13 – Competing with the Manly Bitch for the Fish Pond
Yu Ai found it amusing to hear such a low-level lie. Couldn’t they just check WeChat to see if the item had arrived? Did they really need to make a trip in person?
Han Haoyu suddenly remembered that he and Zhou Hui had visited this shop before.
Zhou Hui said to Han Haoyu, “Haoyu, could you take me back to the university? It’s quite close.”
University A wasn’t far from here; otherwise, Zhou Hui wouldn’t have rushed over as soon as she received the message.
“Sure!” Yu Ai said, “I was just thinking of visiting A Yi. Let’s go together!”
…
In the car, Zhou Hui stared at the messages her hometown friend kept sending.
‘What’s going on? Isn’t that your boyfriend? Who’s that girl?’
‘Is he really your boyfriend or not?’
‘Judging by how you two were talking earlier, that girl doesn’t seem like a mistress.’
Annoyed, Zhou Hui replied, ‘I never said he was my boyfriend. He’s the one who likes me!’
After reading Zhou Hui’s message, her hometown friend rolled her eyes. Zhou Hui hadn’t made things clear, making her think Zhou Hui was being cheated on.
She had tried to help by reporting the situation, and now Zhou Hui was blaming her for overthinking things. Wasn’t Zhou Hui essentially accusing her of misunderstanding her relationship with that guy?
“Xiao Ai,” Zhou Hui asked from the passenger seat, “you were posting on your social media so late last night?”
Yu Ai pretended not to understand. “Huh? Was it late? Not really. Weren’t you awake at that time too?”
“Social media?” Han Haoyu asked, “What social media?”
Zhou Hui said, “Didn’t you check your phone?”
Han Haoyu shook his head. “I didn’t bring my phone.”
Just as Zhou Hui was about to speak, Yu Ai interrupted.
“It wasn’t anything important. I already deleted it. Nothing worth mentioning.”
“Oh.” Han Haoyu parked the car at the university gate and said, “We’re here.”
Zhou Hui’s topic was cut off again. Though displeased, she didn’t show it.
“Huihui, shall I go in with you?” Seeing that Zhou Hui showed no sign of moving, Yu Ai opened the car door. “Ying Yi should be done with his work by now. Let’s go find him together.”
Zhou Hui had no choice but to get out of the car. She had wanted to spend more time with Han Haoyu and now regretted saying she needed to return to the university.
At least Han Haoyu only said goodbye to her and completely ignored Yu Ai when he left, which made her feel somewhat better.
But that small satisfaction was quickly shattered.
As the two walked, Yu Ai attracted a lot of attention. She was still wearing the clothes she had tried on at the boutique and hadn’t changed out of them.
Zhou Hui, in her ordinary outfit and with her ordinary looks, stood in stark contrast to Yu Ai.
Especially when the two of them appeared together in front of Ying Yi, Zhou Hui regretted walking with Yu Ai even more.
Ying Yi was surprised to see Yu Ai and Zhou Hui together at the university, but a flicker of admiration soon flashed in his eyes.
“A Yi, Xiao Ai came to see you,” Zhou Hui said with a smile as she greeted Ying Yi, glancing at the laptop in his hand. “Are you heading to teach a class?”
She remembered that Ying Yi’s annual leave had just ended. He had been staying in the staff dormitory for a week, and today happened to be his teaching day.
Watching Zhou Hui and Ying Yi interact closely, Yu Ai smiled faintly. Anyone who didn’t know better might think they were a legally married couple.
“Seeing how close you two still are makes me a little jealous,” Yu Ai said as she walked over and linked arms with Ying Yi, gazing at him with affectionate eyes.
I heard you secretly lost points behind my back? The Green Strategy Points above your head dropped by five!Zhou Hui was on Ying Yi’s left side, while Yu Ai was on his right, making it look like he was escorting two women. Since it was noon break with many students around, Ying Yi worried about creating a bad impression and quickly took two steps forward.
“How did you two come together?” He genuinely hadn’t expected them to appear together, feeling uneasy about it.
Zhou Hui said first: “I ran into Xiao Ai and Hao Yu at the clothing store.””
“That’s right, Xiao Yu helped me pick out this outfit,” Yu Ai said, clinging to Ying Yi’s arm and acting cute. “Husband, do you think it looks good?”
Ying Yi adjusted his glasses with his other hand. Having dated Yu Ai for so long, this was the first time he’d seen her act so spoiled in public. He softly replied, “It looks nice.”
“Right? I think so too!” Yu Ai said excitedly. “Then I’ll drag him along next time I go shopping. Xiao Yu even paid for this outfit.”
Ying Yi felt something was off upon hearing this – how could another man pay for his woman’s clothes? He glanced at the young woman holding his arm and said, “Use my card from now on.”
Yu Ai’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him. “I know my husband is the best~”
Zhou Hui watched from the side, feeling sour inside. What was wrong with Ying Yi? He wasn’t like this last time. She coughed twice to get his attention.
When Ying Yi looked at Zhou Hui, he noticed her dejected expression. “I’m not feeling well. You two chat, I’ll head back to the dorm first.”
Ying Yi immediately grabbed Zhou Hui’s arm. “Where are you feeling unwell?” Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Yu Ai watched Ying Yi holding Zhou Hui’s hand, her eyebrows rising. Was she dead to him? How dare he get handsy right in front of her?
Zhou Hui covered her chest and shook her head. “I just suddenly feel nauseous. Maybe I ate something bad.”
Yu Ai saw right through Zhou Hui’s act. Nauseous? Could anything be more nauseating than you? And you’re not even shaking off that married man’s hand.
“I’ll take you to the hospital!” Ying Yi turned to Yu Ai. “Sorry, Ai Ai, Xiao Hui she…”
“Go ahead. I’m quite worried about Xiao Hui too. What if it’s food poisoning?”
Seeing that Yu Ai didn’t seem upset, Ying Yi immediately felt relieved.
Zhou Hui still pretended to hesitate. “How can this be? Xiao Ai hasn’t seen you for days. I’ll be fine.” Since Yu Ai was being so magnanimous, she had to put on an act too.
“No, we should still get you checked. We’re friends – I can’t just ignore this,” Ying Yi insisted.
Yu Ai chimed in at the right moment. “That’s right, Xiao Hui. We’re all friends here, it’s fine. I’m with Ying Yi every day – it’s not like I won’t see him again. He’s coming home tonight anyway, right husband?”
When Yu Ai asked this, Ying Yi naturally nodded. “Mm.”
Zhou Hui felt Yu Ai had changed from before. Now she was keeping Ying Yi while worrying about him returning home tonight.
After they left, Yu Ai sneered inwardly. Zhou Hui probably wished Ying Yi wouldn’t see her at all, yet kept pretending. She was clearly fine – after all, Zhou Hui hadn’t slept all night yesterday. How could she even think about eating during the day?
But on the surface, Yu Ai maintained a forlorn, sorrowful expression. According to 001’s map, Mo Yihan was nearby.