CHAPTER 423: CHAPTER 423: WHERE IS YU ZHAODI? (PART 3)

"I don’t need you to tell me, I will protect my Sister Xiao Yue just fine," Lian Qingyang rolled his eyes at Bai Qing, thinking to himself that Sister Xiao Yue was his sister, and as her brother, it was his rightful duty to protect her. He didn’t need Bai Qing to remind him of that.

"Sister Qing, you’re really overthinking it. We’re just at Yan Mountain, there’s no danger," Tang Yue couldn’t help but feel helpless about Bai Qing being so cautious. After all, she was just an ordinary person, not some rich heiress; there couldn’t be so many dangers lying around.

But Bai Qing wasn’t reassured. She handed over all the things she had brought to Lian Qingyang. After pondering for a moment, she said, "How about this, I’ll go to the scenic area to change out of these wet clothes. I’ll join you guys and go up the mountain together."

"No, you should go home. It’s cold, what if you catch a cold?" Tang Yue firmly disagreed, and only after seeing Bai Qing off did she feel at ease.

Lian Qingyang scrutinized the items Bai Qing had brought, all of which were common things for hiking. He muttered to himself, wondering why she brought duplicates of items he already had.

Although Lian Qingyang spoke like that, he packed up all the items neatly. The backpack got heavier, but the added weight was nothing to him.

Xitan Waterfall, the recent incident, ended well, and although everyone was momentarily shaken, it didn’t dampen their spirits for mountain climbing.

With Bai Qing gone, Tang Yue was somewhat worried, but thinking that Qin Anyu was waiting for her at the mountain top, she continued on.

After walking for a bit, Tang Yue suddenly asked, "Lian Qingyang, have you seen Yu Zhaodi?"

Zhang Tingyu and Cheng Feng had walked ahead, and Yu Zhaodi was the least noticeable among them. Before the incident unfolded, Yu Zhaodi was there, but after the incident, why had she disappeared?

Could she have been scared and gone ahead on her own?

Tang Yue couldn’t wrap her head around it.

Lian Qingyang thought for a moment and asked, "You mean the girl with the big braids?"

Tang Yue was silent.

Lian Qingyang shook his head, "I don’t know, hasn’t she been following us?"

Lian Qingyang looked around; in his eyes, there was only Tang Yue. Where could anyone else be?

Let alone Yu Zhaodi, who practically had no presence, so he genuinely hadn’t noticed when she’d disappeared.

"Let’s search around here," Tang Yue said, feeling uneasy in her heart.

Lian Qingyang pouted, "She’s not a little kid, right? Maybe she walked ahead of us."

"But she wouldn’t have gone without saying a word," Tang Yue insisted on searching; she couldn’t shake the feeling that today’s Yu Zhaodi seemed troubled.

*

At this very moment, on a path to the east of Xitan, a road also leading to the mountain top, but because the scenery wasn’t as nice as this side, fewer people traveled it.

On the winding steps, there was a person walking alone with a backpack and two big braids—it was Yu Zhaodi.

After the incident of falling into the water, Yu Zhaodi had seen everything. She couldn’t swim, so she wouldn’t have been able to help with the rescue.

While no one else went to help, she saw that Tang Yue, without a moment’s hesitation, was ready to take off her coat to save the person.

Tang Yue’s words further solidified Yu Zhaodi’s resolve.

Thus, after Bai Qing had rescued the person and Tang Yue went to help Bai Qing dry off, Yu Zhaodi quietly slipped away.

Yu Zhaodi, carrying her backpack, said over her shoulder, "Xiao Yue, it’s just around here."

She kept looking back as if someone was really there behind her.

Yu Zhaodi’s eyes darted around anxiously, wondering where the other party’s people might be.

Her hand clutched tightly onto the straps of her backpack as she looked around uneasily, the memories of that day suddenly flooding her mind.

After she left Tang Yue’s house, a man dragged her into an alley, and then she saw Meng Yanzhi.

The one known as ’Little Tyrant’ in the school, Meng Yanzhi, was also the reason she applied to Jinghua University.

Meng Yanzhi looked down on her with a cold expression, his demeanor haughty and aloof.

Yu Zhaodi bowed her head, masking the hatred in her heart with fear.

"Meng Yanzhi suddenly snatched the clothes from Yu Zhaodi’s hands and asked, "Did Tang Yue make this herself?"

Yu Zhaodi didn’t speak, her head lowered, fearing that her emotions would betray her if she spoke.

Fortunately, Meng Yanzhi’s arrogance made him seemingly oblivious to her reaction.

Meng Yanzhi caressed the clothes carefully and said, "On the day of the spring outing, bring Tang Yue to the path on the east side of Xitan."

"What if I say no?" Yu Zhaodi’s voice was faint and trembling.

"Then you can forget about studying at Jinghua University," Meng Yanzhi casually remarked. "If I’m not mistaken, you have a younger brother. It might not matter if you don’t go to university, but what about your brother?"

Yu Zhaodi’s lips trembled as she raised her head, the resentment in her eyes now impossible to suppress.

Meng Yanzhi was all too familiar with such expressions. Two men beside him held Yu Zhaodi firmly, leaving her unable to move at all.

"Yu Zhaodi, you should know how to choose," Meng Yanzhi gestured to the two men beside him.

Meng Yanzhi tossed the clothes onto Yu Zhaodi and his icy voice rang above her, "Don’t doubt my power."

With that said, Meng Yanzhi turned away, signaling Yu Zhaodi to leave.

"Mr. Meng, she... won’t she snitch?" Feng Yongqing was worried. Just a simple threat like that and it’s over?

Meng Yanzhi gave him a sidelong glance and said, "Only an idiot would snitch."

Unless, Yu Zhaodi doesn’t care about her brother at all.

The words from that day were as clear as if they were being spoken in her ear.

"Meng Yanzhi’s chilling voice rose.

Feng Yongqing exclaimed loudly, "Mr. Meng, Tang Yue didn’t even come."

Meng Yanzhi stood in front of Yu Zhaodi, his face darkening, "It seems you don’t want to continue at Jinghua University."

"Heh, Meng Yanzhi, aside from using your power to bully people, what else can you do? If you didn’t have your power, do you think anyone would fear you?" Yu Zhaodi lifted her head, her gaze fixed firmly on Meng Yanzhi, and with contempt, she said, "You like Tang Yue, but Tang Yue doesn’t like you, so you force her to comply? Who do you think you are?"

"Tang Yue has her own fiancé, why must you tear them apart?"

"There’s an old saying, ’a melon forced from the vine is not sweet.’ You might get her body, but can you win her heart?"

Yu Zhaodi blurted out a stream of words, her gaze full of fury as she stared at Meng Yanzhi, "You were just lucky to be born into the Meng Family. No, your luck was in being taken in by the Meng Family, otherwise, you’d be even less than an average man."