Chapter 25

Fish Keeping Expert

Liao Mei’s request was indeed simple.

There were plenty of people in the army who could meet the requirements.

Shen Yuebai nodded and said, “Alright, next time I’ll send a photo to Jiajia and have her show it to you.”

Liao Mei expressed her gratitude with a thankful smile. “Thank you, thank you.”

After finishing breakfast, the three of them headed towards the sugar factory.

From a distance,

Xu Jiajia heard someone call out, “Xu Xin—”

She looked in the direction of the voice and just as she made out the girl’s face, she noticed that the girl’s delicate, fair face, with long flowing hair, was wearing a blouse-style long-sleeve dress. She stood out in the crowd, drawing attention.

[Host, Xu Xin is a fish-keeping expert.]

Xu Jiajia was stunned.

[In this era, there are people who keep fish? Doesn’t she fear being reported?]

[Host, Xu Xin is quite skilled. She treats male companions with an attitude of not rejecting, not taking the initiative, not being responsible, and not making any promises. She keeps them hooked.]

[Tch, keeping so many fish, doesn’t she fear it backfiring?]

[Even if it backfires, she’s not afraid. She has backup options.]

Shen Yuebai didn’t understand what “keeping fish” meant before, but after hearing the conversation, he realized it referred to having multiple ambiguous relationships with different people, essentially keeping backup partners.

He glanced at Xu Xin. She wasn’t as tall as his wife, nor did she have the same good looks, and her sickly appearance was off-putting.

Were the men she played around with blind?

Such a woman was desirable?

Tch.

No ambition at all!

Xu Xin knew Xu Jiajia.

When she saw her here, she froze for a moment.

The people around her noticed she had stopped and nudged her. “Xu Xin, come on!”

Xu Xin looked away, about to walk in, when a voice called out, “Comrade Xu Xin.”

Song Ran had been detained for two days.

The police cleared him of any involvement in Song Hanyong’s actions, and that was when they released him.

The first thing he did upon his release was to publicly sever his father-son relationship with Song Hanyong.

After handling that, he immediately began inquiring about Xu Xin. When he found out she was at the sugar factory for an exam, he rushed over.

Xu Xin stared at Song Ran as he approached. “You… you’re out?”

The rumors about Song Hanyong’s actions had spread like wildfire in the town, and even if Xu Xin hadn’t actively sought information, she’d have heard about it.

Seeing Song Ran now, Xu Xin didn’t feel happy. She just wanted to keep her distance from him.

“Comrade Xu Xin, how have you been these past few days?”

“Pretty good.” Xu Xin didn’t want any involvement with Song Ran. “Comrade Song, we’re not close. Please don’t come looking for me again.”

Her words were like a thunderclap, instantly wiping the smile off Song Ran’s face, replacing it with a furrowed brow. “Why?”

Xu Xin spoke slowly, with no emotion: “There’s no reason.”

After speaking, Xu Xin turned to go inside.

Song Ran grabbed her wrist, his eyes red as he asked, “Last time, you didn’t say that!”

“Comrade Xu Xin, I broke off my engagement with Xu Jiajia for you, and now you tell me we’re not close?”

“If we really weren’t close, why didn’t you say that when I approached you?”

Song Ran became more agitated, tightening his grip on Xu Xin’s wrist. Her face twisted in pain, and she looked like she was about to cry. “Let go of me! You’re hurting me!”

Only then did Song Ran release her. “Are you worried about my father affecting me?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already severed ties with my father. His issues won’t affect me.”

Xu Jiajia, observing their interaction, began talking to Guagua.

[Does this count as her flipping over?]

[No, it takes a lot of men together for it to count as flipping over.]

Xu Jiajia lost interest and said nothing.

Xu Xin, worried that Song Ran might continue talking, shifted the topic to Xu Jiajia: “Your fiancée is here too.”

Song Ran followed her gaze and saw Xu Jiajia standing closely with a male comrade. It was clear that their relationship was intimate.

Song Ran assumed that they had already been involved with each other and, with a dark expression, stormed over: “Xu Jiajia, is this why you want to break off the engagement? You shameless woman, filthy slut…”

The crude, vulgar words were disgusting.

Shen Yuebai was about to take action, but Xu Jiajia stopped him: “You’re a soldier, it’s not good for you to get involved. Let me handle this.”

With that, she slapped him across the face: “Did you eat shit? Why does your mouth smell so foul?”

Song Ran’s head rang from the slap, and he looked at Xu Jiajia in disbelief: “You filthy woman, how dare you hit me?”

Xu Jiajia slapped him again: “Try saying it again.”

Her voice was cold.

For the first time, Song Ran realized that Xu Jiajia could be strong and assertive. He froze for a few seconds before asking, “What’s going on between you two?”

Xu Jiajia responded domineeringly, “None of your business. Who do you think you are?”

Song Ran was furious: “Have you two already been together behind my back?”

Xu Jiajia sneered: “Do you think everyone is like you, falling for other women and hiding behind their reputation?”

“Comrade Song Ran, it’s best not to provoke me. If you piss me off, the consequences will be severe, and you won’t be able to handle them!”

Song Ran was stunned by Xu Jiajia’s aura: “Who… who are you?”

The Xu Jiajia he knew didn’t have this kind of presence.

Xu Jiajia replied, “I’m your father.”

Song Ran: “…”

Liao Mei, seeing Song Ran getting humbled, clapped her hands and cheered: “Good job, Jiajia! People like him don’t deserve any mercy!”

Li Chengye, who had come to accompany his cousin for the exam, saw Song Ran and snorted in displeasure: “What bad luck, really bad luck!”

His eyes then caught sight of Xu Jiajia, and his gloomy face immediately brightened into a sincere smile. He rushed over: “Jiajia, you’re here too?”

Xu Jiajia was surprised: “How come you’re everywhere?”

Li Chengye smiled goofily, showing his white teeth: “I’m here accompanying my cousin for the exam. Jiajia, how confident are you?”

Xu Jiajia gave a conservative estimate: “About two or three out of ten.”

Li Chengye, worried she might be upset if she didn’t pass, comforted her: “It’s alright, just treat it like a fun exam. Anyway, your man can support you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chengye noticed his cousin staring at Shen Yuebai. His face darkened as he pushed her: “What are you staring at? He’s not yours, he’s married. Stop digging your own grave!”

His cousin, feeling embarrassed, lowered her head, not daring to make eye contact with anyone: “I… I wasn’t thinking anything, I just thought his temperament was different from others.”

Li Chengye sighed in relief, happy she didn’t have any wrong ideas: “He’s a soldier, of course his temperament is different from ours.”

…

As the exam time approached, everyone began to find their designated exam rooms and seats.

A total of 108 people were taking the exam.

There were three exam rooms, each with more than thirty candidates.

Xu Jiajia and Liao Mei were in different rooms.

Xu Jiajia was in a good mental state.

So, she wasn’t nervous at all.

But Liao Mei was different.

Once they entered the exam room, she began trembling, and her palms were sweating.

Li Chengye’s cousin was in the same exam room as Liao Mei. Seeing her shaking like a leaf, she asked in concern, “Are you okay?”

Liao Mei shook her head, speaking in a trembling voice: “I… I’m fine.”

Her cousin didn’t believe her: “You’re like this and you’re saying you’re fine? Are you feeling sick or are you just scared of failing the exam?”