Chapter 165: Chapter 165: An Open Secret

Wang Yuan and Li Qiong were surprised to see Hua Yusen so on guard against Guo Dongmei. When they saw Guo Dongmei looking so embarrassed she was on the verge of tears, they felt she was rather pitiable. After all, she was just a young woman who had come all the way from distant Jincheng City to see her fiancé, only to be met with a cold shoulder instead of a welcome.

’Ugh, Hua Yusen is such a scoundrel, two-timing her like that!’

Although Wang Yuan and Li Qiong were annoyed by Hua Yusen’s behavior, they remembered he had saved them last year, so they couldn’t tell Guo Dongmei the truth. However, Li Qiong privately decided she had to have a serious talk with Zhao Nuanyue.

Guo Dongmei sat in the courtyard, occasionally stealing glances at Hua Yusen’s room with a dejected expression.

When Zhao Nuan Yang and the Little Red Carp returned, the courtyard was silent.

Zhao Nuanyue continued tidying the courtyard, her demeanor calm.

Li Qiong stealthily pulled Zhao Nuanyue into the kitchen and whispered, "Nuanyue, is there really something going on between you and Hua Yusen? Look, his fiancée is here, and Hua Yusen hasn’t said a peep. You can’t do anything foolish. Don’t let him trick you."

Hearing Li Qiong’s words, Zhao Nuanyue gave a wry, internal laugh. "Li Qiong," she said, "things aren’t always as they seem. I’m fine. Hua Yusen hasn’t tricked me."

Li Qiong relaxed slightly at her words. "That’s good, then. We girls are always at more of a disadvantage than men. You’re so intelligent—much smarter than I am, anyway. You can’t let your emotions lead you to do something ridiculous. You’re so beautiful and clever; you’ll definitely find a better man in the future."

"Okay," Zhao Nuanyue nodded, appearing to take Li Qiong’s advice to heart. Since she couldn’t explain the situation, it was better to just accept what Li Qiong was saying and avoid any further need for clarification. "I’ll listen to you."

In the courtyard, Wang Yuan was chatting with Guo Dongmei.

"Oh, from your accent, it sounds like you’re from Jincheng City, too," Guo Dongmei said, making small talk. ’Based on how guarded Hua Yusen was just now, he must already suspect me,’ she worried. ’I have to be careful. It would be great if I could find a helper to do my work for me.’

Seeing that Guo Dongmei didn’t look as upset as before, Wang Yuan was happy to chat with her. They were from the same city, after all. Even though they’d just met, there was a sense of familiarity. "Yes, I am! My family lives in Wu Family Alley on Wutong Street in the southern part of the city. Where are you from?"

"My family is in the Shijia Lane area, in the eastern part of the city," Guo Dongmei replied, carefully observing Wang Yuan’s expression.

Sure enough, upon hearing her family’s address, Wang Yuan looked quite stunned.

Wang Yuan was indeed stunned. Having grown up in Jincheng City, she was surrounded by ordinary people, but even she knew that Shijia Lane in the eastern district was where high-ranking officials lived. The houses there were far superior to the crowded courtyard compounds in the southern district’s alleys.

"Wow, that’s a really nice area," Wang Yuan praised, her voice full of envy. "Your family background must be incredible. If my family were that well-off, I probably wouldn’t have had to come to the countryside. I went home over the New Year, and my parents tried asking for favors everywhere, but they couldn’t find any connections to help me, so I had no choice but to come back and keep working."

"You can’t stay here forever. Perhaps there will be an opportunity to leave in the future," Guo Dongmei said with a light laugh. "You’re so capable. If you get to go back to the city, you’ll definitely be able to put your talents to good use and make something of yourself."

"Thank you for the compliment. I’m waiting for an opportunity too, and I hope it comes soon," Wang Yuan said, full of anticipation. Since they were both from Jincheng City, they had plenty to talk about, even if their social circles were different.

At dinnertime, Zhao Nuanyue and Li Qiong prepared the meal.

When Hua Yusen came out of his room, he saw Guo Dongmei chatting happily with Wang Yuan and felt a pang of suspicion. ’Since when is Guo Dongmei so approachable?’

’Back in Jincheng City, Guo Dongmei never wasted a second on anyone she considered beneath her. She would never squander her time on useless people; she saved it for cultivating relationships with those of higher status who could be of use to her.’

"Wang Yuan, go help Li Qiong in the kitchen. I need to speak with Guo Dongmei," Hua Yusen said, deciding to question her and feel out the situation.

Seeing Hua Yusen approach, Wang Yuan remembered that he and Guo Dongmei were engaged. Whether they liked each other or not, they would eventually need to talk.

"Alright, you two talk. I’ll go to the kitchen," Wang Yuan said with a nod. She gave Guo Dongmei a quick smile and then headed for the kitchen.

Hua Yusen turned to Guo Dongmei, his dark eyes fixing on her intently. "Spill it. How did you know I was here?"

Guo Dongmei froze. She knew Hua Yusen was starting to suspect her. ’Looks like my plan isn’t going to go smoothly this time,’ she thought.

"Uh..." Guo Dongmei looked flustered. "Actually, I was worried about you, so I had someone look into your whereabouts. When I found out you were here, I just wanted to come and see you."

"Hah. Investigated me?" Hua Yusen gave Guo Dongmei a humorless smile, watching her tell a bald-faced lie. "Are you sure you were investigating me? And not someone else?"

’It was no secret in the upper circles that Elder Gu had come to Nianqiao Village.’

’In fact, she probably found out Elder Gu was in Nianqiao Village first, and only then discovered I was in charge of his protection. That must be why she’s here.’

Guo Dongmei faltered, realizing she couldn’t keep up the lie. She switched to being frank. "Heh, as you know, it’s no secret in our circle that Elder Gu is here."

"Oh," Hua Yusen nodded. "So you came all this way just to see me? Because you missed me?"

’If Guo Dongmei actually said that, he would be the first to call it a lie.’

’Guo Dongmei was an incredibly opportunistic woman. The fact that she hadn’t broken off their engagement, especially now that the Hua family’s standing was below the Guo Family’s, was already a source of surprise for Hua Yusen.’

"You’re my fiancé. I missed you and wanted to see you. Is there something wrong with that?" Guo Dongmei retorted. Her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes were sharp and intelligent. Inwardly, she had to admit that Hua Yusen was truly perceptive; he had seen through her ulterior motives in such a short amount of time.

"Hah!" Hua Yusen sneered, a mocking expression spreading across his face. "Guo Dongmei, you really think I’d believe a word of that?"

"So what if you don’t? You’re still my fiancé. That little vixen, Zhao Nuanyue, will never be anything more than the other woman. She’ll never be able to steal you from me," Guo Dongmei sneered, deciding to change the subject and not get bogged down on this point.

Hearing Guo Dongmei mention Zhao Nuanyue, Hua Yusen grew even more irritated. He kept his composure, however, and said, "The Guo Family and the Li family have been getting very close, haven’t they?"

"No, of course not! The Guo Family and the Hua family were both followers of Elder Gu. How could we possibly be close to the Li family!" Guo Dongmei declared righteously. Inwardly, however, she was cursing. ’Even though Hua Yusen is stuck here in Nianqiao Village, he’s not completely cut off from the outside world. He even knows to bring up the Li family.’

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