The Changing Phases - Chapter 23 - A Day of Chaos

The training session was over, and the employees swarmed out of the training room. Liu Yuxin rubbed her temples, gathered her things, and prepared to leave. Just as she stood up, she saw Wenhui’s unrestrained smile. He sat in front of her, with a teasing expression on his face. Liu Yuxin suddenly remembered what Yang Hongyi had said earlier in the afternoon, and her face flushed. She slung her bag over her shoulder and started to walk out. Just then, Wenhui leaned in and said, “Darling, let’s go find Jin together. I need to use the restroom first.”

Liu Yuxin shot Wenhui an angry glare. “I’ve told you not to call me ‘darling,’ and there’s no way I’m waiting for you here. I’ll be in the hotel lobby. If you’re not there in five minutes, I’m leaving.” With that, she dashed out of the room under Yang Hongyi’s teasing gaze.

When Liu Yuxin reached the lobby, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She walked over to a nearby sofa and sat down, waiting for Wenhui to come out of the restroom. At that moment, a wedding song started playing in the lobby, instantly triggering Liu Yuxin’s nerves. Wedding? Bride? Such distant concepts. Why did hearing this song make her so sad? Did she long for a relationship that much?

“If you miss me, just call. No need to sit here daydreaming,” a familiar voice sounded above her head. Liu Yuxin looked up to see Zhao Junyang smiling at her.

He lounged lazily on the sofa, his hand resting on Liu Yuxin’s shoulder. “Liu Yuxin, you look really good today.”

“Of course, I have to look good if I want to attract a boyfriend.”

“Still love bickering, huh? There’s nothing I can do about that.” Zhao Junyang smiled helplessly, his arm tightening around her. Liu Yuxin, annoyed, shrugged off his arm and gave him a look. “What are you doing here?”

Zhao Junyang chuckled, “I’m just passing by on purpose.”

Liu Yuxin snorted and turned her head away. “No need to pass by on purpose. We have nothing to do with each other.”

Hearing this, Zhao Junyang leaned in close to her ear, lowering his voice into a deep and enticing tone. “Liu Yuxin, those who appear by chance are often destined to be in your life, so even if we have no relation now, we could still become significant to each other.”

Liu Yuxin felt Zhao Junyang getting closer, and she blushed a little. No, she couldn’t let this happen; she couldn’t let him affect her feelings like this. She calmed her racing heart and said coldly, “Mr. Zhao, Miss Xia is your destined one.”

Zhao Junyang’s smile deepened. “Oh, why do I smell such a strong scent of jealousy? Your concern proves that you still care about me.”

Liu Yuxin scoffed. “Don’t talk to me about this. I’ve heard that being liked by Miss Xia is a blessing that comes from eight lifetimes of good deeds.”

Zhao Junyang replied, “Eight lifetimes? I don’t have that kind of patience. Just one lifetime with you is enough for me.”

Liu Yuxin felt exasperated. This guy was relentless. She bit her lower lip. “Mr. Zhao, do you know what my current motto is?”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.” Zhao Junyang’s lips curled into a smile.

“Value life, stay away from Zhao Junyang.”

Upon hearing this, his gaze deepened as he stared intently at Liu Yuxin, enunciating every word. “My current motto is to resolutely center my life around Liu Yuxin and always adhere to the fundamental principle of being good to her.”

Liu Yuxin’s face turned a deep shade of red. Clearly, she didn’t have enough willpower to resist him. If this continued, she wouldn’t be able to outtalk him. She decided to distance herself, but Zhao Junyang grabbed her hand and pulled her sharply, causing her to lose her balance and fall into his arms. Liu Yuxin, infuriated by his actions, shouted, “Do you have to be so shameless? I already said we have nothing to do with each other.”

Yang Hongyi laughed and said, “Liu Yuxin, don’t be angry.”

Hmph, no way, she thought, still fuming. There’s no way I’m going to negotiate with you. Liu Yuxin huffed and leaned back on the sofa. Yang Hongyi smiled and moved closer to her. “Don’t move.” He spoke very gently, his voice magnetic, causing Liu Yuxin to lose focus for a moment. Yang Hongyi softly touched the flower on her chest. “It’s so cute, just like Liu Yuxin, beautiful and captivating.” Then he pulled her into an embrace. “I will never let you escape again.”

Liu Yuxin felt a wave of sourness in her heart. His embrace was still so warm, causing her to sink into it.

A series of claps sounded nearby, startling Liu Yuxin. She pushed Zhao Junyang away immediately and saw Yang Hongyi standing there with a mischievous grin. “Haha, quite a show! Broad daylight, and Mr. Zhao isn’t even worried about Xia Wanlu catching you?”

Zhao Junyang chuckled. “Hongyi, stop making a fuss.”

Yang Hongyi seemed very satisfied with Zhao Junyang’s expression and couldn’t help but say, ” who’s the one making a fuss here? Lately, there’s a wild rumor going around the company that I borrowed your BMW to pursue Liu Yuxin. According to the rumors, Liu Yuxin is my girlfriend. Why are you holding her?”

Zhao Junyang wrapped an arm around Liu Yuxin’s shoulders and said softly to Yang Hongyi, “How could she be yours? She’s mine.”

Liu Yuxin’s face turned bright red. “Who said I’m yours?”

Hearing their tones, Yang Hongyi burst into laughter. “You know, you’re not even smart enough to be a mistress. Dating my brother won’t get you anywhere-he’ll end up hurting you. Stick with me, and I guarantee you’ll live a life of luxury. Hey,  let’s settle this with a game of rock-paper-scissors. Winner gets Liu Yuxin.”

Zhao Junyang raised an eyebrow, showing no intention of yielding. “Sure, I’ll throw rock, and you throw scissors.”

Yang Hongyi, hearing his brother’s cheeky response, teased, “you’re too greedy. You want both of them? You already have Xia Wanlu. Just give Liu Yuxin to me.”

“Stop it, both of you! I belong to myself!” Liu Yuxin felt flustered, and with no one else around, she couldn’t hold back anymore and shouted. Just then, someone appeared at the entrance of the lobby, looked around excitedly, and shouted, “Liu Yuxin! I heard you were here for training, so I came to pick you up!”

Seeing who it was, Liu Yuxin broke out in a cold sweat. As if her day wasn’t complicated enough, now Tao showed up to add to her headache. Tao approached her with a big smile, entirely ignoring the two handsome men beside her. Yang Hongyi, noticing Tao’s unfriendly demeanor, extended his arm and placed it on Tao’s shoulder in a roguish manner. “Who are you?” he asked.

Tao seemed a bit intimidated and spoke softly, “I… I am Liu Yuxin’s ex-boyfriend.”

Yang Hongyi glanced at Zhao Junyang, who was holding tightly onto Liu Yuxin’s hand, asserting his claim. Yang Hongyi looked at the timid Tao and said, “Can’t you see that we two handsome guys are fighting over her? What are you trying to do here? Looking for trouble?”

Tao started to tremble and said weakly, “Please… don’t hit me.”

Liu Yuxin felt like she was losing her mind seeing the situation unfold. She yanked her hand away from Zhao Junyang. “You guys enjoy yourselves. I’ve had enough.”

“Liu Yuxin, darling!” A voice called out from a distance. “Where are you?”

Wenhui appeared, his eyes blank and unfocused, groping forward with outstretched hands as if something was wrong with his vision. Liu Yuxin walked up to him and asked, “What happened? I’m here.” Hearing her voice, Wenhui grabbed her arm excitedly and pouted pitifully, “Honey, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Let’s head home quickly. But first, we need to get me a new pair of glasses; I lost mine while I was in the restroom.”

Liu Yuxin looked back at the three men behind her and raised her voice, “Of course, darling, let’s go now.” With that, she proudly walked out of the restaurant, leaving behind a furious Zhao Junyang. Yang Hongyi found the whole situation hilarious and burst into uncontrollable laughter, while Tao wore a shocked expression.

Tao seemed a bit disheartened. The presence of the two handsome men clearly put immense pressure on him, not to mention the newcomer. He muttered, “Am I really out of the running so quickly?”

Yang Hongyi snickered at him, “You look decent enough, but it seems your vision isn’t great. Were you even in the competition to begin with?”

Tao hesitated for a moment, glancing into the distance. “I’ll admit my vision isn’t perfect, but regardless of whether I was ever in the running, Liu Yuxin is a wonderful girl. I won’t give up on her that easily.” Having said that, as if making some firm resolution, he quickly left the scene.

Yang Hongyi patted Zhao Junyang on the shoulder. “Wow, I didn’t expect so many people to compete for Liu Yuxin. This is fun.”

Zhao Junyang draped his arm over Yang Hongyi’s shoulder. “Liu Yuxin isn’t your type.”

“But it’s nice to try something different now and then.”

Zhao Junyang chuckled. “Is it necessary to change things up? This isn’t about freshness; it’s about challenging me.”

About an hour later, Liu Yuxin and Wenhui returned home. As soon as they arrived, Wenhui quickly went to Jin’s side, eager to please. He said coquettishly, “Darling, haven’t you finished your article yet? Hurry and finish it up; I’ll clean and tidy up the room for you. I’ll make coffee and give you a shoulder massage once the chores are done.”

Jin laughed heartily. “I’m in a great mood today; you’re truly a great helper! Now, be honest, did you have a secret affair with Liu Yuxin during the day?”

Wenhui pretended to be wronged and said, “I swear, I’ve done nothing to betray you, Jin. But I did see Liu Yuxin with some guys today.”

Jin’s eyes lit up immediately. “Really? Who were they?”

Wenhui, looking pitiful, replied, “Darling, you have no idea how terrifying the company restroom is. I lost my contact lens while rubbing my eyes. The wind in the restroom was so strong that I couldn’t find it again, and sand blew into my eyes. When I found Liu Yuxin, I only vaguely saw three figures.”

Liu Yuxin snorted indifferently. “Wenhui, you must have been completely blind. Those were just three pillars.”