After leaving the manor, Ye Ming remained silent, his mind constantly piecing together all the recent events.
"Could there be a connection... in all this?"
This was one of the biggest questions currently in Ye Ming's mind.
Meanwhile, Du Yuemian did not disturb him. She knew well that the burdens on the young man beside her were heavier than anyone else's.
Now, the only thing she could do was to continuously improve her own strength, hoping that one day she could truly fight alongside him.
Thus, a young man and woman strolled hand in hand through the streets of the provincial capital.
How many people must have envied them?
Finally, after half an hour, Ye Ming emerged from his deep thought.
"Let's go! We should get something to eat!"
Ye Ming looked at the quiet girl beside him and said softly.
"Okay!"
Then, the two found a bustling little shop and sat down.
"Did you two also come specifically to try our shop's couple's set meal?" A waitress approached them, saying warmly to Ye Ming and Du Yuemian.
Hearing the waitress's introduction, Ye Ming learned that the reason the small shop was so popular was due to a special "couple's set meal" they had recently launched, which had gained favor among many young couples.
This was the reason for its current success.
"Alright! We'll have one of your... couple's set meals!" Ye Ming winked at Du Yuemian and said with a smile.
As for Miss Yuemian, although she didn't appear overly shy, two blushes crept onto her cheeks.
Her eyes, naturally, were filled with sweetness.
Opportunities like this, alone with Ye Ming, would likely become fewer and fewer in the future.
Therefore, she cherished this time even more.
At this moment, many couples were also dining in the shop.
However, when Du Yuemian, who was exceptionally beautiful and possessed a figure that made her a public enemy among other women, appeared, the eyes of all the men present were inevitably drawn to her.
This was, after all, human nature.
Of course, how to face his girlfriend's interrogation upon returning home was another matter entirely.
"Senior Brother Wu! You're still looking?"
Not far from Ye Ming's table, a woman considered to be over eighty points in attractiveness saw her admired senior brother staring at Du Yuemian. Her delicate brows furrowed.
Before Du Yuemian's appearance, she had been the center of attention in the entire place. She enjoyed and was satisfied with the feeling of being watched by everyone.
But with Du Yuemian's arrival, not only did she lose that feeling of being the sole focus, but even her admired senior brother was no longer looking at her.
Thus, as the woman looked at Du Yuemian, a malicious glint appeared in her eyes.
"Ahem!"
Hearing the woman's reminder, Liu Hou realized his gaffe. He quickly withdrew his gaze, picked up a piece of meat for the woman in front of him, and said with a smile, "Junior Sister Zhang, don't misunderstand. I just rarely see such a... unique woman, and I was a little curious!"
Unique! Curious!
The wording was... very deliberate.
"Hmph!"
Zhang Yun glanced at Liu Hou and said no more.
However, during the rest of their meal, Liu Hou couldn't help but steal glances in Du Yuemian's direction. Seeing this, Zhang Yun's expression clearly turned cold.
She threw down her chopsticks, her face dark, and stood up, walking towards Du Yuemian.
"Junior Sister Zhang! We still have important tasks to attend to. We can't..."
Before Liu Hou could even stop her, Zhang Yun had already reached Du Yuemian's side.
"???"
Looking at the woman who had suddenly appeared, Du Yuemian was somewhat bewildered.
Ye Ming, opposite her, was also a little confused.
What was going on? Why was someone picking a fight out of nowhere?
According to the normal plot progression, even if someone were to cause trouble, it should be a man coveting Du Yuemian's beauty, coming to cause problems.
But why was a woman appearing?
And with hostility.
"Could it be..."
Ye Ming sized up the sudden woman from head to toe, then noticed the man behind her. He seemed to have guessed something.
"Miss! Is there something you need?"
Although Du Yuemian also felt the other party's hostility, her tone was still gentle.
If absolutely necessary, she did not want to waste the precious time she had alone with Ye Ming on trivial matters.
"Heh!"
Zhang Yun sneered inwardly, thinking, "As expected, a delicate woman!"
Faced with the woman's cold snort, Du Yuemian did not get angry. However, what the other party said next made her unable to hold back any longer.
"Luo Xue! I can't believe it! So you're that kind of person?" Zhang Yun pointed her finger at Du Yuemian and Ye Ming, her face filled with disgust. "I never imagined that after dumping Senior Brother Song, you'd immediately get involved with this pretty boy. You're... quite open-minded."
Luo Xue?
Was she referring to Du Yuemian?
"What are you talking about?"
Hearing these words, Du Yuemian's eyes also emitted a cold glint.
She, Du Yuemian, was never a weak woman.
"What! Pretending not to know me!"
Zhang Yun put on an expression of sudden realization and said, "Oh! That's right! Since my identity has been exposed, you naturally have to pretend not to know me."
"Let me think... Including this pretty boy, this should be your thirty-eighth man!" As she spoke, she scrutinized Du Yuemian's body and sneered, "I really can't tell how your delicate frame can withstand the affection of so many men. Or perhaps, you use other ways to please those men?"
Affection!
Please!
Hearing these words, not only was Du Yuemian herself somewhat taken aback, but even everyone dining in the establishment was confused.
"Is... is this true?"
"Look at how agitated she is, it must be true!"
"Alas! I never would have thought! Such a good girl, why doesn't she know how to be chaste?"
"I thought she looked so pure just now, who would have thought..."
"Huh! Doesn't this girl look a bit familiar?"
"No way! Have you been involved with her before?"
"You're right, she does look a bit familiar!"
"???"
"..."
As various indecent whispers from the surroundings reached Du Yuemian's ears, she truly reached her breaking point.
Being slandered without reason, no woman could tolerate it.
But just as she was about to make a move, a figure appeared before Zhang Yun first.
It was Ye Ming!
At this moment, a terrifying chill emanated from him. His eyes were chillingly frightening. "Swallow what you just said!"
Faced with this astonishing chill, Zhang Yun instinctively took a step back, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
However, recalling how Senior Brother Liu had looked at that woman earlier, combined with her own identity, she suddenly seemed fearless.
"What! If she, Luo Xue, dares to do it, is she afraid of others talking about it?" Zhang Yun pointed at Du Yuemian and said sternly, "A woman like her must have already been toyed with by men..."
*Slap!*
Before she could finish speaking, a crisp sound suddenly echoed through the air.