On the surface, it looked like a choice between two options. In reality, for Zhou Muyang, there had only ever been one option.
With Yu Huan’s laziness, waiting for her to come down was no different from waiting for aliens to land on Earth.
He sat in the driver’s seat and took out his phone, first sending her a barrage of emoji spam. He kept going until the chat window showed a red exclamation mark before he finally stopped.
Less than three seconds later, Yu Huan called him.
“Zhou Muyang, are you sick?”
The Yu Family and the Zhou Family lived in the same building, on the same floor. They had grown up together since childhood and even studied in the same classes almost every year. In one word, they were childhood friends.
They knew each other too well, and there was no need for politeness in how they spoke—whatever came to mind was what they said.
“Hey now, Miss Yu,” Zhou Muyang called out in a strange tone, “this humble servant is already waiting downstairs.”
Then he threatened her, “Hurry up and tell the security uncle who I am, or you can carry your own luggage down yourself later.”
Since they grew up together, Zhou Muyang naturally knew just how terrible Yu Huan’s personality was.
Lazy, blunt, petty, sometimes low in emotional intelligence.
But paired with that face, none of it seemed like a big problem.
When they were kids, he used to think the same. But every time they caused trouble together, his parents would always say he was the one who led her astray.
Yu Huan didn’t want to use her own lucky money but still wanted Barbie dolls, so she would always look at him pitifully. Because of that, for so many years, he hadn’t saved a single cent of his New Year money.
After too many similar incidents, one day, Zhou Muyang finally “awakened.”
And after awakening, he discovered something shocking:
Yu Huan had never treated him as a friend at all—she had been treating him like a servant!
He angrily went to confront her.
But that girl had her finger to her lips and asked in confusion, “Aren’t you always my servant?”
When she said that, her expression was completely sincere—she truly believed it from the bottom of her heart.
Aaaahhh!
That annoying little brat!
He really shouldn’t have let her watch those princess-and-maid dramas when they were kids. He should’ve made her watch prince-and-maid dramas instead, so she’d think she was the maid!
From that point on, their relationship evolved from a mutually agreed master-servant dynamic into a bickering-frenemies mode.
“Zhou Muyang, you’re so petty,” Yu Huan said.
He picked at his ear. “Hurry up.”
Yu Huan said, “Put the phone on speaker and give it to the guard. How am I supposed to talk if you don’t hand it over?”
Zhou Muyang turned on speaker and handed the phone over. “Go on, go on.”
Yu Huan explained her identity to the security guard and stated the purpose of Zhou Muyang entering the residential community. After verification, the guard opened the gate.
Zhou Muyang tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.
“I’m parking downstairs. If you’re not ready by the time I come up, I’m not waiting for you.”
The reply he got was only a “beep”—the call had been hung up.
He clicked his tongue. “This terrible temper just keeps getting worse with age.”
He was fast. From parking to taking the elevator upstairs, it took less than five minutes.
This residential complex consisted of large flat apartments, one unit per floor.
Yu Huan lived on the 18th floor, with wide views, excellent lighting, and no issues with cold winters or hot summers.
When Zhou Muyang stepped out of the elevator and reached her door, he immediately began pressing the doorbell furiously with long fingers.
This was a tactic he had developed over years of experience specifically to deal with Yu Huan’s procrastination.
Either she got annoyed enough to die, or she came to open the door immediately.
Meanwhile, Yu Huan had just changed her clothes—outfits prepared by Zhu Heqing, placed neatly on the bedroom sofa.
She wore a fitted red short-sleeved top with structured shoulders, made of high-quality fabric unlike ordinary shirts. The bottom was a light-yellow pair of breathable, sporty casual pants. The colors were bright and lively, making her look youthful and radiant.
Just as she was about to comb her hair, the doorbell suddenly went off like it was malfunctioning.
Yu Huan: “……”
Annoying Zhou Muyang!
She grabbed her comb, opened the door with a bang, and before he even pulled his hand back from the doorbell, she smacked it lightly.
“I kindly came to pick you up and you hit me?” Zhou Muyang complained while clutching his hand. “Yu Huan, is this how you treat your big brother?”
Yu Huan made a face. “You deserved it for being handsy.”
“Tch.” He clicked his tongue. “Why are you so slow? Your boyfriend must’ve already prepared everything for you. How does it still take you so long to get ready?”
“Do you think everyone is like you? Hair uncombed, just slipping on shoes and leaving.”
He couldn’t be bothered arguing with her. She always had a pile of twisted logic.
He took shoe covers from the rack, put them on, and poked her shoulder. “Then please hurry up, Miss Yu. Otherwise, you’ll only get leftovers for lunch when we get back.”
That was nonsense, of course.
With how much Aunt Zhang and Uncle Yu spoiled her, they wouldn’t even start eating until she arrived.
Yu Huan went back to her bedroom.
Her hairstyle was a jellyfish mullet, with the top short hair permed into curls that required daily maintenance.
After finishing her hair, she chose a lightweight top and matching shoes.
By the time she was done, about half an hour had passed.
Finally, she slung a pink Hermès Mini Lindy over her shoulder and stood in front of Zhou Muyang.
“I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Zhou Muyang looked at her, dressed impeccably and glowing, then looked at himself in a big T-shirt, shorts, and a tan that had deepened at least three shades from a beach trip. He suddenly felt like he had returned to the days of being her “servant.”
His mouth twitched. Under her urging gaze, he resigned himself to lifting the small suitcase in the living room and followed the “princess” out.
When they arrived home, it was just in time for lunch.
Knowing the two children were coming back together, Zhang Ya and Zhou Muyang’s mother Rong Xia had been busy since early morning.
They went to the market to buy the children’s favorite dishes, carefully selected a large watermelon from a street vendor, and chilled it in water.
The fathers weren’t idle either—they brought out bedding to air in the sun and cleaned the entire house from top to bottom.
By the time everything was ready, they started cooking.
Yu Hezhang had once been a chef, and his skills were excellent. This meal showcased almost all of his signature dishes, filling the table completely.
As soon as Yu Huan entered, she smelled the rich aroma of food.
“Oh, Fufu is back,” Rong Xia said, carrying a dish. She turned happily and called to Zhang Ya, who was cutting watermelon, “Xiaoya, Fufu is back.”
Seeing Zhou Muyang dragging the suitcase behind her, Rong Xia burst out laughing. “Hahaha, son, how did you get so dark?”
Zhou Muyang was the type of handsome, sunny guy whose looks weren’t too affected by a tan.
But Rong Xia was used to his fair skin and couldn’t stop laughing at the sudden change.