Wang Hu tiptoed to the slightly worn door of her house, extended his right hand, and gently placed it on the doorknob. Just as he was about to turn the handle slightly and push the door open, a sudden burst of noisy chatter reached his ears. It turned out that a banquet had been set up there today, and the guests were all the neighbors from the surrounding area.

The official wedding is tomorrow, when a banquet will be held to entertain many relatives and other friends. At this moment, most people have already gone with his sister to Zhang Qing's house to help with the preparations, but a small number of people have chosen to stay and enjoy the banquet at his house.

Thinking of this, Wang Hu's heart tightened, and he stopped in his tracks. If he were to rashly go out now and be seen by so many people, especially if they discovered that he had come from Luan Ying's house, then Luan Ying's reputation would be truly ruined. For any woman, such a situation would undoubtedly be an unbearable burden.

So Wang Hu quickly turned around and tiptoed back into the courtyard. He ran swiftly to a wooden ladder leaning against the wall, and using both hands and feet, nimbly climbed to the top, reaching the top of his own outbuilding. Then, he took a deep breath, leaped powerfully, and landed steadily on his roof. Afterward, he carefully and slowly climbed down another ladder.

Just then, the others who were busy in the yard noticed Wang Hu's figure, and everyone showed surprised expressions. Among them, Wang Jianguo, who was extremely busy, couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Little Tiger, when did you climb up there?"

Wang Hu felt a pang of panic, but quickly calmed down and made up an excuse: "Oh, Dad, I went up a long time ago! I just wanted to soak up the sun and take an important call!" He then forced a smile, trying to hide his nervousness.

However, just as he turned around and was about to step into the house, he suddenly caught sight of his mother, Feng Fenfen, standing not far away, staring intently at him!

Wang Hu plastered a fawning and obedient smile on his face and called out in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Mom!" This call drew the attention of many people around them. Feng Fenfen, now under the gaze of so many eyes, though filled with resentment and wanting to scold Wang Hu, could only suppress her anger, letting out a soft snort before turning away to continue her work.

Before long, the once noisy living room gradually quieted down; the mahjong game had ended. The group quickly moved the mahjong tables aside, then brought over several large round tables, arranging them neatly and methodically. These large round tables were covered with exquisite tablecloths, and set with fine tableware and wine glasses, clearly in preparation for the upcoming banquet.

Before long, people gradually took their seats at each round table. When Wang Hu entered the living room, he immediately caused a small commotion. People greeted him warmly, their eyes filled with envy and respect. After all, everyone knew that Wang Hu had made a name for himself outside, earned a lot of money, and had become a very capable person in the village.

In this village, which was neither too big nor too small, the prevailing custom was this: if you were wealthy and powerful, you would be respected wherever you went; but if you were poor and penniless, it would be nearly impossible for others to even glance at you. At this moment, Wang Hu deeply felt this coldness of human nature and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Wang Yue invited a group of her best friends and classmates to a get-together today. They sat around a round table, laughing and chatting happily.

Wang Hu immediately spotted an empty seat next to Shi Yanling and quickly walked over to sit down without hesitation. However, Shi Yanling didn't seem to welcome Wang Hu's arrival. She merely glanced at him indifferently, as if she hadn't seen him at all, then gave a light snort and turned back to chat happily with her friends.

An hour earlier, after getting out of the car, Shi Yanling eagerly gathered with her friends for a chat. However, something was on her mind, so she made up an excuse to leave the group and headed straight for Wang Hu.

When she gently pushed open the door to Wang Hu's bedroom, she found the room empty. Shi Yanling was puzzled, but she didn't give up the search. She circled the room again, but still couldn't find Wang Hu.

Left with no other option, she asked Feng Fenfen, "Auntie, have you seen Wang Hu? I need to talk to him about something."

Feng Fenfen smiled and replied, "Oh, him? He just went out. It seems he was just strolling around outside the gate." Upon receiving this news, Shi Yanling quickly thanked Feng Fenfen, and then the two of them walked out of the room together and onto the street.

Sure enough, they saw Wang Hu striding into Luan Ying's house from afar. Upon seeing this, Shi Yanling immediately tried to follow him to find out what was going on. But before she could get close, the door slammed shut with a bang, and the sound of the lock being deadbolted could be heard.

The house, built with red bricks and tiles, wasn't very soundproof. Nevertheless, Shi Yanling could still clearly hear intimate sounds coming from inside.

At this moment, her face turned ashen, and she cursed Wang Hu inwardly: "You heartless philanderer! You were calling me 'my darling' all over the car, and now you're already looking for someone else!"

In her anger, she kicked a stone in front of the door hard, trying to vent her frustration. However, she kicked too hard, and instead of kicking the stone away, she felt a sharp pain in her foot.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!