I just said "oh" and hung up, sending Evan Yu my location.
Ten minutes later, a black Mercedes pulled up to the curb.
Evan Yu wasn't one for material possessions. Especially now, as a doctor, driving a flashy car to and from work was always a bit inappropriate.
But a man like him could charm a legion of women even on a shared bike.
"Get in," Evan Yu said, rolling down the window.
"Where are we going?" I asked, a little puzzled.
"To your place, to pick up Bubu."
The doting father was, after all, worried about his precious daughter. I pouted, opened the passenger door, and got in. Evan Yu glanced at me. "Seatbelt."
I silently buckled up.
The road was slippery with snow, so the car moved slowly. I watched the scenery outside the window, but my mind was filled with the image of Hugh Pei and Lila Wei in the snow.
Halfway there, Evan Yu broke the silence. "Lila Wei and her family have requested a room change."
"Mm, I know." I didn't want to talk about Hugh Pei and Lila Wei right now, even though they were on my mind.
"I'll be the one performing Victor Wei's surgery." If Evan Yu were an intelligence agent, he'd definitely be a top-tier one.
I took out my phone and transferred him some money. He saw his phone light up and looked puzzled. "What's this for?"
I deliberately put on a wicked smile. "Dr. Yu, go easy on Victor Wei during the surgery. I'll give you a huge sum of money when it's done!"
The traffic light turned red, and the car stopped. Evan Yu picked up his phone, quickly returned my transfer, and then lectured me with a dark face, "Watch less soap opera trash. What's going on in that head of yours!"
"How did you know I got the idea from a soap opera?" I asked, surprised.
"Where else?" Evan Yu looked at me as if I were an idiot.
I snorted and ignored him.
When we arrived at Mapleview Manor, Bubu was ecstatic to see her owner. She leaped into Evan Yu's arms, rubbing against him and meowing affectionately, her sounds echoing through the living room.
The maids had taken good care of her these past few days. She looked to be in high spirits.
Evan Yu held Bubu and stroked her head. Just as he was about to speak to me, we heard a sound from the stairs. Hugh Pei was home too.
I didn't want to see Hugh Pei, so I left Evan Yu and went upstairs by myself.
I had no idea what the two men talked about in the living room. They were childhood friends, so they probably wouldn't have an awkward silence.
In the vast master bedroom, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. On one hand, I was annoyed by Hugh Pei and Lila Wei. On the other, I was worried about the situation with Zhao Sufang.
Just then, Ginny Deng sent me a message: "Zoe, Zhao Sufang is about to take the bait!"
I was startled and quickly replied: "So fast? How did you do it?"
Ginny Deng sent a "smug" emoji: "Hehe, I'll tell you in a couple of days. Wait for my good news."
After that, she ignored me, as if she was really planning a big move and wanted to surprise me in the end. I didn't press her. Although Ginny Deng could be impulsive at times, she was quite intelligent.
I wondered if the private investigator had started his work. I opened my message inbox, but there was no reply from him. Instead, I saw a red dot on the blocked messages folder.
I tapped on it and saw seven or eight unread messages from a strange number. After reading them, I realized the sender was Yan Zijun.
I hadn't expected him to be so persistent in trying to contact me. The latest message was from this afternoon.
I hesitated for a moment, then called the number. He answered quickly.
"Hello? Is this Miss Xu?" Yan Zijun's voice was actually quite pleasant, very gentle and refined.
"Yes. I saw you sent me several messages. Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No, it's just that you had been drinking that night, and I wasn't sure if you got home safely, so I sent a message to check. But you didn't reply, and I was worried that calling directly would disturb you," Yan Zijun replied, a little embarrassed.
I chuckled. "Thank you for your concern. I got home safely that night. I only just saw your messages today. They were blocked by the system."
Yan Zijun was silent for a few seconds, then said in a helpless and angry tone, "I knew it! I'm going to change my number tomorrow!"
I didn't understand what he meant. He explained that he had worked as a salesman for a long time, and because of too many telemarketing calls, his number had been marked as a spam number. He had gone to the service center to have it unblocked several times, but it would be marked as spam again after a short while.
Honestly, the reason made me laugh out loud.
Hearing me laugh, Yan Zijun laughed too. For a moment, I didn't even notice Hugh Pei had entered the room. He spoke abruptly, "Who are you talking to that's so funny?"
I hung up almost instantly and stuffed the phone under my pillow.
My action undoubtedly aroused Hugh Pei's suspicion. His face turned grim, like a sky filled with dark clouds before a storm, full of an unsettling pressure.
"Is it Julian Qi again?" Hugh Pei had already reached the bed. He threw back the covers and reached for my phone under the pillow.
"This is my private matter!" I grabbed his wrist. His sleeve was rolled up, revealing a section of his arm with perfect muscle lines.
Hugh Pei looked slim in clothes, a walking hanger. But with his clothes off, he was lean and muscular, without an ounce of extra fat. So, my attempt to stop him was very risky.
If a physical struggle ensued, I would definitely be at a disadvantage.
When I grabbed his wrist, the atmosphere around Hugh Pei was already tense. With a twist of his arm, he had my wrist in his grip. Without thinking, I swung my other hand to hit him.
Ever since that night we had wrestled for hours, I found that this was a great way to relieve my anger.
Hugh Pei was very quick and caught my other hand. I was suddenly like a fish on a chopping block.
"Hugh Pei, we agreed not to interfere in each other's private lives. I'm warning you, if you dare to hit me, I'll take you down with me!" I said, fearlessly meeting his cold, dark eyes, trying to stay calm.
"I don't hit women," Hugh Pei said coolly.
That was true. In our past life, we had reached a point of life and death, but he had never hit me. On the contrary, I was the one who would get emotional and, when I finally had a chance to see him, would end up crying and yelling and hitting him. The most he would do was push me away.
"Then let me go," I said, immediately twisting my wrist.
Hugh Pei seemed to think his actions were too bullying and finally let go of my hands. Once free, I sat up in bed, my attitude returning to calm. My tone was a bit mournful. "Hugh Pei, what am I to you? Can you tell me?"