Chapter 40
After staying at the wedding hotel until nightfall, Jiang Lan took Xiao Ming to the local night market. They strolled around, filled their stomachs, and returned to the hotel.
Wen Hui told them they didn't know how late they would rest tonight. Before leaving, Wen Hui invited Xiao Ming to her house early the next morning. Xiao Ming shook his head: "Sang Zi isn't here, and your family isn't familiar with me and Jiang Lan, so we won't cause any trouble. We'll go straight to the hotel when it's time, so you don't need to worry about us."
My roommate Sangzi, who stayed in Beijing after graduation, was too busy with work to come. Xiaoming and Jianglan felt awkward going since they were unfamiliar with the area.
Since they were just going to a banquet, both of them were dressed casually.
Xiaoming wore a pink knitted camisole with a denim maxi skirt and canvas shoes. She carried the small bag Jiang Lan had recently given her and, while Jiang Lan, dressed in a white T-shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes, took a taxi directly to the hotel.
The hotel lobby was already quite full of people. Xiaoming went to the registration desk, handed over his and Sangzi's gift money red envelopes to the inner counter, and wrote their names in the register.
As usual, the two found a table where young people sat and waited for the wedding to begin. Bored, Jiang Lan pulled Xiao Ming's hand and kept turning the ring on her middle finger.
The girl sitting next to Jiang Lan kept glancing at him, then turned to whisper to another girl next to her for a while. After being nudged a few times by the girl next to her, she asked Jiang Lan hesitantly, "Hey handsome, can I add a green bubble tea?"
Jiang Lan turned her body slightly towards Xiao Ming, lifted Xiao Ming's hand, pointed to the rings on their clasped hands, and shook her head at the girl next to her.
The girl's face visibly turned red. She raised her hand to cover her face, said "I'm sorry" several times, and then ran to another table to sit down. The other girl saw her friend run away and followed her.
Xiao Ming watched the whole thing and couldn't help but smile.
Jiang Lan let her laugh, then raised her hand to check the time: "It's been half an hour since the agreed time. I hope nothing unexpected has happened."
Xiao Ming was also puzzled: "Waiting here is annoying, let's go to the hotel entrance and take a look."
As soon as the two of them went down to the lobby, they saw a group of people gathered at the hotel entrance, making a fuss. When they got closer, they saw that the group of people were surrounding a wedding car. Tang Jindong was bending down and talking to a fat woman who was blocking the car door from opening.
Xiao Ming, who squeezed through the gap, asked the young man standing behind him, "What's going on?"
"The bride's aunt said she wanted a red envelope of 66,000 yuan when she got out of the car. She hadn't mentioned this amount before, but she only asked for it when she got out of the car. Where was she going to get that much money? That's why we're at a stalemate."
Xiao Ming frowned upon hearing this and looked at Wen Hui's parents, who remained silent. Her younger brother, who was still small, was also just staring blankly at them along with his parents.
In the back seat of the wedding car, there was not only Wen Hui, but also another woman who seemed to be holding onto Wen Hui's arm tightly, preventing her from getting out of the car.
Tang Jindong's parents looked angry, but they suppressed their anger and kept saying nice things to Aunt Wenhui, saying that they would hold the wedding first and that the money would be easy to discuss.
Xiao Ming tiptoed and whispered in Jiang Lan's ear, "If this goes on, their marriage might fall through. Go and get that fat woman away, and I'll pull Wen Hui out."
Jiang Lan nodded, and she and Xiao Ming squeezed in, getting close to the wedding car. Jiang Lan winked at Xiao Ming, then suddenly kicked Aunt Wen Hui, who fell to the ground from the solid kick.
Taking advantage of the situation, Xiao Ming opened the car door and dragged Wen Hui, who looked anxious, out. He yelled at Tang Jindong, who was stunned by the sudden turn of events, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take your wife upstairs!"
A relative of Wen Hui's, who was standing nearby, shouted, "Who the hell are you?! Why are you causing trouble at someone's wedding?!"
Tang Jindong's people were quick-witted; ignoring the bride's parents and relatives, they escorted the bride and groom upstairs.
"We are Wen Hui."
Aunt Wenhui, who lay on the ground for a long time unable to get up, kept wailing: "They've hit someone! Ouch! They've killed someone!"
The woman in the wedding car also got out and went to help Aunt Wenhui, who was lying on the ground: "Mom, are you alright? Are you hurt? If you are, we'll call the police."
Xiao Ming ignored the fat pig and asked Wen Hui's parents, "Uncle and Aunt, aren't you going upstairs? The wedding is about to start."
Wenhui's mother looked embarrassed, as if she had just realized what was happening, and pulled her son inside, saying, "Let's go up, let's go up."
When Wenhui's relatives saw the host go up, they all followed suit.
Jiang Lan asked Aunt Wen Hui, who was sitting on the ground slapping her thigh, with a cold face: "Do you want to call the police? If it's inconvenient for you to call, I can."
Aunt Wenhui then looked up at the person who kicked her. After recognizing the man's face, she paused in her wailing: "I don't have to report it, but you have to pay me compensation."
How much do you want?
"Six hundred... five hundred is fine too..."
Jiang Lan sneered: "Two hundred."
Wenhui's aunt's daughter looked at Jiang Lan and nudged her mother.
Aunt Wenhui gritted her teeth: "Two hundred it is, you can transfer it to my daughter, Lvpao."
Xiao Ming bit his lip a few times, struggling to suppress his laughter. No wonder the beauty trap has always been so effective.
He pulled two red bills out of his bag and handed them to Jiang Lan, who then tossed them onto Aunt Wen Hui's skirt before pulling Xiao Ming and turning to go into the hotel.
When the couple finished tidying up in the restroom and returned to the hall, the wedding had already been going on for quite some time.
They found an empty seat at a table near the entrance and sat down to watch the wedding.
I don't know if it was because of the red envelope incident today, but a lot of the original wedding procedures were cut. The newlyweds changed how they addressed their parents on stage, and they didn't even give a speech before the banquet started.
During the event, the newlyweds came over to offer toasts, and Tang Jindong and Wen Hui thanked Jiang Lan and Xiao Ming repeatedly, urging them to stay a few more days.
After the wedding banquet, Jiang Lan and Xiao Ming took photos with the newlyweds. Xiao Ming pulled Wen Hui aside and said, "You need to stand on your own two feet from now on. This time is over, but what about next time? You're relying on Tang Jindong to support you. How long can he carry the load alone?"
You know I'm someone who hates trouble, so if you're just going to cry and complain, I hope you won't call me again.
Tang Jindong listened in silence, while Wen Hui looked ashamed, her eyes instantly reddening: "I...I'm sorry..."
"You've wronged Tang Jindong. Try to live well with him from now on. If your parents and relatives aren't supportive, stay away from them. After all, the people you'll be living with in the future are Tang Jindong and your child."
On the way back, Jiang Lan asked Xiao Ming, "They say that strangers shouldn't sever ties with their relatives, so why did you tell her to stay away from her own parents?"
"We're from all over the country, and I think this is the last time we'll see each other. As we get older, we'll both be busy with our own families and children, and we'll probably lose touch. What's the point of maintaining a close relationship when it's destined to end?"
"Did we almost break up last year because we were afraid of the trouble?"
"Yeah, starting a relationship means not only thinking about the present but also about the future, which is very troublesome."
"So you only agreed to continue when I said you wouldn't be responsible?"
"I guess so, but my feelings for you grew deeper and deeper, and for you, those so-called troubles were no longer troubles."
Jiang Lan once again experienced the power of Xiao Ming's direct approach. The resentment he had been harboring about not getting a response to his "I love you" instantly dissipated. He felt as if he was floating on clouds for countless days until the receptionist called him on the internal line: "Mr. Jiang, there is a Ms. Yao Xue at the front desk who says she is your classmate and wants to see you."
Upon hearing the name "Yao Xue," Jiang Lan instantly flew into a rage: Is she a ghost? Why is she so persistent! If she were to be kicked out, she might be waiting for her outside, and she might also be afraid that Yao Xue would gossip to others.
"Let her wait."
He hurriedly took out his phone to find Xiaoming. He knew that Xiaoming had been messing with Yao Xue recently. Although she hadn't told him directly, she hadn't deliberately avoided him when she was texting or talking to others.
Honey, Yao Xue came to my company! Come quick!
After a short wait, Xiaoming replied: "Don't worry, I'll send you a video. Ask her what she wants from you. If she shows signs of wanting to keep bothering you, play the video for her, and then call me on speakerphone."
Jiang Lan called the front desk and asked them to arrange a meeting room so she could bring Yao Xue in.
He received the video but didn't watch it; he got up and went to the meeting room.
Yao Xue was holding a glass of water. When she saw Jiang Lan come in, she stood up and called out softly, "Jiang Lan."
Jiang Lan nodded and closed the door. When Yao Xue saw that he had actually closed the door, her eyes lit up, and then she lowered her eyes and remained silent.
"Have a seat. What can I do for you?"
Yao Xue raised her bare, pale face, without any makeup, looked at Jiang Lan, her eyes reddening, her voice trembling with tears: "Jiang Lan, I did something wrong, and now I'm paying the price, but I'm at my wit's end. Can you help me?"
Perhaps infected by Xiaoming's love of gossip, Jiang Lan's initial intention to send him away was suppressed by her desire to find out more gossip.
What did you do wrong?
Yao Xue hesitated for a moment, looking ashamed: "After graduation, I went to work at my senior's law firm. He took good care of me, and over time, we developed feelings for each other. He always told me he was single, and I believed him. I never expected that one day his wife would come to me in a rage, accusing me of seducing a married man, and then she beat me up."
I was unable to fight back. In the end, she wasn't paying attention and slipped while hitting me, resulting in a miscarriage. I didn't know she was pregnant. Afterwards, I was filled with remorse and too ashamed to stay at the law firm, so I went back to my hometown.
But I didn't expect my senior's wife to be so persistent and take the case to court. She's a local, and many of her family members are in the legal field. In the end, I was detained for ten days, and I also compensated her and sincerely apologized. I thought my sincerity was enough, but I didn't expect her to contact my workplace. Now I've lost my job and can't stay in the county town anymore.
Jiang Lan, only you can help me now, please help me, okay?
Jiang Lan smiled and asked her, "How can I help you?"
Yao Xue reached out to grasp Jiang Lan's hand, which was resting on the table, but Jiang Lan quickly withdrew both hands.
Yao Xue bit her lip: "Can I work at your company? I can do any job, and I don't need a high salary."
Hearing this, Jiang Lan lost interest in continuing the conversation. She opened her phone, clicked on the video Xiao Ming had sent her, and placed the phone in front of Yao Xue: "Take a look at this first."
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