Chapter 153: Explain? No Explanation

Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Explain? No Explanation

Zhang Yun couldn’t help but glance at Ouyang Mingruo. She was looking down at her phone, searching for other restaurants.

"I’m Zhang Yun, but do we know each other? I don’t think I recognize you."

Was she a former female classmate? If she was a girl from high school, or even middle school, in the same grade, it was genuinely possible he wouldn’t remember her.

Zhang Yun scrutinized her. Earlier, with a quick glance, he could only tell she was a young woman. Now, looking closely, he saw her makeup was so heavy that it was hard to make out her true features. But she did look somewhat familiar. He had a faint impression of her, though it was very vague. Just as he was about to test if she was a classmate by speaking in his hometown dialect, the girl spoke up first.

"Weren’t you introduced by that Uncle Wang or something? Someone else was using my phone last time, played a joke on you, and deleted you. Remember now? I added you again later, but you ignored me."

Introduced by Uncle Wang? Deleted me? Was it the woman introduced by his second uncle, Wang Fugui?

Back then, right after they added each other on WeChat, she said that since it was through an acquaintance, she gave her price right away. Later, when he asked for some photos, she sent a few and immediately recalled them. They were all heavily photoshopped, and he had only caught a brief glimpse. No wonder she looked slightly familiar! Later, because he replied that she was located too far away, she deleted him. Any further messages required a friend request verification.

As for whether she had added him again later, Zhang Yun wasn’t sure. After the million-yuan cash incident, many people—both acquaintances and strangers—had sent him friend requests, all of which he had ignored.

Remembering this, Zhang Yun couldn’t help but exclaim, "You’re the girl who offered a twenty percent discount for acquaintances—1,200 for one time and 2,000 for a night! What a coincidence! I can’t believe I ran into you here!"

She was nothing more than a passing stranger; Zhang Yun had even found it hard to deal with his second uncle’s subsequent questions about it. Who would have thought he’d be recognized thousands of miles away? It seemed she must have asked his second uncle for a photo of him later on. Zhang Yun’s photo was authentic, and now that he had dressed up and groomed himself, any difference only made him look more handsome. So, it wasn’t surprising that she recognized him.

Having her price for "one time" and "a night" blurted out in public made the girl’s face darken. However, afraid that trying to explain would only draw more attention and make things worse, she didn’t argue. Instead, she just said, "Oh, come on, just add me back first..."

Zhang Yun was about to make things clear to her, so her elders in Xiaobei Village wouldn’t go bothering his second uncle again, when he saw Ouyang Mingruo stand up and walk towards the exit.

"Are we eating somewhere else?" Zhang Yun quickly stood up as well. "Sorry, I don’t think we’re a good match, so I won’t add you."

Seeing that Ouyang Mingruo didn’t reply to him and was walking out while looking at her phone, Zhang Yun worried that something might have happened. Without saying much more to the girl, he hurried to catch up with Mingruo.

The girl hesitated for a moment and didn’t try to grab Zhang Yun. The other women at her table immediately gathered around her.

"Wow, that’s bold! Hitting on him right in front of his girlfriend!"

"It was so satisfying to watch! Break them up if you can. What cat doesn’t steal a little fish on the side?"

"It’s not like that! My family set him up as a blind date for me. They said they recently found out he’s making a lot of money."

"He went on a blind date with you when he already has a girlfriend? What a piece of trash! Let’s chase after him and beat him up!"

"He might be a scumbag, but he’s really handsome. Totally my type."

"Wake up! Can’t you tell? He’s clearly in the same line of work as us. If he’s suddenly making a lot of money, it just means he hooked up with a rich sugar mama."

"A gigolo! Then what’s he acting so arrogant for? Their rate might be high, but we make up for it in volume with more clients!"

By this time, Zhang Yun had already chased Ouyang Mingruo downstairs.

"Why are you following me?" she snapped.

"Huh?" Zhang Yun was baffled.

"Go eat with them. After you’re done, you can go have your 1,200-a-time meal. There are plenty of them. It’s just five or six thousand; it’s not like you can’t afford it. Go have your fun!"

Ouyang Mingruo no longer pretended to look at her phone. She tried to control her emotions, but a string of angry words still burst out, though she managed to keep her voice somewhat low.

The two of them had hurried outside, and Zhang Yun finally understood why she had walked away without a word.

"You misunderstood. It’s not what you think..." Zhang Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He had just been so surprised earlier. The world felt too small. Having only crossed paths with that woman once, he had naturally blurted it out, completely forgetting that Ouyang Mingruo was sitting right next to him.

Ouyang Mingruo sneered. "Pretending you didn’t know her? Pulling up your pants and refusing to acknowledge her? Scumbag!"

Initially, she had been a bit resentful towards Zhang Yun, and her coming out to meet him was a kind of spiritual escape. But after last night, Zhang Yun’s performance had been so wonderful that she was deeply moved. Waking up this morning, her heart had been full of warmth and sweetness. It was to the point where someone like her—who usually raced against the clock and cherished every second—was willing to put aside her work to take Zhang Yun out for morning tea and enjoy a slow-paced life.

Yet, it resulted in her witnessing such a scene!

Was it a coincidence? She believed it was, but in such a huge city, randomly running into one just by having breakfast showed just how many he must have patronized! He wasn’t just a massive pervert; he was a regular john!

Zhang Yun frowned. "You really misunderstood. Originally, there was nothing to explain, but for the sake of my reputation, I must clarify..."

"Reputation? Tsk, tsk. Some people pretend to be as shy and innocent as a pure little flower in front of others, but behind their backs, it’s 1,200 for one time and 2,000 for a night. And even introduced by an acquaintance! I really misjudged you!"

Zhang Yun suddenly stopped walking. Arguing on the street was quite embarrassing. He had wanted to explain just now because he didn’t want Ouyang Mingruo to misunderstand him. But listening to her words, he recalled his own decision. Since he didn’t want to get emotionally involved with her, what was the point of explaining? He might as well use this opportunity to let her misunderstand.

A massive pervert or a regular john, it didn’t matter. With his image ruined, she wouldn’t come looking for him anymore, right?

Ouyang Mingruo had already stomped more than a dozen paces away. Realizing that Zhang Yun wasn’t following her, she immediately stopped and turned around.

"What are you doing?"

Zhang Yun walked over and smiled. "It’s not that you misjudged me; it’s that you don’t know me well enough. As the saying goes, you may know a person’s face but not their heart... No, wait, that makes me sound like a bad guy. I should say that everyone has an A-side and a B-side. I might have some bad habits that others absolutely despise."

Ouyang Mingruo frowned. "Weren’t you going to explain?"

"You saw it all. That is the explanation. Saying anything more would just be making excuses, and it would only make things worse. I have my pride too, you know!"

"Hmph!"

"Alright, you’ve lost your appetite, and I ate so much last night that I’m not hungry either. Let’s head back."

After Zhang Yun finished speaking, Ouyang Mingruo glared at him and muttered, "I’ll save you a little face on the street. We’ll settle this when we get back!"

"I meant for you to head back. I’m going home."

"W-What?" Ouyang Mingruo was stunned. She had been getting ready to continue the argument when they got back, but he wasn’t coming with her?

"That Zhen Wei has some real skill, and with his disguise as a security guard, it’s easier for him to spot anyone with malicious intent. Right now, only you know about him; his cover hasn’t been blown. With him protecting you, I can rest easy. But you still need to stay vigilant yourself..."

Listening to Zhang Yun’s instructions, Ouyang Mingruo felt a bit dazed. "You... you..."

"I’m a grown man, of course I know how to get back. Worst-case scenario, I’ll just hail a private car. It’s not like I don’t have the money. Since I’m already here, I might as well look around!" Zhang Yun gave her a smile. "Thanks for the clothes. They fit perfectly. I won’t bother paying you back for them."

Looking at Zhang Yun’s smile, Ouyang Mingruo didn’t feel any warmth. Instead, she felt as though the warmth was rapidly draining away!

"What do you mean?"

In response, Zhang Yun simply waved his hand and jogged straight across the street. By the time she snapped out of her daze, he had already disappeared into the crowd!