True to being Xiao Yao’s best friend, Tang Zhima immediately spoke to “calm the troops”: “What trouble? This is helping lovers get together, it’s a good deed! Besides, Yao’s brother’s prospective father-in-law is so stubborn, he deserves a lesson!”
“Right, exactly!” Everyone agreed.
Tang Zhima turned to Xiao Yao: “Don’t be nervous, everything will be OK! Your family will soon have a wedding! Stay calm.”
“Mm!” Xiao Yao nodded heavily, all her doubts and unease disappearing in the anticipation and fantasy of a wedding.
Everything will be OK, right?
One Strange Handsome Man
Chapter 2
A strange, handsome man got off the car, completely ignoring the crowd surrounding the vehicle, and directly opened the trunk.
Xiao Yao was pushed to the front, seemingly becoming the leader, while the “troops” behind her, after a moment of stunned silence, began to exchange observations.
Especially the girls, who were completely entranced.
“Oh, My God! He’s incredibly handsome! Who is he? Does anyone know him? Could he be Zhima’s friend?”
“No wonder we don’t recognize him. Such a wealthy and beautiful man, a top-tier hottie. Of course Zhima would want to hide him away!”
“Hmph,” the boys also had something to say: “Top-tier? Isn’t that exaggerated? He’s slightly good-looking, but wealthy? Who knows? You can’t judge by appearance!”
“Yeah, he didn’t even greet anyone, and he seems a bit arrogant. I’m thinking maybe the car isn’t even his, and he just wants to scam a big sum from Yao Yao.”
Everyone was chattering, but Xiao Yao remained silent.
When she first saw this man, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, but just as she was trying to recall, he turned his back.
Standing behind the man, she stared at his thick black hair blowing in the wind, and began to cautiously approach him. Xiao Yao was eager to get a clear look.
She believed that if she could just look a bit more, she would remember… she was certain she had seen this man before.
Closer, a little closer… she could see clearly now!
The man had a bronze-colored skin tone, a chiseled, three-dimensional face, and bold, thick eyebrows that looked particularly masculine. He was looking down, with feminine-like long, curled eyelashes, a straight nose bridge, and tightly pressed lips with a moist sheen that made one unable to resist imagining their softness; the light stubble around his lips added an even stronger masculine aura.
Xiao Yao, holding her breath, began to wonder if she had inherited her father’s faulty heart. Otherwise, why was her heart pounding so intensely…
Suddenly, the man turned around and handed her a leather suitcase.
Xiao Yao instinctively stepped back, but before she could steady herself, the weight of the suitcase was already in her hands.
“Careful!” The crowd behind her supported her to prevent her from falling.
The man just glanced over and continued walking.
The crowd’s gaze lingered between the suitcase and the man, and dissatisfied questions were directed at him.
“Hey! Who are you?”
“Did Zhima send you?”
“You need to cooperate with us.”
“If you mess up, you won’t get paid.”
This approach worked! The man’s footsteps stopped.
At this moment, Xiao Yao, surrounded by the crowd, moved forward.
Those behind her urged: “Go on, go clarify, or you might get scammed!”
Indeed, this was a matter of livelihood, so caution was best. Xiao Yao decided to ask clearly, and if the rental car fee would exceed the budget her brother provided, she would prefer to “return” it.
She took a deep breath, walked forward, and spoke to the tall figure: “Um, I wanted to ask you something—” Suddenly, the man turned around.
Wow! Deadly! Xiao Yao was struck speechless mid-sentence.
Shocking and soul-stirring! This was the only phrase she could use to describe the man’s incredibly deep gaze!
Jue Qing finally looked directly at the girl in front of him, and suddenly, his heart trembled.
Meeting her bright eyes, he was completely captured by a familiar feeling.
“Go ahead,” he suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and spoke in a deep, magnetic voice that once again captivated all the girls present.
“It’s, it’s about the car…” Xiao Yao wanted to bite her own tongue, wondering why her heart was malfunctioning.
The people around helped explain: “Just asking if you’ll charge for the rental car. If it’s too expensive, she can’t afford it.”
“Yeah, we’re just paying a symbolic fee, only 500 yuan per person.”
“500 yuan?” Jue Qing frowned. He had originally thought these people were temporary gardening workers, but now it seemed… something was suspicious.
One of the boys stated firmly: “Yes, 500 yuan! Do you want it? If so, take it from Yao; if not, then forget it.”
“Yao?” Jue Qing adjusted his angle and again looked directly at the girl called “Yao”, his gaze flickering subtly.
Yao? Is it her? The familiar name sparked an association.
The name’s owner showed no reaction.
“Yao?” He focused intently on her delicate face, trying to confirm his speculation.
“Uh?” Xiao Yao finally closed her mouth and uttered this sound.
Something struck Xiao Yao, making her entire being feel dull.
That single word “Yao” gave her a strange feeling! Her scalp tingled, and she got goosebumps… Was this a sign of a cold?
At that moment, her companions’ advice to “settle the transaction” brought her back to her senses.
“Yao, you should settle with him first.”
“Yeah, give him the money.”
“Okay.” Conforming to the group’s sentiment, Xiao Yao put down the man’s luggage and prepared to pay, reaching for her shoulder bag – in two seconds, she put the bag back down, pressing it tightly to her side.
Wow! Mickey Mouse underwear… As she quickly looked up, she met the man’s strange gaze.
He saw it! He definitely saw it!
Xiao Yao was absolutely certain.
Xiao Yao couldn’t help feeling a surge of heat, her eyes darting around, avoiding the man’s gaze.
With nearly frantic movements, she tried to pull out cash from the leather bag pressed against her waist and then extended it toward the man.
But he didn’t take it, and even shook his head.
Not enough? Xiao Yao spoke directly: “This… I know you drove here, five hundred is really too little. So tell me, how much do you want—”
“No money.” His gaze lingering on her face seemed to drift downward, finally settling.
He saw the heart-shaped pendant hanging on her chest.
It’s her! Indeed it’s her! Jue Qing’s chest tightened.
“No payment? You don’t want money? Uh… Although I’m grateful for your kind help, I don’t want you to work for free. This is just a small token, everyone takes it, you should too.”
“Different.” His steady voice began to waver slightly.
Different, of course it’s different! You silly girl…
A few days ago, he had returned to the old alley, trying to find her but found nothing. Unexpectedly, they would reunite at his own place.
Though the little girl who once wore braids was now tall and graceful, her changed appearance did not diminish her significance—she symbolized a certain period of his memories.
And that necklace had once been a kind of “token”.
It represented a once-lost past, now hanging around her neck. What it connected was far more than mere nostalgia could express.
Xiao Yao didn’t know what he was thinking, only feeling his expression was strange. After catching his gaze, she immediately turned pale.
She finally discovered the “different” place too!
The mystery was in the man’s eyes! He was actually staring at her chest? Before Xiao Yao could react, a urgent voice suddenly rang out—
Someone shouted: “Bad news! Zhima called saying the car broke down halfway. The worst part is, her mother says the owner has already returned to the country and might come back here any moment…”
The scene immediately fell into chaotic disorder.
