Chapter 46: A Clever Stratagem

“Heh, didn’t you go after Qiao Ya just now? And when you left, didn’t you say we couldn’t even be friends anymore? So why is it that not even an hour has passed and here you are again?” Wu Ya showed not the slightest surprise.

He gazed at the crestfallen Huang Silu, his words full of mockery.

“I... hmph, damn it, I didn’t catch up with her! The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I came back here to settle the score with you!” Huang Silu was taken aback for a moment, but quickly spoke up, puffed with indignation.

It was true that he hadn’t caught up with Qiao Ya. The moment she stepped out, determined to shake off his pestering, she hailed a taxi and left him far behind.

Poor fellow. At that time, taxis were scarce in a small place like Suiyan! Seeing no more cars in sight, he sprinted after her as hard as he could.

You had to hand it to him—he ran more than five kilometers, if not more. But that taxi never showed any sign of stopping.

In the end, he had no choice but to give up.

After such strenuous exertion, his anger had completely dissipated. Instead, his mind had become much clearer.

Wu Ya.

His best, most trusted brother. The kind of friend with whom you’d share your last pair of pants! Thick as thieves, always in it together. How could he suddenly become so cold, so indifferent to his feelings, so unconcerned about the possible fallout between him and Qiao Ya?

Why had Wu Ya so flatly refused to testify on his behalf? There must be something at play here that he hadn’t considered!

Unwilling to give up, he’d come back.

“Hahaha, Huang Rat, you must think I couldn’t possibly stand by without a good reason, so you came back, not content to let it go, hoping to get to the bottom of it?” Wu Ya burst out laughing, seeing straight through Huang Silu’s intentions.

Without caring for his embarrassment, he continued, “Given your attitude just now, I don’t feel like giving you any explanation! Here’s what: let Liu Qian do the talking, and you just listen!”

A clever move. This would avoid the back-and-forth that could accidentally reveal the truth, and let Huang Silu understand why Wu Ya didn’t want the credit. After all, this was a matter of life and death! Weigh that against your pursuit of a girlfriend—surely you know which matters more.

He believed Huang Silu would see reason.

“Silence, Huang Silu…” Soon enough, Liu Qian, following Wu Ya’s earlier account, explained everything anew to Huang Silu.

“So that’s it! I was careless! Just for the sake of my pride, I almost got Wu Ya in trouble!” Huang Silu’s eyes flashed wide open as he listened.

Of course. Those drug dealers were all outsiders, but the local police had only taken down a local crime ring today. The rest of their organization was still intact. Would they simply swallow such a loss? Absolutely not! If word spread about today’s events, their wrath would surely fall upon Wu Ya!

“It’s all right, you needn’t blame yourself too much! Your big brother is broad-minded and won’t hold it against you!” Seeing his reaction, Wu Ya offered a faint smile, putting on an air of magnanimity, acting every bit the superior who overlooks small slights.

To completely remove any lingering estrangement between them, Liu Qian added, “Huang Silu, Wu Ya is your best friend! I’m sure you don’t want to see him caught up in needless disaster, do you?”

“Of course not! It’s just…”

“Just that you’d like Liu Qian to help out with Qiao Ya, isn’t that right?” Wu Ya interrupted him before he could finish.

“Yes! I chased after that car with all my might—brother, five whole kilometers! Yet she showed not a hint of pity, turned a blind eye to my sincerity! My devoted heart, so cruelly trampled—”

“Shut up! If you keep whining, Liu Qian and I are leaving right now!”

Poor, miserable Huang Silu. He’d just been warming up to a grand lament, pouring out his sorrows, only for Wu Ya to douse him with a bucket of cold water.

“So, what do you propose?” Quickly, he stifled his plaintive tone, returning to a more neutral expression.

“Liu Qian, I’ll leave this to you. Qiao Ya may look aloof on the outside, but her pride springs from a deep-seated insecurity caused by her family’s poverty! She’s a girl who wants to change her fate through marriage. Naturally, she won’t pin all her hopes on someone else so soon, giving herself no room to choose!”

Wu Ya turned to Liu Qian, laying out his analysis with conviction.

He understood Qiao Ya so deeply not because he’d taken special interest in her, but because his past life had revealed much about what would later befall her.

This girl was truly unfortunate. Harboring dreams of marrying into wealth and changing her life, she ultimately ended up abandoned and thrown out of the house.

But in Liu Qian’s ears, Wu Ya’s words had quite another flavor.

“Oh? Seems you know Qiao Ya better than you know me! You can even guess her innermost thoughts with such accuracy! Tsk tsk, Wu Ya, I have to hand it to you!”

A round of sarcastic banter, thick with jealousy!

Boom!

Wu Ya felt as if struck by lightning. A splitting headache instantly sobered him.

He’d let something slip.

He’d brought unnecessary trouble upon himself!

Liu Qian—this lady’s eyes could not tolerate even a grain of sand! Most beautiful women had fiercely stubborn tempers, and Liu Qian was no exception—if anything, she was even more willful. Usually, if things went the slightest bit awry, he’d be running errands for her. And now he’d touched her sore spot...

With women, it went without saying: no matter how calm Liu Qian appeared on the surface, inside she must have been a volcano on the verge of eruption! Lava boiling, flames blazing.

“Um... all right, let’s not get tangled up over trifles like this. How about we focus on helping me win back my happiness?” Huang Silu, sensing danger, quickly stepped in.

Wu Ya knowing Qiao Ya? That was only natural! Wasn’t he always discussing her, asking Wu Ya for advice and insight? After all that analysis, it would be stranger if Wu Ya didn’t understand her.

“No problem!” Wu Ya jumped in. “Liu Qian, go tell Qiao Ya that although Huang Silu isn’t exactly a looker, he’s got a good heart and will treat her well!”

Not exactly a looker? A flash of resentment crossed Huang Silu’s eyes.

Damn it, are you helping me or insulting me?

But he took a deep breath and tamped down his anger. He kept listening—maybe Wu Ya really did have some ingenious plan. If he could win Qiao Ya back, what did it matter if he was roasted a little?

“And most importantly, Huang Silu has already mastered finance at a young age! In time, he’s sure to become the richest man in Suiyan! If she doesn’t believe it, have her come to the Suiyan branch’s trading hall first thing the morning after tomorrow—Huang Silu will show her a miracle!”