....
Xiao Lei was sitting at the backseat while she listened to the cheesy conversation between Han Ye and Angela Zhang.
"Was she always this cheesy?" Xiao Lei thought when she heard Angela Zhang talking in a cutesy voice while she praised Han Ye's ability. Angela Zhang was younger than her, so Xiao Lei never paid much attention to her when they were younger. Besides, Angela Zhang was Fan Xiyue's cousin, not Xiao Lei's cousin.
In Xiao Lei's hazy memory of Angela Zhang, the latter was a quiet girl who was always with Fan Xiyue.
When she rolled her eyes, her action was caught by Han Ye who was looking at the rearview mirror at the moment. He frowned at her when she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Everything alright, Xiao Lei?" he asked when he pulled to a stop at a traffic light that just turned red.
"Yeah."
"Was that your friend earlier?"
"Yeah, an old friend from my old life... She used to babysit me when I was a kid."
"Is she..." The word "pros" did not need to be said. Both of them knew by now what kind of women she hung out with when she was young.
Xiao Lei nodded. "Yeah."
She wasn't ashamed that she had friends in this line of work. She knew how hard they worked to survive, and unlike others, she knew why they did it. No one could change what she felt about her friends no matter what.
Angela Zhang frowned. She didn't understand a word out of their conversation, so she looked at Han Ye and asked, "What are you guys talking about?"
Han Ye smiled and placed a hand at the back of her head before he said, "Nothing much. How's your tummy now?"
"Better..."
"Are you hurt?" Xiao Lei asked just as Han Ye started driving again.
Angela Zhang looked at her through the rearview mirror. She wanted to ignore her, but with Han Ye here, she could not openly be rude toward her. In the end, she replied gruffly, "Stomachache."
She did not think too much of it. Instead, Xiao Lei took out a small bottle filled with oil-based ointment from her new handbag and handed it to Angela Zhang. "This is good. I applied it on my son's stomach whenever he felt discomfort."
Angela Zhang frowned when she saw the ointment. She then wrinkled her nose as she took a sniff at the ointment. "Xiao Lei, you're just like an old woman... You have everything in your handbag."
She was trying to make an indirect mean comment, but Xiao Lei wasn't bothered by it. Instead, she nodded and said, "Well, it's just a habit. After all, I am a mother now. You can keep it. I have an extra bottle at home."
When she saw Xiao Lei smiling at her, Angela Zhang frowned. She then glanced at Han Ye and murmured, "I don't like the smell of this, Han Ye..."
Han Ye thought for a while before he said, "I'll buy you some medicine later, but for now, just use it, alright? I don't want to see you feeling discomfort."
When they arrived at their apartment, Han Ye was about to park the car so that he could send Xiao Lei up to her unit, but Angela Zhang suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain.
"Argh!"
"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as he reached over to rub her stomach. "I thought you're feeling better?"
"I don't know! It hurts!" Angela Zhang cried as she clutched her stomach even tighter.
Xiao Lei was looking at her worriedly when she saw Angela Zhang glaring at her when Han Ye wasn't paying attention.
"She can't be real... Did I waste my ointment on her?" Xiao Lei thought and rolled her eyes. She grew up with many women to not know what Angela Zhang was doing. With a sigh, she opened the car door and got out. Sticking her head into the car, she said, "Han Ye, I can go up by myself. Take Angela to a clinic. Maybe give her a whole body checkup while you're at it. Most importantly, the brain part."
Angela Zhang glared at her while Han Ye frowned and dismissed what Xiao Lei was saying as a joke. He looked at Angela Zhang, who seemed to be in a lot of pain, and back at Xiao Lei again. With a sigh, he said, "Alright, be careful on your way up. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
Xiao Lei nodded and ran into the apartment building. When she got back to her unit, she rolled her eyes again when she thought about Angela Zhang's smug expression earlier.
"That woman... Is she feeling so self-conscious that she thinks that I'm an opponent? Please..."
She thought about Han Ye and murmured, "Sure, he's pretty cool. And he's definitely in the top 10% in terms of looks. Has a great body for his age. Earns a lot of money. Kind. Generous..."
She then shook her head and scoffed, "He also climbs into random stranger's bed! Afraid of bugs! Sleep talking!"
...
"Achoo!"
Meanwhile, Han Ye kept sneezing while he drove. He wondered who was talking behind his back. When he arrived at the clinic, he immediately took Angela Zhang in. After a few minutes with the doctor, the doctor said that she was fine and that it was probably stress-related pain.
When they were back in the car again, Han Ye asked worriedly, "Are you stressed out cause you have to go to dinner with me?"
"No... I was..."
"You can tell me."
"I just don't like... that girl."
"Who? Xiao Lei?"
"You guys barely knew each other, and now, she's using you to get a job at Du Corporation. Han Ye, Du Corporation is not a place that anyone can enter. I'm worried that she's using you!"
Han Ye smiled and patted her head. "I know, but you worry too much. Xiao Lei is a good girl."
Angela Zhang looked at him. She wanted to say more but since Wu Yuexue was not the type of girl to think badly of people, Angela Zhang had to be the same as well. With a smile, she said, "Fine... If you say so."
Seeing her sad smile, Han Ye leaned forward to kiss her. Once. Twice. He then looked at her... It was cruel of him to do so, but when he looked at her, the person he saw was still his wife.
"Just for a while longer..." Han Ye thought as he reached out to gently caressed her cheek. With a reassuring tone, he said, "Don't worry about her, alright?"
"How could I... She's working at the same place as you, and she's so beautiful..." Angela Zhang said with a pout, thus breaking out of character for a moment. When she realized what she had done, she immediately looked away as if she were ashamed of what she said.
However, Han Ye did not notice much. He merely nodded and said, "I'll make it clear to her that I'm your man. So, just take it easy."
When they arrived at her place, Angela Zhang looked at Han Ye and asked, "When can I see you next?"
"This weekend? Are you free on Saturday?" Han Ye asked. He recalled Kai Xin's request telling him to bring her over. There would be a small party at the Du Mansion this weekend, and it would be a great time for him to introduce Angela Zhang to his boss and the others.
Angela Zhang nodded.
"Great! There's a party that I'm invited to. I was worried that I'd have to go alone again," Han Ye said. He then smiled and took her hand. "I'll pick you up on Saturday."
.....