9 – Competing with the Manly Bitch for the Fish Pond
After a moment, Han Haoyu saw no response from the back seat, and his expression changed. “He wouldn’t really…”
He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Yu Ai looking out the window. Though he couldn’t make out her expression clearly, the tear that fell was unmistakable.
The veins on Han Haoyu’s hands, gripping the steering wheel, bulged, betraying his inner turmoil.
Bastard!
Ying Yi, that hypocrite, putting on a gentle and kind front while daring to act recklessly behind the scenes.
…
That evening, Yu Ai successfully entered the residential complex where Han Haoyu currently lived.
Located in the city center, Han Haoyu had moved here after graduation due to frequent competitions.
The original owner had never been to this place before. As soon as she entered, Yu Ai spotted a pair of women’s slippers in the shoe cabinet.
Well, well, aren’t these Zhou Hui’s? She had already scoured Zhou Hui’s social media thoroughly, and Yu Ai remembered seeing these slippers in one of Zhou Hui’s posts.
Interesting. So, he’s marking territory for his harem of fish? If Zhou Hui found out that the fish she was nurturing had brought another mermaid home, she wondered what her reaction would be.
Han Haoyu was still contemplating whether to let Yu Ai borrow Zhou Hui’s slippers when he saw her take off her shoes and naturally slip her small feet into the pair he usually wore.
“Xiao Yu, you’re doing well for yourself! When did you buy such a big place? Why didn’t you tell me?” Yu Ai walked in, looking around left and right.
It was a three-bedroom, two-hundred-square-meter apartment with a spacious master bedroom. Yu Ai casually pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Hey!” Han Haoyu tried to stop her, but she was already inside. He quickly followed her into the room.
Well… Han Haoyu’s room could be described as the typical bachelor’s den. It wasn’t exactly messy—clothes and things were neatly arranged.
But the tables and shelves were cluttered with racing car models, trophies, competition photos, and the like, making the originally spacious room feel somewhat cramped.
Among the many photos, Yu Ai’s eyes immediately landed on the most exquisitely framed one.
Before she could pick it up, Han Haoyu snatched it away.
“Don’t touch it!”
Yu Ai looked hurt, withdrawing her hand mid-air. “I’m sorry, I was just looking. I didn’t mean to dirty it.”
She glanced at Han Haoyu’s nervous expression and added, “So, you like Zhou Hui.”
“I…” Han Haoyu didn’t know why he was so tense. Was he afraid she’d see it, or afraid she’d find out? It was normal for him to have someone he liked!
Thinking this, he relaxed a little, his expression returning to its usual cold arrogance. “Yeah, I like her. So what?”
Yu Ai nodded. “You’re so protective of even a single photo of her. It seems you really do like her. You should’ve said so earlier—I would’ve definitely helped you two get together.”
“None of your business. Get out.” Without another word, Han Haoyu pushed Yu Ai out and closed the door.
001: “Master, Han Haoyu’s Affection Points dropped by another 20.”
001 couldn’t help but complain: “Why is this guy so moody? His Affection Points are like a rollercoaster!”
“That’s fine!” Yu Ai thought. If he had the guts, he could drop them all. If not, they’d eventually rise again.
“Master, his Affection Points are too low. Maybe we should switch to someone else to Capture?” 001 suggested. “Ying Yi has the highest Affection Points. Why don’t we go find him first? We can’t let that seductive troublemaker Zhou Hui get ahead of us!”No sooner had the words been spoken than 001 let out another ghostly howl: “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“What?! Shut up! Keep howling and I’ll throw you into outer space!” Yu Ai found this little pervert truly annoying.
“Wahhh! Master, Ying Yi’s Affection Points dropped.” What should they do? It was so anxious.
“Oh, how much did it drop?”
“It dropped by 10 points. It’s now -40. The three of them combined don’t even reach 100 points. No, wait—Han Haoyu is still in the negatives. After deducting his points, we effectively have zero Affection Points.”
“Oh.”
Yu Ai lay down on the sofa and fell asleep immediately. After all, that bastard Han Haoyu wasn’t willing to come out right now.
Seeing how calmly she could still sleep, 001 was so frantic it felt like scratching its head with its toes.
Its master wasn’t like this before—why was she so lazy now?
Ah! So painful! Give me back my brilliant and mighty master!
…
Faculty Dormitory of University A.
“A Yi, are you in?” Zhou Hui knocked on the door and called out.
Ying Yi opened the door to find Zhou Hui standing there, carrying several bags of groceries.
Zhou Hui squeezed past him into the room and headed straight for the kitchen, starting to wash the vegetables. “I knew you probably hadn’t eaten. Are you hungry?”
Ying Yi took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Zhou Hui had been visiting him every day recently, leaving him restless and confused. He had no idea what to do about Ai Ai either.
“Xiao Hui…” Ying Yi looked at Zhou Hui’s back and finally spoke up: “I think we shouldn’t see each other for a while. I…”
He heard Zhou Hui’s soft sobs and stopped mid-sentence.
Ying Yi punched his own temple in frustration. It was all his fault! Why did he have to get drunk that day and enter the wrong room? Now everything was a mess.
“Let me do it.” He took over washing the potato from Zhou Hui.
Zhou Hui acted as if she hadn’t noticed his approach, quickly wiping her tears to hide that she’d been crying. “I… I just got some onion juice in my eyes.”
Ying Yi glanced at the sink—there were no onions there. Zhou Hui was being scatterbrained again. Remembering she was just a girl, his heart softened slightly. He whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Zhou Hui seemed unable to hold back any longer. Tears streamed down her face as she threw her arms around Ying Yi.
Ying Yi froze on the spot, not daring to react.
“I don’t blame you. Actually, I was happy that night. It was the first time I felt so close to you. You have Yu Ai by your side—she’s better than me in every way, more outstanding, more beautiful. I didn’t even dare to look at you too much.”
Zhou Hui’s tears seemed to pour out all her grievances. “I’m really too insecure. How could someone as ordinary as me deserve you? I just wanted to watch you from afar—that would have been enough. Even if I had to stay by your side as a friend forever.”
Hearing Zhou Hui’s words, Ying Yi’s heart softened again. So she felt this insecure around Yu Ai. Even the usually cheerful and confident Zhou Hui could be this vulnerable around men.
He gently patted her back to comfort her. “Just give me some more time to figure this out.”
Zhou Hui thought to herself: Give you time for what? To divorce Yu Ai? She didn’t care about that. What she cared about was that with so many options waiting in the wings, Ying Yi had gotten married before she could even reel him in. This simply wouldn’t do.She wiped away her tears and looked at Ying Yi with a feigned strength. “This is all your business. I just saw you shutting yourself in here these past few days, not going out, and I was worried about your health.”
Ying Yi felt a flicker of gratitude. Yu Ai hadn’t sent him a single message these days, yet Xiao Hui, despite her own heartache, was still thinking of him constantly.
Looking at Ying Yi now, so easily deceived by appearances, he had probably long forgotten that Yu Ai was his wife in name and the girlfriend he had been with for six years!
…
That evening, when Han Haoyu opened the door, he found no movement outside and thought Yu Ai had left. Only after noticing her shoes still at the entrance did he spot the small woman fast asleep on the sofa.
Yu Ai was curled up on the sofa, looking tiny and docile like a little kitten, though her furrowed brow suggested she wasn’t sleeping peacefully.
Han Haoyu’s face remained cold as he considered shaking her awake, but seeing how haggard she looked—as if she hadn’t slept for days—his expression softened. He leaned over, bent down, and lifted her in a princess carry, heading toward the guest room.
After just a few steps, Yu Ai unexpectedly woke up. The woman in his arms blinked groggily and asked, “Xiao Yu, why did you come out?” Just moments ago, he had shut her outside the door.
Han Haoyu was startled, his foot slipping, and the two of them tumbled to the floor together. In the instant they fell, he quickly pulled Yu Ai close, cushioning her fall with his own body.
Yu Ai lay sprawled on top of Han Haoyu, her face pressed tightly against his chest, where she could hear the steady thump of his heartbeat. A faint smile tugged at her lips—it was beating a little faster than usual.
Han Haoyu snapped coldly, “Aren’t you going to get up?” But he made no move to push her away.
“I…”
His gaze drifted downward, noticing Yu Ai still lying motionless on him. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Yu Ai replied in a soft, delicate voice, “I think I twisted my back…”
“What happened?” Han Haoyu grew tense immediately and tried to sit up. “Let me see.”
As his body lifted just a few inches off the ground, Yu Ai’s arm looped around his neck, pulling him back down. “Don’t… don’t move. It hurts. Let me rest for a moment.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t move. Take your time.”
As their bodies remained pressed together, their body heat rose, and the faint fragrance from the woman’s hair drifted into his nostrils with each breath. Han Haoyu could almost hear the accelerated thumping of his own heart—thump, thump, thump.
Yu Ai secretly smiled against Han Haoyu’s chest. She had done this on purpose. The quickest way to Capture a man had to start with physical contact. Among these three men, Han Haoyu was the most reluctant to let her get close.
“Are… are you feeling better?” Han Haoyu asked.
“Mhm, I think I can slowly get up now.” Yu Ai pretended to struggle, gradually pushing herself up with effort.
Han Haoyu helped her sit on the sofa. “Are you alright?”
Yu Ai winced, clutching her lower back. “It’s just a bit sore here.”
“Wait a moment.”
Han Haoyu went to his room and returned with a bottle of medicinal wine. “Let me apply some for you.”
“Isn’t this the medicinal wine my mom specially prepared for you?” Yu Ai glanced at it. The original host’s mother was a leading expert in gynecology. Because Han Haoyu often got bruised and injured while driving, she had asked Yu’s Mother to have a hospital acquaintance prepare this secret formula for him.
“Mhm, it works really well. A little application should help.” Han Haoyu handed the bottle to Yu Ai. “Do it yourself.”
Yu Ai: “…” So unromantic!”I can’t reach it, help me.”
Han Haoyu frowned, looking at Yu Ai’s dress, somewhat unsure how to proceed. She was wearing a white dress today.