Chapter 41
When Tang Yao returned, she saw the short-haired girl she had seen before standing in the garden, taking pictures of flowers AND looking very focused.
She was about to walk over when she saw a strange man already behind the girl, seemingly saying something.
"Ah!" A short scream rang out in the guesthouse garden.
Tang Yao quickly took a few steps forward, pulling the girl who had run out of the garden behind her.
"What happened to you?" Tang Yao asked, frowning.
Seeing more people, the man hurriedly raised his hand: "I didn't touch her. I just said one sentence to her and she suddenly screamed."
Zhang Ru rushed out of the restaurant, hugging her daughter with heartache and whispering reassuringly, "It's okay, it's okay, it's alright now."
Li Yuanyuan huddled in Zhang Ru's arms, still trembling slightly.
"Are you alright? Let's take her to the hospital immediately." Tang Yao was about to dial an ambulance.
“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” Li Yuanyuan struggled in Zhang Ru’s arms.
“Okay, okay, no hospital.” Zhang Ru thanked Tang Yao for her kindness and half-carried her daughter back to the room.
The man was still muttering, “What is she pretending for? Nothing happened, who is she trying to extort? Look so average-looking…”
“Sir, please leave the guesthouse, or we will call the police.” At this moment, Xiao Yue stood in front of him with a serious expression.
Xiao Yue had always been smiling gently. It seemed no one had ever seen her lose her temper.
“Why are you kicking me out? I paid! Be careful, I’ll tell the boss to fire you!” The man hesitated for a moment before shouting loudly.
"She's right. Please leave. I'll refund your money and the guesthouse will never welcome you again," Tang Yao said coldly. "Verbally insulting women and you think it's something to be proud of? Also, if anything happens to this girl in my establishment, you'll be legally responsible."
Seeing that the other person was just a young woman, the man raised his hand to slap her.
But the next second, his wrist was grabbed and a piercing pain shot through him.
"What do you want to do?" Lu Bei stood in front of him. A head taller and with deep dark eyes, he was imposing.
The man, who had been so arrogant just moments before, instantly cowered.
The onlookers began to criticize him.
"Pah, what a lousy guesthouse! I wouldn't come here again even if you invited me!" Seeing the growing number of people criticizing him, the man turned and left.
"Thank you," Tang Yao said, turning back to the suddenly appearing Lu Bei.
After calming the remaining guests and diners, Tang Yao went to the mother and daughter's room.
"Are you alright?" Zhang Ru opened the door and Tang Yao quickly asked. "This was due to our guesthouse's inadequate screening, allowing such a scumbag to mingle in. If you need to go to the hospital, I'll cooperate."
"What does this have to do with you? You can only know a person's face, not their heart. Boss, you don't need to take all the blame. I bear responsibility. I shouldn't have listened to her and let her go clear her head." Zhang Ru said softly and her eyes reddening.
It was clear that there was some unspeakable matter between the mother and daughter, and Tang Yao naturally couldn't pry. After comforting her, she left the room.
The guesthouse had returned to its previous liveliness. Some people were discussing what had just happened, and some even said that the police should have been called.
However, whether it was what she witnessed herself or what she saw on the security camera, the man hadn't done anything. He had only said one sentence. Tang Yao could only kick him out for now.
When Tang Yao returned to her small building through the garden, she noticed a long scratch on her arm, probably from someone's fingernail during the struggle.
She hadn't felt anything before, but now it burned with pain.
Blood was oozing from the wound.
Tang Yao frowned, preparing to go back to her room to disinfect it with alcohol.
"How did you get hurt?" Tang Yao looked up and saw Lu Bei approaching with a frown.
"It's nothing, just a small injury. Why did you come over? There are so many people now. Someone might recognize you," Tang Yao said with a smile.
"So what if they recognize me? It doesn't matter," Lu Bei said casually, but his hand holding Tang Yao's was very careful.
The red, swollen wound was still quite noticeable on her fair skin.
"Do you have any alcohol or iodine swabs? If not, I'll go buy some. A scratch from a fingernail can be quite irritating," Lu Bei said.
"Yes, I have some at home," Tang Yao said quickly.
Tang Yao sat on the living room sofa. Under her direction, Lu Bei rummaged through the drawers for alcohol and swabs.
He wore a black shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal the toned, smooth muscles of his forearms.
His black, tousled hair fell down, obscuring his eyes.
Indeed, a focused man exuded a unique charm.
Quite pleasing to the eye.
Soon, he found everything he needed. Lu Bei sat beside Tang Yao and carefully applied iodine to her wound.
Tang Yao hissed softly when the iodine first touched the wound.
Lu Bei quickly removed the cotton swab: "Does it hurt a lot?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore, just a little when first applied. Actually, I can do it myself."
"It’s good that it doesn't hurt. Just bear with it a little longer, there's just a little more left." Lu Bei subconsciously ignored Tang Yao's last sentence.
Tang Yao could only helplessly hold up her arm for Lu Bei to apply the medicine.
After the medicine was applied, Tang Yao found her arm was wrapped in gauze like a dumpling.
"There's no need to wrap it up like that. It's not that serious. It should heal on its own soon."
This appearance was indeed a bit funny. Lu Bei lowered his head and coughed lightly,, "It's fine, just to avoid infection."
Tang Yao rolled her eyes at him and removed the gauze from her hand.
Lu Bei quietly put away his phone. A satisfied smile played on his face.
Tang Yao did know about Li Yuanyuan's situation, but only from a police report posted online.
By then, Li Yuanyuan and her daughter had already left the guesthouse.
Tang Yao had stumbled upon the police report by chance.
The report concerned a university professor who had abused his position to sexually assault a female student. The students had jointly filed a lawsuit against him, listing a series of his crimes.
The comments section was filled with disbelief.
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. I even took his class."
"He's almost seventy, how could he have the nerve? It's disgusting."
"I haven't told anyone. It was this same professor who called me to his office before and he kept his hand on my shoulder. I felt uncomfortable."
"He was rehired by our school, highly qualified, and had many students. I never expected him to be this kind of person."
...
After the professor was arrested, interviews were released.
Although her face was blurred, Tang Yao immediately recognized the somewhat strange girl that had stayed at her guesthouse. She calmly recounted her emotional journey.
"...I had nightmares every night, dreams filled with the professor covering my mouth, preventing me from saying anything. During that time, I developed severe depression... Later, my mother took me to a guesthouse, where I met a very kind neighbor, a warm-hearted owner and staff. Gradually, I recovered and dared to face my inner self."
Netizens speculated about which guesthouse it was, with many even trying to claim credit.
However, Tang Yao didn't come forward to clarify. After all, she wasn't the only one who saw Li Yuanyuan acting strangely that day. If she spoke out, these people might recognize her.
...
The elderly man who had previously bought huanghuali wood from Tang Yao had a set of tables and chairs made from it. He didn't waste the leftover scraps. He made beads to have around his wrist and wore them every day.
A person from a villa area saw this and gathered around, asking where he bought the items.
Tang Yao was unaware that her guesthouse had become popular again because of the elderly man's recommendation.
She was on the phone with Xu Haocheng, who had just arrived abroad a few days ago and was complaining on the phone about not being used to the food.
Listening to his wailing, Tang Yao hung up expressionlessly.
However, the stubborn but soft-hearted Tang Yao still had Xiao Li pack a large bag of snacks to send to Xu Haocheng.
After sending the snacks, she sowed some seasonal vegetable seeds in the garden. The weather was getting hotter. Summer had arrived a few days ago and fewer tourists were visiting Wanhua Town.
Xiao Li brought over iced drinks, one for Tang Yao and one for Lu Bei, who had joined them midway.
Lu Bei had completely abandoned his actor persona, standing in the field with his trousers rolled up, helping to sow the seeds, and looking very down-to-earth with the straw hat.
Tang Yao knew this man was pursuing her, but he always maintained a leisurely pace and a comfortable distance, often making Tang Yao forget she had a suitor.
However, some small gestures could indeed be quite captivating.
For example, right now, a tall, long-legged man stood before her, brushing pebbles from her hair and casually inserting a straw into her drink before handing it over. His gaze was so intensely fixed on her and his eyes filled with a dramatic intensity, as if he were acting in a television drama.
Meanwhile, Xu Haocheng, far away abroad, heard Lu Bei's voice when Tang Yao hung up the phone. He immediately became displeased and started typing furiously on his phone.
Soon after, Lu Bei received a long text message with harsh words like, "Don't think you can win over my elder sister so easily. You haven't gotten past me yet."
Before going abroad, Xu Haocheng had added Lu Bei on WeChat. They rarely chatted, and when they did, the tension was palpable.
However, it was usually Xu Haocheng rambling on and on, with Lu Bei occasionally replying with a few words.
"Be sensible, I'll buy you the sneakers you like."
Upon receiving the reply, Xu Haocheng was torn between his favorite elder sister and his favorite sneakers.
Lu Bei put his phone back in his pocket and his gaze fell on Tang Yao.
Tang Yao was drinking a beverage. The cold drink relieved the heat of the day.
That evening, Tang Yao was relaxing on the rooftop when she received a call from Cheng An.
"Yao Yao!" Her voice sounded excited, "He confessed to me!"
Tang Yao sat up from the recliner: "When?"