Meanwhile, Yu Qi sat nervously inside Long Hui's vehicle. She was already regretting her decision to agree to let him send her to the market. Her mouth had acted faster than her brain. Aoi licked his master's hand gently, trying to calm her. He also glanced at Long Hui, silently marking him in his mind. His master seemed wary of this man.
"Do you often go to the mountain?" Long Hui started the conversation.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you go to the mountain? It's dangerous for a girl like you."
"It's safer than being with you." Yu Qi muttered under her breath.
"What?" Long Hui asked, catching only part of her response.
"I go there to collect wild vegetables to sell. I can earn some money from it." Yu Qi finally explained.
"Doesn't Doctor Tang support you?" Long Hui asked.
"I prefer to earn money through my own efforts. Other than food and a place to stay, I don't want to ask Grandpa Tang for money. It would feel rude, especially since he has already helped me so much." Yu Qi answered.
"Then what about the land you bought?" Long Hui asked again.
"The money came from selling ginseng." Yu Qi replied calmly.
Long Hui was momentarily stunned. He had assumed she had asked her grandfather for the money.
"I'm sorry." Long Hui said sincerely.
Huh? Why are you apologising?" Yu Qi asked, feeling confused.
"I thought you relied on your grandfather for the money." Long Hui replied.
"Oh, it's okay." Yu Qi found it slightly surprising that he apologised so quickly when he realised he was wrong.
His image in her eyes improved, just a little.
Soon, they arrived at the market. Yu Qi immediately spotted the auntie who had previously bought her vegetables and went over to greet her.
"Aunt Chang." Yu Qi greeted her.
"Oh, my dear! It's been a while since you last came. Did you bring vegetables today? The ones I bought from you last time were very popular. My customers kept coming back for more." Aunt Chang said happily.
"I have been busy lately. I only had time to go to the mountain today. Please wait a moment, I will get the vegetables." Yu Qi said as she turned around, only to meet Long Hui, who was already standing behind her holding the baskets.
"Thank you." Yu Qi said.
"You're welcome, my dear." Long Hui replied with a sweet smile.
Aunt Chang observed the two of them and smiled knowingly. The man was very handsome. If she were younger like Yu Qi, she might have fallen for him, too. It seemed quite obvious that he was pursuing Yu Qi.
"What a fine man you have here." Aunt Chang commented before asking, "Yu Qi, is this your boyfriend?"
"No." Yu Qi answered quickly
"Not yet." Long Hui answered the question with a smile.
They answered at the same time and immediately glanced at each other. Long Hui flashed his charming smile again, clearly trying to win her over. Yu Qi, on the other hand, felt her heart flutter when she saw that smile, so she quickly turned away.
"Aunt Chang, these are the vegetables I managed to collect today." Yu Qi said, changing the topic as she pointed to the two baskets that Long Hui had already placed down.
"Oh… that is quite a lot." Aunt Chang's eyes lit up as she looked at the fresh vegetables. She called her staff over to sort them according to type.
"Yu Qi, can I pay you tomorrow? I need time to calculate everything." Aunt Chang asked.
It was getting late, and there was not enough time to weigh and price everything properly before closing the shop.
"Sure, I don't mind. I will come back in two days." Yu Qi replied easily.
She understood the process. It would take time to separate, weigh, and calculate everything based on market prices.
"Alright. Thank you, Yu Qi. I'm sure these vegetables will be sold out by the time you return." Aunt Chang said confidently.
"Okay, I will be going now. See you later." Yu Qi said as she turned to leave.
"Wait. I'll send you home." Long Hui said, stepping in front of her.
"My house is only fifteen minutes away. You don't need to send me." Yu Qi replied as she picked up Aoi and held him close to her chest.
"Well, I want to." Long Hui said, completely ignoring her protest.
In the end, Yu Qi gave up and allowed him to walk her home.
"I have been wondering… Where did you find this puppy?" Long Hui asked, glancing at Aoi, who looked very comfortable in Yu Qi's arms.
"Aoi? I found him on the mountain. He was so cute that I decided to take care of him." Yu Qi replied, smiling without realising it.
Long Hui was momentarily stunned. This was the second time he had seen her smile so genuinely.
"Look at his eyes. They're blue, so I named him 'Aoi.' And his fur is so soft. I really like patting him." Yu Qi continued, enthusiastically talking about Aoi. She seemed to forget who she was talking to.
A gentle expression appeared on Long Hui's face. At that moment, he found Yu Qi especially adorable as she rambled on about her puppy.
However, not far away, someone was watching them with eyes full of hatred. That girl could not tolerate seeing Yu Qi happy. After everything that had happened, Yu Qi should have been suffering instead.
With a cold look, the girl turned away and left quietly.
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. It breaks my heart when someone steals my hard work. Can you consider reading it on the original website for those who read my novel on another website besides w e b n o v e l .c o m, as your support to me? Thank you, from, your shameless author, ZerahNeko**
This chapter is edited by Tzin99... Thank you for your help...