Chapter 1104: Feeling a Bit Like Tasting Coffee

On Sunday morning, Ye Zhenzhen was resting at home and had not gone out to play.

Ye Fang, the chubby cousin of Ye Zhenzhen, had brought over several large potted plants; after transporting them upstairs via the elevator, amidst chatter and laughter, he and Ye Zhenzhen struggled together to carry them into the apartment.

Just then, Lucy, who had slept until she woke naturally and then gone out for a round of exercise, walked out of the elevator wearing tight athletic attire. She spotted Ye Fang moving things at once, and immediately the scene from downstairs at the company flashed through her mind: it was this fat man who had called her by the fake identity "Lucy Cai," while someone beside him was filming with a mobile phone, clearly with malicious intent.

This was a plot point from the original drama, and Lucy, just as in that original story, loudly demanded an explanation.

"Who are you?"

"Stop right there!"

"Why are you following me?"

Immediately after, Ye Zhenzhen rushed out hurriedly, holding her homemade anti-wolf spray to warn Lucy. She knew Lucy also practiced Wu Gong, and furthermore knew that Wang Yan had taught her quite a bit, making her appear very capable in a fight.

The commotion in the corridor also disturbed the three people in unit 2202, who watched the confrontation between Lucy and Ye Zhenzhen in the courtyard without understanding the situation.

Both sides talked past each other with loud voices; precisely because of this, after several tens of seconds, a loud clang sounded as the corridor's iron door automatically snapped shut.

Wang Yan emerged, swaying slightly, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and slippers, his hair loose and messy after washing rather than styled with wax, looking entirely like someone in casual home attire.

"What's going on? I heard you shouting all the way upstairs. Yo..."

Walking out, Wang Yan saw the chubby Ye Fang, feigned surprise with a look of reminiscence, and smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, you are Ye... Fang?"

"Uh... yes, that's me. I barely said anything back then, yet Wang Zong still remembers me; your memory is truly excellent." Ye Fang felt somewhat awkward, then added, "I really never expected Wang Zong to be living right here; what a coincidence, huh."

Seeing Wang Yan remain silent with only a smiling expression, Ye Fang felt a slight pressure, along with some guilt, and continued, "About that, Wang Zong, Zhenzhen is my cousin, right, Zhenzhen?"

"Oh, what a coincidence..." Wang Yan exclaimed with a face full of emotion, while raising an eyebrow at Ye Zhenzhen.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the teasing Wang Yan, then at the furious Lucy, and helplessly rolled her eyes at Wang Yan.

Lucy said, "You invaded my privacy and even hired people to follow me at the company; what exactly are you trying to do?"

"I'm sorry, Lucy. My cousin and the others did indeed investigate you a bit. Mainly, because I had previously told my parents that you practice Wu Gong, and once He Minhong mentioned you seemed to be an agent executing some secret mission; I mentioned it to my parents as a joke, but they took it seriously and asked my cousin and the others to investigate just to ensure safety."

"Does that mean you can investigate anyone you want? This is illegal behavior; do you know that? What exactly did you find out?"

Lucy could speak of these matters herself, but she could not allow others to pry into them. Moreover, although she had told Wang Yan, it had been with ulterior motives.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at Lucy: "Are you sure you want me to say it?"

Wang Yan spoke up: "That's not right, Young Lady Ye, why haven't you explained this to me? You didn't even say you're sorry? I'm so hurt."

"Sorry~"

"Too perfunctory; has anyone ever apologized while rolling their eyes?"

"That's enough, isn't it? Didn't my cousin and the others also give you money?"

"You make it sound as if I haven't made money for them; isn't that right, Mr. Ye?"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes. It's all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding." Ye Fang hurriedly said, "Wang Zong, we only have this one younger sister in our family, and everyone treasures her dearly. With someone as accomplished in both literature and martial arts as Wang Zong right beside her, it was only natural to learn a bit about you. Please, Wang Zong, do not overthink it; it was merely getting to know you, absolutely no other meaning."

"Understood, all understood." Wang Yan nodded with a smile, then turned to say, "You're here to deliver flowers to Young Lady Ye? Then I shouldn't just stand here; let me lend a hand. Lucy, seeing you covered in sweat, go back and wash up. Zhu Zhe, Xiao He, you two go back as well; there's no major incident."

Lucy glanced at Ye Zhenzhen and Ye Fang, then held eye contact with Wang Yan for two seconds, before nodding lightly and turning to return silently to unit 2201.

Wang Yan and the Ye siblings moved the several large potted plants into unit 2203 together, after which Ye Fang, being very sensible, took his leave and departed.

"What would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, soft drinks, or water?"

"Tea, thank you."

Ye Zhenzhen nodded, turned to take a bottled tea drink from the refrigerator, and placed it before Wang Yan: "Here, for you."

"What if I wanted coffee?" Wang Yan's gaze shifted toward a coffee machine in the kitchen.

Following Wang Yan's gaze, Ye Zhenzhen smiled beautifully, turned again to retrieve a bottled coffee drink from the refrigerator, unscrewed the cap to take a sip herself, then raised it in a gesture toward Wang Yan.

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile, unscrewed the tea drink, and took a sip: "You certainly understand humor."

"Just tell me, isn't that tea, and isn't this coffee?"

"No problem with that."

"Hmph~"

Ye Zhenzhen felt a little proud and pleased, then sat down on the sofa and asked, "You're so close with Lucy; do you know something about the situation?"

"What have you found out?"

"Nothing much, just that Lucy's identity is fake; she is not Lucy. You know that, right?"

"I do. From our first meeting, she said her name is Fang Zhiheng and asked us to just call her Lucy."

"What nonsense." Ye Zhenzhen wore a face of disgust. "The name she uses at the company is Lucy Cai, not Fang Zhiheng, but her real name is indeed Fang Zhiheng. Lucy Cai also exists, but it's not her. In other words, she has impersonated someone else's identity; she must have a purpose for doing this, but I don't know why. Hey, wait, are you changing the subject? You definitely know, don't you?"

"You've gotten smart."

"Well, what did you expect? I just usually don't like thinking about these things. So, what's the actual situation?"

"Not only do I know, I could currently be called a participant. But I won't say; if you want to know, go ask Lucy. If she is willing to tell you, then you'll know. If she isn't willing to tell you, then forget it."

"What big deal is it that you have to be so mysterious?" Ye Zhenzhen smiled and leaned closer. "Just tell me; I'm the tightest-lipped person ever."

That statement was equivalent to farting; in the original plot, when they went to play on Chongming Island, she had told that David without a shred of hesitation.

Of course, it wasn't said without reason; at that time, Lucy was about to employ a beauty trap, and the goal was to stop Lucy, to save Lucy, and to prevent Lucy from going astray.

In this matter, the behavior of Ye Zhenzhen and David was essentially the same as that of He Minhong. They defined what was good and what was the right path for Lucy. They raised problems but did not solve them.

Stopping Lucy from dealing with Lihu Qixing was fine; from a third-party standpoint, Lihu Qixing was innocent, so there was no issue. However, while the two of them discussed it, they failed to offer Lucy any other methods to resolve her problems.

In short, their approach was simply to stop her first. Then, mostly, they would pity Lucy's plight without taking any other practical, effective action.

Of course, in the original drama, they failed to stop her. After discussing for a long time and finally deciding to save Lucy, she had already left...

Wang Yan said, "How would I know whether your lips are tight or not?"

"Don't you have even this much trust?"

"I believe in practice."

"If you don't first give me enough trust, how can there be practice?"

After speaking, seeing the teasing look in Wang Yan's eyes, Ye Zhenzhen realized, "You really are a rascal; you're talking about me yet again."

Speaking thus, she raised her hand in annoyance, intending to slap Wang Yan.

But unexpectedly, Wang Yan caught her wrist, looking at her with a smile: "I'm a bit curious to taste the flavor of coffee."

"I... I'll go get you a bottle." Ye Zhenzhen tried to stand up.

But as she rose, Wang Yan did not let go; instead, when she was only halfway up, he exerted a slight force with his hand and pulled her to his side.

Wang Yan looked into her eyes: "I don't want to drink a whole bottle; I truly just want to taste the flavor. You getting another bottle would be too wasteful."

"It's fine, I'm not afraid of waste."

Wang Yan reached out, caressing her cheek, his thumb rubbing against her lips: "You have no charm at all; must I speak so plainly? Very well, I'll lay my cards on the table: I just want to see exactly how tight your lips really are."

Ye Zhenzhen met Wang Yan's gaze; her eyes flickered incessantly, her cheeks visibly turned crimson, and the air itself seemed to heat up.

After a few seconds, she suddenly opened her mouth, leaned forward, and with an "Ah-wu!" tried to bite Wang Yan's finger.

Going along with her momentum, Wang Yan released her hand, using both hands to cup her face before him.

Wang Yan smiled: "Can't wait, can you?"

At this distance, their breaths were already brushing against each other's faces.

Ye Zhenzhen's face burned hot, her breathing uneven, her heart pounding rapidly from nervousness; yet she extended both hands, pushing against Wang Yan's chest.

This time Wang Yan did not hold on; Ye Zhenzhen finally escaped his clutches, yet she did not immediately retreat. Instead, she raised her hand again and slapped Wang Yan's shoulder with moderate force—*pa! * a sharp sound rang out...

She glared at Wang Yan in annoyance: "Flirting in broad daylight?"

"So does that mean it's acceptable at night?" Wang Yan laughed, reaching out to pat her shoulder. "I knew you had designs on me all along; the body cannot lie."

"Pah!" Ye Zhenzhen angrily slapped Wang Yan's hand away, pulled a delicate small bottle from her pocket, and flashed it at Wang Yan: "Do you know what this is?"

"Anti-wolf spray?"

"I developed it myself. Anyone hit by this will immediately suffer uncontrollable tears and a running nose. It's specifically designed to deal with scum like you, you dirty pervert."

"Is it really that powerful?"

"Don't believe me? Want me to give you a dose so you can properly taste its effects?"

"Let's skip that then." Wang Yan pressed Ye Zhenzhen's hand down. "Since you possess such a deadly weapon, why didn't you use it just now?"

"Because I knew you had the thief's heart but not the thief's courage." Ye Zhenzhen let out a disdainful snort, stood up to create distance, picked up her coffee, and began drinking as if nothing had happened.

"I wonder who it was that couldn't speak three sentences without aiming below the belt, yet when things got serious, suddenly couldn't go through with it."

"Only you are capable."

"Hey, don't dismiss it; my capability is terrifying. What a pity, someone will never have the chance to experience it."

Ye Zhenzhen shot him an indignant glare, put on a stern face, and said: "Do you have other business?"

"Overcome with shame and anger, you're starting to chase people out." Wang Yan smiled, stood up, picked up the tea beverage Ye Zhenzhen had given him, then stepped before her, raised his hand, and stroked her face.

"Wash your face with cold water in a moment; all the passion in your heart is showing on your face; it's hot to the touch."

"Go die!" Ye Zhenzhen was truly overcome with shame and anger; she raised her hand to strike him.

Wang Yan had already dodged with a hearty laugh, then raised an eyebrow at her, turned, and left.

Ye Zhenzhen stood right there until she heard the door close; then she covered her burning face with both hands, cursing "dead scum" and "dirty pervert" under her breath, and ran into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.

She scooped cool water and repeatedly slapped it onto her face; after quite a while, she lifted her head to look at herself in the mirror, watching water droplets slide down her beautiful face, gazing at the rippling waves in the mirror-image's eyes. After a long moment, she inexplicably began to smile...

Closing the door of Room 2203, Wang Yan walked straight across to Room 2201 opposite and rang the doorbell.

Before long, Lucy opened the door and said: "Come in and let's talk."

Wang Yan nodded gladly and stepped inside.

Lucy closed the door, walked into the living room, and looked at Wang Yan, who was sitting naturally with one leg crossed over the other, drinking a tea beverage: "What did she say? What did she find out?"

"Just the matter of you assuming a false identity; nothing else. She asked if I knew your situation; I said not only did I know, but I was now a participant. If she wanted to know more, she should come ask you. Nothing more was said beyond that."

Wang Yan smiled: "No need to panic. If you don't mind your scars being exposed, then there's no problem. The people I arranged have already uncovered some leads; how about your end?"

"Still making contact; the exact timing is uncertain, but it will take at least a month."

"Don't hesitate to spend money; pay what needs to be paid. Others preserving evidence have unclear motives. They might want to bring down Li Xun but dare not act; or they might be attempting extortion to get money from Li Xun. There's no reason to let someone work for free. You're willing to be so poor you're jingling, yet still pretend to be a socialite to employ a beauty trap; others may not be so willing. As for yourself, don't be stingy either; treat yourself better."

"I know. Actually, I don't have many expenses; just eating and drinking, since one must survive. Occasionally buying some luxury goods so others won't think I'm a gold-digger. The money you gave me, I haven't touched a single cent of it yet."

"No need to emphasize that point specifically. The money is yours; spend it however you like."

Wang Yan said with amusement, then changed the subject: "But speaking of beauty traps, why hasn't Lihu Qixing made any move?"

"He was beaten into submission by you and doesn't dare enter the residential compound. Sometimes he waits outside the compound in the morning, and occasionally seeks me out at the company, buying a cup of coffee just to say a few words. Oh, tomorrow I still have to go to the boxing gym. He holds a grudge; he's training very seriously now; I think he's gearing up to seek revenge on you."

"If he truly wanted revenge, what he should be doing isn't training his martial prowess, but finding people to disrupt my business, hiring thugs to ambush me and teach me a lesson; his father would do the same. He may sincerely be training, but in my view, he's mostly just putting on a show for you."

"That's what I think too. But after all this time, you still haven't encountered any trouble, which shows Li Xun lacks the means to affect your business. This grudge hasn't reached a life-or-death stalemate; if he really hired people to teach you a lesson, he'd only be creating trouble for himself. I estimate he's at his wits' end, so he simply gave up."

"Who knows? I actually hope someone comes to beat me up; then I can directly drag them to the Gongan Bureau. Even if Li Xun can smooth it over, it will still be thoroughly nauseating for him."

"So confident?"

"That's not a ring match; I can run, and I don't need to hold back. Against anyone without professional training, it's basically one punch, one down."

Lucy crossed her arms and smiled: "One of these days I really must spar with you and see just how formidable you are."

"Are you trying to use a beauty trap on me?"

"Am I?"

"Aren't you?"

"Then you must be thinking wrongly," Lucy stated firmly.

"Then we'll find time to properly spar." Wang Yan shook his head with a smile, then stood up. "Alright, that's all; you stay here, I'm going back."

"Then I won't keep you."

Lucy nodded with a smile and saw Wang Yan out the door...

In Room 2202, He Minhong, having seen Wang Yan leave Room 2201 from the kitchen window and disappear into the elevator lobby, turned back and said: "Brother Yan has gone back. Sister Zhu, it seems what I said earlier was correct; Lucy must be hiding something major."

Zhu Zhe, holding a book, did not even lift her head: "Yes, you're the smartest."

"That's too perfunctory, Sister Zhu. Aren't you curious at all?" He Minhong trotted over, looking at Zhu Zhe, and also at Yu Chuhui, who was checking her phone on the side.

"Nonsense, who wouldn't be curious?" Yu Chuhui lifted her head, rolled her eyes at He Minhong, "But what good does curiosity do? Can you possibly block the door of 2201 and ask them directly?"

"Then we can ask Zhenzhen; didn't her family investigate Lucy? We can also ask Brother Yan; he definitely knows everything."

Yu Chuhui looked at her as if she were an idiot: "Then you'd better go ahead; I guarantee you'll end up hiding in your room, hugging your quilt and crying for half the night. Why do you never learn your lesson? What does other people's business have to do with you, that you go out of your way to pry into it? Come on, tell me, which book taught you to act like this?"

"I really don't understand how Wang Yan manages to speak to you so calmly, willing to break everything down piece by piece to explain the issues and clarify the reasoning. If I were him, I wouldn't bother saying another word to you."

"That's precisely why you aren't Brother Yan. Although Brother Yan's words aren't always pleasant, I know he does it for my own good; he understands me..."

"Pfft~" Yu Chuhui rolled her eyes and made a funny face.

"You..."

"Honghong." Zhu Zhe spoke up at the right moment, saying with great patience, "Ah Chu meant no harm, and what she said makes sense. It's fine to gossip a little appropriately, but you certainly shouldn't go out of your way to pry into someone's privacy; that's the most basic principle of being human, something you should know. Go ask Zhenzhen how she views you; if you go ask Wang Yan, you might truly end up crying for half a day."

"I know you want to say that Zhenzhen's family investigated Wang Yan and Lucy. But that was done by Zhenzhen's family members, and their purpose was to ensure Zhenzhen's safety. Zhenzhen is wealthy, the only daughter in her family, and treasured immensely. Wealthy families have complicated matters beyond our imagination. Although it indeed feels somewhat like persecution complex, being cautious never does any harm."

"Oh, I understand. Thank you, Sister Zhu." He Minhong pouted.

"It's really hard on Sister Zhu; being called an old cucumber by you, yet she still patiently explains these most basic principles of being human to you. What Wang Yan told you—to speak less, think more, and let your words pass through your brain before speaking—you haven't listened to a single bit of it."

"I already apologized to Sister Zhu..."

"Does an apology help? The harm is already done; can a flimsy 'sorry' make it as if nothing happened?"

The two began arguing again, or rather, Yu Chuhui was unilaterally attacking while He Minhong was unable to defend herself...