Chapter 169: Chapter 170
Xu Ying found his demeanor utterly adorable and couldn’t resist reaching out to gently pinch his handsome face.
Her soft little hand touched his cheek, and Huo Chen’s gaze momentarily scattered, his expression frozen in shock. She had actually made a move on him.
And it was broad daylight, in front of everyone, at which point his cheeks flushed with red.
Xu Ying pinched him and found the feeling quite pleasant.
Huo Chen stood still, his back taut, “This, this place has too many people, it’s not appropriate!”
Xu Ying, dumbstruck as a wooden chicken, gazed at Huo Chen’s earlobes, red as if dripping with blood, and couldn’t help but tease him, “Then come to my place after I get off work tonight, there’s no one there.”
Huo Chen’s pupils dilated, his face full of shock, “That’s not appropriate.”
“I don’t care, remember to come to me after work!” Xu Ying winked playfully at him and then continued with her busy work.
Huo Chen stood there, his face burning with embarrassment, hands and feet in disarray.
Xu Ying had already moved to the back kitchen to get busy, and Huo Chen was still nervously rooted to the spot.
“Brother Chen, are we still going this afternoon?” Wu Qingsong came over, patting his shoulder.
Huo Chen’s face finally returned to normal, thinking about Xu Ying asking him to come find her in the afternoon, he was filled with conflict. Yingying was still young; he didn’t want to hurt her.
But she blatantly seduced him. If he didn’t go, wouldn’t that be too cowardly?
“Brother Chen, what are you thinking about?” Wu Qingsong saw that he wasn’t responding and patted his shoulder again to ask.
Huo Chen suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at Wu Qingsong before answering, “I’ll go.”
Zhou Kun had somehow obtained a batch of goods, and if they sold, it would be a big gain indeed.
He had arranged with the people from the black market that they would deliver the goods tonight; he definitely had to go.
Seeing this, Wu Qingsong’s face lit up with joy. With this money, he could finally marry Sister-in-law Chunlan.
Yesterday, he had visited Sister-in-law Chunlan’s mother-in-law, who said that as long as he could bring out US$ 500, she would agree to let Chunlan marry him.
Not only was this batch of goods plentiful, but the profit was also significant. If he sold all of these goods, he could earn at least US$ 1,000.
He had already planned how to spend the US$ 1,000: US$ 500 for Sister-in-law Chunlan’s mother-in-law, and the remaining US$ 500 as a bridal gift for Chunlan himself.
With this assurance, Wu Qingsong found his meals even more appetizing.
Xu Ying felt like she had forgotten to do something, and only after her shift did she remember what it was.
She had intended to ask Huo Chen to pass a message to her third uncle, asking him to come to the county to see her tomorrow.
She wondered if Huo Chen would come to her place later tonight.
At that thought, Xu Ying began to feel some anticipation. Huo Chen looked like a fierce hound, but in reality, he was just a little puppy, easily embarrassed and quite clueless about matters between men and women.
But he still had an imposing presence that could be quite intimidating when he stood tall.
Xu Ying had her dinner at the restaurant, freshened up a bit, and then returned to her room.
Once inside her room, Xu Ying approached the dressing table and was about to pick up the hairbrush when she saw a few bold characters on the table: “Something came up tonight, will come another day, Huo Chen!”
Xu Ying’s eyes widened in surprise, her little face full of shock. How had Huo Chen gotten into her room? He couldn’t have picked the lock, could he?
But what could he possibly have to do late at night?
Xu Ying could only think of black market dealings, after all, that was how Huo Chen made his living.
The villagers all thought he got rich by selling wild game, but after so many dealings with him, how could she not know that he was earning his money on the black market!
Now, so late and still busy, Xu Ying actually felt a bit of pity for him.
Xu Ying sat in front of the mirror, holding a comb, gently running it through her hair strands. She was naturally pretty, with her fair skin and lips that had a natural color, even with a bare face she was extremely captivating.
“Snap,” the wooden comb surprisingly broke a piece off. Her hair was fine, soft, and silky, yet it broke; Xu Ying was somewhat irritated. She put the comb down and climbed into bed.
In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight shone on every corner of the Earth, piercing through the window into Xu Ying’s room, the light was dazzling.
Xu Ying was awakened by the sunlight. She rubbed her eyes and quickly dressed for work.
Just as she hit the road, she saw a car passing by, and standing at the rear end was none other than Zhou Kun.
Xu Ying’s heart skipped a beat at the sight.
Zhou Kun had been arrested in her previous life too; she had seen it in the newspaper. Now, sitting there with handcuffs on his hands, he looked just like he did in the newspaper.
“Miss, excuse me,” a woman holding a camera suddenly appeared. She aimed at the car and pressed the shutter, then bumped into Xu Ying as she stepped in front of her.
“Ma’am, what’s going on here?” Xu Ying asked an onlooker, a curious old woman in the crowd.
The tall female journalist who bumped into Xu Ying then spoke up: “These people seem to have been involved in smuggling last night, and now they’ve been caught.
These guys really have guts to dare to smuggle, it’s even more serious than speculating.”
Hearing these words, Xu Ying’s slender fingers began to tremble slightly, her small face turning somewhat pale.
“Miss, what’s wrong with you? Did I bump into you too hard?” The journalist from before thought she might have collided with the young girl too fiercely, considering how delicate and pampered the girl looked.
Xu Ying waved her hand and glanced again at the car that had just driven by; Huo Chen wasn’t on it, which meant he hadn’t been arrested.
Xu Ying convinced herself, thinking that since Huo Chen survived in the black market, he surely wouldn’t get into trouble so easily.
Even so, Xu Ying was distracted at work. Even when Gu Fuying came to discuss her cousin’s marriage with her, Xu Ying was barely responsive.
“Yingying, is something bothering you?” Gu Fuying asked curiously. She’d been excitedly talking for quite a while, but Yingying showed no sign of emotion.
Startled by the pat, Xu Ying suddenly snapped back to reality and shook her head: “No, nothing!
Congratulations, your cousin and Dong Wenqiang are a good match.”
Gu Fuying nodded furiously upon hearing this: “Right, aren’t they a match? You have no idea how much my cousin likes Dong Wenqiang.
She’s pregnant already. Initially, my great aunt was against it, but she went ahead and presented it as a fait accompli, using the baby to blackmail my great aunt.
My great aunt turned green at that, it served her right.”
“When is your cousin getting married? Is the date set?” Xu Ying asked collaboratively.
Gu Fuying got even more excited at that: “Next month. They’ve been dragging it out; my cousin’s belly is growing, and if people find out she’s pregnant before marriage, the Gu family’s reputation will be ruined.
But my parents don’t care about this superficial stuff, it’s my great uncle and great aunt who care about face.”
Before, the great aunt always tried to set her up with a lesser man, hoping her cousin would outdo her. Now that dream was shattered, and she must be livid.
“Well, it is indeed better to get married sooner,” Xu Ying commented indifferently.
She was distracted all afternoon, and as soon as work was over, she rode her bike back to the village.