"Excellent, today's events are truly satisfying. Villains deserve such an end!"
After a moment of silence, a shout of approval erupted from the crowd, followed by thunderous applause.
Everyone smiled at Er Zhu and the other two, their eyes reflecting shock and admiration.
Liu Yan was so excited she wished she could hug Er Zhu tightly, but in front of so many people, she felt a bit embarrassed.
As Li Qiang and the others departed, the onlookers gradually dispersed, leaving only Er Zhu and his companions in the shop.
"Brother Sun, Brother Liu, this is Liu Yan, my partner."
Seeing the crowd thin, Er Zhu formally introduced Liu Yan to Liu Changfa and Sun Jianguo.
Upon seeing the stunning beauty before them, Sun Jianguo and Liu Changfa exchanged knowing smiles, as if they had discovered something.
Partner? This was clearly Er Zhu's girlfriend!
"Er Zhu, you have good taste. Such a stunner is rarely seen in our town."
Sun Jianguo carefully examined the exquisitely beautiful woman, winking at Er Zhu with an expression that said, "I've seen right through you."
If he were ten years younger, he would have competed with Er Zhu fairly!
"Haha, Old Liu, let's go. We shouldn't disturb these lovebirds with their important matters."
Just as Er Zhu was about to explain, Sun Jianguo slung an arm around Liu Changfa's shoulder, and the two walked away.
Er Zhu shook his head and chuckled wryly. He knew his two elder brothers had misunderstood, but no one had given him a chance to clarify.
Liu Yan, on the other hand, was blushing furiously, her head bowed shyly. The last few words Sun Jianguo had spoken echoed in her mind.
"Important matters of a young couple?"
She figured it must be referring to... that.
Liu Yan suddenly recalled the situation at the hotel last time, and her face turned even redder!
"Sister Yan, I have something else to attend to, I'll be heading back now."
Just as Liu Yan was lost in thought, Er Zhu's voice pulled her back to reality. Hearing that Er Zhu was leaving, Liu Yan instinctively grabbed his arm.
"I owe you a lot for what happened today. Why don't you stay the night?"
Liu Yan's face flushed as she gazed at Er Zhu with affection, her voice soft and shy.
Huh?
Suddenly, Er Zhu felt the atmosphere was off. He knew Liu Yan had feelings for him, but he hadn't expected her to be so direct!
Stay the night...
Images of all sorts of R-rated scenes flashed through Er Zhu's mind. Then, Li Mei's face appeared, and the inappropriate images vanished instantly.
"No, I have things to do in the village. I'm leaving."
Er Zhu quickly regained his composure, making up an excuse to leave. But as he turned, he saw Lin Qingqing sashaying towards the fruit shop.
"Er Zhu, what are you doing here today!"
Lin Qingqing stopped abruptly upon seeing Er Zhu. Her eyes widened, and she called out excitedly.
Ever since that awkward misunderstanding last time, Lin Qingqing had developed a bit of an attraction to Er Zhu. Especially after hearing more about him from Liu Yan, her liking for him had skyrocketed like a rocket!
Handsome, intelligent, wealthy, reliable, knowledgeable in medicine, skilled in martial arts...
My goodness, wasn't this the dream boyfriend she had been looking for?
The more Lin Qingqing looked at Er Zhu, the more she liked him. She took a deep breath and lunged towards him at full speed.
Before Er Zhu could react, he felt a delicate body crash into his arms, followed by the overpowering scent of perfume.
"Er Zhu, it's been so long, I've missed you so much!"
Lin Qingqing hugged Er Zhu tightly, as if she wanted to merge with him!
A blush crept onto Er Zhu's face. He instinctively tried to step back, but as he moved, Lin Qingqing's embrace tightened.
"We're all friends, why are you being so shy?"
Her warm breath tickled Er Zhu's ear, and his body stiffened. His heart pounded faster!
This feeling... was way too ambiguous!
He was a normal man, not a centuries-old enlightened monk. How could he withstand such stimulation!
The surrounding temperature seemed to rise, and even though Lin Qingqing's palms were sweating, she was reluctant to let go of Er Zhu.
Although she was friends with Liu Yan, their personalities were vastly different.
Liu Yan could keep her feelings for Er Zhu hidden in her heart, but she wouldn't!
If she liked someone, she wanted them to know, even the whole world!
Even if it was just a hint of a crush, she wanted to make it public!
Seeing them locked in an embrace, a flicker of loneliness crossed Liu Yan's eyes.
In fact, this was something she had wanted to do to Er Zhu, but someone else had gotten there first...
"Um, Miss Lin, I still have something to do. We'll talk another time."
After an unknown duration of hugging, as Er Zhu calmed down, he pushed Lin Qingqing away and tried to run.
He couldn't keep hugging her, or something real might happen!
Er Zhu let out a sigh of relief and was about to leave, but Lin Qingqing grabbed his arm.
"Don't be so formal, just call me Qingqing from now on. Don't you know what kind of relationship we have?"
Just as Er Zhu was about to shake her off, he heard Lin Qingqing's seductive voice, and his body stiffened again.
"That's not quite right, we're just ordinary friends. What kind of relationship could we possibly have?"
Er Zhu retorted as he skillfully broke free from Lin Qingqing's grasp. For some reason, he suddenly felt as though he was being teased.
"Tsk, you ungrateful wretch."
Hearing Er Zhu's words, Lin Qingqing's face fell instantly, her lips pouting so much they could hold a whole oil pot.
She had thought that even if Er Zhu didn't like her yet, he at least had some affection for her. But it turned out it was just ordinary friendship.
Er Zhu knew Lin Qingqing was a bit upset, but he didn't have time to placate her. After a few words to Liu Yan, he turned and left.
"Qingqing, don't overthink it. Er Zhu is an extraordinary man; he won't be easily won over."
Watching Lin Qingqing's disappointed expression, Liu Yan suppressed her complicated emotions and comforted her in a low voice.
"Yes, with so many rivals, he wouldn't fall for my charms so quickly."
Facing Liu Yan's considerate comfort, Lin Qingqing's words pierced through Liu Yan's intentions. Seeing Lin Qingqing's challenging gaze, Liu Yan didn't know what to say.
"Liu Yan, don't say anything else. From now on, we're competing fairly!"
Seeing Liu Yan's guilty look, Lin Qingqing knew she had guessed correctly. She tilted her head up, full of confidence, and challenged Liu Yan.
"Alright, let's compete. Who's afraid of whom?"
Looking at Lin Qingqing's confident demeanor, Liu Yan's fighting spirit was ignited. She nodded heavily, accepting the challenge.
Er Zhu, unaware of the two women's thoughts, was driving his black luxury car on his way home.
Screech...
Suddenly, the car stopped. Er Zhu smacked his forehead, remembering something very important.
Today was Li Mei's birthday!