Chapter 25

Cai Xinyue gripped her toothbrush, momentarily at a loss for words.

At the instant Assistant Li spoke, she had the fleeting illusion that she was a criminal under interrogation. The aura of someone who had long held a high-ranking position was quite intimidating to a student who had never stepped foot outside a campus.

In the end, it was Hua Luoyue who explained first: “She was drunk last night and had nowhere to go, so I brought her back to stay for the night.”

A glance at the open bedroom door and the blanket on the living room sofa made it clear they had slept separately. This explanation allowed Assistant Li’s brow to relax slightly. It was also possible she didn’t want to scold Hua Luoyue in front of Cai Xinyue.

“I’ll take you directly to the hospital in a bit,” Assistant Li said. “There are parts of the paperwork that require your signature as a family member. Pack up quickly; I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

With that, Assistant Li turned and left.

Until the front door closed, Cai Xinyue still felt an invisible pressure. After a brief silence, she turned and looked at Hua Luoyue with some helplessness, asking, “Is she angry?”

Hua Luoyue said, “I don’t know…”

Cai Xinyue was now even more convinced that Assistant Li was angry, making her more uneasy. “Is it because of me?”

Hua Luoyue said, “No…”

It was hard for Cai Xinyue not to overthink, but the only thing she could link it to was Hua Luoyue’s transactional marriage. She instinctively glanced at that closed bedroom door again but couldn’t bring herself to say her suspic read the original at bailiantales.com ions out loud. She feared making Hua Luoyue feel embarrassed.

“Go finish brushing your teeth first.” Hua Luoyue shook the fried eggs in the pan, pretending not to see the conflict on Cai Xinyue’s face.

Assistant Li’s reaction was somewhat unexpected, but thinking about it from Yu Zhezhi’s perspective, it wasn’t hard to understand. They didn’t know the soul inside the original shell had changed; based on past test results, they assumed she liked women. Two young, beautiful girls sharing a room—one of whom was gay—would cause anyone else to be on high alert.

But Hua Luoyue didn’t know how to explain this to Cai Xinyue. Looking at her anxious friend, she worried that speaking plainly would only make her more uneasy. It would be better to explain properly after Assistant Li left.

Thinking this, Hua Luoyue could only remind her: “Eat breakfast quickly after you wash up. It’s not good to keep Sister Li waiting too long.”

Cai Xinyue looked at her several times, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed her words and obediently went back into the bathroom to finish washing up.

When she came out again, Hua Luoyue had breakfast ready: two bowls of plain noodles with fried eggs, garnished with two green leaves. It looked pleasing to the eye and whetted the appetite. Cai Xinyue wanted to offer a few compliments, but remembering the person waiting downstairs, she silently kept her mouth shut. Without the mood for idle chat, their eating speed increased significantly.

After breakfast, Cai Xinyue wanted to help put the dishes in the sink, but Hua Luoyue said from behind, “Just leave them there; I’ll tidy up when I get back tonight. Go check if you’ve left anything behind.”

The only thing in the bedroom was her phone tucked under the pillow. Cai Xinyue’s backpack hadn’t even been opened last night, so she could just grab it and go. Hua Luoyue also changed her clothes and went downstairs with Cai Xinyue.

Inside the elevator, Cai Xinyue was still uneasy. Finally, she couldn’t help but whisper to Hua Luoyue, “If she really scolds you, call me.”

Hua Luoyue followed her logic and asked, “And then?”

Cai Xinyue wanted to boast about bringing people over ​stolen content​to scold her back, but thinking of her own tangled mess of relationships, she changed her tune: “I’ll help you scold her back!”

Hua Luoyue couldn’t help but chuckle and offered a word of comfort: “It’s not that serious.”

Cai Xinyue asked, “Really?”

Hua Luoyue smiled. “At most, in the future, if you bring me food, you’ll only be able to deliver it to the complex gate.” She paused, looked up at the clean, tidy elevator wall, and said slowly, “After all, this isn’t my own home.”

Yu Zhezhi was very generous regarding the house. But that didn’t mean Hua Luoyue could truly cast aside all reservations and take the polite words of someone who would eventually become a stranger at face value. She just hadn’t expected that she would even need to be wary of a female classmate.

Hearing Hua Luoyue speak so nonchalantly, Cai Xinyue felt sad for her family situation, yet knew those words were the truth. Seeing the elevator reach the first floor, she couldn’t say more and could only let out a long sigh.

Hua Luoyue patted her shoulder, then let go before the elevator doors opened, reminding her with a smile: “You should go back and catch up on your classes properly, so you don’t end up failing and having to retake the exams.”

Cai Xinyue pursed her lips. “You have too little faith in my abilities.”

Assistant Li was waiting by the intersection downstairs. When the two saw her, they instinctively fell silent. Assistant Li happened to finish a call and turned to see them, asking Cai Xinyue casually, “Do you need a lift on the way?”

Cai Xinyue shook her head quickly. “I’ll just take the bus. It’s still early for class; I won’t delay your serious business at the hospital.”

Assistant Li was only being polite and didn’t insist, turning to tell Hua Luoyue to come to the hospital with her. Before parting, Cai Xinyue caught a moment when Assistant Li wasn’t looking and secretly made a “call me” gesture to Hua Luoyue. Hua Luoyue nodded, and only then did Cai Xinyue walk toward the station with peace of mind.

Assistant Li took Hua Luoyue in the opposite direction.

In fact, it was still early for the appointment with the doctor, but some things weren’t suitable to say in front of outsiders. Although Assistant Li was very dissatisfied with Hua Luoyue’s behavior, she knew to show her some face. She took Hua Luoyue to a morning tea shop near the hospital and requested a private room.

“Have you had breakfast?” Assistant Li flipped through the menu and added two more items, not giving Hua Luoyue a chance to offer suggestions. “Eat a bit more.”

This meant there was something to discuss. Hua Luoyue swallowed any extra words. Once the server took the menu and closed the door, Assistant Li looked at Hua Luoyue for a long time before speaking: “Who gave you permission to bring people back whenever you want?”

Her tone was entirely accusatory.

Hua Luoyue frowned slightly but understood her meaning. “We are just friends,” she explained as gently as possible. “I wouldn’t make a move on a friend near me.”

“You think that, but others might not,” Assistant Li said. “And don’t forget, this isn’t a hotel or your own home where you can bring back whoever you want. Furthermore, if someone saw and took a photo, do you know how much trouble that would cause us?”

Hua Luoyue looked at her steadily for a moment and apologized easily: “I’m sorry, it was my oversight. It won’t happen again.”

If anyone else had lowered their head and apologized so quickly, Assistant Li might have felt they were being perfunctory. But Hua Luoyue sat opposite her, looking directly at her without blinking, showing no trace of resentment, dissatisfaction, or grievance. It was as if a parent were educating a well-behaved child, telling her not to do it next time because it wasn’t good; the child didn’t ask why, just nodded obediently and committed it to memory.

Whether Hua Luoyue had actually committed it to memory remained to be seen, but her attitude was unquestionably good.

Assistant Li’s pent-up frustration nearly softened, but then she remembered the “illustrious” record of Hua Luoyue being called to the school twice, and she no longer felt the girl was as submissive and obedient as she appeared. Even if she was truly obedient, one couldn’t be too indulgent. Just as children raised in over-indulgence are prone to going astray, if one side’s attitude is too easy-going and soft, it makes the other side feel that nothing matters, leading them to push their luck step by step.

Yu Zhezhi didn’t need someone holding her back like that.

Assistant Li thought about the effort Yu Zhezhi had put into Hua Luoyue—aside from avoiding the feelings themselves, Yu Zhezhi hadn’t mistreated her in any way. If she hadn’t been lucky enough to have that face, how could Hua Luoyue be sitting here leisurely drinking tea? She might have already dropped out of school, tricked into working to pay off debts by some black-hearted boss, suffering through long hours yet unable to afford even one more day of medical fees for her mother. Without Yu Zhezhi, Hua Luoyue’s life might have fallen into the mud, ruined forever.

And what about Hua Luoyue? Even the marriage contract was something she had agreed to herself, and she hadn’t given anything else besides that. If she couldn’t even manage small things like “staying virtuous” and “following the rules,” wouldn’t Yu Zhezhi look even more like a sucker?

Besides, they weren’t asking her to stay chaste forever. Five years later, Hua Luoyue would only be twenty-five, in the prime of her life. With her looks, education, and the “breakup fee” Yu Zhezhi would give her, finding someone new would be a breeze. They weren’t holding her back from anything.

Thinking this, Assistant Li felt even more righteous, and her forced stern expression relaxed. “I’m not necessarily trying to interfere in your friendships, but at least think more before doing something that easily causes misunderstandings. Pay attention to the impact.”

Assistant Li spoke softly first, then pointed toward the hospital and tapped the table. “Don’t forget why you can sit here so easily now—and why you have the confidence to choose surgery for your mother.”

Because of Yu Zhezhi.

“I know…” Hua Luoyue said. “I am very grateful to President Yu. So there won’t be a next time.”

“Hopefully so,” Assistant Li said for the final time. “Don’t forget you signed an agreement. One should have a bit of a contractual spirit.”

Hua Luoyue said, “I know…”

Yu Zhezhi only heard Assistant Li mention the incident between Hua Luoyue and Cai Xinyue two days later.

These past two days had been the busiest time for the company. Sending Assistant Li out to handle Hua Luoyue and the hospital affairs had added an extra read the original at bailiantales.comburden on her; she had to handle many things personally, was so busy she didn’t have a moment to spare, and stayed at the office.

It wasn’t until Assistant Li returned after finishing the hospital handovers, leaving only a bit of follow-up work, that Yu Zhezhi finally had a chance to breathe. Near the end of the day, Assistant Li made a special trip to the office to report the situation.

Yu Zhezhi sat in her chair munching on an apple while taking a moment to look at the news on her phone. Assistant Li sat opposite her, organizing documents while telling her about Cai Xinyue staying over at Hua Luoyue’s place.

Yu Zhezhi had quite a deep impression of Cai Xinyue; leaving aside the two accidents, for the usually solitary Hua Luoyue to admit she was a friend meant there was clearly something special about her. Assistant Li mentioned her worry that others might misunderstand seeing the two always together and inseparable, and Yu Zhezhi agreed.

However, thinking back on Hua Luoyue’s explanation last time, Yu Zhezhi felt she might be overthinking. “They are classmates. Even without Cai Xinyue, there would be Cai Xiaohong or Cai Xiaohua… we can’t stop her from making friends.”

Yu Zhezhi tapped the desk and said, “If we asked her to make friends with boys, don’t you think the gossip would be even worse?”

Assistant Li said without hesitation, “Is it not possible to just not ‘make friends’ like that? You know how some people love to spread rumors.”

Yu Zhezhi raised her eyelids, glanced at her, and said slowly, “No…”

Assistant Li was stunned and asked, “Why?”

Yu Zhezhi said, “If she had no outstanding abilities, was gloomy and withdrawn to the point of having no friends, and her only merit was her face—wouldn’t that make my judgment look poor and me appear very shallow?”

Assistant Li thought about her words and was somewhat convinced.

Yu Zhezhi continued reading the news and said, “So, even if someone truly [stolen content]likes her, it’s not a bad thing, as long as she can restrain herself and follow the rules during these years… Just give her a few reminders normally.”

The problem was that Assistant Li didn’t quite believe Hua Luoyue could always “follow the rules.” True, Hua Luoyue acted very submissive, and her family situation invited sympathy. But pity and sympathy were one thing; when it came to their own interests and needs, it was another matter entirely—after all, that was the original reason they sought her out.

More importantly, Hua Luoyue was still young and had a poor background; it was hard to say if she could withstand temptation or if she would eventually lose herself and cause unmanageable trouble. There had been plenty of cases in their circle where wealthy individuals just wanted to play around with a lover, only for the other party to take it seriously, causing household unrest and staining their reputation for nothing. While the situation with Yu Zhezhi seemed different, there were commonalities worth learning from.

Assistant Li felt that while helping Hua Luoyue solve her difficulties, they also needed to take precautions; some lines could never be crossed. Especially “betraying” Yu Zhezhi. At least in public, not a trace of such behavior could be shown.

With the office door locked and just the two of them sitting there, it was a private chat, so they didn’t have many reservations. Assistant Li then mentioned how she took the opportunity to warn Hua Luoyue. Halfway through, Yu Zhezhi’s scrolling stopped.

She looked up at Assistant Li and asked, “You said that to her?”

Assistant Li was taken aback. “What?” She hadn’t said it as a formal report but as part of a long stream of idle talk, so she didn’t know which sentence Yu Zhezhi was referring to.

Yu Zhezhi reminded her: “The matter of the house.”

Assistant Li realized but didn’t see a problem. “That house was only rented because of you; otherwise, a poor student like her might not have the chance to live in such a nice place in her lifetime. If she doesn’t learn her lesson early and starts taking these things for granted or pushes her luck, scolding her later when things get out of hand won’t work.”

But what Yu Zhezhi was referring to was Assistant Li’s casual remark: “Did she really think she could just do whatever she wanted with that place as if it were her own home?”

“Remind her if you must, but why use those words to threaten her?” Yu Zhezhi said with some dissatisfaction.

“Is that a threat?” Assistant Li [stolen content]found it strange. “I was just stating a fact.”

“Aside from that room she has now, where else does she have a home?” Yu Zhezhi countered.

“…” Assistant Li instinctively wanted to name a place, but the first thing that came to mind was the school.

The Hua family’s house had long been sold. Her mother was in the hospital, her father was in prison, and her relatives had shut their doors to them. If it weren’t for Yu Zhezhi finding Hua Luoyue, she would only have the school to stay in during breaks. But you can’t live at school for more than three years; after graduation, a debt-ridden poor student couldn’t possibly afford a house immediately. Even renting might be a struggle. Even though she was with Yu Zhezhi now, in reality, Hua Luoyue was homeless.

The words Assistant Li said to Hua Luoyue likely sounded like, “If you aren’t obedient, I’ll kick you out onto the street.”

Normally, Assistant Li was meticulous in her dealings, and most of the investigation files on Hua Luoyue had passed through her hands. Theoretically, it was impossible for her not to know this, yet she had spoken to Hua Luoyue’s face without any reservations. Fundamentally, she still viewed Hua Luoyue as an accessory Yu Zhezhi had bought. In their entire circle, no one had seen a wealthy heir’s little lover dare to go against the benefactor; they naturally found ways to flatter and please. After all, they were the ones who had paid the money.

And the marriage between Yu Zhezhi and Hua Luoyue was just a cold contract—one side provided money, the other provided their person. In essence, it was no different from those people. But Yu Zhezhi had brought the girl back without the intention of playing with her or having any other needs. Given that Hua Luoyue hadn’t committed any obvious wrongs, Assistant Li’s words were indeed a bit much.

Assistant Li fell silent.

Yu Zhezhi, however, realized her attitude was an issue. She pointed at Assistant Li, then at herself, and said, “Only a few of us know about the agreement—I didn’t marry her to announce to everyone that our partnership was written with money on a piece of paper.”

Assistant Li slowly caught on and nodded somewhat stiffly. The marriage was real. Even if there was an agreement, a property plan, and a set duration, Yu Zhezhi and Hua Luoyue were in a legal marriage. Currently, they were spouses. Yu Zhezhi herself had to overcome psychological hurdles to show closeness to Hua Luoyue in front of hidden cameras; any unnaturalness could be explained away as shyness. But if her assistant had this mindset and unconsciously showed contempt and arrogance, wouldn’t it clearly tell everyone that there was something wrong with the marriage?

“Even if it’s not for show, that’s already the name written with mine on the marriage certificate. We can’t let her look that shabby. Furthermore, if it’s a problem that can be solved with money, I won’t be so petty as to nickel-and-dime her over such a small amount—” Yu Zhezhi looked up at Assistant Li. “Do you understand?”

How could Assistant Li not understand her meaning? She let out a slow sigh and nodded. It wasn’t just the house. Later at the hospital, she hadn’t forgotten to lecture Hua Luoyue. Her intent was to make her keep the agreement firmly in mind and, out of gratitude for Yu Zhezhi’s [bailiantales.com]kindness, never cause any trouble in the future. But Hua Luoyue acted so submissive, as if every harsh reminder from her mouth were the truth, and she accepted each one; thus Assistant Li hadn’t felt she was being excessive. She hadn’t expected Yu Zhezhi to care so much about such things.

Having been lectured by Yu Zhezhi, she knew she had overstepped. The only saving grace was that she hadn’t shown it plainly in front of outsiders.

Assistant Li said with some hesitation, “Then… I’ll apologize to her later.”

Yu Zhezhi was noncommittal, casually tossing the finished apple core into the trash. She pulled a wet wipe from the desk to wipe her hands before saying, “Transfer that house to her name.”

Assistant Li paused and reminded her, “The house she’s living in is rented.”

Yu Zhezhi had other properties in City X, but they were all in the opposite direction of Hua Luoyue’s school, too far to be convenient. But for a five-year contract partner, to go out and buy a house temporarily—Assistant Li felt it was unnecessary. Who knew where Hua Luoyue would work after graduation? It wouldn’t be too late to decide based on her performance then. A rented house obviously couldn’t be transferred to Hua Luoyue; there was at least the original landlord in the middle.

Yu Zhezhi’s mouth curled into a slight, half-smiling expression, her eyes fixed on her. Assistant Li knew that was the sign she was about to get angry.

Yu Zhezhi slapped the document she had just picked up onto the desk and asked in a flat tone, “Is it that hard to just buy it?”