"Huh?" Zhou Jinglan was stunned, not understanding what Qiao Xinruo meant by asking this. He quickly recalled if anything had happened recently, and only after confirming that nothing had happened did he answer, "Nothing, could it be, is there something?"
A flicker of disappointment flashed across Qiao Xinruo's eyes.
She had already given him a starting point, but this idiot still couldn't catch it.
However, is it that Zhou Jinglan couldn't handle it, or that he never even considered handling it?
Zhou Jinglan didn't miss Qiao Xinruo's expression, but he was puzzled.
Did he say something wrong?
"Xinruo!" Zhou Jinglan quickly spoke up.
Qiao Xinruo's hope was rekindled, and she looked at him with anticipation.
"What?"
“I know that once I go back to my unit, we’ll definitely have much less time to see each other,” Zhou Jinglan said. Now that they’re in the same unit, he can still find time to have lunch, chat, and take a walk with Qiao Xinruo at noon. But once he goes back, it won’t be so easy for them to meet. Maybe they’ll only be able to meet on the weekend each time.
After all, they both have their own jobs, and it's not so easy for them to rest together. Is that what Qiao Xinru is bothered by?
"But don't worry, I'll come and keep you company whenever I have a break. It won't be much different from what we're doing now, you can trust me!" Zhou Jinglan said eagerly.
Qiao Xinruo: "..."
That's not what she wanted to hear at all!
"Oh, I see," Qiao Xinruo said, seeing that this blockhead had no idea what she was thinking, and there was no hope left. "You go ahead and get busy, I'm going to the medical department."
"Xinruo..."
Watching Qiao Xinruo's departing figure, Zhou Jinglan felt that he had just angered her, but he really couldn't figure out what he had said wrong.
If it's about the end of the exchange program, then there's nothing he can do, since it's an arrangement from his superiors, and he knew from the beginning that the program would end one day.
A week later, the exchange and learning of the secret techniques ended, and Zhou Jinglan returned to his post with the rest of the group.
The days that followed were not much different from before. The two would go on dates together on weekends and give their all at work.
The days may seem unchanging, but some things have changed.
For example, Qiao Xinruo might feel that something is wrong.
She had never thought about marriage before, but after chatting with Su Yueya and being asked when she planned to get married, the word "marriage" seemed to take root in her mind, and she would think about it from time to time.
Thinking about it, it's strange. She and Zhou Jinglan have been dating for quite a while. Does Zhou Jinglan really not have any thoughts about this at all?
Think about my second brother. Ever since he started pursuing Yingzi, he's been thinking about how to marry her. My eldest brother was the same. After dating for a while, he proposed to my sister-in-law. So why didn't he mention Zhou Jinglan at all?
But if you insist that Zhou Jinglan is just playing around, Qiao Xinruo doesn't think so. After all, whether in the past or now, if she shows even the slightest sign of displeasure, Zhou Jinglan will get very nervous. Does that seem like playing around?
But proposing marriage... no way, I can't let her take the initiative.
She can't bring it up either; what's the difference between someone who brings it up first and someone who proposes?
Qiao Xinruo was a little angry and planned to refuse Zhou Jinglan's invitation to go out on a date again next weekend, so that Zhou Jinglan would reflect on his behavior and maybe there would be a surprise.
On Friday night, Zhou Jinglan called home.
Qiao Xinruo deliberately didn't answer, letting her second sister-in-law answer instead.
"Looking for Xinruo? Okay—" Leng Yingying didn't know what tricks the young couple were playing. Qiao Xinruo was clearly standing next to the phone, but they deliberately let her answer it, and it was obvious from her expression that it was Zhou Jinglan calling.
[Are they using me as part of their play? Uh... this couple is really dirty!]
Just as Leng Yingying was about to hand her the phone, Qiao Xinruo quickly waved her hand.
She lowered her voice and winked in refusal.
"Please tell me I'm not here, Second Sister-in-law!" Qiao Xinruo clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.
What's going on? Something's fishy!
“Oh, Zhou Jinglan, Xinruo hasn’t come home yet. Maybe something’s happened at the military base. Why don’t you call back later? Or I can pass on what you need to her,” Leng Yingying said, trying to find a solution.
“She hasn’t come back yet…” Zhou Jinglan was clearly disappointed, but he didn’t think much of it. “It’s alright then. I’ll call back later. Thank you for your help.”
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Leng Yingying crossed her arms, adopting an interrogation stance.
"Qiao Xinruo, you've got some ulterior motives? Come on, confess quickly! Did you and Zhou Jinglan have a fight? Why did you pretend you weren't home and not answer his calls? You clearly knew it was him calling, but you deliberately made me answer. What kind of trick are you trying to pull?"
Just like Leng Yingying's personality, she asked questions very directly, asking whatever came to mind without considering anything else.
"No, you've asked so many questions at once, I don't know which one to answer..." Qiao Xinruo said awkwardly, too embarrassed to say what she was really thinking.
"Then let's answer them one by one!" Leng Yingying didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
There were many questions, so she answered them one by one. It was Qiao Xinruo's hesitant and evasive manner that was more strange.
"Xinruo, you didn't really have a fight with Zhou Jinglan, did you? No, it's just that Zhou Jinglan is such a suck-up—"
Leng Yingying slapped herself, almost blurting out that Zhou Jinglan was a simp.
“Given Zhou Jinglan’s attitude towards you, you weren’t even angry yet. You just glared at him, and he immediately apologized. How could he dare to argue with you? I don’t believe it,” Leng Yingying said.
“I didn’t say we had a fight,” Qiao Xinruo said.
"So what's going on here?"
Qiao Xinruo: "..."
Should I say something?
She could easily find an excuse to gloss over it, but this matter had been weighing on her mind for a long time. She always pondered it alone, but she never seemed to come up with anything. On the other hand, her second sister-in-law always had the most clever ideas. Maybe if she talked to her, she could gain some new insights.
"Second sister-in-law, can you help me analyze this?" Qiao Xinruo was going all out.
Goodness, Leng Yingying instantly became interested.
"Of course!" She took Qiao Xinruo's hand and sat down with her in the courtyard of the space. "Wait a minute, don't rush. How can we sisters just talk without eating during our chat? Wait a minute!"
Then, Leng Yingying quickly went to the villa and brought out a lot of snacks, as well as a large pot of spiritual spring water. She was ready to eat, drink and chat at the same time. She met Su Yueya and Meng Yingxin along the way and brought them along as well.
"Come on, come on! Xinruo is having relationship problems, let's three married people give her some advice!"
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