To be honest, what I really want to know is whether the other person is male or female.
Fortunately, Yan Di replied, "It's a classmate from my nursing school days. We're as close as sisters. She ran into some trouble today and asked me for help. She's always been very kind to me and often helps me out. Now she's asking me for help on the phone, and I feel bad refusing her... Brother Xiao Wu, I'm sorry..."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Well, as long as it's not a man, it's fine.
I know this idea of mine is a bit petty, but I guess most men think this way.
But then my attention shifted to showing concern for her: "Oh... what did she need your help with? Is it a big deal? Do you need my help?"
Seeing that I wasn't angry, Yan Di seemed relieved, but then said in a resentful tone, "It's nothing... My friend here studied nursing with me and now works as a private caregiver. She said she's taking care of a client who just moved into a new house today. That guy is lazy and mean; he dumped everything on her and went out to play. She's a girl, and she has to clean the house, tidy up, and I heard she even has to wash his underwear! She's so busy, so she asked me to help her..." She paused, then became increasingly angry, "Honestly, what kind of person is he! Making a girl do all this! What's wrong with him! She's a girl, and she's a private caregiver, not a maid! How can he let her do so much by herself! That kind of man is awful! He's a guy, and he even made me miss dinner with you today..."
Um?
I suddenly felt a jolt in my heart and a chill run down my spine.
That sounds so familiar...
No...no way, it can't be such a coincidence!?
I asked cautiously, "Um... Yan Di, is your friend a short, sharp-voiced, and very clever girl named A Mei?"
Yan Di stared at me in surprise: "Huh? Brother Wu, how did you know?!"
I was a little embarrassed: "Well... it's a long story..."
Part One: In the Martial World, Unable to Control One's Own Fate, Chapter Thirty-Four: Forced Marriage
Time: One hour later
Location: The living room of my new home
Characters: Amei (a little money-grubber), me (a nasty man), Yan Di.
"Yan Di, the man you know, is it him? Him!?" A-Mei stared at me with a look of deep resentment. Seeing a young girl gazing at me with that kind of look, I even had a strange feeling: I was a shameless scoundrel seducing an innocent girl...
"No... Amei, it's not what you think..." Yan Di's blushing face was quite cute, but I only glanced at her twice before Amei, with a righteous expression, stood between Yan Di and me, blocking my view. She pointed at me and shouted, "Chen Yang! Don't you dare try anything with our Yan Di!"
I said with a dark expression, "Amei, what do you mean by that?"
Amei raised an eyebrow: "Hmph, you think I don't know what you do? Please, that place we went to during the day, you work there, right? Don't think I don't know what that place is! Hmph! I've seen plenty of men like you who seduce innocent girls... I beg you, Yan Di is such a cute girl, so innocent... how can you bear to ruin her? If you want to pick up girls, go to a disco or bar, there are plenty of lonely, sexy women there! Anyway, you're not allowed to ruin Yan Di!"
"Who the hell caused this trouble!" I yelled angrily. "Watch your mouth! I didn't have any bad intentions towards Yan Di!"
Amei shook her head, but a sly glint flashed in her eyes: "Chen Yang, do you really like our Yan Di?"
Well?
Please...
I almost rolled my eyes at her. My dear lady! Admittedly, I do have a tiny bit of romantic fantasies about Yan Di, and I really want something wonderful to happen between this beautiful, charming, innocent, and sexy girl… But please, even if it's a confession, is this how you force it?
"So! If you don't speak, it means you have ulterior motives!" Amei pressed aggressively, then widened her almond-shaped eyes and scolded in a coquettish voice, "Tell me! Are you trying to swindle me out of my money or my body!"
Holy crap!
Scamming me out of money? Does this girl have any money for me to scam?
I glanced at Yan Di and found that the girl's face was red and her head was down. She seemed to be afraid to look at me, but her eyes kept sneaking peeks at me. Then she stomped her foot and said, "Amei... you're talking nonsense! I... I'm not talking to you anymore!"
After saying that, she flung her hand away as if to run away. But she ran towards the bedroom… Ah Mei grabbed her arm. This little money-grubber had a sly grin on her face, deliberately glancing at me before lowering her voice—clearly, she was saying it on purpose for me to hear: “Silly girl, I wonder who’s always on the phone with me every day, nagging about ‘Brother Wu’ this and ‘Brother Wu’ that…”
I rolled my eyes again: How do you, you little money-grubber, know whether I'm long or short... (details omitted)
Amei quickly added, "And what else? Who's been nagging me these past few days about why Fifth Brother hasn't called me? Does he not want to talk to me anymore? Is something wrong with him...?" Amei spoke in a affected, affected tone, deliberately imitating Yan Di's manner of speaking. Unfortunately, her voice was slightly higher-pitched than Yan Di's, and she couldn't quite capture Yan Di's uniquely gentle and melodious voice.
Yan Di was being held by the hand and couldn't run away. His head was almost drooping to the floor, like an ostrich.
Seeing that I still didn't speak, Amei blinked at me frantically. When I still didn't respond, she suddenly got angry, jumped up and shouted, "Hey! How can you be a man! Even in this situation, you still won't say anything? Do you like our Yan Di or not? Give me an answer! Are you even a man?!"
I almost fainted from anger.
You dare ask me if I'm a man?
Are you even a woman?!
Is there anyone who would cause trouble like this? Is there anyone who would force a connection like this?
But despite my anger, looking at Yan Di's shy expression, her rosy cheeks, and her big, almost watery eyes, half of my soul flew away, and the other half seemed to leave me as well.
I gritted my teeth. So what if I admit it? A real man admits it.
I coughed forcefully and said matter-of-factly, "I like her, so what?"
"It's done!" Amei released Yan Di and looked at me with a big smile: "Chen Yang, I've done you such a big favor, how are you going to thank me?"
She said she was asking me a question, but all I saw in her eyes was the gleam of RMB...
Yan Di finally couldn't hold back any longer. She raised her head, gritted her teeth, and said, "Ah Mei, haven't you made enough of a scene... Ah..."
"
Oh no, this girl is just too weak-willed. What should have been a question comes out of her mouth with a soft, limp tone. In terms of sharp tongue, ten Yan Dis wouldn't be as good as this little money-grubber.
"Alright, alright, you two, one of you is always thinking about him, constantly nagging me about 'Brother Wu, Brother Wu,' and the other one has the desire but not the courage..." I glared at her as I said this.
What do you mean by having the desire to steal but not the courage? I was just about to make my move when you beat me to it!
Ah Mei continued in a nonchalant tone, "I've finally broken through that thin layer of paper for you! Hurry up and thank me!"
I'm speechless.
To be honest, I really intended to pursue Yan Di, but pursuing girls should involve enjoying the process, right? This little money-grubber's antics have ruined all that feeling...
"Done!" Amei waved her hand, still looking proud of herself, and said, "Let's get to work!" Then she pulled Yan Di, who was still in a daze, into the kitchen.
I have no idea what the two girls were whispering about in the kitchen. I'm just left alone in the living room.
Sigh, no matter what they say, Yan Di only gets bullied by A Mei. That little money-grubber is a real shrew! How could a girl like Yan Di, with her personality, possibly stand a chance? Luckily, A Mei is her good friend; otherwise, if she were sold out, Yan Di would probably still be counting the money for her…
I was smoking in the living room when, five minutes later, Amei came out alone, plopped down in front of me, handed me a thermometer, took my cigarette without a word, and then shoved the thermometer into my mouth.
"Hold it in your mouth, don't bite!"
I have no temper with this girl. After we got to know each other, she became a bit disrespectful, but she was also really lovable and cute, with a kind of quirky charm that made it hard to get angry at anything she did.
"Hey, Chen Yang, are you still angry? You even rolled your eyes at me?" Amei glared at me, then glanced towards the kitchen and lowered her voice, saying, "Our Yan Di, such a beautiful and charming girl, has fallen for you, and you're acting innocent after getting the benefit?"
“Buddha, ho ho na bo ma!” (Nonsense, do I need your help?) I mumbled back at her, the thermometer still in my mouth. Unfortunately, in this state, it was really hard for me to overpower her.
“Sigh…” Amei suddenly sighed and said in a low voice, “I really didn’t expect that you were the Fifth Brother she was talking about. Humph, Chen Yang, let me tell you, Yan Di is very weak-willed. If you bully her, I will…” After saying that, she made a cutting motion.
Pshaw! I'm easily scared!
"Actually, Yan Di is such a weak girl. With her personality, she's always being bullied. Back in school, some boys liked to bully her because she was pretty and weak, and she never dared to speak up. Later, when she went to the hospital for her internship, some lecherous doctors made advances on her, and she just ran away without daring to fight back! Humph, if it were me, I would have taken a scalpel and castrated that bastard who harassed me!" A-Mei's voice involuntarily rose a little as she spoke, and then she realized it and quickly lowered her voice again: "Yan Di is actually a girl who really needs someone to protect her. I think you're pretty good, you're somewhat manly. Sigh, the Xiao Wu she mentioned, so that's you... Hey, she told me a little about what happened between you two... Hey, you really beat someone up and sent them to the hospital to stand up for her? And you got hurt too?"
I couldn't help but take the thermometer out of my mouth, glance at her, and whisper, "Ah Mei, you're such a strange person. Even if... cough cough... even if you know Yan Di likes me, are you really so comfortable handing Yan Di over to me? And you're even egging me on? What if I'm a bad guy? What if I'm a womanizer?"
"I'm not stupid!" Amei rolled her eyes, then her expression turned serious. "Actually, you're not bad. At least you've been well-behaved these past few days while I've been taking care of you, and you haven't laid a hand on me. You're a good person. Besides, Yan Di likes you so much, and it seems you've been eyeing her for a long time, haven't you? A gentleman helps others achieve their goals. Moreover, I can't take care of this girl forever. She's timid and naive. I could protect her when we were in school, but not anymore. There are plenty of people in society who are more capable than me. How can a weak woman like me protect her? I should find her a good man as soon as possible!"
I stared at her: "You're not her mother, are you?"
"How can you talk like that!" Amei glared at her. "I'm still a twenty-something girl!" Then she gritted her teeth and whispered, "Don't you know? Yan Di doesn't have a mother!"
There was a hint of helplessness in her eyes: "So she was bullied since she was a child and had become submissive, which is why she developed a weak personality."
"What about her mother? Did she pass away?" I couldn't help but ask.
Amei hesitated for a moment: "No... but I can't say. If Yandi is willing, let her tell you herself."
I was a little confused, but Amei shoved the thermometer into my mouth: "Suck it in! I haven't checked your health yet! I need to report back on your condition tomorrow."
Then she seemed to be talking to herself, "You're not bad either. You're a decent person. And you seem to be quite rich... Hmph, don't lie to me. I accidentally saw your bankbook when I was helping you pack. It has hundreds of thousands! You can afford to support Yan Di."
Just a few seconds later, the little money-grubber suddenly cried out, "Oh no! I'm going to lose big time!!"
She glared at me and said angrily, "Oh no, oh no, I miscalculated! Yan Di is the most doting girl. Seeing you like this, she'll definitely come to take care of you every day. She'll do all the housework, laundry, and cooking! How am I supposed to make money off you like that?"
...
Part One: In the Martial World, Unable to Control One's Own Fate, Chapter Thirty-Five: A Tumble into a Multitude of Beauties
As the little money-grubber had predicted, things turned out exactly as Yan Di had said. Feeling sorry for my injury, Yan Di would rush to my house every day after work to help me clean and tidy up, and she would cook me different dishes every day.
The girl's gaze softened more and more as she looked at me, but being shy by nature, she would never utter a single inappropriate word.
To be honest, I'd like to make some groundbreaking progress.
I knew in my heart that things had reached a point where the time was right. At this moment, if I hugged and kissed her, Yan Di would most likely not refuse. Being served by such a charming young woman every day was originally a pleasant thing, especially since this young woman was also my potential lover, constantly looking at me with affectionate eyes. Even when I was eating, because my arm was inconvenient, Yan Di personally fed me.
Each time, a spoonful of rice, a spoonful of vegetables, a sip of soup, and then a gentle glance.
To be honest, what I look forward to most every day is mealtime.
As a result, I gained several pounds in less than a week.
I hate it! I hate it!
And to make matters worse, there's this annoying third wheel next to me!!
Actually, I don't really care. She's the woman I love, and I'd hug and kiss her even in the middle of the street.
But Yan Di wouldn't agree. This girl is very delicate and weak in other aspects, and she's very obedient to me, but when it comes to this, she absolutely refuses to compromise. At most, I can only secretly hold her hand when A Mei isn't looking, and occasionally I can put my arm around her waist, which is enough to make me secretly happy.
But that damned Ah Mei, seemingly venting her frustration at not being able to earn money, keeps showing up in front of us every day. I've hinted and suggested it several times, but she stubbornly ignores me.
In the end, Yan Di even took care of changing my dressings and administering my medication every day. Since she was a nursing student, her skills were no worse than Xiao Cai Mi's. Xiao Cai Mi was happy to have some free time; when Yan Di was at work during the day, she would bicker with me to keep me entertained.
By the way, Amei has been living at my house, and so has Yandi.
At first, it was Amei who kept Yandi with her. In Amei's words, two girls are always safer than one. Besides, my house is in a great location and environment.
I hate it!
Why is it autumn now? Even at home, both girls are bundled up tightly. If it were summer… what would it be like to see their beautiful legs and arms outstretched…?
Of course, I won't do anything reckless.
Moreover, I heard from Yan Di that A Mei puts a pair of scissors under her pillow every night when she goes to sleep...