novelhk Chapter 97 A Chance Encounter
Chapter 97 A Chance Encounter
As night fell, the streets resembled a dazzling Milky Way, illuminated by the evening lights. Crowds thronged the streets and alleys, their noise rising and falling, creating a vibrant and bustling scene.
The street was lined with a dazzling array of stalls, their vendors enthusiastically calling out to attract customers. Over there, steaming pots of wontons wafted with a delicious aroma; over there, freshly cooked Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles, their rich broth tantalizingly tempting. Not far away, golden-brown, crispy fried stinky tofu emitted its unique fragrance, drawing passersby to stop and sample it. And the irresistibly fragrant plum blossom cakes were simply irresistible.
Ye Beichen and Xuan Yuan Rong'er were enjoying the beautiful evening at a food stall. In front of Ye Beichen sat a bowl of delicious hot and sour noodles, the bright red chili oil coating the translucent noodles and releasing an enticing aroma. Xuan Yuan Rong'er, on the other hand, elegantly picked up a bowl of small, delicate goldfish-shaped wontons, gently blew away the steam, and then savored them in small bites.
They sat facing each other, their faces beaming with satisfaction and joy. They enjoyed their meal while chatting happily, sharing snippets of their lives.
However, Ye Beichen never expected that at this moment, Young Master Gu would quietly walk to the table behind him and sit down. Young Master Gu looked relaxed and casually ordered a bowl of sour soup dumplings from the owner, and then began to eat by himself.
Suddenly, the conversation between Ye Beichen and Xuan Yuan Rong'er reached Young Master Gu's ears, catching his attention. So, he slowly put down his chopsticks, turned his head, and looked curiously in the direction from which the sound came.
Xuan Yuan Rong'er's pretty face was filled with seriousness. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Ye Beichen, and her lips parted slightly: "Beichen, to tell you the truth, I came to the capital this time to escape that marriage. This matter is of great importance, and I hope you will keep this a secret for me and never let my parents know!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Beichen was slightly taken aback at first, then hurriedly nodded in agreement, saying, "Rong'er, please rest assured, I will keep my mouth shut and will not reveal a single word!"
However, just then, footsteps approached from afar. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall, imposing young master, Mr. Gu, striding towards them with long, powerful steps. As he drew near, he extended a hand and slapped Ye Beichen heavily on the shoulder. A chilling smirk played on his lips, and his eyes revealed utter suspicion and distrust as he asked, "Heh heh, may I ask who this young lady is?"
Ye Beichen was startled by the sudden slap, and a sense of panic washed over him. He hurriedly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Then, stammering and stuttering, he explained to Young Master Gu, "This...this is my childhood friend, surnamed Xuanyuan, named Rong'er." After speaking, he subconsciously glanced at Xuanyuan Rong'er beside him, fearing that his answer might cause some unnecessary trouble.
The young master Gu's face was ashen, his bright eyes glaring wide as if they were about to spit fire. He suddenly raised his right hand and, with lightning speed, slapped Ye Beichen hard across his handsome face. The slap was so powerful that Ye Beichen staggered and almost fell to the ground.
After the beating, Young Master Gu pointed at Ye Beichen's nose and angrily accused him: "You bastard, how can you do this to Su Yuning?"
Ye Beichen was stunned by the sudden slap. He covered his swollen cheek and stood there blankly. After a while, he finally came to his senses and hurriedly turned his head to look at Miss Xuanyuan beside him for help, hoping that she could stand up for him and say a few good words to resolve the awkward situation.
However, to Ye Beichen's utter surprise, Xuan Yuan Rong'er pretended to be a complete stranger to him, utterly ignoring his pleading gaze. She elegantly picked up her chopsticks, took a delicious late-night snack, and put it in her mouth, chewing it slowly, seemingly oblivious to everything happening around her.
Seeing this, Ye Beichen's heart sank. Meanwhile, Gu Wanfeng was trembling with rage. Pointing at Ye Beichen, he complained with exasperation, "Hmph! When Su Yuning and I were dating, you had to interfere and steal her away. And now, you don't even appreciate her after you've got her! You're utterly shameless!"
Faced with Gu Wanfeng's rebuke, Ye Beichen felt wronged, but he still quickly explained, "Young Master Gu, you really misunderstood. Xuan Yuan Rong'er and I are just ordinary friends, absolutely not like what you think. Besides, Su Yuning has already met Xuan Yuan Rong'er, and she knows our situation very well, so she certainly won't be angry about it."
Gu Wanfeng raised his long, thick eyebrows slightly, and asked with a half-smile, "Oh?! Is that so? Then could you please tell me why you didn't invite Su Yuning to have supper with you?"
This question stunned Ye Beichen instantly. He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to find a suitable response. For a moment, the air seemed to freeze, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.
Just then, thankfully, Xuan Yuan Rong'er still had some conscience. She gently bit her lip, then mustered her courage and spoke up to explain for Ye Beichen: "It is indeed as you said. When Miss Su saw Ye Beichen and me return to the shop together, she became jealous and turned away. However, I hope you can believe that Ye Beichen and I are definitely not in a romantic relationship. We not only grew up together, but we are also distant relatives. So, there is absolutely no way I could end up with him, please rest assured. At the same time, I hope Miss Su will not be too suspicious."
Gu Wanfeng frowned slightly, looked at Ye Beichen again, and asked with a hint of doubt in her voice, "Young Master Ye, is that really the case?"
Ye Beichen looked helpless, sighed softly, and nodded slowly, replying, "That's right, there's no mistake."
After receiving an affirmative answer, Gu Wanfeng did not stop there, but immediately followed up with, "Maintaining an appropriate distance from friends of the opposite sex should be the most basic respect for your current partner. But if you can't even meet this requirement, could you please give Su Yuning to me?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Beichen's face turned ashen with rage. His eyes widened in fury as he roared, "How is this possible! I've said it before, I will marry no one but her in this life, so stop causing trouble here!"
However, Gu Wanfeng did not back down. He said with a serious and sincere expression, "I absolutely did not mean to cause trouble. Every word I said came from the bottom of my heart. I have never been able to forget Yu Ning. If God can grant us a chance to rekindle our relationship, then I will definitely treat her with all my heart and in the best possible way."
Seeing this, Ye Beichen was even more furious. He took a step forward, pointed at Gu Wanfeng's nose, and retorted sternly, "I absolutely disagree! Su Yuning is my girlfriend, and no one can take her away from me!"
The two tall boys were locked in a tense standoff, sparks seemingly flying between them, threatening to erupt into a fight over a woman. Just then, Xuan Yuan Rong'er rushed over, her face full of anxiety, and pleaded, "Oh dear, alright, alright! Is there any point in you two men arguing like this? Su Yuning isn't even here. Even if you fight until you're red in the face and bleeding, she won't see it. Why don't you all calm down and shake hands to make peace?"
However, to Xuan Yuan Rong'er's surprise, the two boys, as if they had planned it beforehand, shouted at the same time with absolute certainty, "Impossible!" Before they finished speaking, they turned around and strode off in completely opposite directions, leaving Xuan Yuan Rong'er standing there helplessly, at a loss for what to do.
There was no other way; she couldn't let this farce continue. Xuan Yuan Rong'er gritted her teeth and had no choice but to take out her purse and pay the bills for both tables. After paying, she didn't dare linger any longer and quickly left this place of trouble, rushing back to Ni Chang Pavilion.
Meanwhile, in the restaurant owned by Zhao Shouyi, a heated argument was taking place. It turned out that the village chief's wife had gotten into a conflict with the restaurant owner, Nangong Xue'er, for some unknown reason. The two were exchanging words and refusing to back down, their voices growing louder and louder, attracting the attention of other customers who wanted to see what was going on.
"Old woman, can't you be a little more dignified? All the leftover food from the guests is going to be thrown away, and you're actually picking up the leftovers to eat! What kind of behavior is that! If others see this, they'll think I'm deliberately mistreating you!" The elegantly dressed and exquisitely made-up Nangong Xue'er, with her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised, was full of impatience and disgust as she pointed at the white-haired old woman in front of her.
Upon hearing this, the village chief's wife felt a surge of anger. She retorted defiantly, "Hmph! 'Every grain of rice on the plate is the result of hard work,' a principle even children understand! Every bowl of porridge, every grain of rice, is hard-earned. Even half a thread or half a piece of cloth should remind us of the difficulty of its production. What's wrong with me eating leftovers? Is that shameful? Thrift and frugality have always been virtues, and saving food is something to be proud of and honored. What right do you have to lecture me?"
Hearing the village chief's wife's righteous rebuttal, Nangong Xue'er showed no remorse whatsoever; instead, she became even more arrogant. She glanced contemptuously at the village chief's wife and sneered, "Don't give me that platitude. This is my husband's restaurant, and I call the shots! If you want to stay here, you'd better follow my arrangements. Otherwise, eat the staff meals or pay for your own food. Don't try to take advantage of me all the time!" With that, she turned and swayed away, her platform shoes clicking on the floor, leaving the village chief's wife standing there, trembling with rage.
Then, the village chief's wife plopped heavily onto the floor of the restaurant lobby, pounding her fists on the ground and letting out a heart-wrenching cry: "Heavens above, earth below, is there no justice left?! How dare someone bully this poor old woman like this! They won't even let me eat a bite of leftovers, this is too much, too cruel! Waaah... Someone, please save me!"
The mournful cries seemed to possess an invisible magic, quickly spreading throughout the entire street. Zhao Shouyi, who was leisurely strolling down the street, felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing the cries and hurriedly quickened his pace towards the direction from which the sound came.
Before long, Zhao Shouyi arrived at the restaurant lobby, panting. He immediately saw the village chief's wife sitting on the ground, crying her heart out. He quickly stepped forward, reached out and carefully helped her up from the ground, and gently supported her to sit down on a chair.
After the village chief's wife was seated, Zhao Shouyi squatted down, looked at her with concern, and asked in an extremely gentle and soft tone, "Grandma, are you the village chief's wife from Xinghua Village? Judging from your appearance, you must have suffered a great injustice. What happened to make you so sad? Why don't you tell me? Maybe I can help you."
The village chief's wife looked up at Zhao Shouyi with teary eyes, nodded choked with sobs, and said, "Yes, young man, you're right, I am the village chief's wife from Xinghua Village. Ah, it's a long story! I'm just a stranger staying here, working odd jobs at Yu Ning's factory to earn a living. Today I was so tired from work that when I got back to my lodgings I found only some leftovers. I thought I'd just fill my stomach, but the restaurant owner scolded me severely. She said I shouldn't have eaten these leftovers, but I really don't know what I did wrong! I'm more wronged than Dou E, who died unjustly! Waaah..." At the end, the village chief's wife couldn't help but cover her face and weep bitterly again.