Fell in Love with the Crazy Young Lady - Chapter 22

Hua Man was helped down by the staff.

 

 

Her back was already covered in cold sweat. She was indeed quite frightened. Standing on that cloud ladder, just one look down and she could see the bottomless abyss below.

 

 

To make matters worse, the ladder had an open design. When Yang Zhao walked in front, the cloud ladder would sway, causing her whole body to sway along with it. Forget about climbing up, she could barely even stand normally.

 

 

Her legs were extremely weak, even shaking a bit.

 

 

She wasn’t sure if Yang Zhao had noticed. Perhaps she had, which is why she mercifully let her go down to wait.

 

 

Thinking of this, the heat on her face intensified.

 

 

She covered her face and lowered her head, not knowing how to face Yang Zhao when she came down later.

 

 

It was too embarrassing.

 

 

In her twenty-some years of life, she had never felt so mortified and angry as she did now.

 

 

And she had failed in her duty again.

 

 

Her employer had climbed onto a cloud ladder that looked terrifying just to look at, while she, as the bodyguard, remained rooted to the spot with weak legs.

 

 

“Miss, are you alright?”

 

 

The concerned voice of a staff member sounded beside her ear.

 

 

Hua Man steadied herself and tried to make her voice sound normal: “I’m fine.”

 

 

After a few seconds, she raised her head to look at the cloud ladder.

 

 

In just this short moment, Yang Zhao’s figure had already become faintly visible.

 

 

The fog was too heavy. It was as if she had ascended to the heavens.

 

 

“Miss Yang is really amazing,” the staff member marveled beside her. “Her climbing speed is getting faster and faster.”

 

 

Hua Man turned her head in surprise: “Has she climbed many times before?”

 

 

“Of course, she holds the record for the fastest climbing speed,” the staff member nodded. “Every year around this time, Miss Yang comes to refresh her record. So far no one has been able to surpass her.”

 

 

So impressive…

 

 

Hua Man looked up. Yang Zhao’s figure was completely out of sight on the cloud ladder now. The ladder was swaying violently, either due to the wind or Yang Zhao’s climbing. It looked very scary.

 

 

This wasn’t Yang Zhao’s first time climbing, so she should be fine, right?

 

 

Hua Man’s palms were still sweating. She couldn’t help asking the staff member: “About how long will it take her to come down?”

 

 

“The whole process takes about three hours,” the staff member said conservatively.

 

 

Three hours?!

 

 

Hua Man felt her vision go dark. She looked up again at the empty cloud ladder, completely speechless.

 

 

Yang Zhao going up for three hours meant she had to wait anxiously for three hours.

 

 

What was even more frustrating was that despite her worry, all she could do was wait.

 

 

She couldn’t climb up to follow Yang Zhao. If she did that, forget about catching up to the record holder Yang Zhao, she believed that even if she really climbed up, she would most likely end up stuck halfway due to exhaustion or fear, unable to go up or down, putting herself in an even more embarrassing situation.

 

 

In the end, staff would have to be dispatched to rescue her. It might even end up online, subjecting her to ridicule from the entire internet.

 

 

“Don’t worry, Miss Yang will be fine,” the staff member, probably seeing her concern, continued to reassure her. “She’s even more skilled than our safety personnel, and our safety facilities are guaranteed. There’s no problem with safely reaching the summit.”

 

 

Hua Man nodded.

 

 

Although she knew Yang Zhao probably wouldn’t have any issues, it was easy to let one’s imagination run wild when idle.

 

 

She remembered how she had pushed Yang Zhao away that day, ultimately causing an injury to Yang Zhao’s lower back.

 

 

She wondered if it would affect Yang Zhao’s climbing.

 

 

Climbing probably requires using strength from the lower back, right?

 

 

At this thought, her heart began to beat erratically with unease.

 

 

“Miss Hua, you can go down and wait,” the staff member said again. “Miss Yang won’t return here after. She’ll take the cable car down directly after reaching the summit.”

 

 

Cable car?

 

 

Hua Man looked up: “Then I can take the cable car up directly too, right?”

 

 

The staff member was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: “Yes, would you like to go to the summit?”

 

 

Seeing Hua Man’s interest, the staff member enthusiastically said:

 

 

“You can see all the beautiful scenery from the summit. It’s a very beautiful spot for photos.”

 

 

Imagining Yang Zhao’s possible reaction if she climbed up with great effort only to see her waiting leisurely there, Hua Man hesitated.

 

 

For someone who puts in effort, they probably wouldn’t like actions that take shortcuts.

 

 

Hua Man felt she should respect Yang Zhao’s three hours of effort, so in the end she shook her head.

 

 

The view from the summit?

 

 

She had never had such grand ambitions. The scenery before her eyes now was enough to satisfy her.

 

 

“Then you can go look around other places,” the staff member suggested, with a bit of personal interest. “We can exchange contact information, and I can send you a message when Miss Yang reaches the summit and comes down.”

 

 

Although she knew the other’s ulterior motives, Hua Man still added them on WeChat.

 

 

–

 

There were quite a few attractions at the foot of the mountain, with countless vendors selling things.

 

 

Hua Man walked aimlessly.

 

 

Yang Zhao had only told her to wait below, but didn’t say where to wait, leaving her wandering around like a headless fly. And there was still a long time before the young miss would come down.

 

 

Thinking of this, Hua Man couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of her nose.

 

 

“Senior?”

 

 

A surprised voice called out.

 

 

Hua Man turned her head, her gaze falling on a smiling face for a few seconds before she reacted: “Cen An?”

 

 

“It really is you, senior! I thought I was seeing things!” Cen An came out from behind her stall. “Senior, I can’t believe you came to Dengtiaxia for tourism too?”

 

 

As she spoke, she looked at the equipment Hua Man was carrying on her back: “Senior, did you go rock climbing? Or climb the cloud ladder? Wait, aren’t you a bit afraid of heights?”

 

 

She chattered away like a sparrow.

 

 

Cen An was a junior she had met during her part-time job in university. They had helped each other out several times during their part-time work and had a pretty good relationship.

 

 

She replied concisely: “Work. Accompanying someone else here.”

 

 

“Oh I see,” Cen An grinned, not waiting for Hua Man to ask before spilling everything like beans. “My hometown is nearby, so I’m taking advantage of the summer break to work part-time selling things here.”

 

 

“Look, these are all little trinkets I crocheted while slacking off in class. I save them up for a semester and then can sell them at my stall during winter and summer breaks.”

 

 

As she spoke, she grabbed two small items from her stall: “Senior, I never thought we’d meet again. Running into each other is fate, so this is for you.”

 

 

The two of them had met and helped each other during part-time work precisely because both their family situations were not good. How could Hua Man accept her things for free? She immediately scanned the QR code: “I’m working now, with good salary and benefits. I can pay.”

 

 

Before Cen An could stop her, the notification sound for a 100 yuan transfer rang out.

 

 

She was shocked: “Senior! 30 yuan would have been enough!”

 

 

She was about to take out her phone to transfer money back to Hua Man.

 

 

Hua Man stopped her: “It’s fine, I recently came into some money.”

 

 

Seeing her say this with a straight face, Cen An was dumbfounded, but didn’t suspect Hua Man was lying. She said enviously: “I’m so jealous of you, senior. I wish I could come into some money sometime too.”

 

 

Hua Man glanced at the crocheted trinket in her hand and nodded: “You can too.”

 

 

Cen An’s eyebrows and eyes drooped: “I’d be grateful if I could just earn enough for next semester’s tuition.”

 

 

Soon someone became interested in the items on the stall and came over to inquire. Cen An got busy, so Hua Man didn’t disturb her further. She said goodbye and continued walking forward.

 

 

Soon, she found a conspicuous spot near the exit and sat down.

 

 

This position would ensure Yang Zhao could see her as soon as she came out.

 

 

To be absolutely certain, she also took a photo of her location and sent it to Yang Zhao, so she would know where she was waiting when she got her phone back from the staff.

 

 

After taking care of these things, she sat quietly.

 

 

The waiting time was long and torturous. She finally breathed a sigh of relief when she received a message from the staff member.

 

 

— Miss Yang has safely reached the summit, breaking the record again!

 

 

Even through the screen, she could feel the staff member’s excitement.

 

 

Breaking the record, and breaking the cloud ladder climbing record at that, sounded unbelievable.

 

 

If she hadn’t seen Yang Zhao climbing on the suspended cloud ladder with her own eyes, Hua Man could hardly imagine that someone like Yang Zhao, a young miss who needed servants to help her dress, would enjoy such a high-risk, thrilling activity.

 

 

And she could even break the summit record.

 

 

She herself felt weak in the knees just standing there, yet Yang Zhao had such courage, and clearly good physical fitness too, to be able to support her to the summit. Her stamina must be excellent.

 

 

Suddenly she felt her role as a bodyguard was rather superfluous.

 

 

She also suddenly understood Yang Zhao’s words when they first met: “Am I protecting you, or are you protecting me?”

 

 

Even if there really were people with ill intentions, Yang Zhao could probably protect herself, right?

 

 

Abruptly, her gaze sharpened.

 

 

She finally remembered something she had forgotten a few days ago.

 

 

On the night their relationship completely changed flavor, Yang Zhao had asked her to drink, saying she would tell her who the kidnappers were if she drank.

 

 

Later Yang Zhao had kissed her, she had pushed Yang Zhao away, causing an injury to Yang Zhao’s lower back, and after that…

 

 

In any case, she had ended up drinking, been taken advantage of, but Yang Zhao still hadn’t told her who had kidnapped her.

 

 

Thinking of this, her brows furrowed tightly.

 

 

Had she been fooled by Yang Zhao?

 

 

Someone sat down beside her. Hua Man immediately turned: “You…”

 

 

Her words cut off abruptly.

 

 

She looked at the stranger sitting beside her and shifted away slightly. But unexpectedly, the other person moved along with her.

 

 

Hua Man simply stood up.

 

 

But the other person was persistent, immediately standing up to block her path: “Young lady, are you traveling alone?”

 

 

Hua Man held back her annoyance: “No.”

 

 

“Oh with friends, that’s even better!” The man took out some flyers. “Interested in joining a tour group? It’s dangerous for a young lady to be out alone. It’s safer and more secure to travel with our tour group.”

 

 

“For just 399, you don’t need to do any planning yourself, and can enjoy the most comfortable and fun travel experience.”

 

 

“At the destinations, we offer high-quality independent travel. You don’t need to worry about any scams, and our tour guides are especially responsible. Last time when we went to Jingshan for a tour, we encountered an earthquake. Everyone was running out, but only our group’s tour guide was looking for tourists. In the end, his leg was broken by falling rocks.”

 

 

“And that other time…”

 

 

The man rambled on and on. Constrained by having told Yang Zhao she would wait here, Hua Man couldn’t just walk away freely. Her attitude became more forceful: “Not needed.”

 

 

“Hey, why don’t you believe what I’m saying? I’m telling the truth. Who doesn’t join a tour group when traveling these days? Surely you can afford the tour group fee?” The man seemed to get annoyed, deliberately raising his voice towards the end.

 

 

This was clearly a provocation tactic. Perhaps some thin-skinned young girls would choose to join the tour group due to the pestering, but Hua Man was not that type of person.

 

 

Just as she was about to refuse again, Yang Zhao’s voice suddenly rang out: “What can’t be afforded?”