Li Yuemei blushed and was embarrassed to accept the ticket, but Lao Liang simply put it in her hand and said, "You're great in every way, except you're easily embarrassed. Why are you being so polite with me? We're all family. Eat up! You have to go to work after you finish eating."
The two finished their conversation and quickly ate their meal. Qi Zhifang coldly watched Li Yuemei from the corner. Li Yuemei's complexion was noticeably better than when Qi Zhifang first saw her before the New Year. She must have spent a lot of Lao Liang's money during this time.
She thought to herself, "Shameless! You dare to take Lao Liang's money? You're really cheap. Is that all you've got? Lao Liang treated me to potstickers yesterday. You shameless thing, daring to take Lao Liang's money. Fine, I, Qi Zhifang, am not a stingy person. Consider this money as your wages for spending so much time with her. But after this, I will take over Lao Liang's job, and you can step down!"
After dinner, she waited anxiously in the office. As soon as it was time to leave work, she hurriedly left with her bag and rushed to the potsticker shop. She sat down in the same spot and waited for half an hour, but Lao Liang still hadn't come. Her face grew increasingly pale. Just when she thought Lao Liang had stood her up and was about to leave, Lao Liang finally arrived late. After entering the room, he still looked at Qi Zhifang with that restrained and melancholy gaze.
He walked slowly but firmly to Qi Zhifang, sat down, and looked at her like an unreasonable child, sighing helplessly and saying, "Why bother?"
Qi Zhifang stared at him stubbornly, without saying a word. The silent question made Lao Liang give in first, saying, "I admit that I deliberately came late because I felt that what we were doing was playing with fire, so reason told me that we should end it and keep our distance. But my emotions made me unable to control myself. I thought that when I came, I would see your figure already gone, look at the cold spot, and then give up. But I didn't expect you to be so persistent, waiting for me all this time."
Qi Zhifang gave a sad laugh and said, "I've thought about letting it go, forgetting it, and breaking up. But I can't control my heart. I always want more. Maybe I'm greedy, but you're not married and you're still free, so why can't we be brave and be a pair of flamingos that everyone envies?"
She burst into tears and whispered, "Please, don't reject me. I know you don't have much hope of choosing me in the end, but I want to try, to be brave. At least I'll try. Can't I give up? Even a failed attempt is better than a grand plan that dies in the womb. Let me do it once. Even if I fail, I won't regret it."
Old Liang said with a complicated expression, "Zhifang, we can't do this. It's not fair to the three of us. The road of marriage is too crowded; there's no room for three people to walk together." He sighed again and said, "You sit down first. I'll get something to eat. Let's eat first and then talk!"
A little while later, two more jin of potstickers and two plates of cold dishes arrived. Old Liang ordered two liang of liquor for himself, and just as he was about to pour it, he looked up at Qi Zhifang and said, "You don't mind, do you?"
Qi Zhifang laughed and said, "What kind of man doesn't smoke and drink? Let him drink!"
After pouring himself a cup with a five-qian cup, Lao Liang took a sip, ate a potsticker, and seeing that Qi Zhifang hadn't touched it, said, "Eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Qi Zhifang awkwardly picked up her chopsticks and ate five or six more in one go before stopping. She glanced at Lao Liang, lowered her head, and said, "I really can't forget you. Please don't reject me, okay?"
Old Liang took another sip and said with difficulty, "We've already met each other's families, and everything's been agreed upon. The wedding date has been set. Do you understand? We can't give up getting our marriage certificate and getting married because of any factors. Zhifang, I've told you before, we met too late, and I wasn't brave enough back then. Now that it's a done deal, why force yourself and make things difficult for others?"
Qi Zhifang, tears welling up in her eyes, said in a suppressed voice, "I don't want anything to do with you. You're not married yet, we haven't registered our marriage, can't we just try it out for a while? Do you think that after you've stirred my heart, you can just leave, and I can just let go? You said before that you wanted to keep a memory, so can you make that memory more beautiful, longer, even if it's just a dream, can you let me finish it?"
Old Liang took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, saying, "Don't cry. Your tears are like little hammers, each one hitting my heart, it hurts so much." He then drank another cup, sighed, and looked at Qi Zhifang, saying, "What can I do with you? You stubborn girl. Eat up, and I'll take you home after you're done."
Qi Zhifang stopped crying and smiled, quickly enjoying a delicious meal. After finishing, she looked at Lao Liang and gave him a mischievous smile. Lao Liang then packed up another pound of food, along with the remaining bits, and gave it to Qi Zhifang, saying, "I know what you're thinking. You were supervising me and Li Yuemei in the cafeteria again today, weren't you? I'll pack some for you too, so you can take it home for your family to try."
Qi Zhifang snorted and said, "Could you please not mention her when we're together in the future? I don't want to hear that name."
Old Liang chuckled and said, "You're being childish again. It's not like she doesn't exist just because I don't mention her. She's a living, breathing person standing between us; she's an insurmountable obstacle."
Qi Zhifang started acting like a rogue: "I don't care, I don't care. Just when you're with me, you can't mention him when you're with me. You have to be good to only me."
Walking into a deserted alley, Qi Zhifang intentionally or unintentionally brushed against Lao Liang. Lao Liang stopped his bicycle, pulled her into his arms, and their hearts pounded like drums, making them both feel extremely nervous. As their breathing grew heavier, Lao Liang pulled her close and kissed her passionately, his hands slowly slipping inside her clothes and climbing up to her breasts. Just as Qi Zhifang was lost in passion, Lao Liang pushed her away, panting, and said, "No, this isn't right. Zhifang, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to. Your house is just ahead, you should go home!" With that, he rode off on his bicycle.
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