Chapter 137 A Sense of Security: Qin Zihang's Girlfriend

"Just because someone is nice doesn't mean they have to be with your friend." Zhang Xiaohu frowned.

Zhang Xiaohu thought to himself that he had already swallowed his pride and said those things to Qin Zihang, so what else did his wife want him to say?

“Your friend is innocent, but my friend isn’t?” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Zihang just came to our wedding banquet. It was you who told your friend that he was rich and encouraged him to seize the opportunity, which led to this situation.”

"What...so what if I did that? Your ex-girlfriend was really interested in him back then!" Tan Wu said, thinking that if her friend got together with Qin Zihang, it would be a slap in the face to Zhang Xiaohu's ex-girlfriend.

Zhang Xiaohu met with his ex-girlfriend again, and Tan Wu caught them. Tan Wu wasn't a local from the capital, only had a junior high school education, and wasn't highly educated. When she saw Zhang Xiaohu meeting with his ex-girlfriend, she wondered if he wanted to get back together with her. But when Tan Wu learned that Zhang Xiaohu's ex-girlfriend didn't like him and had no intention of getting back together, she felt like she had picked up someone else's unwanted suitor.

Tan Wu had a lingering resentment. After learning that Zhang Xiaohu's ex-girlfriend had once been interested in Qin Zihang, she wanted to arrange for her friend to get together with Qin Zihang. Tan Wu didn't think she was wrong; water flows downhill, and people strive for higher positions.

“She is her, you are you, and your friend is your friend,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “This has nothing to do with Zihang. Can you please not drag Zihang into this?”

"I thought he was your friend and nothing would happen. Who knew he would be so disrespectful to you!" Tan Wu said.

"The fact that he even agreed to see me is already a huge favor to me," Zhang Xiaohu said. "I've caused them so much trouble since I was a child, you know?"

"This time it's different, my friend..."

"What's different?" Zhang Xiaohu asked. "Is your friend still going to bother Zihang?"

“After what’s happened, what’s the point of all this fuss!” Tan Wu said. “I really didn’t expect him to be so heartless. You went over and talked to him, and he still did this.”

"It wasn't his fault to begin with, it was your friend's fault that caused this to happen," Zhang Xiaohu said. "If your friend had been more sensible and hadn't acted this way, none of this would have happened. At the banquet that day, Zihang didn't want to interact with them much. Didn't she notice?"

"Maybe she's just shy because it's the first time we've met," Tan Wu said. "Besides, it's easy for a woman to pursue a man."

"Don't think about it anymore," Zhang Xiaohu said. "After the investigation is completed, she will be released. Don't think about these messy things anymore. I'm too embarrassed to go in front of Zihang now, and I won't be able to go in the future either."

Zhang Xiaohu was extremely unhappy that this had happened even though he had barely had any contact with Qin Zihang anymore—except for inviting him to his wedding banquet. He hadn't intended to rely on Qin Zihang, but some people around him seemed determined to get close to him and associate with him more. Zhang Xiaohu was utterly speechless; were these people out of their minds?

What kind of person is Qin Zihang? Do these people think they are worthy of Qin Zihang?

Indeed, people from different circles are not suitable for prolonged contact; there will always be some who do not understand their own place.

Zhang Xiaohu understood the gap between himself and Qin Zihang, but he didn't think too much about it. However, the others around him didn't understand.

“Your friend is out. Talk to her properly and tell her to stop thinking about it,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “After something like this, if we want Zihang’s help in the future, he won’t dare to help us.”

"I know." Tan Wu pouted. "Those locals in the capital just look down on us."

“Zihang didn’t look down on us; we look down on ourselves,” Zhang Xiaohu sneered. “We’re practically begging to be disliked. Zihang is doing so well; it’s you who are ungrateful.”

"I……"

“Keep an eye on your friends,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “We’re all adults now, we should understand one thing: stop daydreaming. Daydreams can’t come true.”

"Who knew your friend would be like this..."

“I already said it’s not Zihang’s fault.” Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohu felt that his wife was blaming Qin Zihang.

Zhang Xiaohu regretted it a little; perhaps he shouldn't have married Tan Wu. But at the time, he genuinely felt Tan Wu was a good wife. He didn't love her that much; Tan Wu knew how to bargain at the market, she knew how to manage money. Some highly educated women also wanted to marry better people, and besides, after spending some time with Zhang Xiaohu, they knew he wasn't as good as they thought.

Because Zhang Xiaohu's first love was terrible, he's now unable to love other women and is more calculating. Those highly educated and wealthy women sensed that Zhang Xiaohu wasn't truly sincere towards them, so they weren't interested. If neither of them were truly sincere, they'd rather have a richer man, or someone from the capital. If all else fails, they'd rather go back to their hometown and do something else than live with a man who holds too much back from them.

Tan Wu wanted Zhang Xiaohu's high salary, and she usually performed quite well. However, whenever she thought about Zhang Xiaohu's ex-girlfriend, Tan Wu felt unhappy.

Tan Wu was in a bad mood after this incident; her friend was utterly useless.

Do these people even realize that Qin Zihang is someone they can even dream of?

If Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang hadn't been neighbors, Zhang Xiaohu wouldn't have been able to become Qin Zihang's friend.

That evening, Song Fenglan didn't ask Qin Zihang, but she learned what Zhang Xiaohu's wife's friend had done. Song Fenglan sighed; it was indeed easy for things to happen between people from two different worlds.

Inside the room, Qin Yizhou shook his head as he listened to Song Fenglan's account of Zhang Xiaohu.

"He's now... his wife's friend..." Qin Yizhou didn't know how to say it, "How could such a thing happen?"

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Song Fenglan said. “Nobody knows what the people around us might do.”

Zhang Xiaohu probably didn't know his wife's friend would do such a thing. If he had known, he probably wouldn't have invited Qin Zihang to his wedding. People from different social classes are vastly different. It's not to say that Zhang Xiaohu's friend is necessarily bad; some people just like to climb the social ladder, which is normal, and others have the right to dislike those people.

“Once you start working, your social circle changes, and you encounter all sorts of people,” Song Fenglan said. “Ever since Xiaohu graduated from school, they’ve been in less contact. My sister-in-law and I haven’t talked much about the two kids; we both know it’s not appropriate to discuss it.”

Well, if I say too much, it'll sound like two mothers comparing themselves to each other.

Qin Zihang's path seemed smooth, but Song Fenglan and her husband had also made many arrangements. When Qin Zihang was very young, they hired tutors for him, and Song Fenglan and her husband also taught him whenever they had free time, keeping an eye on his studies to help him improve his grades.

Zhang Xiaohu and his wife, Pang Sao, had low levels of education, and there were many things they couldn't consider.

Now, Fatty Sister-in-law has less contact with Song Fenglan, probably because she herself feels it's not appropriate to say those things anymore.

“As people grow up, they always have to go through certain things,” Song Fenglan said. “I don’t keep in touch with my former classmates much anymore. I’ve basically lost touch with my junior high and high school classmates. We just exchange greetings when we meet in public. I do have a few friends, but we can’t see each other often. Meeting once a month is considered good. Everyone has work, so who has that much time to meet every day?”

Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang met more often when they were undergraduates in college. This was because Zhang Xiaohu had more free time, while Qin Zihang spent more time in the lab, but still had a fair amount of free time.

After Zhang Xiaohu started working, they didn't have as much time to see each other.

“After this incident, Xiaohu and Zihang will probably see each other even less often in the future,” Song Fenglan said. “They are from two different circles, and it won’t do them much good to force themselves to stay together. Especially with what happened to Xiaohu, he himself will feel embarrassed.”

Song Fenglan sighed. She had been through a lot herself, and she had long thought that the relationship between Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang would eventually fade away, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Last time, the incident with Zhang Xiaohu's ex-girlfriend had already strained the relationship between Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang. This time it's even worse, and it's likely they won't be able to associate with each other anymore. Although not everyone around Zhang Xiaohu is like that, who wants it to happen a third time?

Qin Zihang himself to some extent

Zhang Xiaohu would notice, and he would also feel embarrassed. Since both sides already had their own ideas, it was even less likely that they would get closer.

After two days, Tan Wu's friend was released. Of course, the friend didn't think he had done anything wrong. When the friend spoke to Tan Wu, he only spoke ill of Qin Zihang.

"Just because his family has a little money, does that make him so great?"

"So cold and aloof, does he think others would genuinely like him?"

"I like him, but I don't need him to like me back. He made me feel interrogated for so long!"

...

That friend was furious. She was interrogated for several days, and her entire family history was thoroughly investigated. She was taken away, and the news even reached her workplace, where she was fired on the spot.

At this point, she realized she was afraid. Even though she was afraid, she still deliberately spoke ill of Qin Zihang in front of Tan Wu.

“I lost my job, and it’s your fault too. You said he was your husband’s friend,” the friend said. “You told me to give it a try.”

"I didn't tell you to stick to him and watch him all the time," Tan Wu said. "You even went to his school and his workplace. Is that appropriate?"

“If I don’t go there, how can I see him?” my friend said. “You won’t even play matchmaker for me; I have to go find him myself. You said that if I could win him over, I could be a rich housewife. You said his family is very wealthy and his connections are very strong, but I…”

“His family is indeed very rich,” Tan Wu said. “Don’t you know that yourself? If his family weren’t rich, would you have pursued him? Xiao Hu didn’t just invite this one friend; he has other friends too. Why don’t you pursue other people and only pursue Qin Zihang? Isn’t it just because his family is rich?”

"I……"

"Don't always say I'm wrong. You know what you're thinking. You're just after his money and want to be a rich lady. You've read so many novels and you've gone crazy. How can you blame me?" Tan Wu said. "Yes, I did tell you that his family is very rich and powerful. But I was just saying it. I didn't force you to do those things. You did them on your own."

"I……"

"It's your own problem," Tan Wu interrupted her friend. "For you, Xiao Hu even went to Qin Zihang, but Qin Zihang wouldn't budge. How can you blame us? Because of you, Xiao Hu's relationship with his friends has soured. How can you pursue someone like that? Can't you just pursue them properly? Why do you have to go through all this trouble? Do you think you're the heroine in a novel, that you can win someone over so easily?"

"Tan Wu!" Her friend was furious; she hadn't expected Tan Wu to say such a thing. "It was clearly you..."

“What do you mean by ‘me’?” Tan Wu said. “I’ve already said it, you’re the one who made the mistake, so you should blame yourself instead of blaming others.”

Tan Wu rolled her eyes. "I even argued with my man because of you."

Then, Tan Wu had a falling out with her friends. Her friends felt that Tan Wu had deliberately set them up; if it weren't for Tan Wu, they wouldn't have even bothered pursuing Qin Zihang. They probably thought Qin Zihang was just an ordinary person, and even if they saw that he was well-dressed, they might not have thought much of it.

After this incident, Zhang Xiaohu didn't dare tell Fatty Sister-in-law.

When Zhang Xiaohu returned home, Tan Wu had prepared a table full of dishes.

“I’ve already fallen out with my friend,” Tan Wu said. “She’s already out, but she’s still blaming me. How can you blame me? If she hadn’t been thinking about it, who could have forced her to do those things?”

"They've fallen out?" Zhang Xiaohu frowned.

"Yes, they've had a falling out." Tan Wu nodded. "Are you going to tell Qin Zihang?"

"No need, I'm too ashamed to go to him," Zhang Xiaohu said. "Things are already like this, there's no point in saying anything more, there's no need to say anything."

"Oh, okay, that works too." Tan Wu cautiously looked Zhang Xiaohu up and down, biting her chopsticks. "My friend lost her job."

“It wasn’t Zihang who did it; he couldn’t possibly do such a thing,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

“I didn’t say it was your friend who did it. It’s just that my friend was taken in for questioning, right? The questioning took a while,” Tan Wu said. “When the news got back to her workplace, her boss fired her.”

“If she hadn’t gone to Zihang, this wouldn’t have happened,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “If she lost her job, she can just find another one. What, do we have to help her find a job?”

“No, no need, we don’t need to help her find a job. She’ll find one herself,” Tan Wu said. “We can’t possibly manage that much. It’s just… will this matter affect you?”

"What do you think?" Zhang Xiaohu said. "Luckily, I don't work at Zihang's uncle's company. If I did, I wouldn't be able to stay there. You all need to be careful in the future and stop thinking about Qin Zihang."

"No, no, things have turned out like this, who would dare to even think about it?" Tan Wu said. "I am married, and it's my friends who want to. But they don't dare to think about it now, they all know that Qin Zihang is not someone they can even dream of."

"That would be best," Zhang Xiaohu said seriously. "Remember this."

"Should we ask Qin Zihang to come out, cook him a meal, and apologize to him?" Tan Wu asked.

“No need,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Even if we invited them, they wouldn’t want to come.”

Zhang Xiaohu felt ridiculous; why were there always people like this around him, and why did these kinds of things happen? He looked at Tan Wu; they were already married, and life had to go on.

"Did you tell your mom?" Tan Wu asked. "Will they tell your mom?"

“I didn’t say anything, and I doubt they would have bothered to say anything either,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Even if my mom knew, it wouldn’t make a difference. You’re in the capital, so at most my mom would call and say a few words to you, but she can’t be nagging you every day.”

“That’s true.” Tan Wu didn’t like Fatty Sister-in-law. Even before she knew that Fatty Sister-in-law was dissatisfied with her, she had a lot of opinions about Fatty Sister-in-law.

Tan Wu believes that Fat Sister herself...

She didn't finish junior high school, so Fatty Sister is uneducated, yet she still has the nerve to look down on herself. She's a country girl, but she married a good husband; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to move from the countryside to the city. Someone like Fatty Sister should have spent her whole life farming in the countryside.

“It’s not that I’m criticizing your mother, but she’s really uncultured,” Tan Wu said. “She says everything that comes to mind. When we had our wedding banquet, people laughed at me, saying I had too low a degree and that I wasn’t good enough for you. Whether I’m good enough for you or not, we’re already married, so why are they saying those things on such an important day? I think it was your mother who told them, that’s why they acted that way, just to give me a hard time.”

“That’s all in the past. Those people are just gossipy,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Even if my mom didn’t say anything, others would have. Don’t dwell on those things. You don’t live in Nancheng, and your older brother and sister-in-law don’t live with Mom and Dad.”

Zhang Xiaohu didn't want to continue talking. If he did, it would become the fault of his whole family. Zhang Xiaohu didn't even know his family had made so many mistakes. He shouldn't have thought Tan Wu was good at managing a household in the first place.

Qin Zihang was not influenced by Zhang Xiaohu's wife's friends; he continued to do his work diligently.

Arranged by Song Zi's mother, Qin Zihang went on a blind date with a high school teacher. The teacher was a nice person; her father was a university professor, and her mother worked at a film studio. Like Song Zi, she was a graduate of Capital Normal University. Xu Yan was quite pretty, rather delicate, not particularly striking. She had a strong personality and wasn't a weak or timid person.

Being a high school teacher inevitably means being busy with school affairs, but they can bring children to school.

The two people hit it off and started dating.

Xu Yan comes from a good family, and she and Song Fenglan are considered a good match. Xu Yan knows that Qin Zihang will be busy with research in the future, and her father has also told her about it, so she thinks there's no problem.

If all else fails, it's not impossible to get her to quit her job and stay home to take care of the child. The key is that her family is wealthy and can easily hire a nanny to take care of the child. Even if hiring a nanny is more expensive, they are willing to do so so that Xu Yan doesn't have to give up her career.

Xu Yan thought this was excellent, especially since Qin Zihang's maternal uncle worked in the Education Bureau, and his other relatives were also very capable. The Xu family was very satisfied with Qin Zihang, and even more satisfied with Song Fenglan—a very powerful mother-in-law who didn't meddle much, and everyone was happy to have her.

Many people didn't expect Qin Zihang to be looking for a high school teacher; they thought he would find someone from a research institute or among graduate or doctoral students.

"Both of them are doing research, it's too hard for them." That's what Qin Zihang said.

Qin Zihang believes that two people may initially get together because of love, but over time, love will transform into familial affection. Furthermore, marriage is not solely based on love; other factors also play a role, such as household chores and the couple's family backgrounds.

Qin Zihang didn't have much time to spend with Xu Yan, so Xu Yan would go to see Qin Zihang whenever she had free time.

Others told Xu Yan that she was always too proactive, which was not good, and that men should be more proactive than women.

"It's not that he hasn't tried to contact me, it's just that he hasn't had the time."

“It’s okay if I contact him more often. When we’re together, he’s the one who pays, not me.”

“His family is nice; they didn’t look down on me.”

...

That's what Xu Yan told others. When she got home, her mother said that others said Xu Yan was too proactive.

"Why don't you...stop always going to Qin Zihang and let him come to you instead?" Xu's mother asked.

“You don’t need to pay attention to those people, you still need to take the initiative.” Xu’s father felt that his wife’s words were wrong. “Zihang is a researcher, he will be like his mother in the future. Do you know how powerful his mother is? She is the kind of person who needs someone to protect her when she goes out. She is very capable.”

“But…I’m just afraid that others will look down on our daughter,” said Xu’s mother.

“I’m not afraid of them looking down on me. I think they’re just being sarcastic,” Xu Yan said. “I think Zihang is great. He’s very serious. I’d be willing to stay home and take care of the kids, let alone just go to see him.”

“Yes.” Mr. Xu nodded.

“Women who don’t work are easily looked down upon,” Xu’s mother said. “They didn’t say that our daughter couldn’t quit her job.”

Xu's mother looked at Xu's father, "You also work at a university, you..."

“I’ll be a lecturer,” Mr. Xu said. “I don’t need to be that great, and I don’t need to produce that many research results. Zihang is different; he has to do many things, and his role is more significant. In the future, he will definitely do better. He has his mother’s support and the respect of others; it would be difficult for him not to succeed. Even if he weren’t capable, there’s no need to worry. The key is that he is capable, he has good character, and he doesn’t do anything reckless. It’s good for our daughter to be with him. If our daughter resigns to take care of the family, that’s already a good thing. Besides, if our daughter resigns, he won’t need her to take care of him much.”

Xu's father thought highly of Qin Zihang, and he felt that Song Fenglan and her husband were both exceptionally good people.

“Their family is much richer than ours,” Xu’s father said. “They can afford to buy another house for their child. The house is big, and they can hire people to do the work. What else could you possibly be dissatisfied with? There’s nothing wrong with our daughter taking the initiative. It’s not that men will look down on a woman just because she takes the initiative.”

"My mother-in-law gave it to me." Xu Yan took out a box containing a pair of jade bracelets with excellent clarity.

"Jade bracelets?" Xu's mother quickly picked up the jade bracelets to take a look. She could tell at a glance that this pair of jade bracelets must have cost a lot of money.

“Zihang’s mother bought it a long time ago, but she has never worn it. She said it was inconvenient to wear when doing experiments,” Xu Yan said. “She doesn’t like wearing heavy things; she prefers lighter ones. Most of the time, she doesn’t wear jewelry.”

“This must be worth a lot of money,” said Xu’s mother.

"Auntie said Zihang is often busy and can't take care of me, so she gave me a passbook to keep so I can buy what I like myself." Xu Yan took out the passbook and handed it to her mother.

"..." Xu's mother

I really don't know what to say. There was actually over ten thousand yuan in the savings account. "You just gave it to me like that?"

“Yes.” Xu Yan nodded.

"How much is the bride price?" Xu's mother asked.

“No,” Xu Yan said. “The bride price is calculated separately.”

Song Fenglan didn't have much time to spend with Xu Yan. She thought Xu Yan was nice, so she gave her a lot of things. Women, you know, all like jewelry and they like having money to spend. Song Fenglan didn't know how other women felt, but that's how she felt. She liked having money on her, being able to buy whatever she wanted without having to ask a man for money. Asking a man for money is never good; some men, when they don't have money, will complain about how much money women spend.

The man gave only one hundred dollars, but it felt like he had given one thousand or ten thousand dollars.

When Qin Zihang learned of Song Fenglan's actions, he was not surprised; this was his mother.

"Mom, people who don't know better would think you're the one dating someone." When Qin Zihang got home, he saw his mother sitting there watching TV. He felt that he hadn't done enough and was not as good as his mother. "My girlfriend says 'hello' all the time. I'm starting to wonder if she's dating me because of you."

“Isn’t it good for me to be a good mother-in-law?” Song Fenglan raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you busy with your thesis lately? If you’re so busy, people will always have to come to you. It’s not nice to hear people talking about you.”

"Mom, you really are very perceptive and observant," Qin Zihang said. "You're so busy, yet you still know these things."

Qin Zihang believes that the truly busy person is his mother, not him. His mother often has to chair meetings and handle various other matters. Qin Zihang rarely sees his mother while at the research institute, and even when he returns home, it's difficult to see her; she's either on her way to work or currently busy.

After a month, Qin Zihang was lucky if he could see his mother four times a month when he returned home. Most of the time, this was when his mother was resting; otherwise, she was working overtime, and they wouldn't see her at all.

"Aren't you tired from working every day?" Song Fenglan said. "I'm a normal person too, and I like to gossip. If I didn't know, would your grandparents not tell me?"

Song Fenglan didn't want others to make things difficult for Xu Yan. Xu Yan herself hadn't done anything wrong; what's wrong with a woman taking the initiative? It's others who are overinterpreting things, always thinking that women shouldn't take the initiative. It depends on the situation. Qin Zihang wasn't without initiative either; it's just that Qin Zihang did have less time.

"Stop using being busy with experiments as an excuse. You need to pay more attention to your partner," Song Fenglan said. "Don't just think about your own affairs all day. If you're going to be in a relationship, you have to be responsible for her, understand?"

"I know, I know," Qin Zihang said. "Are you my mother or my boyfriend's mother?"

“I can be your boyfriend’s biological mother,” Song Fenglan said. “Do more things to show others our family’s sincerity. Be gentle with the woman, give her face, and make her feel safe. Especially someone like you, who is always busy, if you don’t treat her well, people will think you don’t care about her.”

“Dad wouldn’t think that way.” Qin Zihang looked at Qin Yizhou, who was handing fruit to his mother.

Qin Yizhou was speechless, and he glared at his son.

“How can your father, a grown man, find a future daughter-in-law?” Song Fenglan said. “After you get married, you can move out and live in the house instead.”

"Huh?" Qin Zihang said, "Can't we stay at home if we want?"

"No way!" Qin Yizhou quickly refused, "You've been at home for so many years."

"No, I'm still living in a house next to the research institute," Qin Zihang said. "I haven't been home for a month, and none of you have told me to go home?"

"Your mother didn't come home, so why are you going home?" Qin Yizhou asked, staring blankly at his son.

Qin Yizhou didn't want to stare at Qin Zihang like that; he wanted to spend time with his wife. Sometimes Qin Yizhou felt his presence in the family was too weak. Qin Zihang also liked to cause trouble for his father. The best option would be for Qin Zihang to get married and move out. Qin Yizhou wanted to spend more time with his wife, watch TV together, take walks together, and keep Qin Zihang as far away as possible. Ideally, Qin Zihang would also have a troublesome son, or at least a spoiled daughter.

"Dad, after all these years, you still dislike me so much," Qin Zihang said. "I am the fruit of your love. If it weren't for me, would Mom have kept you?"

"Without me, would you even exist? You brat!" Qin Yizhou said. "Go change your clothes. Don't stand here, you stink."

Qin Yizhou disliked Qin Zihang and told him to leave quickly.

"You guys watch TV." Qin Zihang glanced at the TV, which was playing "The Legend of the White Snake."

Even in parallel universes, many TV series are still the same.

Song Fenglan really likes these classic TV dramas; they're quite good.

"He already has a girlfriend, why is he coming back so early?" Qin Yizhou said.

Song Fenglan glanced at the clock; it was almost 10 p.m., was this still early?

“His girlfriend needs to go home early,” Song Fenglan said. “Girls shouldn’t stay out too long.”

“Zihang is right, you should consider his partner,” Qin Yizhou said.

“You men don’t think things through enough; you don’t really understand what we women are thinking,” Song Fenglan said. “Sometimes we don’t ask for much; we just want to know that everyone cares about us, and that’s enough.”

Song Fenglan knew there wasn't much she could do; she was always busy and rarely saw her future daughter-in-law, spending even less time with her. All Song Fenglan could do was offer some material things. If Xu Yan wasn't a good person, she might easily become arrogant after receiving those things, and Song Fenglan wasn't worried about Xu Yan getting arrogant. Song Fenglan also wanted to see how Xu Yan would react if she received more money. If Xu Yan wasn't good, then Qin Zihang and Xu Yan shouldn't continue their relationship.

There wasn't enough love to begin with, so when Qin Zihang felt it wasn't right, the relationship wouldn't continue.

It wasn't that Song Fenglan was heartless; it was okay for Xu Yan to get a little carried away. She knew what to do later, and she was still a pretty good person. Song Fenglan wasn't trying to harm anyone; she didn't think Xu Yan would do anything reckless, and she trusted Xu Yan.

In Nancheng, Fatty Sister had already paid back the money she owed Song Fenglan, and Zhang Xiaohu had also paid back the money he owed Qin Zihang. Fatty Sister eventually found out about Tan Wu's friend's situation. It wasn't Song Fenglan who told Fatty Sister; the two hadn't been in contact for a long time. It was Zhang Xiaohu who let it slip.

The fat woman had a vague feeling of unease, so she asked Zhang Xiaohu a few more questions, and he told her. Zhang Xiaohu felt that it was better to tell her himself than to have someone else tell her.

Actually, Zhang Xiaohu knew that if he hadn't told her, Fatty Sister most likely wouldn't have known either. But Zhang Xiaohu felt that Fatty Sister had sacrificed a lot for him. Fatty Sister and Song Fenglan used to have a good relationship, but because of his situation, Fatty Sister and Song Fenglan had less contact.

When Fatty Sister found out, she was furious. She sat in the living room for a long time, wanting to call Song Fenglan, but hesitant.

More than half an hour later, Fatty Sister-in-law finally made the call, but it wasn't Song Fenglan who answered; instead, it was the family's maid.

"Ms. Song is not home," the maid replied. "You may leave your name..."

"No, no need." The plump woman hung up the phone. "No need to tell her."

The plump woman was disappointed. Song Fenglan wasn't home; she was busy. The plump woman really didn't know what to say—how could Tan Wu dare to do such a thing?

When Zhang Chenghai returned home, his wife, Pang, hadn't cooked yet.

"Not eating food, but eating air?" Zhang Chenghai asked.

"There are still steamed buns at home, you can eat steamed buns," said the plump woman. The children weren't around, so they didn't need to eat so well. "There are also boiled salted eggs at home, you can eat the salted eggs."

"What's going on?" Zhang Chenghai sensed something was wrong.

"It's all because of that Tan Wu. Xiao Hu shouldn't have married her." The fat woman gritted her teeth.

"What did she do?" Zhang Chenghai asked.

“She sent her friend to pursue Zihang,” the plump woman said.

"How did her friends know about Zihang?" Zhang Chenghai asked again.

"It's all because Xiaohu invited people to his wedding banquet, and he brought Zihang along," the fat woman said. "Tan Wu knows Zihang is rich, and she told her friends that her friends were going to pursue him. What kind of good people are Tan Wu's friends? They probably only graduated from junior high school like her, or maybe not even that. Do they even deserve to pursue Zihang?"

The fat woman grew angrier and angrier as she spoke, "Does Tan Wu think that just because she can be with Xiao Hu, her friend can be with Zi Hang? Things have turned out like this, I...I'm so angry!"

"And now?" Zhang Chenghai frowned.

"What else could it be? It's been over two months," said the plump woman. "If I hadn't asked, Xiao Hu wouldn't have said anything. Tell me, how could Tan Wu be so bold? Xiao Hu even tried to justify his wife, saying that she knew about his ex-girlfriend and was jealous, which is why she did it. What does Xiao Hu's ex-girlfriend have to do with Zi Hang? Why did they have to drag him into this?"

The fat woman felt heartbroken just thinking about it; the gap between her family and Song Fenglan's family was just too vast.

“I just called Fenglan, but she’s not home,” said the plump woman. “After something like this happened, I’m too ashamed to even talk to Fenglan.”

"If I'm too ashamed to say it, then I won't," Zhang Chenghai said.

The plump woman's eyes were red; her relationship with Song Fenglan was growing increasingly distant.

Once, Fatty Sister thought that even though she came from the countryside, she could still be friends with Song Fenglan. But now, neither Fatty Sister nor Song Fenglan knew what to say to each other.

"Hmm..." The fat woman sat there, looking weak and listless.

"You...you're talking about Xiaohu's wife?" Zhang Chenghai asked.

“They didn’t say anything,” said the plump woman. “Xiao Hu said they had already made a scene before, so he hasn’t said anything since. Do you think they’ll listen to me? They’re in the capital, and we’re in the south.”

Fatty Sister was heartbroken. Zhang Xiaohu didn't dare to marry Tan Wu. If Zhang Xiaohu hadn't married Tan Wu, things wouldn't have come to this.

When Song Fenglan returned home, the maid told her that someone had called her and that the person had said there was no need to say anything more.

The servants didn't say anything; all these things had to be discussed with Song Fenglan and her husband. Song Fenglan and her husband decided not to contact them; that was their decision.

Song Fenglan naturally didn't contact Fatty Sister-in-law; since she was told there was no need to say anything, then she shouldn't say anything either.

After dinner, Fatty was still staring at the phone, wondering if Song Fenglan would call, but she didn't.

"Still staring at the phone?" Zhang Chenghai shook his head as he watched the plump woman staring at the phone. "Wanting Song Fenglan to call you?"

“She won’t call,” the plump woman said. “We haven’t been in touch for a long time.”

Looking back, Fatty Sister-in-law used to call Song Fenglan frequently, but Song Fenglan was always busy with work, and Fatty Sister-in-law felt it was okay to call so often. Now, Fatty Sister-in-law doesn't dare to call so often, not wanting others to think she's always taking advantage of them.

“If you want to contact her, then contact her,” Zhang Chenghai said.

“We can’t contact them,” the plump woman said. “If we do, we’ll have nothing to say to each other.”

"..." Zhang Chenghai looked at the fat woman, and he felt heartbroken seeing her like that.

The plump woman remained silent, and Zhang Chenghai also stopped talking. The couple sat there dumbfounded. They both knew in their hearts that they could talk less and less with Song Fenglan and her husband; they were not on the same level, and this was especially evident in their child.

The next day, Fatty went to see Fan Yani and told her about Zhang Xiaohu and his wife, adding that she was too ashamed to contact Song Fenglan now.

Fan Yani knew that Fatty's sister-in-law frequently contacted Song Fenglan, and Song Fenglan had been quite kind to Fatty's sister-in-law and her family. Clearly, Zhang Xiaohu and his wife had gone too far; they treated others kindly as tools.

"Sister Fenglan has been good enough to you all," Fan Yani said. "Xiaohu has grown up and is married now. Even setting aside friendships, just between Xiaohu and Xiaowen, they are like brothers..."

"I don't keep in touch with my brother often, do I?"

“We don’t keep in touch often. One of us is in the south of the city, and the other is in the capital. How could we possibly keep in touch often, or call to ask for money?” said the fat woman.

“Isn’t that right? Even brothers don’t keep in touch often. The capital is a big city, and Zihang isn’t idle,” Fan Yani said. “Isn’t it better for them to each do their own thing? They’re not students anymore, and even if they were still in university, their majors would be different. They should have their own lives.”

Fan Yani felt that Song Fenglan and her husband were being too kind to Fatty's family. Fatty's family had long since ceased to be Song Fenglan's neighbors, and Song Fenglan and her husband didn't need to be so accommodating. Fatty's husband was indeed a good person, but Zhang Xiaohu had grown up, had a wife, and they had their own small family.

"Are you suggesting that Sister Fenglan is aloof and doesn't care about you, or that you're pushing your luck?" Fan Yani asked.