Chapter 25
Chapter 25: I Know a Thing or Two
Zhou He Chen glanced over and saw Ye Wan Lan sitting opposite Quan Zhao Ning. The sight made his blood boil.
He could swallow being beaten to the punch once. But Ye Wan Lan daring to parade around under his name and swindle people? Unforgivable.
Xu Li grabbed his sleeve, tense. “Brother He Chen, calm down.”
“I’m calm.” Zhou He Chen sneered. “I won’t lose my composure in front of President Quan.”
A few minutes later, while Quan Zhao Ning stepped out to the restroom, Zhou He Chen pushed the door open and strode in.
“Enough.”
He stood over Ye Wan Lan, looking down at her. “With things having gotten this far, I have to admit your methods are effective.”
Hard to get on purpose, and then deliberately showing up in front of him.
She was smarter than before… but not by much.
Ye Wan Lan only flicked her eyes up at him, then dropped them back to the menu.
Since reclaiming her body, this was the first time she had come face-to-face with Zhou He Chen.
His heart sank for reasons he refused to examine. His jaw tightened.
“Ye Wan Lan, you’re going too far,” Xu Li snapped. “Last time you said you wouldn’t rely on Brother He Chen. So why are you using the title of his girlfriend today to cozy up to President Quan?”
He scoffed. “If it weren’t for Brother He Chen, do you think President Quan would even sit down to eat with you?”
“I take it back,” Ye Wan Lan said blandly. “Compared to you, your brother has at least some brains.”
Her smile thinned. “But there’s no real difference. You’re both idiots.”
Xu Li flushed. “Ye Wan Lan, what do you mean? You—”
The restaurant manager hurried in, smile strained with apology. “Miss Ye, President Quan has arranged another private room. Please come with me. We’ll handle the rest.”
“Thank you.” Ye Wan Lan closed the menu and rose.
From start to finish, she didn’t spare Zhou He Chen another glance.
Zhou He Chen’s fingers curled into a fist.
Xu Li was still fuming. “Brother He Chen, she—”
“Go.” Zhou He Chen turned away coldly. “This afternoon, I’ll speak with President Quan myself.”
He would make it clear to Quan Zhao Ning that Ye Wan Lan wasn’t his girlfriend at all—and that her character was rotten to the core.
Xu Li always followed Zhou He Chen’s lead. The moment Zhou He Chen moved, he hurried after him.
—
Peninsula Restaurant, private room.
“Miss Ye, sit.” Quan Zhao Ning’s brows were drawn tight. “I didn’t think it through.”
Her voice turned sharp with anger. “I thought Zhou He Chen had some ability. Otherwise Madam Zhou Group wouldn’t have flourished these past few years. Who knew he was just a dog who bullies women!”
She was a woman too. She would never cooperate with Madam Zhou Group.
Ye Wan Lan didn’t argue. She slid a packet of herbs forward. “This is the antidote. Take it three times a day after meals. Seven days will clear the toxins from your body.”
Quan Zhao Ning stared at the packet. “You know medicine?”
Ye Wan Lan hummed. “I know a thing or two.”
In her last life, back when she was Princess Yong Ning, she had been weak and sickly. Medicine had been out of reach.
But in this life she had a healthy body. Over nine hundred and ninety-nine years in the Time Loop, she hadn’t let a single skill slip—least of all something as essential as medicine.
Whether it was a chaotic era or a peaceful one, doctors were indispensable.
Quan Zhao Ning’s heart still trembled. “Then how… how did you know I’d been taking slow poison for five months? And how did you know where I keep my gun?”
Ye Wan Lan folded her hands and smiled faintly. “If I’m going to do business with President Quan, I have to bring something to the table.”
“Miss Ye,” Quan Zhao Ning said hoarsely, “you really are capable.”
She drew a long breath. “I’ll call Little Lin over too. We’ll talk together.”
Ye Wan Lan nodded.
Then, as if something brushed the edge of her awareness, she turned her head and looked out the window.
Bing He stiffened. His pupils shrank. He spun away and only dared pat his chest once he’d ducked out of sight.
Too close. He’d nearly been spotted.
—
Back at Yan Ting Feng’s side, Bing He reported in a rush, “Young Lord, Miss Ye is eating with Quan Zhao Ning at the Peninsula Restaurant. She hasn’t been hurt.”
Yan Ting Feng didn’t respond.
“But, Young Lord, Quan Zhao Ning is Jiang Xu Lin’s aunt—and Jiang Xu Lin’s parents are both dead.” Bing He started counting on his fingers. “So if you round it up, Miss Ye eating with Quan Zhao Ning today is basically meeting the parents, right?”
Yan Ting Feng brushed a petal off his shoulder, unhurried. “And how is that your business?”
Bing He shrank. “It’s not. I just…”
He didn’t dare say the word “gossip.” A sudden chill prickled his skin, like a blade pressed against his throat.
Bing He looked around warily.
Yan Ting Feng was still watching the falling blossoms with a faint smile, as if nothing had changed at all.
Silver-white hair spilled in the sunlight, beautiful beyond words.
Bing He swallowed and tugged Tie Ma aside, lowering his voice. “Tie Ma… I think Young Lord hasn’t been quite right lately.”
“Don’t call me that,” Tie Ma said flatly.
Bing He blinked. “Huh?”
“Also, stay away from me,” Tie Ma added, disgusted. “I’m afraid you’ll lower my IQ. What if I can’t understand Young Lord’s orders later?”
Bing He fell silent.
He did all the dirty work. How did he still have zero status?
—
At lunch, Sheng Yun Yi received a call from Zhou He Chen. “All right, He Chen. I’ll wait. I’m having lunch with Qing Ya. See you in a bit.”
Fang Qing Ya frowned. “Was that Brother He Chen? Yun Yi, I really don’t get what he’s thinking. Keeping a fake around.”
She scoffed. “Isn’t he doing it on purpose to make you uncomfortable?”
Sheng Yun Yi smiled softly. “I trust him. There must be a reason he can’t say.”
“I know you trust him. And I believe Brother He Chen only has you in his heart.” Fang Qing Ya sighed. “I’m talking about that fake. It’s not the thousand things that won’t happen—it’s the one thing that might.”
Her expression darkened. “Don’t forget: if you hadn’t gotten lucky, your hand would’ve been ruined.”
She had been there. She was a witness.
Thankfully, Sheng Yun Yi had only been cut shallowly, without nerve damage. Otherwise, a Genius Painter would have fallen—and a hundred Ye Wan Lans still wouldn’t make up for it.
“Let’s not talk about that,” Sheng Yun Yi said gently. “How have your uncle and aunt been lately?”
“My dad and mom are fine.” Fang Qing Ya rolled her eyes. “It’s my second brother who’s lost it. He’s saying he’ll dig three feet into River City just to find that woman who raced him. Who does he think he is, some domineering CEO?”
“Qing Ye loves racing,” Sheng Yun Yi said, still gentle. “If he finally met someone he likes, it’s understandable.”
“Not a chance.” Fang Qing Ya snorted. “My parents would never let a racer girl marry into the Fang Family.”
Her tone turned wistful. “Yun Yi, you’re the lucky one. Brother He Chen is cold by nature, but for you his heart is warm. And you’re perfectly matched.”
She sighed. “Me? I’m just going to end up in an arranged marriage for the family.”
Then she nudged, teasing. “Yun Yi, I heard Brother He Chen fell for you at first sight when he was eight. Tell me—how did you swoop in and save him so he’s been set on you ever since?”
Sheng Yun Yi only smiled.
Of course she wouldn’t tell anyone that Ye Wan Lan had never harmed her.
And she would never tell anyone she had never been to South City… and had never saved Zhou He Chen.
The one who saved Zhou He Chen was…