Chapter 60: Not Familiar with Them

She had thought that sentence would calm Hua Man down a bit, but unexpectedly, there was no change in emotion on Hua Man’s face.

Didn’t she want to spend more time with her little sister?

Yang Zhao stared at her with interest for several seconds before sitting up as well. “What do you want, then?”

Asking directly was the most straightforward and effective method, but she wasn’t sure if Hua Man would tell her.

If it were her, she would prefer that Hua Man figured out her intentions on her own rather than cheating by asking the examiner for the answers.

But if she kept guessing wrong, she figured her patience might run out.

Fortunately, Hua Man spoke up first. “I want to find a place outside.”

Yang Zhao narrowed her eyes. “Hm?”

“You’re planning to use me to mislead Qin Fangqin and her daughter. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Hua Man asked.

Yang Zhao hadn’t expected her to figure that out too. She couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure I’m using you? Manman, I like you so much, and this is how you see me?”

“Aren’t you?” Hua Man countered calmly.

Before Yang Zhao could respond, she continued slowly:

“You said back then that you replaced the servants at the Yang Family who had dealings with my mom for my sake, but in reality, your real goal was to replace those who had connections to Qin Fangqin and her daughter. I was just a smokescreen to keep them from getting suspicious.”

Yang Zhao couldn’t help clapping her hands. “Manman, you’re so smart.”

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Hua Man, stars seeming to dance in her gaze. She reached out and pinched Hua Man’s cheek. “But using you and liking you aren’t mutually exclusive. I just handled some personal business while liking you.”

Hua Man turned her head away, unmoved by Yang Zhao at that moment. She said coolly, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you and tell Qin Fangqin and her daughter your plan?”

Yang Zhao burst out laughing at that. “Manman, even a fool knows you have to stand with my side to win.”

Hua Man’s expression stiffened.

Yes, in the face of absolute power, everyone would first choose the strongest one.

“If you’re so sure you can win a hundred percent, why go to all this trouble instead of just kicking Qin Fangqin and her daughter out directly?” Hua Man regained her calm and asked again.

Yang Zhao was momentarily stunned by the question.

Then she laughed out loud. “You’re right, I don’t have a hundred percent guarantee of winning.”

She took the initiative to voice her own troubles. “There’s someone in the company secretly cooperating with Qin Fangqin under the table, but I haven’t rooted them out yet.”

“So you’re setting yourself up as a lust-addled idiot to lower everyone’s guard, then baiting them to catch the fish?”

“Something like that.”

Hearing this, Hua Man had a good idea of the situation.

“What now? You’ve guessed my plan,” Yang Zhao said, furrowing her brows in mock distress. “How should I keep you quiet?”

Hua Man suggested calmly, “You can keep using me. We can cooperate directly, but I want to rent a place outside. You can’t restrict my freedom—you have to let me live there.”

“Won’t unconditional indulgence from you help shape that persona even better?”

“Manman, you just want to leave me that badly?” Yang Zhao’s eyes darkened at Hua Man’s words, displeasure appearing on her face.

Admitting it now would only anger Yang Zhao, leading to a loss on both fronts.

Hua Man wasn’t that foolish.

She shook her head. “No.”

After a moment of silence, Hua Man leaned in, pulling Yang Zhao into her arms. Lowering her eyes, she said, “I don’t want to leave you. I just don’t want to be a canary imprisoned in the Yang Family by you.”

A bit of appropriate vulnerability was also a form of offense—and more than that, it was a test.

Hua Man lowered her gaze, hiding the emotions in her eyes.

Finally, she got the response she wanted:

“You’re not a canary.”

Yang Zhao’s tone was firm.

She leaned into Hua Man’s embrace and lifted her head to kiss Hua Man’s chin, a meaningful glint in her eyes. “You’re an eagle.”

An eagle that was hard to tame.

If she was an eagle, then she should spread her wings and soar.

*

Hua Man was allowed to rent a place outside, but she hadn’t expected Yang Zhao to insist on coming along to look at houses.

In fact, Yang Zhao agreeing so readily had been beyond her expectations.

“What kind of place is this?”

They had just gotten out of the car when Yang Zhao wrinkled her nose in disdain.

It was actually a very ordinary neighborhood—at least it didn’t look dirty or messy, just a bit dated. It probably had a long history, with mold stains on the outer walls.

But those were just traces of age, not dirt.

“Are you sure living in a place like this won’t cause problems?” Yang Zhao’s brows remained tightly furrowed. “It’s full of bacteria.”

“It’s close to the Special School,” Hua Man explained her reason for choosing it. “Hua Xi will definitely need to go to school later, and it’s a hassle if it’s too far.”

She might not be home every day then, so she’d need to hire a nanny for Hua Xi, but the nanny might not have transportation. Being near the school would make drop-offs and pickups easier, regardless.

“If you want a place in this school district, I can arrange it for you.” Yang Zhao covered her nose, sniffing the musty old smell. Her mood plummeted, and her words grew impolite. “Instead of digging through a garbage heap for a clean spot.”

She seemed so opposed to the place that Hua Man hesitated before saying, “You go wait in the car first. I’ll take a quick look and come right down.”

But Yang Zhao wouldn’t budge. “No.”

She wouldn’t allow Hua Man to live here.

She couldn’t guarantee whether she’d end up sleeping over at Hua Man’s rental apartment in the future, so she had to consider herself.

Besides, her woman living in a place like this—what would people say? They’d laugh their heads off.

She made a snap decision. “Find somewhere better. Don’t worry about the money.”

And she wouldn’t allow Hua Man to refuse. “Otherwise, you stay with me at the Yang Family. No room for discussion.”

Hua Man: “…”

Her plans had to change.

The listings she’d found suited her budget, but clearly, Yang Zhao wouldn’t be satisfied with them.

She thought for a moment. “Then let’s look another day.”

She’d need to search for new listings.

“Another day?” Yang Zhao was still unsatisfied. “We’re already here—how can we just give up halfway?”

She pulled out her phone. “I’ll have someone arrange it.”

“Isn’t Yu Shan abroad?” Hua Man reminded her.

Yang Zhao brushed it off. “There’s still Yan Wei.”

At the mention of that name, Hua Man’s eyes flickered slightly. She hadn’t heard it from Yang Zhao’s lips in days and had almost forgotten about Yan Wei.

Yan Wei was clearly special to Yang Zhao.

If Yu Shan was the person Yang Zhao trusted most, then Yan Wei was obviously second.

Then where did she rank?

Her mood grew subtly complicated. Hua Man tried to suppress it, not letting the emotions show too obviously.

Once Yang Zhao finished her call with Yan Wei, Hua Man spoke up. “Does Miss Yan know your plan?”

“Of course.” Yang Zhao didn’t hesitate.

Hua Man pressed her lips together before adding, “Yu Shan seems like she doesn’t know.”

“Mm.” Yang Zhao nodded.

So Yan Wei knew things that even Yu Shan didn’t. The odd feeling in her heart intensified, like a thorn pricking—not deep, but the faint swelling pain and discomfort were hard to ignore.

She quickly spoke up, trying to cover it over and ignore that strangeness:

“Isn’t she your sharpest blade?”

“Mm-hmm.” Yang Zhao neither confirmed nor denied it.

Yu Shan was indeed her most capable assistant. Precisely because she was the most trusted and capable, sending her away briefly was what would make the fish bite.

Yu Shan was too loyal and straightforward; if told in advance, she might not play the role convincingly.

Seeing Hua Man about to ask more, Yang Zhao grew displeased. “Why are you keep talking about other people? Don’t you want to learn more about me?”

Hua Man gave a small smile, realizing she’d asked too much and aroused suspicion. She said no more, only, “I’m not familiar with them.”

Just then, Yang Zhao’s phone chimed with a notification.

Yang Zhao glanced at it for a moment before handing the phone to Hua Man. “Take a look at these houses. See if you like any?”

Hua Man hadn’t expected Yan Wei’s efficiency to be so high. In less than ten minutes, she’d already put together a PPT with detailed info on the properties.

They were all apartments that looked exorbitantly priced, with excellent conditions and indeed close to a special school—but it wasn’t the same Special School.

It was a private school with top-tier education, but the tuition was steep. She probably couldn’t afford it.

And she wouldn’t send Hua Xi there anyway.

Hua Xi was already sensitive at heart, and the kids there were all from wealthy or noble families. The class divide was too stark; she wasn’t sure if Hua Xi could adapt.

Moreover, if those rich kids all had tempers like Yang Zhao’s, she worried Hua Xi would get bullied.

The best was to give Hua Xi an environment where she could interact equally with peers.

She handed the phone back to Yang Zhao. “These places are great, but I don’t plan to send her to that school.”

“I can cover the tuition,” Yang Zhao said dismissively.

She seemed to instinctively solve every problem with money.

It was undeniably effective, but not everything could be handled that way.

“Next time.” Hua Man looked out the window as she spoke. “It’s still early. Want to go shopping?”

Yang Zhao: “Compared to shopping, I prefer having them deliver the goods right to me for selection.”

Hua Man’s expression didn’t change. “How about a date, then?”

Yang Zhao was somewhat tempted.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t really gone on a proper date with Hua Man. It might be fun to go out now.

She blurted out, “Shanshan, you…”

The words cut off abruptly as she suddenly remembered she’d sent Yu Shan abroad.

She was about to contact Yan Wei when Hua Man grabbed her hand.

Yang Zhao raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Hm?”

Hua Man said steadily, “I can arrange it.”

“You?” Yang Zhao’s tone held doubt.

“A date is supposed to be just the two of us.” Hua Man suppressed the inexplicable emotion in her heart, finding a suitable excuse for her sudden impulse.

A date was something for two people to decide spontaneously—what business did it have involving Yan Wei?

Yang Zhao was convinced by the reasoning. She curved her lips. “Alright then. So where should we go, Manman?”

Hua Man was stumped. She had no experience in this, and Yang Zhao’s sudden question left her mind blank.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Yang Zhao mercilessly exposed her. “You don’t know how to arrange it.”

“We can figure it out slowly,” Hua Man said, her face tense as she tried to push down the embarrassment of being found out.

Yang Zhao was pleased by the “we” in her words. She smiled. “Yes, we can figure it out slowly.”

Her interest piqued, she took her phone and searched for nearby date spots.

Amusement park?

No, too childish. Only kids liked those places.

Movie?

The theaters outside couldn’t compare to her home theater. Why go out when she had one at home?

She scrolled through a bunch, but none satisfied her. Yang Zhao’s brows furrowed tighter until, after a long silence, she said, “Let’s go shopping.”

After considering everything, browsing the mall still appealed to her most.

She could even check on work while there.

Hua Man nodded. “Sure.”

Seeing her agree so readily, Yang Zhao tsked. “I thought you were arranging it, but it ended up with me doing it?”

Hua Man averted her gaze a bit guiltily and cleared her throat. “You have good taste and lots of ideas. Compared to doing it myself, I trust your arrangements will be more fun.”

Yang Zhao, who had been a little annoyed, relaxed her brows and eyes. “Naturally.”

She lifted her chin proudly, beaming. “What I arrange is always the best.”

With that, she told the driver up front, “Head to the mall owned by our company.”

The mall under the Yang Corporation was the largest and most bustling in the city. The last time Yang Zhao had gone was for the ribbon-cutting.

The two got out near the mall.

There were many street stalls nearby, and Yang Zhao even spotted the first gift Hua Man had given her.

The young stall owner and her array of intricately crocheted trinkets stood out glaringly.

She stopped in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?”

Hua Man followed her gaze to the stall, and her eyes flickered slightly.

Yang Zhao’s mood had improved quite a bit, but her words carried a hint of accusation. “You bought it from a roadside stall?”

She didn’t specify what, but Hua Man immediately knew what she meant.

Her face felt a little hot. “Yes.”

Yang Zhao showed her dissatisfaction.

She had been carefully listening to the stall owner promoting their products to someone else.

The owner claimed they were handmade, but she didn’t see how that added any value. Instead, it made her wonder just how many bacteria were clinging to those things.

Not just bacteria—maybe sweat stains and all sorts of other filth too.

Hua Man should make one for her herself, just like that person.

If it were from Hua Man, she would only feel joy.

But after a moment of silence, Hua Man spoke again, delivering a completely unwelcome response: “If you don’t like it, you can give it back to me. Or throw it away.”

Throw it away?

Yang Zhao laughed in anger.

“It needs to be thrown out,” she declared resolutely, her tone domineering as she told Hua Man, “Yours too.”

“Okay.”

Hua Man nodded, agreeing without hesitation.

But that didn’t soothe Yang Zhao at all. If anything, it made her even more displeased.

That was the first gift Hua Man had ever given her. She said to toss it, and Hua Man didn’t react at all.

She pressed on: “All the cheap gifts you’ve given me—they’re all going in the trash.”

At those words, Hua Man’s fingers tightened slightly.

She had picked out those gifts with real care.

After several seconds of silence, she finally let out a soft sigh. “Fine.”

But in the next instant, Yang Zhao’s expression darkened abruptly. With a sinister glint in her eyes, she shot Hua Man a glare before turning on her heel and storming off.

Yang Zhao walked quickly, whipping up a gust of wind in her wake. She was wearing high heels, yet they didn’t slow her down one bit.

Hua Man stood rooted to the spot as a shadow of gloom crept across her brow.

Given her position, she ought to chase after her and coax her.

But right now, she couldn’t bring herself to take a single step.

She couldn’t always be the first to yield. She couldn’t always be the one placating Yang Zhao.

She and Yang Zhao weren’t truly lovers.

The moment Yang Zhao showed her disdain for the gifts, clarity had hit her like a splash of cold water.

They were just a benefactor and her kept woman.

She’d almost forgotten her place.

If she couldn’t make Yang Zhao change for her sake, then she’d just let Yang Zhao hate her.