Chapter 43

That test paper had been dug out by Aunt Wu Fangfei’s child during Wu Grandpa’s birthday celebration, on purpose.

Aunt Wu Fangfei’s child was a proper brat. Because he was the only son, he was spoiled rotten and extremely naughty. After discovering that zero-score paper, he immediately grabbed it and ran around shouting, as if he wanted to announce it to the whole world.

Grandma Wu felt it was embarrassing. After sending the guests away, she beat Wu Fangfei severely, not only deducting several months of her allowance but also personally supervising her studies for a long time afterward.

Because of this, Wu Fangfei had no time to bother her during that period.

She had always considered this her dark side and kept it buried deep in her heart. But now, Yang Zhao dismissed it with a tone of disdain, saying it was nothing much.

Yang Zhao snorted coldly. “If it were me, I would have done it myself.”

Instead of going to such lengths and pinning her hopes of revenge on someone else.

If anyone made her unhappy, she would strike back on the spot. Since she wasn’t happy, no one else should be either.

However…

“You have an older sister?”

“The daughter of my stepfather, a few months older than me,” Hua Man explained.

“Do you usually call her ‘sister’?”

Not sure if it was an illusion, but Yang Zhao’s tone sounded a bit strange. Hua Man looked at her and met those deep, dark eyes, suddenly realizing it wasn’t her imagination.

She didn’t know what had angered her this time, but Yang Zhao clearly wasn’t happy at the moment.

Perhaps the word “sister” reminded Yang Zhao of Zhao Yang, who always called Yang Zhao “sister.”

“No,” she said carefully, unsure if this answer would satisfy Yang Zhao. “Our relationship isn’t good, so I just call her by name.”

Hua Man couldn’t tell if Yang Zhao was satisfied, but she soon grew tense because Yang Zhao reached out and caressed her face, her eyes revealing a hint of desire.

They were both adults, so the shift in atmosphere was crystal clear.

“I can’t imagine you obediently calling someone ‘sister.'” Yang Zhao sighed softly. She propped herself up slightly, half-kneeling on the bed while still pressed against Hua Man. She blinked. “Why don’t you call me that?”

Hua Man’s brain short-circuited for a moment.

Her sleep robe had already been pulled down on one side by Yang Zhao, exposing her right shoulder and most of one breast.

She felt Yang Zhao’s lips land on her shoulder and quickly spoke up. “I did one other bad thing that no one knows about.”

Yang Zhao’s movements stopped.

She hovered over Hua Man, suspicion creeping back onto her face. “You would do something bad?”

“You know a person’s face but not their heart. How do you know I wouldn’t?” Seeing her obvious interest, Hua Man kept a straight face.

Hua Man spoke so convincingly that after thinking for a moment, Yang Zhao slowly lay back down. “Alright, tell me then.”

“I was young at the time. My parents hadn’t divorced yet, but my dad loved to gamble and always lost big sums of money. When he came home, he would take out his anger on my mom.”

At that, Yang Zhao sneered. “Only weak, pathetic losers take out their anger on family.”

She looked at Hua Man again. “Did he abuse you and your mom?”

“He never hit me,” Hua Man shook her head. “But he abused my mom.”

“He didn’t hit you because he was hoping you’d grow up and make money to support him,” Yang Zhao sneered on. “Old geezers are full of schemes.”

Hearing her curse Hua Qiang, Hua Man felt an oddly subtle shift in her mood.

Logically, Chen Yan should have understood her the most, but unfortunately, Chen Yan was too kind. Even after being abused and pushed to the point of divorce, Chen Yan never said a bad word about Hua Qiang in front of her.

Now, hearing Yang Zhao’s words dripping with disdain for Hua Qiang felt like suddenly finding an ally. It was strangely subtle.

“And then?” Yang Zhao prompted.

“So I wanted revenge. I secretly hid his money.”

“No one knew I’d stolen that money, not even after he and my mom divorced.”

Yang Zhao waited a moment, but Hua Man didn’t continue. She laughed. “That’s it?”

Hua Man shook her head. “There’s more.”

“I didn’t know he planned to use that money to pay off his gambling debts. Since the money was with me, he ended up getting a finger chopped off by his creditors in the end.”

With that, Hua Man lowered her eyes, hiding the emotions in them.

She had lied.

She knew the money was for paying off gambling debts, but she still hid it.

She did it on purpose.

On purpose so Hua Qiang couldn’t pay, on purpose so he would learn a lesson—even though he had never laid a hand on her.

Not long after, Chen Yan brought up the divorce with Hua Qiang. She left with Chen Yan and never produced that money from beginning to end.

Cause and effect—she took Hua Qiang’s money, and in return, he left her with the burden of Hua Xi.

In the end, she still came out at a loss.

“To me, that’s not even that bad,” Yang Zhao said, changing the subject. “But for you, it does count as a little bad deed.”

“Indirectly causing your biological father to lose a finger is just a little bad deed?” Hua Man asked blankly.

“The bad things I’ve done are way worse than yours.” Yang Zhao blinked. “You got your dad a missing finger; I got my dad a missing leg. In a way, we’re a match made in heaven.”

The more she thought about it, the happier she got. Yang Zhao leaned in and lightly pecked Hua Man’s lips.

Hua Man: “…”

She was getting more and more unable to figure out Yang Zhao’s thought process.

But storytelling had worked—Yang Zhao’s arousal had clearly faded, and the alarming desire was gone from her gaze.

Soon, Yang Zhao fell asleep in her arms.

Hua Man quietly let out a breath of relief.

She felt like the girl from One Thousand and One Nights, captivating Yang Zhao with stories to divert her attention.

She just didn’t know how long this method would hold. As the saying went, she could dodge the first but not the fifteenth. That day would come eventually, and she didn’t know if she could face it calmly then.

Yang Zhao wasn’t angry; she seemed indulgent, like she was thinking, Let’s see what tricks you pull next.

This time back, Hua Man realized Yang Zhao wasn’t just some young lady who only knew how to eat, drink, and play. Occasionally, she would check in on Yang Corporation matters.

She was the largest shareholder of Yang Corporation, the one whose word was law, but she rarely involved herself in daily management and operations, instead appointing a proxy to handle it.

It wasn’t Hua Man’s first time seeing that proxy.

She had met her during the interview at Yang Corporation. Everyone else called her President Yan.

She seemed very familiar with Yang Zhao. After reporting on company affairs, she started fussing over her. “You haven’t been resting well lately, have you? You look thinner.”

“Have I lost weight?” Yang Zhao responded indifferently. “Maybe it’s the heat.”

Yan Wei sighed. “You’re not eating properly again.”

Hua Man quietly sized them up. Their tone was too familiar—not at all like a boss and subordinate. This President Yan showed none of the awe others had for Yang Zhao.

They seemed like equals.

Realizing this, Hua Man pressed her lips together.

In that brief moment of distraction, President Yan’s attention suddenly turned to her.

“When did you pick up such a pretty companion?” Yan Wei’s gaze lingered on Hua Man’s face, scrutinizing her. “She looks familiar. New maid? Bodyguard? Or… a friend?”

Hua Man clenched her fists.

But Yang Zhao tossed the question to her. “Manman, why don’t you tell her?”

Feeling both Yang Zhao and President Yan watching her, Hua Man pressed her lips, lifted her gaze, and met their eyes evenly. “Lover.”

The smile on Yan Wei’s face froze.

Yang Zhao’s brows rose slightly, surprised by the answer.

Yan Wei frowned at Yang Zhao.

Yang Zhao nodded with a smile. “Yes, her name is Hua Man.”

Naturally, Yang Zhao wouldn’t contradict Hua Man—after all, she hadn’t said anything wrong. Hua Man was her lover.

She even introduced her proactively. “This is Yan Wei, a friend I’ve grown up with.”

Neither woman greeted the other, and the atmosphere grew a bit tense.

Yang Zhao was surprised. Yan Wei’s reaction was one thing, but Hua Man too?

In front of them both, she said nothing more, only telling Yan Wei, “Go back to work first. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Yeah, thanks for my hard work.” Yan Wei’s gaze landed on Hua Man again. “Without my hard work, where would you get the leisure to keep a lover?”

Yang Zhao was surprised again.

Yan Wei rarely spoke to her like this.

“Are you being passive-aggressive?” Yang Zhao raised a brow.

“How could I? It’s mealtime, and you’re not keeping me for dinner. I’m just hurt.” Yan Wei sighed.

Yang Zhao only smiled without responding.

Once Yan Wei left, she turned to Hua Man. “You don’t like Yan Wei?”

“No,” Hua Man denied.

They’d only met twice—how could she like or dislike her?

“Then why were you so cold to her?” Yang Zhao asked, then couldn’t help raising a brow. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

But Hua Man’s expression remained calm. “No.”

“You are.”

Yang Zhao stated it firmly.

Not expecting her to care so much about something so small, Hua Man frowned. “Do I need to be enthusiastic toward her?”

Yang Zhao denied it instinctively. “Of course not.”

Hua Man was hers—why should she be enthusiastic toward others?

The thought had just arisen when she suddenly realized something. She lifted her eyes and glanced sharply at Hua Man.

The other’s expression was calm, as if she’d anticipated the answer.

Yang Zhao felt inexplicably irritated. “You sure know how to read the room.”

Hua Man didn’t respond. Yang Zhao’s words didn’t sound like a real compliment.

“Miss, the dishes are ready.”

Yu Shan appeared right on time.

Yang Zhao let Hua Man off for the moment.

But sitting at the table facing that huge spread of dishes, Yang Zhao truly had no appetite.

“Miss?”

Seeing Yang Zhao not touching her chopsticks, Yu Shan asked, “Are these dishes not to your taste?”

She frowned again and said harshly, “This new chef is truly not putting any heart into it.”

Yang Zhao set down her chopsticks and looked only at Hua Man. “You, sit down.”

Yu Shan choked.

She had misread the young lady’s intentions again. The problem wasn’t the chef—it was Hua Man.

The thought that she had mocked Hua Man just yesterday for only being able to eat the young lady’s leftovers, and now Hua Man was dining at the same table as the young lady, made Yu Shan’s chest tighten with anger.

At the same time, she felt a twinge of guilt, wondering if Hua Man had complained to the young lady, leading to this scene.

Holding back her frustration, she arranged for a seat to be added for Hua Man.

The seat was placed directly across from Yang Zhao.

Yang Zhao was reasonably satisfied with Yu Shan’s arrangement. With just a glance up, she could see Hua Man’s face—enough to make her eat two more bites.

A feast for the eyes, indeed.

Compared to herself, Hua Man’s appetite was clearly excellent. In no time, Hua Man had calmly polished off more than half a bowl of rice. Yang Zhao narrowed her eyes.

She lightly hooked Hua Man’s calf under the table with her foot. When Hua Man’s gaze swept over, she blinked. “Yan Wei even said I’ve gotten thin. Don’t you have anything to say about that? You’re just eating so calmly?”

Not caring at all about her.

At those words, Hua Man stared intently at Yang Zhao’s face for a moment.

Perhaps because she saw it every day, she didn’t notice Yang Zhao looking any thinner. But since Yang Zhao had said it, whether she had lost weight or not, Hua Man couldn’t contradict her.

After thinking it over, she picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Yang Zhao’s bowl.

“Then eat more meat.”

She said earnestly.

But clearly, this gesture didn’t satisfy Yang Zhao. No sooner had she spoken than Yang Zhao’s brows furrowed.

Maybe she didn’t like food clamped by her.

Hua Man fell silent for a few seconds, then reached out with her chopsticks again, trying to retrieve the meat. “Sorry.”

Just as her chopsticks touched the piece of meat, Yang Zhao’s chopsticks pinned hers down.