Chapter 46

Hua Luoyue was stunned.

When “love rival” was mentioned, her first reaction was actually the female lead from the original plot. But she quickly remembered that, at this point, not many people should know of the female lead’s existence—it wasn’t time for her to return to the country yet.

Yu Zhezhi’s relationship with Miss Zhao didn’t seem close enough for them to discuss her “white moonlight.”

Sure enough, Miss Zhao continued: “You remember Xu Ningshuang, right?”

Hua Luoyue nodded.

“Her brother is back. A friend of mine just ran into him at the airport.”

That would be Zhou Junyao.

Hua Luoyue realized who she meant—Miss Xu’s cousin and the root cause of Miss Xu’s constant targeting of Yu Zhezhi. During the wedding banquet, Hua Luoyue had heard Young Master Zhou’s famous name, but she hadn’t taken it to heart. In the original plot’s beginning, he wasn’t even a background character; he was merely mentioned once as a defeated opponent of Yu Zhezhi in the business world.

Clearly, that time hadn’t arrived yet. A major reason Yu Zhezhi married Hua Luoyue was to use the marriage to escape Young Master Zhou’s pestering. The fact that even Yu Zhezhi had to resort to such a convoluted method spoke volumes about how difficult this Young Master Zhou actually was.

As Miss Zhao brought this up, she couldn’t help but feel worried for Hua Luoyue. She believed Yu Zhezhi would protect her wife, but Yu Zhezhi was so busy with work that she couldn’t be by Hua Luoyue’s side at all times. If Hua Luoyue were bullied, Yu Zhezhi might not be able to arrive immediately.

She felt that once Young Master Zhou returned, he would definitely come looking for trouble with Hua Luoyue.

“Sister Yu definitely knows by now, but Young Master Zhou…” Miss Zhao paused, searching for words. “He’s [Read on BaiLianTales]very persistent, a bit unscrupulous when it comes to getting what he wants. He has some bottom line, but… being targeted by him is very unpleasant.”

If Yu Zhezhi, the object of his affection, couldn’t stand him, how much worse would it be for the person he considered an enemy? If he labeled someone a “love rival,” it was hard to say if he’d retain even a shred of gallantry toward a woman.

A look of pity appeared on Miss Zhao’s face. It was far more genuine than her previous awkward small talk, and seeing it made the previously unconcerned Hua Luoyue feel a twinge of panic.

When Yu Zhezhi visited that evening, she also brought up the matter.

“For the next few days, move back into my place,” Yu Zhezhi informed her. “Everything else stays the same; I’ll arrange a driver to pick you up and drop you off.”

Her office and private residence were quite a distance from the hospital, only slightly closer than the Yu family estate. Although the commute would take time, at least at the hospital and within her private complex, no one could easily find trouble with Hua Luoyue.

Yu Zhezhi acted as if she were facing a formidable enemy, proving that Miss Zhao’s concerns weren’t groundless. However, Yu Zhezhi didn’t specifically explain things to Hua Luoyue. Zhou Junyao’s sudden early return was unexpected. She wasn’t sure if he would come looking for trouble, so she could only try to finish her important work early to avoid being distracted later.

Consequently, Yu Zhezhi’s visits to the hospital were rushed. After speaking with Hua Luoyue, she had someone help with the move that very night.

On the way, Yu Zhezhi warned her: “If he comes to find you, no matter what terms he offers, do not agree to anything.”

“Like what?” Hua Luoyue asked.

Yu Zhezhi turned and glared at her.

Hua Luoyue blinked. “I just want to be mentally prepared.”

“Like giving you a massive sum of money to leave [unauthorized copy]me, sending you abroad to support your studies, helping you get a certain position…” Yu Zhezhi listed them fluently, as if they had actually happened.

In fact, they had. In the past, Yu Zhezhi had considered finding someone to fake a relationship with to tactfully make Young Master Zhou give up while saving face for both sides. However, Zhou Junyao didn’t fall for it. He used every trick in the book—threats and bribes—against anyone Yu Zhezhi brought around. People in her social circle didn’t dare offend him, and ordinary people from outside were far too easy to sway.

That was why Yu Zhezhi finally reached her limit and decided to go all the way—registering the marriage and signing a contract with Hua Luoyue so the girl would have enough at stake not to be easily intimidated or lured away.

The sheer effort involved showed how much of a headache this Young Master Zhou was for Yu Zhezhi, and how obsessed he was with her.

“So… before me, there were many others who didn’t escape his reach?” Hua Luoyue asked.

“You could say that,” Yu Zhezhi replied.

Hua Luoyue: “…”

Yu Zhezhi glanced at her. “What’s with that expression?”

“I just feel…” Hua Luoyue paused. “This Young Master Zhou is truly ‘devoted’ to you, President Yu. Have you never been even slightly moved?”

“He and I are not the same kind of people,” Yu Zhezhi said flatly.

“Oh…”

Perhaps because her tone was too perfunctory, Yu Zhezhi assumed she didn’t believe her. After a thought, she told her an old story about Zhou Junyao.

“He’s the type who loves to the point of obsession and hates to the point of wanting death. And he’s fickle. He says he likes me, but when he first started [bailiantales.com]pursuing me, he had other girlfriends. Later, to chase me, he made a pregnant girl have an abortion and break up with him. He gave her a large sum of money and cut all ties. The girl tried to find him later, but he directly used his connections to transfer her entire family’s jobs to the very distant City K.”

This was the first time Hua Luoyue had heard such things, and she realized why Yu Zhezhi was so firm in her refusal.

“I had a male friend once, a university teacher. Young Master Zhou ran into us talking business and misunderstood. He approached him, acting like they were brothers. The friend even turned around to persuade me, saying Young Master Zhou was a good person and I should consider him. I found it annoying and gradually cut contact with that friend. Six months later, he was reported to the school and lost his job. And he thought I was the one who reported him.”

Naturally, they had a complete falling out. Yu Zhezhi wasn’t particularly sad speaking of the past. That male friend wasn’t very close to her; they were just alumni who had professional contact at the time. But before they could become true friends, the relationship was sabotaged by Young Master Zhou.

A few months after the fallout, the friend called Yu Zhezhi to apologize, saying he had misunderstood her. After calming down and reflecting, he realized something was wrong. It was only then that Yu Zhezhi learned how much trouble Zhou Junyao had stirred up behind her back, making the man think she held a grudge against him. He targeted her at every turn, which eventually led him to suspect Yu Zhezhi of reporting him.

Once they had completely cut ties, Zhou Junyao gradually lost interest in dealing with him and eventually blacklisted him. Yu Zhezhi didn’t reconcile with that friend. Firstly, he was muddled; secondly, Zhou Junyao’s secret report wasn’t fabricated out of thin air. That man actually was corrupt; while he looked dignified on the surface, he frequently abused his power in private, even threatening pretty female students into dating him.

Knowing this, Yu Zhezhi was disgusted and threw his contact info into the trash as well. But this didn’t make her grateful to Zhou Junyao. When Zhou Junyao first approached that man to stir up trouble and anonymously report him for bribery, he didn’t know those things either. In the end, it was just that the man panicked; under investigation, he leaked his own secrets, and a female student gained the courage to report him for real, causing a chain reaction.

He suspected Yu Zhezhi because, after the incident, Zhou Junyao kept dropping hints to the man, wanting them to sever contact completely. Later, Zhou Junyao likely realized the truth had been exposed and had displeased Yu Zhezhi, so he restrained himself slightly, but he didn’t stop pursuing her. Every time he sensed Yu Zhezhi was losing patience, he would bring up the Zhou family’s kindness as a veiled threat.

At that time, Yu Zhezhi hadn’t fully established herself and didn’t want to make an enemy of the Zhou family, so she gritted her teeth and endured.

Hua Luoyue finally understood why, at the start of the original plot, the description of Zhou Junyao was merely that he was a “defeated opponent” of Yu Zhezhi. Forget falling for him; it was a testament to Yu Zhezhi’s magnanimity that she didn’t hate him to her core.

“Everyone says he likes me, but I don’t feel that way,” Yu Zhezhi said, not hiding her disdain since no one was watching. “His attitude is like a child throwing a fit for a toy his parents won’t buy him. But once he has it, he won’t necessarily cherish it.”

Yu Zhezhi was a proud person; the mere feeling of being a “toy” was enough to make her livid.

Hua Luoyue agreed. “If someone [unauthorized copy]truly likes you, they should at least learn to respect you,” she said slowly.

Yu Zhezhi glanced at her, finally remembering why she was telling her these old stories—not for emotional venting, but as a warning. “If you still believe his lies after hearing this, I’ll have to question your IQ,” she said.

“We have an agreement and a marriage certificate, President Yu,” Hua Luoyue said, casting a questioning gaze at Yu Zhezhi. “If that Young Master Zhou shows up at the door, I should be allowed to kick him out, right?”

“Of course you can,” Yu Zhezhi said. “Within the contract period, when I’m not here, you are the other master of this house.”

They reached the floor of Yu Zhezhi’s residence, and Yu Zhezhi gave Hua Luoyue a key. While going up, Hua Luoyue asked hesitantly, “What if he gets angry or goes back to complain…?”

“Don’t be afraid,” Yu Zhezhi said without a second thought. “I’ve got your back.”

Hua Luoyue smiled. “Then I’m not afraid.”

Yu Zhezhi turned and caught her gaze. Those smiling eyes held an groundless trust. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat—a feeling like an electric spark flashed and vanished, leaving her unsure of the sensation.

The promise of having her back was originally just a precaution to put Hua Luoyue at ease. It wasn’t that Yu Zhezhi would leave her to fend for herself if something happened, but she actually didn’t expect that “what if” to happen so soon.

The next morning, right after Yu Zhezhi left for the office, Zhou Junyao showed up at the door. When he stood at the entrance, only Hua Luoyue was home.

Hua Luoyue had just finished tidying the breakfast dishes and had a scheduled time with the driver. She was clutching her books, prepared to head to the hospital. Upon opening the door, she ran straight into Zhou Junyao, whose hand was raised to ring the bell.

The first thing to enter her field of vision was a massive bouquet of vibrant roses. Then, a man’s face emerged from behind the flowers.

In all fairness, the man was very handsome. His features were bold and refined, with nothing to criticize. A pair of “peach blossom” unauthorized copyeyes looked over through the roses, immediately giving a false impression of deep affection.

But the illusion lasted only an instant. Upon seeing Hua Luoyue’s face, the man’s expression changed instantly—the speed from a smile to a frosty chill was faster than turning a page.

“Who are you? Why are you in Zhezhi’s house?” the man demanded.

This was likely Young Master Zhou.

Hua Luoyue reacted, looking up at him with a look of surprise, and countered: “I’m her wife. Why can’t I be here?”

Then, as if remembering something, she added: “The legal kind, with a certificate.”

Zhou Junyao’s face instantly became quite a sight. Hua Luoyue watched his expression and idly thought—I suppose this is what they call the ‘confidence of a marriage license’.