Chapter 128 The Secret Revealed: "The person he was betrothed to as a child—was me..."

Chapter 128 The Secret Revealed: "The person he was betrothed to as a child—was me..."

The next day, Ye Hantao had a full morning of classes, rushing from one classroom to another, absorbing a lot of knowledge into her mind.

The school bell had just rung when Le Chu next to me exclaimed in surprise, "Tao Tao! You...you're trending again?"

Ye Hantao opened the book she would use for class later. "Yes, I already took the class last night."

"You watched it last night?" Le Chu scratched his head. "I don't remember watching it."

Ye Hantao teased her deliberately, "I get it, you don't care about me!"

As she spoke, Ye Hantao clutched her heart, "I'm so heartbroken!"

"The three of us are the ones who are heartbroken!" Tang Jiahui leaned over, her tone aggressive. "None of us in the dorm knew you had a painter account!"

Ye Hantao: "???"

Ye Hantao sensed something was wrong and quickly picked up her phone from the table to check it.

#Ye Hantao, a peach that paints#

"...?!"

In a flash, Ye Hantao came to her senses. She had taken a few pictures of the bouquet last night because they were so beautiful, but she hadn't included a selfie.

Ye Hantao clicked on the entry and quickly read through the most popular analysis essay, feeling that the netizens were practically Sherlock Holmes reincarnated.

[Ahhhhh, zooming in on the cup's reflection... it's the same outfit Tao Tao was wearing in front of the elevator last night!]

[The pothos and pink lychee flowers match perfectly, not a single petal is missing!]

[Help! Where did you find this?!]

[Can you believe it? I had commissioned a chibi drawing from Mrs. Pantao, and then I saw Taotao's chibi drawing in a live stream. At the time, I just thought the art styles were similar, but it wasn't until last night's picture of the bouquet that I realized it was real! (starry-eyed.jpg)]

[Actually, you can tell from their historical posts that their speaking styles are so similar! And they both absolutely love steamed pork with rice flour!!! She could even draw a comic strip about steamed pork with rice flour!!!]

[I've already scrolled through 200+ posts, and I thought Ye Hantao would post some pictures of villas and cruise ships to flaunt her wealth, but there are very few?]

[Even though there are only a few, they're quite substantial! I honestly didn't recognize them until you pointed out that they were Hermes, Patek Philippe, and Jaeger-LeCoultre bags.]

[Actually, my reason for making this guess is due to preconceived notions. I believe this is Ye Hantao's account, so the items that would appear must be custom-made items from luxury brands.]

To be fair, take Jaeger-LeCoultre watches for example. If Ye Hantao from the first episode had said it was a Jaeger-LeCoultre, many viewers in the comments would probably have said it was a fake, or even a low-quality fake... since it looks exactly like the real thing.

Be confident, and drop the estimates.

Ye Hantao scrolled through the comments, then looked at how her follower count had surged to over 4 million in just one morning…

"Netizens are too amazing."

At noon, Ye Hantao couldn't help but mutter to Cheng Zhao as soon as she got into the car, "You can even see such a blurry reflection in the cup."

The driver kept his eyes fixed straight ahead as he drove.

Cheng Zhao pressed the partition screen and chuckled, teasingly saying, "I thought this was a little surprise you left for them."

The ID is simply "A Peach That Draws," clearly indicating no intention to hide it.

Ye Hantao was not ashamed at all for being exposed.

People like Sui Sui and Ming Yi know this account, but their college roommates don't, mainly because it's not mentioned in their daily lives.

When we come across something interesting, we usually just share it in the dorm group chat; nobody mentions following the account.

In Huihui's words, her personal account is for her to go crazy, so she shouldn't easily ruin her image.

Ye Hantao accepted a bottle of chilled mango juice from Cheng Zhao, saying, "I'm the one who was pleasantly surprised."

Cheng Zhao took his girlfriend's hand, threading it through her fingers until they were intertwined. "Have you mastered latte art?"

"You've learned the basic leaves, but you haven't learned how to paint peaches, tulips, and—" Ye Hantao suddenly widened her eyes in surprise and asked, "You saw my previous posts?"

Last Christmas, she and Sui Sui went out and saw someone making latte art of Santa Claus and reindeer on coffee, which amazed them.

That very night, Ye Hantao declared that she was about to master a new technology.

"I only read half of it," Cheng Zhao said. "I only saw the message after I came out of the meeting room."

Since it wasn't negative news, Guan Sen didn't have his PR team handle it.

Of course, there are negative aspects; their speed probably can't keep up with Guang Sheng's.

Ye Hantao gripped his hand tightly and said earnestly, "I'm going to give you some homework."

"Is it too late for me to learn law now?"

"What are you thinking? Do I need your help with my homework?"

As he looked puzzled, Ye Hantao tapped her phone screen with her finger, "Check the rest of the updates before tomorrow morning."

Cheng Zhao raised his eyebrows high. "Is this homework?"

"Yes, I can do back massages."

“When I was in school, I was rewarded for quizzes.”

Ye Hantao watched as he tilted his head and leaned closer, his gaze slowly moving downwards, their breaths clearly audible to each other.

"You give out rewards too?"

"I'm stingy!"

"Hahahaha." Cheng Zhao lowered his head and gently kissed his girlfriend's forehead. "I'll pay you back if I have to read all your posts."

Those were the days he couldn't participate in.

On his way here, he was scrolling through those posts and thought about going back to his childhood and beating himself up.

Ye Hantao felt a slight coolness in her ears.

When I raised my hand to touch it, I found that there was an earring on my empty earlobe. It felt hard and smooth to the touch.

"Return it to its rightful owner," Cheng Zhao said.

Ye Hantao was puzzled until she saw him take out another sapphire earring and put it on her other ear.

oh.

This is the apology for the childhood betrothal that was returned last time.

The sunlight slanted down, and the camphor trees on both sides of the road were lush and verdant.

The moment you step into the store, the clear, spring-like sound of the guzheng flows in.

This was an antique-style courtyard, and Ye Hantao looked around with curiosity.

A small bridge spans a flowing stream, lotus flowers bloom, and koi carp roam. As the sound of the water grows louder, a waterfall about two meters high cascades down from the artificial hill.

She turned her gaze away from the lotus flowers.

After his family background was revealed, his father said that the villa where the first episode of the show was filmed was also his family's. No wonder there was such a pond of lotus flowers; his mother liked it.

As the door to the private room opened, Ye Hantao saw Chen Xiaofeng waiting inside. The young man sitting next to him also looked familiar, especially his striking red hair.

"You are—" Ye Hantao remembered, "the one from the Jinwan Hotel."

He tripped up Tsai Chi-wei.

Lu Yiyan stood up and introduced himself: "Lu Yiyan".

Ye Hantao was just thinking that appearances can be deceiving when she saw Lu Yiyan glance at Cheng Zhao and then suddenly grimac, as if he had a wisdom toothache.

"He posted all night last night! The whole of his WeChat Moments knows he's no longer single!" It made his teeth ache.

Ye Hantao turned her head to look at Cheng Zhao.

One night? Didn't he just post a group photo and change his WeChat Moments background image?

Cheng Zhao held his girlfriend's hand tightly.

Ha, he knew these single guys would be envious.

Lu Yiyan continued his accusation, "He didn't even want to bring you! He said it wasn't necessary for you to have dinner with us!"

Chen Xiaofeng chimed in, "Fortunately, our brotherhood over the years has some weight, which made him have a change of heart."

At that moment, there was another knock on the door of the private room.

The waiter pushed open the door and made way, revealing the two girls he had brought.

One was tall and well-proportioned with neat, short hair; the other had round eyes and round cheeks.

"You've arrived!" Ye Hantao let go of Cheng Zhao's hand, took the arms of the newcomers on either side, and introduced them to the other three, "These are my good friends, Mingyi and Yuansui."

Mingyi has been training with the team and only had time to go home today.

After a brief greeting, Lu Yiyan realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Cheng Zhao! I thought you'd had a change of heart and brought Tao Tao to meet me, but it turns out I was just a bystander?!"

Cheng Zhao didn't bother to reply.

He's only just been promoted, and he's been squeezing in dates with Tao Tao every single day, so he doesn't have time for anyone else.

In other words, Tao Tao said she wanted to introduce him to some friends, so he simply invited Lu Yiyan to meet them as well.

Thinking this, his gaze fell on Tao Tao's left and right sides, where people were sitting.

Ye Hantao chimed in, "No, I heard Cheng Zhao say he wanted to introduce me to you, so I called Mingyi and Suisui over."

That's true.

It wasn't explained completely.

Cheng Zhao did indeed offer to introduce them, but he said there was no rush.

Knowing that Mingyi would only be staying for a few days, Ye Hantao arranged to meet today.

Lu Yiyan, unaware of the truth, said, "At least you're loyal!"

Soon, the waiter served the food.

The group quickly became acquainted.

Upon hearing that Mingyi was on the archery team and had a chance to participate in the next Olympics, Chen Xiaofeng immediately said that everyone should go watch the competition together.

"The next one will be in Los Angeles, right?" Lu Yiyan asked enthusiastically. "My family has a manor there, so everyone can stay there."

Yuan Sui: "Tao Tao's family also has a manor. Ming Yi and I have already chosen our rooms."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yiyan clicked his tongue, "Cheng Zhao, look at Tao Tao! Chen Xiaofeng and I don't even have a doghouse in your house, let alone a room!"

Cheng Zhao placed a piece of steamed pork into Tao Tao's bowl without even lifting his eyelids, "As long as Lao Hei doesn't mind."

"..." Lu Yiyan's lips twitched.

Yuan Sui moved closer to Tao Tao and whispered, "Who is Lao Hei?"

Ye Hantao watched the video posted by Cheng Zhao and replied in a low voice, "His dog is a German Shepherd."

Midway through the meal, Cheng Zhao's phone suddenly rang. "I'll go to the door to answer this call."

Seeing that he hadn't moved and was still staring at her, Ye Hantao said, "Go on, go on."

Cheng Zhao then left.

After Cheng Zhao left, Mingyi and Yuan Sui exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

They came today to see Cheng Zhao in person, and also to see Cheng Zhao's friends.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

You can get a glimpse into a person's character by observing the types of friends they get along with.

Before coming, Yuan Sui and Ming Yi searched online for all sorts of gossip about Chen Xiaofeng. They found no reports of him being promiscuous or having any rumored girlfriends.

The only controversial thing is that some haters say he's afraid of ghosts, and that the scar on his eyebrow was caused by him bumping into something while filming a ghost movie.

Chen Xiaofeng looked at the people in the room, and a lightbulb went off in his head.

"Tao Tao, you have two good friends. Lu Yiyan and I are also Cheng Zhao's good brothers." He laughed. "If you two get married in the future, the bridesmaids and groomsmen will be ready."

With Cheng Zhao absent, Ye Hantao wasn't embarrassed in front of others, saying, "You're thinking a bit too far ahead. I'm only a sophomore."

On second thought, although Cheng Zhao was already working, he had skipped a grade and was only twenty-one years old.

She and Cheng Zhao were not even old enough to get married.

Lu Yiyan casually remarked, "It's not far at all. If you two had known each other since you were born, you might have been betrothed as children."

Ye Hantao paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, it was ordered."

Lu Yiyan exclaimed, "He even told you about the arranged marriage between our children?!"

Chen Xiaofeng was shocked. "What?! Cheng Zhao was betrothed as a child?!"

When Ye Hantao said she had arranged a marriage, didn't she mean she had arranged a childhood betrothal? Anyone who has watched the variety show knows that!

Lu Yiyan: "..."

He slapped himself hard, glanced quickly at the doorway, and said with a strong survival instinct, "Tao Tao, don't misunderstand! His arranged marriage was made by his grandfather on his own initiative, and it was dissolved in less than a week!"

Why did Lu Yiyan know this? Because his maternal grandfather's family and Cheng Zhao's grandfather's family were neighbors.

Back then, he was one of the group of kids who followed Cheng Zhao to the rooftops to remove tiles.

“I guarantee you, Cheng Zhao has never even met the other person, and doesn’t even know if the other person is fat or thin! As soon as he heard about the arranged marriage, he insisted on canceling it! I heard that Grandpa Cheng even broke his cane because of this!”

Ye Hantao was bewildered.

My parents said they voluntarily broke off the engagement.

Lu Yiyan was afraid that Ye Hantao might have some reservations, so his mind raced and his tongue moved quickly, "That's right, that's right, Cheng Zhao is really principled! He shouted to Grandpa Cheng, 'Whoever agrees can marry me, I don't care!'"

After saying that, Lu Yiyan raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. This should make up for it, right?

He gave Ye Hantao a fawning smile.

Ye Hantao said quietly, "The person who was betrothed to him as a child—was me."

There was silence for about ten seconds.

Lu Yiyan was petrified.

"ah??????"

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Author's Note: Lu Yiyan: Crowdfunding for a life!