Chapter 178: Endless Conflicts

Chapter 178: Endless Conflicts

"I didn’t expect you to be into such old-people activities."

Ye Xiaoxiao glanced at the big man-made lake on the estate, where a bunch of guys over forty were already fishing by the shore.

They all looked like they were living the retired life.

Lu Hanchuan noticed them too and looked the other way.

"Liang Chengxu chose this place," he said, meaning it wasn’t his idea.

He was still young.

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded, though it was hard to tell if she bought his story.

The garden had a few open-air spots to chill.

Liang Chengxu was hanging out with a few people, Han Xing among them.

Meanwhile, there were a few girls milling around, though it wasn’t clear who they were with.

Liang Chengxu knew Lu Hanchuan would bring Ye Xiaoxiao.

Luckily, he was ready and gave a nudge to the girl sitting closest to him.

"Xiaoyu, show Ye around."

Li Xiaoyu stood up and spoke to Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Hi, I’m Li Xiaoyu."

She seemed to be Liang Chengxu’s girlfriend, but really, she was just tagging along for now.

His girlfriends came and went like fish in a river, and she was just another face in the crowd.

Ye Xiaoxiao replied politely, "Hi, I’m Ye Xiaoxiao."

Lu Hanchuan pointed out a few nice spots nearby for Ye Xiaoxiao to check out.

Ye Xiaoxiao got the hint they had things to talk about, so she left with Li Xiaoyu without a fuss.

The other girls gave a quick look but decided to stick around.

Liang Chengxu didn’t seem to mind them staying.

Li Xiaoyu obviously knew her way around, having been here before. The two made their way to the other side of the lounge area.

"Wanna try fishing? There’s gear by the lake."

Li Xiaoyu was polite enough to Ye Xiaoxiao but didn’t go out of her way to be respectful.

She figured Ye Xiaoxiao was no different—just another girl brought in by these rich kids to round out the group.

The only thing setting her apart was her official title.

She had one more name than the other girls sitting there earlier.

Li Xiaoyu observed Ye Xiaoxiao, who indeed had the advantage of being quite beautiful, with features that were almost flawless.

Ye Xiaoxiao wasn't aware of Li Xiaoyu's thoughts; to her, Li Xiaoyu was also quite attractive.

But they weren't close, so they didn't talk much.

The two sat quietly by the lake for some time.

Perhaps out of boredom, Li Xiaoyu started a conversation.

"How long have you been seeing Mr. Lu?"

Ye Xiaoxiao was confused by her question.

Li Xiaoyu said, "I've heard about Mr. Lu from Mr. Liang. They're good friends, so Mr. Lu must be quite influential. People like them are out of our league."

Sure, everyone talks about equality, but when have we ever actually seen it? It's just not possible.

While we're still young, we should make the most of our opportunities.

Without waiting for Ye Xiaoxiao to respond, Li Xiaoyu continued to ramble.

Ye Xiaoxiao tilted her head, sensing something was amiss.

"Aren't you dating Mr. Liang?"

Li Xiaoyu chuckled, "Girlfriend? Maybe not by tomorrow, and I wouldn't dare call myself that. Who knows if Mr. Liang has a proper arranged marriage? I don't want any trouble."

Ye Xiaoxiao replied, "But I'm Lu Hanchuan's girlfriend."

Li Xiaoyu burst into laughter, as if she'd just heard the funniest joke.

With her oval face and bright smile, she said, "Hahaha, wake up, girl. You're gorgeous, but that crowd isn't easy to break into."

Honestly, some things, if you're born with them, you have them; if not, you'll never get them in this lifetime.

Ye Xiaoyuo wasn't sure if she was born with them or not.

Li Xiaoyu was certainly clear-headed and calm, but her logic didn't apply to everyone.

Noticing Ye Xiaoxiao's silence, Li Xiaoyu gently warned, "If you get in too deep, no one can save you later."

Ye Xiaoxiao replied, "I won't."

Li Xiaoyu looked at her like she was a stubborn child ignoring good advice.

But they didn't continue the previous conversation.

Ye Xiaoxiao hadn't managed to catch any fish.

She got bored and stood up to explore elsewhere.

Though to Li Xiaoyu, Ye Xiaoxiao seemed like a naive girl smitten with some unreliable rich guy.

But since Liang Chengxu had told her to keep Ye Xiaoxiao company, she had to do her part.

Li Xiaoyu got up as well.

Ye Xiaoxiao turned around, not noticing a woman suddenly rushing past her, heading straight for Li Xiaoyu, pushing her into the lake.

"Ah!"

The lake had a shallow area around its edge, but the sediment beneath the man-made lake was soft. After falling in, Li Xiaoyu immediately got stuck in the mud.

"Help!"

Li Xiaoyu shouted for help.

Ye Xiaoxiao immediately moved to pull Li Xiaoyu out, but the staff nearby were quicker. Two staff members worked together to rescue Li Xiaoyu.

Li Xiaoyu was drenched from head to toe.

The woman who had pushed her stepped forward, "Li Xiaoyu, you bitch, you stole my man."

Li Xiaoyu coldly looked at the woman, "If Mr. Liang finds out you came here to stir up trouble, he won't let you off."

The woman glared at Li Xiaoyu, venom dripping from her voice, "Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me."

"Hey, how did you get in here? Unauthorized individuals are not allowed here."

The estate staff quickly moved to restrain the woman, intending to remove her from the premises.

At the same time, a female attendant rushed over with a blanket to cover Li Xiaoyu, "Ms. Li, please go to the room to change your clothes."

Li Xiaoyu nodded, but as she started to rise, she spotted a few people approaching from a distance and feigned collapse, pretending to faint.

Ye Xiaoxiao quickly stepped forward to take her pulse, but to Li Xiaoyu, it just felt like someone was touching her arm.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "..."

Lu Hanchuan and his group were resting just across the lake. Although they couldn't see clearly who it was, they could see someone had fallen into the water.

Lu Hanchuan hurried over, relieved to see Ye Xiaoxiao standing there safe and sound, and asked the staff nearby with a frown.

"What happened?"