Chapter 23 Go Up the Mountain

"So, that Mr. Luo went to the woman's family?" Xia Xiao said.

Yang Xuehua nodded, "Liu Yue was our junior in school, and her father holds some power. He began pursuing her when we were in school, and later Luo Mingzhe's mother came to my house. The betrothal was a private agreement between the two families, and since it was not made public, his mother wanted to call off the engagement."

Xia Xiao understood the situation as soon as she heard this, "So now that he's gone to the countryside, the connections he relied on are useless too."

Only then did Yang Xuehua reveal a slight smile, "Liu Yue's family has four children, including a brother from the same mother, and other siblings from the original marriage. Her eldest brother has already gone to university. Clearly, Liu Yue lost the competition with her sister from the original marriage, and between her son and daughter, Liu Yue's mother would definitely choose her son. With Liu Yue sent to the countryside, there's no way the Liu Family would allow Luo Mingzhe to stay in the capital."

"Luo Family schemed through and through, but in the end, they still had to 'compensate' by sending off their son, haha," Xia Xiao laughed.

Yang Xuehua shook her head, "How could it be a compensation? It's a profit. My family can't compare to the Liu's, and I'm not as pretty as Liu Yue."

Yang Xuehua laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Sister Xuehua shouldn't belittle herself. In my view, Luo Mingzhe is a man without responsibility—unfit for you. You deserve better. You should be glad he called off the marriage early. Otherwise, marrying a man like that would lead to troubles sooner or later."

As soon as Xia Xiao finished speaking, Yang Xuehua suddenly stared at her, causing Xia Xiao to feel uneasy, wondering which of her own words had given her away. But then she heard Yang Xuehua say, "Xia Xiao, I've noticed that you're quite mature for your age, and what you say has depth."

Haha, Xia Xiao gave a dry laugh, not daring to continue the conversation with Yang Xuehua.

"You two better hurry up, don't fall behind," Wang Aihua called back to them.

Xia Xiao and Yang Xuehua quickened their pace to catch up with Wang Aihua and the others. Unfortunately, they soon saw a man and a woman ahead—it was the same troublemakers they'd just encountered, Luo Mingzhe and Liu Yue.

"Why are they here? They're not from our production team, right?" Xia Xiao asked, not only because of their connection with Yang Xuehua but also because these two were responsible for her demise in her previous life; Xia Xiao didn't want to get close to them.

"Oh, you're talking about them? They're from the neighboring Red Star Production Team, which is close to ours. Right now, the trip to Nanhua Mountain is a joint venture between the two teams. Everyone who wants to go can go, and those who don't can stay behind, as long as they ensure their own safety. No one is responsible if something happens."

With Wang Aihua's words, Xia Xiao nodded, understanding the meaning behind them.

But she had her space and wasn't too worried, besides, she was always looking for a chance to see if there was anything good in the mountains that she could put in her space to grow or raise.

Luo Mingzhe and Liu Yue also saw Xia Xiao and the others. Liu Yue's eyes widened in a displeased manner.

Luo Mingzhe even waited for Xia Xiao and the others to come forward, then said to Yang Xuehua with concern, "Xuehua, the mountain is dangerous, you should head back quickly."

"Didn't you hear me when I told you to stay away from me earlier?" Yang Xuehua said in displeasure.

At that moment, Yang Xuehua was truly grateful that they weren't in the same production team, otherwise facing each other every day would be even more frustrating.

What's done is done—she didn't want to keep dwelling on it and make herself miserable, but every time Luo Mingzhe approached, Yang Xuehua couldn't help but feel unhappy.

Luo Mingzhe saw that Yang Xuehua was upset and said, "Even if we're not engaged, we've grown up together, and you've always been the little sister I should take care of..."

At that, Yang Xuehua darted behind Xia Xiao, no longer wanting to face Luo Mingzhe's brazenness.

Ha, Xia Xiao almost burst into laughter. Even after actively calling off the engagement, he still wanted to act like childhood sweethearts and siblings. What a joke.

"Educated Youth Luo, why is your face so thick? Sister Xuehua already asked you to keep your distance, and still, you insist on closing in. Stop pretending to be the good brother and sister; after climbing up high by calling off the engagement, could you stay away from my Sister Xuehua? Can't you see she detests and despises you, or are you wearing glasses that still don't improve your vision?"

Xia Xiao could not help but speak out, and seeing Liu Yue approaching, added meaningfully, "Didn't you notice your newly appointed fiancée is quite bothered by it? You're engaged again, yet clinging to Sister Xuehua; are you trying to have a foot in two boats?"

"Comrade, your words are too harsh, I have no such intentions."

Luo Mingzhe paused, feeling Liu Yue's footsteps, he considered her feelings somewhat and said no more, his gaze upon Yang Xuehua was full of concern.

Regardless of whether his concern was genuine, whether he had liked Yang Xuehua in the past or not, being with Liu Yue now made such care quite inappropriate. Luo Mingzhe seemed unaware of his own transgressions. Thankfully, they were not in the same production team, or else drama would unfold daily.

Liu Yue came over, completely ignoring Xia Xiao, and addressed Yang Xuehua directly, "Yang Xuehua, no matter what your past relationship with Brother Mingzhe was, he's mine now; we're engaged, we're the ones in love. Please, stop bothering Brother Mingzhe, will you?"

Xia Xiao and Yang Xuehua were at a loss for words...

They had nothing to say. Neither understood how Liu Yue could think Yang Xuehua was bothering Luo Mingzhe when it was clearly the other way around. Liu Yue probably knew as well but chose to say this deliberately, revealing a bit of her underlying discomfort and wariness towards Yang Xuehua.

"Is this Educated Youth Luo's acquaintance?" A woman suddenly came over and asked.

Liu Yue immediately responded, "We're classmates." She obviously didn't want people to know about Yang Xuehua's past relationship with Luo Mingzhe.

Yang Xuehua smirked and didn't engage with them anymore; she likewise did not want people to know she had such a former fiancé.

Xia Xiao saw that Yang Xuehua paid Liu Yue no mind, and felt it inappropriate to speak up since this was Yang Xuehua's matter.

Then the woman took a glance at Yang Xuehua and Xia Xiao before addressing everyone in a stern tone, "Nanhua Mountain can be dangerous, so nobody should venture into the mountain, don't disrupt the teams, or you will bear the consequences. There are snakes, insects, wild animals, and the possibility of fatal danger. If you're afraid, don't go climbing; otherwise, any harm or death is at your own risk."

"Sister Aihua, who is that? Is she also an educated youth?" Dong Meihua inquired.

Wang Aihua shook her head. "No, that's Liu Haihua, the daughter of the Red Star Production Team's leader."

"No wonder she acts so much like a leader," Dong Meihua pouted and said nothing more.

Xia Xiao observed Liu Haihua of the Red Star Production Team; she was quite attractive but had dark, robust, and tall skin, giving off a masculine vibe, clearly a capable hand at work and likely the leader of the Red Star's young women's team.

And those words just now, Xia Xiao felt they were directed at them, but those words couldn't scare her off. She just wondered what Yang Xuehua might think.