23 – Competing with the Man for the Fish Pond
Zhou Hui was equally shocked to see the two of them—what a coincidence!
Han’s mother was especially delighted to see Yu Ai. “Xiao Ai? Have you come back to your parents’ home?”
“Auntie Han, I brought you some fruits.” Yu Ai handed over the items. “I didn’t realize you had guests. I won’t disturb you.”
Han’s mother said, “It’s no trouble at all. Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“No, no need…”
Before Yu Ai could finish, Han Haoyu interrupted, “Mom, if she doesn’t want to stay for dinner, why force her?”
“You brat, what are you saying?” Han’s mother scolded unhappily. “Where are your manners? Xiao Ai specially came to bring us fruits. Apologize right now.”
Yu Ai quickly intervened, “Auntie Han, Xiao Yu didn’t mean it that way. Dinner is already prepared at our home.”
Han’s mother muttered, “Girls are always more considerate. I wonder when my silly boy will bring a girlfriend home.” Her gaze drifted meaningfully toward Zhou Hui.
Zhou Hui immediately responded, “Auntie, Xiao Yu and I are very good friends. If I meet someone suitable, I’ll definitely introduce them to him.”
She instantly regretted her words as everyone stared at her—especially Han’s mother, whose expression shifted abruptly.
Ying Yi gently pulled Yu Ai aside. “Auntie Han, we won’t disturb you any longer. We’ll head back now.”
Han’s mother replied, “Alright, alright. Come visit when you have time.”
After Yu Ai and the others left, Han’s mother glanced at Zhou Hui but said nothing. She had initially thought the girl was her son’s girlfriend, but apparently not. This girl seemed eager to clarify their relationship. If they weren’t involved romantically, why would she casually visit a man’s home?
Her attitude toward Zhou Hui cooled noticeably afterward. During the meal, she remarked, “Look at how polite and clever Xiao Ai’s husband is—and he knows how to cherish his wife…”
Han Haoyu, irritated, cut her off, “Mom, are we eating or not?” He truly despised being compared to Ying Yi. Ever since Yu Ai first brought Ying Yi home during high school, his mother had frequently praised how wonderful “other people’s children” were.
As a child, he was compared to Yu Ai. Now grown up, he was still being measured against her husband.
…
On their way back from the Yu residence, Zhou Hui texted Ying Yi, explaining that she had only gone to Han Haoyu’s for a meal and nothing more.
Ying Yi didn’t bother reading it carefully. Instead, he observed Yu Ai’s expression—it seemed unchanged, as if it were just an ordinary matter.
Meanwhile, Yu Ai was texting Han Haoyu.
‘Xiao Yu, are you and Zhou Hui together?’
Han Haoyu: ‘None of your business.’
Oh, quite the temper.
Yu Ai closed her phone and began chatting idly with Ying Yi.
On his end, Han Haoyu waited for a long time, but the screen still displayed his “none of your business” message. She had genuinely ignored him after that.
He gritted his teeth! This woman! Remembering how heartbroken she had been last time—she’d seek him out when she needed something, but after reconciling with Ying Yi during their outing, she’d forgotten all about him again!
During their break, Ying Yi held Yu Ai and said, “Ai Ai, about Zhou Hui…”
“I’m tired.” The woman turned away, closing her eyes, her tone unreadable.
Ying Yi felt that even though they moved in the same social circle, and even if Ai Ai could generously act as if nothing had happened, he couldn’t.
From now on, he would avoid Zhou Hui whenever possible. He blocked all her contact information.Ying Yi held Yu Ai in his arms from behind. Lately, he had been too anxious about gains and losses. Ai Ai’s attitude toward him remained the same as before, yet he always felt there was something distant between them.
Especially since he returned from playing ball with Zhou Hui last time.
…
Zhou Hui stared at the two lines on the pregnancy test strip, feeling utterly frantic. She hadn’t had her period for two months, and sure enough, she was pregnant.
This child wasn’t Ying Yi’s. On the night of Yu Ai’s wedding, Ying Yi was drunk like a dead fish—how could anything have happened between them?
The next day, she had fabricated the scene using some special items she bought from Taobao. She had worked so hard to get closer to Ying Yi, only for him to marry Yu Ai. How could she accept that?
If it was from two months ago, it could only be Hu Jian’s. That man was the first misjudgment she had made in all her times of fishing for rich men.
Zhou Hui had met Hu Jian at a bar. At the time, he was holding the most expensive hostess in the bar and spending lavishly all night. She had put in great effort to get close to him.
It was during that period that Ying Yi and Yu Ai got engaged and married. She was too distracted to focus properly, and as a result, the man she had invested so much effort in wasn’t a wealthy heir but a drug addict.
Hu Jian wasn’t some rich young master at all—he was just a hoodlum from the streets, buried in debt. To appear pure and unaffected, she had even lent him a considerable amount of money, which she still hadn’t gotten back.
What a terrible misjudgment, and now she was pregnant!
“Zhou Hui, did you fall into the toilet?” A roommate knocked on the door outside, clearly annoyed. “You’ve been in there for almost an hour. Everyone’s waiting to shower. You’re hogging shared resources.”
All the girls in the women’s dormitory were fed up with Zhou Hui. She often returned late at night, made phone calls to men in the early hours, and disturbed everyone’s sleep without any consideration.
“Got it.” Zhou Hui pulled open the bathroom door. “What’s the rush?” She then opened the dormitory door and left.
“Hey, you hog the bathroom and still have the nerve to act like that?” The girl glared at Zhou Hui’s back, fuming. She had never seen anyone so arrogant.
“Alright, alright,” another girl nearby tried to calm her. “That’s just how she is. Being assigned to the same dorm as her is our bad luck.”
Everyone knew Zhou Hui had countless male friends both on and off campus. She was always buddy-buddy with groups of men, and almost no female students liked hanging out with her—not that Zhou Hui cared.
Last time, when they complained about Zhou Hui frequently entering and leaving the dorm at odd hours, they reported it to the school administration. In retaliation, a few men surrounded and threatened them, even splashing water in their faces.
Because of Zhou Hui, the entire dorm couldn’t rest properly. Those with boyfriends had moved out, and the two remaining girls could only urge themselves to endure until graduation.
Zhou Hui called Ying Yi several times, but without exception, he didn’t answer. It seemed he really didn’t want anything to do with her anymore?
But it wouldn’t be that easy.
That night, she went to the residential compound where Han Haoyu lived. Han Haoyu didn’t let her stay at his place either; he just booked her a hotel nearby.
Zhou Hui watched Han Haoyu’s figure. Actually, compared to Ying Yi, he wasn’t bad. But her appetite had been whetted now—after glimpsing the high-end, luxurious lifestyle in Mo Yihan’s social circle, how could she settle for mediocrity?
She recalled a palace intrigue drama she had watched before. A two-month discrepancy in pregnancy… If the baby were born prematurely, it shouldn’t be too late, right?
…Mo Yihan waited for a long time without seeing any message from Xiao Ai. They had been chatting almost every day recently. Just as he couldn’t hold back and was about to send a message, the opposite page showed “typing…”
‘Brother, would you like to meet tomorrow?’
‘I’m just average-looking, you won’t mind, right?’
Attached was an anime shy sticker.
Mo Yihan curled his lips. Was his little sweetheart finally unable to resist? Finally ready to reveal their relationship?
His slender fingers tapped on the screen, replying concisely: ‘Address.’
Seeing the address sent by the other party, Mo Yihan’s smile deepened. If he remembered correctly, this was a very famous themed love hotel.