Chapter 425: We’re Just Colleagues, We’ve Met Before

When Xiao Gang saw the faces of the two men clearly, his whole body lit up with excitement. He nearly leapt off the ground.

“What are you guys doing here?!”

He dashed forward, eyes brimming with joy, reaching out to hug Wang Yun on the spot.

But Wang Yun subtly sidestepped, coughing awkwardly into his fist.

Brother Hu, on the other hand, gave Xiao Gang a firm bear hug without a second thought, pounding on his back enthusiastically.

“You guys know each other?”

Mao Hongping was dumbfounded by the sight.

What was going on? They hadn’t said a word about knowing each other before arriving, and now they were acting like old friends?

“Ahem, well, Xiao Gang was on our show, right? We’re from the TV station too, so we crossed paths. Had a few drinks together a while back, got pretty familiar. Just didn’t swap contact info that day. And when you mentioned his name yesterday, Sister Ping, I wasn’t sure if it was the same person. Too many people with that name. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Sorry, really, wasn’t trying to keep anything from you.”

Wang Yun quickly explained, realizing belatedly that he’d overlooked Mao Hongping.

She listened, half-convinced.

These days, who didn’t exchange contact info?

Xiao Gang, meanwhile, was utterly confused. What was going on here?

Why was his boss here—with Mao Hongping no less—and why hadn’t he contacted him beforehand?

But he was sharp. He turned to Brother Hu with a questioning look.

Brother Hu gave an immediate nod, then winked subtly.

“Yeah, Xiao Gang. Me and Boss are working on a matchmaking show lately, I mentioned it to you before, remember? Just so happens we ended up here in your village. This warm-hearted Sister Ping here told us all about your situation. She’s totally on your side and really wants to help you out.”

Brother Hu was quick on his feet, immediately lifting Mao Hongping up with a few flattering lines.

Xiao Gang instantly understood.

So these two had pretended not to know him and used Mao Hongping as their cover to come see him, just to keep things under wraps.

His excitement faded into a helpless smile. Still, he turned to Mao Hongping with a grateful nod and even pulled out a cigarette to offer her.

“Sister Ping, want a smoke? I really appreciate you helping me with all this.”

In their area, it was common for women to smoke. Nothing unusual about it.

Mao Hongping accepted the cigarette and gave him a knowing nod.

With things laid out like this, she didn’t question further.

Whether or not they actually knew each other didn’t matter. Their goals were aligned.

“Yeah, tricky situation you’ve got here, but I brought the station crew with me—should help clear things up. The media’s got real weight these days. Anyway, no point standing around. Want me to grab some food from the village shop? These two teachers haven’t eaten yet,” she said brightly, effortlessly steering the conversation while slipping in a bit of self-praise, making sure everyone knew it was her who’d brought the media in.

“Haven’t eaten?! I’ll call the restaurant right now and have food delivered.”

Xiao Gang slapped his forehead. He’d been so flustered, he forgot his boss hadn’t eaten.

“Boss, Brother Hu, Sister Ping, come, let’s go inside. Since you’re all here for my sake, we’ve got to sit down and have a proper meal!”

Whether it was joy, relief at finally having someone to talk to, or simply being on his own turf and feeling comfortable, Xiao Gang was unusually expressive.

This was the first time Wang Yun had seen Xiao Gang so candidly enthusiastic.

Once inside, Xiao Gang bustled around, putting out peanuts, sunflower seeds, and other snacks.

They all sat around chatting casually, though with Mao Hongping present, they didn’t dare say too much. No need to risk blowing their cover.

“This is my fault too,” Mao Hongping said, cracking sunflower seeds with a sigh. “I should’ve looked into Mao Yangyang’s background more carefully before introducing her to you.”

But her tone was clearly just lip service—polite but shallow.

Xiao Gang waved his hand, his face twisted in frustration.

“Pah! How is this your fault?! What era are we living in? Who still thinks you can just force people into relationships?”

As he spoke, the seed shell he spat hit the floor with a sharp thwack.

“Exactly!” Brother Hu chimed in, riled up. “Love is a mutual journey. If Mao Yangyang has no feelings for that scumbag, he should take the hint and back off. Shameless bastard!”

The weariness Brother Hu had been carrying vanished. He was fully fired up now.

Wang Yun, however, remained silent.

“Boss, say something. What can we do to help Xiao Gang? I mean, we all know each other, right?”

Brother Hu was trying to smooth things over, clearly afraid Mao Hongping might get suspicious.

But she was no fool. She was already starting to sense something was off.

Even so, she didn’t press.

Wang Yun, meanwhile, sat there calmly, leisurely munching on sunflower seeds and sipping tea like a village elder basking in the afternoon sun.

“Huh? Say what? At most, I can try to talk some sense into Mao Yan. We’re filming a show, we have to keep things objective. But Xiao Gang, just so you know, I’m rooting for you. From the bottom of my heart, brother,” Wang Yun said with an air of casual indifference.

Across from him, Mao Hongping raised an eyebrow and gave Xiao Gang a meaningful glance.

In that moment, a glimmer of understanding flickered in her eyes.

So these three… weren’t exactly close friends—more like acquaintances, maybe even putting on a bit of a show.