Chapter 58
Yu Zhezhi didn’t care at all about the stains on Hua Luoyue’s past.
The fact that she was willing to stand up for her meant that she didn’t truly see her as someone insignificant. It wasn’t that she didn’t ask about her life out of neglect; she knew and understood everything, but chose to ignore the flaws.
Zhou Junyao had known Yu Zhezhi for many years, and it was the first time he had seen her show such tolerance toward someone she had only recently met.
“You wouldn’t…” A guess flashed through Zhou Junyao’s mind, and he blurted out involuntarily, “You wouldn’t actually be catching feelings for this stand-in, would you?”
This question seemed to shock and surprise him even more than Yu Zhezhi standing up for the girl. He pressed further: “Have you never thought about what happens when the other person comes back?”
Junyao didn’t explicitly say who, but Yu Zhezhi understood instantly who the “other person” referred to. Naturally, it was the original—the one to whom this stand-in was compared.
Yu Zhezhi paused, her expression turning increasingly icy.
The meeting between Yu Zhezhi and Zhou Junyao ended without a clear resolution.
Hua Luoyue heard nothing of it from Yu Zhezhi. Zhou Chiyu and Cai Xinyue hadn’t misidentified her that day; when Hua Luoyue returned home that evening, Yu Zhezhi was waiting at the door. Startled, Hua Luoyue asked why she hadn’t called.
Yu Zhezhi brushed it off, saying she had just arrived. Hua Luoyue didn’t expose the lie or ask further. It wasn’t until bedtime that Yu Zhezhi mentioned Zhou Junyao, stating simply that he wouldn’t be bothering her anymore.
That was good news, of course. But Yu Zhezhi looked exhausted, her energy drained as she spoke. Hua Luoyue guessed that Young Master Zhou must have brought up the “white moonlight,” leaving her unsettled.
Early the next morning, Yu Zhezhi left in a hurry for the branch office, saying she would return directly to City A in the afternoon. Everything seemed the same as before the New Year, but beneath the calm surface, subtle ripples were beginning to spread.
It wasn’t until a day after Young Master Zhou went abroad again that Hua Luoyue heard the news from Xiao Hu.
After the last class on Friday, Xiao Hu came to find her at the school gate. It wasn’t a new task from the leadership; she just had a rare early shift and nothing to do, so she came to treat Hua Luoyue to dinner. Xiao Hu was a very social person; after a few meetings, she had decided that she and Hua Luoyue were “fated” to be friends.
Hua Luoyue truly had nothing to do. Her close classmates—including Cai Xinyue—all happened to be busy. She had planned to go back and read, so changing her plans for dinner with Xiao Hu didn’t matter.
For Xiao Hu, the meal wasn’t the point; the gossip was. From the moment they left the gates, Xiao Hu colorfully described how Young Master Zhou had fled back abroad with his tail between his legs.
The reality was likely less hyperbolic, but a conflict had indeed occurred between Zhou Junyao and Yu Zhezhi. The result was a crushing defeat for the former; he had lost face publicly, had a business deal intercepted, and was reported to Old Mr. Zhou by several of his own company’s executives.
Old Mr. Zhou offered no opinion on the matter; he simply sent his son back abroad immediately. Simultaneously, the relationship between the Zhou and Yu families chilled visibly, reaching a state of mutual avoidance. Direct hostility would be unwise for both sides, but Yu Zhezhi had ruthlessly humiliated the Zhou family twice in two months. Even a saint like Old Mr. Zhou would find it hard to bear.
However, Yu Zhezhi’s reason was perfectly valid:
She had finally found a partner and gotten married, yet members of the Zhou family had repeatedly provoked her legal wife with insults and mockery—one resorting to physical violence and the other to secret sabotage. It was equivalent to throwing Yu Zhezhi’s dignity on the ground and stomping on it. She could endure it once or twice for the sake of “old kindness,” but “three strikes and you’re out.” Repeated harassment was a deliberate provocation; if she had remained silent, people would have mocked her for being spineless.
Protecting a partner and family was considered reasonable. Many people even felt sorry for Yu Zhezhi. After the smoke cleared from this internal struggle, the gossip had spread throughout City A’s social circles. Xiao Hu had heard it from friends and couldn’t wait to share it.
Xiao Hu said enthusiastically, “Do you know what people in City A are saying about this?” Without waiting for an answer, she replied herself: “Everyone says President Yu is ‘raging in anger for her beauty.'”
Xiao Hu winked, and Hua Luoyue understood she was teasing her about her relationship with Yu Zhezhi.
Yet the more Yu Zhezhi publicized things this way, the less Hua Luoyue could believe she was simply defending her. By using the cover of “loving her wife deeply,” she could attack her former benefactor without being criticized. Especially since the other party was in the wrong—everyone knew the Zhous had repeatedly provoked the couple out of jealousy.
But whatever the reason, the fact remained that Yu Zhezhi had stood up for her. Against the Zhou family, Yu Zhezhi showed no mercy; much less would anyone else dare to look down on or bully Hua Luoyue in the future. No one doubted if they were just acting anymore.
Hua Luoyue offered no comment. Since Xiao Hu met her, she had considered herself the “head of the Yu/Hua fan club.” Seeing Hua Luoyue just smiling silently, she assumed the girl was just embarrassed.
Unfortunately, Xiao Hu wasn’t the type to be tactful enough to stop there. Until they parted after dinner, she kept rambling: “I’ve known President Yu through my brother for years, and I’ve never seen her so fervent—cough—so good to anyone. It seems she really, really likes you.”
Hua Luoyue didn’t argue. She smiled faintly and said, “Then it is truly my honor.”
As they walked through the shadows of the trees under the streetlights, the dim light flickered across their faces. Their expressions were obscured; only Hua Luoyue’s soft voice could be heard: “Okay…”
In the second month of the new semester, Assistant Li approached Hua Luoyue with a property transfer contract and a gift agreement.
Before the New Year, due to Assistant Li’s overstepping, Yu Zhezhi had ordered her to buy the apartment Hua Luoyue was living in and transfer it to her name. It was intended both as an apology and to put Hua Luoyue’s mind at ease. Assistant Li had handled everything personally, from contacting the landlord to putting in the effort to convince them to sell.
Hua Luoyue only learned of this when everything was settled and ready for signing. Assistant Li was the one to discuss it with her. After much reflection, Li’s view of Hua Luoyue had softened, and her attitude was quite mild, especially considering the recent death of the girl’s mother.
The only thing was that she hadn’t consulted Hua Luoyue before buying the house. With Mother Hua’s death, Hua Luoyue had nothing left. With only two years until graduation, she was nowhere near saving enough to buy such a house. But owning one’s own home carried a different meaning, both psychologically and economically; it was like a stabilizing pill—she would never have to worry about where to go in the future. Not even Yu Zhezhi could easily kick her out of her own home.
From any perspective, this was a benefit with no downsides. Assistant Li could see no reason why Hua Luoyue would refuse.
But that was exactly what happened.
As they sat in the living room discussing it, Assistant Li explained the reasons behind the gift. She didn’t try to take credit, nor could she—the order was Yu Zhezhi’s, and the money was hers too. After explaining, she pushed the contract toward Hua Luoyue, telling her to sign the last page.
“If you’re worried, you can read it from the beginning,” Assistant Li added. “Or if you want a lawyer to look it over, that’s fine. I can give you a few days to think about it.”
Hua Luoyue pushed the contract back without even flipping a page. “No need to think. I don’t want it.”
“You—what did you say?” Assistant Li completely forgot her next line. she looked down at the contract, then up at Hua Luoyue, doubting for a moment that she had heard correctly.
“I don’t need this,” Hua Luoyue repeated.
“Did you have another fight with President Yu?” Assistant Li’s first thought was that Hua Luoyue was sulking.
But Hua Luoyue shook her head. “President Yu seemed to be in a good mood the last time she left.”
“Then why…”
Hua Luoyue simply repeated: “I don’t need it.”
Assistant Li found it incomprehensible. This was a task Yu Zhezhi had assigned her, the process was at the final step, and it was being blocked by Hua Luoyue for no apparent reason. She couldn’t understand how she “didn’t need” it. The marriage agreement is signed, the money has been taken—surely she isn’t suddenly acting ‘above it all’ just because her mother died?
The thought lasted only a second before Li suppressed it; she knew Hua Luoyue wasn’t that rigid. At most, she truly felt she didn’t deserve it. In a more sentimental light, perhaps she had been moved by Yu Zhezhi standing up for her and was starting to look out for Yu Zhezhi’s interests—like finally feeling bad about spending her money.
But Assistant Li didn’t feel bad at all. It wasn’t her money, after all.
“This is nothing to President Yu,” Assistant Li said, still wanting to complete her task. “Your marriage certificate, your appearances when necessary, and your silence are very valuable to her—perhaps you don’t fully understand yet, but it’s a fact. The benefits these things bring her are worth far more than this house.”
“I know. President Yu is a generous and good person,” Hua Luoyue said, her mind unchanged. “But this isn’t a necessity for me. The thing of greatest value to me, I have already received.”
“You mean regarding your mother?” Assistant Li asked.
“Yes…” Hua Luoyue nodded.
“So you don’t want anything else?” Assistant Li pressed.
She said this, but in her heart, she was certain it was due to a sudden “naivety” on Hua Luoyue’s part. Or perhaps, as she said, the only thing she truly cared about was her mother. Her mother’s death had taken many things from her—not just a relative, but also her desire for money and profit. Assistant Li couldn’t say if this was good or bad, but a pitying look appeared on her face.
Hua Luoyue looked at her for a long time. Does Yu Zhezhi think the same way as Assistant Li? She didn’t nod, instead saying, “It has nothing to do with that.”
“Then why?”
“It’s too much for me,” Hua Luoyue said.
“What do you mean?”
Hua Luoyue countered: “You’re all being so good to me—aren’t you afraid I’ll cling to President Yu and refuse to leave later? After all, we really did register the marriage.”
Assistant Li said instinctively, “I don’t think you’re that kind of person.”
“How do you know I’m not?” Hua Luoyue asked. “Half a year ago, you thought I was a… coward.”
Assistant Li was momentarily speechless.
“You shouldn’t make guarantees about what kind of person I am; besides, people change,” Hua Luoyue said slowly. “You might think this is just a wave of the hand for President Yu, that she didn’t even have to put in any thought—or heart—and because it was effortless for her, I should take it as a matter of course without any burden. But I can’t.”
She looked directly into Assistant Li’s eyes. The latter instinctively looked away.
“One day, I will have to leave,” Hua Luoyue said finally. “I don’t want to find myself unable to part with it when that time comes.”
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!