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“Oh my, Wang Qian, is this your house? Isn’t it it too huge,?” Li Tiange was taken aback by the sight before her. While she had seen large houses before, such extravagance in the capital region surprised her.
Wang Qian was accustomed to such reactions. Every visitor would express similar astonishment.
“Tiange, when we bought it initially, it wasn’t very expensive. Plus, one of our grandpas helped negotiate, so it’s not as expensive as you might think,” Wang Qian explained as she led Li Tiange home. The others were likely still out, probably engaged in their class activities. Sun Zhiming opened the gate for them.
After showing Li Tiange around the house, Han Zhengdong walked over with his dog. “Qianqian, isn’t your school celebrating today?”
“Hehe, brother Han, we sneaked back. Our class is having a dance party, but we’re not interested, so we came back early. This is my classmate and friend, Li Tiange. Tiange, this is Han Zhengdong,” Wang Qian introduced.
Li Tiange greeted him with a smile, “Qianqian, who are there two people at your house? They seem like they might have military backgrounds?”
Sensitive as she was, it was a common sight for her—having family members who served in the military. She was accustomed to the mannerisms of military personnel due to having a few in her family.
Upon hearing her words, Wang Qian also pondered. Li Tiange might come from a military family; otherwise, how would she recognize those two men right away? Although Li Tiange rarely mentioned her background, Wang Qian had her suspicions.
“Tiange, these two gentlemen were arranged to come to our house by a relative. They have some connection with my relative, so they hope they can stay here to develop. They help with most things in our house. My parents also run a small business, so they can lend a hand. They are like family to me. Anyway, let’s go inside quickly. It’s too cold outside. Let’s not catch a cold,” Wang Qian explained.
Inside, she discovered a rather modest setting with simple and old-fashioned furniture. Li Tiange believed Wang Qian’s account was true. Considering their family business, purchasing the house at a low price seemed plausible.
As lunchtime approached, Han Zhengdong and Sun Zhiming were already busy in the kitchen. Wang Qian led Li Tiange to lend a hand. With only the four of them eating together, she couldn’t sit idly by. However, seeing Li Tiange’s awkwardness in the kitchen, Wang Qian doubted she was accustomed to cooking at home.
With Wang Qian’s help, lunch was quickly prepared. Since it was New Year’s Day, the Wang family had already bought festive foods in advance. The meal was more abundant than usual, with richer dishes and a hearty soup, which left Li Tiange feeling satisfied.
“Wang Qian, your family’s food is really good. Today is an improvement for me,” Li Tiange remarked.
During the meal, Wang Qian worried Li Tiange might feel uncomfortable, but to her surprise, Li Tiange didn’t mind the presence of a gentleman. She ate and drank freely, saving Wang Qian the trouble of being overly polite.
Li Tiange, having finished her meal, was diligent in helping clean up the dishes, a task she likely often did at home.
Meanwhile, back at school, the friends invited by Dong Xuan and her group didn’t perform well. Despite their good looks, they became clumsy when dancing. Even Zhu Shan and Hu Lianduo were subtly teased, leaving them embarrassed and angry but unable to voice their grievances.
As the music ended, some students simply packed up and left, feeling embarrassed and frustrated. Those who had been teased couldn’t speak out and departed in silence.
Those who had dance partners or had managed to team up with good male classmates were oblivious to the issues. Dong Xuan and Wei Yuanfang, witnessing the situation, reminded everyone, “Be careful. This is a school, not our usual place. These are all female students, not the people you usually associate with. Behave properly. Don’t cause trouble. We don’t want to lose face. Just play around a bit, but don’t go overboard.”
As the crowd dwindled, some students remained in the classroom for unknown reasons. Most had left early, dissatisfied with how the event had unfolded.
Whether leaving in frustration or staying due to a lack of interest, Li Tiange and Wang Qian remained the most relaxed at that moment.
After dinner, the two sat in the room chatting. Li Tiange shared details about her family, confirming Wang Qian’s suspicions that her father and brother were indeed in the military, holding high ranks.
“Wang Qian, let’s keep our situation to ourselves and not tell the dorm or classmates. Let’s focus on our studies. Dong Xuan and Wei Yuanfang are not good people. You need to be cautious around them. If they push me too far, I’ll call my dad. She may have an influential dad, but so do I. My dad advised me to avoid trouble, but if it comes to me, I shouldn’t be afraid,” Li Tiange advised.
Li Tiange didn’t hold back with Wang Qian, pointing out the unusual behavior of Dong Xuan and their group. “Those few guys don’t seem like decent people. Bringing them to school takes real audacity. If things escalate, they won’t be able to escape the consequences.”
While Wang Qian believed her, based on her understanding of those two, she doubted they would go too far. At most, it might involve some physical altercations. She knew the potential consequences if things got out of hand.
Reflecting on the luxury cars lined up outside the Foreign Language School, waiting to pick up female students, Wang Qian worried about whether her dormmates could handle the allure of such extravagance. However, she realized she was overly concerned. Each person had their own path to follow, and she couldn’t control their choices. She decided to let go of unnecessary worries; after all, the blisters on her feet were from her own journey, and she had chosen her own path.
That night, the two decided to stay at home. After the class meeting, Wang Xuan and the others returned. They were surprised and excited to see Wang Qian bringing a friend home, finally having someone of her own.
“Wang Qian, why are you back? Isn’t your class having a celebration?” Wang Xuan inquired.
Wang Qian explained the events in her class to everyone. “Sister, Sister Tiange and I felt something was off, so we made an excuse to leave. Since we’re on holiday, we thought it best to come back and stay here. When we return, we can say I was sick and hospitalized. They won’t know what really happened, giving us a good excuse to come back.”
Mingyuan and Yang Nuo were angered upon hearing this. “Damn, who does she think she is, trying to involve Zuo He and Zhengyuan? Doesn’t she care about her own reputation? Sister, when the time comes, I’ll definitely seek revenge for you. People like that need to be taught a lesson. If we don’t deal with them now, they might continue with their schemes,” Mingyuan expressed his frustration.
Mingyuan couldn’t stand seeing his sister mistreated, but Wang Qian intervened, stopping him from seeking revenge.
“Brother, it’s not as serious as you think. Let’s see if they have the guts to act against us. Let’s hold off for now. We don’t know much about their family yet. If they try anything further, I won’t hold back. Besides, we have Sister Tiange to support us,” Wang Qian reasoned, calming her brother down.
Li Tiange added, “Mingyuan, you mustn’t act impulsively. We don’t have solid evidence yet. Even if they try something, we haven’t suffered any losses so far. Don’t worry, Wang Qian have me on her back. We won’t let anyone bully her. Those two are despicable. I bet the girls who danced today didn’t have it easy. Fortunately, we avoided trouble, but we’ll keep an eye on them.”
Being older than Wang Xuan’s group, Li Tiange was referred to as Sister Tiange. Observing the Wang siblings, Li Tiange couldn’t help but admire how well they were raised. Each of them not only looked good but were also university students. She hadn’t met the eldest sibling yet, but assumed he were equally impressive.
As the sisters prepared dinner, Cong Tao rushed back from school and noticed a new female visitor in the house.
“Oh, do we have a guest today?” Cong Tao exclaimed.
Li Tiange graciously greeted Cong Tao, and Mingyuan introduced her. Learning that Cong Tao had grown up with the Wang siblings, Li Tiange felt more at ease. Her naturally outgoing personality, combined with Cong Tao’s friendly demeanor, made their conversation flow smoothly.
As they prepared dinner, Wang Qian and Li Tiange chatted enthusiastically. “Sister Tiange, let’s eat. Let’s enjoy a good meal tonight.”
Excited about the prospect of a delicious meal, Cong Tao eagerly joined in and helped bring the dishes to the table.
Wang Xuan and the others showcased their cooking skills, greatly impressing Li Tiange. Sun Zhiming and Han Zhengdong were called in by Mingyuan to join the gathering. The group of young people sat around the table, enjoying the warm meal, creating a harmonious and cozy atmosphere, resembling a family gathering.
After dinner, Wang Xuan distributed the salaries to Sun Zhiming and Han Zhengdong, adding some extra bonuses as it was close to New Year’s Day. Wang Qian and the others wanted to show her appreciation for their hard work and support. Despite occasional help from a few boys, Sun Zhiming and Han Zhengdong had been the main pillars of support, and the additional bonuses served as recognition for their dedication.