Entangled with My Cousin's Fiancé
Chapter 345: Could There Be Something Extremely Precious in the Bag?

Chapter 345: Chapter 345: Could There Be Something Extremely Precious in the Bag?

Melissa Greenwood’s face was grim. "Why did it take you so long? What kind of tricks are you pulling again?"

"Nothing, really. I went door-to-door asking. Some people wouldn’t even open their doors. It’s so late, who would dare take in strangers so easily?" Yolanda Greenwood used the cover of night to hide the subtle hints of her lying expression.

"Two women and a child—what are they afraid of?" Yet Melissa’s cautiousness surpassed Yolanda’s expectations.

"I think you’re just up to something sneaky again. Did you already call Noah Coldson and have him set up an ambush at that shelter?" Melissa asked, venomously.

"I didn’t! I honestly didn’t," Yolanda denied vehemently.

"Yeah, right. I’ll believe that when I see ghosts," Melissa barked as she flung the rear car door open and yelled at Yolanda, "Come over here and grab the bag."

Yolanda hesitated for a moment. "This bag is so heavy, carrying it around would be inconvenient. Just leave it in the car; it’s safe here."

She had thought Melissa would ask for some money but hadn’t expected it to be the bag. Could it contain something incredibly precious?

"Stop babbling. When I say carry it, you carry it. Hurry up!" Melissa’s emotions were clearly on edge.

Not wanting to provoke Melissa further, Yolanda had no choice but to struggle with the heavy bag. "Fine, let’s go. I’ll take you there."

"No way." Melissa stood her ground, coldly replying, "You’re not taking us to the house you just visited. Find another family. We’ll start over, and I’ll come with you."

"Melissa Greenwood, can’t you trust me just once? I really didn’t pull any tricks. It’s not easy finding someone willing to take us in." Yolanda’s tone was full of frustration.

"Stop wasting time. Get moving and find someone else," Melissa’s tone left no room for negotiation.

She held Little Gabriel and walked ahead to another house, then signaled for Yolanda to go up and ask.

"Hello, is anyone home?" Yolanda shouted loudly.

After waiting for a moment, no one came out. Yolanda turned back to Melissa. "At this time of night, most people are asleep. Should we maybe..."

"Stop your nonsense. Keep shouting," Melissa stubbornly refused to change her mind.

Yolanda had no choice but to keep shouting, "Hello, we’re passing through and would like to stay overnight. Is that okay?"

After a few more shouts, the noise had riled up the dogs in the neighboring yards, finally prompting someone to come out.

"Who’s there? What do you want?"

"Brother, hello! We’d like to borrow shelter for the night," Yolanda said quickly.

Melissa chuckled twice from behind, "Brother, it’s just the two of us women and a child. You could at least..."

"Get lost, get lost! Who knows what kind of people you are? Don’t shout anymore, or don’t blame me for being impolite!" The man swore grumpily as he slammed the door.

Yolanda looked back helplessly.

"Keep looking," Melissa said gruffly.

And so, they visited several more homes, but none agreed. It was late, and an abrupt appearance like theirs was undeniably suspicious, even if they were only two women.

Melissa gradually lost her patience, becoming increasingly agitated.

Yolanda had an idea and decided to lead Melissa back to the house she had visited earlier. After all, Melissa didn’t know this was the same place.

Seeing the light still on inside the house, Yolanda shouted directly to prevent the man from exposing her plan, "Is anyone home? We’d like to borrow shelter for the night. Could we stay here?"

The man inside had thought he had been tricked and was just considering calling his family back when he heard Yolanda’s shout.

The phrasing of Yolanda’s request seemed a bit strange to him, but he stepped outside, puzzled.

"Brother, hello! We’re passing through this village and looking for a place to rest," Yolanda quickly spoke up.

Melissa joined in from behind, "Brother, we’re just two women and a child. Don’t worry, there’s absolutely no danger. Please let us stay the night."

After some thought, she hurriedly added, "We can pay you—one thousand yuan. Would that work?"

The man stepped forward, carefully inspecting Yolanda and casting a cautious glance at Melissa before finally opening his door. "Come in."

"Thank you, brother. Thank you so much!" Yolanda said gratefully.

"Thank you, brother," Melissa added, though her gaze lingered on the man. She couldn’t help but feel his odd stare on her. She quietly kept her guard up.

Upon entering the house, they saw a table set with an entire spread of dishes, but only one bowl of rice and a single pair of chopsticks.

Melissa frowned. "Brother, is it just you living here?"

"Mm-hm, my family’s visiting relatives tonight—just me here," the man mumbled, keeping his head down to avoid meeting Melissa’s gaze.

Melissa glanced back at the full table again and smiled faintly. "Brother, you’re eating quite well—so many dishes just for yourself."

The man’s forehead beaded with nervous sweat; he stammered, unable to respond.

Yolanda leaned closer to Melissa and murmured, "This family seems well-off, probably one of the wealthier homes in the village."

"Ha!" Melissa scoffed derisively.

"Have you eaten yet?" the man asked hesitantly. "Would you like to join me?"

"Sure, we haven’t had dinner yet," Yolanda quickly answered. "Thank you, brother."

She turned to Melissa. "Let’s eat a bit. You know the saying—food is the essence of life. Not eating is out of the question."

Melissa, who was indeed famished, nodded. "Alright then. Thank you, brother."

Yolanda had already grabbed Little Gabriel’s bottle and formula, preparing some milk for him.

Considering how long it had been, the adults were certainly hungry by now, but Little Gabriel oddly hadn’t cried or fussed—a detail that made Yolanda uneasy.

She quickly prepared the formula and reached out to hold Little Gabriel. "Hand the baby over to me; I’ll feed him."

"I’ll do it," Melissa snapped, grabbing the bottle and roughly pushing it into Little Gabriel’s mouth.

The man watched tensely, glancing nervously between Melissa and Yolanda before awkwardly offering some reassurance. "This little baby is so adorable, and so well-behaved—not a single fuss."

"Exactly. This child never cries," Melissa said sharply, a cryptic smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

She noticed Little Gabriel finally drinking the milk and bluntly shoved the bottle into his arms. "Hold it and drink yourself."

Surprisingly, Little Gabriel grasped the bottle firmly and drank peacefully, looking both obedient and endearing.

"What a smart little one!" The man exclaimed, glancing impressed toward Yolanda.

Melissa’s suspicions flared again. Why did it seem like the man somehow knew the child was Yolanda’s and not hers?

She threw a wary look toward both of them.

"Let’s have dinner while the food’s still warm," the man suggested, clearly hungry himself.

Melissa and Yolanda approached the table, though Melissa refrained from eating first. Instead, her eyes darted between the man and Yolanda, waiting for them to take the first bites.

Yolanda quickly understood Melissa’s intent and started eating, followed shortly by the man.

Melissa kept track of which dishes the other two had eaten from before joining in, cautiously sampling only small portions from each dish as though fearing they’d tampered with the food.