7. Are you sure you want me to go?
"Yuran, please go and pretend to be my brother's girlfriend, with your eloquence you can surely drive away that annoying Ba Lipu."
Zhou Yuanyuan said earnestly, completely unaware of how absurd her decision was.
Yang Yuran started to speak several times but stopped, and after a short pause, pointed to herself and confirmed repeatedly, "You're asking me to go? Look carefully, Zhou Yuanyuan, it's me. Are you sure?"
Zhou Yuanyuan nodded firmly and insisted, "Yes, it's better than letting that rotten person continue to humiliate my brother."
Yang Yuran forced a smirk, with an awkward smile. It seemed that Zhou Yuanyuan had not sobered up at all; concerned yet confused was exactly what this young lady was all about. Yang Yuran felt it was necessary to clarify the stakes involved.
"Yuanyuan, you know how Hen Ningyue and Yang Fei operate. They've already labeled me as a frivolous woman in the socialite circle, who's available to any man with money. I'm afraid my presence might tarnish your brother's reputation. It would be better if you went yourself."
With a candid self-deprecation thrown out, Zhou Yuanyuan suddenly realized her mistake and timidly pursed her lips, quietly apologizing.
"I'm sorry, Yuran, I know you're not like that. I was just desperately looking for a solution; it's not about you,"
Yang Yuran raised her hand to stop the continued apologies, twirled a lock of her silver-purple curly hair around her little finger, and said nonchalantly, "What others think doesn't matter to me; I won't live in their prejudices. I suggest if you really can't stand it, go up and give Ba Lipu a piece of your mind. After all, she wouldn't dare make a scene in front of your dad."
"No, I can't do that. It seems like my dad has seen through my crush, and he forbid me from getting involved in my brother's affairs. Don't worry, our main goal is to infuriate that stinky Lipu."
Zhou Yuanyuan hugged Yang Yuran's arm and shook it, pleading with a pitiful look, "Yuran, please help me out, I'm begging you."
Yang Yuran's eyes flickered fox-like and captivating as she looked down at the petite figure clinging to her side. Memories of Zhou Yuanyuan helping her unconditionally flashed through her mind, softening her resolve. She sighed and agreed.
"Alright, I'll do it. I'll swing by from the restroom to avoid Ba Lipu spotting you."
The young Miss Zhou beamed again and kept making heart gestures to her.
As Yang Yuran walked, she considered several strategies, finally settling on the most straightforward approach.
She sat down beside Qin Muyu, her soft hand patting his chest as she cooed, "Baby, as soon as I received your SOS message, I rushed here. Some women just lack self-awareness, their ugliness like a world wonder, needing a lot of courage just to step outside, and yet she has the audacity to pester my baby."
The crow doesn't care how black it is, and finds the pretentious magpie an annoyance instead.
The crow's shrill mockery pierced deep into Ba Lipu's heart. With an average appearance that had always been her pain, adjusted three times with micro-surgery, but with bad luck, not only did it not enhance her features, it made the signs of cosmetic surgery too obvious.
The confidence that used to be ever-present on Ba Lipu's face twisted slightly as she raised her voice to warn, "Yang Yuran, I'll count to three, and you'd better disappear from my sight, otherwise don't blame me for cutting off your income source."
Ba Lipu's threat hit Yang Yuran's weak spot too. Mr. Yang would send her living expenses every month, perhaps influenced by Yang Fei, which had been reduced by more than half over the last three years since the first year she went abroad.
With prices soaring, the living allowance was no longer sufficient for her expenses. If the Ba family refused to provide legal documentation, her life would become difficult, and her plans to help her mother would also be forced to stop.
She weighed her options quickly, choosing to avoid confrontation.
Before she could lift her bottom from the seat, the hand she had placed on the stern chest was firmly grasped, and a hoarse voice fell from above her head.
"What did you call me? Say it again."
Yang Yuran felt a tingling on her scalp, as if electrocuted. Qin Muyu's words seemed like a question to her, but to Ba Lipu, it sounded more like a demand for affection.
She turned her head and looked up at the person who had drawn the fire onto himself, first seeing the tall bridge of his nose. Looking up further, his deep eyes were fixedly staring at her, his curled lashes fluttering like wings of a butterfly, fluttering straight to the tip of Yang Yuran's heart.
Tsk, this man is so tempting, I can instantly understand Ba Lipu and Zhou Yuanyuan's possessiveness.
But after just a few seconds of appreciation, I hurriedly look away. Not only because Ba Lipu's glare is full of danger, but also because Qin Muyu's gaze is too hot—Brother is getting into character really fast.
"Three!"
Ba Lipu counts down impatiently, clearly not bothering to hide the jealousy in his tone.
"Two!"
At the same time, Yang Yuran's phone rings with a message alert.
"Hold on a sec, I think my friend's got an emergency."
Yang Yuran pulls out her phone amid Ba Lipu's sneer, unlocks it, and checks the message.
After reading the message, her panic vanishes, and she dismisses the excuse to slip away that was on the tip of her tongue, snuggling into Qin Muyu's arms instead. The small hand that had failed to break free now willingly clasps his, fingers intertwined with the hand that had shackled her.
"Baby, this ugly woman is so noisy. I know you're forced by family pressure to have this blind date with her, and it's her fault for not getting it. What era is this to think dressing in mink and covered in shiny jewelry one can still play the tyrant's hard bow?"
Yang Yuran's eyes brim with mockery as she looks Ba Lipu up and down, laughing so hard she trembles: "Hehehe—But honestly, when the village bully gets tough, it's really quite scary."
From a distance comes snickers that someone couldn't hold back. Zhou Yuanyuan catches the glance thrown by Yang Yuran in the midst of it all, and belatedly realizes her mistake. Relying on the tacit understanding between besties, she uses a falsetto to smoothly deflect the situation.
"Tsk, tsk, so the Ba family's daughter has to steal men to satisfy her animal desires. What an eye-opener."
With that, she shakes her head and walks toward the private room area.
"Baby, I'm really scared. Let's go home, before the village bully calls in the thugs and hoodlums to chop me up and cruelly snatch you away."
Yang Yuran's eyes are welling with tears, as if she's about to cry from fright.
Qin Muyu pulls her head into his chest and kisses her hair deeply, promising, "Okay, let's go home."
"Qin Muyu, if you dare leave here today, I'll cut off Yang Yuran's financial avenues tomorrow."
Some blind daters in the other private compartments turn to look, attracted by the uncontainable angry declaration.
Yang Yuran withstands the pressure, dutifully playing the part of the wronged little girl, letting Qin Muyu hug her as they leave the Qingfeng Pavilion.
Upon getting into the car, I immediately crawl into the back seat, opting to sit up against the door as if my life depends on it, wishing I could melt into the metal. Once my soul is a bit calmer, I get out my phone to set Ba Lipu's WeChat to not show message alerts, and then turn a pitiful gaze to my friend beside me.
Zhou Yuanyuan is totally complicit, living up to her promise on the spot: "I know of three rather reputable agencies for studying abroad and immigration. I'll send you the contact numbers and WeChat accounts of their principals. Just go there and mention my name,
Zhou Yuanyuan stops abruptly, glancing at Qin Muyu, her mouth curving into a mysterious smile, and she slowly adds, "Just report my name, and I will speak to them in advance."
"Okay, thanks,"
Yang Yuran breathes a sigh of relief. Before finding a new reliable source of income, she has to ensure at the very least that her current business doesn't collapse.