The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 608 - 607: The High-End Hunter

Chapter 608: Chapter 607: The High-End Hunter

The young girl’s confession was as intense as flame, catching Zhou Shuhuan completely off guard.

"Xiaoqiao, I..."

"Brother Zhou, you don’t need to rush your answer. I have all the time in the world to wait."

With that said, Zhou Shuhuan didn’t say anything more.

After dinner, the two strolled around the restaurant, and upon encountering a child selling flowers, Qiao Ya picked out a bloom, and Zhou Shuhuan promptly paid for it.

"Brother Zhou, look carefully."

Zhou Shuhuan looked at the flower Qiao Ya handed him, puzzled, "What?"

"I like white roses; make sure you don’t send the wrong ones in the future."

Zhou Shuhuan was silent.

Qiao Ya giggled, put the flower to her nose and lightly sniffed, her charming face continued, "I love its fragrance, so fresh and clean, it’s uplifting to the spirit."

"Do you know what the white rose symbolizes? Pure, noble love."

Qiao Ya chattered all the way, like a songbird.

For Zhou Shuhuan, this was an entirely foreign and novel feeling.

Although he and his ex-wife had a love marriage, her well-off family background and her proud and domineering personality meant that the slightest thing would upset her, and he always had to coax and accommodate her.

So, when his ex-wife proposed divorce, he didn’t feel sad or reluctant; on the contrary, he felt relieved.

As for Shen Baolan, it wasn’t even worth mentioning. At the beginning of their marriage, he still had desires and ideas, but as he got to know her better, all he felt towards Shen Baolan was disgust and aversion.

Qiao Ya was different from them. She admired him and was willing to share everything in her heart with him.

After their outing, Zhou Shuhuan drove Qiao Ya home.

When they arrived at her doorstep, Qiao Ya didn’t hurry to get out of the car, but instead looked at him passionately, "Brother Zhou, do you know how I feel right now?"

Zhou Shuhuan shook his head.

How could he know what was on a young girl’s mind, just as he didn’t understand why Qiao Ya would fall for an old man like him.

"It’s like Cinderella after the ball, when it’s time to take off the glass slipper and return to reality."

"The reason the prince could find Cinderella later is that she left him one glass slipper."

"So, I’m thinking about what I should leave you, so you can find me later."

Having said that, under Zhou Shuhuan’s astonished gaze, Qiao Ya leaned in and kissed his lips.

This was my first kiss.

Qiao Ya had been out of the car for a while, but Zhou Shuhuan couldn’t come back to his senses for a long time, her parting words echoing in his ears.

The girl’s youth, innocence, and naiveté were like fresh meat tempting a wolf.

Irresistible to him.

...

The next day, after personally seeing Liu Cuihua off on the train back to Fengcheng, Zhou Shuhuan drove to the jewelry store.

Exiting the jewelry store, Zhou Shuhuan drove back to the factory.

"Brother Zhou."

Seeing him, Qiao Ya got up to greet him as usual, but upon closer inspection, it seemed different.

Perhaps it was his own state of mind that had changed.

He thought Qiao Ya looked especially pleasing to the eye today, exuding a tranquil fragrance that stirred his heart.

"This, for you."

Qiao Ya looked at the brand logo on the handbag, her surprise laced with delight, "Is it for me?"

"Yeah."

Zhou Shuhuan tried hard to conceal the eagerness within him as he stepped towards his office.

But to his surprise, Qiao Ya followed him into the office, closed the door, and pulled the blinds.

The office instantly became a narrow, secluded space.

In front of Zhou Shuhuan, Qiao Ya unwrapped the jewelry box and pulled out the platinum necklace inside.

The necklace was delicate, with a heart-shaped pendant dangling from it, in the middle of which was set a pink crystal.

Under the light, it twinkled brilliantly.

"It’s so beautiful."

"As long as you like it."

Qiao Ya cocked her head and looked at him, "I do like it, but why would you give this to me? I don’t accept gifts without a clear reason."

Zhou Shuhuan replied that it was a thank you, a thank you for Qiao Ya’s magnanimity in not holding grudges and letting Shen Baolan and her daughter off the hook.

This answer clearly did not satisfy Qiao Ya.

"I don’t want it."

She shoved the necklace back into Zhou Shuhuan’s hands and turned to open the door and leave.

Zhou Shuhuan pressed his hand against the door, his tone pleading and affectionate, "Can’t you stop the fuss?"

Qiao Ya turned around to look at him, her face wearing a victorious smile.

"Then help me put it on."

"Yeah."

Zhou Shuhuan carefully looped the necklace around her slender, fair neck.

"Zhou, do you know what giving a woman a necklace signifies?"

"I don’t."

Qiao Ya, holding the pendant in front of her chest, said with a smile, "A necklace signifies being in love, I understand your feelings for me now."

Having said that, she didn’t give Zhou Shuhuan a chance to speak before she turned and left.

Zhou Shuhuan could have chased after her to explain, but he did not.

He was never the ethically unassailable Liu Xiawei; he was just not interested in Shen Baolan.

In the young and beautiful Qiao Ya, he seemed to find the rush and passion of a man again.

Most importantly, Qiao Ya was beneficial to his business.

He knew his actions were not entirely aboveboard, but he didn’t think he was wrong.

Nobody cared about the effort you put in; people only looked at the results.

Sending Liu Cuihua back to Fengcheng was his plan to kill three birds with one stone.

By taking the opportunity to plead for leniency, he arranged a private meeting with Qiao Ya, and under the influence of alcohol, played the sympathy card for consent.

The naïve little rabbit was easier to deceive than he had imagined, quickly falling into the large net he had carefully woven.

Sending Liu Cuihua away was to clear the obstacles and spies around him.

He was thoroughly sick of Shen Baolan and desperately wanted to rid himself of the burden that was only holding him back, while Qiao Ya was his knife.

...

"Look at how happy you are. He doesn’t even want to buy you a real diamond, just fobs you off with a lousy stone," Qiao Limei said, without any air.

Qiao Ya, pinching the pendant at her chest, retorted unconvinced, "Auntie, don’t compare everyone with uncle. When he spends money, it’s always thousands or tens of thousands. Shuhuan is thriftier. He wouldn’t even throw away a pair of socks with a hole in them. Compared to that, he’s quite generous to me. This necklace is over a thousand yuan."

"So you’re defending him now? A second-time married old man, I don’t know what you see in him. You’ve eaten too many fine grains; now you have to chew the coarse ones. Don’t come crying to me if you regret it later."

"He’s only ten years older than me. Uncle is seven years older than you, and you two are doing just fine. A man in his thirties is like a blooming flower, and Shuhuan is in his prime. He’s capable and with uncle’s support, his achievements won’t be small."

"You sure are thinking long-term for him. But has he considered you in his plans? Don’t get too excited. He has a family, and that woman does not look easy to get rid of."

A look of contempt appeared on Qiao Ya’s face, "She’s just a fool. I simply had someone say a few words in front of them, and she came rushing to my door, all frantic."

The contract loss incident was, on the surface, Shen Baolan’s own doing.

In fact, from Liu Cuihua and her daughter feeling threatened by her, the female secretary, to Shen Baolan inadvertently hearing about the original wife’s methods of dealing with mistresses, it was all guided by her hand.

Zhou Shuhuan thought she was a naïve little rabbit.

Little did he know, high-end hunters often appear in the guise of their prey.

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