"Forget it, forget it. If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore. Otherwise, I'll miss 8 a.m.

Once the matter was over, it was over. After the three left, the boy turned around and quietly stared at their backs.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

Zhao Shanshan had already recognized the backs of Gu An'an and the other two.

Before going to university, she was a very popular girl, and with her family's good financial situation, she was always treated like a little princess.

But ever since she came here, she has been hearing people praise Gu An'an all the time: what provincial champion, what class beauty, what school beauty, what outstanding husband, what adorable child.

She usually just listened to it casually, since no one was putting her down or praising Gu An'an, so she just listened and forgot about it.

But things are different now. Zhao Shanshan can't stand it anymore; she's staring intently at Gu An'an's boyfriend, whom she just started dating.

Upon hearing her voice, Ling Xiao immediately turned his head. "I wasn't looking at anything."

"I didn't see anything. I saw you staring at him so intently your eyes were practically popping out. I thought you were different from other men, but it turns out you're no different from them. Don't come looking for me again."

Ling Xiao hadn't expected her reaction to be so strong. Feeling the spectator glances coming from all around, he was annoyed, but the words he uttered were indeed meant to appease her.

"I was wrong. I only glanced at him, but I know I shouldn't have looked at him even once. My baby is so wonderful, how could I look at someone else? It's just..."

Zhao Shanshan was quite satisfied with her submissive behavior, and her anger subsided considerably. "What do you mean? I think you're just staring at people because they're good-looking."

Seeing her like this, Ling Xiao felt a little relieved. It seemed that Gu An'an hadn't said anything inappropriate in front of Zhao Shanshan.

But he was still worried. After all, just because he hadn't said anything now didn't mean he wouldn't say anything later. He had to take precautions.

"My cousin happened to be in Beijing that day, and when I took her out to eat, we ran into Gu and a man having dinner in a private room. I heard she was married, but I didn't expect her to be like this... so I took a second look."

You mean she's dating other guys?

Ling Xiao wanted the thief to cry foul. If Zhao Shanshan had a bad impression of Gu An'an, given her temper, she wouldn't believe any nonsense Gu An'an said.

As for the man being Gu An'an's husband, he can simply say that he didn't pay attention to the misunderstanding.

"It's not quite like that. It's just that the two seem quite close. Maybe they're family or friends."

The more he explained, the more suspicious Zhao Shanshan became. "I never thought she was this kind of person. She has such an excellent husband and doesn't cherish him. She'll have her day."

Hearing Zhao Shanshan praise Xiao Yuheng, Ling Xiao was somewhat unhappy, but he didn't show it on his face at all.

"Forget it, that's other people's business, we don't need to worry about it. Here, this is what I queued up to buy for you early this morning. Eat it while it's still warm."

While eating the breakfast her boyfriend brought, Zhao Shanshan felt that although the man she had found might not be as capable as Gu An'an's, he was considerate and they were getting along well.

Once she was in a better mood, she stopped dwelling on the little incident from before and walked towards the classroom chatting and laughing.

Gu An'an, who had left long ago, was completely unaware that she had been slandered again without her knowledge.

But even if she knew, she wouldn't care.

On several occasions when she encountered Zhao Shanshan, the other woman would look at her with a disappointed expression, leaving Gu An'an completely bewildered.

"You should be content with such a good man and child. Don't go overboard and end up losing everything."

Her second uncle was a typical example. He originally had a happy and wealthy family, but he had an ambiguous relationship with a pretty widow. If it weren't for her grandfather's intervention to compensate her second aunt and younger siblings, her second uncle might be somewhere now.

Even though they didn't suffer the inhumane treatment that others did, their once happy family was still shattered.

So when she heard that Gu An'an was dating someone else, she thought of her second uncle, who regretted his actions but it was too late to change anything.

After holding it in for several days, he couldn't help but speak up to remind him, something Ling Xiao never expected.

What did you mean by that?

If it weren't for the fact that there were only the two of them on the stairs, Gu An'an would never have connected those words with herself.

“I told you that although your man doesn’t have as much time to spend with you, he is also very outstanding. He is a hero who protects the country. When he’s not around, you should focus on yourself and your family.”

Every word was sincere and to the point, but Gu An'an couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

"No, Zhao, is there some misunderstanding?"

Seeing that she refused to admit it, Zhao Shanshan also got angry. "If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. What I just said was for your own good. If you don't listen, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

Now that we've said so much, it's impossible to pretend we didn't say anything.

"No, explain yourself clearly. When have I ever done anything wrong behind my man's back?"

Everything else is negotiable, but this kind of thing that damages one's reputation definitely needs to be clarified as soon as possible.

"You still won't admit it? You had dinner with a man that day, and they were behaving very intimately. You're a married woman, how could you do that!"

Eating? Men?

She has only had one meal out alone with Xiao Yuheng recently. Could she be referring to that one time?

The scene from that day suddenly flashed into Gu An'an's mind. Since those words came from Zhao Shanshan's mouth, they must be related to her boyfriend.

She never expected that she, who had no intention of getting involved in their affairs, would be the one to turn the tables and accuse them.

Okay, that's great!

Gu An'an was almost laughing in anger. Although she didn't know what Ling Xiao was up to, she was sure he was wrong.

"Did your boyfriend say that to you?"

Zhao Shanshan nodded, "Yes, he didn't want you to go the wrong way. He wanted to remind you but was too embarrassed to talk to you, so he told me."

Don't worry! I haven't told anyone. As long as you stop seeing other men, this will all be over.

Actually, Zhao Shanshan felt sorry for Xiao Yuheng, but when she thought of the two children she saw at the beginning of the school year, she still chose to go against her conscience. Otherwise, if the parents' relationship broke down, the children would definitely be the ones who got hurt, just like her younger cousins.

Gu An'an didn't expect the other party to say that. It seems that this girl is not as arrogant and condescending as she has heard.

“I’m correcting you on one point. The person I was having dinner with that day was my husband. That was the only time I’ve eaten out alone with a man since school started. The rest of the time I’m either at home or at school. All of this can be verified.”