Chapter 723: One More Arrives, Are You Even Human?
"Brother Shen and Yaoyao... why aren't they back yet?"
He Yiyi craned her neck, trying to peer in the direction of the restrooms, but the angle of the corridor completely blocked her view. A thread of puzzlement wove through her thoughts. Seven, maybe eight minutes had passed. What could possibly be taking them so long?
Just then, her phone buzzed. An unfamiliar number was requesting to add her on WeChat. He Yiyi frowned, but curiosity got the better of her. She tapped open the notification, and her bright, innocent eyes flew wide.
The request note was short and explosive: Your boyfriend Shen Anyu is in trouble!
A spike of worry shot through her. He Yiyi accepted the request and immediately fired off a message.
"Who are you? What happened to my boyfriend?"
"Don't worry about who I am," the reply came almost instantly. "Let me show you something interesting."
On the other end of the chat, the invisible Ren Zhacheng chuckled, a malicious glint in his eyes. He attached the video and hit send.
He Yiyi tapped the play button. The image that filled her screen caused her to gasp, her soft pink lips parting in shock.
"Brother Shen and Yaoyao... they're... they're actually..."
She was utterly stunned.
She never would have imagined it. There, on her screen, was Shen Anyu, pinning her supposed best friend, Zhou Luyao, against a wall. And he was kissing her—not once, but repeatedly, with an obvious possessiveness.
Worse, He Yiyi could see that Zhou Luyao wasn't putting up much of a fight.
'How could this be? How?'
A chaotic storm of thoughts swirled through He Yiyi's mind. So this was why they had been gone for so long. This was what they were doing.
Truthfully, she wasn't entirely surprised by Shen Anyu's actions. She knew her "Brother Shen" was a consummate playboy. As far as she was aware, there was a certain General Manager Ling in the picture, and someone named Zhang Yaqian as well.
But Zhou Luyao? Didn't she have her own rich and handsome boyfriend? How could she get entangled with Brother Shen like this? It was completely improper.
'That two-faced Zhou Luyao... trying to steal my man, is she?'
A flicker of anger ignited within He Yiyi. While she and Zhou Luyao were nominally "best friends," their relationship was, in reality, quite superficial. Both were beautiful, and a subtle, unspoken rivalry always simmered between them, a constant tally of comparisons and one-upmanship.
It was the classic sentiment: you fear your best friend living a hard life, but you fear them driving a Range Rover even more.
It was precisely because Zhou Luyao had provoked her that He Yiyi had once taken out a loan to buy a Chanel bag, an act that led to her embezzling company funds. The envy had only intensified after Zhou Luyao found her "rich and handsome" boyfriend, plastering her happiness all over her social media feed in a way that made He Yiyi's teeth ache.
And now, after she had finally brought Shen Anyu out, intending to show him off and reclaim some of her pride, Zhou Luyao had pulled a stunt like this?
In He Yiyi's mind, this wasn't Brother Shen's fault. It couldn't be. It must have been that vixen, Zhou Luyao, who had seduced him.
She would definitely make Zhou Luyao pay for this.
'Hehe, the plan is a success.' Observing the anger and pouting that marred He Yiyi's delicate, pure-looking face, Ren Zhacheng felt a surge of satisfaction. He was already looking forward to the coming drama.
Ideally, He Yiyi would storm over, slap Shen Anyu across the face, and leave in a righteous huff. Then, humiliated, Zhou Luyao would also leave.
At that moment, Shen Anyu would surely be drowning in regret.
And while he was stewing in his remorse, Ren Zhacheng would use a Thunder Talisman and strike him down with five bolts of heavenly lightning. After that, he would find a way to win the hearts of the two spurned beauties, He Yiyi and Zhou Luyao.
As he pictured this perfect scenario, a wide, predatory grin stretched his lips from ear to ear.
'Ah, they're coming back!' Ren Zhacheng spotted Shen Anyu returning and straightened up, his face alight with anticipation and excitement.
Shen Anyu brushed past the spot where the invisible Ren Zhacheng stood and approached He Yiyi with a calm, apologetic expression. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
'Hit him! Do it! Slap him! A big, resounding slap!' Ren Zhacheng was screaming internally, a silent cheerleader for chaos.
However, to his utter astonishment, He Yiyi's face blossomed into a sweet smile. She replied in a soft, coquettish voice, "It's okay, Brother Shen. You don't need to apologize. Yiyi can wait for you for as long as it takes. Even a lifetime."
She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Because Yiyi really, really likes Brother Shen."
[Ding! Son of Destiny Ren Zhacheng is heartbroken. Plundering +9999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Son of Destiny Ren Zhacheng is questioning reality. Plundering +16666 Destiny Value!]
Ren Zhacheng's brain short-circuited. What was going on? Not only did He Yiyi not get angry, not only did she not deliver that much-anticipated slap, but she was acting even more gentle, considerate, and clingy than before?
And that wasn't all.
He Yiyi rubbed her head against Shen Anyu's shoulder like a kitten. She tilted her small, palm-sized face upward, pouted her pink lips, and closed her bright eyes, adopting a clear posture of soliciting a kiss.
A hint of a smile flashed in Shen Anyu's eyes. He certainly wouldn't disappoint the little beauty's request. He leaned down.
Ren Zhacheng felt his spirit crack.
What in the goddamn hell was going on?
Was He Yiyi really that magnanimous? Did she not mind at all what Shen Anyu and Zhou Luyao had been doing behind her back?
Of course, it was impossible for He Yiyi not to mind. A sour feeling churned in her stomach. But she was already lost in the beautiful dream Shen Anyu had woven around her, completely unwilling to wake up. Her only recourse was to be even more considerate, even more pleasing, in the hopes of possessing a larger share of his affection.
Her real annoyance was directed at Zhou Luyao—that cheating cat, that superficial best friend.
"Hehe, Yiyi, are you two trying to make everyone jealous?" Just then, Zhou Luyao walked over. Seeing Shen Anyu and He Yiyi in such a sweet embrace, she immediately began to tease them.
'Fight! Fight!' Ren Zhacheng's energy surged anew. He Yiyi had been so angry just a moment ago; she definitely wouldn't let Zhou Luyao off the hook. He loved watching women pull each other's hair. It would be even better if Shen Anyu got dragged into it, leading to a complete and total breakup.
He Yiyi, however, acted as if nothing was amiss. She smiled sweetly at Zhou Luyao and said, "Brother Shen just spoils me too much. What can I do? I can only let him. Yaoyao, is your boyfriend that good to you?"
"Oh—"
At this, He Yiyi covered her pink lips with her hand, her eyes filling with a look of deep apology as she gazed at Zhou Luyao.
"I forgot. Your boyfriend has other women, doesn't he? He's probably with one of them right now, hmm? Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."
Zhou Luyao's expression froze.
Her words, thrown out blindly, had struck a bullseye.
He Yiyi had assumed that Zhou Luyao's rich and handsome boyfriend was off with other women, which was why he was neglecting her. And that, in turn, was why Zhou Luyao had tried to hook up with her Brother Shen.
She had no idea that Zhou Luyao's boyfriend was Shen Anyu, the very man standing right beside her.
He Yiyi's words landed like a physical blow, causing critical damage. The joy Zhou Luyao had felt just moments before in Shen Anyu's arms evaporated completely. Her beautiful eyes fell on Shen Anyu, now filled with a deep, simmering resentment.
Meanwhile, He Yiyi's pretty face wore a triumphant, sweet smile, her own pair of bright, large eyes also fixed on Shen Anyu.
'Fight! Fight!' Ren Zhacheng was vibrating with anticipation.
Shen Anyu coughed twice, about to speak, when his phone suddenly vibrated with an incoming message.
[Shen Anyu, where are you? I need to find you. It's urgent, extremely urgent!]
He typed back a quick reply.
[I'm at the coffee shop in Xihe Shopping Mall. Starry Coffee.]
[I'll be right there. Wait for me. Ten minutes.]
"Brother Shen, is it something urgent?" He Yiyi looked at him with concern.
Zhou Luyao did the same. She knew when to cause a fuss and when to play the part of a pleasing, kept woman.
"A friend is coming over," Shen Anyu explained casually. "Says it's an emergency."
As for the reason, he already had a very good idea.
'A friend? Male or female?' He Yiyi wondered, a new knot of nervousness forming in her stomach.
Zhou Luyao was also deep in thought.
'Why haven't they started fighting yet?!' Ren Zhacheng was practically tearing his hair out in his mind.
Less than ten minutes later, the door to Starry Coffee was pushed open with force. A figure clad in striking crimson swept into the room, her gaze scanning the crowd before locking onto Shen Anyu with laser-like precision. She strode quickly across the floor and, without a word, rushed directly into his arms.
"Shen Anyu! You're okay! That's wonderful!"
Zhou Luyao, He Yiyi, Ren Zhacheng, and the surrounding onlookers were all completely, utterly stunned.
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