Chapter 161: Upstaging the Host
Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Upstaging the Host
Guo Dongmei packed a large bundle with clothes, snacks, and various daily necessities, then boarded a train for Labor County. On the train, she unexpectedly ran into Chen Lei.
When Chen Lei saw Guo Dongmei, he asked curiously, "Dongmei, where are you headed?"
Seeing it was Chen Lei, Guo Dongmei replied with a smile, "I’m going to visit Yu Sen. He hasn’t been back to Jincheng City for a long time."
Chen Lei froze at her words, then asked probingly, "I haven’t seen that kid in a long time either. I don’t even know where his work trip has taken him. Do you know where he is? If you tell me, I’ll go visit him too when I have a spare moment."
Though Guo Dongmei kept a smile on her face, she was inwardly on guard. "I’m not sure either," she said with a laugh. "I just heard from a friend that they saw Yu Sen, so I’m going over there to try my luck."
"Oh, so that’s how it is!" Seeing that Guo Dongmei was unwilling to talk, Chen Lei didn’t press the issue. He chuckled. "Alright then. As it happens, I’m very busy myself, so I don’t have the time anyway. If you need anything, you can find me. I have to get back to my work."
"Thank you, Brother Chen," Guo Dongmei said gratefully. She watched him leave and only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
’I don’t know if Chen Lei knows where Hua Yusen is,’ she thought, ’but for something like this, the fewer people who know, the better.’
Chen Lei returned to the conductor’s office, lost in thought.
’Even I don’t know the specifics of Hua Yusen’s work assignment—only that he has a contact in Labor County. So how could Guo Dongmei possibly know his exact location?’
’Besides, the Guo Family is very close to the Li family. When the Hua family fell on hard times, the Guo Family didn’t just refuse to help; they made a lot of moves behind the scenes to suppress the Hua family’s affairs and drag things out. I wouldn’t believe for a second that the Guo Family has any goodwill left for the Hua family.’
Feeling uneasy, Chen Lei quickly wrote a letter. He decided that once they reached Labor County, he would give it to his contact in the local organization to pass on to Hua Yusen. The letter would warn him about the situation in Jincheng City and tell him to be wary of Guo Dongmei.
’He needs to be on guard against both the Guo Family and Guo Dongmei.’
After all, the Guo Family was now very close with the Li family, and it was practically an open secret in Jincheng City that the Li family and the Gu Family were mortal enemies.
The fortunes of families like his were entirely staked on Elder Gu. If anything were to happen to Elder Gu, their families would be ruined and wiped out along with him.
When they arrived at Labor County, Chen Lei saw Guo Dongmei get off the train without a word of goodbye, which only deepened his suspicions. He took advantage of the stop to hand the letter to his contact at the station.
When Guo Dongmei arrived in Labor County, someone was there to meet her and escort her safely to Nianqiao Village.
The fishing was set to begin the next day. It would be exhausting work, so everyone decided to have a big feast that evening to build up their strength.
Zhao Nuanyue, Li Qiong, and Wang Yuan had just finished setting a table with food when they heard someone call out from the gate.
"Who is it?" Li Qiong wondered. "That doesn’t sound like anyone from Nianqiao Village. I’ll get the gate."
Wang Yuan thought for a moment. "Nuanyue," she said, "from the sound of their voice, their accent is a lot like ours. Do you think it’s one of the young people from Jincheng City?"
"I’m not sure," Zhao Nuanyue said, shaking her head. "Li Qiong will be right back. We can ask her then."
Li Qiong opened the gate to find a young woman with two braids standing before her. "Hello," Li Qiong asked, "who are you? Who are you looking for?"
Guo Dongmei beamed. "I’m Guo Dongmei," she said. "I’m looking for my fiancé, Hua Yusen."
Li Qiong’s eyes widened in utter shock.
’Oh my god, isn’t Hua Yusen dating Zhao Nuanyue?’
’So where did this fiancée come from?’
’Is Hua Yusen two-timing them?’
’That’s disgusting!’
’Hua Yusen always acts like such an upright gentleman. I can’t believe he’s actually a womanizer who flirts with everyone he meets!’
Seeing Li Qiong’s shocked expression, Guo Dongmei was also surprised. "Is Hua Yusen not here?" she asked again.
’The information I got from my brother pointed to this exact place. And the person from Labor County who met me brought me here personally. It can’t be wrong!’
"He’s... he is!" Li Qiong answered, flustered. ’No matter what, this Guo Dongmei is Hua Yusen’s legitimate fiancée. I can’t lie and send her away just because I’m good friends with Zhao Nuanyue.’
"Then may I come in?" Guo Dongmei asked with a smile, her eyes glancing into the courtyard.
The courtyard of the Dragon King Temple was large. A leafy tree cast a wide patch of shade, and beneath it sat a large table. On the table were flatbreads and porridge; they were just about to eat.
"Yes, of course," Li Qiong replied. "Please, come in!"
Li Qiong’s mind was racing. ’I’ll have to comfort Zhao Nuanyue later. I need to convince her to forget Hua Yusen and break things off with him. The man has a fiancée! If she stays entangled with him, she’s bound to get hurt. As her friend, I can’t just stand by and watch her suffer!’
’Sigh. To think that someone as wonderful as Nuanyue is being deceived by a scumbag.’
Guo Dongmei walked in, her eyes scanning the surroundings. Then she saw Zhao Nuanyue emerge from the kitchen, carrying a ceramic basin of porridge.
Zhao Nuanyue looked at the visitor and was struck dumb. An intense pang of guilt shot through her, and the basin nearly slipped from her hands. She quickly composed herself, however.
Seeing Zhao Nuanyue’s state, Wang Yuan rushed forward to help her hold the basin, preventing it from crashing to the ground.
"Nuanyue, be careful! This porridge is hot. It’ll be a real problem if you get burned," Wang Yuan cautioned. Together, they managed to set the ceramic basin on a stool by the table. "Come on, everyone, dinner’s ready! Hurry up and come eat!"
Guo Dongmei’s gaze swept over Li Qiong, Wang Yuan, and Zhao Nuanyue. It paused for a fraction of a second on Zhao Nuanyue before she smiled and said, "Hello. I’m Guo Dongmei. I’m here to visit my fiancé, Hua Yusen."
’Fiancée!’
Zhao Nuanyue had already guessed who she was just from her profile, and hearing the name confirmed it. This was Hua Yusen’s legitimate fiancée, which made her the other woman. ’Even though I know that in our past life, Guo Dongmei abandoned Hua Yusen... even though I know he didn’t love, and in fact, loathed this woman... even though before my rebirth, *I* was his woman... right now, I have no right to condemn her.’
"Huh?" Wang Yuan was also taken aback. "You’re Hua Yusen’s fiancée?"
Guo Dongmei nodded. "That’s right. Thank you all for taking care of my fiancé. I’ll do the cooking for the next few days to show my gratitude."
Guo Dongmei had seized the initiative the moment she arrived, staking her claim and daring the other three young women to challenge her.
’Hua Yusen isn’t my ideal husband,’ she thought, ’but he’s still my fiancé, and he’s still useful to me. I absolutely will not allow anyone else to get their hands on him.’
A wave of misery washed over Zhao Nuanyue, but she didn’t let herself cry.