Chapter 163: I’ll Leave It With You for Now

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: I’ll Leave It With You for Now

After changing hotels, Zhang Yun finally felt at ease. He no longer had to worry about Tang Zhiwei sending people to attack them at Vienna.

Yang Xiaoyun didn’t want to return to her hometown. It wasn’t that people would point fingers at her for getting a divorce—society had moved past that—but her parents used to brag endlessly about how well she had married. If she returned from the big city as a divorcee, there would inevitably be people laughing behind her back. Besides, there wasn’t much opportunity for development in a small town. She couldn’t just go back and mooch off her parents forever, could she?

"What do you think about me opening a flower shop?" Yang Xiaoyun asked casually, figuring Zhang Yun’s social experience wasn’t extensive enough to offer any profound advice anyway.

"Naive!" Zhang Yun immediately shot the idea down. "Flower shops, bakeries, cafes... those are the kinds of businesses women want to open the most, but they are incredibly hard to run well. Usually, the people who open them aren’t short on cash; they just want a hobby to pass the time and consider small losses a win. But you? You might be able to afford the losses in the short term, but what about the long term?"

It wasn’t appropriate for Zhang Yun to ask about the details of her divorce. However, given that custody of both children had gone to Tang Zhiwei, he guessed she had likely been a full-time housewife without a steady job. Right now, the only money she had was her divorce settlement.

Yang Xiaoyun looked a bit embarrassed. "I have a best friend who opened a bakery..."

"Her situation..."

"It’s not what you think! She’s also divorced and living alone. She loves baking, and running her bakery keeps her happily busy."

Zhang Yun instantly understood why she had been so decisive. In a Friends Circle, if one woman got a divorce, it was highly contagious!

Every man had a wandering eye. These days, as long as a man wasn’t completely unappealing, there were simply too many temptations—casual hookups, sketchy massages—and even the spineless ones would at least flirt online. Once a woman discovered this kind of behavior, she would definitely stand by her best friend, cursing the scumbag out and urging her to break up.

The seven-year itch in a marriage was already devoid of passion. Once divorced, freeing oneself from the dull and tedious daily routine meant they could openly accept the flattery of countless simps, party at nightclubs, flirt with handsome young men, and talk about anything without taboos...

A real-life example from a close friend often held immense appeal for women trapped in the suffocating fortress of a dull marriage. As for divorced women, one shouldn’t expect them to ever speak well of men; their daily routine inevitably involved doubling down on criticizing their exes’ trashy behavior. Would they ever show their miserable side? Whether in real life or in their Friends Circle, they only ever showcased how much better they were living.

Thus, all it took was a single spark, and a second woman would soon be persuaded to divorce. Divorced women hung out with other divorced women, multiplying the effect until the entire friend group was infected.

However, it wasn’t Zhang Yun’s place to judge other people’s lives. He could only smile and say, "Think it through carefully yourself. I don’t have much experience with this either."

"Do you... really not want to? There’s a bathtub here, you know," Yang Xiaoyun said, blinking at him.

Zhang Yun’s face instantly turned red. "Why are we back to this topic? I mean, it’s broad daylight..."

Yang Xiaoyun laughed. "As if you’d be brave enough at night! You better think this through. If you miss this chance, it might never come again."

Zhang Yun understood perfectly. In her current state today, she wanted to let loose. Being alone together in a hotel room provided the perfect atmosphere. Next time, if the mood was gone and the setting was wrong, it would be difficult for her to flirt to this extent.

"Never mind, I’m a coward." Zhang Yun threw his hands up and smiled helplessly.

Yang Xiaoyun reached out, pulling him over, and once again wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning against him. "You’re not a coward. You just don’t want to take advantage of me... You won’t even take a freebie. What a fool."

"Haha, maybe I am..."

Just as Zhang Yun was at a loss for words, he suddenly felt two soft, heavy "basketballs" press into his hands! Having already experienced "listening to her heartbeat" earlier, he didn’t pull away this time, silently "dribbling" them for a moment...

"My best friend was originally going to pick me up so I could stay at her place. Now that we’ve changed hotels, and since you’re not going to... you know, I’ll just tell her to come here?"

"Sure!" Zhang Yun backed away, nodding hastily. With someone else around, she wouldn’t tease him anymore, saving his poor, meat-craving little brother from suffering any further.

He had stayed behind to accompany Yang Xiaoyun because he was worried her mood would plummet if she was left alone, causing her to lose control and do something foolish. Her best friend had experience; she would curse out the scumbag ex-husband with her and help distract her.

Yang Xiaoyun picked up her phone to check it and couldn’t help but laugh. "Oh no! She already went to Vienna. I’ll tell her to come here."

While sending the message, taking advantage of the fact that her friend wasn’t there yet, she teased Zhang Yun again. "Those things you were too embarrassed to buy... should I ask her to bring a few boxes over?"

Zhang Yun almost blurted out, "Are we going to use them together? Are you two trying to squeeze me dry?" He swallowed the words just as they reached his lips. If her best friend turned out to be ugly and fat... he would be reaping what he sowed.

"A few boxes of what? Milk?"

Yang Xiaoyun looked at him with a half-smile. "You want to drink milk?"

"Cough! Cough! I’ll boil some water for you. You should drink more hot water..."

Watching his back as he hurriedly busied himself, a complex smile appeared on Yang Xiaoyun’s lips. She thought, "What a sweet boy! He still blushes when teased by a mature woman like me..."

Although her actual age wasn’t that much older than his, her heart already felt old. She might feel attraction again, but she would never invest her emotions again. Even with Zhang Yun, she would rather it just be purely physical pleasure.

Zhang Yun put the water on to boil. Seeing her staring at him in a daze, he quickly asked, "What’s wrong?"

Yang Xiaoyun smiled faintly. "Nothing. While she’s not here yet..."

Zhang Yun broke out in a cold sweat. "Um... maybe we shouldn’t? There isn’t enough time. If we’re halfway through, or even if we just finish, she’ll be able to tell when she gets here..."

Yang Xiaoyun was amused by his flustered demeanor. "What are you thinking about? I meant, while she’s not here yet, I want to tell you something. Tsk, tsk. Some people pretend to be so well-behaved, but their hearts are already burning with desire. Were you just waiting for me to take the initiative and push you down? Were you planning to put up a token resistance?"

Zhang Yun’s face flushed. "I wasn’t... Just tell me what you wanted to say. Your friend will be here soon."

"What I wanted to say is... even if you miss this chance today, the offer still stands. I’ll keep what I promised you on ’deposit.’ As long as you want it, you can cash it in whenever it’s convenient." As Yang Xiaoyun said this, she looked directly into Zhang Yun’s eyes, her gaze full of sincerity.

It was this topic again! Zhang Yun was already numb to her teasing. He walked over and sat down beside her. "What do you mean ’what you promised me’? Doesn’t that just make it an act of gratitude..."

Yang Xiaoyun shrugged. "Hasn’t giving your body to someone as thanks been a tradition since ancient times? Whatever it is, I won’t cling to you, but I’m willing to do this. Just tell me, are you absolutely set on refusing?"

Seeing how serious she was, Zhang Yun could only smile and console her. "How could I possibly refuse? Sister Xiaoyun, you’re incredibly charming, and you’ve teased me to the point of no return. I’m just afraid I won’t be able to control myself and I’ll get addicted! Fine, if you say it’s on deposit, then it’s on deposit. I’ll remember it!"

Things said on impulse were usually forgotten afterward, especially when said by a woman. Zhang Yun agreed for now, figuring that once she moved on from her divorce, she would either genuinely forget or pretend she had forgotten. When that time came, they could both just act like this "deposit" had never happened.

At that moment, the doorbell rang!

That fast? The two looked at each other in dismay. Hadn’t her best friend gone to Vienna? Did she fly here?