Fell in Love with the Crazy Young Lady - Chapter 14

“Resignation?”

Yang Zhao had just woken up from her nap when Hua Man brought up this topic. Adjusting her position on the sofa, she lifted her gaze to Hua Man. “Are you expressing dissatisfaction with me?”

“No,” Hua Man shook her head.

She wasn’t dissatisfied.

“How can you not be?” Yang Zhao sneered. “Isn’t your resignation because I docked your pay? You’re unhappy, so you come here to threaten me? How bold!”

She hadn’t even settled the score with Hua Man yet—just deducted a bit of her salary—and now Hua Man dared to threaten her. Yang Zhao frowned in displeasure.

“I’m not threatening you. I just feel I’m not suited for this job,” Hua Man explained with a headache, completely baffled by the young mistress’s logic.

Resigning was just a normal personnel change.

In just this past week, the bodyguards around Miss Yang had already been replaced twice. Having been here for less than two weeks, Hua Man was already one of the longest-serving employees.

Yang Zhao didn’t want to hear her nonsense and cut straight to the point. “I don’t agree.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Few people ever contradicted her like this. Yang Zhao was momentarily stumped but not angered. Instead, she looked at Hua Man with interest. “Probably because you ask me why. I find it amusing.”

Hua Man: “…”

This was just her messing with her.

“Anyway, I won’t approve your resignation,” Yang Zhao said bluntly. However, after a night had passed, much of her frustration from the previous evening had dissipated. After hesitating for a few seconds, she turned her head away and said stiffly, “You’ve been here for a week now… Well, it’s time for your weekly bonus.”

She glanced at Yu Shan. “Arrange it.”

Yu Shan froze.

Weekly bonus? What was that?

Hua Man was also confused. She’d heard of year-end bonuses, but a weekly bonus was a first.

It wasn’t until the money hit her account that Hua Man realized—was the young mistress deliberately using money to keep her in place?

But her resignation wasn’t solely because of the pay cut.

Yet Yang Zhao didn’t care about her reasons for resigning and wouldn’t let her go. This was troublesome.

After much deliberation, Hua Man approached Yang Zhao again.

Unfortunately, Yang Zhao was too absorbed in archery to pay her any attention.

Hua Man decided to be direct. “If I continue staying by your side, incidents like yesterday will likely happen often.”

Yang Zhao narrowed her eyes, lowered her bow, and turned to Hua Man. “If anyone dares to fight me for you again, I’ll shoot them dead with an arrow.”

At this, a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Did someone offer you a higher salary to poach you?”

Was that why she kept trying to leave?

“No,” Hua Man said, exasperated. “What I mean is, if I stay with you, and conflicts arise between you and others in the future, I’ll most likely intervene again—maybe even call the police. Are you sure you still want to keep me?”

This was clearly a threat.

And yet she still denied threatening her.

Yang Zhao chuckled. “You think I’m afraid of your threats?”

She hated threats, but she also feared them the least.

“Go ahead and try.”

With that, Yang Zhao raised her bow again.

The arrow flew out, hitting the bullseye. Yang Zhao smiled in satisfaction.

She turned back. “Don’t mistake He Qiuyan for some kind of saint. She won’t be your next employer.”

Hearing He Qiuyan’s name, Hua Man frowned. “What did you do?”

“What can I do?” Yang Zhao sighed gloomily. “Don’t you all love taking the legal route? Well, we’re taking the legal route now. Do you really think she’s clean?”

“She’s committed plenty of illegal acts—she’s even got bl00d on her hands. I’d heard rumors before but couldn’t be bothered with such insignificant people.”

“But now…” She narrowed her eyes, leaving the sentence unfinished as she raised her bow again, a smirk playing on her lips. “She’ll be spending at least a few decades behind bars. You probably won’t live long enough to see her again.”

Hua Man’s breath hitched.

She had thought He Qiuyan was just promiscuous, but she had actually killed someone?

Just how twisted was this circle?

–

Since Yang Zhao refused to let her leave, Hua Man had no choice but to stay.

Fortunately, Yang Zhao rarely went out over the following days.

It wasn’t until the last day of the month that Hua Man learned why Yang Zhao had been holed up for days, practicing archery at the range.

The young miss was participating in the Wilderness Archery Open.

Rumors said celebrities from various fields would attend, including some recently trending stars.

Hua Man instinctively asked, “Is Miss Zhao participating too?”

Yu Shan rolled her eyes. “Is she even qualified? That delicate little flower who can’t even lift a chicken—how could she compare to our young miss? Whether in skill or status, she’s not fit to participate.”

Yet the young miss was taking it so seriously?

Hua Man was surprised.

She had assumed the young miss only cared about matters concerning Zhao Yang and her mother.

Since it was an outdoor event, there were plenty of risks. Add the competition and crowds into the mix, and friction was bound to arise.

Given the young miss’s temperament, the likelihood of trouble was high. Hua Man had expected to be left behind, but to her surprise, just before departure, the young miss not only called for her but also provided her with a bow and arrows.

“Am I competing too?”

Hua Man didn’t reach for them.

“Have you ever seen anyone bring a bodyguard to a competition?” Yang Zhao said matter-of-factly. “That’s why I registered you. Otherwise, why do you think I was teaching you before?”

Hua Man: “…”

There had been barely any lessons—she hadn’t mastered archery at all.

“Go change into casual clothes.” Yang Zhao, ever domineering, glanced at the time. “We leave at five.”

–

Just as Hua Man finished changing and stepped out, she saw someone waiting at the door.

Yu Shan’s expression was grim.

The moment Hua Man appeared, Yu Shan’s critical, furious gaze locked onto her.

Hua Man raised an eyebrow.

She didn’t even need to hear it to know what Yu Shan would say.

Sure enough, Yu Shan soon spoke: “This is your last chance. If you dare let the young miss get hurt again, pack your things and get out when you return!”

Hua Man sighed.

Yu Shan hadn’t been present when she’d exchanged harsh words with the young miss, so she didn’t know Hua Man wasn’t intimidated by the threat.

The current situation was this: Hua Man wanted to leave, but the young miss wouldn’t let her.

“It’s dangerous outside, especially in the wilderness. And it’s summer—plenty of bugs. Take these with you.”

Hua Man accepted the items—a crossbody bag that looked small but was surprisingly heavy.

“Our duty is to ensure no one harms the young miss,” Yu Shan emphasized again. “I hope you remember that. We don’t pay high salaries to feed useless freeloaders.”

Hua Man: “…Understood.”

In a way, she really hadn’t fulfilled her responsibilities. The money did weigh on her conscience.

On the way to the wilderness archery competition, Hua Man was deep in thought about her strategy. The young mistress was incredibly powerful and influential—no one would dare provoke her under normal circumstances, as she was always the one initiating confrontations.

The main issue was that Hua Man couldn’t bring herself to actively assist the young mistress in harming others, becoming her accomplice.

But what if she could calm the young mistress’s temper before she lashed out? Even if she couldn’t completely soothe her anger, perhaps she could at least divert her attention?

Hua Man suddenly had an epiphany.

“What’s got you so happy?” Yang Zhao, who had been watching her, chuckled in amusement.

How rare—she had never seen Hua Man’s face display such vivid expressions before.

“Don’t even think about brushing me off with nonsense,” Yang Zhao warned before Hua Man could speak.

After a brief silence, Hua Man found a suitable excuse: “I was thinking about the wilderness competition.”

“Just going to a competition has you this excited?” Yang Zhao snorted. “Just wait and see—I’ll win the championship for you. You can celebrate then.”

The young mistress’s confident, radiant demeanor was particularly captivating, as if she were glowing with brilliance.

Hua Man was momentarily dazed.

Remembering the young mistress’s usual archery skills, she nodded. “Mm.”

Her concern wasn’t whether the young mistress could win, but whether the competition would end without incident.

–

The wilderness competition was held the next day, so they stayed at a nearby hotel.

It was one of the Yang family’s properties. Since Hua Man was the only bodyguard, they didn’t stay in separate rooms but shared the same suite.

In a way, she was benefiting from the young mistress’s privilege, experiencing the luxury of a presidential suite for the first time.

The presidential suite was practically a small villa—multiple rooms, spacious, even featuring a rooftop garden and a private pool.

“Pick any room except the master bedroom,” Yang Zhao said, stretching lazily. “I’m tired today and won’t be going out. Feel free to treat this like a vacation.”

No outings meant significantly lower risks. Hua Man relaxed. “Alright.”

But she wasn’t foolish enough to actually treat this as her own vacation.

She didn’t bother inspecting every room and simply chose the one closest to the master bedroom. However, the soundproofing was so effective that she couldn’t hear any movement from Yang Zhao’s side at all.

It was unsettling.

After sitting in her room for a while, she went out to look for Yang Zhao.

The master bedroom door was open, but no one was inside. The living area was empty too.

Hua Man’s heart sank. She quickly checked the other rooms, growing more anxious when she couldn’t find her in the garden or by the pool either.

Had she gone out?

Just as she was about to step outside, a voice called from the master bedroom: “Hua Man, come dry my hair.”

Hua Man’s racing heart finally settled.

In the master bedroom, Yang Zhao lay on the sofa, her damp long hair cascading down, the air filled with the fresh scent of shampoo.

The young mistress always seemed to smell sweet, like a walking pastry.

This was Hua Man’s first time drying someone else’s hair, and her movements were inevitably clumsy. Before long, Yang Zhao hissed in pain and slapped her hand lightly, her voice full of complaint: “Be gentler! That hurts!”

The reprimand lacked force, almost like a coquettish whine.

Suppressing her discomfort, Hua Man stiffly adjusted her touch to be lighter.

“Just blow-drying your hair,” Yang Zhao rolled her eyes at Hua Man in the mirror. “Why does it feel like going to battle again?”

This time, Hua Man didn’t argue back. “I’m afraid of hurting you.”

The answer clearly pleased the young mistress. Like a cat being pleasantly stroked, her entire demeanor exuded laziness as she drawled, “What’s there to fear? I couldn’t bear to punish you anyway…”

Yang Zhao suddenly realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.

She glanced up at Hua Man.

Perhaps her words had been too soft, or maybe the sound of the hairdryer had drowned them out—Hua Man didn’t seem to have heard, showing no reaction as she continued carefully styling Yang Zhao’s hair.

Yang Zhao relaxed.

These words absolutely couldn’t reach Hua Man’s ears. This woman was already bold enough; if she learned this, who knew how she might take advantage of the favor and climb all over her.