Chapter 67: The Former Subject

Chen Jin was really speechless. It was just a wedding dress!

“I thought it looked nice, so I wanted to order a set.”

Chen Yongxin was equally at a loss. “Who would go and order a wedding dress for themselves without reason?”

“How do you know that?” She had gone to order it quietly and hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.

“I found out accidentally when Tingting and Liu Chengzhi went to order their wedding dresses.”

Oh, that’s why. It was really inappropriate for the wedding shop to leak her information. But then again, it might have been Chen Ting who discovered it by accident.

She had planned to keep it a secret at home, but now that everyone knew, she wouldn’t be keeping it a secret anymore. Once she got the wedding dress, she planned to wear it out for photos!

Chen Wenqiang still wasn’t reassured and asked repeatedly, “You really aren’t dating anyone right now? If you were, it’s no big deal; you’re not a teenager anymore, no need to hide it from us. If you’re dating, just bring him home to meet the family, and we can help keep an eye on things.”

Chen Jin sighed deeply and said, “I really am not dating anyone.” She just wanted to make money, not to date.

Chen Jin didn’t want to discuss this topic. She felt that once it started, many people would focus on her relationship status. Right now, her third cousin was fine; he often took the team out and wasn’t home, so he wouldn’t get nagged.

If the elders really started pushing her to find a partner, she could use her third cousin as a shield: “If he isn’t in a hurry, I certainly won’t be.”

Her uncle was going out to meet his business partners, and Chen Jin was also preparing to leave, but her second cousin asked her to stay and chat.

What could they possibly talk about? He wasn’t asking her to be a relationship consultant, was he?

With her own relationship experience… forget it; it was better not to say anything.

“Second Brother, I’m serious. You and Sister Zhuang Yao should go ahead and order your wedding attire soon. Right now, Aunt Chen Yue’s wedding shop is booming; if you go to customize a wedding dress now, you might have to wait for a schedule.”

Seeing her second cousin hesitating, Chen Jin thought of another possibility, “You guys aren’t… having a disagreement, are you?”

Chen Yongxin understood her cautious glance and felt a bit embarrassed. But discussing these matters with the elders? That would be too awkward. Asking his older brother? His older brother’s toy company was currently struggling, so he was quite stressed and, due to the allocation of the construction company, their relationship was not as close as it used to be. Asking his friends? He feared they would not only not help him out but would instead mercilessly mock him.

After considering, the only suitable person to turn to was his third sister, especially since Zhuang Yao had a good relationship with her.

“Recently, I ran into Lin Xiaoman while having dinner with Zhuang Yao. We exchanged a few words. Later, Lin Xiaoman invited me to dinner, and Zhuang Yao found out about it. Now she’s sulking at me.”

“Who is Lin Xiaoman?”

Chen Yongxin shot her a glare. “My ex.”

At the time when he was dating Lin Xiaoman, she had caught him with food in hand trying to coax her, and now she didn’t even remember who that person was.

“Oh, right.” Chen Jin remembered, but, “It’s already in the past; you really went out to eat with her?”

“It was for business. Her company is our supplier. I didn’t expect to run into her during this collaboration discussion.” Chen Yongxin pinched the bridge of his nose. “It was unfortunate that Zhuang Yao saw it. I tried explaining, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“Me dating Lin Xiaoman? That was so many years ago. If I really cared, would I still be looking for someone else to date and prepare for marriage?”

“Don’t just nod; help your brother talk to Zhuang Yao.”

“Huh? What am I supposed to say?”

Chen Yongxin glared at her. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

Chen Jin shrugged. In situations like this, she preferred to remain neutral, not wanting to get involved in other people’s relationships. If they reconciled later, she would be caught in the middle.

“You really shouldn’t have done that. You knew you were dating Lin Xiaoman, so you should have been more careful. If it was unavoidable, you could have mentioned it to Sister Zhuang Yao beforehand, or… wait, isn’t it just the two of you meeting for business and then having dinner? Did she not bring her colleagues, and you didn’t bring anyone from the company? It’s normal for Sister Zhuang Yao to misunderstand if she saw you two together.”

Seeing Chen Yongxin frown, Chen Jin continued, “You’re not being wronged at all; a gentleman doesn’t stand under a dangerous wall. You know in your heart that you’re innocent, but you still need to put Sister Zhuang Yao at ease, right?”

“Sister Zhuang Yao is so good-natured. If you apologize sincerely and clarify the situation, it’ll all blow over. Why do you need me to help you talk to her? Sister Zhuang Yao isn’t making a fuss for no reason. What’s the point of me going to her? It’s clearly your fault, and you don’t even recognize it yet, trying to avoid it.”

Chen Yongxin originally thought he was in the right, but with Chen Jin’s words… it seemed like it really was his fault?

“Stop being confused; it’s your fault! Go buy a gift and apologize to Sister Zhuang Yao, and be sincere about it.”

Chen Yongxin humbly asked, “So what do you think is the best gift to buy?”

Chen Jin, exasperated, put her hands on her hips. “She’s your girlfriend, not mine!”

How could someone be like this?! If he weren’t her cousin, she would want to call Sister Zhuang Yao to warn her: just ignore him!

“Forget it; I won’t put you in a tough spot.” Chen Yongxin’s mood improved significantly as he patted her on the head. “You know, your analysis of relationship issues is actually pretty good.”

Chen Jin caught the underlying meaning in his words: while your dating skills aren’t great, your relationship analysis is decent. Simply put, you have a lot of theoretical knowledge, but your practical skills are a mess.

Chen Jin didn’t want to continue the conversation and said she was going out shopping for a gold bracelet in the afternoon. But just as she walked out of the company’s front door, a gentle voice said, “Chen Yongxin.”

Chen Jin’s gossip radar was triggered, and she immediately stopped and looked toward the woman walking towards them.

Though a few years could significantly change a person’s demeanor, their features wouldn’t change that much. Chen Jin recognized the woman before her as Lin Xiaoman, her second cousin’s ex-girlfriend.

In Chen Jin’s memory, the fifteen-year-old Lin Xiaoman was a particularly gentle older sister. Now, after years of experience, the determination in Lin Xiaoman’s eyes shone through her gentle features. In that moment of reunion, Chen Jin found Lin Xiaoman particularly captivating.

“Are you the third sister?!” Lin Xiaoman looked closely for a long time before recognizing Chen Jin. The little girl who used to bounce along behind Chen Yongxin to pick snacks had now grown into a graceful young woman; she almost didn’t recognize her.

Just now, seeing Chen Yongxin affectionately pat Chen Jin, she thought that the girl who had gone out to dinner with Chen Yongxin last time didn’t look like this at all. Surely, Chen Yongxin wasn’t changing girlfriends every time he turned around.

“Sister Xiaoman.”

After greeting her, Chen Jin tugged at Chen Yongxin’s sleeve: Aren’t you going to say something?

“What brings you here?” Both companies had already signed their contracts, so there wasn’t really anything left to coordinate. Moreover, judging by Lin Xiaoman’s outfit, she didn’t seem like she was here to discuss business. Chen Yongxin felt a bit uncertain.

Lin Xiaoman smiled, “Last time I was too focused on work. I happened to pass by your company today and thought I’d see if you had time to grab a meal together. It’s been so many years; we should catch up with old friends.”

Chen Jin inwardly scoffed; the gentle resilience she had perceived earlier was just a misjudgment.

“Well, that’s quite unfortunate,” Chen Jin said. “I was just about to go have dinner with my second sister-in-law. By the way, Sister Xiaoman, my second brother is already engaged now, so it’s not appropriate for him to have dinner alone with a female classmate. How about I call my second sister-in-law and let my second brother and sister-in-law treat us?”

“…” The smile on Lin Xiaoman’s face paused for a moment but quickly returned as she replied warmly, “Since it’s not convenient today, let’s leave it at that. It’s indeed not good to go out alone. In a few days, there’s a gathering for some old classmates; we can chat then?”

Chen Yongxin noticed the fiery look in Chen Jin’s eyes and found it amusing. Was she really his sister or Zhuang Yao’s sister?

However, after her analysis today, he realized he had indeed acted inappropriately, so he said, “I won’t attend the classmate gathering. I’m quite busy with work recently, and my fiancée and I need to prepare for our wedding at the end of the year, so I can’t spare the time.”

He really was busy. To successfully enroll in the night school at NTU, he had been either working or finding someone to tutor him, leaving him little time to accompany Zhuang Yao.

Who would have thought that he’d run into Lin Xiaoman while finally out for a meal?

For him, the past was the past; there was no chance to turn back. However, his third sister was right: he knew in his heart that he was innocent. He couldn’t expect Zhuang Yao to be completely unaware and trust him unconditionally.

His third sister should really open a relationship mediation service. She had a knack for spouting sensible advice.

“Oh, that’s a pity.” Lin Xiaoman didn’t press the matter and then looked at Chen Jin, asking if she was still studying or had already started working.

“I just graduated this year and am working as a teacher at a school.” Chen Jin added, “Just call me Chen Jin, Sister Xiaoman.”

Only family members called her the third sister; occasionally, Zhuang Yao would call her that too. Although Sister Xiaoman had called her that when she was dating her second cousin, it felt different now. She understood the importance of boundaries.

“Oh, okay! Then I’ll just call you by your name. You’ve grown up; it’s not right to keep calling you by your childhood name. Being a teacher is great! Which school are you at? I know quite a few leaders in the education system; I could introduce you to them.”

“No need, no need. I’m not looking to climb the ranks, so I don’t need to meet any leaders.” She hadn’t even considered trying to ingratiate herself with the leaders at her college, let alone ones who had no control over her.

As for work, she would do it if she could handle it; if she really wasn’t happy, she would just run away.

Lin Xiaoman stopped mentioning introducing her to anyone but insisted on asking where she was teaching now so they could still go out to eat together in the future.

“I’m working at NTU. It’s quite busy; I can’t get off work on time, and I have to work overtime on weekends, so I don’t have much personal time.” Chen Jin said this without changing her expression, even though she had been working continuously for half a month and had finally managed to take a day off today.

“Sister Xiaoman, my second brother and I will be leaving now; my second sister-in-law is probably waiting for us.”

Lin Xiaoman forced a smile. “Okay.”

When Chen Jin saw that Chen Yongxin really followed her into the car, she frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to be looking for Sister Zhuan Yao? Why are you getting into my car? It’s not on your way.”

“I’m too lazy to drive. Didn’t you say you were going to find your second sister-in-law for dinner? This works out perfectly. I’ll treat you later with your second sister-in-law.”

Chen Yongxin chuckled, having just heard her smoothly calling “second sister-in-law” as if it were rehearsed, while also telling her how busy she was at work…

“Being a counselor really changes you. Just one word from you can blow up to the sky.”

“Hey, the others are driving out; why aren’t you driving?”

As she was about to start the car, her second cousin called for her to stop. “First, call your second sister-in-law and ask if she’s at home or at the office.”

“Since you saw that I was about to drive, why can’t you call?”

Chen Yongxin replied, “I’m afraid she won’t answer if I call.”

Chen Jin rolled her eyes dramatically. What sin had she committed in her past life for her second cousin to always find her as a “lightbulb” when dating?

She felt like a superfluous tail.

When she was younger, she didn’t understand. She knew there would be good food if she followed him. Whenever he said he would take her out, she happily followed along, not caring who he was with.

But now, at over twenty and about to turn twenty-two, she was still trailing behind these little couples. If they didn’t find her annoying, she certainly found them annoying.

“Second brother, seriously, when you get married, it’d be unreasonable if you didn’t give me a big red envelope.”