Chapter Twenty-Six: What's Wrong With Him?
Xu Haiyu froze upon hearing Zhang Jinhua's question.
"I……"
She wanted to explain, but the truth was undeniable and couldn't be explained clearly no matter what.
All she could do was cry.
In the end, Zhang Chen, who was in a good mood after getting the centipede, came out and gave an explanation.
"Xiaoyu came early this morning. She twisted her ankle and didn't dare let you know because she had done something wrong before, fearing you would think she was using a self-inflicted injury as a ruse. So she came to me for help."
“My place is remote, and she was in such a hurry that she forgot to leave a message for you, which is why you misunderstood.”
Zhang Jinhua wasn't fooled by these words: "Then why did you say those things?"
Zhang Chen knew this matter couldn't be easily dismissed, so he had no choice but to take all the responsibility upon himself.
He said he saw Xu Haiyu in such a miserable state, yet still living in fear, and wanted to stand up for her.
"I didn't expect this..."
Zhang Chen looked at Xin Li and said, "I'm really sorry. I don't have many friends on the island. I can only talk to Xiao Yu occasionally. She looked so wronged at the time, and I really thought she was being bullied by you. I apologize to you and will never do such a thing again."
Since Zhang Chen has already said that, if Xin Li continues to pursue the matter, she's afraid others will accuse her of being unreasonable.
In the end, no one suffers any loss; at most, everyone just works for nothing.
Ultimately, Xu Haiyu's commotion stemmed from the arrival of Xin Li, an outsider, on the island.
Regardless of whether Xu Haiyu did something wrong, Xin Li was the one who was ostracized when it came to people on the island and people outside the island.
So everyone quickly left in twos and threes.
Some people comforted Xu Haiyu, saying it was just a matter of having another person in the family. She wasn't living with He Mingzhou and Xin Li, so there was nothing to worry about or be afraid of. She could just say whatever she wanted, and all the people on the island would stand up for her.
Xu Haiyu was so moved that she cried.
Xin Li rolled her eyes as she watched.
These people were just saying Zhang Jinhua was biased, but she thinks these people are the most biased ones; their bias is practically in their heads.
"Xinli, right? Hello, my name is Zhang Chen. I'm really sorry about what happened today. I'm thinking of doing something to make it up to you. How about this, have lunch here with me, and we can get to know each other better so any misunderstandings can be cleared up in time. What do you think?"
Xinli didn't want to agree at first.
But she knew in her heart that Zhang Chen was setting a trap.
Even a blind man could see that Zhang Chen was in love with Xu Haiyu, so he pulled this stunt to get revenge for Xu Haiyu.
If Xin Li doesn't agree to stay for dinner today, these people will definitely have other tricks up their sleeves tomorrow and the day after.
Rather than waiting for trouble to come to you, it's better to address the root cause of the trouble directly.
"Sure."
Xin Li smiled at Zhang Chen: "Then I'll trouble you."
Zhang Chen didn't expect Xin Li to agree so readily; he thought he would have to persuade her a lot before she would agree.
However, it's good that he agreed. Zhang Chen already had a brilliant idea in his mind, which could help Xu Haiyu vent her anger and let everyone see the true colors of this person.
"Then you go ahead and do your work. I'll call you when the food is ready."
Zhang Chen said very politely.
Xin Li agreed and left with Zhang Jinhua and the others.
On the way back, Zhang Jinhua kept saying that he never expected Zhang Chen to help Xu Haiyu lie.
He also said that he had watched Xu Haiyu grow up and never realized that Xu Haiyu and Zhang Chen were so close.
“Before, Xiaoyu was always following Xiaohe around, and we all thought she liked someone like Xiaohe. Zhang Chen, on the other hand, was honest and steady, but he looked very thin. I never expected this…”
Zhang Jinhua was deeply troubled by this matter, but Xin Li was concerned about something else entirely.
"You've been staring at me. Is there something you want to tell me?"
Xin Li lagged a few steps behind Zhang Jinhua, standing shoulder to shoulder with He Mingzhou.
Xinli noticed it just now; he had been watching her ever since she agreed to have dinner at Zhang Chen's place.
I don't even know what they're looking at.
Xin Li thought he would speak first, but to her surprise, the man just stared at her the whole way without saying a word.
She's an impatient person; if he doesn't tell her, she'll ask him herself.
Why did you agree to have dinner at Zhang Chen's house?
He Mingzhou didn't beat around the bush and asked the question that had been bothering him.
The two acted as if nothing had happened that morning; one was calm and collected, while the other had deep, unfathomable eyes.
Xinli thought he was struggling with something, but she didn't expect him to ask this.
"Can't you see that your dear sister and Zhang Chen are always ready to cause me trouble?"
"Since they're going to look for me anyway, I might as well offer myself up. Otherwise, it's so unpleasant to worry all the time about whether I'll be ambushed."
He Mingzhou frowned: "She's just a comrade's sister."
When Shen Li heard him emphasize this, a smile appeared on her face: "You treat her like your comrade's sister, but she may not treat you like her own brother."
He Mingzhou glanced at Xin Li: "Don't talk nonsense."
They're already married, and Xinli teased him about how he seemed so comfortable with other women.
Doesn't she get jealous or angry at all?
"I'm not making this up. Didn't you hear them just ask you to help catch centipedes?"
The most authentic reactions are those made subconsciously.
This shows that among the people present, Xu Haiyu was the most accepting of He Mingzhou.
He Mingzhou frowned, clearly dissatisfied with Xin Li's words: "It's just a sentence, don't take it to heart."
Xinli glanced at him: "You may not care, but others might."
He Mingzhou seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Xin Li's words, quickening his pace and striding past her to walk ahead.
Xin Li stared in disbelief at the man's retreating figure.
Is this a case of running away when you can't win an argument?
She hasn't even said anything worse yet.
If it weren't for the fact that He Mingzhou clearly had no interest in Xu Haiyu, and that all these things were caused by Xu Haiyu alone, she would definitely have a thorough argument with He Mingzhou.
She didn't want to hurt innocent people, but He Mingzhou got angry first.
Are all men this unpredictable at this age?
"What's wrong with Xiao He?"
Zhang Jinhua also noticed that He Mingzhou seemed a little angry, so he quickly grabbed Xin Li's hand and asked her affectionately.
Xinli felt a little uncomfortable, but ultimately didn't pull it out.
After this incident, Zhang Jinhua completely lost touch with Xu Haiyu.
In truth, Xu Haiyu brought this upon herself.
She thought she was only experiencing a temporary setback, but little did she know that with each of her antics, she had already worn away all the goodwill others had for her.
"I don't know, maybe he was in a hurry to get back to sleep, and probably didn't rest well last night."
Zhang Jinhua smiled meaningfully: "Oh, then you should really take a good rest."
Xinli: "?"
I had a feeling that Zhang Jinhua had thought of something strange.
"By the way, when you go to Zhang Chen's house for dinner later, remember to be careful. Zhang Chen is... a bit dangerous."
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