Feeling hungry, she simply abandoned her thoughts and went out to find food. After walking along the cobblestone path for a while, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure by the west wall of the courtyard. Xu Xinchen reacted quickly and squatted down in the bushes next to her.

The man was Chen Baifei. He had his hair neatly combed and styled, making it shiny black. He had handsome features and was dressed in a black shirt and trousers. He was clean and presentable, and could be considered a good-looking man.

He was anxiously peering into the west courtyard.

After a while, Lu Shuangshuang tiptoed out. The two walked to a secluded spot under a tree, and Lu Shuangshuang began to act coquettishly, "I'm sorry, Brother Baifei, my mom was watching me closely, so I kept you waiting."

Chen Baifei pursed his lips, his expression hesitant. He looked at Lu Shuangshuang's face with a puzzled expression, and after thinking it over and over again, he finally asked, "How is your sister?"

Lu Shuangshuang was stunned for a moment when she heard this. She realized what was going on and was both angry and annoyed. "So, you came to see me because of my sister. I tried every excuse to get my mother out so that I could be alone with you. And you, you keep calling me 'sister'! You bastard!"

As she spoke, she became emotional and punched his shoulder twice with her little fist.

Seeing that she was angry, Chen Baifei panicked and pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her. "That's not what I meant. Your sister did something foolish because she saw us. I just wanted to know if she's feeling any better now. Don't you know who I have feelings for?"

Lu Shuangshuang calmed down a bit, leaned gently against him, and scoffed, "What could possibly happen to her? Her suicide attempt was just a scare tactic!"

As she spoke, she climbed onto Chen Baifei's shoulder, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him, the two entwining passionately.

Xu Xinchen, crouching in the bushes, shook her head upon seeing this scene, feeling sorry for Lu Minshi. She hadn't even broken up with her sister yet, and was already entangled with her younger sister. How could she do something so foolish for a man like that? This scumbag, she wouldn't even take him if he were given to her for free.

After a long kiss, Chen Baifei finally released Lu Shuangshuang. Lu Shuangshuang blushed and glanced at him shyly, "Brother Baifei, have you told your mother about us?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Baifei lowered his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "No..."

"No? What do you mean? You're not planning to be with me anymore?" Lu Shuangshuang got angry again. "I knew it, you weren't sincere with me, your heart is still with Lu Minshi..."

Chen Baifei quickly coaxed, "Of course, I swear you're the only one in my heart." He glanced at her, then stammered, "But I'm only 22, and you're only 20. It's too early to talk about marriage..."

"What do you mean 'too early'? Chen Baifei, don't try to fob me off with that. Girls my age in town already have kids, so how can it be too early? Besides, Chen Baifei, I'm already yours, don't try to deny it!"

When Chen Baifei heard what she said, he looked away awkwardly. After a while, he put his arm around her shoulder and patted her shoulder, saying, "Don't be angry. I'll tell my parents tonight."

The two talked for a while longer, and finally, Chen Baifei coaxed Lu Shuangshuang, who had been keeping a straight face, into the house.

After the two left, Xu Xinchen stood up and shook off the grass leaves from her clothes.

Lu Shuangshuang is really bold. She has already lost her virginity before even getting married. As far as she knows, men and women are not particularly open-minded in this era. If Chen Baifei doesn't marry her after she does this, wouldn't she be at a huge loss?

In the evening, Lu Zhenjun went home after get off work. Lu Zhenjun was a minor civil servant in the town. Although his salary was average, it was stable and his job was respectable. Otherwise, Zhao Lanzhi would not have married Lu Zhenjun, who had been married once before.

As Lu Zhenjun walked to the only small shop in town not far from his home, he bumped into Sister Wang, who was out buying goods. When Sister Wang saw him, she asked with a gossipy look, "Zhenjun, is your Min Shi feeling any better?"

Lu Zhenjun's eyelids twitched, and a bad feeling immediately arose in his heart. "What's wrong with Min Shi?"

Seeing his expression, Sister Wang realized he probably didn't know yet, so she chuckled at him and said, "Why don't you go home and check on things first?" Then she went inside.

Lu Zhenjun paused for a moment, then quickened his pace. When he arrived at his doorstep and entered the yard, he was greeted by the aroma of food. He went into the main room and saw his wife, Zhao Lanzhi, setting the food on the table.

Turning around and seeing it was him, she smiled and said, "You're back? Why are you here so early today?"

Where is Min Shi?

Zhao Lanzhi's smile froze, she lifted her eyelids and glanced up at him, "I had Shuangshuang call Min Shi to dinner, what do you want with her?"

Lu Zhenjun didn't say anything. He went into the kitchen, took out a bottle of wine, poured a small glass, and sipped it slowly. His face was calm and his expression was indifferent, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Zhao Lanzhi was uneasy. Lu Zhenjun didn't like to drink much, except for social occasions. But today he suddenly brought out alcohol, which meant he must be hiding something. Originally, Zhao Lanzhi didn't want to tell him what happened during the day, but the town was so small that people would inevitably gossip. If the rumors reached his ears, they would probably get worse.

She sat down next to him, picked up some food for him, and slowly said, "It's nothing serious. Min Shi misunderstood when she saw Shuangshuang and Bai Fei together. She's a bit naive, so it's easy for her to overthink things and do something foolish. Luckily, she was saved."

With a loud bang, the wine glass was slammed onto the table. Lu Zhenjun turned to look at her, his face twitching slightly. "Misunderstanding? I know Min Shi well. If she hadn't been driven to the brink, why would she do something so foolish? Shuangshuang is spoiled by you. She's so unruly! She wants everything and tries to take everything."

Zhao Lanzhi was also furious upon hearing this and immediately retorted, "Lu Zhenjun, what do you mean by that? Are you saying it's my fault? That I'm a bad stepmother who didn't treat everyone equally and mistreated your own daughter? Min Shi is your child, but Shuangshuang isn't?"

Just as Lu Zhenjun was about to speak again, the door opened with a creak, and Lu Shuangshuang and Lu Minshi walked in. He had no choice but to suppress his words and start drinking in silence.

At the dinner table, the group ate quietly, no one spoke, only the sound of chewing could be heard, but Xu Xinchen keenly sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

Lu Zhenjun had been drinking silently, barely touching the food in his bowl. When he saw Xu Xinchen looking over, he paused, put down his glass, and put a piece of meat into her bowl. "Min Shi, eat more."

Xu Xinchen smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Dad."