Chapter 502: Jealousy
Zhai Muchen was speechless. How in the world did this woman even come to this conclusion? When did he ask her to call Zhao Mingzhu by his name? How did this woman’s brain circuit even work? He pursed his lips and then said in a low voice, "I never said that—what I meant was, since you don’t know him well, you should call him Comrade Zhao. There is no need to take his first name or call him brother."
"That... would be too impolite." Han Ruochen could not help but explain, and when she saw the man’s eyes narrow even more, she could not help but take a step back. "I mean, his father and mine can now be counted as friends. If I call him Comrade Zhao, that would be too rude of me."
She paused and added, "What’s more, he brought me the money when I needed it the most. If he did not bring me the money on time, then my father would have missed the best time for surgery. That would be quite horrendous. So I call him Brother Zhao out of courtesy. What is wrong with it? Anyway, it is just a courtesy name and nothing else."
This was something that she was supposed to do; if she called him Comrade Zhao, then it would be rude of her. The Zhao family might even call her rude for ignoring all the help that they had given to her father. This was basic human courtesy, and there was nothing wrong with what she had done. This was basic human nature.
"Then what about me? Do you call me ’brother’ because you feel grateful towards me?" Was it because of the timely help that he had always given Han Ruochen that she started calling him Brother Muchen? Was everything that they had because of her gratitude for him?
The more he thought about it, the darker Zhai Muchen’s face became. It resembled the dark, stormy clouds that could rain at any time. His expression was so dark and gloomy that it made people fearful.
"Sister..." stop speaking. Even though Han Beijiang had no idea what was going on, he had a feeling that it was closely related to his sister. Every time his sister opened her mouth, Zhai Muchen’s expression turned dark. It was as if each word his sister spoke was causing him some intense pain that no one could explain.
Han Ruochen also sensed that there was something amiss and wisely closed her mouth.
However, even her silence seemed to be the wrong answer. Zhai Muchen’s eyes darkened even more as he glared hard at Han Ruochen.
"Hmm?"
Han Ruochen did not know whether to laugh or cry when she saw the man’s actions. She scratched the back of her head and said in a low voice, "Brother Muchen, why are you comparing Brother Zhao—Zhao Mingzhu?" she corrected herself when she saw the man’s expression darkening even further. "How can the two things be compared?"
"How can it not be compared?"
There were all kinds of ’brothers’ in this world, and among them was also the romantic kind of brother. What type of brother was he in Han Ruochen’s heart?
Just when this question rose in Zhai Muchen’s heart, he realised that he had actually ended up getting jealous! So this was what jealousy felt like.
Being trapped in place by Zhai Muchen’s gaze, which was so intense that it made her feel all jittery. Why was this man looking at her like that? What was going on? She could not help but feel nervous, and both of her legs were so stiff that she could not move them. Her face turned red, and she broke free from his gaze. With shifty eyes, she glanced at Zhai Muchen and asked, "Brother Muchen, you—what are you trying to say? Why are you asking me these questions? I am sorry, but you are confusing me. What do you really want to say? Just tell me straight."
Zhai Muchen: "..."
He sucked in a breath and restrained himself. Indeed, he could not interrogate Han Ruochen like this; she was neither his lover nor his betrothed. What was he even trying to do by questioning her like this? He was simply scaring her!
"Forget it." He sighed with a shake of his head. "Just keep your schedule free tomorrow. I will bring you to see someone."
"Ah?" Han Ruochen’s mouth opened even wider. What happened? Why did the topic suddenly change? She blinked her eyes and asked, "Were you looking for me because of this very reason?" And here she thought that Zhai Muchen was pulling Zhao Mingzhu’s leg.
"I was going to call you, but then I ran into Beijiang. So I came looking for you."
He did not mean anything harsh by his words; he just casually responded, but Han Ruochen felt ashamed. Really, how embarrassing! Why did she make it sound as if Zhai Muchen was specifically looking for her?
"I...I see," embarrassed but not willing to show it on her face, Han Ruochen lowered her head. "Then who am I going to meet?" She might as well change the topic or else she was worried that she would end up saying something even more shocking.
"You will know when you come with me tomorrow." Zhai Muchen did not want to disclose too much about Old Master Xu. That man’s attitude had always been unstable, and he wouldn’t dare to trust him. What if he changed his mind at the last moment? Zhai Muchen knew that Old Master Xu wouldn’t do it, since he would never get anyone better than Han Ruochen, but who could trust a man who sent a novice fisherwoman to sail in such turbulent waters?
"I understand." Han Ruochen misunderstood Zhai Muchen’s meaning, thinking that he was hiding the identity of the person because this person’s identity was a bit sensitive. She nodded and agreed, "I won’t go to the sea tomorrow then, Brother Muchen." She then glanced at the fruit candies that he was carrying in his hands and frowned. "Were you going to meet someone?"