Chapter 357: A Horrifying Compliment
Chapter 357: Chapter 357: A Horrifying Compliment
Every time Wang Yuan came over, Zhao Nuanyue was on high alert, not daring to let her guard down for even a moment.
Zhao Nuanyue understood that while she had many people protecting her, the only ones who could truly harm her were those who could get close to her.
And Wang Yuan was one of them!
"Nuanyue, I heard a piece of news, but I don’t know if it’s true or not." Wang Yuan’s face was full of excitement, yet she put on a troubled expression.
The ever-perceptive Zhao Nuanyue, always happy to help others get what they want, played along. "What is it? It seems to be troubling you, but you also want to talk about it?"
"I want to tell you because it’s so satisfying, but I’m hesitant because I’m not sure if it’s true, and I don’t want to be seen as a gossip," Wang Yuan chuckled. "But true or not, I think you’ll be interested in this news!"
"Now that you say that, I’m even more curious. Hurry up and tell me, tell me!" Zhao Nuanyue laughed. "Since when did you learn to keep people in suspense? Who cares if it’s true or not? Just tell me so we can have a good laugh!"
"Alright then, I’ll tell you, but don’t blame me if it’s wrong!" Wang Yuan said with a laugh. ’Nuanyue is already this interested before I’ve even said anything. If I tell her, she’ll be even happier, and when she’s happy, she’ll treat me like a good friend again, just like we used to be.’ "I heard that the man that annoying Guo Dongmei likes got engaged to another woman! And get this—they say she’s pregnant and locked up at home with a big belly! It’s so humiliating!"
"Oh my, where did you hear that?" Zhao Nuanyue feigned shock, pretending she knew nothing. "Guo Dongmei is so shrewd. How could she do something like get pregnant before marriage?"
"I know, I can’t figure it out either, which is why I find it hard to believe!" Wang Yuan said. "I heard it from someone else. There was a worker at our old factory whose mother is a nanny for the Guo Family, so she knows a few things."
Wang Yuan was quite thorough, even inventing a source for her lie.
"Well, if the news came from the Guo Family’s nanny, it’s probably true," Zhao Nuanyue said, nodding. "A shrewd person like Guo Dongmei was too clever for her own good. That family must be incredibly prominent. She couldn’t get in through normal means, so she tried to force a shotgun wedding by getting pregnant! But those powerful families don’t care about that. All they care about is a good family match and a powerful alliance."
"Exactly. After how arrogantly she treated us, she brought this on herself," Wang Yuan said bitterly, acting as if they were comrades in arms against their common enemy, Guo Dongmei.
"That trick might work on an ordinary family, but it’s not necessarily effective on a prominent one," Zhao Nuanyue remarked with a sigh. "After how she insulted Hua, she deserves what’s happening to her now. Still, it’s not like she’s completely out of options. As long as she’s still carrying the child—especially if it’s a smart, adorable son—she might still have a chance to marry into that family someday."
As soon as she heard this, Wang Yuan’s eyes lit up and her mind started racing. Guo Donghai liked her now. Although they hadn’t taken the final step, they had done everything else, and it was obvious he enjoyed it immensely.
But beauty fades, and hearts are fickle. A playboy like Guo Donghai, the son of a high-ranking official, would move on sooner or later. However, if she had his child, she would be tied to him forever.
Just as Zhao Nuanyue had said, with time and persistence, dripping water could wear away stone. If she stayed by Guo Donghai’s side, gentle and attentive, perhaps one day she could be formally accepted and become his real wife.
’Oh my god,’ Wang Yuan was incredibly excited. ’I wasn’t lucky in the birth lottery this life, born into a poor, ordinary, working-class family. Just having enough food to eat and clothes to wear was their greatest aspiration; they didn’t dare to have any other ambitions or dreams.’
’Marriage, then, is a woman’s second chance at life. But she had beauty without a family background, so she could never marry into a family of high-ranking officials. She had to take a roundabout approach: have the child first to secure a fallback plan.’
’Even if she ended up like Guo Dongmei—unable to marry into the Guo Family despite being pregnant and giving birth—she would still be seen as a great contributor for providing them with a child. The Guo Family would treat her generously, ensuring she had a comfortable life and a respectable job. That would be easy enough to achieve.’
Wow, Wang Yuan felt her visit to Zhao Nuanyue’s today had been incredibly fruitful. She felt truly inspired.
At the same time, Wang Yuan grew even more envious of Zhao Nuanyue. Nuanyue had effortlessly obtained everything Wang Yuan schemed, struggled, and dreamed of achieving.
"Yes, I hope you’re right that Guo Dongmei still has a chance," Wang Yuan said with excitement, as if she were speaking about herself.
Zhao Nuanyue found Wang Yuan’s unusual excitement strange. ’I was talking about Guo Dongmei, so why is Wang Yuan looking so thrilled?’
With that thought, Zhao Nuanyue decided to test her. "You know, as annoying as Guo Dongmei is, I should probably thank her. If she hadn’t betrayed him and broken the engagement while he was down, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Hua and me to be together, even though we truly love each other."
Zhao Nuanyue’s words made Wang Yuan sigh with a mix of emotion and deep envy. But then she remembered how Nuanyue had insisted on getting engaged to Hua Yusen even while he was in a coma for so long. It was clear her feelings were genuine.
If it had been her, Wang Yuan admitted to herself, she couldn’t have done the same.
’How else could you explain it? Zhao Nuanyue was just lucky!’
’If she had known Hua Yusen would wake up, she would have gladly waited by his side too. She could have been the Hua family’s daughter-in-law.’
"Nuanyue, you’re just too kind, to be so forgiving even to your love rival," Wang Yuan praised, though her words rang hollow. "That Guo Dongmei is a domineering, arrogant brat. She brought this on herself. But you, Nuanyue, you’re so kind, and you take love so seriously and sincerely. That’s why you moved the Hua family, and even moved the heavens themselves to let Hua Yusen wake up."
Zhao Nuanyue did feel incredibly lucky that Hua Yusen had woken up, but she knew the one she should thank the most was the great hero, the Little Red Carp.
Meanwhile, Wang Yuan’s compliments made Zhao Nuanyue’s skin crawl. She had to admit, Wang Yuan had become much more formidable than before; her schemes ran deeper now.
"You’re praising me too much. Really, I was just following my heart. I felt it was the right thing to do, so I persevered. I didn’t have any other thoughts," Zhao Nuanyue said, acting a little embarrassed. At the same time, her guard against Wang Yuan went up even higher.