Chapter 101: The So-Called Date

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“Qi, you never really intended to get involved with him from the start. Who knows which girl he might take a liking to in the future? It’s better to let me satisfy my curiosity for now,” Zhou Yunmeng cast a pleading glance at Yang Yuqi, thinking to herself.

Yang Yuqi immediately understood Zhou Yunmeng’s little scheme and couldn’t help but smile inwardly. She didn’t say much but agreed to take the taxi.

The three quickly reached an agreement.

At the hotel entrance, taxis usually lined up, so there was no need to wait for one passing by—very convenient.

When boarding the car,

Huang Yu, being the only man, naturally felt it inappropriate to share the back seat with either of the two ladies, so he planned to sit in the front passenger seat from the start.

“Qi gets motion sickness really badly. Sitting in the back makes her even worse. You sit with me in the back, and Qi can take the front passenger seat,” Zhou Yunmeng said softly, lowering her head slightly, avoiding looking at Huang Yu’s expression.

Huang Yu noticed it was hard to catch what Zhou Yunmeng was saying when she wasn’t speaking seriously and thought she might just be shy, so he didn’t ask her to speak louder.

After all, it was their first meeting, and they weren’t close enough for him to seem rude.

On the way to the Expo Park, Yang Yuqi, sitting in the front passenger seat, occasionally glanced in the rearview mirror to check on Huang Yu and Zhou Yunmeng but mostly remained quiet, looking ahead.

Huang Yu saw her demeanor and recognized the signs of someone prone to motion sickness—no doubt.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yunmeng, sitting next to Huang Yu, appeared calm and quiet, occasionally stealing glances at him but quickly shifting her gaze away when she noticed his eyes on her.

Huang Yu naturally noticed these subtle gestures and thought to himself that this girl might have some feelings for him, leaving him somewhat at a loss for words.

However, the faint, gentle scent of her perfume was rather pleasant and not overpowering, which made him feel comfortable.

At first, the three were silent during the ride.

Huang Yu was quite pleased with this, considering the destination wasn’t far. Knowing Zhou Yunmeng’s possible feelings for him, he decided it was best not to initiate any conversation.

He didn’t want any ambiguous relationships with other women.

He felt that having Li Jia was already enough for him; there was no room in his heart for anyone else.

Huang Yu was a man with strict self-discipline, unlike typical philanderers. He believed one should have only one true love in a lifetime.

Moreover, his definition of love was one of lifelong devotion—once committed, forever faithful.

Thus, noticing Zhou Yunmeng’s little gestures only gave him a headache and made him even less inclined to chat. He simply closed his eyes and rested.

Zhou Yunmeng, hoping to strike up a conversation, was frustrated to find Huang Yu closing his eyes to rest. Though annoyed by his lack of attentiveness, she didn’t dare speak first.

Instead, she indulged in quietly watching him all the way.

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Being able to admire such a handsome man so openly and closely, Zhou Yunmeng felt it was quite a gain.

Yang Yuqi, in the front passenger seat, only occasionally glanced back through the rearview mirror. Each time, she found Zhou Yunmeng staring at Huang Yu like a lovesick girl.

“Could it be that Yunmeng really has strong feelings for Huang Yu? No way, they’ve only just met. It shouldn’t be like this,” Yang Yuqi thought to herself.

Though she didn’t mind her best friend liking the man who was supposed to be on a date with her, she didn’t want to see her friend get too deeply involved.

After all, she could tell Huang Yu’s background was excellent—far beyond that of an ordinary rich kid. Otherwise, her father wouldn’t have arranged this date for them.

So, for Zhou Yunmeng, a girl from a modest family, to expect a good outcome with Huang Yu was simply impossible.

“I’ll have to find a chance to privately warn Yunmeng about this and also caution Huang Yu,” Yang Yuqi thought, stealing another glance at Huang Yu through the mirror. As before, he was resting with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep, without any change.

Huang Yu wasn’t actually asleep; he was pretending to avoid any inappropriate involvement with the women beside him. Even without looking, he could feel the intense gaze from Zhou Yunmeng, which left him speechless and unwilling to open his eyes, so he continued his act.

After about ten minutes,

The taxi stopped at the entrance of the park.

The three got out in order: Huang Yu, Yang Yuqi, and Zhou Yunmeng.

KM City Expo Park was designed to follow the natural terrain, showcasing the distinctive local features of provinces, regions, and cities across the country, along with garden and architectural styles from 95 countries, blending horticultural displays, courtyard architecture, and technological achievements into one park.

The park’s main theme was “Harmony between Man and Nature,” making it a grand garden and horticultural exhibition with “YN style, Chinese grandeur, and world-class” qualities.

The Expo Park consisted of seven main pavilions, ten themed exhibition gardens, 38 domestic gardens, and 40 international gardens.

The three knew that even with a full afternoon on the sightseeing bus without breaks, they couldn’t cover the entire park—perhaps not even half.

“Yunmeng, I saw you acting like a lovestruck fool all the way. Tell me, have you really fallen for this guy?” Yang Yuqi asked, pulling Zhou Yunmeng aside while Huang Yu went to buy tickets.

“Mm-hmm,” Zhou Yunmeng nodded without denial.

“You! Do you even know who he really is? What kind of background he has? You’d better keep your feelings to yourself because there’s almost no chance between you two,” Yang Yuqi said sharply.

She genuinely worried about her best friend.

They talked about this for quite a while, mostly Yang Yuqi lecturing and Zhou Yunmeng listening, occasionally responding with a few words and nods.

“Yunmeng, he’s coming over. Let’s not talk about this now. I’ll ask him about it later,” Yang Yuqi said as Huang Yu finished buying tickets and approached.

The whole afternoon, the three wandered casually around the park.

Huang Yu occasionally took out his phone to snap photos of some sights, then selected the best ones to send to Li Jia via social media, attaching brief descriptions.

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During this time, Li Jia still hadn’t replied.

He had somewhat expected this and planned to buy a ticket back to PE City once he settled things with Yang Yuqi, leaving early the next morning.

When Zhou Yunmeng went to the restroom during their outing, Yang Yuqi found Huang Yu and said some things that made him both amused and exasperated—warnings like “Zhou Yunmeng is my best friend; you can’t make a move on her.”

An hour before closing, the three left the park.

Yang Yuqi was adamant about not continuing, while Zhou Yunmeng and Huang Yu felt like exploring more.

But seeing Yang Yuqi’s genuine disinterest, the other two agreed to her wishes.

Huang Yu then took a taxi to drop off Yang Yuqi and Zhou Yunmeng at the Tianhe International Hotel, where they also arranged to have dinner.

The dinner was luxurious and of high standard.

During the meal, neither Huang Yu nor Yang Yuqi mentioned anything sensitive about relationships.

Perhaps from their time together, they understood each other’s unspoken thoughts and tacitly agreed to avoid such topics.

This left Zhou Yunmeng puzzled, as she couldn’t figure out their intentions. The date was arranged for the two of them, but neither initiated any romantic conversation.

Though curious, she didn’t ask.

Throughout the half-day, she often tried to chat with Huang Yu. Although he didn’t refuse and answered patiently, she sensed most of his responses were merely polite, which left her feeling disappointed but aware that Huang Yu had no romantic feelings for her.

At first, Zhou Yunmeng was unhappy with Huang Yu’s attitude, thinking he looked down on her. But when she saw he treated Yang Yuqi with the same, if not less warm, demeanor, she was relieved.

Around eight in the evening,

At the parking lot of Tianhe International Hotel in KM City,

Huang Yu finally ended the half-day date with Yang Yuqi.

“Finally over. Half a day like this is really exhausting,” he thought, watching Yang Yuqi’s sports car drive away, feeling a wave of relief.

Though both women were beautiful, and normally a man spending a day with two beauties should feel relaxed and delighted,

Huang Yu did not find it easy at all. Instead, by the end, he felt quite tormented. If there was a next time, he definitely wouldn’t agree to such an arrangement again.