Chapter 1027: Chapter 997:
Chapter 997:
“No need!” Liu Momo immediately shook her head, saying, “I think those so-called gentlemen are just wolves in sheep’s clothing. If Brother Chen changes, then he wouldn’t be Brother Chen.”
“Why do you say that?” Ye Chen looked at Liu Momo curiously.
“Hmm…” Liu Momo’s eyes darted around, then she smiled and said, “Some things are understood by observing the small to know the large. As the saying goes, you can tell the whole by observing one part. From Brother Chen’s actions, you can tell that he must be straightforward and values relationships a lot. Since Brother Chen is someone who values relationships and is straightforward, why should he change? Does he really have to learn to put on airs like those so-called gentlemen?”
“Haha…” Ye Chen laughed heartily, never expecting that this little girl could come up with such profound logic. This was absolutely beyond Ye Chen’s expectations. He laughed and then said, “If those gentlemen heard what you said, they might be so angry that they’d cough up blood.”
“Then let them cough up blood!” Liu Momo giggled.
As the two were chatting and laughing, Ye Chen suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure at the door. His heart trembled, and he muttered, “Isn’t that Tongtong?”
Liu Momo, curious, looked towards the door and saw Ye Chen’s legitimate wife Zhang Yantong walking in arm-in-arm with a middle-aged man. They were chatting and laughing, and there seemed to be affection and love between their brows. This made Liu Momo feel a surge of tension. That was Ye Chen’s wife, and now she was cuddling in another man’s arms. Moreover, the man appeared to be the gentleman Liu Momo just spoke of. His actions seemed very gentlemanly. He gently moved the bead curtain for Zhang Yantong and respectfully invited her in.
This series of actions definitely indicated that the relationship between the two was not simple.
“Brother Chen, what are you thinking?!” Liu Momo said with a smile, “Maybe that’s just a relative of Zhang Yantong?”
“Hmm…” Ye Chen nodded, but his mind was full of confusion. The fawning smile of that man lingered in his thoughts. Is the relationship between these two really as simple as Liu Momo said?
Ye Chen thought carefully, Zhang Yantong was just a woman, and ever since marrying him, they had spent more time apart than together. It’s often said that women in their thirties are like wolves, and women in their forties are like tigers. Now, Zhang Yantong was already thirty, and at such a wolf-like age, she might really need the comfort of a man. And when Zhang Yantong was spiritually empty, it was the easiest time for other men to slip in.
Could it be? Could it really be as he thought? Ye Chen felt at a loss. Beside him, Liu Momo also knew what Ye Chen was thinking; every man is selfish in matters of emotion. He absolutely wouldn’t allow his woman to have any connection with other men, let alone any vague or entangled relationships. So all along, Liu Momo had cut off contact with any men to prevent Ye Chen from misunderstanding.
But the current situation also left Liu Momo at a loss. On one hand, she couldn’t let Ye Chen overthink, and on the other hand, she had to quickly prove Zhang Yantong’s innocence. There wasn’t much Liu Momo could do; she could only comfort Ye Chen, saying, “Brother Chen, don’t overthink. Some things might not be as you imagined!”
“Then what could it be?” Ye Chen’s face was a bit pale.
“How about…” This little elf Liu Momo seemed to come up with a clever idea. She looked at Ye Chen with a sly smile, then whispered in Ye Chen’s ear, “How about we…”
“Really?” Ye Chen was stunned.
“Of course!” Liu Momo immediately pulled Ye Chen towards the back hall.
When the two reappeared, Ye Chen was already dressed in a chef’s robe, wearing a tall chef’s hat, and a mask covered his face, only leaving two round eyes visible. Liu Momo also changed into a waitress uniform and applied a little makeup, making it hard to see her true appearance in the dim lighting. For these outfits, the two paid a high price, first begging the chef and then giving several thousand yuan as a big red envelope, barely getting their agreement.
As the two were leaving the kitchen, the head chef patted Ye Chen on the shoulder and said, “Sir, as a fellow man, I must remind you of a saying: a person can be forgiven for making a mistake once in their life, but not for making the same mistake again!”
Ye Chen understood the meaning of this sentence; if Zhang Yantong truly strayed, then forgive her this time, but absolutely no next time! However, Ye Chen would never give Zhang Yantong any chance.
After the two disguised themselves, they headed toward Zhang Yantong’s booth. Liu Momo walked confidently to the outside of the beaded curtain. At this moment, a burst of laughter came from within the curtain. The man seemed somewhat sleazy; he laughed, “Little Qiao, do you like me?”
“I like you. If I didn’t like you, how would I agree to be with you?” Zhang Yantong’s voice came from within the curtain, leaving Ye Chen a bit surprised. Why did Zhang Yantong become Little Qiao? This puzzled Ye Chen greatly. Liu Momo gave Ye Chen a glance, and Ye Chen nodded. Liu Momo stepped forward to lift the curtain, then revealed a smile, saying, “You two, your meal is here!”
As the curtain was lifted, Ye Chen was immediately petrified. Zhang Yantong was in the arms of that middle-aged man, and there seemed to be an indescribable relationship between them, making Ye Chen’s eyes widen in shock. Soon, his gaze turned red and filled with bloodshot veins.
Zhang Yantong was a bit surprised; why was the man pushing the cart staring at her motionlessly? People’s sixth sense can always sense intrigue around them. So Zhang Yantong quickly raised her eyes to meet his. When she saw Ye Chen’s gaze, she was a bit puzzled, wondering why those eyes felt so familiar. Despite the mask, despite the disguise, they still looked so familiar.
“Ye Chen?” Zhang Yantong muttered in confusion.
By now, Liu Momo had brought the meals one after another and then lifted the curtain, ready to turn around and pull Ye Chen away.
At the moment the curtain fell, Zhang Yantong saw the chef holding the cart take off his mask. In the split second before the curtain closed, Zhang Yantong saw Ye Chen’s cheek and saw two clear streams of tears fall.
“Ye Chen!” Zhang Yantong hurriedly jumped up from the booth.
“Little Qiao, you… where are you going?” The slightly chubby middle-aged man immediately grabbed Zhang Yantong, but she pushed him away and dashed off. Unfortunately, when she rushed out, she didn’t see any trace of Ye Chen. She dashed into the kitchen, but Ye Chen’s shadow was still nowhere to be found. Anxiously looking around, she suddenly thought of calling, yet when she dialed Ye Chen’s number, there was no answer.
The phone’s busy tone kept ringing on the other end. The repetitive beep made Zhang Yantong feel like dying. Ye Chen always actively reached out to her, yet she couldn’t find his whereabouts. Ye Chen seemed like an elusive sailboat, possibly arriving before you or perhaps leaving you unable to find its dock. All along, she felt like a harbor, and Ye Chen was that sailing vessel venturing out.
This feeling made Zhang Yantong weary, but it couldn’t change her love for Ye Chen. This misunderstanding pained her; the wound throbbed. She gritted her teeth to endure, striving not to let tears fall easily, but to no avail, they fell so effortlessly. Her whole heart seemed to shatter, breaking into pieces.
Falling to the ground, they splashed into blossoms of tears.
“Ye Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this. I beg you to turn on your phone!” Zhang Yantong dialed Ye Chen’s number again and again, but still couldn’t connect. And not far away, in a dark alley, Liu Momo was walking arm in arm with Ye Chen, step by step on their way home.
Along the way, Ye Chen was silent, Liu Momo was silent too, and the two walked slowly together. Neither said a word, while Ye Chen sometimes looked up at the starry night sky, sometimes down at the cemented ground.
In her agitation, Zhang Yantong stomped on the spot, dialing Ye Chen’s number over a hundred times, ultimately failing to get through. Zhang Yantong helplessly leaned against the wall, her body slowly sliding down. Sitting on the cold cement ground, watching the stars blink in the sky, she helplessly asked, “Why is it like this? Why did Ye Chen misunderstand me?”
Suddenly, Zhang Yantong felt a sense of despair, as if something had failed utterly. Leaning against the wall, she thought today was just a guest undercover, not expecting things to be exposed by Ye Chen. This time, undercover, playing the role of a temptress to seduce a drug lord big shot, unexpectedly ran into Ye Chen at the café. Such a thing was hard for Zhang Yantong to accept.
Pain wasn’t a sharp knife cutting the skin but the beloved person’s misunderstanding, impossible to explain. Zhang Yantong lay against the wall, letting tears flow freely. Everything seemed to have ended.
Tonight seemed extraordinarily different from past nights; today’s moon seemed particularly distinct. Zhang Yantong no longer had the mood to appreciate this full moon. Her heart was continually concerned about Ye Chen, wondering what he would do, whether he would really separate from her.