Mistakenly Flirting with a Tough Guy from the ’70s: The Delicate Girl’s Heart Races with Jealousy
Mistakenly Flirting with a Tough Guy from the ’70s: The Delicate Girl’s Heart Races with Jealousy Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Bittersweet Feeling Before Parting

Ningcheng Military District

After the meeting, Lu Yuetang and Shen Fubai walked back to the office together.

“Brother Lu, I didn’t expect Hu Ouhua to have such a tough life. Her biological father is of no help, she was betrayed by her family, and she had to struggle all the way to the college entrance exams. It really hasn’t been easy for her,” Shen Fubai sighed.

Lu Yuetang stopped in his tracks, coldly locking eyes with him. “What, do you have feelings for her? Why don’t you take her home and pamper her then?”

“Aiya, Brother Lu, don’t joke with me—”

Shen Fubai forced an awkward laugh, just about to explain when he saw Lu Yuetang walking away without looking back, leaving him standing there in embarrassment.

Heartless.

Shen Fubai quickly caught up and suggested, “The military drill is almost over. Why don’t we apply to return to Beijing?”

Beijing was his comfort zone.

Lu Yuetang scoffed, “Weren’t you just saying how tough her life has been? Now you can’t wait to go home? Didn’t you say you wanted to drink at her celebration banquet?”

The exam results weren’t even out yet, and Shen Fubai was already in a rush to leave?

“That was just a casual remark, don’t take it seriously,” Shen Fubai muttered, feeling like Brother Lu had been targeting him a lot lately. Everything he said seemed to be wrong, but he had no idea why.

“How about we pick her up? I have to admit, her cooking is way better than pig slop, especially the braised pork—it’s simply amazing,” he added.

Whoosh.

A cold glare swept toward him.

Brother Lu was angry again.

“What, you think the little auntie I hired is here to serve you?” Lu Yuetang asked icily.

“…” Shen Fubai.

He was just trying to enjoy some of the benefits!

Brother Lu was still as stingy as ever.

When they arrived at the hospital, the nurse told them that Hu Ouhua had left after just one IV drip.

So, Shen Fubai turned the car around and headed straight for the small courtyard.

As soon as they arrived, they saw that all the koi fish in the pond had flipped over, dead. Shen Fubai howled in frustration, “What the hell? Who was so heartless to kill my fish?”

Hu Ouhua, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, ran out upon hearing him. She glanced at the troublemaker, who got out of the car without a word and went straight into the house, making her chuckle.

She patted Shen Fubai on the shoulder and consoled, “Ornamental fish are the hardest to raise. Don’t be too sad. We’re having braised pork for lunch… and braised carp.”

Braised. Carp.

Shen Fubai was heartbroken.

He had pulled a lot of strings to get those koi fish—they were trendy and expensive. And now? They were being served for lunch? How tragic!

“If you don’t want to eat, get lost,” Lu Yuetang said, glancing at him coldly.

Shen Fubai immediately put on a fawning smile. “Eat, eat, eat! Who could resist Ouhua’s incredible cooking?”

Splash!

A cup of water was thrown in his face, followed by Brother Lu’s stern reprimand: “Cut the flattery. If you keep calling her that, believe me, I’ll slap you.”

He was really mad.

Shen Fubai, full of grievances, turned to Hu Ouhua. “Comrade Hu, how about you be fair and call Brother Lu—”

“Yuetang,” Lu Yuetang interrupted, his eyes fixed on Hu Ouhua.

Her cheeks turned slightly red.

Shen Fubai was confused.

So even a form of address had to be a competition?

Hu Ouhua called him Brother Shen, but she had to call Brother Lu by his full name?

“What do you say?” Shen Fubai looked at her with a pitiful expression.

Hu Ouhua felt utterly embarrassed.

After a moment of thought, she said, “It’s just a name. I won’t be so formal. I’ll call you Brother Yuetang. How about that?”

Calling him by name felt… too intimate.

Lu Yuetang gave Shen Fubai a glance before finally nodding, his irritation subsiding.

Lunch was lively.

Lu Yuetang even asked Hu Ouhua which universities she had applied to. When he heard her first choice was Peking University, he was a little… pleased.

“Wow, Comrade Ouhua! If you get into Peking University, I’ll reward you with a full set of study supplies—from notebooks to a school bag. And if you become the top scorer in Ning Province, I—I’ll be your sworn brother!”

In his excitement, Shen Fubai made a bold promise.

His words made Hu Ouhua laugh. “Alright, I’d love to have a brother like you. If the school holds a parent-teacher meeting, you can attend as my guardian.”

“Of course! Big brother is the most reliable!”

Shen Fubai vowed, almost ready to take her to the courtyard and swear an oath under the osmanthus tree.

“This is the remaining wages,” Lu Yuetang said, handing her twenty yuan.

He had told her before that if she took leave, her pay would be deducted, and he meant it.

But because of that, Hu Ouhua accepted the money without guilt.

“Tomorrow, we’re returning to Beijing. We won’t be here when your results come out. I’ll leave you a number—if you go to school in Beijing, you can contact us,” Lu Yuetang said.

He took out a small notebook from his pocket, removed a pen from his uniform, and wrote down a phone number.

“I will,” Hu Ouhua replied, taking the number with mixed emotions.

She glanced at him a few more times, remembering that he was the father of her child… Imagining what the child might look like in the future. If the baby resembled him even a little, would she be found out?

That afternoon, Hu Ouhua packed up her belongings, leaving the remaining money and ration coupons in a drawer, along with the bookkeeping ledger on the desk—right where Lu Yuetang would see it upon his return.

Ever since the incident with the wet mattress upstairs, he rarely stayed on the second floor, spending most nights in the adjacent room.

Before leaving, she double-checked everything to make sure nothing was left behind, then shouldered her bag and departed.

Just as she left, the Yang family arrived.

Yang Wei knocked on the door several times, but no one answered, making him irritated.

Qingfen scolded, “I told you to find your brother-in-law sooner, but you kept hesitating. If he goes back to Beijing, how will he help you get a job? He’s your sister’s husband, after all.”

“Enough, enough! Are you done?”

Yang Wei had thought about asking Lu Yuetang to help him get a job, but he didn’t want a nine-to-five grind with little pay. It didn’t compare to the thrill of winning a game of cards.

But lately, his luck had been terrible. He had gambled away the 300 yuan his family had saved for his marriage. Now, desperate, he needed a job.

“Let’s go to the military district. Staying here is pointless,” Qingfen urged.

Not long after they left, Lu Yuetang, carrying his military duffel bag, returned to the small courtyard, intending to say goodbye to Hu Ouhua.

But the door was locked.

A wave of disappointment washed over him.

Unlocking the door with his key, he found the place empty.

The kitchen—empty. The main hall—empty.

His gaze drifted to the bedroom.

As expected, the door was open. The room was clean, spotless, and even the peony flowers on the bedsheet were neatly spread out…

On the desk lay the bookkeeping ledger, opened to the last page.

He flipped through it and saw Hu Ouhua’s elegant handwriting:

“Brother Yuetang, thank you for taking care of me. I took your notebook with me. If fate allows, we’ll meet again in Beijing. If not, I wish you well.”

Lu Yuetang snapped the book shut, annoyed.

That afternoon, he sat in her bedroom for a long time, smoking countless cigarettes.

It wasn’t until Shen Fubai came to urge him that he finally stood up and left.

But before leaving, on impulse, he took the ledger with him.

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