Chapter 55 Love: Setting a date, booking a hotel, ...
With the date set, the hotel booked, and the guest list finalized, preparations for Meng Dongchun and Lin Hai's wedding officially began. Mingxi, upon hearing the good news from Meng Dongchun, couldn't help but think of Guan Lixin.
Speaking of which, Guan Lixin and He Li met and got together first. Meanwhile, Meng Dongchun and Lin Hai, who met later, have already set their wedding dates. Why is there no news from Guan Lixin at all?
The next day, when Mingxi saw Guan Lixin in the alley, she couldn't help but ask, "You and He Li have been dating for a while now, when are you planning to get married?"
Hearing this, Zhao Sulan chimed in, "Yes, Lixin, have you discussed marriage with He Li?"
Guan Lixin: "Well, um... I think we're both still young and not in a hurry to get married, so we haven't talked about it yet."
Mingxi frowned: "No way, really?"
She opened her mouth wide in an exaggerated gesture, circling Guan Lixin while glaring at him as if he were some kind of utterly despicable scumbag. Guan Lixin felt uncomfortable under her gaze and awkwardly asked, "What are you doing?"
Mingxi: "Let me see what you were thinking, how could you do something so outrageous."
She bluntly said, "People who come for blind dates are all looking to get married. You and He Li have been on a successful blind date for so long, but you haven't mentioned marriage at all. You think you're both young and not in a hurry to get married? You're the one who thinks you're not in a hurry to get married. Have you asked He Li what she thinks?"
Guan Lixin was rendered speechless by Mingxi's words.
He never asked He Li what she thought.
Mingxi looked at him with disdain: "You didn't actually intend to marry He Li at all, and you just wanted to play around with her, did you?"
“How could I be that kind of person!” Guan Lixin said firmly. “Of course I want to marry He Li.”
He made his stance clear: "I like He Li, I love He Li, and if I could, I would marry He Li today."
Mingxi couldn't understand it. Since Guan Lixin also wanted to marry He Li, what was he so conflicted about? Could it be that He Li didn't want to marry him?
That shouldn't be the case either, He Li never said anything like that.
Mingxi couldn't understand, so she asked directly, "What's bothering you?"
Guan Lixin twitched his lips, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "I'm afraid He Li won't want to marry me."
He lowered his head and thought about it carefully. He didn't seem to have any advantages. He was of average appearance, average family background, and unemployed. The only advantage he could be considered was that he had money.
But He Li wasn't someone who was after money.
It's one thing for He Li to be willing to date him, but it's another thing for her to be willing to marry him.
Would He Li be willing to marry him? Marry a man who has nothing?
Mingxi couldn't help but roll her eyes as she listened to Guan Lixin stammering out his true feelings.
She never imagined that men could be so dramatic.
"If He Li doesn't want to marry you, why did she waste her time agreeing to date you?"
Lost in self-pity and melancholy, Guan Lixin suddenly looked up upon hearing this: "Xiaoming, do you mean that He Li should agree to marry me?"
Mingxi: "Of course!"
"You should ask He Li about any ideas you have first, instead of just thinking about them on your own."
Ultimately, marriage is a matter between Guan Lixin and He Li. Whether to get married and when to get married should be decided by He Li and Guan Lixin.
After listening to Ming Xi's words, Guan Lixin was greatly inspired. He said, "Then I'll go ask He Li," and left the Ming family.
Mingxi shook her head helplessly.
My friends, when you fall in love, your IQ really does drop.
Not long after Guan Lixin left, Ma Meixia came over again.
Mingxi opened the door and saw who it was, raising her eyebrows in surprise: "Why are you here? Is something the matter?"
"Can't I come over and chat with you even if there's nothing wrong?"
Ma Meixia was also very outgoing. She found a place to sit on the sofa and leaned against the armrest, crossing her legs. She said, "I've been staying at home every day since I got married. I'm so bored that I came over to visit you."
The Wei family is not close to the Ming family, so why would they travel all this way just to visit?
Mingxi remained noncommittal. She poured Ma Meixia a cup of tea and said, "Sure, you're welcome to come visit. By the way, how's your mother-in-law? She hasn't given you any trouble, has she?"
"Who, my mother-in-law?" Ma Meixia thought for a moment: "You mean Bai Shuzhen? She bullied me? Ha."
Ma Meixia sneered contemptuously.
"But you know what, that old woman isn't idle; she's trying to cause me trouble."
Mingxi, ever the gossip, pricked up her ears: "What's going on?"
Ma Meixia scoffed, "It's the same old trick. She thinks she can control me just because she's an elder. The very next morning after our wedding, around four o'clock, before dawn, she came knocking on my and Wei Yong'an's door, saying it was getting late and I should get up to make breakfast. I couldn't be bothered to pay her any attention. Let her knock all she wants, I'll just sleep. If she doesn't mind, let her knock."
"However, I overestimated her. I thought she could last for at least an hour, but she couldn't take it after just over twenty minutes and slunk back to her own little room."
Mingxi: "..."
Bai Shuzhen's ability to stay still for more than half an hour is already quite remarkable, isn't it?
Ma Meixia: "Later in the morning, after we got up, she was still being sarcastic to me. She said that when Wei Yong'an's previous wife was alive, she wasn't as lazy as me, staying in bed until dawn. Every time she called, I would get up and cook. I replied directly, if the previous wife was so good, then why did she divorce Wei Yong'an?"
Ma Meixia grinned and said, "As soon as I bring this up, Bai Shuzhen has nothing to say."
Bai Shuzhen harbored ulterior motives and deliberately tried to make Ma Meixia unhappy by being sarcastic and unpleasant. When the two were alone, she would often bring up Wei Yong'an's ex-wife and deliberately use Ma Meixia to put her down.
If it were an ordinary young wife, she wouldn't dare offend her elders, and even if she was unhappy, she could only endure it. But Ma Meixia was different. Bai Shuzhen dared to talk about Wei Yong'an's ex-wife, so she would mention that Wei Yong'an's ex-wife divorced because of her.
She deliberately made fun of Bai Shuzhen, and Bai Shuzhen couldn't say anything against her because she was the one who started the conversation.
Mingxichong and Ma Meixia gave a thumbs up, saying that Bai Shuzhen deserved to be treated this way.
Ma Meixia: "This isn't over yet. Bai Shuzhen realized that Wei Yong'an's ex-wife couldn't hurt me, so she changed her tactics. The next morning, in front of all the neighbors in our courtyard, she said that because I wanted to drink pork rib soup, she went to the market early in the morning to buy pork ribs. She wanted to pretend to be virtuous and pitiful, but I'm not going to play along with her."
Ma Meixia had heard that Bai Shuzhen liked to use this trick before she got married, so she took precautions early on.
"When Bai Shuzhen wasn't paying attention, I rushed up and snatched the plastic bag from her hand. When I opened it, sure enough, it wasn't ribs at all. It was clearly rotten meat like lymph nodes, intestines, and stomach. And it wasn't fresh at all. It all smelled terrible, like something that a slaughterhouse wouldn't take."
When she saw that Bai Shuzhen was packing these things in a black plastic bag, she knew something was wrong. Bai Shuzhen was such a nice person; if she really bought ribs, wouldn't she have flaunted them to everyone she met?
So Ma Meixia rushed up, snatched the bag, and immediately showed it to the neighbors in the courtyard.
She said, "I knew Bai Shuzhen was doing it on purpose, but I didn't expose her openly. When the people in the courtyard saw it, I even deliberately spoke up for her, saying that she must have been cheated by the butcher, who took advantage of her being an old woman with poor eyesight and deliberately gave her bad meat. I even dragged her to find the butcher to settle accounts."
Mingxi chuckled. Bai Shuzhen was doing it on purpose; how could she possibly go with Ma Meixia to settle accounts with the butcher?
Ma Meixia: "Don't let Bai Shuzhen's age fool you, she's over fifty. She cares a lot about her age. Every morning and evening, after washing her face, she spends half an hour applying makeup in front of the mirror. That's why I deliberately called her a dim-eyed old woman, which made her angry."
Ma Meixia made a face, showing how angry Bai Shuzhen was at the time.
"And as soon as I finished speaking, she immediately stopped me, not letting me go to the butcher to settle accounts. The neighbors in the courtyard understood what was going on just by looking at this."
With the example of Wei Yong'an's ex-wife from a few years ago, everyone in the courtyard knew without a doubt that Bai Shuzhen was resorting to the same old tricks to make things difficult for the new daughter-in-law. They all sided with Ma Meixia and criticized Bai Shuzhen.
Ma Meixia: "She couldn't stand being scolded by her neighbors in our courtyard, so that night she packed her bags and went to her own son's house."
Mingxi raised an eyebrow: "Isn't this great? She's going to her own son's house, leaving just the two of you at home for some alone time. Aren't you happy?"
Ma Meixia shrugged.
To be honest, she was happy that Bai Shuzhen left, but these past two days, Wei Yong'an went on a business trip and she was left alone at home, and she started to feel bored.
Ma Meixia rested her chin on her hand and said, "I still miss Bai Shuzhen a little and want to outwit her."
She had made many preparations before coming, but after only two moves, Bai Shuzhen escaped. It was really boring.
Mingxi: "...Your hobby is a bit unique."
Ma Meixia pouted: "You're only talking about me. What about you? How have you been lately? I heard that your Women's Federation is going to hold a social gathering, or maybe a ballroom dance party?"
Mingxi was surprised that she was so well-informed, even hearing about this matter.
But then I thought about it again. Wei Yong'an's textile factory was also participating in this social gathering, and since Wei Yong'an worked in the publicity department, it wasn't surprising that he knew about it and told Ma Meixia about it.
Mingxi: "Yes, that's right, it happened on the 21st of this month."
Ma Meixia: "That's great! I'd like to go and broaden my horizons too, but I heard that only unmarried comrades can sign up?"
“Yes.” Mingxi nodded: “Our social gathering is for introducing potential partners to the single employees in the factory, so only unmarried employees are allowed to participate. Married employees are not allowed to enter.”
This rule is to prevent married gay men from pretending to be single to deceive others.
After all, there are several hundred people from various factories who want to attend the get-together, and they don't know each other. If the rules aren't set strictly, someone might do something shameless.
Ma Meixia: "I can understand, I can understand."
She didn't actually want to attend the social gathering; she just couldn't resist the urge to join in the fun.
She had only heard of ballroom dances, but had never actually seen one.
Mingxi and Ma Meixia chatted at home for a while. Seeing that the sun was about to set, Ma Meixia said goodbye: "It's getting late, I should go."
After seeing her off, Mingxi went out to buy groceries. Coincidentally, on her way to buy groceries, Mingxi ran into Skinny Monkey, who had set up a stall outside.
A crowd had gathered around Skinny Monkey's stall, creating a bustling scene. Mingxi watched for a while, not wanting to disturb them, but Skinny Monkey saw her at that moment and waved enthusiastically, "Mingxi!"
Mingxi stepped forward: "Hou Wu, are you setting up a stall here today?"
Skinny Monkey nodded: "I've already talked to Brother Guan. We'll set up our stalls separately. He'll set up his stall near the stadium today, and I'll set up mine near the market. We'll avoid competing for each other's business."
Mingxi nodded. That's a good idea.
"Young man, give me two items, they're twenty-four, right?"
When a customer came in, Skinny Monkey paid the bill first: "Yes, one item is twelve, two items are twenty-four, that's just right. Take your things and leave!"
After paying the bill, he turned around. Mingxi, remembering her promise to introduce him to someone, said truthfully, "Um, I said I'd introduce you to someone last time, but when I looked back, I don't think I have any suitable women around me. To be honest, with your qualifications, it's not easy to find a city girl, but it's easier to find a girl from the countryside. Can you accept a partner from the countryside?"
Skinny Monkey paused for a moment, then remembered that he had asked Mingxi to introduce him to someone.
He scratched his head and said, "Well, I... I'm not really looking for a partner right now. Thank you for your help before. You don't need to rush to introduce me to anyone."
He had no intention of finding a partner. It was just a casual remark at the dinner table that day, and he forgot about it after the meal. Only today, when Mingxi brought it up, did he realize that Mingxi was serious about introducing him to someone.
Mingxi: "Ah, I see."
She didn't think much of it, only that the skinny monkey was too picky and looked down on country girls, so it was just an excuse.
However, since he was unwilling, Mingxi did not force him to introduce her to someone.
She exchanged a few more pleasantries with the man and then said goodbye. She had only been gone for two minutes when a little girl stopped her.
Although she was described as a little girl, the girl in front of me looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. She had two braids, carried a crossbody bag, and had a bit of baby fat on her face.
The little girl gripped the strap of her crossbody bag tightly, stood in front of Mingxi, and asked nervously, "Who are you? What's your name? What does your family do? Why do you know Brother Houwu?"
Mingxi found it amusing. She curled her lips and looked at the person in front of her with amusement.
"Young lady, before you ask me who I am, shouldn't you first introduce yourself so I know who you are?"
The little girl frowned and thought for a moment, seemingly finding Mingxi's words to be reasonable, and then introduced herself: "My name is Yuan Yuan, and I am Hou Wu's childhood sweetheart."
"Pfft—"
Mingxi couldn't help but laugh out loud. She stepped forward and ruffled Yuan Yuan's hair: "Little sister, do you know what childhood sweethearts are? You and Hou Wu are childhood sweethearts."
Yuan Yuan's angry face scrunched up. She took a step back and shook off Ming Xi's hand: "Of course I know what childhood sweethearts are!"
"I live in the same courtyard as Brother Hou Wu. We grew up together; we're childhood sweethearts. And you're not allowed to call me little sister. I'm already sixteen years old; I'm an adult!"
Even when the little girl was angry, Mingxi thought she was just a child and couldn't be serious at all. She nodded as if coaxing a child.
"Yes, yes, sixteen is already an adult."
Yuan Yuan was even angrier at Ming Xi's coaxing of her like a child. Her eyes reddened with anger, and she said, "Can you please stop treating me like a child? I'm serious. Hou Wu and I are childhood sweethearts. We are serious rivals in love."
Mingxi pointed to the tip of her nose.
Huh? A love rival?
Are you talking about her?
But she doesn't like Hou Wu.
Realizing that the girl in front of her must have misunderstood, Mingxi quickly waved her hand and explained, "No, no, no, I'm not your rival in love. I don't like Hou Wu."
Yuan Yuan was stunned. Her eyes widened as she stared intently at Ming Xi, seemingly wondering if Ming Xi was telling the truth.
After a moment, she shook her head: "No, you must be lying to me."
She argued logically: "Besides me, Brother Hou Wu doesn't have any other female friends. He doesn't usually talk to other women much either. But I just saw him call you over and talk to you. Your relationship must be special."
Mingxi chuckled, surprised that the child was quite clever.
She smiled and said, "Yes, my relationship with Hou Wu is special, but I'm not his girlfriend. I'm the matchmaker who introduces him to potential partners. He asked me to introduce him to someone, you understand?"
Fearing the little girl in front of her wouldn't believe her, Mingxi added, "If you don't believe me, you can go ask Hou Wu. I really am a matchmaker, introducing people to potential partners."
Yuan Yuan's eyebrows were furrowed, and even the skin on the tip of her nose was wrinkled.
Asking Hou Wuwen is definitely not an option.
She couldn't let Hou Wu know that she didn't go home after school every day, so she secretly followed Hou Wu to his stall.
But seeing how serious Mingxi and Bai Qing are, they probably aren't lying to her.
"Then, then I misunderstood you. I apologize." Yuan Yuan knew she had mistaken the person for someone else and apologized decisively: "I'm sorry. I thought you were Hou Wu's girlfriend, that's why I stopped you and took up your time. You can punish me however you want."
Punish her?
Mingxi doesn't need to argue with a child.
She waved her hand: "It's okay. Now you know I'm not Hou Wu's girlfriend, so can you let me leave?"
Yuan Yuan nodded at first, but then, as if thinking of something, she shook her head heavily.
"No, you can't leave." Yuan Yuan nervously gripped the strap of her schoolbag. "Since you're the matchmaker for Hou Wu, could you help me set him up with someone?"
Mingxi: "You?"
Looking at the young girl in front of her, she couldn't help but ask, "Little sister Yuan Yuan, do you like Hou Wu?"
Even though Mingxi tried her best to be friendly, in Yuan Yuan's eyes, Mingxi was still like a bad guy trying to abduct a young girl.
She took a half step back, clutching her clothes, and said warily, "Why are you asking this?"
Even if Yuan Yuan didn't say anything, Ming Xi could tell that this young girl liked Hou Wu, but no matter how much she liked him, Ming Xi couldn't introduce them to each other.
Introducing someone to an adult is simply introducing them to someone; introducing someone to a minor is a crime.
Mingxi earnestly advised, "Little sister Yuanyuan, you are still young. Right now, the most important thing for you is to study hard, strive to get into a good university, and have a good job in the future, instead of focusing on dating."
Mingxi: That's strange, why would I say something like that?
Sure enough, people often become the very thing they hated most when they grew up.
As a rebellious teenager, Yuan Yuan naturally wouldn't listen to Ming Xi's words. She pouted and said, "Why are you adults always like this? You think I'm a child and don't understand what love is. I'm sixteen now, not a child anymore. I know what love is. I love Brother Hou Wu, and I want to marry him and live with him."
Mingxi: ...
This topic seems a bit dangerous.
Mingxi coughed twice and advised the other party in the most straightforward way: "Ahem, I don't deny that young people have the right to love, but Yuan Yuan, you are only sixteen years old now, not yet an adult, and not yet of legal marriage age. If Hou Wu were to marry you, it would be illegal. So I can't help you find a partner."
Yuan Yuan: "Then I can date Brother Hou Wu first, and we can get married after I reach the legal age."
Mingxi: "That's between you and Hou Wu, it has nothing to do with me. Anyway, I can't help you two get together."
Yuan Yuan lowered her head in disappointment.
"Yuan Yuan?"
As luck would have it, Wu walked over at that moment and saw her in surprise: "Yuan Yuan, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you go straight home after school?"
Caught red-handed, Yuan Yuan looked up guiltily, stammering, "I...I..."
"I have something to do, I'm leaving now." She said this and left in a hurry.
Watching her disappear in a flash, Hou Wu looked at Ming Xi with a puzzled expression: "Ming Xi, do you know Yuan Yuan? How did you two end up together?"
Mingxi didn't hide anything from Yuan Yuan and told Hou Wu the truth about what had just happened: "Yuan Yuan thought I was your girlfriend and stopped me on the way, declaring herself your rival. After I explained to her that I was just a matchmaker to introduce you to potential partners, she wanted me to help her find someone else."
At this point, Mingxi looked up and teased Hou Wu: "I didn't expect you to be so successful, having such an admirer."
Hou Wu sighed and rubbed his forehead, then smiled wryly, "Stop teasing me."
“Yuan Yuan is just a child, four or five years younger than me. I only see her as a younger sister. What does she know about liking or disliking me? I think she's just joking. Don't take this seriously.”
Mingxi tilted her head: "I don't think so."
The young girl was quite serious; you could tell she really liked Hou Wu.
Hou Wu still didn't take it to heart: "Hey, Yuan Yuan is just a kid. When she was little, she always followed me around. I didn't have a younger sister, so I took care of her like a younger sister. Over the years, she's probably gotten used to being taken care of by me, so she jokingly says she likes me. Actually, she doesn't like me at all; she just can't bear to part with me, her playmate."
"You can distinguish between liking and being reluctant to part with your playmates, but can Yuan Yuan do the same?" Mingxi pointed out incisively.
Hou Wu then realized that his assumption that Yuan Yuan was joking was based on the premise that Yuan Yuan herself was a mature adult who could distinguish between what she liked and what she was just joking about.
But Yuan Yuan is not.
Hou Wu's expression immediately turned serious. He solemnly thanked him, "Thank you for your reminder, Comrade Ming. I will find time to explain it to Yuan Yuan another day."
Mingxi: "Then you should talk to her properly. She's still a child. Don't be too harsh. If you hurt her, she might do something bad in a moment of impulse."
Hou Wu nodded seriously and said, "I will."
While the two were talking, Hou Wu ran into an acquaintance. The woman was a long-haired woman wearing a linen dress and carrying two books. She greeted Hou Wu.
"What a coincidence, Hou Wu, I've met you here. And this is...?"
She looked at Mingxi with a curious expression.
Fearing misunderstanding, Mingxi spoke first to explain: "I am Mingxi, the matchmaker who introduced Hou Wu to a potential partner. I just happened to run into you here."
This answer clearly surprised the woman opposite her. She pursed her lips, momentarily unable to think of a suitable way to address Mingxi.
"Hello, matchmaker, no, Comrade Ming, my name is Ning Manqing."
Mingxi smiled and shook hands with her: "Hello, hello, Comrade Ning."
After exchanging greetings, Ning Manqing looked at Hou Wu and handed him the book in her hand: "This is the book you mentioned wanting to borrow at the library last time, but someone else borrowed it in advance. I happened to see the person who borrowed it returning it when I went there today, so I borrowed it for you. I was originally going to give it to you at your house, but I didn't expect to run into you on the road, which saved me the trouble of making the trip."
"Ah! I had forgotten, and you were still thinking of me!"
Hou Wu rubbed his hands on the hem of his clothes before reaching out to take the book Ning Manqing handed him.
Ning Manqing smiled slightly, revealing a shallow dimple in her eyes: "I just happened to see it at the library."
She pointed to the side and said, "I have something to do later. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
Hou Wu, holding the book, waved with a dreamy smile on his face: "Bye-bye."
He stared intently at Ning Manqing until she slowly walked away and disappeared from sight.
Mingxi: "Hey, snap out of it!"
Hou Wu seemed to snap out of a daze. He turned around and asked, "Huh? What's wrong?"
Mingxi winked: "What, you like Comrade Ning?"
She now understood why Hou Wu suddenly said he didn't want her to introduce him to anyone; it turned out he already had someone he loved.
Hou Wu's expression was flustered, making eight movements in a second: shaking his head, waving his hands, and tugging at his clothes: "No, I don't like Comrade Ning, I just, I just..."
His lips twitched, but he couldn't quite articulate what he was for a long time.
Hou Wu's behavior was all too obvious. Even if Ming Xi were blind, he could see that Hou Wu liked Ning Manqing.
Mingxi: "I either like it or I don't. Anyway, Comrade Ning isn't here right now, so just tell me the truth, what's the big deal?"
Hou Wu rubbed his hair, frowned and said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to tell the truth, it's that I feel I'm not good enough for her."
Hou Wu didn't know what was wrong with him. He wasn't usually such a talkative person, but he felt different whenever Ning Manqing was around.
"Comrade Ning graduated from high school and is now a teacher at a school. He's a proper intellectual. As for me? I'm just a street vendor. I stopped going to school after elementary school. Someone like me would be ashamed to have my name next to Comrade Ning's."
Mingxi thought for a moment and said, "This is your idea, but it may not be Comrade Ning's idea. Since you like her, be brave and tell her. Even if you are rejected, it will still be considered that you tried."
Hou Wu quickly waved his hand: "That won't do, it would be too much of a bother to Comrade Ning."
Seeing that he was absolutely unwilling, Mingxi felt that there was no point in saying anything more, so she waved her hand and said, "Then you can just hold it in and die of holding it in."
She lifted her leg to leave, but after thinking for a moment, she turned back and said, "Anyway, just don't regret it when Comrade Ning finds a partner in the future."
After saying that, Mingxi turned and left.
But to his surprise, Hou Wu came to him again the next day.
Hou Wu looked troubled: "Mingxi, Comrade Ming, can you help me talk to Yuan Yuan? I can't explain it to her."
Mingxi: "What happened?"
Hou Wu's eyes were filled with resentment: "Wasn't it your reminder yesterday that made me realize I should make things clear with Yuan Yuan that her feelings for me aren't love, but just that she sees me as a playmate? So I went to see Yuan Yuan today, but no matter what I said to her, I just couldn't get through to her. She firmly believes that she likes me and even said she wants to marry me and have my children."
Honestly, he only ever saw Yuan Yuan as a younger sister, so when he heard her say those words, he was nearly scared to death.
Hou Wu: "I really have no other choice. Mingxi, you're a woman, so you should understand what a young girl like Yuan Yuan is thinking. I beg you, please talk to Yuan Yuan for me. I really only see her as a younger sister, the kind of younger sister. I don't have any romantic feelings for her at all! Not even a little bit!"
“This…” Mingxi hesitated, “I’m not sure I can do it either.”
Hou Wu: "Then please give it a try."
He looked pleading, as if he wanted to kneel down before Mingxi.
He was truly out of options.
Mingxi hesitated for a moment, but eventually agreed.
In an effort to persuade Yuan Yuan, Mingxi even brought Huang Pingping along.
She saw Yuan Yuan as a potential candidate for being love-struck, so the only option was to send out Huang Pingping, who had previously been love-struck.
Huang Pingping was quite happy when Mingxi found her. Since their marriage, Mingxi had never contacted her, and she thought he had forgotten about her. However, when facing Mingxi, she still pouted proudly, unwilling to admit her happiness.
Mingxi knew that Huang Pingping was proud and aloof, so she quickly coaxed her, "Don't be upset. It's not that I didn't want to come and see you, it's just that I've been too busy lately. I've been working and playing matchmaker for people, I've been so busy that I haven't had a moment to rest."
Huang Pingping was as easy to coax as ever: "Alright then, considering how busy you are, I'll let it go."
She hugged Mingxi's arm: "So you came to see me today because you want to go out and have fun with me? I happen to know a good place to go, I heard..."
Mingxi touched her nose and chuckled dryly, "Actually, I came to see you today because I have something to discuss."
Huang Pingping: "Okay, I knew it. You wouldn't come looking for me if you had nothing to do."
She withdrew her arm and crossed her arms: "Speak, what brings you here?"
Mingxi: "Is that so..."
She told Huang Pingping about Yuan Yuan's situation. After listening, Huang Pingping put her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and said angrily, "So, you came to me just to use me as a negative example to tell people that I was fooled by Feng Fan and thought he was my true love, right?"
Mingxi waved her hand sheepishly: "It's not that serious."
Huang Pingping cast a suspicious glance at Mingxi.
Mingxi tilted her head, pinching her thumb and forefinger together: "Okay, I admit I did intend to use you as a negative example, but only a little bit. It's all in the past, and you've moved on now. Sharing this story to help a lost teenage girl find her way back is quite meaningful, isn't it?"
Huang Pingping: "It seems a bit..."
Huang Pingping was as easily fooled as ever. Before Mingxi could say anything, she agreed to help persuade Yuan Yuan.
And so, Yuan Yuan was taken to the Ming family by Hou Wu, where she met Huang Pingping and Ming Xi.
Yuan Yuan already knew their purpose for today on the way here, so when she saw the two of them, her face was full of resistance: "I know what you want to do, isn't it to make me lose interest in Brother Hou Wu?"
She kept a straight face and said, "Impossible. My feelings for Brother Hou Wu won't change just because of what you say. I like him, that's all."
Hearing this, Mingxi didn't think anything of it. She nodded and said, "Then what do you like about him?"
Yuan Yuan: "I like Hou Wu's patience. You don't understand. I grew up with Hou Wu since I was a child. My brother thought I was troublesome and didn't want to play with me. Only Hou Wu didn't mind and always played with me."
Mingxi: "Then who can play with you?"
Yuan Yuan: Change someone else, change someone else...
"I would still like Brother Hou Wu even if it were someone else!"
Despite saying that, Yuan Yuan's tone was far less firm than before.
Noticing the uncertainty in her tone, Mingxi pressed on: "You said before that you liked Hou Wu and wanted to marry him, but have you thought about what you would do after you get married? Have you thought about having sex after marriage?"
Hearing this, Yuan Yuan's face instantly turned bright red. At fifteen or sixteen, she understood everything. It was just that people usually used "that" as a euphemism when discussing these topics; no one had ever spoken of sex so directly. For a minor like her, these words were truly inappropriate.
She thought about it after listening to Mingxi's words, and decided to do that kind of thing with Hou Wu.
Yuan Yuan's face turned from red to white.
To be honest, the thought of doing that kind of thing with Hou Wu made her feel a little strange and disgusted.
Mingxi: "Perhaps you still simply enjoy playing with Hou Wu, eating and drinking together, and being treated like a little sister by him, playing house together?"
Yuan Yuan wanted to retort, but Ming Xi's words had a huge impact on her, and she couldn't think of a rebuttal for a moment.
At this moment, Mingxi said, "Yuan Yuan, I don't think you're immature because you're young. I just think that you're still young and haven't experienced enough people and things, so you might not be able to distinguish between friendship and love."
“Like this older sister, she couldn’t distinguish what love was before, and she was almost deceived by a gay man.” Mingxi pointed to Huang Pingping.
Huang Pingping received the hint and reluctantly stepped forward: "Yes, that's what happened to me before. I used to date someone because he saved me. I thought he was very responsible and manly, so I fell in love with him and started dating him. But later I found out that he was not what I imagined at all, and I didn't really like him. I couldn't tolerate his shortcomings at all. I was just misled by the fact that he saved me and mistook gratitude for love."
Mingxi: "Tell Yuan Yuan about the shortcomings of your ex."
Huang Pingping: "There are so many. He's short, unhygienic, doesn't like to shower, and is stingy. We dated for three months, and he didn't spend a single penny on me. I even paid for the movie tickets when we went to the movies. Besides, he's poor, his family favors boys over girls, and he wanted to live off me, asking me to quit my job and give it to him. He also has a foul mouth; after we broke up, he even tried to slander me..."
Huang Pingping rambled on for a while, then Mingxi asked, "Yuan Yuan, does Hou Wu have any shortcomings?"
Yuan Yuan didn't speak, but she was thinking to herself: Hou Wu doesn't seem to be very hygienic, nor does he seem very generous, and Hou Wu isn't very tall either...
Waaaaah, Hou Wu has all the same flaws that Huang Pingping's ex-boyfriend had!
Because of the childhood sweetheart filter, all of Hou Wu's previously overlooked flaws suddenly surfaced in Yuan Yuan's mind.
The thought that Hou Wu wasn't the all-powerful older brother she knew who would play with her, but rather an ordinary man full of flaws, made Yuan Yuan feel a little sad.
Yuan Yuan: "Um, stop talking, all of you stop talking! I need to calm down!"
After saying that, she left in a panic, not even glancing at Hou Wu who was waiting at the door.
Hou Wu rushed into the room: "So, how did it go? I saw Yuan Yuan run out without saying a word. Did you still not convince her?"
He sighed, "Forget it, if that still doesn't work, I'll talk to Yuan Yuan's parents and ask them to keep an eye on things..."
Mingxi interrupted Hou Wu: "Didn't you hear me just now?"
Hou Wu: "What did you hear?"
To make it easier for the women to talk, he squatted outside the room the whole time, and he didn't hear a word of the conversation inside.
Mingxi: "Didn't you hear the sound of a young girl's heart breaking?"
Hou Wu: "Huh?"
Mingxi shook her head, looked at Hou Wu with pity, and said, "Yuan Yuan has been persuaded by us, she probably won't like you anymore. But you should be prepared, because your image in Yuan Yuan's heart might not be very good right now..."
Hou Wu scratched his head. "It's nothing."
He doesn't really care about his image.
At this time, Hou Wu was unaware that later, every time Yuan Yuan saw him, she would think of his lack of hygiene, and eventually, she would pinch her nose when passing by him.
Hou Wu breathed a sigh of relief after getting rid of Yuan Yuan, this little admirer.
Mingxi couldn't help but tease, "Don't underestimate Yuan Yuan just because she's young. She's incredibly courageous. She just says whoever she likes directly. She's much more impressive than some adults."
Hou Wu knew that Ming Xi's words were directed at him, but he still kept his head down and remained silent.
He is not good enough for Ning Manqing.
There's no need to confess your feelings; it would only cause unnecessary trouble for the other person.
At that time, Ning Manqing might have to worry about how to get rid of him, just like he was worrying about how to get rid of Yuan Yuan.
Seeing him like this, Mingxi shook her head helplessly.
Love is such a tormenting thing.
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Author's Note: Hou Wu: I'm not unhygienic! (Serious face)
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