Let's elaborate.

The next morning, Ji Ruqiong arrived at Zhang Chenglin's house. The first thing Zhang Chenglin said to her was not to reminisce or exchange pleasantries, but rather, "Why didn't you go to your brother's house?"

Ji Ruqiong, still holding the small suitcase in her hand, said: "...Is that how you greet someone?"

Zhang Chenglin simply looked at her indifferently, without saying a word.

On the contrary, Xin Jie, with great insight, went over and took her suitcase, smiling and saying, "Let me help you take it inside."

Ji Ruqiong glanced provocatively at Zhang Chenglin, who was standing expressionlessly, and said, "Look at Xinjie, and then look at you. You deserve to be twenty-six and still single."

Upon hearing Ji Ruqiong's words, Zhang Chenglin's face remained expressionless, but Xin Jie, who was carrying the suitcase in front of him, paused.

Seemingly noticing Xin Jie's actions, Zhang Chenglin said in a calm tone, "You hurt him."

Ji Ruqiong: "?"

Zhang Chenglin didn't explain, turned around and went into the house first.

When Ji Ruqiong entered the room, Zhang Chenglin was just about to have breakfast, so having an extra set of chopsticks and bowls wouldn't make much difference.

Ji Ruqiong picked up the only red bean bun on the table without any hesitation, took a bite, swallowed it, and then asked, "So what did you mean by what you just said?"

Zhang Chenglin glanced at her from the side. Ji Ruqiong's habit of asking questions until she got to the bottom of things, which she had since childhood, hadn't changed at all over the years.

"Xin Jie." Zhang Chenglin put down his chopsticks and suddenly called out to him.

"Huh?" Xin Jie was stunned by the shout.

"Explain it to her." As if giving an order, Zhang Chenglin threw this big problem back to Xin Jie.

“You’re best at killing someone by destroying their spirit…” Xin Jie muttered to himself with his head down. Before he could finish, Zhang Chenglin gave him a sinister look, which made Xin Jie cough twice and speak seriously: “Miss Ji, you may not know this, but I don’t have a wife either, and I’m two years older than you, sir.”

"Oh—" Ji Ruqiong suddenly realized, and gave a meaningful "oh," then looked at Zhang Chenglin and said with a smile, "That's okay, I was just talking about you, don't drag innocent people into this."

After saying that, he gave Zhang Chenglin a deathly smile.

“Having you and your brother,” Zhang Chenglin’s cold and stern face was sinister and frightening, “is my blessing.”

"Huh?" Just as Zhang Chenglin finished speaking, Ji Yuxing's voice came from the restaurant entrance: "Why do I hear someone praising me?"

As Ji Yuxing pushed open the door, he said, "I'm not sure, let me hear it again."

Zhang Chenglin: "..."

Please, you two, go back to Northeast China.

"Brother," Ji Ruqiong spoke first, a smile on her face, "Why are you here?"

"Just here for a free meal," Ji Yuxing said, just like Ji Ruqiong, not at all acting like an outsider. He sat down opposite Zhang Chenglin, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "My family hasn't cooked in a long time."

“I knew it,” Ji Ruqiong nodded thoughtfully, “I was thinking that Brother Lin couldn’t possibly eat so much.”

“I’m still here,” Zhang Chenglin said, his thin lips slightly pursed. “Don’t treat me like a human being when you two talk.”

Upon hearing Zhang Chenglin's words, Ji Ruqiong, biting her chopsticks, chuckled twice like a cat that had stolen some dried fish.

Because Ji Ruqiong was there, Ji Yuxing didn't rush home after finishing his meal and stayed at Zhang Chenglin's house with Ji Ruqiong.

Fortunately, everyone is busy with their own things and doesn't bother each other.

Around noon, the sun came out, and in Shandong where the temperature was below minus ten degrees Celsius, it felt like the sun was shining brightly on the earth.

Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing were standing in the garden outside when Ji Yuxing spoke up: "Did you know that Zhuang Eryi has returned to China?"

Zhang Chenglin shook his head: "When?"

“I heard it from Zhou Zhu just a couple of days ago.” Ji Yuxing frowned and thought for a moment. “That shouldn’t be the case. Doesn’t she always give you a heads-up before she returns to China?”

"I don't know." Zhang Chenglin's face showed indifference; to him, Zhuang Eryi was just an old friend.

It was only because of Zhang Deyue's relationship with Zhuang Yanbin that he became more familiar with Zhuang Eryi.

As Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing were talking, Xin Jie rushed over in a few quick steps: "Sir."

"What's wrong? Why are you so irritable?" Ji Yuxing asked, as he rarely saw Xin Jie like this.

"Miss Zhuang has arrived." Xin Jie breathed a slight sigh of relief and finished speaking.

“Chinese people are still so easily swayed by words,” Ji Yuxing and Zhang Chenglin exchanged a glance, their eyes full of mockery: “Speak of the devil and he appears.”

Only when the others came in did Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing realize that Zhuang Eryi hadn't come on her own.

Lu Jinhe was also with her.

As for Lu Jinhe—the only daughter of Lu Chongxi, a wealthy landlord in Shandong—she was considered quite favored at home.

But she looked completely out of place standing next to Zhuang Eryi, who was wearing a little Western dress and high heels, dressed in a stuffy, drab Manchu-style outfit from the Republican era.

Lu Chongxi was a well-known landlord in Shandong. If Zhang Deyue and Tan Yuanbo were the later "powerful dragons," then Lu Chongxi was the absolute "local tyrant."

Lu Jinhe received a formal school education from a young age, learning feudal etiquette and being molded into the most standard image of a feudal woman.

Zhang Deyue and Zhuang Yanbin were different. They sought change, innovation, and development, and their vision was constantly outward. Therefore, Zhang Chenglin and Zhuang Eryi learned the etiquette of open capitalist countries.

This was the first time Zhang Chenglin met Lu Jinhe, and also the first time Zhuang Eryi met her good friend Lu Jinhe after returning from abroad. The first meeting between the overseas-educated young lady and the daughter of a feudal landlord was a testament to the times, the future, progress, and also a regret.

Many years later, Xin Jie asked Ji Yuxing a question: "Do you think that Miss Zhuang is the best example of the end of the revolution?"

Having received a modern education and grown up in a progressive family, one can live any kind of life they desire.

Ji Yuxing replied to him: "She alone cannot represent the end of the revolution."

“Then sir…” Xin Jie was interrupted by Ji Yuxing before he could finish speaking about Zhang Chenglin: “What we seek is that thousands upon thousands of women like Zhuang Eryi can grow on this vast land of China.”

"This is the true meaning of revolution."

——

Just like Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing's first meeting with Lu Jinhe, Ji Ruqiong was also meeting Zhuang Eryi for the first time.

For some reason, the two hit it off immediately and became friends after only a few words.

It all started when Ji Ruqiong asked, "Hey, that dress you're wearing is so pretty, is it in a British style?"

"Yes, yes, I have another one. I can give it to you if you like it." Zhuang Eryi smiled broadly. "Your French-style dress is also beautiful! Heaven knows how much I love French-style dresses!"

"When this dress first came out, I flew from Cambridge to Paris and queued for two days but still couldn't buy it."

Talking about clothes is a topic that girls can never stop discussing; give her a starting point and she can talk about it for a whole day and night.

Ji Ruqiong studied at Oxford and Zhuang Eryi studied at Cambridge. These two progressive women, who had received the best foreign education, could talk fluently about their views on social development. Some of their opinions and suggestions caught the attention of Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing.

Throughout the entire process, Lu Jinhe simply sat quietly to the side, unable to join in their conversation.

Nevertheless, when Zhuang Eryi and Ji Ruqiong spoke, Zhuang Eryi would gently hold Lu Jinhe's hand to keep her from feeling too helpless, offering her companionship and strength.

Zhuang Eryi and Lu Jinhe also had lunch at Zhang Chenglin's house. Zhuang Eryi and Ji Ruqiong chatted about all sorts of things, and somehow the conversation turned to their past relationships.

"Really?!" Zhuang Eryi was shocked when he heard that Ji Ruqiong and Yi Boyan had been together for many years.

Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing were also startled: "Why are you so shocked? Isn't this normal?"

Zhuang Eryi sighed softly and remained silent.

"And what about you?" Ji Ruqiong, eager for gossip, smiled mischievously. "Did you have any romantic relationships while you were abroad?"

Zhuang Eryi's gaze lingered on Zhang Chenglin for a moment, so quickly that Ji Ruqiong didn't even see it. She only heard her say, "I've never dated anyone, but I have someone I like."

Upon hearing Zhuang Eryi's words, Ji Yuxing turned to look at Zhang Chenglin, raising an eyebrow with a smile.

Zhang Chenglin's expression remained unchanged, showing no emotion, as if he were genuinely listening to someone else's gossip.

"Really?" Ji Ruqiong's curiosity about gossip flared up instantly. "Are you still in contact?"

"Yes, there is." Zhuang Eryi nodded frankly.

"Tell me more?" Ji Ruqiong's smile stretched so wide it almost reached her temples.

“I like Zhang Chenglin.” Zhuang Eryi said this with a smile, tilting her head and looking at Ji Ruqiong with tenderness in her eyes. “We studied at Cambridge University in the same year. I confessed my feelings to him twice during our studies, but he didn’t agree to it either time.”

Ji Ruqiong seemed to have heard some kind of news about an asteroid hitting the Earth, and shrank back in her seat, speechless for a moment.

After more than ten seconds, he managed to speak with difficulty: "Brother Lin is still here. Don't treat him like a human being when you talk to him."

Zhang Chenglin: "...Who taught you to talk like that?"

Zhuang Eryi, on the other hand, showed no change in expression and smiled, "It's alright, it's not a secret, he doesn't mind."

"Right?" she said, then gestured with her chin toward Zhang Chenglin.

Zhang Chenglin: "Mm."

Their interaction captivated Ji Ruqiong, who couldn't help but ask Zhang Chenglin, "Why did you reject her?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Chenglin blurted out, "The revolution has not yet succeeded, how can we talk about personal feelings?"

He didn't even glance at Zhuang Eryi when he said this.

In Cambridge, Zhuang Eryi learned the ways of doing things in capitalist countries perfectly, and she also learned capitalism from them perfectly. Like Zhuang Yanbin, Zhang Deyue and others, she supported capitalism without any bottom line.

Therefore, after she returns to China, she will inevitably help Zhuang Yanbin with his work.

Zhang Chenglin believed from the beginning that "only socialism can save China," so regardless of whether they liked each other or not, their positions made it impossible for them to be together.