Chapter 092: Reviewing the Information

After listening to what Peng Min whispered in her ear, Li Jia fell silent, deeply shaken. She had always thought such things were the stuff of television dramas, never imagining she would encounter them in real life, much less experience them herself.

They discussed matters briefly over the next few days, but as it was already late, they decided to postpone further talks until the next day. During this period, Li Jia informed her parents. Their time was limited, as both had fled from the nightclub, and there was no telling when they might be discovered. The nightclub would likely come looking for them at home as soon as possible.

She shared this with her parents mainly to urge them to make a decision quickly—ideally by the following morning. Then, Li Jia remembered she hadn’t found her phone after returning to her room. She suspected her parents had hidden it, so she asked them where it was.

She realized she hadn’t contacted Huang Yu for nearly two days, and he must be extremely worried. She had to call him soon to let him know she was safe. After retrieving her phone from her parents, Li Jia returned to her room with Peng Min. As soon as she turned it on, a barrage of notifications erupted.

On her phone, almost all the messages were from Huang Yu, along with dozens of missed call alerts spanning various times—all from him. Li Jia didn’t immediately call him back. Instead, she opened her messaging app and began reading through the messages he had sent over the past few days.

Peng Min immediately leaned in, her curiosity obvious. In the past, Li Jia would have kept Huang Yu’s private messages from even her closest friend, but now, she didn’t mind Peng Min seeing them; she even invited her to read along.

She knew Peng Min’s pain was no less than her own. Though Peng Min always appeared cheerful and unconcerned, Li Jia could tell this was just a façade to hide her true feelings. The sorrow in her eyes could never be fully concealed.

Not long ago, Peng Min had confided in Li Jia about her past—being betrayed by the man she loved, losing her own child, longing for her family, wanting to return home, and finally breaking down in tears. Yet even then, Peng Min always tried to cheer her up when she was sad.

Moreover, when Li Jia was at her lowest and most desperate, Peng Min helped her selflessly, never asking for anything in return. That kindness meant the world to her.

If sharing Huang Yu’s messages could bring Peng Min a bit of happiness, Li Jia was more than willing.

She opened the social app.

Between Li Jia and Huang Yu, there were three or four hundred unread messages, spanning various times, some long, some short. Li Jia scrolled to the top, to the first messages sent a few hours after their last phone call.

At that time, the messages were normal, mostly about Huang Yu’s visit to the Institute of African History at the Provincial Academy of Social Sciences in YN, his meeting with Professor Qian, and how after reading his letter of recommendation, Professor Qian had spoken with him and already given him preliminary approval. The interview and hiring seemed almost certain.

Huang Yu’s messages brimmed with joy; he couldn’t wait to share his happiness with her.

Later, after tens of minutes, came messages simply asking what Li Jia was doing and why she hadn’t replied.

Among the many messages, there were affectionate words exchanged between lovers. Whenever Li Jia saw these, she glanced at Peng Min, whose pretty face blushed slightly.

After another ten minutes, Huang Yu said he had called her several times with no answer, wondering if something had happened.

Though Huang Yu’s messages showed some worry and unease, he wasn’t truly anxious yet, assuming Li Jia was out and had forgotten her phone at home.

Finally, he ended his messages urging Li Jia to call him as soon as she saw them.

Reading these, Li Jia knew Huang Yu’s entry into the institute had gone smoothly, and she sincerely felt happy for him. After all, joining the Institute of African History meant he could study his favorite field and frequently exchange ideas with experts—something he had always dreamed of.

The next batch of messages came hours later.

At first, he was puzzled why Li Jia hadn’t replied for so long. Then he told her his parents had suddenly come to KM City and taken him to dinner at Wangtai Xiao.

There were photos of exquisite dishes from the restaurant.

The messages mostly described the delicious food, promising to take her there often in the future.

Seeing Huang Yu’s constant expressions of love, Li Jia felt happy but also somewhat bitter. Would Huang Yu still accept her after everything she had been through these past days? And even if he could, she herself could not accept what had happened.

“Wow, Wangtai Xiao, I remember that restaurant,” Peng Min exclaimed when she saw the name mentioned in the messages, trying to recall more details.

Li Jia looked at her, knowing Peng Min was from KM City and would have heard of the place.

“I remember now. It’s not particularly famous among ordinary people, but it’s well-known among the powerful and wealthy. I heard about it once from some friends,” Peng Min said, tapping her forehead.

“Li Jia, if Huang Yu’s family can dine there, they must be extraordinary, right?” Peng Min asked.

“Huang Yu’s family is quite well-off,” Li Jia replied, recalling their years together in university. “He’s always dressed elegantly, and never once hesitated with money when we were together.”

“Ordinarily wealthy families wouldn’t dine there, and the fact he said he’d take you often means his family must be extremely rich or powerful. From what I know, a meal there can easily cost tens of thousands. Only those with vast wealth or influence can afford to go regularly,” Peng Min said, sitting upright and looking at Li Jia seriously.

“Tens of thousands for a meal?” Li Jia was surprised.

She had always known Huang Yu came from a good family, but had thought him merely an ordinary rich kid, perhaps not even up to the standard of the truly privileged.

She believed real heirs to wealth wouldn’t be as gentlemanly and refined as Huang Yu.

Peng Min nodded, confirming her point. She added excitedly, “Huang Yu’s family is either very rich or very influential—possibly both.”

Seeing Peng Min’s excitement, Li Jia quickly understood why. If Huang Yu’s background were truly as exceptional, and his family was in PE City, resolving her family’s troubles might not be difficult at all.

She didn’t respond immediately but continued scrolling through the unread messages.

Peng Min, noticing Li Jia had ignored her last comment, didn’t press further, but watched along curiously, her mind increasingly intrigued by Huang Yu, wondering what he looked like to have captured Li Jia’s heart so completely.

Later, Huang Yu tried calling her several more times, continually messaging to ask why she hadn’t replied and urging her to let him know if something was wrong, promising to help however he could.

These anxious and caring messages moved Li Jia deeply.

But at three in the afternoon, she discovered she had actually replied to Huang Yu once. The message was simple, saying she was busy with family matters, that her phone would be off for a while due to unusual circumstances, and asking him not to worry.

Li Jia immediately guessed her parents must have seen Huang Yu’s repeated calls and messages, replied to him themselves, and then switched off her phone.

Although the message raised Huang Yu’s suspicion, it seemed to have worked; there was a long gap afterward with no calls or messages.

The gap lasted over four hours.

Li Jia wondered why Huang Yu was so trusting of the reply her parents sent, but didn’t dwell on it and kept reading the messages that followed.

These were mostly about Huang Yu’s experiences touring KM City, sweet words between lovers, and a few persistent video calls and missed calls.

From the tone of the messages, Li Jia could tell that although Huang Yu was sightseeing, his mood was low because she hadn’t contacted him.

She understood well. She had never treated him this way before. Even before they confirmed their relationship, she would respond to his messages almost immediately, and if she didn’t, she would later call to explain.