Free Web NovelChapter 1149: Chapter 343: Yue Yao Speaks
Chapter 343: Yue Yao Speaks
After listening to Hai Fu’s story, everyone remained silent, not knowing how to comment.
If it was just about single men and women, their somewhat rational and restrained relationship wouldn’t be much to comment on. But Li Yan being a married man makes him deserve criticism.
And the person most qualified to criticize him now is Zhang Yurong, Li Yan’s legitimate wife.
After listening, Zhang Yurong didn’t know whether to be angry or to sigh in empathy, because she also had her own secret she couldn’t share. She knew about Yu Xiaodi’s situation from Li Yan, and this time it was Hai Fu speaking; she believed Hai Fu wouldn’t lie to her.
Li Yan initially got together with Hai Fu because of a one-night stand driven by the atmosphere of the moment, and around the same time, Yu Xiaodi persistently pursued Li Yan until he fell for her. It seemed that this guy was actually quite cautious about relationships!
Zhang Yurong had known this for a long time, like how when they were living together, she knew he often went out drinking with his buddies on weekend nights. Who would believe he wasn’t flirting with other women? There was even that time at the Prince Hotel, where they were all stuck because of the anthrax threat, and Li Yan found a woman in the guest room. Even though Li Yan explained it was just a massage, who would believe that?
But in the past, she never paid much attention to this issue, let alone the relationship between the two of them. She just thought Li Yan married her to fulfill her father’s wishes, and she herself slept in a separate room, never fulfilling her wifely duties or giving him any benefits.
At one point, she regarded him as an "unknown acquaintance I’m indebted to". That being the case, Li Yan, a mature man, would resolve such needs himself, as long as he didn’t disturb her or bring random women home to fool around, it was good enough. She thought that was the best state of affair.
But unexpectedly a year later, she found herself entangled in emotions, while Li Yan’s casual past had left so many troubles.
At this moment, Yurong felt a bit of regret and secretly blamed him: "If you want to have your fun, do it. It’s not like I forbade you. But even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their burrow! Yet you went for someone in the company! You had a one-night stand and changed partners for freshness, why did you let it become a long-term thing?"
It’s not that she was open-minded, but she chose the lesser of two evils. Like how many women can turn a blind eye to their husbands hiring escorts during social occasions but are highly hostile towards long-term mistresses.
Because whether it’s spending money or a one-night stand, they’re fleeting visitors, purely physical affairs that end at dawn—or right after release, leaving and forgetting. The heart is still home, and the person will return. But mistresses and second women might take away a lot of a man’s time and money, or even worse, destroy the family and replace the original wife. That’s what women find hardest to accept!
Yurong finds herself in such a state now, knowing long ago that Li Yan wasn’t abstinent, and it’s impossible to expect him to remain celibate for years. Initially, she felt it was unrelated to her, later considered them insignificant fleeting affairs. But now that emotions are involved, it’s messy—a single Yu Xiaodi is enough, let alone the deeply attached Qiao Huanxuan, and now another Hai Fu...
Zhang Yurong looked at Hai Fu, who was also staring at her. She then turned to Yu Xiaodi, who was also watching her.
"So...it turns out you all have so many stories. I couldn’t tell at all..." she managed a comment, breaking the oppressive silence.
Hai Fu gave a wry smile without saying more.
Zhang Yurong sighed, "Don’t overthink, I don’t mean to be sarcastic. If you want to keep a secret, just like my affair with him, you can’t tell. Also...in the company, you don’t have many real friends, and when I contact you...most of the time, it’s work-related. After work, meeting each other is good, we’ve been neglecting you...so, your post-work changes are because of him?"
Hai Fu’s image in the company has always been unchanged. If there was a change, she wouldn’t naturally appear any different. Her only company ’transformation’ was during the New Year’s collective company trip when she felt pressured yet collected the courage to dress differently. That time the entire company was surprised, including Zhang Yurong. Some speculated she might be dating, but upon return to work, she reverted, and everyone merely gossiped privately without daring to inquire.
"Not because of him...he gave me confidence, made me cherish the last of my youth," Hai Fu said quietly.
After she finished speaking, everyone fell silent again.
Yue Yao and Yu Xiaodi were not familiar with Hai Fu and didn’t know what to say.
It’s often said two women equal a thousand ducks, and three women can put on a play, vividly illustrating how women have a lot to talk about and naturally enjoy chatting, even with casual acquaintances. Just not severely disliked people, they can converse enthusiastically on ordinary topics—even if they talk negatively about each other afterward.
Yet with four women present now, it’s very quiet. The cold silence made the atmosphere appear even more unnatural. Whereas men might light a cigarette, and the act of smoking would dissipate the awkwardness.
The core issue troubling them was Li Yan, who has unspoken secrets with each of them. Zhang Yurong couldn’t tell them her marriage with Li Yan wasn’t what people imagined; Yu Xiaodi couldn’t reveal Li Yan’s affairs with Huang Ying, Shinohara Mirai, and Matsushima Kui; Hai Fu couldn’t divulge that Li Yan was still fond of Wen Qianyi; Yue Yao couldn’t disclose her relationship with Li Yan...
Yurong had dealt with matters concerning a major project with several big companies, but she had never imagined she would have to deal with issues involving several women over one man. After a terrifyingly quiet silence, she looked to Yue Yao for help, hoping Yue Yao could come up with a strategy—what could she do now?
Even with Little Yu, whom she had temporarily accepted, and Hai Fu, with whom relations had improved several times, she certainly couldn’t just drive them away or forbid them from interacting with Li Yan.
Yue Yao was also feeling helpless. According to her plan, Li Yan was the most suitable person to be with Yurong, and it would be best if she could continue living with them as she was now. But now... The relationships are too chaotic!
Moreover, relying on a woman’s innate sixth sense, she felt that the other women who weren’t present weren’t entirely innocent in their relationships with Li Yan. If they were to gather together, things might get even more chaotic!
"How about..."
Once Yue Yao spoke, the three of them focused their attention on her, all with a hint of expectation in their eyes.
Those involved are often confused, while observers see things clearly. Since they were all caught up in this mess, perhaps Yue Yao, who had a good relationship with Yurong yet could observe calmly, could offer them some good advice.
"Just the four of us..."
Hmm? Just the four of us? How did she include herself in this? Everyone wondered skeptically.
"... How about we play mahjong? We have just enough for a table!"
The three were speechless and stunned, even the one with the highest expectations, Yurong, did not expect Yue Yao to offer such an outrageous suggestion. It seemed this chaotic situation was too much for Yue Yao to sort out—she lacked experience in such matters too.
Yue Yao chuckled awkwardly, a bit embarrassed, and said, "Just joking, just joking... Lighten up the mood."
Admittedly, this ill-placed joke, although it didn’t make anyone laugh, significantly relieved the heavy and tense atmosphere from earlier.
"Because Yurong trusts me and doesn’t treat me as an outsider, even such an important matter isn’t hidden from me. Miss Yu and Miss Hai didn’t feel antagonistic towards me either, and Li Yan is also my friend, so I can’t just listen passively. Let me share a few of my outsider observations..." Yue Yao got serious.
Everyone quietly watched her, curious to hear the theory she might present. After the earlier turmoil, the level of expectation had noticeably decreased. But in a situation where the three women couldn’t speak freely, having an outsider provide an opinion was valuable for reference, whether or not it was suitable.
"Firstly, no matter how we discuss this, we have to admit one point: Yurong and Li Yan are the ones who have known each other the longest, are married, and are legally protected as a legitimate couple."
Yue Yao’s words filled Yurong with gratitude. Although this seemed fair to an outsider, Yurong understood that Yue Yao was leaning towards her, providing a precaution to defend her position in case others discovered the true nature of her marriage to Li Yan and questioned her inability to fulfill her duties as a wife.
Hai Fu and Little Yu couldn’t argue, as it was obvious—though they hadn’t seen Li Yan and Yurong’s marriage certificate, someone like Yurong would never lie about such a thing, and if not, Li Yan wouldn’t be living there.
"Secondly, everyone involved can also be considered victims; the real culprit is Li Yan, who’s still lying unconscious!" Yue Yao silently apologized to Li Yan, but she could only shift the blame onto him for now. Of course, it was true.
The three tacitly agreed; without Li Yan, none of this would have happened.
"Thirdly, Yurong is kind-hearted. Even when Li Yan brought Miss Yu back, which hurt her greatly, she didn’t tear into anyone but gave Miss Yu enough respect..."
Little Yu nodded, needing to acknowledge this. Yurong was incredibly magnanimous; if she hadn’t temporarily accepted, hadn’t given the chance for competition, she could have easily used her identity to pressure Li Yan to cut ties. At that time, Li Yan hadn’t even officially admitted she was his girlfriend, let alone get involved with her.
Yue Yao continued with a twist: "... But this is not a reason for everyone to bully her!"
She had observed that Hai Fu, in comparison to Yurong, was far more challenging than Little Yu—whether in terms of their bond or importance—and it made things difficult for her to be decisive. And she didn’t know Hai Fu well enough to know if she might exploit this. So she had to help Yurong claim the upper hand!
(Another Chapter tonight) (To be continued, to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more Chapters—support the author, support legitimate reading!)
