Chapter 78: She Was Watching

Hua Man had initially been distracted by Yan Wei, but soon, she had no time to pay attention to her anymore.

Sitting inside the submersible was a completely different experience from being truly immersed in the sea.

There were lifeguards around, and Yang Zhao was pressed closely against her, but the fear of the deep sea seemed etched into her very heart. She felt tense and uneasy, trying hard to recall the techniques Yang Zhao had taught her in the swimming pool earlier.

Her ears were filled with gurgling sounds and her own noticeably accelerated breathing. Hua Man did her best to calm herself down and followed Yang Zhao, experiencing something entirely new up close.

Once she got used to being in the sea, Hua Man came to love the feeling of being enveloped by the warm seawater and surrounded by colorful fish.

She couldn’t help but glance at Yang Zhao beside her. Yang Zhao wasn’t looking at the beautiful corals or fish; she was watching Hua Man the whole time.

Unfortunately, they were underwater, so she couldn’t make a sound or ask why Yang Zhao kept staring at her.

Hua Man raised the hand that Yang Zhao wasn’t holding and pointed at some fish not far away, gesturing for her to look.

But Yang Zhao shook her head and continued watching her.

Hua Man: “…”

They came to the sea not to enjoy the scenery, but to watch her? What for?

Hua Man’s heart pounded like thunder as a possible answer suddenly occurred to her.

Was it because she liked her?

Liked her so much that her gaze couldn’t leave her?

Or was it worry?

Faced with these flawless photos, Hua Man couldn’t deny Yang Zhao’s words.

She lowered her eyes. “I like them.”

“If you like them, why do you look like you’ve done something wrong and are about to be punished?” Yang Zhao reached out to lift Hua Man’s chin, looking seriously into her eyes. “If you like them, just say you like them. It’s not like you’ve done anything wrong, so why hang your head?”

Hua Man was at a loss for words.

Yeah, why lower her head?

Why be ashamed to admit it?

Liking something wasn’t a crime.

She met Yang Zhao’s gaze. She seemed to always fail to learn Yang Zhao’s courage and openness in facing her own preferences head-on.

“Yeah, it’s my issue.” She nodded earnestly, reflected seriously, and answered sincerely. “It won’t happen again.”

In the next instant, Yang Zhao’s face filled her vision.

Hua Man’s pupils contracted slightly, her grip tightening uncontrollably on the tablet, but she had no intention of dodging.

She even lifted her chin a little.

But Yang Zhao’s kiss landed on her eye.

A gentle kiss, full of tenderness, like a feather brushing past.

“Good girl.” Yang Zhao praised her.

Hua Man’s face instantly flushed hot. How long had it been since someone praised her like this? It felt like she was a child again.

But even at the age when she was a child, she hadn’t received much praise.

Despite her top grades from a young age, Hua Qiang and Chen Yan never cared about her grades. When she went to the Wu Family, her good grades only made Wu Fangfei’s poor performance stand out more, making the Wu Family resent her even further. How could they praise her?

All she got was sarcasm and veiled insults.

If not for the scholarships for the top three, she might have even wanted to hide her talent and keep her grades average.

Unfortunately, one couldn’t have it both ways.

Taking the scholarships meant enduring the Wu Family’s cold stares.

“What are you thinking about?” Seeing Hua Man remain silent for so long, Yang Zhao couldn’t help but poke her cheek.

“Thank you.” Hua Man looked at her.

“You thought about it for ages just to say ‘thank you’?”

Yang Zhao was dissatisfied.

In the next moment, Hua Man leaned in close, and soft lips pressed against hers.

Yang Zhao laughed out loud.

Did she always have to coax her with a kiss? How amusing.

“I truly feel grateful.” Hua Man spoke earnestly; she rarely voiced her inner thoughts directly. “You’ve taught me so much.”

Hua Man’s overly serious attitude made Yang Zhao a bit uncomfortable, and she turned her head away. “If you’re truly grateful, you should repay me properly.”

“Okay.” Hua Man agreed readily. “What do you want?”

“Anything at all?” Yang Zhao raised an eyebrow.

“Anything.”

This time, Hua Man didn’t add qualifiers like “as long as it’s not illegal.”

After spending so much time with Yang Zhao, she had come to understand what kind of person she was.

“Then marry me.” Yang Zhao sighed wistfully. “You know, what I’ve wanted from the beginning to the end is just you.”

“Okay.”

Hua Man nodded.

At her words, Yang Zhao’s eyes lit up.

“Okay?” She suddenly grew excited. “Hua Man, I mean marry me.”

“Mm.” Hua Man nodded affirmatively, clenching her fist as she shared her new plan. “For the next few months, you don’t need to pay me the compensation for being your lover.”

She had never been a good lover anyway.

Even without the lover label, intimacy with Yang Zhao didn’t repel her.

She liked being intimate with Yang Zhao.

Yang Zhao was right—liking was liking; it wasn’t wrong. She no longer needed the excuse of being a lover to do those things with Yang Zhao.

She didn’t have much time left with Yang Zhao. During this period, she could follow her heart and do what she wanted.

But she hadn’t expected her words to be so easily misunderstood.

Yang Zhao felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head; she couldn’t stay calm.

The next few months?

Amused and angered, a chill entered her eyes. “What, you want to sleep with me for free now?”

Her words were sharp, but she still harbored some hope. Yet Hua Man didn’t seem provoked at all. After a few seconds of silence, she actually nodded. “You could interpret it that way.”

Yang Zhao: ???

She found it absurd and laughable.

No longer her lover, but willing to sleep with her for free? Was all her scheming just to get a free bed warmer?

“Hua Man, there are plenty of people who want to sleep with me.” She lowered her gaze and spoke.

Hua Man pressed her lips together. “So?”

“Free would just make it boring and cheap.” With that, Yang Zhao got up and left the room with a cold face.

The room suddenly felt oppressive.

Hua Man sat on the bed, her expression hard to read.

Too cheap.

That word was humiliating enough, but what concerned her more was why Yang Zhao was angry.

Why was she angry?

Because she didn’t want her money, did she feel it was beneath her dignity? Did she think someone who didn’t take her money wasn’t worthy of her?

Was Yang Zhao… that kind of person?

*

This time, Yang Zhao seemed truly angry.

Hua Man felt at a loss.

Yang Zhao ignored her.

Specifically, Yang Zhao had someone arrange a new room for her and didn’t return to this one.

Hua Man stayed in the room alone for a long time until dusk fell. Finally, she changed clothes and went out.

Music played outside, and a group of people danced on the deck against the sunset.

Hua Man immediately searched for Yang Zhao.

She wasn’t among the dancers, which brought Hua Man some relief, followed by endless disappointment.

She looked to the other side and soon spotted Yang Zhao.

No wonder she couldn’t find her.

Yang Zhao sat with her back to her in a corner, facing Yan Wei.

Yan Wei quickly noticed her and raised her glass across the dancing crowd, with a provocative glint.

Hua Man pressed her lips tight.

On the other side, Yang Zhao watched Yan Wei’s actions coldly.

“Aren’t you curious who I was just greeting?” Yan Wei took a sip of wine and looked up at her.

“Hua Man.” Yang Zhao said without hesitation. “Does it even need guessing?”

Yan Wei stared at her for a moment. “She always makes you angry, and you still like her?”

Getting angry with Hua Man was one thing; liking her was another. Yang Zhao lowered her gaze to the crimson wine and tugged at her lips. “Even tongue and teeth bump into each other sometimes.”

Understanding the implication, Yan Wei lowered her eyes.

After finishing her glass, she spoke again. “I can help you.”

“Hm?” Yang Zhao paused in swirling her wine glass and looked up. “Help me?”

There was a hint of wariness in her eyes.

Realizing this, Yan Wei smiled bitterly. “A’Zhao, I’m your friend. Of course I’d help you.”

“You don’t like Hua Man.”

“Yes, I don’t like her.” Yan Wei admitted straightforwardly. “But that’s beside the point. We’re at least friends; I don’t want us to not even be that.”

Yang Zhao’s gaze flickered.

“I never said we couldn’t be friends.”

She did consider Yan Wei a friend; otherwise, she wouldn’t have pretended not to know about Yan Wei’s feelings for her all these years.

She knew that once that paper window was pierced, returning to how things were would be hard.

“Yes, we’re friends, so is it strange for me to help you?” Yan Wei poured wine for Yang Zhao as she spoke. “Since there’s no place for me by your side, I’ll stand behind you and be your strategist.”

Yang Zhao was amused by Yan Wei’s words. She said smugly, “I have plenty of schemes myself.”

“Yes, you’re very smart.” Yan Wei didn’t deny it. “But the bystander sees more clearly than the person involved. When it comes to you two, you’ll bring personal feelings into it, and many things about Hua Man aren’t as clear to you as they are to me.”

Yang Zhao couldn’t refute that.

What Yan Wei said made sense.

“You can tell me what made you angry; maybe I can help.” Watching Hua Man approach, Yan Wei said calmly. “Or just hand it to me; I’ll help you deal with the trouble in front of you first.”

“She’s not trouble.”

Yang Zhao retorted.

Just then, footsteps drew closer.

Both chose silence until the person behind spoke first. “Can I sit here?”

With her back to Hua Man, Yang Zhao couldn’t see her expression.

She looked at Yan Wei.

Under the table, she unceremoniously kicked Yan Wei.

But Yan Wei looked up leisurely, with her usual provocation. “It seems we’ve got no room here. If you join… it’ll be a squeeze.”

Yang Zhao darkened her expression.

She kicked Yan Wei again, unceremoniously.

Though angry at Hua Man, she didn’t want to embarrass her, especially in front of so many people.

She knew her attitude toward Hua Man would influence how others treated her. What if someone bullied Hua Man because of it?

Yan Wei clinked glasses with her casually, her eyes reassuring.

Yang Zhao frowned, about to speak, when Hua Man said, “I have something to say to my fiancée. Could I trouble CEO Yan to step aside for a moment?”

But Yan Wei was more level-headed than her. Upon hearing this, she showed no sign of relenting. “But Azhao and I have a lot to talk about too. How about next time?”

Yang Zhao’s brows furrowed once more.

Under the table, however, Yan Wei gave her a light nudge.

Yang Zhao’s hand clenched tightly. She stayed silent, holding herself back, and said nothing.

Seeing her unmoved, Hua Man’s gaze dimmed slightly.

Yan Wei pointed opportunely at a seat on the other side. “There’s a spot over there, Miss Hua. Mind moving? What Azhao and I need to discuss is pretty private—and important.”

Once Hua Man had settled on the other side, Yang Zhao made no effort to hide her displeasure. “What are you trying to do?”

“Azhao, your expression.” Yan Wei reminded her mildly. “She’s watching.”

Yang Zhao’s face stiffened.

Soon enough, she smoothed it out, forcing a look of cheerful contentment.

But her words came out gritted through clenched teeth. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“The only reason she keeps getting under your skin is because you like her too much—you care too damn much.” Yan Wei sighed, zeroing in on Yang Zhao’s problem. “You care about her way too much, Azhao.”

Yang Zhao’s brows drew together, her smile fading.

Yan Wei sighed again. “She’s bullying you, so now it’s time we hit back.”

“Me? Bullied by her?” Yang Zhao snorted coldly.

“The kind of bullying I’m talking about isn’t our usual roughhousing.” Yan Wei struggled to explain it to her. A thousand words boiled down to just one. “You two care about each other so unevenly that for you, the game’s already lost before you’ve even made a move.”

“She likes me too.”

Yang Zhao could sense it—Hua Man did care about her.

“Does she like you even half as much as you like her?” Yan Wei countered coolly.

Yang Zhao hesitated.

The usually confident woman faltered in that moment.

She didn’t dare say it.

“See? Deep down, you already know her feelings run too shallow. So shallow you feel no security at all—which is why she can always rile you up.”

“Of course, she doesn’t feel secure either.”

Catching the contradiction in Yan Wei’s words, Yang Zhao pushed back. “Didn’t you just say I care about her a ton? So why wouldn’t she feel secure?”

“From what I know, her family situation’s a mess. Parents divorced when she was little, and she grew up in her stepfather’s parents’ house. You think someone like that’s brimming with hope for love?”

Yang Zhao was left speechless.