Chapter 381: Lesson Learnt

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Bro, what’s going on? 1 was with my bestie yesterday, and how come you’re here in Jinling too?” Guo Yan held Zhou Chao’s hand and pouted.

“I’ll explain everything to you in a moment.”

Zhou Chao immediately called the hotel, and soon enough, the hotel staff brought two sets of clothes – one for each of them. It was a last-minute arrangement he made last night.

“Go change into the clothes first; we’ll talk later.”

“Oh.” Guo Yan, still looking puzzled, had no idea what had happened to her last night.

Seeing Guo Yan, who appeared untroubled, Zhou Chao shook his head and sent a message to Lin Wu before changing into his own clothes.

Since it was summer, they were both wearing casual sportswear, and it took only a moment for Zhou Chao to get dressed.

* Knock, knock, knock!*

Just after putting on their clothes, someone knocked on the door. Zhou Chao opened the door, knowing it was Lin Wu who had arrived.

“Boss, did you need me?”

“You will later tell that girl about what happened last night. Give her a little lecture, so she won’t end up getting cheated and having to pay for it.”

Lin Wu understood the situation as soon as he saw Zhou Chao’s expression. As an older brother, Zhou Chao couldn’t scold her directly, so he had to use Lin Wu as a middleman.

“Understood, Boss!” Lin Wu nodded with a smile.

Soon, Guo Yan walked out of the room, dressed in casual sportswear, looking very refreshed.

“Bro, Brother Lin Wu, could you please tell me what happened last night? I just tried calling my bestie, but her phone is unreachable!”

Zhou Chao’s face suddenly changed, and he turned as cold as ice. Guo Yan’s heart sank when she saw his expression.

“Bro…” Guo Yan said nervously.

Zhou Chao glanced at her and then sat down on the sofa.

Guo Yan, seeing him sit down, moved to sit on the sofa as well, but Zhou Chao stopped her.

“Stand there!” His tone was icy.

“Lin Wu, explain to this girl how her so-called best friend sold her out!”

“It’s impossible! Me and Miaomiao have a great relationship!” Guo Yan immediately retorted without hesitation.

Zhou Chao let out a cold snort and gave Lin Wu a meaningful look. Lin Wu instantly understood.

“Xiao Yan, your brother is right. Your so-called best friend and her brother took you to the bar with the intention of getting you drunk, and then that guy named Wang was supposed to take you to a hotel and even mentioned taking photos of you. It was all a scheme orchestrated by your so-called best friend!”

Lin Wu’s words were like a sharp knife, piercing straight into Guo Yan’s heart.

“Impossible, absolutely impossible! My bond with Miao Miao has lasted for three years. How could she do this? You guys must be deceiving me, right, Bro? Tell me it’s not true!” Guo Yan was in tears, and she didn’t want to believe what she was hearing. After all, her brother and Lin Wu wouldn’t deceive her like this.

“Lin Wu, show her. Let her see the ugly face of her so-called bestie!” Zhou Chao wanted to get to the point and handed Lin Wu the video from last night.

Lin Wu took out his phone, opened the video from last night, and handed it to Guo Yan, who was still crying.

She took a deep breath and, after a few moments, managed to calm down enough to take the phone from Lin Wu with trembling hands.

As she watched the familiar scene on the phone and remembered the events of last night, along with the video showing her falling unconscious, Guo Yan collapsed onto the sofa.

After a while, the dim light in Guo Yan’s previously dull eyes began to brighten. She quickly regained her composure, sat up straight, but tears still glistened in her eyes.

“Bro… Thank you!” Guo Yan wiped her tears and snot and said sincerely.

“Don’t thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Lin Wu. If he hadn’t spotted you while boating on the Qinhuai River, you might not even know whose bed you’d be waking up in right now!” Zhou Chao’s stern tone at this moment made Guo Yan feel close to him.

“Thank you, Lin Wu!”

“It’s nothing. It’s what I should do.” Lin Wu blushed, an unusual sight for him.

“Bro, I’ll go freshen up first!” After wiping her face, Guo Yan got up and said.

“Sure, go ahead.” Zhou Chao had relaxed by now.

Guo Yan had taken only a few steps when she turned back and asked, “Bro, my friend… um, classmate, how is she doing now?”

“I don’t know. Last night, I just brought you back,” Zhou Chao answered truthfully, as he really didn’t harm her in any way.

“Boss is right. When we brought you back, she, her brother, and that guy named Wang were all still in the bar,” Lin Wu chimed in, helping to reassure her.

“Oh, 1 see.” Guo Yan nodded and went into her room.

After she had gone into her room and closed the door, Lin Wu sat down beside Zhou Chao.

“Boss, is it okay for her to be like this?”

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. In the afternoon, we’ll take her out for some fun, treat her to some good food, and she’ll feel much better. After all, she didn’t directly participate in what happened last night, so there’s nothing for her to blame herself for. The most she’ll be concerned about is her so-called bestie’s actions.”

“Got it,” Lin Wu said, nodding.

After pondering for a moment, he looked up at Zhou Chao, licked his lips, and said, “Boss, there’s something I’d like to ask, if you don’t mind.”

“You already know you shouldn’t be asking that, why bother asking now? Keep it to yourself. 1 don’t even have the answer!” Zhou Chao teased, chuckling. He knew exactly what Lin Wu wanted to ask, and bringing it up would be a bit embarrassing.

“Alright, Boss,” Lin Wu nodded in understanding.

After about ten minutes, Guo Yan freshened up, and she looked back to her usual self. Apart from her reddened eyes, everything else was fine.

“Okay, let’s go out and have some fun. We strolled along the Qinhuai River yesterday, but there are still many interesting places in Jinling we haven’t explored. Today, we’ll have a great time!”

“Sounds great, Bro! I want to go to Jiming Temple, the ancient city wall, and the Jinling Museum!”

“Alright, we’ll visit all of those places. If we can’t finish today, we’ll continue tomorrow!” Zhou Chao patted Guo Yan’s head gently.

“Let’s go!”

The three of them left the hotel and got into the Rolls Royce.

“Boss, where should we go first?” Lin Wu asked.

“Let’s find a mobile phone store first and get a new phone with a SIM card.”

Lin Wu was momentarily puzzled, but he quickly regained his composure and said, “Boss, give me a moment. 1’11 check if there’s one nearby.”

“Sure, take your time.” Zhou Chao understood that Lin Wu was not familiar with Jinling and didn’t rush him.

Lin Wu soon found a nearby service center on his phone, just a few minutes away from the hotel.

“Let’s go!” Lin Wu started the car and drove out of the hotel.

“By the way, Xiao Yan, what about your luggage and your ID?” Zhou Chao suddenly remembered that Guo Yan had brought a small suitcase with her when she came to Jinling.

“Bro, my luggage is still in the hotel where 1 stayed before, and my ID and other documents are with me.”

“Which hotel did you stay at? Is it nearby?”

“It’s a small hotel near Xuanwu Lake.”

“Alright, that’s on the way. We’ll pick up your stuff on our way back!”

“Okay!”

Soon, Lin Wu arrived at the service center. Zhou Chao asked Lin Wu to stay in the car while he went inside with Guo Yan.

“Hello, can I help you?” A salesperson greeted them.

“Help me choose a phone and a SIM card. I want the latest model for the phone, and you can pick a phone number for me,” Zhou Chao said, and then he looked at Guo Yan beside him.

“Bro, why do 1 need to change my phone number?”

“I told you to change it, so just do it. Don’t ask so many questions.”

“Okay, 1 understand.” Guo Yan followed the staff to complete the procedures.

The process was quick, taking less than 10 minutes, and the new phone along with the number cost Zhou Chao a little over 7,000 yuan.

As soon as they got back in the car, Zhou Chao asked Guo Yan to hand over her old phone.

“Bro, what are you doing with my phone?” Guo Yan was puzzled as she watched Zhou Chao holding her phone.

“I’m giving you a new phone and this SIM card. Add your family’s numbers, and also add Lin Wu’s, Li Yang’s, and a few others. As for the rest, you don’t need them anymore. And also, log out of all the chat apps you use.”

“But won’t many of my high school classmates not be able to find me anymore?”

“Why would they need to find you? Invite you to hang out or go to bars? You’re about to start college, and everything will start anew.”

“Oh.” Guo Yan realized that her brother was looking out for her, but it was a bit hard for her to accept at the moment. She lowered her head and started saving phone numbers.

“Boss, should we go pick up her luggage from her previous hotel now?”

“Yeah, let’s get her luggage first, and then we’ll find a place near Xuanwu Lake to have lunch. After that, we’ll have a good time in the afternoon.”

Lin Wu nodded in agreement and headed towards the small hotel Guo Yan had mentioned.

Is this the hotel?” Zhou Chao asked as he looked at the three-story building.

“Yes, this is the one.”

“Give the room key to Lin Wu. Lin Wu, go get the luggage. Is there anything else besides the suitcase?”

“No, just the suitcase. It’s in the closet. Lin Wu, here’s the room key.”

Lin Wu took the room key, checked the room number, and then got out of the car.

After about eight or nine minutes, Lin Wu returned with the suitcase, placing it in the car’s trunk.

“Xiao Yan, did you stay in the same room as Zhao Miao?” Lin Wu asked curiously as soon as he got into the car.

“Yeah, it’s more convenient for two people.” Guo Yan nodded.

“Any issues?” Zhou Chao glanced at Lin Wu and asked.

“There wasn’t any issue. Guo Yan’s suitcase was placed outside, and I checked it. It seemed like someone took it out but didn’t tamper with the contents. Also, there were only Guo Yan’s belongings in the room.”

“Oh.” Zhou Chao nodded thoughtfully.

“Bro, Zhao… she won’t be in trouble, will she?”

Zhou Chao smiled, ruffled Guo Yan’s hair, and reassured her, “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

“Alright, it’s almost noon now.. Let’s go find a place to taste the local cuisine of Jinling!”