Fell in Love with the Crazy Young Lady - Chapter 8

The Hall—

When Hua Man and the others arrived, the dining table indeed presented a heartwarming scene of harmonious joy.

This was Hua Man’s first time seeing the legendary Madam.

She was an elegant and intellectual-looking woman, wearing a perfectly measured smile, her eyes filled with love as she gazed at her husband and daughter.

As for the so-called “sir,” he had the typical beer belly of a middle-aged man, thinning hair, and his eyes were full of heartache and guilt whenever he looked at Zhao Yang.

The young mistress’s arrival was like throwing a boulder into a calm lake. The man scrambled up from his seat, his face clearly flustered: “A-Zhao, what brings you here?”

“Dad, are you not welcoming me?” Yang Zhao said as she approached.

Qin Fangqin immediately stood up as well, her smile no longer as natural as before: “Of course not! Old Zhao was just talking about you earlier, A-Zhao. Please, have a seat.”

“A-Zhao?” Yang Zhao looked at her. “Are you even qualified to call me that?”

The atmosphere instantly froze.

The young mistress seemed determined to get an answer. When Qin Fangqin remained silent, she turned to the man: “Dad, is she qualified?”

Zhao Ming faltered, hesitating for barely a second before answering: “Of course not.”

Hua Man’s pupils trembled in shock.

Last night, she had tossed and turned, even imagining scenes of the young mistress suffering in this household after losing her mother at a young age. But now?

So, had the young mistress actually hit her father before?

Why did he seem so afraid of her?

Turning to Qin Fangqin, she appeared to have anticipated this answer, showing no surprise. Zhao Yang, however, with bruises and scratches on her face, turned pale and then flushed, her expression extremely unpleasant.

The young mistress smirked and stepped forward, poking the gift box on the table with the handle of her whip: “What’s this? Dad giving his daughter a birthday present?”

The way she said “daughter” carried a strange tone, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

“Of course not!” Zhao Ming denied again, his tone righteous and stern. “A-Zhao, your father remembers what yesterday was. How could I celebrate the birthday of the murderer on such a sorrowful day?!”

“Is that so?” Yang Zhao curled her lips slightly.

“Of course! You have to believe me!”

Listening to her father, who had just been showering her with affection and sympathy, now groveling before Yang Zhao and even calling her a murderer, Zhao Yang couldn’t help but close her eyes.

Was this the father she had dreamed of having since childhood?

Was this the family she had longed for?

Yang Zhao casually took the seat at the head of the table. She looked at Qin Fangqin, her light tone carrying an undeniable accusation: “Assistant Qin, I heard you bullied my people yesterday?”

Hua Man, who had just taken her place behind her, froze.

Qin Fangqin clearly hadn’t expected the young mistress to use this as an excuse to attack. She forced a smile: “Young Mistress, there must be some misunderstanding?”

The one who had been bullied was her daughter. When had she ever bullied the young mistress’s people?

“Misunderstanding?” Yang Zhao’s smile vanished. “Do you think I’m like you—some rabid dog that bites randomly?”

Qin Fangqin: “That’s not what I meant…”

She tried to explain, but Zhao Ming quickly cut her off: “Assistant Qin! You’re getting bolder by the day! How dare you bully A-Zhao’s people!”

“Dad!” Zhao Yang couldn’t take it anymore, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at him.

Unfortunately, Zhao Ming’s survival instinct outweighed his paternal love.

“Sorry.”

Understanding she had to swallow her pride now or face worse consequences later, Qin Fangqin suppressed her anger and lowered her head.

“Are you apologizing to me?” Yang Zhao raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t the one who got bullied.”

Qin Fangqin froze. What did she mean?

Was she supposed to apologize to whoever she’d bullied? But she had no idea who among the young mistress’s circle she’d offended!

Yu Shan?

Or…

For a moment, Qin Fangqin couldn’t think of anyone else.

Suddenly remembering something, she jerked her head up, her gaze locking onto someone behind the young mistress.

Noticing the attention, Hua Man’s heart skipped a beat.

Why was she looking at her?

Surely the person the young mistress meant couldn’t be her.

While it was true Qin Fangqin had outmaneuvered her yesterday, she wasn’t arrogant enough to think the young mistress would stand up for her.

Wait…

What if this wasn’t about defending her, but just finding any excuse to target that mother-daughter pair?

“Xiao Man, I apologize for offending you yesterday,” Qin Fangqin ventured cautiously.

Hua Man instinctively looked at the young mistress.

The young mistress’s expression remained unchanged, but her words were cutting: “If apologies solved everything, what would we need police for?”

So it really was about her…

Hua Man’s emotions became complicated.

Though she knew the young mistress was just using this to torment that pair, her heartbeat still quickened uncontrollably.

“What does the young mistress suggest?” Qin Fangqin asked directly.

“I heard you threatened her yesterday,” Yang Zhao sighed. “She’s mine. Threatening her is no different from threatening me.”

Hua Man’s eyelid twitched violently. How did the young mistress know about that?

Qin Fangqin’s gaze settled on Hua Man, unable to resist saying: “Xiao Man has grown quite close to the young mistress so quickly after arriving… They were just jokes, why take them seriously enough to bother the young mistress?”

With this sudden accusation falling on her, Hua Man could only remain silent.

“She has a name,” Yang Zhao frowned. “Assistant Qin, you know I have standards. Calling her like that troubles me greatly—it makes me feel…”

She drew out her words: “…like you’ve dirtied her very name.”

……

This was Hua Man’s first time witnessing the young mistress’s conflict with that mother-daughter pair firsthand. Honestly, it was nothing like she’d imagined.

She’d thought no matter how arrogant the young mistress was, she’d show some restraint before her father—just like how mischievous children ultimately yield to parental authority.

But in reality, the supposed head of household appeared even more spineless than Zhao Yang.

Throughout the entire encounter until the young mistress left, that so-called father hadn’t shown a hint of anger, constantly trying to please the young mistress instead. Even as his wife and daughter were being humiliated, he remained indifferent, wagging his tail like a dog.

However, today’s incident had firmly placed Hua Man in the young mistress’s camp.

Remembering the butler’s words yesterday about them being “in the same boat,” Hua Man felt conflicted.

The young mistress made Qin Fangqin pay her additional compensation labeled as “emotional damages.”

In just half a day, she’d acquired a small fortune.

On their way back, Hua Man couldn’t help calling out: “Young Mistress.”

Without turning, Yang Zhao said: “Don’t thank me, and don’t even think about refusing—unless you want to make me angry.”

Hua Man: “…”

The young mistress still held her whip in hand. Having witnessed her formidable skills with it, Hua Man chose to keep her mouth shut.

But then the young mistress suddenly stopped walking, her gaze fixed on Hua Man’s face.

Her eyes always seemed to sparkle with starlight, bright and shining—once you met them, it was hard to look away.

Hua Man clenched her fists, restraining herself as she lowered her head.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” The young mistress’s tone was clearly displeased.

Hua Man weighed her words carefully: “You told me to shut up.”

Now probably wasn’t the best time to bring up Huaxi. She didn’t think the young mistress would be in a good mood after seeing that family’s harmonious scene.

Even though the young mistress’s arrival had shattered that picture, who knew what chaos was unfolding in the main hall now.

“How heartless.” Yang Zhao shook her head. “After all the trouble I went through to get justice for you.”

For her?

Hua Man hesitated, holding back for a long moment, but ultimately didn’t expose the truth.

She didn’t want to engage further, but the young mistress seemed to have opened the floodgates, pressing her with questions:

“Don’t you find it strange? Don’t you think my father—my dear father—is like a dog I keep? Aren’t you… curious?”

She was like a hunter setting a trap, luring her prey in.

Hua Man shook her head. “No.”

Yang Zhao’s brows instantly furrowed. “Why not?”

“Young Mistress,” Hua Man lifted her gaze, “the more you know, the quicker you die. I’m still young—I value my life more than curiosity.”

Yang Zhao froze.

After a moment, she burst into laughter. “You don’t want to hear it? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway.”

With that, she took a step closer, reaching out to pinch Hua Man’s perpetually stern face. Satisfied when the coldness in those features finally melted away, she withdrew her hand. “Because this family bears the Yang name, while he’s just a Zhao.”

Just as Hua Man freed herself from the young mistress’s grasp, she was caught off guard by those words, her movements pausing slightly.

“Pathetic, isn’t it?” Yang Zhao smiled. “A dog daring to betray its master—how disgusting.”

Hua Man couldn’t help but ask, “If it disgusts you, why let them occupy the Yang residence like cuckoos in a nest?”

Only after speaking did Hua Man realize she’d overstepped.

She shouldn’t have asked that. She shouldn’t know these answers.

Amused by the phrase “cuckoos in a nest,” Yang Zhao studied Hua Man for a few seconds before tossing aside her whip.

Closing the distance between them again, Yang Zhao bent down, watching as Hua Man’s ears turned visibly red. Unable to resist a smirk, she whispered by her ear, “Don’t you think it’s more fun to give people hope… before dragging them to hell?”

Hua Man’s lashes trembled.

For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether her wildly pounding heart was due to the young mistress’s clearly unhinged answer or their dangerously intimate proximity—and the faintly scented breath against her skin.

Flustered, she turned her head, locking eyes with Gao Yanhua, who had fallen a few steps behind.

The other woman winked suggestively at her before miming zipping her lips.

Hua Man: “…”

–

After work, Gao Yanhua caught up with Hua Man.

“Don’t worry, I’m tight-lipped. I won’t go around blabbing.”

Hua Man stopped walking. “Blabbing about what?”

Gao Yanhua faltered under Hua Man’s expressionless stare, then awkwardly clarified, “You and the young mistress…”

“What relationship you have with the young mistress is the same as mine,” Hua Man retorted calmly. “Is our connection with her something shameful? Why shouldn’t it be spoken about freely?”

Gao Yanhua blinked.

Watching Hua Man’s retreating figure disappear without hesitation, she let out a soft sigh.

Had Hua Man just stormed off in embarrassed anger?

Hmm…

Surely she wouldn’t go tattling to the young mistress, would she?