Chapter 8

Xiao Rujuan had returned as well!

Zheng Xiaorou did not want to wait for a moment. After dinner, she packed two pieces of clothing and ventured out into the night to her home.

Mother Zheng asked Zheng Tianlei to escort her out, her mouth busy with chatter: “Xiumei just sent over two pieces of clothing. I still want her to try them on!”

“Try what? With that face of hers, even if she wrapped herself in a rag, she would still look good.” Father Zheng took a sip of old wine, shaking his head in complaint, “Going out at this hour, isn’t she afraid of running into those thugs at the alley?”

“Let Xiaolei take her,” Mother Zheng suddenly thought of something, “Oh, it seems like I haven’t seen those thugs around lately.”

Zheng Tianlei, who was returning from the bus stop, was also surprised that he hadn’t seen those thugs.

Usually, as long as those scoundrels were around, they would always whistle at his sister when they saw her.

“Tianlei?”

Upon hearing that voice, Zheng Tianlei paused, his eyes suddenly brightening. He turned around and indeed saw Lu Yongzhang walking steadily and gracefully, holding a briefcase as he approached the intersection—looking as handsome as a male model.

“Brother Lu!” he exclaimed happily, running to greet him. “What a coincidence, Brother Lu!”

Lu Yongzhang’s gaze was sharp. “Why aren’t you at home at this hour? Did you finish your lessons with your sister today?”

Zheng Tianlei’s excitement vanished in an instant, like a balloon that had been popped. He explained with a hint of grievance, “Today was a special situation. My sister went to her friend’s house; it’s my sister who skipped class today, not me slacking off!”

“Really?”

“Really! If I lied, I’ll wake up with pimples on my face tomorrow!” Zheng Tianlei could not help but grumble inwardly. Who would dare to lie under such a scrutinizing gaze?

Lu Yongzhang handed him a pen and paper. “Her… girlfriend’s name and address, write it down.”

“Brother Lu, even if you don’t believe me, there’s no need to go this far, right?” Zheng Tianlei wore a sorrowful expression as he accepted the pen and looked at him.

Lu Yongzhang fixed his gaze on him. “It’s for your sister’s safety.”

Seeing his serious expression, Zheng Tianlei reluctantly wrote down the address.

He couldn’t quite remember the exact house number of the Xiao family, so he wrote it rather vaguely: [The third alley after entering the Haixia Square sign, turn left at the second-to-last building on the ground floor. Xiao Rujuan is my sister’s old classmate.]

After Lu Yongzhang took the note, he finally softened his tone. “How is your sister feeling today?”

“What do you mean by how is she feeling? She’s fine.” Zheng Tianlei scratched his head, struggling to find a way to describe his sister’s mood.

“Is she unhappy?”

Zheng Tianlei was even more confused. “No, not at all! Sister Juanjuan is back; she’s thrilled to death!”

Was she really that happy?

Lu Yongzhang raised an eyebrow, surprised by the content written on another piece of paper.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, Zheng Xiaorou had finished washing up and lay down on the makeshift bed in the Xiao family’s pavilion.

The bed was narrow, only about a meter wide, and the two had to lie sideways to comfortably fit.

However, neither of them complained about the awkwardness of sleeping like this. They hadn’t seen each other for so long, and although they had kept in touch through letters, nothing compared to chatting face-to-face.

Xiao Rujuan’s eyes sparkled with excitement in the darkness as she asked the most pressing question she had wanted to know after such a long time apart. “Quick, tell me, you and Cheng Qian returned early; do both of your families know about your relationship now?”

Zheng Xiaorou’s breath hitched, and she turned to face Xiao Rujuan, her tone devoid of emotion. “We ended before we even began.”

Then she added, “Actually, what we had shouldn’t count as being together; we were just pen pals.”

“Ah???” Xiao Rujuan sat up, astonished. “Wasn’t the letter he wrote to you heartfelt? I thought the things you wrote in your letters were so romantic!”

Zheng Xiaorou still felt the need to maintain her composure in front of others, but with Xiao Rujuan, she didn’t have to. She forced a bitter smile and recounted the series of distressing events she had encountered after returning to the city, focusing on the key points.

Xiao Rujuan listened in shock. “So, that bastard Cheng Qian just… you let it go? He had the guts to pursue you but didn’t have the courage to stand by you when things got tough?”

Zheng Xiaorou blinked and said nonchalantly, “I already said it wasn’t that kind of relationship—why would he be responsible for my problems?”

When she mentioned “responsible for my problems,” she couldn’t help but think of Lu Yongzhang, but she heard Xiao Rujuan question her further. “You’re in a tough spot here. It’s hard to explain when a scholar encounters a soldier. So, tell me, how did it end up getting resolved?”

Zheng Xiaorou’s methods to persuade Lu Yongzhang were not particularly honorable, but she felt no psychological barriers when discussing them in front of Xiao Rujuan.

She laid everything bare.

Xiao Rujuan was dumbfounded.

Was this really her once frail, helplessly beautiful sister?

Threatening him? Stripping?

Xiao Rujuan swallowed hard and asked the question that concerned her most: “So, he just agreed like that? What does he look like?”

The darkness bolstered Zheng Xiaorou’s courage and sparked her creativity and imagination. “He agreed. He’s tall and handsome, has good character, and makes people rely on him. With him around, you wouldn’t be afraid of anything, no matter how big the issue.”

“Wow…” Xiao Rujuan exclaimed, her voice melodious with awe. Then, with a hint of ambiguity, she asked, “Why don’t you just give it a try? The matchmaker has already come knocking; it would be a waste not to date! When will you get another chance if you miss out on someone so good? My mom says you should marry early.”

Zheng Xiaorou shot her a glare. “Absolutely not.”

Her voice lowered. “When it comes to marriage, what matters is the family background. Cheng Qian’s family looks down on mine; his (LYZ) family would definitely not accept me.”

“Isn’t everyone living in the same area? Who looks down on whom…” Xiao Rujuan refused to give up on her persuasion. “I’m telling you, good men are hard to come by. I don’t know what the situation is like at your place, but around here, some people would do anything for a chance to return to the city… Oh, I’m getting off track! Anyway, this is the best man you’ve encountered from childhood until now, and you’re just going to let him slip away? What’s the harm in trying? Who says you can’t find someone better than yourself? If you ask me, you should go for someone like him!”

“Stop talking! I’m going to sleep!” Zheng Xiaorou turned to face the wall, pushing Xiao Rujuan’s nagging to the back of her mind.

She feared that if they kept talking, she might actually start to think that “give it a try” was a good idea.

It wasn’t a big deal; after all, they both had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. He wasn’t made of gold!

She fell into a deep sleep.

Perhaps it was because she had talked about Lu Yongzhang for so long before bed, but she really did dream of him that night—dressed in a bizarre ancient outfit, bending down to hold her hand.

—o—o—o—

The next day at work, Zheng Xiaorou brought some raisins back from Xinjiang that she had given to Xiao Rujuan and shared them in the office.

The team leader chuckled, “Oh, this is a rare treat! Xiaorou’s family is really impressed to have this!”

“It’s from a classmate who brought them back to the city. Give it a try, team leader.”

Zheng Xiaorou wasn’t sure if she was overthinking things, but she felt the team leader’s gaze on her was strange.

It reminded her of the previous day when she had seen him noticing her chatting confidentially with someone else, and her heart sank.

Not long after Zheng Xiaorou settled down to work, the internal phone in the editing team rang again.

After the team leader picked it up and responded with a few sounds of acknowledgment, her sharp gaze turned towards Zheng Xiaorou once more, and her voice suddenly grew louder. “Yes, tell that guy to wait a moment.”

When he hung up the receiver, the team leader’s soft yet chilly smile plastered on his face resembled a mask. With a forced smile, he told Zheng Xiaorou, “The security guard said someone is looking for you. Go quickly and come back soon; don’t delay your work.”

The sound of pages flipping around her abruptly fell silent.

Zheng Xiaorou felt her heart drop. There was no need for confirmation; she was now certain that the “guy” the team leader mentioned in the corridor yesterday referred to Cheng Qian.

That familiar discomfort, where one could hear the slightest hint of the wind, quickly began to fester within her.

She felt uneasy and had a strange feeling, so she refused, “I’m not going.”

However, the team leader’s expression hardened slightly. “Do you think this is some kind of organization? Is it appropriate for him to wait at the security desk? It creates a bad impression!”

Zheng Xiaorou could sense various meaningful glances directed at her from around the room. She hesitated but eventually stood up.

—o—o—o—

At the security desk stood Cheng Qian.

He paced nervously in place, gripping two employee tickets in his hands.

Thinking of the office’s inexplicable gazes and the team leader’s sarcastic remarks, Zheng Xiaorou stepped forward with a cold attitude and asked, “What do you want from me?”

Cheng Qian had never seen her like this before.

Zheng Xiaorou was known in school for her good temper and gentle personality like water.

Later, when they communicated through letters, her kind and graceful way of handling things also shone through the words, making him deeply infatuated.

He was stunned and took a while to pass over the ticket he held in his hand. “This is a benefit of our unit. This movie is pretty good; I’m giving it to you…”

Unexpectedly, Zheng Xiaorou stepped back as if avoiding him. “No, thank you. If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to work.”

“Hey…” The remaining words had not yet left his mouth and hung in the air.

Cheng Qian watched as Zheng Xiaorou entered without looking back.

Frustrated, he shoved the ticket into his pants pocket.

Under the scrutinizing gaze of the security guard, he felt as if he had been drenched in cold water and dejectedly turned back to his unit.

—o—o—o—

Zheng Xiaorou returned to the office, and just like last time, it fell eerily quiet the moment she entered.

She sat down calmly and resumed from the point where she had been interrupted earlier.

The team leader chuckled, “Which one is it this time?”

Even the most good-natured person could have a stubborn side, especially since Zheng Xiaorou had witnessed her gossiping firsthand. She faced the team leader’s eyes, lifted her face coldly, and replied, “I don’t quite understand what you mean, team leader.”

A strange anger surged in her chest; she didn’t know why she had snapped back like that.

“Look at you, can’t take a joke!” The team leader came over and patted her shoulder. Her tone sounded relatively polite, but her expression was unpleasant.

After all, she was able to enter here because she has connections and no abilities; how dare she show a bad face!

Zheng Xiaorou lowered her head to work and said nothing.

—o—o—o—

Soon, it was lunchtime. As the bell rang, the security guard pushed open the door to the Proofreading Department’s office, holding an envelope.

“Hey, where’s Zheng Xiaorou?” In fact, the old man had already seen where she was, but according to the person’s request, he still called out loudly.

“Here!” Everyone pointed at Zheng Xiaorou.

The old man smiled mysteriously and opened the envelope, taking out a neatly stacked batch of movie tickets. He twirled them and said, “These were just sent by Comrade Zheng’s boyfriend. I’m supposed to hand one to each of you.”

The entire office erupted:

“Zheng Xiaorou’s boyfriend?”

“Oh my, does this mean he’s treating everyone to a movie?”

“Xiaorou, your boyfriend is so generous!”

The old man handed out a ticket and added, “Yes, he’s treating everyone to a movie.” He glanced at Zheng Xiaorou and grinned, “He’s quite thoughtful, too. He sent some over this morning, but Comrade Zheng thought he was a bad person and didn’t dare to accept them. Look, now he’s come in person to deliver them.”

Zheng Xiaorou was already in a daze.

What was Lu Yongzhang doing?

For a moment, her heart raced, feeling as if it were being fried in an oil pan—it was complete chaos.

The few people who had received tickets couldn’t help but look towards the team leader, who had a stiff expression and waved her hand, rejecting the ticket the security guard offered. “No, no, I don’t like watching movies.”

After distributing the tickets, the security guard placed the remaining envelope and the one extra ticket with a smile on Zheng Xiaorou’s desk.

She stared at the handwriting on the envelope, and her eyes suddenly felt a bit teary.

She recognized the handwriting—it was indeed Lu Yongzhang’s!

After everyone thanked her, they all rushed out of the office to get lunch.

Zheng Xiaorou lagged at the end of the line and saw Tian Xiao’e coming out from next door.

She walked over and handed her the remaining ticket.

Tian Xiao’e showed a surprised expression and said she hadn’t had the chance to speak when she noticed a commotion ahead in the queue.

At the main entrance, Lu Yongzhang stood handsomely and straight in a shirt and khaki pants next to the security guard’s booth.

His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Zheng Xiaorou’s face.

Within the line, the people from the Proofreading Department chattered excitedly:

“It looks like it’s our little Rou’s friend.”

“So generous! He’s treating all of us to a movie.”

“…”

Tian Xiao’e wore a playful smile, but Zheng Xiaorou didn’t see it.

Instead, she stepped forward to Lu Yongzhang and asked, “What brought you here?”