Chapter 14: It Feels Like We've Just Met

Sitting behind the bar, the young man was intently focused on his computer when Yang Hua startled him so suddenly that the cigarette dangling from his mouth dropped onto his pants.

"Damn it..." Xiao Ze cursed as he stood up grumbling.

But upon seeing that it was Yang Hua standing before the bar, the anger on his tightly knit face instantly dissolved into a smile.

"Hey, baby, you really scared me! Here, have a lollipop!"

Xiao Ze picked up a lollipop from the table and handed it to Yang Hua. His eyes glanced at the bag hanging from her waist, and he chuckled, "I was just about to call you, didn’t expect you’d come so soon."

"Of course! To see you earlier, I skipped dinner and came straight here with Wanrou after getting dolled up," Yang Hua said with a playful little huff, passing the lollipop to the blonde girl beside her, Wu Wanrou, before asking, "What were you looking at just now? You jumped like you saw a ghost, like you were hiding something."

A bit nervous, Xiao Ze glanced at the chat window flooding with messages on his screen and smiled without changing expression. "What else? Just busy playing games, grinding monsters."

Yang Hua didn’t notice anything odd but looked at his hairstyle—two patches of hair sticking out—and the exposed left side of his face and eye, which seemed a little off to her.

Previously, Xiao Ze’s face had always been half hidden by his hair.

Now, with it fully exposed, something felt strange to her...

"Darling, you didn't have this hairstyle the day before yesterday. Why change it all of a sudden?"

"I'm just paying tribute to Brother Haonan by copying his style. If you don’t like it, I’ll switch back!" Xiao Ze said, brushing all his hair to the left side.

Only then did Yang Hua find it acceptable.

Standing nearby, Wu Wanrou rolled her eyes. "Hua Hua, can you keep your flirting with Xiao Ze a little more private? Otherwise, it’s really awkward for me!"

"Ahaha, my bad, my bad!" Yang Hua playfully picked up Wu Wanrou, sticking out her tongue, then turned to Xiao Ze. "Honey, hurry up and clean the sofa inside the bar, or little Rou’s going to be mad."

"Alright, ladies, just wait a moment!"

As Xiao Ze bent down to grab the broom, he swiftly shut down the chat program on his computer and pulled out the USB stick plugged into the main unit.

The entire motion was smooth and fluid.

Yang Hua and Wu Wanrou, chatting at the bar, didn’t notice his subtle move at all.

Once all three sat inside the bar area, Yang Hua pulled an envelope from her bag and handed it to Xiao Ze. "Darling, all the money’s inside. Count it."

"Why would I need to count the money my baby prepared for me? That’s unnecessary!"

Xiao Ze didn’t even glance at it and slipped the envelope directly into his pocket.

Beside him, the third wheel Wu Wanrou knew the money was a loan from Hua Hua to Xiao Ze for business, so there was nowhere for them to hide from her.

Seeing Xiao Ze accept the money, Yang Hua relaxed and asked, "Darling, what kind of business are you planning? Tell me and Wanrou so we can give you some advice."

"Just some big venture I’m partnering on with a few friends. Once we strike it rich, I’ll make sure you get the best of everything!" Xiao Ze answered vaguely before quickly changing the topic. "By the way, baby, although I met Chen Fan once, I’ve long forgotten what he looks like. Do you have a photo of him?"

Business was a trivial matter.

After all, Yang Hua had provoked Chen Fan for his sake.

As her boyfriend, it was only right for him to handle the trouble.

Made perfect sense.

Yang Hua pulled out her phone, opened the gallery, and found a photo. "Here, this is Chen Fan."

In the picture, Chen Fan wore a school uniform and had long hair.

His facial features were sharp and well-defined, with clear, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips pressed lightly together. His finely chiseled features were handsome, and his sunny smile was infectious and charming.

Seeing Chen Fan’s photo, Yang Hua was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t realized the stern Chen Fan from the past two days was actually quite good-looking.

Why hadn’t she noticed before? Strange.

Xiao Ze’s expression darkened upon seeing the photo—there really was someone out there more handsome than him.

He was first hit by a wave of jealousy over Chen Fan’s superior looks.

Then he realized he might have seen this Chen Fan recently, but when and where eluded him.

As for Wu Wanrou, she stared wide-eyed at the photo the moment she saw it.

Wasn’t this the handsome guy from yesterday?

No wonder the name Chen Fan sounded familiar when Xiao Ze mentioned it earlier.

But Wu Wanrou looked suspiciously at Yang Hua and Xiao Ze—what were they up to with this handsome guy?

"Baby, send me the photo via Bluetooth."

"Okay, sure!"

Snapping out of it, Yang Hua immediately connected with Xiao Ze via Bluetooth and sent the photo over.

When the photo arrived, Xiao Ze stood up. "Baby, you and Wanrou sit tight. I’m going to forward this photo to the guys and have them find Chen Fan."

"When you find him, tell them to be careful—after all, he’s my sister-in-law’s brother."

"Don’t worry!"

Xiao Ze gave an OK sign and strode toward the internet café’s main hall on the first floor.

Yang Hua glanced at Chen Fan’s photo again and sighed quietly, "Chen Fan, don’t blame me for being ruthless. You were too cruel, too heartless, forcing me into a corner. I have no choice."

Beside her, after Xiao Ze left, Wu Wanrou curiously asked, "Hua Hua, I didn’t know Chen Fan was your sister-in-law’s brother."

"Of course you didn’t. You and I only became sisters a year ago. By then, I had long lost contact with Chen Fan."

Wu Wanrou nodded, then asked, "From what you said earlier, you want Xiao Ze to settle things with Chen Fan. Do you have some grudge against him?"

"Ah, it’s nothing serious. Chen Fan and I have some minor clashes. That’s why I asked Xiao Ze to teach him a lesson. Besides, he’s my sister-in-law’s brother, so he’s like a half-brother to me. If he bullies me, shouldn’t he get a beating?" Yang Hua smiled, making a weak excuse to brush off the grudge between her and Chen Fan.

But Wu Wanrou wasn’t convinced.

Minor quarrels, teaching a lesson, beating him up...

Had she ever seen any sister ask gangsters to mess with her own brother?

No way.

Wu Wanrou was sure Yang Hua was lying but didn’t press further.

Between a handsome guy and her sister, she chose her sister.

Meanwhile, in the internet café’s main hall, Xiao Ze found two young men a couple of years younger than himself.

Both had dyed yellow hair, stood about 1.7 meters tall, and were as skinny as toothpicks.

"Brother Ze!" they greeted.

Xiao Ze placed two hundred yuan on their computer desk, then handed over his phone. "This guy’s Chen Fan. Find him and rough him up a bit. Don’t hurt him too badly—just leave some bruises. Consider this two hundred your fee."

"Also, after dealing with Chen Fan, help me with another job. I’ll give you an extra two hundred once it’s done."