Chapter 16: Tales of the Small Town

Yang Fan realized that his life was already teetering on the edge of chaos and collapse. If Lin Ruo intervened any further, his life would plunge into utter turmoil.

“It’s not like that, I’m telling the truth,” he protested.

“The truth is, my sister loves you, so she lets you run wild outside. Do you think you’re treating her right?” Lin Ruo seemed to have found a way to deal with Yang Fan—she had him tightly in her grasp now.

Yang Fan was on the verge of losing it. Was the slave mark placed on Lin Xi or on him? Why did it feel like he was the one constrained?

“Sis, can you just accept that you’re my older sister?” Yang Fan pleaded in frustration.

“I already know who your real girlfriend is,” Lin Ruo replied, her tone icy.

Yang Fan’s misery deepened. Before he knew it, it was six o'clock, marking the end of their visit to the school. At the gate, they ran into Wu Qian; her eyes were rimmed with red, clearly from sorrow. Meanwhile, the Lin sisters were cold as frost. Lin Xi was a little better, but Lin Ruo showed not a shred of sympathy.

Zhang Chen and the others, oblivious to the many confrontations that had taken place, continued to chat and laugh as usual.

The sisters’ form-fitting clothes accentuated their stunning figures, and, combined with their breathtaking beauty, drew the gaze of everyone at the school gate. Beauties, after all, often brought nothing but trouble. Their smiles and tempers were reserved solely for Yang Fan; to everyone else, they were as cold as glaciers.

Even Zhang Chen and his friends felt the chill, let alone passersby.

At five, Liu’s family had already sent a car to pick up Ai Xiaomei and Xu Zihan, saving some time for the group. The plan was to dine at the Blazing Night Hotel, then enjoy the evening at Four Seasons Melody. That was the itinerary for the night. The company had called to invite them out for dinner, but Yang Fan thought he wouldn’t get his fill there anyway, so he might as well eat first and go later. After all, there was still plenty of time.

“Why don’t you come over and have something to eat too?” Yang Fan called Zhao Jing.

Of course, Zhao Jing found it a hassle, and more importantly, it would seem too abrupt—if it were just Yang Fan, that would be another matter.

“Beep, beep beep…”

Car horns sounded, like a signal, echoing from all directions along the main road.

Liu Haoyu had already stopped his car; inside sat Yang Fan and the Lin sisters, with the rest in the car behind.

“What’s going on up ahead?” Liu Haoyu rolled down his window and shouted forward.

Eight lanes, and still a traffic jam—could things get any more ridiculous?

“Haoyu, why aren’t you moving up there?” Zhang Chen’s voice echoed from behind.

“I’d love to move, but I have no idea what’s happening ahead,” Liu Haoyu replied irritably.

It was like arranging to meet a beautiful online friend, only to have a burly, unkempt man show up. Everyone was already hungry, and now a massive traffic jam? Clearly, they’d left home on an unlucky day.

“Are you moving or not?” Liu Haoyu muttered, annoyed. A large bus blocked his view ahead.

Yang Fan, unperturbed, was still on the phone with Zhao Jing, neither concerned nor interested in the traffic.

Lin Ruo and Lin Xi sat silent in the back.

Behind them, the sound of car doors opening in rapid succession suggested growing frustration among the other passengers—hunger made tempers short.

“Are you going to move or not?” came the repeated shout.

Liu Haoyu turned off the engine and opened his door.

Through the window, Yang Fan saw Zhang Chen and the others approaching, heading up to investigate the cause of the jam. From the back seat came a cold snort. Yang Fan paused for just a second, then opened his door as well.

If Liu Haoyu left, Lin Ruo would probably make trouble for him. So after getting out, Yang Fan stood in front of the car, still on his call.

A few more words, and he hung up.

Just then, Zhang Chen and the others returned, their faces grim.

“We must be cursed, Yang Fan. The cars ahead stretch on forever—it’s probably jammed for two or three kilometers!” Liu Haoyu groaned.

He was right; at this rate, they might be stuck for at least half an hour, if they were lucky. If not, they might not get out at all tonight.

No one knew what had happened up ahead. Worse, they were on a one-way overpass.

Yang Fan couldn’t see either; the Eye of Skynet had its limits, and frustration washed over him. This was a serious delay.

Tonight was supposed to be important—his first time out with Zhao Jing, even if it was with the entire company. His excitement, however, was quickly fading thanks to the unexpected jam.

“Hunger makes the wait unbearable,” Wang Jie groaned, clutching his stomach.

“There’s still some snacks in the car. I’ll get them for you! There’s nothing nearby, so we’ll just have to bear it,” Zhang Chen said, heading back for food. There was nothing else to do but wait.

Eating instant noodles, answering Ai Xiaomei’s call—Yang Fan was deeply disgruntled. If he’d known, he would have just gone to dinner with the company and avoided this road altogether.

Xu Zihan called. Zhao Jing called. So did a bunch of people from the company. Yang Fan’s phone barely had a moment’s rest. Worse, the snacks and noodles did nothing to sate his hunger.

An entire hour passed, and the jam showed no sign of easing.

On the main road, people wandered about, chatting and flirting—anything to pass the time. A young woman slipped into a wealthy man’s car and didn’t emerge for a long while. A man in his forties chatted animatedly with a woman half his age.

There were housewives, all kinds of people—a true melting pot.

Yang Fan wondered just how many couples would fall, how many mistresses would rise, how many families would find trouble after this jam. What a mess! And his own happiness for the night had been thoroughly blocked.

“Haoyu, you—”

“Ah—”

Before Yang Fan could finish, a man’s furious shouting erupted in front of the bus.

This was quickly followed by the sound of someone pounding on a car door.

Yang Fan and the others hurried over, joining the growing crowd.

When they drew close, they saw a man in a frenzy.

After a while, the story became clear: the man had come to borrow a phone, but when the car door didn’t open, he looked inside and saw his wife there—with her boss. The two were having an affair.

What a mind-boggling coincidence—the odds of running into such a thing were lower than seeing a ghost, and on a jammed main road, no less.

“Open the door, you cheating pair! Open up!” the man screamed.

Yang Fan shook his head with a wry smile. Life in a small city was never short of drama, and today was no exception.

Some people tried to pull the man away, others comforted him, while the bystanders watched with relish, eager for more.

Yang Fan and his friends drifted away, trying to remember what they’d been talking about before.

“That poor man,” someone sighed.

“To run into this on the main road—heaven must really have eyes.”

Zhang Chen and the others wore odd expressions; their thoughts probably ran more along the lines of “let that woman go, I’ll take her!”

Yang Fan shrugged. “Haoyu, call the driving service company. Have them keep an eye on the car here. Let’s walk out.”

“Fine by me. I really don’t want to waste any more time here.”