss of a nightclub."