Chapter 12: Easy to Form Grudges, Hard to Resolve

  Not long after the new semester started, studying still seems not tense. Coincidentally, McDonald's opened its first fast-food chain store in the city, and Liu Hui and Zheng Hongxia were hired as receptionists due to their lovely appearance, through an interview, specializing in accompanying small friends who come to the store to play, sing and dance, with hourly wages.

  Wan Chao Hui also wanted to apply for a part-time job at a fast food restaurant to temper her ability to endure hardship. She didn't expect to encounter strong opposition from her mother: "You're a girl working outside, it's easy to be deceived and usually get off work late at 11 or 12 pm, the road is not safe, I absolutely do not agree with you going."

  For this, Wan Chao Hui and her mother sulked for three days. It was the wife of Uncle Xiong from next door, Zhang Auntie, who broke the stalemate. Uncle Xiong and Father were old friends, and the two families were very close. Zhang Auntie originally worked at a large heavy industry enterprise in the city. When her daughter was four years old, she started learning to play the piano. She had resigned from her job to focus on raising her daughter, who is now studying at a music academy. With plenty of free time, Zhang Auntie felt bored and took up the task of collecting water fees and sanitation management fees for the residential area, which has over 500 households. Each household pays one yuan per month, adding up to over 500 yuan per month. Recently, Zhang Auntie's cervical spondylosis had flared up, and her husband and daughter did not allow her to continue with this work. Coincidentally, they heard that Wan Chao Hui was going out to work, so they introduced this part-time job to her. Wan Chao Hui immediately agreed, thinking it would be a good opportunity. Collecting water fees and sanitation management fees only takes half a month, but the pay is over 500 yuan per month, equivalent to a ordinary worker's monthly salary. She thought it was not bad at all, and it also alleviated her mother's worries. To be honest, Wan Chao Hui understood her mother's concerns. With many relatives in the family running businesses, and her mother operating a restaurant for many years, Wan Chao Hui had long been exposed to the complexities of the outside world. She knew that people's hearts were unpredictable, and if she were to make a mistake, she might fall into the clutches of bad people or lechers, ruining her reputation for life. Now, with Zhang Auntie's help, she has found a solution.

  The job of collecting water and sanitation fees was more tiring than expected. Collecting the fees from over 500 households was not easy. Most families had someone home only at night, and a few were even empty for half a month. To make things easier, Wan Chao Hui would wait until after dinner to take out the collection book and observe which households had lights on before going up to collect the fees. This way, she could save time and energy. Since it involved money, Wan Chao Hui couldn't avoid encountering various people's cold faces and dissatisfaction. Without her mother reminding her, she would still patiently endure and ignore them, always wearing a gentle smile. Her mouth became unusually sweet, and as a pretty girl, most of the uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grandmas in the same neighborhood wouldn't dare show her a bad face or say anything unreasonable.

  At the end of the first month, Wan Chao Hui received 478 yuan, and there were more than a dozen households that couldn't be collected. Looking at the money earned from his first hard work, Wan Chao Hui's heart felt unspeakable joy. His mother didn't take any of Wan Chao Hui's money, letting him handle it himself. From childhood to adulthood, his mother had always been lenient with Wan Chao Hui when it came to money matters. He never lacked pocket money, and at the same time, she restricted and reminded him not to waste money or spend other people's money recklessly, saying that one should be grateful for what others give them and not take advantage of their kindness, and that being poor shouldn't make one lose their dignity, while being rich shouldn't make one arrogant.

  Between studying and working, Wan Zhaohui was busy but happy, and his days were quite fulfilling.

  This weekend, Ye Caiyun came to the Wanjinghui school without notice and found her. The two walked on the tree-lined avenue of the school and met Zeng Tao and two other boys unexpectedly.

  If it weren't for Ye Caiyun's appearance, Wan Chao Hui would rarely talk to Zeng Tao. She didn't like Zeng Tao's pretentiousness. However, Ye Caiyun seemed willing to get in touch with him, and Wan Chao Hui thought it was unnecessary to impose her own thoughts on others. Besides, Zeng Tao didn't have any obvious expressions towards Ye Caiyun, so why bother worrying about nothing?

  But today's encounter, Wan Zhaohui clearly felt that Zeng Tao was more introverted than before. All the way, he spoke very little, only occasionally stealing glances at Ye Caiyun, as if wanting to express something, but stopping short of speaking.

  Wan Chao Hui had been in contact with Ye Cai Yun for a long time and was quite familiar with her personality. Although she was an undergraduate student, her long-term silence and few words did not mean that she was calm and composed. She was not good at guessing people's thoughts and observing their behavior, and she often needed others to take care of her in her words and actions, making her a relatively passive person. As a result, every time Wan Chao Hui was with Ye Cai Yun, he had to tell jokes to create a lively atmosphere, making Ye Cai Yun laugh non-stop. This was not Wan Chao Hui's natural personality; usually, when she played with Liu Hui and her friends, Wan Chao Hui would listen more and speak less. She could see people's personalities from their words and actions and determine the extent of their friendship accordingly. When she couldn't tell whether someone was being genuine or not, she would initiate a conversation to understand their true intentions, even using fake humor to test their sincerity. She often felt annoyed by her own complicated thoughts and yearned for simplicity and purity. Alas, who made society so complex? One mustn't have a heart that harms others, but one can't be too careful either. Her mother would always remind her: "Don't think about harming others, but don't let your guard down either. You never know when you might get taken advantage of and end up counting money for someone else."

  Wan Chao Hui had also asked Ye Caiyun about her relationships with men in college, and upon hearing her vague and ambiguous responses, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. With many male elders in her family, Wan Chao Hui often found herself thinking from a man's perspective, wondering what kind of guy would be interested in Ye Caiyun. Her premonition wasn't good; while Ye Caiyun's appearance and academic background might attract some guys, once they got to know her better and delved into the intricacies of relationships between men and women, she was like a blank sheet of paper, requiring constant guidance and accompaniment from her partner. Over time, this would inevitably make her partner feel tired and uninterested. Therefore, Wan Chao Hui couldn't help but worry about Ye Caiyun's emotional well-being.

  Since Zeng Tao has obvious good feelings towards Ye Caiyun, why don't I put aside my personal subjective views and try to match them up? Maybe they have a destined relationship.

  Wan Zhao Hui thought for a moment and then smiled slyly as he said, "Cai Yun, tomorrow is Saturday, do you have any plans?"

  "I don't have anything to do tomorrow!" Ye Caiyun replied softly.

  "Then let's go to the park tomorrow and have some fun! How about it?" Wan Zhaohui hoped that Ye Caiyun could become more outgoing and cheerful. Although Wan Zhaohui also had a quiet and introverted side, she thought that was just one aspect of her personality, and usually she would freely express her lively and cheerful side. Born into a large family with complex interpersonal relationships, real life had already honed Wan Zhaohui into a multifaceted girl who could easily get along with different people.

  "Alright", Ye Caiyun replied with a smile.

  "Count... count me in!" Zeng Tao's face slightly flushed, speaking somewhat hesitantly.

  "I'm in too!" Zhang Yuheng, who was 1.95 meters tall, shouted loudly as he wanted to join in. He looked like a big silly guy, and surprisingly, he even raised his right hand, while his left hand gently rested on Li Jian's shoulder, who was less than 1.7 meters tall. The two of them had been inseparable since high school, looking just like a pair of gay lovers.

  Wan Chao Hui had never liked playing with girls who were petty and jealous, loved to throw tantrums, and had a narrow field of vision. They would chatter incessantly, making it hard for her to have a moment's peace. Even after getting to know Liu Hui better over time, Wan Chao Hui sometimes found herself feeling annoyed by the other girl. Fortunately, she understood Liu Hui's personality - she just liked to be lively and wasn't malicious or calculating. As a result, Wan Chao Hui often preferred to hang out with guys, even though she had some resistance to them in her heart, which only surfaced when it came to romantic feelings. Otherwise, she was willing to look at their good qualities objectively. After all, as the ancients said, "When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher."

  "Alright then, let's meet at the park entrance tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock." Wan Zhaohui didn't expect that her little trick would attract three boys asking to join them. Fortunately, Liu Hui and her friends were having a dinner gathering in their dormitory, otherwise she would have been there, waving flags and rallying even more people to join them.

  In Wan Zhaohui's heart, he still felt that these few classmates who went to the same key high school were slightly more reserved in their temperament than other boys in the school.

  "Cháo Huī, can you... help me make an appointment with Meng Jie?" When only Cháo Huī and Yè Cǎi Yún were left, Yè Cǎi Yún's face turned red as she spoke to Cháo Huī in embarrassment.

  Wan Zhaohui was taken aback by Ye Caiyun's request. Her mind quickly recalled Meng Jie, who was also a high school classmate of Wan Zhaohui's. He had a appearance similar to Qin Han, the famous actor from the movie "Qiong Yao's Love". It was because of this that Wan Zhaohui remembered him. As for his character, since she had never been in contact with him before, she didn't dare to make any judgments.

  Wan Chao Hui smiled at Ye Caiyun with ill intentions, "No problem, but do you have his contact information?" which made Ye Caiyun's cheeks even redder.

  "Didn't Teacher Pan give each of us a copy of the whole class's contact list at the end of our high school reunion? Ye Caiyun seemed to be mentally prepared and answered without hesitation, very smoothly. Then, she took out a notebook from her backpack, pulled out a piece of paper that was tucked inside, and handed it to Wan Zhaohui. Wan Zhaohui immediately unfolded it and saw that it was indeed the contact list of their high school classmates. She couldn't help but smile strangely at Ye Caiyun again, then quickly looked for Meng Jie's contact information, found it soon, and went to the public phone booth nearby. According to the phone number on the paper, she dialed without hesitation."

  "Hello?!" The phone connected, and it was a man's voice. "Hi, may I trouble you to get Meng Jie on the phone? I'm one of his high school classmates."

  "It's me, Meng Jie. And you... who are you?" Meng Jie asked in surprise, "Sorry, I really didn't recognize your voice!"

  "I'm your high school classmate Wan Zhaohui." As she spoke, Wan Zhaohui still felt that her actions were a bit abrupt, but she immediately thought: Whatever, I don't have any ulterior motives anyway, it's all for Ye Caiyun!

  "Oh...... it's you! Hello! Wan Zhaohui, what brings you to find me?" Upon hearing Wan Zhaohui's voice, Meng Jie was overjoyed. In his impression, Wan Zhaohui was not only beautiful, with a bit of bookish elegance, but also had a lot of personality.

  "Tomorrow, a few of us high school classmates are planning to meet up at Yongning Park for a small gathering. Do you have time to join us?" Wan Zhaohui didn't like beating around the bush and got straight to the point.

  "Got time, count me in!" Meng Jie readily agreed. He hadn't expected Wan Chao Hui to take the initiative to invite him out so generously, and suddenly felt a sense of being honored.

  "It's settled then! Let's meet at the entrance of Yongning Park tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock sharp!" With that, Wan Chao Hui hung up the phone with a sense of ease and gave Ye Cai Yun an OK gesture. Ye Cai Yun's face suddenly flushed red again.

  The next morning, Wan Chao Hui simply dressed up in a blue and white plaid shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of white sneakers. Her long hair was still flowing behind her back, but she had tied it into two ponytails on either side of her ears. She slung a small canvas backpack with floral patterns over her shoulder and headed out the door. She had agreed to meet Ye Cai Yun and the others at the train station, and as she walked towards the station, she saw them already there from afar. There was also a young girl around ten years old standing beside them, whom Wan Chao Hui recognized as Ye Cai Yun's cousin. Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar figure - Han Bin. Her heart suddenly began racing at an incredible speed. How could this be? Why would he be joining them?

  Besides Zhang Yuhang and Li Jian, who stood shoulder to shoulder with He Zengtao, there was indeed Han Bin.

  Everyone stood together and greeted each other, except for Wan Chao Hui and Han Bin, who were clearly interested in each other but only exchanged a brief, casual glance. Wan Chao Hui was very good at hiding her true feelings, and her emotions rarely showed on her face. Even when they did, her true intentions were often the opposite of what she appeared to be feeling.

  Han Bin didn't see a smile on Wan Chao Hui's face. He was good at reading people and only felt that Wan Chao Hui wasn't taking him seriously. Han Bin's cold expression also hurt Wan Chao Hui's self-esteem, but she had an inexplicable feeling inside: this was a boy who was as proud as herself. As for whether there was a similar temperament behind his aloof mask, she couldn't conclude yet and could only wait and see.

  When everyone arrived at Yuan Ning Park by car, Meng Jie was already waiting at the entrance. Zhang Yu Heng, who is tall, lined up to buy tickets. Wan Chao Hui remembered her mother's usual reminder: don't casually use boys' money. However, in order to save face for the boys, she didn't rush to pay and thought to herself: after we go in, I'll buy some drinks with my own money!

  "Meng Jie, long time no see!" Han Bin greeted enthusiastically, breaking his usual silence. "You didn't attend the high school reunion that day, what made you interested today?"

  "That day I went back to school to handle some things and really couldn't rush over! Today just happened to have free time, so when Wan Chao Hui called me, I readily agreed!" Meng Jie is indeed a straightforward person, speaking the truth. This made everyone look at Wan Chao Hui with suspicion, wondering why she would take the initiative to call him, what's going on?! Especially Han Bin, whose jealousy was burning fiercely in his heart, "You're really something, Wan Chao Hui! On the surface, you're cold and distant towards me, but behind my back, you're not only immodest, but also proactively inviting a boy out. You look pure and beautiful on the outside, but it turns out you're just pretending to be innocent, how hypocritical!"

  Wan Chao Hui was really speechless, unable to express her grievances. Especially when she saw Han Bin's disdainful gaze, she thought he must have misunderstood her as being immodest and taking the initiative to invite a boy over, looking down on herself! Her normally calm heart suddenly became urgent, she wanted to explain to clear up the misunderstanding, but seeing the silent Ye Cai Yun, Wan Chao Hui endured it again. It was really unbearable, it seemed that for the sake of her good friend, she had to swallow her pride and let him misunderstand!

  Although Wan Zhaohui didn't explain, after entering the park, she silently proved with her actions that she had no thoughts about Meng Jie. She walked and chatted with Zhang Yuheng, who was much taller than her. Facing a 1.95-meter-tall Zhang Yuheng, it's unlikely anyone would believe she had any thoughts about him! The two of them walking together looked out of sync, let alone that Zhang Yuheng looked like a fool, who would be interested in him?

  Today the weather is great, the sun is shining brightly between the white and blue clouds. Yecaiyun opened a sun umbrella, but Wan Chao Hui felt that the golden sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves was more comfortable and warm on her skin. She didn't worry about getting sunburned.

  On the other hand, Zhang Yu Heng took out a newspaper from Zeng Tao's morning paper, folded it into a hat, and gently placed it on Wan Chao Hui's head. Wan Chao Hui was taken aback, not expecting this silly guy to be so thoughtful. She wondered what the boys behind her would think, especially Han Bin.

  Wan Chao Hui shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the messy thoughts. She quickened her pace and walked ahead, "Ah..." she looked up at the sky, took a deep breath of fresh air, and muttered to herself: "The most beautiful things in this world are natural things, like this fresh air, unrestricted freedom... what could be more captivating than this?"

  "What are you muttering about?" Zhang Yuheng also quickened his pace and caught up with her, leaving the others behind. He watched as Wan Zhaohui, without any reserve in front of everyone, put on her folded paper hat, looking lively and lovely like a little sprite, feeling particularly pure and captivating, and he couldn't help but be drawn to her as they walked forward.

  "I didn't say anything!" Wan Zhaohui replied with a feigned expression. She always thought that no one could understand her inner world. She was able to see through the mundane things of the world, yet yearned to avoid all conventions and seek spiritual peace and freedom. If possible, she would have liked to be a "Little Dragon Girl" who didn't eat or drink anything worldly.

  Han Bin took in Wan Chao Hui's every move, and he was confused by her. Earlier, he thought she had feelings for Meng Jie, which is why she invited him out, but now she's ignoring Meng Jie and laughing with Zhang Yu Heng instead. She even dared to wear the paper hat that Zhang Yu Heng folded for her, parading around in the crowd without any of the reserve a girl should have. Who knows what she's really thinking? Is she really the kind of girl who flirts with everyone, using her pure and beautiful appearance as a fake facade to deceive people?

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