Xu Ruantang frowned upon hearing that Cheng Dan had taken the photo.
She now feels that Chen Ji in this photo is not cute at all, that he's dirty, and that she doesn't want him anymore.
But she disliked Cheng Dan's attitude even more.
"Dr. Cheng, let bygones be bygones. What's the point of constantly reminiscing about the past? Why don't you join us for a drink?"
Xu Ruantang raised an eyebrow and picked up the glass in front of her.
Cheng Dan scoffed coldly. She thought, "Drinking with her? She's not worthy!"
She remained expressionless. "I know Chen Ji and the others have been very busy lately, but you can't go out drinking behind his back."
Cheng Dan felt indignant for Chen Ji. "If it were me, I would definitely cook a meal and wait for him at home. Otherwise, he won't even have a hot meal when he gets home. It would be better if he didn't get married at all."
"Also, I remember this photo was at the Chen family's house, how did it end up on you?" Cheng Dan picked up the photo and examined it carefully. "You didn't steal something from the Chen family, did you?"
As if she had discovered a new continent, Cheng Dan immediately stood on the moral high ground and began to accuse Xu Ruantang: "Xu Ruantang, you are now Chen Ji's wife in name only, how could you do such a shady thing?! If Chen Ji finds out..."
Xu Ruantang pursed her lips and lazily lifted her eyelids to watch her performance.
"Dr. Cheng, you are so naive."
She scoffed dismissively, not even bothering to reply, "Chen Ji isn't even here, what are you acting for? And besides, I really don't understand you. You like Chen Ji, what does it matter to me if he doesn't marry you? Go find him and make him marry you!"
It pops up and causes trouble every now and then, just like a heartless NPC who's been given a mission.
"You like being a nanny, but unfortunately, we don't have one," Xu Ruantang said casually, a smile on her face.
Cheng Dan's face flushed red, and her fingers gripping the photo were almost digging into her palm.
Taking advantage of her inattention, Li Shuhe snatched the photo away.
"Dr. Cheng, don't force things that aren't yours." Li Shuhe burped at Cheng Dan, the smell of which almost made her faint.
Cheng Dan covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disgust.
"You two are hopeless!"
After leaving those words, Cheng Dan got up and left the restaurant, forgetting even Lu Lei who was standing next to her.
Seeing this, Lu Lei chased after them, glancing at the two still drinking before leaving.
He caught up with the woman who was walking quickly ahead and noticed that Cheng Dan's eyes were red. He quickly asked, "Dr. Cheng, what's wrong?"
He hadn't even eaten a few bites of food, exchanged a few words with the youngest daughter of the Li family and the wife of Commander Chen, when he rushed out.
Although he didn't hear exactly what they said, Lu Lei could guess that they must have said something unpleasant, otherwise, why would they be so angry that they cried?
"Did they bully you?" Lu Lei asked anxiously, feeling quite angry.
They say three women make a drama, and I never expected to witness one today.
Cheng Dan bit her lip and shook her head, saying, "No."
She looked like she was about to cry; it would break any woman's heart, let alone a man's.
Lu Lei's impression of Li Shuhe and Xu Ruantang plummeted.
The two walked back to the compound. He comforted Cheng Dan the whole way, constantly searching his mind for the funniest joke he had ever heard, and told it to her, finally managing to coax a faint smile from her.
Actually, Cheng Dan found him annoying because he kept chattering beside her. In order to have some peace and quiet, she had to pretend to be comforted.
Cheng Dan looked up and saw a familiar figure. Her eyes lit up and she immediately went up to greet him: "Shuyang, where are you going?"
When Li Shuyang returned home that evening, he found his parents sitting anxiously in the main room, so he went over to ask them what was wrong.
Only then did he realize that his sister had run away and hadn't returned yet, nor had she informed the family.
His sister usually doesn't stay out this late, so he was worried something had happened and went out to look for her.
Ever since Cheng Dan used Hu Zi to scare Xu Ruantang into fainting last time, Li Shuyang has seen through Cheng Dan's true colors and doesn't really want to talk to her anymore.
"Dr. Cheng," Li Shuyang looked at her expressionlessly, "I have something to attend to, I'll be leaving now."
"Wait a minute." Cheng Dan noticed his perfunctory attitude but didn't mind. She smiled gently and said, "Are you looking for Shu He? She's at the restaurant up ahead, being dragged out for drinks by Xu Ruantang."
“Go and see them. I just tried to persuade them, thinking it's not safe for girls to be drinking outside so late.” Cheng Dan said, her eyes reddening again. “I couldn’t persuade them. They were probably really drunk, and they even cursed at me a few times.”
Lu Lei stepped forward. "Yes, I'm right there too. Go and take a look. Dr. Cheng is good-natured, that's why she didn't argue with them. If she scolds someone later, they won't be so good-natured."
So what if the commander's daughter is a daughter? Lu Lei doesn't tolerate them.
If he had known that they had insulted Dr. Cheng, he would have stood up for Dr. Cheng on the spot.
At this moment, feeling indignant on behalf of Dr. Cheng, I couldn't help but say a few more words.
Li Shuyang was initially very anxious, but upon hearing Lu Lei's words, he stopped moving, stood still, and looked her over before speaking: "Dr. Cheng, is this your partner? Aren't you going to introduce her?"
He spends all his time at school and doesn't recognize anyone except for the familiar faces he's known since childhood.
"Ahem." Cheng Dan coughed.
She wanted to change the subject, but then Lu Lei stepped forward, extended his hand, and said to Li Shuyang, "Hello, I'm Dr. Cheng's boyfriend, Lu Lei."
Men understand men best, and Lu Lei could clearly sense that Li Shuyang was targeting Cheng Dan.
He couldn't let Cheng Dan lose face. Thinking about their recent interactions, they were only one step away from breaking through the barrier between them.
If he hadn't run into those two drunkards tonight, he would have confessed his feelings to Dr. Cheng by now.
In that case, their parting today wouldn't have ended in discord, but rather they would have become a couple.
Thinking of this, he stretched his hand forward a little further.
Li Shuyang shook hands perfunctorily, "Oh, congratulations. But my sister and third sister-in-law aren't unreasonable people. If they scold someone, it must be someone who has a problem."
Li Shuyang's attitude was indifferent, and he was about to leave after finishing his sentence.
Lu Lei couldn't stand these sarcastic remarks. He felt that a real man should be upright and honest, so why was Li Shuyang not like a man at all?
He was about to retort when Cheng Dan walked past him and headed behind him, a smile spreading across her face: "Chen Ji! Where are you going?"
Chen Ji was wearing a training uniform, clearly indicating that he had just returned from the army.
His tall and slender figure was enough to make Cheng Dan fall for him, even if he just stood there without saying a word.
"Third Brother, are you looking for Third Sister-in-law? She and my sister are having dinner at the restaurant up ahead. I'm going to pick up my sister anyway, so let's go together."
Li Shuyang walked up to Chen Ji, looking somewhat anxious.
Although he knew his sister and Xu Ruantang's character, it was still unsafe for two girls to drink so late.
Before Chen Ji could speak, Cheng Dan took another step toward him and said, "Chen Ji, Ruan Tang and Shu He are drinking over there. She's drunk and keeps saying things like 'I want you to come find me' and 'I want you to marry me.' I can't stop her."
Cheng Dan looked troubled. "I wanted to bring her back, but what if she encouraged Shu He to go out drinking late at night? What will the Commander think if he finds out?"
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