8 – Competing with the Manly Bitch for the Fish Pond
Yu Ai snorted inwardly; sooner or later, she would figure out what 001 was all about.
Seeing Li Ge approaching, Yu Ai took the initiative to greet him, “Li Ge.”
“Xiao Ai, you’ve been coming here quite often lately. Isn’t it boring watching Xiao Yu practice alone?” He sat down on the bench beside Yu Ai.
Yu Ai smiled and replied, “Not at all. I’ve always had a calm personality, but watching A Yu race is actually quite thrilling.”
Following Yu Ai’s gaze to Han Haoyu on the track, he said, “Yeah, this kid has real talent.”
“A Yu has been smart since he was little. He picks up everything quickly, and racing is what he does best.”
Seeing the bright, clear look in the girl’s eyes as she watched Han Haoyu, Li Ge couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you come to see him in the past few years?”
At these words, the girl in front of him lowered her head, her eyes dimming. Li Ge immediately fell silent and quickly changed the subject.
“Xiao Yu has a bold personality, completely different from yours. There was a girl who used to come to see him almost every day for a while, and I even thought she was Xiao Yu’s girlfriend.”
If it weren’t for the fact that the girl was rather plain-looking, he might have really believed it.
“Are you talking about Zhou Hui, Li Ge?”
Li Ge asked in surprise, “Xiao Ai knows her? Are you two acquainted?”
“Of course we are.” Not only were they acquainted, but this woman was also the one who had caused the original host’s miserable life.
“She’s our classmate. She gets along really well with a lot of boys, and although she isn’t very close with us girls, she probably has a straightforward personality.”
“She used to love playing basketball with my husband and Xiao Yu too. Maybe she liked playing too much, which led to her having to repeat a year and not being able to graduate. She must be really busy retaking her credits, right? I didn’t expect her to still find time to come watch Xiao Yu race despite being so busy. It seems she must be very close with Xiao Yu.”
Li Ge felt something was off about these words. A girl who didn’t have any close female friends and spent all her time hanging out with boys?
She got into such a good university like A University but didn’t cherish it and ended up repeating a year. It seemed he’d have to keep a closer eye on this Zhou Hui next time she came, to make sure she didn’t lead Xiao Yu astray.
While driving, Han Haoyu caught a glimpse of Yu Ai and Li Ge chatting animatedly from the corner of his eye, and he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. She had never talked to him this much.
He stopped the car and walked over to the spectator stands. “What are you two talking about?”
Yu Ai was taken aback by the man who suddenly appeared before her.
Han Haoyu’s handsome face darkened. “What? That look on your face—am I interrupting?”
Li Ge stood up, disapproving. “Xiao Yu, what are you saying?”
Xiao Ai had been friends with Xiao Yu for so many years; how could he always be so cold toward her?
“You… you’re done practicing?” Yu Ai asked.
Han Haoyu ignored her and only said to Li Ge, “That’s it for today. I’m done practicing. I’m going to change.”
“Alright, then take Xiao Ai out for a proper meal and talk nicely!”
Li Ge spoke with the tone of an elder lecturing him, and Han Haoyu frowned before turning and walking away.
Seeing him leave, Yu Ai immediately stood up and followed.
…
Outside the restroom, after Han Haoyu changed his clothes, he found Yu Ai squatting on the ground, clutching her stomach.
“Hey?” He looked down at Yu Ai’s hand pressed against her stomach and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Yu Ai quickly stood up, her face pale, and shook her head. “It’s nothing. Where should we go?””You didn’t eat lunch!” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
Yu Ai had been prone to low blood sugar since high school. Her parents were busy with work and usually had no time to manage her meals, so her stomach would ache whenever she got hungry.
He still remembered the first time Yu Ai ate at their house—she ate even less than a cat. Later, his mother started having Yu Ai eat at their home with him, and it took a long time of care there to somewhat regulate her stomach.
Han Haoyu glanced at his watch; it was already 3 p.m. He pulled Yu Ai to the nearest restaurant in the area.
“Mouse! What brings you here at this hour?” The owner was a young man not much older than Han Haoyu.
“Brother Qiang, could you bring a bowl of vegetable porridge first? My friend hasn’t eaten. The rest can be the usual.”
Brother Qiang glanced at the girl beside Han Haoyu but didn’t say anything, just gave him a meaningful look before heading off to prepare.
Yu Ai sat down and asked softly, “You seem really familiar with him? I didn’t know you had such a nickname.”
“He’s an old racing buddy. They all like to give each other nicknames. Brother Qiang even won a silver medal in an international race.”
Seeing the question in Yu Ai’s eyes, he explained, “Brother Qiang got injured in a race and retired. He opened this restaurant near our training ground. Everyone from our group likes to eat here after practice. Brother Qiang genuinely loves racing, which is why he opened this small restaurant here.”
Yu Ai bit her lip and nodded gently, “Mm, I know, just like how you love cars.”
Han Haoyu paused while pouring water—so she knew his biggest passion was cars.
001: “Master, Han Haoyu’s favorability +5.”
“I can see that. Don’t interrupt me while I’m building the mood!”
The green number above Han Haoyu’s head showed -55. It wasn’t like she was blind.
001: “Master, try harder to compliment him. It went up so quickly.”
Yu Ai: “Just tell me when I can exchange for the System Shielding Device.”
001: “…” Fine, it would shut up.
Yu Ai took a sip of the warm water Han Haoyu handed her, feeling some relief in her stomach.
She had deliberately not eaten anything since last night—faking it couldn’t achieve this effect. Han Haoyu had known the original host for so many years; he was most familiar with how she looked when her stomach hurt.
When the porridge arrived, Yu Ai only drank a few mouthfuls before her stomach felt warm and much more comfortable.
“Why didn’t you eat first if you were hungry?”
“Ah?” Yu Ai looked up, staring blankly at the man full of coldness before her.
“What? Starved stupid?”
Yu Ai shook her head dazedly, “I wanted to eat with you…”
Though her voice was very soft, Han Haoyu heard it clearly but said nothing, lowering his head to play with his phone.
The meal proceeded in a rather chilly atmosphere. Yu Ai ate slowly, and while Han Haoyu kept his head down playing with his phone without speaking, he ate all the food she put in his bowl.
In this strange yet harmonious manner, after Yu Ai ate just a little and was full, she almost continuously kept putting food into Han Haoyu’s bowl.
Han Haoyu looked at the bowl piled high with food in front of him, put down his chopsticks, and said, “If you’re full, let’s go.”
He stood up and strode out with his long legs without waiting for Yu Ai.
Yu Ai followed, half-running behind him, but every few steps he would slow down. She clearly felt that Han Haoyu was waiting for her.
Han Haoyu opened the car door. Just as Yu Ai reached for the passenger door handle, she was stopped by an icy voice.”Sit in the back!”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ai silently released her grip and moved to the back seat of the car.
“Where to?”
Yu Ai bit her lip without responding.
“Going back to your place or should I take you to your new home to find your husband?”
“He’s not there…”
The man driving sneered from the front: “Leaving you alone in an empty room right after getting married? Could he be out cheating? Your taste is truly awful!”