Free Web NovelChapter 1156: Chapter 350: Encouragement and Provocation
Chapter 350: Encouragement and Provocation
Yurong’s decision at the time wasn’t made on a whim. Over six months since Yue Yao’s arrival, although she hadn’t brought any material benefits, she enriched Yurong’s life on a spiritual level. Apart from advising her on relationships and matchmaking her with Li Yan, Yue Yao always prioritized Yurong in many matters. For instance, even when there was potential danger last night, she still accompanied her home; and later, she even offered to help with the gun she had picked up...
Therefore, she couldn’t bear the thought of Yue Yao being silenced by Li Yan—no matter how unlikely it seemed, she couldn’t take the risk. Of course, making such a decision involved sacrificing her interests, making her feel it was a noble sacrifice.
Yue Yao forced a wry smile, though she said it was ridiculous, her heart was full of excitement. Last night, instead of using the opportunity to sow discord between Li Yan and Yurong, she encouraged and persuaded, thinking of Yurong’s well-being. Now she realized that her efforts were reciprocated; while she was considering Yurong, Yurong was quietly doing the same for her!
If it weren’t for the incident of Li Yan losing contact and falling unconscious, if everyone had returned together last night, Yurong might have already started implementing her matchmaking plan!
"Upon reflection, I realized that last night I was rather self-centered. It seemed as though I made a sacrifice, allowing my husband to accept another girl; but this might not be your desire! If you personally don’t agree, and it’s just my wishful thinking, that would harm you. Being silenced may offer a quick release, but being defiled by a disliked man leads to lasting emotional harm." Yurong smiled apologetically.
"I know you’re doing it for my good..."
"Regardless, your opinion must be sought. You already know there are multiple girls around him now; maybe my mindset is like ’what’s the difference.’ Haha... adding one more won’t upset me, rather it would be better if it’s you. But from your previous disdainful attitude, it seems you also disapprove of him..."
"This problem..." Yue Yao smiled wryly, "It’s truly beyond my expectations."
By this point, Zhang Yurong didn’t feel uneasy anymore and earnestly said, "I’m not joking nor testing you. To be honest, when I asked if you were an orphan, there was no hidden motive. You mentioned liking to stay here with us, and we feel the same. Even if you’ve moved past your previous boyfriend, if you have family, I would still need to consider them before saying such things.
But if you indeed have no family and are willing to stay with us, this isn’t a bad option. Of course, this is all based on your voluntary choice and mutual attraction towards him; and it’s not the only solution, just a temporary one I thought of yesterday. Perhaps you could formally recognize me as a sister, or recognize Li Yan as an adoptive brother, which is also feasible."
Yue Yao found it both amusing and frustrating: "Sister Yurong, you sound like the main wife in ancient times encouraging her husband to take a concubine! It’s not like you at all..."
Zhang Yurong felt a bit embarrassed. She sighed, "What else can I do? I don’t understand him well, nor the assassin mentality. They say assassins are heartless... but whether acknowledging each other as sisters or recognizing him as an adoptive brother, I don’t know if it’s enough weight. However, this guy is indeed sentimental and holds affection for women; Hu Xiaodi approached him, and it seems like emotions developed between him and Hai Fu... you’re so beautiful and sensible, I can’t believe he wouldn’t have thoughts about you."
"..." Yue Yao felt awkward.
She wanted to assure Yurong that Li Yan wouldn’t harm her, but at this moment, complete honesty might shock Yurong rather than reassure her, and cause her to lose trust in everyone.
"Didn’t he lose some memory? Maybe the incident last night was too shocking, so he doesn’t remember. If that’s the case, then it’s okay, and there’s no need to..." Yue Yao avoided directly answering by procrastinating.
Yurong forced a bitter laugh: "Do you really believe he lost his memory? I think only Hu Xiaodi would believe that; she’s young and doesn’t know more of his secrets. We were all present last night—do you believe such a strong person would conveniently lose memory of last night’s events? His unconsciousness was verified by the hospital, but the amnesia upon waking was just his claim. I suspect... he simply wants to give everyone a buffer time to face it."
"Then..." Yue Yao felt a bit guilty, thinking only she understood Li Yan well enough to suspect he was using amnesia as an excuse, not realizing Yurong could also deduce that.
Before Yue Yao could finish speaking, she continued, "Wait for a while and then talk about it? What if he’s just trying to pacify me? I don’t want to go to work only to come back and hear you’ve already ’left’... You don’t want to be ’left’ forever, right?"
"..."
Yurong didn’t understand the situation with assassins, she just speculated based on films and such. Yue Yao, being half an assassin herself, clearly knew that assassins weren’t completely heartless. They just didn’t want to involve the people they care about, so out of a protective instinct, they try not to let them know. Once they know, it doesn’t necessarily mean silencing; sometimes it’s trust, sometimes it’s leaving...
Now wasn’t the time to explain these things to her; Yue Yao, in order to reassure Yurong, could only express herself, "Yurong sis, I would very much like to live with you all for a long time. But this way isn’t fair to you, let’s see how it goes first. I believe Li Yan is not such a cold-blooded person, as long as we talk it over properly, it can still be resolved rationally."
This was a polite way of delaying; from her personal point of view, it was undoubtedly the best solution, allowing her and Li Yan to interact openly in front of Yurong. But this certainly involved deception due to the asymmetry of confidence which Yurong didn’t know about now but Li Yan did, and it didn’t mean she would never know, which could not last long.
But from Zhang Yurong’s perspective, Yue Yao not directly refusing could possibly mean passive acceptance, only declining out of consideration for her feelings. She could still trust him knowing that Li Yan is both unfaithful and an assassin, which was itself a deep sign of affection.
This answer had already led her to a decision. So many people were already involved with Li Yan, another Yue Yao wasn’t really hard for Yurong to accept. If because of this, Yue Yao could gain a safety guarantee, it would still be worth it.
"You should go see him too! I’ll go down and heat up some food." Yurong didn’t say more, she got up to leave, and invited Yue Yao to go see Li Yan.
"How about I go get the food? You go back and see him." Yue Yao suddenly laughed, "Just now, Yu Xiaodi was called up unexpectedly and excitedly ran to see Li Yan, without even wearing pants. It’s better if..."
This joke lightened the tense atmosphere a little. Yurong felt a bit embarrassed, they both could go in at any time, and no matter how desperate they were, they couldn’t actually do anything. However, she hadn’t noticed Yu Xiaodi’s outfit earlier due to preoccupations. Reflecting back, it indeed was the case.
Yu Xiaodi wasn’t a frequent visitor here, and of course, the guest room didn’t have her pajamas; she also came over on a whim without bringing a change of clothes. Despite not being asleep earlier, she had already gone to bed. When Zhang Yurong knocked urgently on the door, she answered in her T-shirt with no time to put on pants, and was pulled over to Yue Yao’s side immediately upon opening the door. Upon hearing about Li Yan waking up, going back to put on pants was the last thing on her mind.
"Look at what you’re saying. If I hurried over, wouldn’t it make me look petty, wanting to catch them in the act?" Yurong also laughed, then said, "Let’s just go down together then! It’s already like this, might as well be generous and let them have a good chat."
"You can’t do that. You’re generous with Yu Xiaodi, generous with Hai Fu, but what about the others? Are you going to be soft-hearted and generous too? And what about yourself?" Yue Yao shook her head, walked with her towards the door while continuing, "Giving them a chance to compete is already a rare act of generosity. Since you’re all in a competitive relationship, you should maintain a competitive stance. Maybe not to the point of fighting for every inch, but you cannot indulge and concede endlessly either."
Yurong sighed softly, saying with a hint of melancholy, "Actually, I was just saying it. You know me, am I someone who could actively compete? Hai Fu isn’t that kind of person either... Sometimes, I quite envy and admire Yu Xiaodi, she can pursue love freely and recklessly, something I find hard to do."
This is somewhat a matter of character; Yue Yao could only encourage, unable to change her too much. But seeing her low morale, Yue Yao still encouraged, "Why would you think that way? You used to see Yu Xiaodi as just a little girl, merely got angry, but never regarded her as an opponent on the same level, hence the lack of fighting spirit. But now it’s different, Hai Fu you can’t let go, if you do, it will only lead to her feeling guilty and ashamed; so you need to muster your fighting spirit."
"I don’t know much about Huang Ying, Li Jie, and Qiao Huanxuan, but I’ve met Wen Qianyi; I must say, her charisma is exceptionally strong. If you don’t bring your full fighting spirit, once she competes with all her might, chances are you might all lose! In the company, you’re the leader; if you lose to her in a romantic setting, you might also feel discouraged on professional grounds, and feel three feet shorter in front of her, which would not be beneficial for Paradise Group’s development. This is not a trivial matter. I believe you’re not afraid of her, nor will you be defeated by her."
These words were a clear mix of encouragement and a provocation technique. She used Hai Fu to encourage her to keep going, and used Wen Qianyi to highlight the strength of the enemy.
Zhang Yurong could discern Yue Yao’s provocation, but she couldn’t help feeling a surge of competitiveness. Wen Qianyi was evidently a strong competitor in many respects. In the company, everyone competed for mutual company benefits, whether someone was a bit stronger or weaker wasn’t her main concern. But in the arena of emotions, it’s not about mutual gain anymore. (To be continued. To find out what happens next, please log on to www.qidian.com for more Chapters. Support the author and read legitimately!)
