Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 382: Baby, I've Come to Find You!

Nothing particularly special happened over the first few days of the Chinese New Year. Because of the recent snow, it was exceptionally cold outside. With plenty of free time on his hands, Zhou Yuwen stayed indoors, accompanying Su Qing and Lu Wanting in playing poker.Occasionally, Peng Xiaoyong would tag along, turning it into a four-player game. When it came to skill, Zhou Yuwen was undoubtedly the best. Peng Xiaoyong, on the other hand, clearly rarely played. He did not really know the rules but assumed poker was simple. Blinded by his own confidence, he felt his superior intellect would make him a natural. As a result, he could not win a single round. To make matters worse, Lu Wanting openly praised Zhou Yuwen right in front of him, saying that anyone who played poker so well had to be incredibly smart.

This ruffled Peng Xiaoyong's feathers. He coldly snapped back, claiming that poker was just a matter of practice makes perfect, and that spending all one's time on card games instead of studying was exactly why someone would fail to get into a good university.

His words made the atmosphere rather awkward. More importantly, Su Qing had also only made it into a second-tier university, so hearing this made her deeply unhappy.

Logically speaking, since Peng Xiaoyong was the oldest, he should have been the one leading the others in having a good time. Instead, it devolved into Zhou Yuwen and the two girls having to constantly accommodate him. In the end, they naturally parted on bad terms, feeling that the game had lost its appeal, and stopped playing altogether.

Even Lu Wanting lost interest in playing with Peng Xiaoyong. It was much more comfortable for just the three of them to play Fight the Landlord.

Aside from lounging in their room playing poker, their evenings were spent going out to eat with relatives. It was not until the fifth day of the new lunar year, when the snow had mostly melted, that everyone finally went out for a stroll.

This small county town in northern Jiangsu was extremely bustling during the Chinese New Year. The streets were filled with ring-toss games, balloon-shooting stalls, and bumper cars.

Zhou Yuwen remembered how much he loved bumper cars as a child, but they had always been too expensive—ten yuan for just five minutes. By the time he was a bit older and finally had the money, the price had doubled to twenty yuan for five minutes.

Then again, the current Zhou Yuwen was not lacking money anymore. Yet, looking at the bumper cars he had adored in his youth, he suddenly found that the desire to play was gone.

Perhaps this was exactly what the old saying meant,

"Though I wish to buy osmanthus flowers and carry wine as before, it is no longer the same as the careless days of youth."

When he was a boy, his biggest dream was to earn lots and lots of money so he could ride bumper cars all day long. Now that he finally had the means, he no longer had the heart for it.

That evening, Zhou Yuwen brought Su Qing, Lu Wanting, and his cousin out for some fun. Since it was Lu Wanting's first time spending the Chinese New Year in the country, everything felt novel to her, and she darted excitedly around the crowded streets.

The specially designated pedestrian street was absolutely packed. People were practically crammed shoulder-to-shoulder as they moved forward, and even Su Qing held tightly onto Zhou Yuwen's arm.

Lu Wanting, however, kept running around recklessly, leaving Peng Xiaoyong fraught with worry. He trailed closely behind her, constantly telling her to slow down.

But Lu Wanting just giggled, urging Peng Xiaoyong and the others to hurry up.

"This looks fun, let's play this!"

Spotting a balloon-shooting stall ahead, Lu Wanting insisted on squeezing her way over. According to the street stall's rules, ten yuan bought forty shots. If all forty hit their mark, the prize was a giant plush doll.

After reading the rules, Lu Wanting immediately pointed at a massive teddy bear and told Peng Xiaoyong, "I want that one!"

Even though Peng Xiaoyong and Lu Wanting were not in a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship, some girls were simply like this; regardless of the relationship status, they would naturally radiate their girlish charm.

And rather than feeling repulsed, boys faced with such girls usually found them endearing.

Of course, that was provided the girl was pretty enough.

At the very least, it was more than enough for Peng Xiaoyong. He adjusted his glasses and agreed, "Alright!"

He handed ten yuan to the boss, asking for a round.

Then, he began firing the toy rifle, producing a rhythmic pop-pop-pop.

Shooting these balloons was not particularly difficult. By aligning the sights properly, one could easily hit the target. The real challenge lay in landing all forty shots perfectly.

"Out of the way, move!"

Just then, a rowdy group of people wanting to shoot shoved their way over, yelling at Peng Xiaoyong and Lu Wanting to step aside.

Peng Xiaoyong had been shooting quite accurately at first. Seeing the newcomers trying to push Lu Wanting, he quickly stepped in front of her and demanded to know what they were doing.

"Oho, trying to play the hero saving the beauty?" Jin Kai, who was on the chubbier side, took a drag of his cigarette and sneered before even getting a good look at the person.

When he finally focused on Peng Xiaoyong, he paused. "Huh? Why do you look so familiar?"

"Have we met somewhere before?" Jin Kai asked.

Peng Xiaoyong actually recognized Jin Kai, but since he was unaware of what Zhou Yuwen had done later on, he naturally refused to admit it. He coldly replied, "You are overthinking things. How could I possibly know someone like you?"

"What?" Jin Kai froze for a second, just about to lose his temper.

At that exact moment, Zhou Yuwen walked up from behind, holding Su Qing's hand. Spotting an old acquaintance, he smiled and asked, "What is going on here? Getting ready to bully people again?"

Jin Kai stiffened just from hearing the voice. When he saw that it was Zhou Yuwen approaching, he nearly jumped out of his skin. The hand he had raised in anger immediately swatted his own face instead. "Bro, bro, I did not know it was you."

Suddenly remembering exactly who Peng Xiaoyong was, he hastily began grinning from ear to ear. "Aiya, brother, I knew I had seen you somewhere! Why did you not admit it? You should have said something sooner, I almost made a huge mistake."

Faced with this sudden shift from arrogance to pure subservience, Peng Xiaoyong was completely bewildered.

Zhou Yuwen, however, let out a snort of disdain. "Alright, enough. Why are you still standing around here?"

"Oh, right, right!"

Jin Kai intended to leave, but he truly did not want to miss this chance to interact with Zhou Yuwen. Not knowing quite how to word it, he showed a moment of hesitation before carefully asking, "Bro, could I have a quick word with you in private?"

Zhou Yuwen asked what he wanted.

Standing off to the side, Lu Wanting observed them. It was not just Jin Kai; the little hoodlums with him had all swaggered around like they owned the place just moments ago. But the instant they saw Zhou Yuwen, their heads bowed so low they practically touched their chests.

It made sense for Jin Kai to keep his head down, considering Zhou Yuwen had previously taught him a harsh lesson.

But as for the others, Lu Wanting simply could not understand why they were acting this way.

More importantly, even though they were standing at a distance, she faintly heard them all greeting him in unison: "Hello, Boss!"

That chubby guy even offered Zhou Yuwen a cigarette with an incredibly sycophantic expression.

However, Zhou Yuwen did not take it.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Lu Wanting asked Su Qing beside her, "Why are they all calling your boyfriend 'Boss'?"

Su Qing naturally knew the reason, but she chose not to explain, merely offering a knowing smile.

Jin Kai had finally seized his opportunity. Seeing that no one else was paying attention, he eagerly made his stance clear. "Bro, I was blind before. I could not see Mt. Tai and ended up offending you."

"You are truly top-tier!"

Jin Kai gave a vigorous thumbs-up and continued, "Bro, you were generous enough to let me off the hook. From now on, I am your man! If you ever need anything done, just say the word!"

The last time Liu Shuo had cornered him, Jin Kai thought the sky was falling. To his surprise, Zhou Yuwen did not make things difficult for him. He certainly did not think Zhou Yuwen lacked the power to crush him; he genuinely believed Zhou Yuwen was just incredibly magnanimous. This gave Jin Kai the profound relief of a man who had survived a disaster, making him even more desperate to join the Xuhuai Association.

But Zhou Yuwen waved him off, stating that the Xuhuai Association was not what he thought it was.

"Besides, do not talk to me about this. If you want in, go talk to Liu Shuo."

Jin Kai continued to enthusiastically pledge loyalty, but Zhou Yuwen simply refused to agree.

Unfazed, Jin Kai was quite direct. "Bro, I know you look down on me, but that does not matter! If you ever need me for anything in the future, just tell me!"

"As far as I am concerned, I am already your man!"

Jin Kai spoke with such absolute certainty that, had they not been in a crowded public space, he likely would have dropped to his knees right then and there.

Even with the crowd, he still looked half-tempted to kneel anyway.

Fortunately, Zhou Yuwen stopped him.

"Alright, that is enough. Go do whatever you were doing," Zhou Yuwen ordered, finally managing to shoo Jin Kai away. When Zhou Yuwen returned, Lu Wanting asked him what they had been talking about.

Zhou Yuwen replied that it was nothing important.

"He just wanted to say he realized his mistakes. He feels that bullying people is wrong and promised never to do it again. He almost knelt down to apologize just now," Zhou Yuwen explained casually.

Lu Wanting burst out laughing at this, teasingly accusing Zhou Yuwen of boasting!

Zhou Yuwen retorted, "If you do not believe me, why did you ask?"

By this time, Peng Xiaoyong had finished his ten yuan's worth of bullets. He had shot very well at the beginning, but because of Jin Kai causing trouble halfway through, his aim had been thrown off for a few shots.

This left Peng Xiaoyong deeply frustrated. He immediately pulled out another ten yuan and declared, "One more round!"

The street stall vendor was naturally thrilled.

Unaware that Peng Xiaoyong was trying to win the stuffed toy for Lu Wanting, Zhou Yuwen found his cousin's determination amusing. "You really like this game, cousin? Looks like you got plenty of shooting practice abroad, huh?"

Peng Xiaoyong just gripped the toy gun and continued shooting in complete silence.

At that moment, Su Qing noticed the rules displayed on the side. She smiled and asked, "Zhou Yuwen, you can win a teddy bear here! Help me win one, please?"

Zhou Yuwen replied that it was meaningless.

"These teddy bears look huge, but they are stuffed with cheap, substandard materials. If you take it back, you will definitely put it by your bed, and breathing that in long-term is bad for your health."

What he said was entirely true, but Su Qing clearly did not believe it. She gave a slight pout and challenged him, "Just tell me if you can hit them or not."

"Shooting these? It is a piece of cake."

Zhou Yuwen let out a confident chuckle. After saying this, he paid ten yuan for a turn.

Peng Xiaoyong was painstakingly aiming at his targets one by one. To be fair, he was quite accurate. But when Zhou Yuwen stepped up, he did not even bother aiming. He simply raised the gun and started firing rapidly—pop, pop, pop! While swiftly blasting the balloons, he casually remarked, "Is this not incredibly simple?"

And so, he fired shot after shot.

In the blink of an eye, while Peng Xiaoyong had only managed twenty shots, Zhou Yuwen had already emptied all forty of his.

Moreover, every single one hit the mark.

Su Qing was thrilled. She grabbed Zhou Yuwen's arm and cheered loudly, "Zhou Yuwen, you are amazing!"

The boss handed the massive plush doll to Zhou Yuwen. Holding the prize, Zhou Yuwen asked with a smirk, "Now do you know how amazing I am?"

"Mhm!"

The young couple was certainly having a great time, but poor Peng Xiaoyong was left out to dry. He had originally wanted to show off in front of Lu Wanting, but his attempts had completely failed!

After this incident, Peng Xiaoyong flat-out refused to go out shopping or strolling with Zhou Yuwen ever again. He even began to feel that arranging for Lu Wanting to stay at Zhou Yuwen's home had been a terrible mistake.

Fortunately, the seventh day of the lunar new year arrived in the blink of an eye.

This meant Lu Wanting was about to head to Jinling to officially report for duty.

Peng Xiaoyong was also packing his bags, ready to return to Jinling to look for a job.

Time really flew by.

In a flash, the temperatures rose, and the ice and snow melted away.

It seemed like it had all happened over just a few days. As the sunlight beat down, the heavy snow covering the tree branches quickly vanished, and tender green shoots naturally pushed their way out from the wood.

The cycle began anew. Spring had arrived just like that, bringing forth the season of life and propagation for all things.

On the seventh day, Lu Wanting formally bid farewell to Zhou Yuwen's family. Zhou Yuwen drove Peng Xiaoyong and Lu Wanting to the station, accompanied by his mother and his elder aunt.

Lu Wanting gave everyone a deep, formal bow and said, "Thank you all so much for taking such good care of me these past few days. This has been the happiest New Year I have ever experienced!"

"What are you saying! We are all family. You must come visit often!" Yang Lirong replied warmly.

Lu Wanting had actually been hesitating about whether to tell Yang Lirong and the others the truth about her job, but after some thought, she decided against it. She simply smiled at them before entering the station with Peng Xiaoyong.

Just as they walked into the station, They brushed past a tall girl from the north. She was wearing a brown wool coat over a black crew-neck sweater.

For her lower half, she wore black tight pants paired with over-the-knee boots.

The average height in Xuhuai was fairly decent, but this girl was noticeably taller, with beautifully proportioned features. Keeping her hands tucked into the pockets of her wool coat, she swiftly exited the newly built county high-speed rail station.

Looking at the scenery before her, An inexplicable surge of excitement bubbled up in her heart. She felt incredibly proud of her own bravery!

Even before the Chinese New Year festivities had completely ended, she had sneaked out, hiding her plans from her entire family to board the train entirely alone.

There was only one reason: she missed Zhou Yuwen far too much!

She missed him so much it was driving her crazy. This was especially true whenever he acted so aloof, refusing to acknowledge her as his girlfriend.

'Fine, I will just come over myself and meet your parents!'

'Let us see you try to deny me after that!'

By this time, Zhou Yuwen had already driven off with his mother and elder aunt.

In the car, his elder aunt could not help but start complaining, criticizing Lu Wanting for being impolite and showing absolutely no respect to her future mother-in-law.

Yang Lirong, however, tried to offer some gentle persuasion. "Sister, Wanting grew up abroad. She might just be unfamiliar with our customs. It is perfectly normal. Just teach her slowly."

"Sister, your Yuwen is much more sensible. He brought home such an obedient and sweet daughter-in-law for you," his elder aunt sighed.

Hearing this, Yang Lirong immediately became displeased. She gave a slight pout and muttered, "Obedient? Hah, I suppose you could call it that."

Listening to their tone, Zhou Yuwen could only sigh inwardly. 'Sigh, what a hassle.'

Just then, Zhou Yuwen's phone beeped.

Since they were stopped at a red light, Zhou Yuwen glanced down at the screen.

Yang Lirong quickly reminded her son to concentrate on driving and not look at his phone.

But the moment Zhou Yuwen saw the message, he was completely stunned.

It was a photo sent by Zheng Yanyan.

She was standing in the plaza in front of a high-speed rail station, wearing a wool coat and tall boots, flashing a bright V-sign at the camera.

None of that was the important part. What truly mattered was...

The giant sign directly behind her read: Xuhuai Station!??

"Baby! I am here to find you!"

The same message was also received by Lu Hui, who was currently busy working in Jinling.