Huo Chen finished his meal and, with Wu Qiaoer by his side, made his departure. Xu Ying strained her neck, watching them leave, and a fresh wave of discomfort washed over her when she realized he hadn’t even offered a simple goodbye.
Unexpectedly, the system seemed to blow a cool breeze, whispering in her mind: [Host, if you’re sinking, just sink. What age is this now? Falling in love isn’t illegal, so you have to give others a chance. If it doesn’t suit you, you can always break up. What if he is a good man? Look at Huo Chen, how many times has he rescued you? He appears every time you need him. He’s not short of money either. He lives in a small two-story bungalow and even has a car—though it’s a bicycle, it’s very valuable in this day and age. The key is that he is handsome, tall, and has a good figure. If you two get together and have a baby, it will be very good-looking.]
“System, I think you’re perfectly suited to be a matchmaker,” Xu Ying gritted out, her teeth clenched.
[Thank you for the compliment, host. Everything I said is true. Don’t wait until the person is gone to regret it. I saw the little girl just now. She was young and had a good figure, although her appearance was a little worse than yours. But men all like younger people, and that girl looks cute and petite, so maybe Huo Chen will change his mind.]
Xu Ying forcefully shut down the system. If that were the case, Huo Chen’s feelings for her must have been too shallow to begin with.
“Yingying, I’ve missed you so much!” Gu Fuying burst into the restaurant as soon as she finished work. Now, Xu Ying was the undisputed hero in her heart. She pulled her cousin over, her face beaming with a proud smile. “Well, my good sister, Xu Ying! She was the one who saved me in the beginning, helped me see through that scumbag, and even helped me take care of Sister Funing!”
Xu Ying looked at the girl beside Gu Fuying, a question in her eyes. Gu Fuying quickly introduced her. “Yingying, this is my second cousin from my third uncle’s family. Her name is Gu Fuzhu.”
If Gu Fuying was a whirlwind of carelessness in everything she did, then Gu Fuzhu was her complete opposite. She was as gentle as the girl next door, her voice soft and quiet like a spring breeze, radiating a warm, comforting presence.
“Hello, I am Gu Fuzhu,” Gu Fuzhu greeted, her voice a gentle whisper.
“Hello, Iam Xu Ying,” Xu Ying replied, extending her hand and lightly clasping Gu Fuzhu’s. Their eyes met, and a mutual sense of warmth and good impression passed between them. Sometimes, women possessed a magical intuition; they could tell at a glance whether someone could become a friend.
“Have you eaten yet? Come to my place for something to eat tonight?” Xu Ying tilted her head, extending the invitation.
Gu Fuying, a true glutton, immediately nodded eagerly at the mention of food. Then, she turned to Gu Fuzhu, her eyes wide with pleading. “Sister Zhuzhu! Let’s go to Yingying’s house for dinner! Her cooking skills are super good. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with her after just one meal!”
Gu Fuzhu smiled politely. She had already tasted Xu Ying’s cooking on the day of Gu Fuying’s brother’s wedding. Without hesitation, she nodded. “Then we won’t trouble you too much.”
“Why are you so polite?” Xu Ying chuckled, a playful glint in her eyes. “Tonight, I have to show off my cooking skills to two beauties and see if I can win their hearts!”
Xu Ying changed her clothes, slung her crossbody bag over her shoulder, and the three women left the restaurant arm-in-arm.
“Brother Chen, don’t worry,” Wu Qingsong declared proudly. “I’m telling you, my method will definitely work. If my sister-in-law also likes you, she’ll probably come looking for you in a few days.”
Huo Chen, however, was already regretting his earlier decision. He shouldn’t have listened to this kid. Wu Qingsong had never been in love; what could he possibly know? What if Xu Ying thought he was fickle and didn’t like her at all? A knot of unease tightened in Huo Chen’s chest. He glared at Wu Qingsong, then turned and ran back towards the restaurant.
“Hey, Brother Chen, what are you doing!” Wu Qingsong shouted, scrambling to chase after him. Wu Qiaoer, seeing this, quickly followed.
“Xu Ying!” Huo Chen reached the restaurant, only to find it closed. His heart pounded as he quickly made his way towards Xu Ying’s home. Finally, spotting her distant figure, he bellowed her name.
Gu Fuying, who knew about Huo Chen, heard his shout and turned, glancing at Xu Ying. “He’s calling you!”
Xu Ying, still nursing a simmering anger, quickened her pace. “Don’t pay attention to him.”
“What’s wrong? Did you two have a fight?” Gu Fuying asked, but before she could finish, a hand clamped over her mouth.
“Hmmph~” The three women felt a sudden dizziness, and without even a whimper, they collapsed to the ground.
“Xu Ying!” Huo Chen rounded the corner and saw several men dragging three inert figures into a waiting car. An icy dread pierced his limbs, and his fingertips grew cold. Huo Chen sprinted, chasing after the rapidly moving vehicle.
“F*ck!” Wu Qingsong cursed, catching up in his own car. Wu Qiaoer was already panicking. “Brother, what should we do?”
“Hurry up and call the police!” Wu Qingsong ordered Wu Qiaoer.
“Brother Chen, get in the car!” Wu Qingsong pulled up alongside Huo Chen, extending a hand to haul him directly into the passenger seat. “Master, follow that car!” Huo Chen growled, his brow furrowed, his eyes burning with fury. He sat rigidly, his heart clenching tighter with every beat. If anything happened to Xu Ying, he swore he would slaughter those men.
“Brother Monkey, we’re being followed,” a man in the car said nervously, glancing at the driver.
The man, known as Brother Monkey, wore a mask that concealed everything but his eyes, nose, and mouth. He grinned maliciously. “What are you afraid of? Just get rid of him!” With that, he swerved left and accelerated violently, leaving the pursuing car dozens of meters behind.
“I’ll drive,” Huo Chen announced, his deep pupils glowing with a dangerous intensity. He grabbed the steering wheel, slammed the accelerator, and plunged into the chase. The original driver huddled in his seat, forehead slick with fear. Wu Qingsong, though confident in Huo Chen’s driving skills, found himself staggering around as the car lurched.
“Brother Monkey, he’s still chasing us!”
Brother Monkey glanced at the rearview mirror, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly they were sweating. He glared at the man who kept talking. “Shut up!” The man shivered and retreated into silent stillness.
Not long after, the man couldn’t resist speaking again. “Brother Monkey, what if we can’t complete the task? The man behind us doesn’t look easy.”
“Why do you care so much? We just need to put people in the car, and everything will be fine,” Brother Monkey retorted, then suddenly wrenched the steering wheel. Huo Chen, who had been on the verge of overtaking, was abruptly cut off. Their car took a hard hit, almost overturning.
“F*ck you, this bastard!” Wu Qingsong yelled, rubbing his reddened forehead, grimacing in pain.
The driver was so terrified he hunched his neck, sitting like a frightened quail. His voice trembled slightly. “Well, can you let me get off?”
“No,” two voices responded simultaneously.
The driver lowered his head in panic.
“Throw the one over there,” Brother Monkey barked, pointing to the person next to Xu Ying. The man had only specified Xu Ying; the others didn’t matter.
“Which one to throw away?” The man hesitated, then casually shoved one of the unconscious figures out of the car.
Huo Chen, driving, saw a woman tumble from the moving car ahead. He slammed on the brakes, bringing their vehicle to a screeching halt. Wu Qingsong quickly scrambled out and scooped up Gu Fuzhu, carrying her into their car.
“Who is she !” Wu Qingsong muttered, taking a quick look. But the girl here certainly bore a strong resemblance to Gu Fuying.