Chapter 4, "Bring Someone Better"...
Chapter Four: "Bringing an Even Better One"
When Li Yue returned home, it was six o'clock, just as dusk was falling.
A small house made of wooden planks and asbestos tiles was built in front of the house. It was a shared kitchen with the next-door neighbor, and it could only accommodate two people when cooking.
Li Yue peeked into the kitchen and saw her cousin stir-frying shredded potatoes. She said with a displeased expression, "Where have you been? You've been gone for so long."
"Nowhere."
Who is the man looking for you?
Li Yue said, "The person who saved me yesterday came over to ask me about the situation."
My cousin finally calmed down.
At dinner time, although Li Yue ate a bowl of dumplings, she also ate some rice and shredded potatoes.
After finishing her meal, she cleared the table and washed the dishes at the tap outside. Someone came over and called out, "Yueyue."
In the dim light, Li Yue looked at the other person.
The newcomer is Wu Rongrong, 19 years old, who stole Li Dongping, the original owner's first love, and will be getting married this Sunday.
The two faced off in the night. Li Yue looked at the other without showing any emotion. Finally, Rongrong spoke up: "Yueyue, will you be my bridesmaid?"
"No way," Li Yue refused outright. "Don't we already have Yan Mei?"
"My mom said we need two bridesmaids."
Li Yue said, "I'm not going. You should find someone else."
"You two are my childhood friends. The three of us grew up together. Only you and Yanmei are the most suitable."
Li Yue suppressed her anger.
Thinking about how much pain and sorrow the original owner of this body had endured, she couldn't swallow her anger. If she hadn't transmigrated, the original owner would probably have died. This girl was just too kind, always swallowing her anger; she had to help her vent her frustrations.
Wu Rongrong softened her tone: "Yueyue, if you don't go, it means you still mind and haven't forgiven Dongping and me, but this wasn't my fault."
"Isn't this your fault? It's because you can't control yourself."
Wu Rongrong sighed: "But their family doesn't approve of you two. It's not my fault. No one can change your background. Besides, I liked him even more than you did. My feelings for him are no less than yours."
Li Yue and Gu Yanmei lived in the same residential compound, Wu Rongrong's family lived in a nearby alley, and Li Dongping's family lived in another nearby compound. The four of them had studied and played together since they were very young. Wu Rongrong did indeed have a crush on Li Dongping first, but Li Dongping liked Li Yue. In matters of the heart, it's not fair to say who liked whom first is right.
After Li Dongping's family disapproved, Wu Rongrong comforted Li Dongping, and the two became very close. Eventually, they got together and were even seen by Gu Yanmei hugging and kissing.
Under pressure from all sides, Li Dongping decided to marry her.
Hearing the commotion outside, my aunt came out and called out, "It's Rongrong, come in and sit down."
Wu Rongrong, with her sweet tongue, said, "Auntie, I'm discussing being a bridesmaid with Yueyue."
My aunt agreed: "You two grew up together, it's a good match."
Li Yue said, "I did not agree."
Auntie couldn't help but speak up for Rongrong: "Look at your temper. You've changed so much since you got sick. Don't worry, Rongrong, I'll definitely persuade her."
"I'm not going, and that's final. There's no point in saying anything more."
Seeing that Yueyue was adamant and wouldn't budge, Wu Rongrong could only say, "I'm going home now. Yueyue, you should think it over carefully."
There's nothing to consider.
Despite my aunt's efforts to persuade me, saying things like, "Your background is determined by fate, you can't blame others, and you can't block other people's marriages. Besides, isn't the deputy factory director's family better off than Li Dongping's? It was your own choice not to accept it."
Li Yue was too lazy to argue about it anymore, so she washed up and went into her room.
As we were going to bed, my cousin asked, "Sis, are you really not going to be Rongrong's bridesmaid?"
Li Yue: "If it were you, would you be willing?"
"I'm not willing."
"Look..."
"But I think they were quite nice to you, they kept trying to comfort you."
“They have something to hide. I don’t know what their motives are for constantly asking me to be a bridesmaid at the wedding. They must want everyone to laugh at me.”
My straightforward cousin hummed in agreement: "Possibly. After all, the whole residential compound is watching you make a fool of yourself."
Li Yue: "What are they all saying?"
"It's not just those things. You seem very well-behaved, but deep down you're a capitalist's daughter. You have high standards and you don't even like the deputy factory director's son. It will be even harder for you to get married in the future. You might end up marrying an old, poor, and ugly man."
"They really said that?"
That's exactly what I mean.
People in the courtyard, having nothing better to do, love to gossip about these things. Li Yue turned away, not wanting to discuss the matter any further.
But my cousin said again, "Sister, you're not really going to end up marrying an old, poor, and ugly man, are you?"
Li Yue felt a tightness in her chest: "Can't you wish me well for once? It's not like getting married is the only way out."
My cousin is very straightforward and hardworking, but she doesn't have any bad intentions.
“It’s not that I don’t want things to go well for you, it’s just that you’re really picky. Even though you’re pretty, don’t you ever think about the practicalities? You can’t even find a job now,” my cousin said.
“It’s not like I’m the only one who can’t find a job; you can’t find one either. So many students have graduated in the last three years, and they’re all just wandering the streets.” Mentioning this, Li Yue asked her cousin, “I heard they might assign these unemployed graduates to work in rural or border areas. If that’s true, would you be willing to go?”
Cousin: "I don't care."
"Doesn't matter? It's farm work, clearing land and planting crops, the kind where you face the loess soil and turn your back to the sky."
Cousin: "Anyway, I'm the one doing the work at home, right? But you, can you even do farm work?"
Li Yue's voice softened: "I can't do farm work. But if it means marrying a man I don't like, I'd rather do farm work."
-
The next day.
Gu Yanmei, also unemployed, came to visit Li Yue. After chatting for a while, she said, "Li Yue, are you really not going to be a bridesmaid?"
Li Yue knew she was there to act as a mediator, and said irritably, "Tell Rongrong that if I become her bridesmaid, I'll cause a scene at the wedding and see if she still dares to ask me to be her bridesmaid."
Gu Yanmei: "Isn't this going too far? You don't seem like the type to cause a scene at a wedding."
"I ran away from the wedding, how can it not seem like I'm part of the family?"
Gu Yanmei was speechless for a moment.
My cousin, while knitting a sweater, asked, "Sister Yanmei, are you happy that they're getting married?"
Gu Yanmei was taken aback for a moment: "Why would I be happy or unhappy?"
“The four of you are close friends, so it seems like any one of you could marry Dongping.”
Li Yue was speechless: "Do you think this is a vegetable market?"
Gu Yanmei then said, "To be fair, Li Yue and Dong Ping are definitely a better match."
My cousin suddenly had a question: "If Dongping comes back to you, sis, will you still want him?"
"No," Li Yue said decisively. "I don't like him anymore."
"Since you've already let go of it, what's wrong with attending the wedding?"
"It's not about attending the wedding, it's about being a bridesmaid."
Ultimately, she personally disliked Rongrong, feeling that she was cunning and manipulative.
Whether Gu Yanmei told Li Dongping about it or not, on Friday morning, two days before their wedding, Li Yue went out for a stroll. When she returned home, she saw Li Dongping and Wu Rongrong standing together at the entrance of the family compound.
They came specifically to wait for Li Yue.
Li Dongping stared at Li Yue and noticed that she seemed much prettier than before, as if she had become a different person. Wu Rongrong nudged him with her elbow, reminding him to speak.
Li Dongping then spoke up: "Yueyue, we've come together to sincerely invite you to our wedding. We grew up together and have a bond that others can hardly understand. If you don't attend, Rongrong and I won't feel happy."
Just by listening to his words, you can tell that Rongrong taught him.
Li Yue said, "Does your happiness or unhappiness depend on me? If you're not happy, is it fair to blame me for it?"
Li Dongping choked for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Yueyue, you really seem like a different person. I feel more and more unfamiliar with you."
Li Yue thought to herself, "I'm not the same Li Yue I used to be."
Rongrong said, "Anyway, I'll wait for you that day until I leave. If you really don't come, I'll only have one bridesmaid, I won't ask anyone else. They say it's not good, but I don't care."
These words sounded like an ultimatum, but Li Yue remained unmoved.
She really didn't understand why Rongrong insisted on having her be the bridesmaid.
After thinking it over, if she went, it would mean there was no problem between them, that Rongrong hadn't stolen her boyfriend, and that no one would gossip.
That's quite a clever scheme.
Just as Li Yue was about to respond, a jeep pulled up beside her and honked its horn. Looking through the car window, Li Yue recognized the man sitting inside.
Her eyes widened involuntarily. Ling Jianwei was here again?
She turned to the couple and said, "You two should leave now and not come looking for me again. Focus on preparing for your wedding."
"Are you coming?" Rongrong asked again.
"You'll find out on that day."
Seeing her firm attitude, the two said no more, and Rongrong left with Li Dongping in her arms.
Li Yue watched their retreating figures and gave a cold snort.
The man in the car opened the passenger door, turned his head towards her, and smiled: "Want to get in?"
Li Yue walked over and got into the car.
However, his anger had not subsided, and he continued to grumble.
Ling Jianwei found it amusing: "What's wrong? Did you have a fight with someone?"
Li Yue said, "If you and someone like each other, but another childhood friend steals your partner away and even invites you to be the best man, would you go?"
Ling Jianwei's expression hardened as she looked at the two figures ahead: "Is that man your ex-boyfriend?"
Li Yue paused, realizing that Ling Jianwei was indeed a smart person, but she shook her head: "Not really, when the relationship was about to be defined, their family didn't agree."
Ling Jianwei nodded: "And then your childhood friend is with him, and you're going to be her bridesmaid?"
"Um."
"Are the three of you childhood friends?"
"Yes," Li Yue replied, "If it were you, would you go?"
Ling Jianwei frowned, seemingly deep in thought. His long, slender fingers tapped the steering wheel, and he concluded decisively:
"go."
Li Yue: "?"
The man smiled slightly at her: "Take someone even better with you."
...
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