Chapter 161: Jealousy and Resentment

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“When a subordinate’s mental state falters, it’s only natural for me, as their leader, to keep a close eye on things…” Without hesitation, Katerina sent a signal of concern toward Chang Yu.

“How about this? I’ll take you to a special place later. It’s where I like to go when I’m overwhelmed—super relaxing. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Hearing Katerina say this, a sly smile finally spread across Chang Yu’s face. By some twist of fate, he blurted out, “I know, I know! You probably want to go to the karaoke booth in the mall, right?”

“How did you know?” Katerina was stunned this time.

A faint blush crept up her cheeks, visible to the naked eye.

She liked wandering alone in malls, singing solo in karaoke booths, and enjoying those playful amusement rides meant for kids—that much was true.

But the problem was, this was a secret she kept strictly to herself.

No one in their agency should have known about it!

So how on earth did Chang Yu find out?

“Oh no, I let it slip!” Seeing Katerina’s slightly embarrassed expression, Chang Yu panicked.

He kept silently scolding himself for being so careless and revealing the secret so easily.

He couldn’t let anyone know he had been tailing her that day.

If this got out, wouldn’t it expose his creepy habit of stalking girls?

So he laughed awkwardly and said, “I was just guessing. I heard that lots of young girls these days love singing in karaoke booths, so I just said it casually.”

“Anyway, time’s tight. Let’s head out quickly. If we’re lucky, we might even grab lunch at the mall.”

Katerina stared at Chang Yu silently for a long moment, making him break out in a sweat.

Her intuition told her that Chang Yu definitely knew something but was hiding it from her.

But since he was determined not to tell the truth, she had no choice.

After a brief silence, Katerina finally said, “Wait for me a moment. I’ll put on some makeup and get ready.”

Then she closed the door, leaving Chang Yu standing outside alone.

“What, getting the cold shoulder…” he mumbled as he reluctantly went downstairs and back to his own place.

Sitting on the sofa, Chang Yu waited for about an hour, growing increasingly impatient.

“I’ve always heard girls like to make guys wait before dates. Now I really get it.”

“It’s just putting on makeup, but she took a whole hour! Girls are really complicated when it comes to going out.”

“Maybe I should go down and check on her, and remind her to hurry?”

Just as he was about to head downstairs, the doorbell rang.

Chang Yu sprang up from the sofa and rushed to the door.

There stood Katerina, looking stunning, her face lightly made up with carefully shaped brows and glossy lips.

The season was turning to summer, the air growing warmer. She wore a flowing gray shawl dress that gave off a graceful, ethereal vibe.

“Were you getting anxious? Girls always need some time to get ready,” Katerina explained, worried he might’ve been impatient.

“Not at all. As long as I’m waiting for you, I don’t mind how long it takes.”

Looking at Katerina’s elegant, fresh-faced beauty, Chang Yu was already too delighted to complain about her being late.

As the saying goes—

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A woman adorns herself for the one she loves.

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Katerina was willing to dress up for Chang Yu, and he was so happy he felt it wasn’t enough time.

Any earlier grievances he had vanished the moment she appeared.

He—Chang Yu—was truly the king of double standards!

...

Chang Yu wore a clean short-sleeved shirt, crisp beige pants, and white sneakers, walking briskly through the mall.

Beside him, towering a full head above, was Katerina.

It couldn’t be helped—Chang Yu was short, after all.

Katerina’s Russian heritage gave her a naturally larger frame than most Asians, so it was normal for her to be taller.

But this only made Chang Yu appear even smaller by comparison.

Usually, on dates, the guy is taller than the girl, creating a charming contrast.

The tall, strong man with the petite, delicate woman—wherever they go, people call them a perfect match.

But with Chang Yu and Katerina, the roles were reversed: the woman was tall and commanding, the man small and delicate.

What was that about?

And Katerina was an absolute beauty—high-bridged nose, deep, expressive eyes, slender waist, long legs, and lustrous big waves of hair. Wherever she went, she drew all eyes.

People on the street, men and women alike, couldn’t help but gaze at her admiringly, marveling at how nature had crafted such a stunning woman.

With so many admiring eyes on Katerina, Chang Yu naturally became a focus of attention too.

After admiring Katerina’s beauty, people would glance at Chang Yu, curious…

What kind of man could possibly deserve such a perfect woman?

But when they looked closely at Chang Yu’s appearance, their expressions turned complicated.

Disappointment, disdain, jealousy, dissatisfaction, mockery, ridicule—Chang Yu had never seen so many negative emotions reflected on one person’s face.

It was as if they were saying: How could someone so short, poor-looking, and awkward end up with such an extraordinary woman? If even you can do it, then so can I.

With so many jealous people, gossip was inevitable.

On his walk, Chang Yu heard countless snide remarks.

“Why is it all the rage these days for beauties to pair with losers? Look at this guy—no looks, no height. How did she end up with him?”

“Exactly. These days, flowers just like to bloom on cow dung. Tall beauties all love the wrong guys—I don’t get it.”

“Girl, you’re so pretty, why settle for this? Your brother’s way handsomer. You should date him instead!”

“If it were a handsome guy with a beauty, I’d say fine. But ugly guy and beauty? The gap’s way too big.”

“Don’t even look, this is just another gold-digger being kept by a wealthy man. There’s no such thing as love without reason.”

“Open your eyes—that’s your goddess, but rich men see right through her.”

“In this age where feelings mean nothing, how many couples are actually together for love?”

Comments like these repeated every few minutes.

At first, Chang Yu was angry, feeling these scoundrels were belittling him.

He was obviously an incredibly handsome man, but why did their words make him sound so pitiful?

No point arguing; they were just narrow-minded and couldn’t appreciate his charm!

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He wanted to get mad, but with Katerina by his side, he held back, not wanting to ruin his image in her eyes.

Enduring it, he slowly got used to the bitterness, thinking: Getting insulted a little won’t cause any real harm. Let others say what they want—it’s none of my business.

Listening to the praises and compliments about Katerina, Chang Yu unexpectedly felt a strange sense of pride.

How to describe it?

It was like when your own wife is praised by others, and you share in the glory.

The higher they praised Katerina, the more it proved Chang Yu’s own worth.

Otherwise, why would this extraordinary woman be on a date with him, and not someone else?

Ah, men.

You always fall prey to vanity.

“Seems like you care a lot about what they say,” Katerina said, noticing Chang Yu’s mood as she glanced at the back of his head.

Well, what could she do? He was short.

“At first, a little,” Chang Yu admitted. “But now, much better.”

Lowering his voice, he asked casually, “Have you ever dated other boys before?”

He managed the tone perfectly, making the sensitive question sound light—like two old friends chatting comfortably.

Only Chang Yu himself knew how much he truly cared about the answer.

“No…” Katerina instinctively told the truth before she could take it back.

“Oh? That’s rare.”

If he didn’t know Katerina disliked lying, he would have thought she was bluffing.

A 22-year-old girl who had never been on a date? Unbelievable.

Did that mean… Katerina had never been in love?

Suppressing his excitement, Chang Yu asked in a trembling voice, “A girl as beautiful as you, why has no one ever asked you out?”

“I don’t know. Whenever men see me, they seem ashamed and don’t dare approach. Maybe they just lack confidence,” Katerina mused, tilting her head and offering a non-committal answer.

Sometimes, a woman’s excellence can indeed intimidate men.

“You’re really something,” Chang Yu muttered, smirking. “Those are just ordinary guys. Real, capable, high-quality men aren’t insecure—like me.”

Katerina chuckled quietly, quickly hiding her smile before Chang Yu noticed.

How had she never realized before that Chang Yu was so humorous?

“Maybe it’s also because I’m busy with work. I’m technically a junior in college, but I’ve hardly attended any classes.”

“I’m always running around on assignments with my colleagues, traveling all over. My mind’s been focused on solving disasters.”

“My classmates rarely see me, and my colleagues don’t interact with me much, so I’ve just stayed single.”

“You’re still a student?” Chang Yu was surprised.

He subconsciously ignored her mention of being single, focusing instead on the fact that she was still in school.

(The chapter ends here)

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