C21 A Loud Slap

"Chu Piaoling, what brings you here at this late hour? Did you come alone? And what did you need from me?" Yun Buhui found Chu Piaoling's visit odd, but he wasn't inclined to probe further. Besides, he couldn't fathom her true intentions for being there.

"Yun Buhui, are you Chen Shi Mei?" Chu Piaoling's question carried a certain decisiveness, despite its interrogative form. The accusation made Yun Buhui feel deeply uncomfortable.

"Before you confront me, Chu Piaoling, why not ask your father what really happened? I, Yun Buhui, stand guiltless before the heavens." Yun Buhui was indignant. The whole situation was clearly her father's fault, and yet Chu Piaoling, always so icy, had the audacity to question him directly. It was beyond frustrating for Yun Buhui.

"Chen Shi Mei!"

"The issue is resolved, Chu Piaoling. You need to take a moment to calm down. Stop calling me Chen Shi Mei. Looking back, I think this outcome is for the best—for both of us. You never liked me, and I never had feelings for you. Parting ways might actually be a good thing. Now, I find speaking with you much more comfortable. If you're open to it, we could be friends going forward. Should you need my assistance with anything, I, Yun Buhui, will do all I can to help."

Yun Buhui spoke from a place of past commitment; Chu Piaoling was once his fiancée. Despite the lack of any real connection between them, not even the simplicity of holding hands, he couldn't shake off a twinge of guilt as she stood before him, coldly uttering "Chen Shi Mei."

Just then, Suqiu emerged from the car: "Oh! Mr. Buhui, what's the matter? Do we have a visitor? Is this a bad time for me to come down? Give me the key, and I'll wait inside for you. But please, hurry. I get scared being alone in the house."

"Oh my God!"

At that moment, Yun Buhui truly felt like dying. Suqiu's behavior was baffling; she had emerged from the car speaking in a coquettish tone that was completely out of character for her. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to comment, so he simply took out his keys.

"There's chicken stew with mushrooms in the pot from this morning. If you're hungry, help yourself. Oh, and there's rice in the rice cooker."

Suqiu accepted the keys, giving Yun Buhui a deliberate wink. Under normal circumstances, the dimming light of dusk would have concealed such a subtle gesture. However, the bright lights outside Tiehzhu's house meant that Chu Piaoling could see their every move clearly.

"Humph! You think you could redeem yourself like Chen Shi Mei? I didn't expect you to be such an opportunist. Well, I'm leaving."

Yun Buhui blinked in confusion after Chu Piaoling huffed out her angry words. He glanced around, noting the darkness that had enveloped the area. The mountain region, unlike the city, was devoid of streetlights at night, plunging it into deep darkness. He couldn't bear the thought of Chu Piaoling walking alone; his concern was genuine, and he would feel this way for anyone, not just her.

"Then let me walk you home!"

"First, you need to take back what you said to my dad!"

Yun Buhui's scalp prickled at her demand. Take back his words? That was a joke! He had endured enough over the years and had no intention of retracting anything.

"The words I've spoken are final."

His resolute tone caused Chu Piaoling, who had been trudging along with her head down, to look up sharply. Without a word, she strode toward Yun Buhui. He stood still, puzzled, wondering what she intended to do next.

Chu Piaoling approached him directly. Yun Buhui watched, eyes wide, as she suddenly raised her hand and delivered a sharp slap to his face. The action was so unexpected that he had no chance to react. The sting on his cheek was immediate, but he knew he could have retaliated. Yet he remained still; hitting a woman was no show of strength. Besides, Chu Piaoling was known for her eccentricity, and he recognized that the fault in this situation was not hers alone.

"I can't believe you're trying to keep one foot in two boats, Yun Buhui. I despise you!"

Chu Piaoling was livid, her face contorted with rage. She spat out the words and stormed off without a second glance. Yun Buhui gingerly touched his cheek, still smarting from the confrontation, and couldn't help but feel at a loss for words. He knew, though, that the root of the issue lay with Chu Piaoling's father, and that Chu Piaoling herself was less involved. He suspected she was still in the dark about the whole truth.

Moreover, if this slap meant that she could let go of her grudges and start anew, perhaps it wasn't such a bad outcome. As for what Chu Piaoling thought about it all, Yun Buhui had no idea. But one thing he was certain of: he had no intention of falling for the icy beauty before him—no, more accurately, the formidable icy beauty.

As he watched her retreating figure grow fainter, Yun Buhui followed at a distance, determined to ensure her safe return home. He felt it was his responsibility as a man. However, a short way down the path, a figure emerged from a side alley. Approaching, Yun Buhui realized it was Chu Piaoling's father.

"Kid, you've got guts. Alright, head on back," the elder said.

Yun Buhui had never been particularly moved by the man, so he simply nodded and walked away, feeling a sense of injustice as he touched his bruised cheek.

Approaching his own house, Yun Buhui hesitated. With Suqiu alone inside, any misunderstanding could tarnish her reputation, even if he himself was indifferent to gossip. With that in mind, he decided against going home and instead headed to Tiehzhu's place.

Arriving at Tiehzhu's, Yun Buhui found the family waiting for him.

"Second aunt, the woman who was with me earlier is the owner of the Jewelry Store. I did her a big favor today, so she gave me a lift home. She even took me as her sworn brother at her store. But now, with just me at home, it wouldn't look right for us to be alone together. I don't want to cause any misunderstandings, so I was wondering if you could stay at my place tonight and keep my sister company?"

"Alright, you can stay at my place. I'll just tell Tiehzhu that you're here tutoring her. It's too late for her to go home now, so she can spend the night at your house. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." The genuine smile on Tiehzhu's mother's face warmed Yun Buhui's heart.

Yun Buhui cast a grateful glance at his second aunt.

The night passed in silence. The next morning, Yun Buhui hurried back early to start cooking. He had planned to stew another chicken, but before he could get it on the stove, someone emerged from inside the house.

"Hey! Isn't this Mr. Buhui? You're quite something! You lured me here and then spent the night at someone else's place. But considering your intentions were good, I'll let it slide. You don't need to cook, Mr. Buhui. I'm in a rush; there's an important meeting I have to attend today. Here's a piece of advice: that girl from last night isn't right for you."

Yun Buhui's cheeks involuntarily twitched at the memory of Ms. Su's odd behavior the previous evening. It was all for this? What a way to complicate things!

"Ms. Su, take this chicken and stew it in a pressure cooker. Make sure to add plenty of broth and cook it longer, or it won't soften up. This chicken is a real treat; you can't just buy this quality every day."

Suqiu pursed her lips upon hearing this. She was a woman of status, accustomed to the finer things, but she wouldn't turn down Yun Buhui's thoughtfulness over something as simple as a chicken.

Yun Buhui packed the freshly chopped chicken into a convenient bag and handed it to Suqiu, escorting her to her car. He watched her Hummer kick up dust as she sped off, then decided against cooking. He warmed up the leftovers from the day before and headed to the storage shed. There, he pulled out the most basic Flying Pigeon bike and pedaled his way to the township government office.

After some time had passed, Yun Buhui found himself in the county government office, face-to-face with the official responsible for contracting out barren mountains. He eagerly explained his desire to take on such a contract. The official listened but didn't immediately express approval or disapproval. Instead, he sized up Yun Buhui for quite a while before finally speaking with a hint of exasperation, "Yun Buhui, you're a high school graduate, a bright one at that. Why on earth are you acting so foolishly?"

"You can contract the mountain behind your house if you really want to; the process isn't too complicated. However, that mountain is rocky, which means you can't touch any of the trees. If you do take on the contract, someone will come to inventory them. Should any trees die, you'll be responsible for replacing each one."

"Greening a rocky mountain is indeed important, and since mining is prohibited, what's the point in owning it? You can't even sell the stones. What are you hoping to achieve here? It's like you're just throwing money away. And don't give me that look. If it weren't for the fact that your father and I are old classmates, I wouldn't even bother with this mess of yours!"

"Apologies, folks, for the delay today. Please forgive me. I'll catch up right away!"