Banquet

  She is the No.1 beauty in the whole army. She has been pursued by countless people since she was a child.

  However, after she became the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, no man dared to send her things openly again.

  Everyone knows this is unreasonable and will offend the Lu family.

  This man named Yang Xiu had ulterior motives and actually set his sights on her.

  "Didn't I tell you to refuse all the flowers that were sent over?" Bai Lu stood in the delivery room, pressuring the person in charge of receiving items.

  "But Bailu, aren't you afraid it's from your fiancé? What if you mistakenly reject him?"

  "He won't send it."

  She bit so decisively, yet it was as if the onlookers around her saw a different emotion in her gaze.

  People come and go, with mouths on others' bodies, unable to be blocked, rumors spread far and wide.

  "It seems that being the daughter-in-law of the Lu family is not easy."

  "I've heard it before, it's a marriage arranged by both families, and they don't have much feelings for each other."

  "Impossible! If even a beauty like Bai Lu doesn't want him, what kind of girl does Lu Shang want?"

  "Perhaps it's because it was arranged by both families that the man is being so reluctant."

  "How did you know it was the man who didn't want to and not the woman?"

  "Of course it's because the man is unwilling. Think about it, Bai Lu may be beautiful, but she's already over thirty. Age affects women, not men."

  Picking up her bag from her desk, Bai Lu felt like she was being stripped of all her outer garments and put on display for everyone to see, under the gaze of her colleagues who kept glancing over at her with multiple implications in their eyes.

  Women, no matter what their background is, are all so difficult once they start talking about marriage.

  She is a proud woman, yet inevitably has her own vulnerable side.

  Sometimes she wonders if that man really married her, but did that man ever have a day when he put her in his heart?

  Yang Xiu stood at the entrance of the unit, next to a white Mercedes-Benz, flipping through a newspaper in his hand, as if waiting for her, yet not quite.

  She narrowed her apricot-like eyes, what was there to be afraid of with the white dew? With a broad and open mind, she walked over and placed the bowl of jasmine flowers in her hand on the hood of the white Mercedes-Benz.

  "Are you giving me this flower?" Yang Xiuzhu put down half of the newspaper and raised an eyebrow at her.

  "It's you. By the way, let me warn you." Bai Lu said with a serious tone, "Don't think that your little tricks have any effect? Everyone knows about your collusion with Wen Huan."

  Yang Xiu gazed at her, his calm eyes and gentle knife-like eyebrows exuding no overbearing aura, yet a hint of what seemed like sympathy flickered in the depths of his pupils: "Only those at a disadvantage would be eager to make excuses."

  Her fingers, clutching the strap of her bag, were pinched tight: "What do you want? Do you think you can cause a rift in my marriage with him just by doing this? You're overestimating yourself, aren't you?"

  "I wish I could be a hero, but I don't have the ability, all I can say is that I'm just an onlooker who cannot bear to see you struggle in his trap. With a slight bow of my head, the poetic words seem to convey refinement and elegance, as if they reveal the sincerity of a gentleman's intention."

  "What do you mean by this?" Although her eyes were narrowed, they seemed to have a hint of hesitation.

  "I believe you're well aware that he doesn't love you. And I -" slender fingertips lightly touched his own chest, the corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards, "have no intention of getting involved between you and him. Just wanted to remind you."

  "What you're saying sounds very selfless. But I know that no one is completely unselfish. You want to tempt me, you want to ruin us, this is your purpose."

  "I don't need to ruin you two because there's no feelings between you anyway."

  He was right, but he shouldn't think that's all it takes to win her over. She smiled, like a proud peacock who would never lower its head: "Lacking emotions doesn't mean we can't be together. In reality, many marriages are like this."

  "Are you happy?"

  In the midst of hustle and bustle, a simple question "Are you happy?" can stump everyone. Some people think that giving is happiness, while others believe that receiving is happiness, but in reality, among kinship, friendship, and love, it's the word "love" that torments people the most. Because of - affection and intention.

  In her narrowed almond-shaped eyes, a reflection of someone who is not in front of her appears, a fantasy from the blue sky and white clouds, unable to distinguish her own heart.

  Among the surrounding noise, a voice that was not particularly pleasant to hear stood out: "Bai Lu Jie."

  For an instant, as if caught at something, Bai Lu suddenly turned around.

  The taxi that Manman was riding in stopped beside her, and a smiling face emerged from inside.

  "What are you doing here?" asked Bailu, biting her lip slightly.

  "I and my friend happened to be passing by, I've heard Lu Huan mention that Bai Lu Jie works here, so let's take a look, and we saw her." Manman pointed at Chunxia and Tanmu sitting in the car.

  Today at the beginning of summer, I went back to help my husband get the hospital's expense form audited and stamped, in order to report commercial insurance. Knowing that Manman was idle, I made an appointment with her to come out and meet up.

  "Shouldn't you be staying at home?" Bai Lu knew about her pregnancy, grabbed her hand and was worried, "It's said that for the past two days, you were still lying in bed at home."

  At the beginning of summer, Jiang Mu didn't know that his mother had made a big fuss and got both Manman and Big Brother Jiang to stay home and rest. As soon as he heard about it, he immediately poked his head out from inside the car and asked: "What's going on?"

  "It's nothing big, it's all over." Manman didn't want to mention it again. The person who should be punished has been punished already. After all, they are her husband's relatives, and spreading the word everywhere wouldn't do any good for her husband.

  At the beginning of summer, she didn't like it and said: "I'll call your husband back to ask clearly. Your personality is that you are bullied to death and still this way."

  "What's wrong with me?" Mianmian said helplessly.

  "I'm telling you." Chu Xia didn't say a word to her, but Bai Lu, who was standing next to her, said, "She's always been like this, thinking that other people's business is more important than her own. - Oh, are you Manman?"

  Bai Lu was stunned by the torrent of sarcastic remarks from Chu Xia like a machine gun and couldn't respond.

  "This is Bai Lu Jie, my brother's fiancée. This is Chu Xia, my university classmate and close friend."

  Your husband's fiancée?

  At a glance, Bai Lu's large breasts caught his eye, and Chun Xia, who was also part of the small-breasted tribe, swallowed her saliva: "Wow, so Brother Jun likes this type."

  Caught in the gaze of early summer that drools three feet away, Bai Lu's clothes on her chest were stared at, maintaining a smile: "Hello."

  Early summer smiled, white teeth shining brightly: "Hello."

  However, it might have been exposed to sunlight for a bit when it came out, and soon after covering its mouth in early summer.

  "Is she ill?" White Lu asked in surprise and concern as she saw Tan's mother rush out of the car, supporting her daughter to one side where she vomited.

  "I'm pregnant." Manman said with a slight smile.

  Bai Lu heard this and thought it was quite strange. She excitedly said: "You two are pregnant at the same time? Was it planned?"

  "It was originally planned, but we didn't know how to plan it. As a result, it just so happened that we got pregnant not long after." While saying this, Manman couldn't help but glance down at her own belly, her eyes filled with love and anticipation.

  Can't help but admit it, this little girl from the future is really to her liking.

  Bai Lu quietly pulled her and asked: "Are you tired? Is she also vomiting all day like this?"

  "Everyone is different. I'm still okay for now. Don't feel tired." said Manman, except that she had been pushed by Jiang's mother a few days ago and was worried about her husband who couldn't sleep well due to illness, so she felt a bit tired.

  "Don't worry. Your brother is here. If your brother can't, then there's my brother and sister-in-law." Bai Lu smiled as she stroked Man Man's braids.

  "Your brother?" asked Manman for the first time.

  "My brother is your brother's unit leader." Bai Lu gave her a mysterious wink.

  So, the union between the Bai and Lu families is not as simple as anyone might imagine. The interpersonal relationships involved are complex and intertwined, like the gnarled roots of an old tree. Therefore, it's not just a matter of two young people being willing to be together.

  She turned her face and sat in the car, not seeing the white dew but letting the driver pull over. It was not that she saw someone waving at her, but rather that she saw a man who seemed to be having trouble with his future wife, so she let them stop the car.

  The elegant man with the white Mercedes, with two sword-like eyebrows that are deeply impressive. He appears to be a refined man, with a reserved demeanor and a sense of restraint in his movements.

  Manman didn't dare ask Bailu who that person was, she could only guess. Of course, having never seen a member of the Yang family before, she couldn't possibly guess.

  Yang Xiu looked at her with great interest and saw that she was confused, saying: "Are you Nang Nang?"

  "Do you know me?" From just one sentence from him, Manman couldn't help but speculate what kind of relationship he had with the Lu family.

  Yang Xiu's answer was enough to surprise her.

  "I'm your cousin, cousin, can you understand? I'm the son of your mom's brother or sister."

  Bai Lu regretted it, she should have taken Manman away immediately. This was good, letting Manman and the Yang family get acquainted.

  "Come on, Manman," said Bailu, taking Xiaojie's arm and hailing a rickshaw.

  The moon's eyebrows were slightly furrowed: her mother's maiden home, she had never heard of it, and in fact, not even the surname of Mrs. Lu, she didn't know. Because no one from the Lu family had ever mentioned this to her.

  Looking at the man who claimed to be her cousin, Yang Xiuzhi smiled at him. In this gentle smile, she couldn't see any signs that would make her wary.

  "I saw you when you were a kid." Yang Xiuzhu made a gesture with her hands, indicating a short length, "You were very small back then, just this tiny bit, it was quite surprising and also very likable."

  Man Man didn't know how much credibility his words had.

  A taxi drove over, and Bailu quickly opened the door and pushed her into the car. Chuxia and Tanmu had already gotten into another car.

  Manman got on the car and saw Yang Xiu standing by the side of the car, waving his hand at her with a familiar gesture, looking like an elder brother, which made her even more puzzled.

  Bai Lu felt uneasy in her heart, afraid that she had done something wrong. She warned Man Man: "Don't believe what he says. He's with your sister."

  What's wrong with Wenwen?

  Whenever Wan Wan mentions Wen Huan, she remembers what Jun Ye said that day. Moreover, Wen Huan hit Jia Jing, and it's unknown what happened between the two of them.

  She picked up her phone and dialed Lin Jiajing's number. For the sake of her foster father, she had to keep an eye on Wen Huan and prevent him from causing more trouble. Moreover, she also made a promise to Lin Jiajing regarding Xiao Shuizhi.

  Lin Jiajing had just finished class and was on her way home. The slap she received from Wen Huan, she thought no one knew about it. Because Wen Huan's strength was light after all, the red mark on her face had already disappeared by the time she got home that day. On the contrary, she thought, Wen Huan being slapped would be noticed by others because the person who slapped her was very forceful. Anyway, for these few days, she had been living in fear and anxiety.

  Afraid of being dug up and unable to explain oneself when the time comes.

  Now she takes a detour to take the subway, avoiding Wen Huan. Fortunately, these days have passed peacefully.

  She had just walked into the subway station when she received a call from Manman.

  "Man Man Jie, you have something to look for me?"

  "Hmm. Jiajing, have you gotten used to your new school these past few days?"

  "It's a habit." Lin Jiajing replied, because when she was in school in her hometown, she had already been to a boarding school and had long gotten used to living and studying away from her father.

  Manman was delighted after hearing her response, and after reminding her to pay attention to her diet and traffic safety, she asked about the conflict between her and Wen Huan: "I heard from a friend that day, who said they saw you being beaten by Huanhuan on the street, is it true?"

  Lin Jiajing was startled: Who said that? How did it reach Manman's ears?

  What did Wenjuan say?

  Impossible. How could Wen Huan be so foolish as to report to Manman?

  As she was thinking hard but couldn't come up with an answer, a hand tapped her on the shoulder.

  Turning back, I saw that it was the boy who wore glasses that day. In a state of shock, my phone fell to the ground with a thud.

  In the subway station, people were coming and going, afraid of being trampled, Yao Zibao hurriedly bent down to help her pick up her phone. After picking it up, he saw that the screen displayed a call with Manman. He was startled, his eyes behind his glasses shrinking into two small circles. He stuffed the phone back into Lin Jiajing's palm and raised his finger to his lips: Shh!

  Lin Jiajing seemed to sense something from his flustered warning gestures, picked up the phone and held it to her ear: "Weiwei jie. Sorry, I just got bumped by someone and dropped my phone."

  "It's nothing." Manman, who was facing the opposite direction, couldn't hear Yao Zibao's presence and almost thought something had happened to her. Now that she heard she was fine, she naturally felt relieved.

  "Manman, that day I had a bit of a conflict with Yuanyuan, but it's all over now." Lin Jiajing said, she would never go to Manman and tell on Yuanyuan, this was her integrity, she would never be the kind of person who speaks ill of others behind their back.

  "What conflict would lead her to hit you?" asked Manman.

  "She misunderstood, she got some things wrong." Lin Jiajing thought for a moment and said, "Mianmian sister, don't ask anymore, I can guarantee you that it's not something that can't be seen or heard, at most it's just a bit embarrassing."

  Listening to Lin Jiajing's words, it feels like the two girls didn't even have a spark of conflict, just a dispute caused by different perspectives.

  As soon as the phone hung up, Lin Jiajing immediately turned around, her delicate eyebrows furrowed together, her beautiful and slender eyebrows resembling a willow leaf, her bright eyes seemed to be slightly angry, yet still clear and beautiful like lake water.

  Yao Zibao felt that the closer he looked, the more he realized that the girl in front of him had a beauty like a landscape painting, making it impossible for him to look away.

  "What are you following me for? You stalker, believe it or not, I'll call the police!"

  The beautiful girl's furious questioning made Yao Zibao wake up from his dream of beauty, and he hastily reached out to hold down her hand that was about to call the police, saying: "I'm not a bad person, you know."

  "What were you following me for?"

  "I know your sister Manman, and I also found out who you are from her."

  Yingying looked at him with a clear hint of vigilance in her eyes, sizing him up.

  "You don't really think that my companion and I truly didn't know you and Yuanyuan, and just happened to help out when we saw injustice on the road?"

  Lin Jiajing, from this boy in front of her with acne on his face, what can be seen is the two sincere eyes behind his glasses.

  The strings of the guitar, gazing at the fleeting prosperous street scene on the car window, seeing students everywhere in the streets and alleys, seemingly lost in thought.

  After watching her finish the phone call, they gazed out together with their eyes, and Bai Lu couldn't help but sigh: "It reminds me of our school days."

  "Bai Lu Jie, you and my brother met in school, right?"

  "It was during high school that we first met. We weren't from the same school, but at an interschool gathering." Bai Lu reminisced, recalling the youthful excitement of those many years ago, scene after scene floating before her eyes, endless reverie, yet now only leaving behind a pale sediment, and thus speechless.

  Manman could tell from her words and expressions: Master Jun was probably like this from the very beginning.

  Because of meeting Bailu, Manman brought Bailu back to the Lu family.

  Bai Lu greeted Mrs. Lu.

  Manman returned to the house across the street and saw her husband taking advantage of the timing, searching for something in the study.

  "Are you back?" Seeing his pregnant wife return, Jiang Yan helped his tired wife sit down.

  Everyone says that a pregnant woman is at her most beautiful and that this is when a wife is happiest.

  Manman didn't take advantage of the special treatment she was entitled to during this special period, saying: "I'm not disabled, I can walk and move on my own."

  "Delicate." He pointed at his wife in front of him, shaking his head, "You're not crippled now, but you seem like glass."

  She was amused: Only her husband could make her laugh so hard with such words.

  "What are you looking at?" Walked over and flipped through the book her husband was reading, it's a military digital textbook.

  After talking with his father-in-law for a while, Jiang Yan is now re-examining the future of his career, adding two factors - his wife and children.

  "I've thought a lot." Standing shoulder to shoulder with his wife, their line of sight passes through the textbook and sees far into the distance.

  "What were you thinking?" asked Manman.

  "I think, thinking of going further from coaching teams to teaching in schools."

  Yuè yá er yǎn jiù cǐ zài lǎo gōng liǎn shàng xún zhǎo, xún zhǎo zuò cǐ jué dìng de hén jì: "ā yǎn, wèi shén me?"

  Translation:

  Yuèyá's eyes searched her husband's face for the traces of this decision: "āyǎn, why?"

  The coaching team is still within the category of combat troops, but schools are not. It's equivalent to completely retiring behind the scenes.

  A soldier with a heart full of passion and courage on the battlefield would never think of retreating to school.

  She couldn't help but wonder what made her husband change his mind?

  "Don't think that way." He gently rubbed his wife's shoulder, as if giving her a light massage, his tone very relaxed. "Don't assume that school instructors have it easy? School instructors also need to frequently go on combat units to participate in exercises, enrich their teaching practice experience, and lead students on missions, which are just as dangerous."

  Man shook her head: "A Yan, you're being too extreme. What's not dangerous in life? Think about it, many soldiers are fine, but those officials and white-collar workers die at the dinner table instead. Every profession has risks. If we talk about the biggest risk, most accidents happen on the road, drivers are the most dangerous."

  My wife's words are sharp as a knife.

  It's been a long time since the couple had such an intimate moment, with the husband gently kissing his wife's earlobe, which was round, smooth and enticing. He wanted to go further, but was hesitant due to his brother-in-law's warning. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close: "I told you, becoming a teacher is a step forward, not backward. I think that by achieving more, I can take better care of you and our child. At the very least, after I start teaching at school, I'll be able to come home every day and eat the meals you cook."

  Manman also wants her husband to accompany her more, with both hands holding onto her husband: "You come back, I will be very happy."

  "I asked you, was I scaring you when I got sick?" He lowered his head, encircled her small chin with his hands and asked.

  "Ah." The crescent moon-like eyes looked up and nodded.

  This proves that you are very important in your wife's heart. With a raised eyebrow: "What position am I in your heart now?"

  "Third."

  The answer didn't change, Jun's face sank: "How is it still third?"

  "Dad is very important, and so is Xia Xia. I owe them both too much." said the little daughter-in-law sincerely.

  Comrade Jiang Yan was not happy when he heard that he was third, but after thinking about it, he realized that he was indeed third. The Lu family and his elder brother-in-law were already behind him in his wife's heart. This... don't blame him for being narrow-minded, he had actually balanced things out in his own mind.

  "Ah." He lifted up his little wife's face and stole another kiss when his elder brother was not around to supervise.

  The little wife thinks that when her husband kisses her, although the technique is not great, it's like eating sugar, the more they kiss, the more addictive it becomes. Their teeth bite and nibble, their two lips are like sticky toffee, stuck together, entwined and chaotic, breathing rapidly.

  "I haven't washed my clothes yet." Seeing her husband about to unbutton his shirt, Manman promptly shouted "stop".

  "Doing laundry? What clothes are you washing? You haven't even taken off your clothes yet." The infatuated husband is already talking nonsense.

  She pinched her husband's face with a ruthless finger, and her husband suddenly woke up as if he had taken a sobering pill.

  Manman touched her scorching face and went to the bathroom.

  Her husband followed closely behind her: "I'll wash."

  "We've lost the washing machine," said Manman.

  "Can you put socks in a washing machine? They won't get clean."

  Meng Meng felt embarrassed and reminded her husband of the schedule: "It's time to collect clothes, not wash them."

  She knew her daughter-in-law was making excuses to slip away, and shrugged her shoulders indifferently: "Then I'll go collect the clothes, you sit down."

  Man Man stood on one side, watching her tall husband walking back and forth on the balcony, collecting clothes. She envied his height, which made it easy for him to reach the clothes hanging from the drying rack with just a stretch of his hand.

  "How about it, handsome husband?" The wife's doting gaze was received by the husband, who didn't miss a beat and threw her a flirtatious glance in return.

  Shut up!

  "Mei Mei raised an eyebrow: 'I'm thinking of Jia Jing.'"

  "What does Jiajing want to do?" The husband was displeased. His wife looked at the handsome him, but what she thought of was actually her younger cousin.

  "Jiajing is as tall as you are, being tall has many advantages when doing things."

  "What's there to envy, being short has its own advantages." Walking back, holding a pile of clothes in his arms, he freed one hand to gently tap the tip of his wife's small nose.

  She slapped her husband's unruly hand, took half of the clothes from his hand, and the couple folded the clothes together while chatting and laughing.

  "A Yan, do you know how to iron clothes?" While folding her husband's shirt, she noticed that the collar was a bit wrinkled and intentionally ironed it. Suddenly, she thought of a joke and Moonlight's eyes curved into a smile.

  "My husband who can only wash socks replied, 'How come? Who will iron clothes?'"

  "Who do you think it will be? Think about it, who said that even tying a tie can't be done by a woman?"

  Jiang Yan, without being too polite, followed his wife and laughed with a bent waist.

  To be honest, his brother-in-law's point of view is even more confusing than he himself as a man.

  Isn't it that men who are not very masculine like to have a group of women surrounding and serving them?

  Boom!

  Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from the house across the street.

  The couple exchanged a glance and hastily walked over to the opposite side, worried that something had happened to Mrs. Lu.

  Walking into the kitchen, Mrs. Lu was fine, but Bai Lu had a problem.

  "Dew, it's broken into pieces, don't pick it up, or you'll cut your hand."

  Mrs. Lu had barely finished speaking when Bai Lu's hand, which was picking up a piece of debris from the ground, accidentally cut her mouth.

  "Wait a minute, I'll go get the bandage." Patting his wife's shoulder, Jiang Yan turned to look for the medicine box.

  She walked into the kitchen with her mother-in-law, and said to Lu's wife, "I'll clean up here. You take Bai Lu to the living room first."

  Seeing the blood flowing from Bai Lu's finger, Madame Lu was startled and quickly pulled her away, shouting to her daughter: "Niang niang, don't clean up now, wait for your brothers to come back. Be careful, you're pregnant."

  Even if waiting for people to come back, the four fallen fragments are scattered all over the place, and they are still afraid of being trampled by mistake. Manman took a broom and swept it first.

  Because it wasn't his own home, Jiang Yun spent some effort finding the first-aid kit. By the time he found the hemostatic gauze and came back, Bai Lu had already lost a lot of blood, lying on the sofa with a pale face.

  "Alas, what's to be done?" Mrs. Lu was quite worried about Bai Lu's injury, after all, this future daughter-in-law wasn't just any ordinary family's daughter.

  "Mom, don't worry, I and Manman will make her some sugar water." Jiang Yan handed the gauze to Mrs. Lu and went to the kitchen to help his wife.

  Mrs. Lu wrapped a band-aid around Bailu's injured finger and sighed, "You were helping me carry the pot just fine, how did you end up falling?"

  Bai Lu closed her eyes, and in her heart, she felt a pang of sadness. Originally, she was a member of the working class, spoiled by her parents at home, so naturally, she wouldn't know how to cook. Moreover, the Lu family, her future in-laws, would never make things difficult for her on this point. Lu Shuai and Madam Lu were open-minded people who knew about the hardships of career women and didn't require her to know how to cook. If it weren't for her hearing from others that her fiancé could cook, saying she was very lucky, that Jun Ye would do everything, she wouldn't be worried, thinking that at least she could help her fiancé in the kitchen a bit. So, after arriving at the Lu's house, she enthusiastically entered the kitchen to learn from Madam Lu. Who knew that even holding a pot required technique? She accidentally dropped the pot and cut herself.

  Mrs. Lu went to make a phone call to her eldest son, asking him to come back early to see his future daughter-in-law, whose face was still pale and weak.

  In the car, the mobile phone rang: beep-beep-beep-...

  Jun Ye's car was parked across the street from Bai Lu's work unit, tucked away in a small alley where almost no one could notice it - this quiet and soundless car had been stopped for who knows how long.

  In the car, those quiet and deep eyes like an abyss were from Yang Xiu driving a Mercedes-Benz, letting people send osmanthus flowers in, then to Bai Lu appearing, returning the osmanthus flowers. Yang Xiu and Bai Lu quarreled, then his sister Man Man suddenly appeared, and Bai Lu took her away. Everything was reflected in his silent eyes.

  Yang Xiu and Bai Lu had a dispute about something, but the distance was far, plus the noise of the car, he couldn't hear. However, the expressions on both of their faces escaped his eyes.

  He guessed what Yang Xiawang had said, and her sudden wavering expression revealed a hint of astonishment.

  At this time, he just appeared and said a word in front of Yang Xiu, the rumor would collapse by itself. But he didn't, he didn't do that.

  He just waited, waiting for her to make a decision, planning what to do.

  Because they both knew he didn't love her and couldn't possibly love her.

  She was never his type, but he knew she was the woman he wanted to marry, and that wasn't going to change.

  Don't think he's doing this out of a sense of obligation or emotional distress. He has willingly agreed to this marriage.

  Every time I think about it, I recall the painful experience of growing up in a rural area with my family, where having money couldn't even save a loved one's life.

  His mother was weak after premature birth and wanted to eat something better but there was no one willing to lend a hand, not because they had no money, but because nobody was willing to help them.

  His poor sister, because of this, her body has been weak until now, and she has been separated from him for many years.

  Mobile phone ringing: ding-ding-ding-...

  He knew who made this call, probably for her.

  "Mom."

  "Lu Jun, are you still at work? Come back early. Bai Lu got a little hurt while helping me cook at our place, hurry back and take a look at her."

  Mother's urgent and fiery voice is often a kind of responsibility.

  Marrying a woman like her and bringing her home would cause his mother so much psychological burden, he knew that too.

  But this is an inevitable choice for Lu's mother-in-law.

  He can't escape being her fiancé either.

  "I know, I'll be back."

  Mrs. Lu hung up the phone and felt that her son's voice on the phone seemed to have a rather tired tone.

  The son likes or dislikes this daughter-in-law, she and her husband have never been very concerned about it, because it's a young people's affair, and the marriage has already been arranged.

  With a worried heart, she walked back to the living room and saw her daughter had prepared sugar water for Bailu to drink. Her son-in-law was cleaning up in the kitchen. To her, this couple was normal and comforting, consoling her and her husband.

  The younger son didn't come back, but the older son returned home quickly.

  Everyone saw you coming in and spontaneously gave way to make room for you.

  Bai Lu raised her head and looked at him as he approached, wanting to sit beside her, close enough to touch, a sudden flutter in her chest, she thought of sitting up.

  "Lie down." His voice was still icy cold, without a hint of warmth.

  She listened as if it were usual, but thought that this was probably a way for him to show his concern, and her heart couldn't help but feel a little delighted.

  His icy fingertips picked up her blood-stained finger wrapped with a tourniquet, and after a brief silence, he said, "You won't enter the kitchen, no one will say anything about you."

  She would rather have him scold her for being incompetent than treat her with such polite courtesy as if she were a princess in the palm of his hand.

  A heart, in an instant, fell into an icy abyss.

  ……

  In the subway station

  Lin Jiajing didn't know what was wrong with her, but she actually allowed Yao Zibao to follow behind her.

  Two people walked into the subway car one after another.

  Seeing an empty seat, Yao Zibao pointed and said: "You sit down."

  Lin Jiajing shook her head, carefully looking around to avoid being misunderstood about the relationship between her and him. Fortunately, in this big city, people were generally indifferent to each other, or perhaps they were used to seeing young people like them having small romances, so no one paid attention to them.

  "It's okay, I don't need it."

  As a result, the two of them stood up, and as more people got on the bus, they were almost shoulder to shoulder. Yao Zibao was also around 1.7 meters tall, and standing next to her didn't make him look short.

  These acne scars on my face are actually not very unsightly after getting used to them.

  "You said you know Manman Jie?" Lin Jiajing lowered her head, searching for a topic, not wanting him to take the initiative and grasp the right to speak first, intuitively feeling that he was eloquent.

  "She's like an older sister to me." Yao Zibao tried his best to shift his gaze in other directions, alleviating her pressure.

  "Big sister?" As expected, without his gaze, she spoke more freely.

  "Yes. My mom has wanted to recognize Mengmeng as her goddaughter for a long time."

  Lin Jiajing carefully pondered the information she had received: "Your surname is Yao?"

  It seems this girl isn't completely clueless. Yao Zibao was delighted: "Yes."

  His fingers fumbled with the straps on his back, raised his gaze and swept over the clean white shirt he was wearing: Remember, the Yao family is like the Lu family, both are high-ranking families, but he, dressed in simple attire.

  "What do you want from me?" The voice was hesitant, apart from Manman, she also knew that the Lu family looked down on them, the Wen family. Generally, high-ranking families had their own circle of high-ranking children, and they didn't mix with her.

  "I think you understand some things." Yao Zibao's voice was calm and steady, accompanied by the rumbling sound of the subway train, which made him seem older than his age. "The Lu family has conflicts with your family and doesn't like Yan Yan visiting your home. I've been watching from the sidelines, worrying about Yan Yan in my heart, thinking about whether I can help out within my abilities."

  These words hit her right in the heart.

  She thought that she and her uncle Wen Shi Xuan lived together all day, and what emotions he had, she was very clear. She really felt that the Lu family was unreasonable, insisting on cutting off Manman's relationship with her foster father for over 20 years. In her careful eyes, these people from the Lu family were somewhat bullying others because of their power.

  "Can I help with anything?"

  Listening to her words, everything is going according to his own plan. Yao Zibao adjusted his glasses and covered the flash of light in his eyes, saying: "At our age, we are not yet at the level where we can speak for adults or make decisions for them. However, we can communicate with each other, increase transparency of information, and play a role in key moments."

  Lin Jiajing lowered her head, and listened to his words completely. Because what he said was indeed reasonable.

  If she could inform her cousin or uncle in time to avoid being caught off guard, it seemed like the most helpful thing she could do for them at the moment.

  "Let's go." said Lin Jiajing.

  But she didn't expect her to agree so quickly, and with her straightforward style, he looked at her with new eyes, almost unable to hide the admiration in his eyes. He lowered his voice: "If you agree, let's exchange contact information."

  So when they both walked out of the subway together, each took out their mobile phone and exchanged phone numbers with each other, looking somewhat intimate.

  "Hey, isn't that Jiajing?" In the subway station, Liao Shuya walked and caught sight of Lin Jiajing, who was tall and slender and stood out in the crowd.

  Liao Shuya walked on the left with Wen Haixue and Wen Huan.

  Three people made an appointment to have dinner together after Wen Xuan got off school to strengthen their sisterly feelings.

  Following Liao Shuya's words, Wen Huan saw Yao Zibao next to Lin Jiajing. She had a deep impression of this big boy with acne all over his face because his companion slapped her and left her nowhere to tell, and she even had to lie to Xu Yu'e when she got home that it was an accident.

  Lin Jiajing is a little demon, really a little demon. That day she said she didn't know the other person, now they are close and intimate with each other.

  But she didn't need to say it out loud, as there were already people who couldn't stand still like her.

  "She's really something, wasn't she supposed to come to Beijing for school? Turns out she came to Beijing to hook up with guys." Liao Shuya said, covering her mouth in disgust, "I don't know what kind of person she is. With a face full of acne like that, she can still accept it, I wonder if she's a rich second generation?"

  "Don't you know her temperament is like Manman's?" Wen Haosheng raised an eyebrow, not taking it seriously - because Lin Jiajing took one look and knew she wasn't on the same path as them.

  "Can she be compared to Manman?" Liao Shuya seemed to have heard a big joke, bowing her head and looking up, "Haoyue, if you want to praise someone, you should also see whether the other person is a true phoenix or not. Is Yanran comparable to Manman?"

  That is, Manman is the real phoenix, but Lin Jiajing is not. No matter how high Lin Jiajing flies, she's just a sparrow flapping her wings under the branches like them.

  "Could she be the young lady's daughter?" Wen Haosheng was a bit worried that another unexpected event would occur.

  "This is impossible!" Wen Yu said resolutely.

  Manman is an exception, a very rare exception.

  The eyes of three people looked at Lin Jiajing walking with Yao Zibao, and they all added a hint of disgust.

  "What's the use of having more money? A pockmarked face, who wants it?" Liao Shuya said this again, and she was angry.

  The other two could also hear it.

  Wen Haosheng changed the subject, relaxing the atmosphere, and said: "The Lu family will host a banquet to welcome back Mengmeng. However, this family banquet of the Lu's will definitely not invite us."

  "Isn't Lu's family dinner different?" Liao Shuya asked curiously.

  "That's for sure." Wen Haoyue glared at her with a silly expression, "Think about it, what kind of people can get close to the Lu family. My mom thinks that I'm at least Mengmeng's cousin, so I have to go, no matter what."

  "Wenwen, what about you?" Since Wen Haosheng can take advantage of his cousin's reputation, Wenwen used to be Manman's own sister, how could she not go?

  Wen Yu had heard about the Lu family banquet for the first time, but she wasn't without a plan.

  "You say, will Manman Jie invite Jiajing?" Liao Shuya said as she turned back and walked around to Jiajing's side, who was now able to make them all envious.

  Manman invited Jiajing, it's not impossible, because now everyone knows that Jiajing is the most favored by Manman in the Wen family.

  "Yuan Yuan, what did you say?"

  Liao Shuya urged Wen Xuan again, and her intentions can be imagined.

  Wen Yu turned her head and smiled confidently at them with a frown: "Someone has already invited me to join."