Chapter 38 She should have gone there disheveled...

It gets dark early in Bincheng; it was completely dark outside before six o'clock. Lu Lin drove to pick her up.

"Aren't you going to change your clothes?" Shen Rong asked him.

Lu Lin shook his head: "Let's leave it at that."

Shen Rong thought to himself, "His long police uniform fits me quite well; he looks handsome."

Shen Rong, wrapped in a mink coat and wearing sheepskin boots, looked quite intimidating.

Once in the car, she took off her hat and took out a small mirror to fix her permed hair, which she had just styled by hand that afternoon.

"Does it look good?" she asked Lu Lin, turning to him.

Lu Lin stared straight ahead and nodded perfunctorily, saying it looked good.

Shen Rong snorted coldly and slammed the mirror shut.

What a disappointment!

She spent the whole afternoon getting ready, all because she didn't want to embarrass him. If she had known, she should have gone with disheveled hair and made him lose face.

Shen Rong's mouth was so swollen you could hang a gasoline can on it; he was clearly angry.

Lu Lin reflected on the conversation just now. Could it be that they thought he was being too perfunctory?

"What I mean is that it looks great, so different from usual. It gives off a more capable and sophisticated vibe. But, aren't the lips a bit too red?" He even offered a small suggestion, which made him seem more sincere.

Sure enough, Shen Rong reopened the mirror and looked at herself from left to right.

"Is there?"

She applied a thin layer of makeup, but it's still very bright?

She thought for a moment, then took out a handkerchief and wiped it off.

Lu Lin had no time to stop it.

He was just saying it casually; there's no need to take it so seriously.

Shen Rong took the small bag, picked out lipsticks of different colors, and asked him, "Which color do you think looks better?"

Lu Lin was dumbfounded. Aren't all lipsticks red? Are there other colors?

How is he supposed to choose?

He regretted it; he should have let her think his praise wasn't sincere enough rather than asking questions.

He took a deep breath and changed his approach: "I can't look closely while I'm driving. How about this, you choose one you like and apply it, then I'll see if it suits you."

Shen Rong nodded, thinking that this was also a solution.

She moved quickly, and Lu Lin pretended to look her over for a few more minutes before concluding, "This color suits you very well."

Shen Rong smiled with satisfaction and began to look in the mirror.

Lu Lin wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants and slowly exhaled.

We've arrived at the Marshal's Mansion.

The guards opened the gate, and someone stepped forward to verify Lu Lin's identity. This was Lu Lin's first time here, and the gatekeeper called Wen Congjian to come and pick him up.

Shen Rong leaned close to his ear and whispered, "The security is so tight, I'm getting a little nervous."

Lu Lin told her to sit down.

"Don't worry, it's just a routine check."

Commander Dou was the local tyrant of the four northeastern provinces, and naturally a thorn in the side of others.

Wen Congjian arrived quickly and, after confirming the situation, readily allowed the guards to pass.

The two got out of the car, and Wen Congjian led the way.

"This is your first visit, and the guards don't recognize you yet. You won't need to go through all this trouble next time."

Wen Congjian then greeted Shen Rong, saying, "Sister-in-law, you look beautiful today; you're a real eye-catcher."

Shen Rong glanced at Lu Lin: "Senior brother has good taste, unlike some people who are so perfunctory."

Wen Congjian smoothed things over, saying, "I'm afraid I've gotten used to seeing it every day."

The Marshal's Mansion was bustling with activity. When Lu Lin and Shen Rong entered, the living room was quiet for a second or two.

"General, Tianming has arrived."

"General, Lu Lin reporting to you." He gave a standard military salute.

Upon seeing this, Shen Rong also gave a curtsy to Commander Dou.

Fortunately, I had a crash course in studying when I went back to my hometown last time.

"Tianming, we've been waiting for you!" The commander's voice was cheerful as he patted Lu Lin's shoulder enthusiastically.

"Mrs. Lu, are you settling into Bincheng?" General Dou and Shen Rong exchanged pleasantries.

"I'm used to it, it's just a little cold." Shen Rong smiled shyly.

The general threw his head back and laughed, "Your father was right. He said you would definitely feel cold and might run back in a few days."

Shen Rong was somewhat surprised: "The General knows my father?"

"Of course I know him. I met your father a couple of days ago. I was planning to borrow some money from your Shen family bank, but your father is stingy and refused. He's not afraid that I'll hold his daughter and son-in-law hostage."

Everyone knew he was joking, and they joined in the laughter to liven things up.

The general beckoned his daughter-in-law over: "This is Mrs. Lu, the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, and the eldest daughter of the Shen family. You must treat her well and not let her suffer any grievances."

The eldest daughter-in-law, Cao Fengyi, replied with a smile, "Father, please rest assured."

She warmly took Shen Rong's arm: "Director Lu, don't worry about entrusting your wife to me. I will definitely treat her well."

Lu Lin smiled politely and glanced at Shen Rong.

Cao Fengyi took her to the flower hall where the women played, and unexpectedly they ran into an acquaintance.

"Who let you come! Is this a place you can come to?" Ma Langhua's face was very ugly, and he seemed to want to kick her out.

"Langhua, this is Father's honored guest. You must not be rude." Cao Fengyi said somewhat awkwardly.

"Sister-in-law, you have no idea, she was the one who played a trick on me on the train. I was worried about not being able to find her. Quick, help me catch her."

Shen Rong forced a polite, fake smile: "We meet again, Miss Ma."

Compared to the other person, Ma Langhua's posture was extremely unsightly, but to Ma Langhua, this fake smile was like a provocation, and she bared her teeth and claws.

Cao Fengyi had just made a solemn promise to her father-in-law to treat the family well, but now she was being bullied by her own relatives. This was a real slap in the face to her.

She frowned and scolded her in a low voice: "If you're not feeling well, go back and rest. Father has invited many distinguished guests today. If things get too messy, you know his temper."

Ma Langhua deflated like a punctured ball, glared at Shen Rong, and then sat back down.

"Does Mrs. Lu know my cousin?" Cao Fengyi asked with a forced smile.

Shen Rong casually replied, "We met once on the train. She probably has some misunderstandings about me, but it's nothing serious."

Cao Fengyi was grateful for her understanding, and her smile became more genuine. She then introduced her to the influential ladies and wives of Bincheng.

Everyone seemed very friendly, at least on the surface. They chatted and laughed with Shen Rong, and when Cao Fengyi introduced her, they didn't seem surprised. It seems they had done their homework in advance.

The commander-in-chief ordered the banquet to begin, and everyone took their seats.

Men and women sat separately at two long tables.

The general sat to his right with his son, Dou Wenliang, and to his left with Han Xiwen, whom Shen Rong knew.

Lu Lin sat to the left of Dou Wenliang, and naturally Shen Rong sat to the left of Cao Fengyi.

The fact that the seating arrangement revealed how much the commander-in-chief valued Lu Lin was something everyone knew, and they became even more friendly towards the couple.

"Mrs. Lu, Lu Lin will be very busy these days, please be understanding."

With the commander saying so, Shen Rong could only be understanding.

General Dou continued, "However, you're new to Bincheng and don't know anyone. It's really boring being home alone. Well then, I'm getting married to my daughter. If you're free, why don't you come and help Fengyi? You're from Pingcheng, so you've seen the world. My daughter is spoiled by me and always says I'm biased and that my dowry isn't good enough. I think Mrs. Lu is a discerning person, so why don't you help her check it out?"

Shen Rong hesitated for a moment.

Lu Lin also politely declined on her behalf.

General Dou was anxious: "Don't worry, if it goes wrong, it won't be her fault. I just want my daughter to learn how to be a good wife."

Shen Rong's face was burning. Was General Dou trying to be sarcastic or sarcastic towards her?

"Well... I'll join in the fun." Shen Rong agreed.

The commander-in-chief was pleased: "That's more like it."

"My daughter will definitely get along with you." You both have the same spoiled princess temperament and are both pampered by your fathers, so you'll probably have something in common.

Dou Meiyun looked at Shen Rong with a probing gaze and pursed her lips.

After seeing the guests off, Ma Langhua pouted at Commander Dou with a resentful look, "Uncle, you don't know how far my cousin's wife has gone."

Commander Dou pretended not to hear, while Dou Meiyun rolled her eyes and got up to go back to her room.

"What's with that expression?!" Commander Dou yelled at his daughter.

Dou Meiyun rolled her eyes again. "Dad, my eyelid is twitching, and it's trying to roll its eyes."

After saying that, he shoved Ma Langhua aside and left.

General Dou was furious but couldn't vent his anger. Who dared to argue with him now? Only this young lady, but he had no way to deal with her.

He turned around and slapped his son, almost breaking Dou Wenliang's back.

"You, as the older brother, don't you know how to take care of your younger sister? An elder brother is like a father."

Dou Wenliang took a step back and complained, "You can't even control your own father, and you blame me? If I try to control her, you'll beat me if she cries. I'm not asking for trouble."

That makes sense. Commander Dou chuckled and turned to his daughter-in-law, saying, "Fengyi, she's the only one in this family who listens to you. Help me persuade her. When she's in her husband's family, she can't just roll her eyes at the slightest provocation. People will think our Dou family is ill-mannered."

Cao Fengyi smiled and nodded: "I know, I'll go see my sister right away."

Watching his daughter-in-law leave, Dou Dashuai's face darkened. He turned to scold his niece: "Are you brainless? Isn't your cousin-in-law good to you? Don't you know who's boss in this family?"

How dare this niece give the head of the family such a hard time? Is she stupid?

Ma Langhua pouted: "You're my own uncle, as long as you spoil me, who would dare to treat me badly!"

General Dou glanced speechlessly at his clueless niece.

My sister was quite smart back then, how did she give birth to such a thing? She must have inherited the stupidity of the Ma family.

The Cao family is a prominent family, and even he has to give this daughter-in-law a lot of face. Ma Langhua, on the other hand, thinks she's something special and even dares to criticize the young mistress of the family.

He shook his head.

"Speak up, what did I do to you this time?"

Was it because her clothes were unattractive, the food was not to her liking, or the servants were disrespectful to her?

Ma Langhua said, "Uncle, do you remember what I told you? Someone bullied me on the train, and that person came to the banquet today. My cousin-in-law protected her, gave me a hard time, and even tried to send me back."

General Dou hissed, feeling a headache coming on.

Dou Wenliang asked in astonishment, "Your enemy doesn't happen to have the surname Lu, does he?"

Ma Langhua nodded: "Cousin, it's him. You know him?"

Commander Dou slapped his forehead: "Lanhua, don't you know why your uncle is hosting a dinner today?"

Ma Langhua was dissatisfied. She disliked the rustic name. Langhua was the proper name for a young lady from a wealthy family, but her uncle preferred to call her Lanhua.

"I know, isn't it to welcome the new police chief?"

But does this have anything to do with her affairs?

"Uncle, just tell me, will you stand up for me or not?"

General Dou slammed his hand on the table, startling Ma Langhua.

"What the hell are you trying to decide? Lu Lin is a talent I went to great lengths to recruit. You have the nerve to ask me to decide what you did?"