Chapter 41: War of Words

The two of them seemed to be working together in perfect harmony, leaving no room for Liu Qingyan to interject. Even if she was anxious inside, what could she do about it?

“I’ll transfer three hundred thousand to you from my phone right now,” Zhou Yu said. “If it’s not enough, just let me know. Either Wang Gang or I can send you more anytime.”

Zhang Pu responded as if it were only natural, as if the other owed him the money, and agreed without hesitation.

Liu Qingyan stood by, fuming in silence.

She was just about to say something when Zhang Pu, having received the transfer on his phone, rose to his feet.

“It’s getting late,” Zhang Pu announced. “Let’s leave it at this for today. This young lady should get home early to rest.”

As he spoke, he paid no heed to Zhou Yu or Liu Qingyan’s reactions and started walking away.

This guy… Do I really know him? Am I sure I know him? Why does he suddenly feel so unfamiliar, as if he’s become a complete stranger? Who is he, really? He doesn’t seem like just an ordinary student! But who is he, truly? I can’t say for sure.

A storm of emotions surged through Liu Qingyan’s heart. For a moment, she even forgot how to walk, staring blankly at Zhang Pu’s steadily retreating figure.

At that moment, Zhou Yu formally took his leave from Liu Qingyan, offering no objection to Zhang Pu’s abrupt decision. Then he hurried off in another direction.

Liu Qingyan watched Zhang Pu’s receding back; he showed no sign of stopping. Furious, she stomped her foot and hurried after him.

God! This man must be the devil incarnate! she muttered to herself.

Always before, it was the boys who racked their brains in every conceivable way to pursue her, to get close to her. Yet she had never so much as glanced their way.

But today, this utterly ordinary-looking guy, the kind who’d vanish in a crowd—a nobody—had flipped her world upside down! What on earth was happening? Why was she now the one chasing after him, bending over backwards, following his lead in everything?

She wanted to turn and leave, just as Zhou Yu had, to see what game Zhang Pu was playing.

But in the end, her heart betrayed her, compelling her to run after him, practically skipping along.

“I thought you’d gone the other way,” Zhang Pu teased when she caught up.

Liu Qingyan, out of patience, retorted, “So? You must be thrilled today! Making so much money in a single day—enough for your future bride price, isn’t it?”

Zhang Pu glanced at her, as if surprised by her words. “That’s right! In Qingwu, marrying a wife is expensive. Without several hundred thousand, you don’t stand a chance.”

Liu Qingyan threw a look at him but didn’t pursue the topic further.

“I never imagined you were such a big shot!” she said next, her words sharp as ever.

“Oh?” Zhang Pu responded with a slight laugh. “And what did you imagine?”

“Do you always take people for fools?” Liu Qingyan seemed genuinely annoyed.

“I don’t think so,” Zhang Pu replied, his tone even calmer as hers grew more agitated. “That’s what you said, not me.”

“You’re impossible!” Liu Qingyan sighed. “At first, I thought you were a rare gem among men. But the more I look, the more ordinary you seem. No one’s perfect, I suppose.”

By her reckoning, Zhang Pu thought, in her eyes he now had at least two flaws: greed for money and a sharp tongue.

While he hesitated, Liu Qingyan pressed on, “So? Isn’t it time to lay your cards on the table?”

“Lay what cards? I’m a student at Modern High, just like you,” Zhang Pu replied, spreading his hands. “Don’t tell me you think I’m the mayor’s son?”

“Uh-huh!” Liu Qingyan imitated his tone. “Maybe someone even more important than the mayor’s son.”

Zhang Pu laughed. “Go ahead and check! Maybe my background isn’t as grand as yours. What about you? Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

As they walked and talked, they soon found themselves near the little cabins by the water park again.

Just then, as Zhang Pu tried to get Liu Qingyan to reveal her background, he noticed—under the moonlight—a subtle change in her expression.

But she recovered quickly and replied, “It’s late. Time to rest. In the end, no one can hide the truth forever.”

With that, she hurried off, as if afraid Zhang Pu might try something with her in the quiet of the night.

Zhang Pu watched her disappear into the deep shade of the flowers, and did not follow. He merely shook his head and muttered to himself, “You’re right. In the end, no one can hide the truth forever.”

Back in his room, Zhang Pu soon lay down and slept soundly. After Zhou Yu’s intervention, if Wu Yu or Zhang Biao or Hong Shunquan and their little gang dared cause trouble again, Zhang Pu would have been willing to offer up his own head.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully.

The next day, everyone prepared to leave the Weiming Lake resort.

Many of yesterday’s events—including Zhang Biao and Hong Shunquan harassing Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying, and Wu Yu’s comeuppance—remained hidden from most people, thanks to those involved keeping quiet. Even those with suspicions dared not discuss it openly, since Wu Yu had footed the bill for the trip. As the saying goes, one’s hand is shortened when taking from others, and one’s mouth is softened when eating their food.

Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying probably found it hard to speak about what happened. After all, their boyfriends had tried to take advantage of them—how could they possibly say that out loud? As for Wu Yu, Zhang Biao, and Hong Shunquan, having been beaten and forced to pay dearly, were even less likely to broadcast their own humiliation.

Zhang Pu had always kept a low profile; he wasn’t about to say anything.

And as for Liu Qingyan, whose poise outshone even her beauty, she was the last person to gossip.

So, the return from this trip proceeded under a surface calm that was, in truth, anything but ordinary.

Zhang Pu blended quietly into the crowd as usual.

Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying still didn’t sit near him. Before, they had looked down on him as a country bumpkin. Now, it was a deep sense of shame that kept them at a distance—they simply didn’t know how to face him.

Zhang Pu was happy enough to have peace and quiet. If even the campus belle like Liu Qingyan pursued him and he remained unmoved, he certainly had no interest in currying favor with Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying.

He also knew that, upon returning, Xu Huiping would surely call a family meeting to criticize the two girls over their romantic entanglements.

But Zhang Pu had no interest in being a part of that, no matter what!