[ABO] The Despised One Becomes an Internet Sensation After Marriage - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The Great Shaman’s expression was extremely serious. Seeing how solemn he was, Xu Zhimian didn’t make any wild guesses and simply added Gan Luo on WeChat.

Their group was the fastest to finish rehearsing. Seeing that Xu Zhimian was bored, A-Hua took him on a tour around Yuxi Miao Village.

During the walk, Xu Zhimian had a nagging feeling that he had forgotten something.

The area near Fu Shiyan’s great-aunt’s house had the fewest buildings, with only one lonely house standing nearby; he instinctively stopped there.

Recalling the tone and content of the conversation between Fu Shuhan and Fu Shiyan that day, Fu Shuhan didn’t seem to like the Fu family very much—otherwise, she wouldn’t keep saying “your Fu family”… But what was that about “bankrupt again”? When has the Fu family ever gone bankrupt?

“Eh, Zhimian, are you very interested in this household?” Xu Zhimian snapped back to reality and met A-Hua’s bright smile.

“I visited the auntie inside a couple of days ago.”

“Auntie?” A-Hua stopped in her tracks. She blinked and laughed. “Fu A-Da isn’t an ‘auntie.’ A-Da is nearly 70 years old.”

Senior Fu Shuhan was nearly seventy? Xu Zhimian was secretly shocked. Judging only by the energy in her speech and her elegant style, one couldn’t tell her age at all.

“The senior is truly young at heart.”

“Yes, yes! When A-Da first came to our village five years ago, she was even pursued by a young Alpha in the village. Do you know how A-Da responded to him back then?”

Xu Zhimian followed her lead: “How did she respond?”

A-Hua cleared her throat twice, imitating Fu Shuhan’s posture—straightening her back, tilting her chin up, and giving Xu Zhimian a sidelong glance. “Pursue me? Little kid, don’t you do your research before chasing someone? Your grandma here is nearly seventy.”

A-Hua looked forward again, pretending to touch her hair pinned up at the back. “And, did no one tell you that your grandma is an Alpha…?”

Having said that, she scanned Xu Zhimian up and down and shook her head: “…When your grandma pulls it out, it’s bigger than yours.”

At this point, A-Hua couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into loud laughter. “How about it? Isn’t it hilarious?”

“Hahahahaha…” Before Xu Zhimian could even let out a laugh, another unrestrained laugh erupted from behind them.

They saw Ye Ming doubled over, clutching his stomach, nearly unable to breathe from laughing so hard. “Oh man, haha, this A-Da is way too interesting.”

Xu Zhimian raised an eyebrow. “Uncle Ze, Brother Ye Ming, why are you guys here?”

Lu Ze patted Ye Ming’s back to help him catch his breath. Once Ye Ming leaned into his arms and calmed down, Lu Ze explained: “Rehearsal is over. We just happened to be passing by.”

Ye Ming chimed in: “I was going to come forward and say hello, but hearing what this little sister next to you said… I’m dying of laughter.”

A-Hua recognized the two of them as well and smiled at them without a hint of shyness. “Hello, my name is A-Hua.”

“A-Hua, huh? I’m Ye Ming, and this person next to me is Lu Ze. You can call him Uncle Lu Ze.”

Lu Ze ran his fingers through Ye Ming’s hair and gave a warning cough.

Ye Ming immediately changed his tune: “Of course, it’s best to call him ‘Brother,’ otherwise a certain ‘Old Uncle’ will start feeling sentimental about his age again.”

A-Hua giggled. “Okay, Brother Ye Ming and Uncle… I mean, Brother Lu Ze.”

“…” Lu Ze’s eyes were full of amusement. He helplessly squeezed the back of Ye Ming’s neck and greeted A-Hua: “Hello.”

After a few pleasantries, Lu Ze’s gaze fell on A-Hua. “That expression you just imitated… it’s exactly like an old acquaintance of mine.”

Hearing Lu Ze say this, Ye Ming stopped laughing instantly. He shot a sharp glare over. “Oh? An acquaintance? What kind of acquaintance?”

Lu Ze wrapped his arms around him, leaning close to his neck to explain: “Oh, my dear wifey, don’t go making wild guesses. The acquaintance I’m talking about is a relative of my family.”

“I don’t believe you.” Ye Ming wasn’t buying it. He pushed him away and quickly hooked his arm through Xu Zhimian’s, wrinkling his nose at him. “An Alpha’s mouth is a lying ghost.”

Lu Ze: “…” He crossed his arms and said: “…If you don’t believe me, ask Xu Zhimian to ask Shiyan. Shiyan knows the relative I’m talking about, too. It’s his great-aunt.”

Ye Ming let out a long “Oh—” and added: “I still don’t believe you.”

Lu Ze wore a look of deep helplessness. He regretfully thought that he shouldn’t have let Ye Ming watch so many internet videos; now he only knew how to use online memes to annoy him.

The two of them flirted as if no one else was there, causing A-Hua’s cheeks to turn crimson. Her gaze darted between the two before she whispered to Xu Zhimian: “…Brother Ye Ming and Uncle Lu Ze really have a good relationship.”

Xu Zhimian glanced at the boisterous Ye Ming beside him. He raised an eyebrow and whispered back to A-Hua: “…Of course. They are extremely happy.”

As he spoke, several emotions flickered through Xu Zhimian’s eyes. A-Hua carefully caught them: there was sincere happiness, relief… and envy.

What is the Brother envious of? Brother Fu Shiyan loves him very much too, A-Hua thought, quite puzzled.

…

Led by A-Hua, the three of them toured Yuxi Miao Village. Xu Zhimian still had that faint feeling that he had forgotten something, but he couldn’t remember what it was.

A-Hua led them around, introducing various scenic spots like a little guide.

“Does your Great Shaman live in a permanent castle?” When Ye Ming heard the word “Shaman,” he immediately associated it with witches in pointed hats flying on broomsticks.

Lu Ze smiled. “Wifey, we’re in China. Shamans don’t live in castles.”

“Then where do they live?”

A-Hua said with a smile, “The place where we just met.”

Xu Zhimian was greatly shocked. “Fu… A-Da’s house?”

A-Hua explained to them: “To be precise, it’s Gan Luo’s house. A-Da and the others are just tenants. It was originally the house of the previous Shaman, Gan Luo’s older sister, Qin Luo. But after Qin Luo got married and moved away, they lost contact with her, so the house went to Gan Luo.”

Mentioning Qin Luo, A-Hua’s mood dropped significantly. “Brother Gan Luo only has one close relative, Sister Qin Luo. He has been looking for her all these years.”

So when Gan Luo said Xu Zhimian looked like a relative of his, it really wasn’t a pick-up line.

However, Xu Zhimian’s impression of his mother was already blurred; since the age of ten, he had only lived with his grandmother.

Ye Ming sighed. “How pitiful. I hope he finds his sister soon.”

…

Yuxi Miao Village was on the edge of the Yu Stream. A-Hua led them to a riverbank with dense trees. “This is Yu Stream Lake!”

Ye Ming, sharp-eyed, pointed at a dark shadow flashing in the lake. “…There are fish!”

A-Hua found a few sharp tree branches and waved them at the group. “…Do you want them? You can come catch fish!”

“Yes!” Ye Ming was extremely excited. Lu Ze stepped back a few paces; he had a knee injury and couldn’t go into the water with Ye Ming.

Ye Ming gave Lu Ze a quick peck. “Wait for me, I’m going to improve our meal!”

He pulled Xu Zhimian through a quick warm-up and headed into the water.

The lake water was very cold, making Xu Zhimian shiver, but once he adapted, it felt very comfortable. The two of them waded toward the center; the water reached just past their thighs.

“Like this—aim for the back half of the fish, don’t let your hand shake, and thrust down hard.” A-Hua demonstrated for them nearby. She held her breath, and the moment she broke the surface, a fish was firmly impaled on the branch, its tail thrashing back and forth.

Ye Ming’s eyes sparkled. “Hua-hua, you’re really amazing.”

“Hehe!” A-Hua wiped her sweat with a simple smile. “You guys try it too.”

Xu Zhimian was eager to try. He imitated A-Hua, raising his branch, when he was suddenly bumped hard from behind. He was pushed forward two steps, splashing water everywhere—the fish were long gone.

Ye Ming, whose elbow had hit Xu Zhimian, said repeatedly: “Ah, baby, I’m so sorry!”

“…” Ye Ming was having the time of his life, stabbing wildly at the water. He didn’t catch a single fish, but the splashes he made managed to scare them all away.

“…” Xu Zhimian couldn’t help but palm his forehead and silently move away from him, not noticing that the distance between them was growing.

After the fish escaped for the nth time, Xu Zhimian’s stubbornness kicked in. If he didn’t catch a fish today, he wasn’t going back to shore!

Gurgle, gurgle—

Amidst the sound of churning water, Xu Zhimian faintly heard a tiny, whimpering cry for help. His hand holding the branch froze.

He looked around, his pupils shrinking in shock. In the middle of the lake, not far from him, a person was struggling and thrashing in the water. “H-help!”

Seeing the person about to sink, Xu Zhimian threw the branch aside and swam toward the center of the river.

It was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen whose legs were cramping in the water. Xu Zhimian grabbed his waist and tried to push him up to the surface, but he underestimated the survival instinct of a drowning person.

The teenager was surprisingly strong. He locked his arms around Xu Zhimian’s neck and wouldn’t let go. Xu Zhimian quickly felt his strength failing as he swallowed several mouthfuls of water. If this continued, both of them would drown.

Xu Zhimian used all his strength to break the boy’s hold, using his hands to support the boy’s waist and push his face above water so he could breathe.

In that brief moment, Xu Zhimian suddenly felt a piercing pain in his calf—he had a cramp!

A heavy weight kicked him hard in the chest; the drowning boy, in his struggle, hadn’t noticed at all.

Xu Zhimian’s eyes snapped wide. The lake was deep, and it was relentlessly stealing the air from his lungs. Asphyxiation enveloped him from all sides. At that moment, his mind went blank. What should I do? I’m going to die. Fu Shiyan, come save me…

“Xu Zhimian!”

A powerful arm pulled him into a firm embrace. Cool, soft lips blocked his own, and a few breaths of air entered his lungs. Xu Zhimian deathly gripped the collar of the person in front of him. Save me!

Fu Shiyan supported the nearly unconscious Xu Zhimian as they broke the surface. He growled: “Xu Zhimian, don’t you dare sleep!”

Xu Zhimian coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of murky water. He tiredly fluttered his eyelids. Fu Shiyan had come. His fingers curled; he knew he would come…

By the time he woke up again after another round of heavy coughing, he saw six or seven pairs of eyes. Several people were surrounding him. He coughed weakly and said: “…How is the child?”

Ye Ming couldn’t help but curse. “Damn it, you’re still worried about others at a time like this? You almost died, do you know that?”

“…” Fu Shiyan’s expression was horrific, his tense nerves finally snapping. He pulled Xu Zhimian into his arms and said, almost through gritted teeth: “…Xu Zhimian!”

Xu Zhimian felt a chill throughout his body. Leaning against Fu Shiyan’s wet embrace, he finally realized what it was he had forgotten.

He had forgotten to go find Fu Shiyan after the rehearsal.