Chapter 154: The Vinegar Jar Has Spilled Over

"Wang Ying?"

Zhang Shen felt somewhat puzzled in his heart. After all, he had already explained things clearly to Wang Ying; how could she possibly be calling him at this hour?

Although he felt physically exhausted, Zhang Shen quickly answered the call when he saw Wang Ying's name on the screen.

"Hello! Wang—"

Before Zhang Shen could finish his sentence, Wang Ying's anxious voice was already coming through the other end of the line.

"Zhang Shen, where are you? Are you alright?"

Hearing Wang Ying's words, Zhang Shen was clearly bewildered. From his perspective, he had never told Wang Ying that he was coming to Dragon Four's restaurant; all of this was merely the result of a strange twist of fate.

"I'm fine!"

Even though his body felt somewhat weak, Zhang Shen said this to avoid making Wang Ying worry.

"Then hurry up and come out. We're right at the entrance of the Panlong Restaurant."

"The entrance?"

Zhang Shen couldn't help feeling a wave of surprise. How had this young girl come here all by herself?

With this thought, Zhang Shen no longer had the luxury of pondering further. After all, this girl had already endured a great deal of pressure recently, and with graduation just around the corner, he was genuinely worried that under such immense strain, Wang Ying might do something drastic.

"Just stand there and don't move. I'll be right down."

"Don't—"

Before Wang Ying could finish, Zhang Shen hurriedly hung up the phone and prepared to get up and leave. Seeing Zhang Shen's state, Dragon Four did not raise any objections; instead, he called out toward the doorway.

"Wanting, come in quickly and help Mr. Zhang outside."

Huang Wanting, who had been standing by the entrance, responded and walked in, though her demeanor remained somewhat timid. Although Zhang Shen didn't have the energy to dwell on it, he knew this was all because Wang Ying feared Dragon Four's authority.

As Huang Wanting walked up to him, she looked at Zhang Shen and said, "Let me help you up."

Though Zhang Shen felt an urge to refuse, seeing the genuine willingness to help in Huang Wanting's eyes made it difficult for him to turn her down.

Soon enough, Huang Wanting supported Zhang Shen as they walked out of the shop. Watching Zhang Shen's departing back, Dragon Four merely called out, "Do drop by again whenever you have the time, Mr. Zhang!"

At that moment, Zhang Shen didn't actually want to leave the Panlong Restaurant, for it had given him an unprecedented sense of comfort. Yet, the thought of Wang Ying standing all alone and foolishly waiting downstairs prevented him from lingering any longer in this "haven of peace."

With Huang Wanting's support, Zhang Shen walked down the stairs step by step until they reached the front entrance of the establishment.

However, the scene that greeted him next made Zhang Shen feel slightly awkward.

"Zhang Shen, you big jerk! No wonder you didn't want to come out, it turns out—"

Zhang Shen quickly cleared his mind and hastened to explain, "Xiaoyun, listen to me—"

At a loss for how to defend himself, Zhang Shen knew that any further words would only make matters look even more suspicious.

Before Zhang Shen could finish, Jiang Muyun turned to Wang Ying and said, "Sister Ying, I was right, see for yourself."

Hearing this, Zhang Shen seemed to grasp the sequence of events, yet the pace at which the situation had escalated completely surpassed his expectations.

The moment she finished speaking, Jiang Muyun glared angrily at Mu Qiao and said, "I just knew this guy was the type to forget his mother the moment he got himself a woman. It turns out my guess was spot on—he really is a cold-hearted, ungrateful wretch."

This time, however, Mu Qiao did not strictly follow Jiang Muyun's instructions to drive away. Instead, she remained seated in the car, quietly observing Zhang Shen. Deep down, she believed that the young mistress and Zhang Shen naturally "clashed" with one another, so minor emotional outbursts between them were entirely normal.

Even so, the current situation did leave her somewhat baffled.

"Sister Mu, why aren't you driving yet? Today, I am definitely going to leave this big jerk behind right here!" Jiang Muyun said with a pout.

Realizing instantly that the situation was slipping out of his control, Zhang Shen wanted to rush over and explain things to Jiang Muyun. But who could have predicted that his "hundred-meter dash" attempt would cause him to stumble, nearly crashing headfirst into Huang Wanting?

And this exact scene happened to be caught entirely in Jiang Muyun's line of sight. This final straw proved to be the spark that completely detonated Jiang Muyun's "powder keg."

"It seems you really think you're something special now..."

Before Jiang Muyun could finish her sentence, Huang Wanting had already caught the underlying meaning of her words. Yet, she had no desire to offer any further explanations at this point. Instead, she helped Zhang Shen to the side of the car, turned around on her own, and walked back inside the restaurant.

Seeing the indescribable expression of sorrow on Huang Wanting's face, Zhang Shen naturally understood its significance; it was painfully obvious that the young girl had suffered a severe grievance.

Though he desperately wanted to call out Huang Wanting's name, his physical strength was severely depleted. Meanwhile, Jiang Muyun was still fuming in the car, and although Mu Qiao couldn't quite make sense of how the situation had unfolded, her actions remained perfectly aligned with Jiang Muyun's.

Now, the only remaining "straw" to clutch at was Wang Ying.

Turning back to look at Wang Ying—who by now had a good grasp of the situation—she hurriedly stepped out of the car and asked Zhang Shen, "What on earth is wrong with you?"

Zhang Shen replied faintly, "I just want to rest right now."

"Rest?"

Wang Ying wondered if she had misheard him. After all, eating a meal that resulted in needing to go straight to sleep was something she had never heard of before. Yet, looking at Zhang Shen's current state, he didn't seem to be faking it.

"Let me help you into the car first!"

No sooner had Wang Ying spoken than she met with opposition from Jiang Muyun.

"Sister Ying, have you thought this through? Are you really going to take this big jerk back with you?"

In truth, Wang Ying knew that the only reason Zhang Shen had come here was because of her father's affairs. If she were to abandon him here alone now, her conscience would never let her rest easy.

"How about you girls go ahead first? I'll stay behind and wait for a ride."

Jiang Muyun's original intention had merely been to use Zhang Shen as an outlet to vent her anger. However, seeing that Wang Ying was now firmly insisting on staying behind alone to accompany Zhang Shen, she realized that no matter how displeased she felt, she couldn't take things to such an extreme.

"For Sister Ying's sake, I'll let you off easy this time!"

With that, Jiang Muyun turned to Mu Qiao and said, "Sister Mu, let's just drop him off at the school first."

Hearing Jiang Muyun's words, Mu Qiao couldn't help wondering if she had somehow misunderstood the hidden meaning. If they weren't dropping Zhang Shen off at the school, were they supposed to send him to a nursing home instead?

Still, Mu Qiao had no spare time to argue with Jiang Muyun over the matter.

Shortly after, the three young women approached Zhang Shen. Fortunately, there were no idle passersby in the immediate vicinity; otherwise, the whole scene would have been utterly impossible to explain.