Chapter 72

With a plan in mind, Maimiao bid farewell to Xia Qingning and stepped out of the room. She ran into He Shanshan, who was carrying a basin and preparing to wash up.

Since Yao Hongmei was pregnant, her mother, Wang Mingfang, had focused all her attention on her daughter-in-law, Yao Hongmei. She didn’t care much about He Shanshan’s failed blind date.

Nothing had gone her way in the past few days, and He Shanshan was already fuming with anger. When she saw Maimiao, whom she disliked, coming to the house again, she put on a sour face and yelled rudely:

“Don’t you have your own home? Why are you running to other people’s houses all the time?”

Over the years, the two had clashed countless times. Seeing He Shanshan’s provocation, Maimiao didn’t intend to let her off easily. She directly retorted:

“Yeah, don’t you have your own home? Why are you living in other people’s houses all the time?”

“You!” He Shanshan was speechless. After all, this wasn’t her home. She was just a guest here.

She couldn’t argue with Maimiao on this point. Thinking about the matchmaker who had gone to her house today, He Shanshan immediately changed the topic and asked deliberately:

“Did a matchmaker come to your house to talk about marriage today?” She curled her lips, her words laced with sarcasm. “When is he coming to see you? Dare you let me see him too? Let’s see if he’s a turtle or a toad.”

Maimiao hadn’t originally intended to show off about Xiao Wu in front of her, but since He Shanshan had come to play the clown, she might as well fulfill her wish.

“He’s coming tomorrow afternoon.” Maimiao looked at her and replied, “If you want to see him, come over.”

He Shanshan laughed even more arrogantly. With a confident look, she said:

“You really want me to go? What if he ends up liking me and not you? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing for you?”

Thinking about how He Shanshan always looked down on others, whether it was disliking this or saying that was ugly, Maimiao felt a sense of satisfaction. She finally had a chance to teach her a lesson. She glanced at her and replied:

“It’s not certain who will be embarrassed then.” She didn’t bother to talk to her anymore and walked out of the courtyard.

“Humph!” He Shanshan snorted disdainfully, picked up her basin, and walked out, still looking smug. “Whoever is ugly is the one who will be embarrassed.”

Xia Qingning had been walking mountain roads and riding in a car all day. She was extremely tired, and her feet were aching. To relieve her fatigue, she boiled some water, poured it into a wooden basin, took off her shoes and socks, and started soaking her feet.

Soaking your feet after a long walk is the most comfortable thing. Xia Qingning sat in a chair, letting her mind wander, enjoying the comfort. Her two feet unconsciously swayed and splashed in the water.

For Lu Jingzhe, who had been training for a long time, this distance was nothing. He didn’t feel tired. Seeing that it was still early, he walked to the table, just picked up the book he hadn’t finished reading, when he inadvertently glanced at Xia Qingning’s restless feet in the basin.

He had never seen such small feet before. Each toe was white and tender, unconsciously splashing in the water. It looked incredibly cute.

Looking at the girl in front of him, she was sitting quietly and obediently, her head slightly lowered, her eyes distant, like a dazed little cat.

Unbeknownst to Lu Jingzhe, the corners of his lips unconsciously curled up when he looked at the cute little person beside him.

He rarely paid attention to someone’s appearance, but now that he was looking at her up close, he realized that she was really beautiful. Her small oval face was particularly delicate, her skin was white and smooth, her nose was straight, her lips were plump, everything about her was adorable. But why was she so thin?

After a moment, he looked away, stood up, went to the kitchen to get a bowl, returned to the room, made a cup of malt milk, and handed it to Xia Qingning.

Xia Qingning came back to her senses. She didn’t expect him to make her a cup of malt milk. She was surprised and took it with a polite thank you:

“Thank you.”

“Didn’t I tell you to drink it every morning and evening?” Lu Jingzhe said in a deep voice.

“Oh, I’ll remember next time.” Xia Qingning buried her face in the bowl and mumbled.

Seeing her obedient and compliant look, Lu Jingzhe didn’t say anything else to scold her. When he turned to look at her again, he found that her eyes were almost closed together. Thinking that this little body had been running around all day, she must be tired. He reminded her:

“Drink it quickly. Go to bed early after you finish.”

“Okay.” Xia Qingning responded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Lu Jingzhe, “You went to the village head and arranged a job as a work point recorder for my brother, didn’t you?”

Lu Jingzhe didn’t deny it. He silently nodded his head.

“Thank you!” Xia Qingning was sincere. She was truly grateful to him. She hadn’t thought of this, and Lu Jingzhe had quietly taken care of it. How thoughtful and kind he was!

“No need.” Lu Jingzhe replied, his voice magnetic and pleasant.

She was about to ask him why he didn’t tell her brother and his family when he left today. Thinking that he was always low-key and had a cold and indifferent personality, she knew that if he told them, the whole family would keep thanking him, so she didn’t mention it.

This man who did good deeds without taking credit, well, he was truly great!

Not long after, Xia Qingning finished the malt milk in her bowl. Lu Jingzhe naturally reached out to take the bowl from her and placed it aside.

Xia Qingning took her feet out of the basin. She was about to put on her shoes, but she was so sleepy that she almost stepped on the edge of the basin with a dazed foot, almost tipping the whole basin over.

Just as she was in a state of shock, a strong arm suddenly stretched out and directly picked her up.

The man’s movements were too fast and too sudden. Xia Qingning hadn’t even reacted when she was already in his arms. If she hadn’t felt his strong chest, she would have thought she was dreaming.

He actually hugged her, a princess carry!

When she was young and innocent, she had also fantasized about one day meeting a handsome boy and having a sweet romance. He would be considerate and gentle, or passionate and domineering. All the princess carries, wall slams, bed slams… all of them.

Later, as she got older, she suddenly felt that those things were childish and a little embarrassing.

Now that she was actually being hugged like this by a man who looked good and had a great physique, she was more surprised than happy.

Lu Jingzhe carried her to the bed. His face didn’t show much emotion. He just told her to go to sleep quickly if she was sleepy.

Xia Qingning was a little confused. Even if he felt responsible for the original Xia Qingning, he didn’t have to go this far, did he?

So what did he mean? Did he… like her?

As soon as this thought popped up, she immediately denied it.

She wasn’t delusional. She wasn’t that self-confident. She didn’t think she had that much charm to make someone who hated the original Xia Qingning like her in just a few days.

The only explanation was that Lu Jingzhe didn’t like her but was trying to accept her.

After all, they were both married, and it was a military marriage. What else could he do without trying to accept her? If he initiated a divorce, it would have a huge impact on his political career.

Thinking this, Xia Qingning felt a little sorry for him. It would be so miserable to do these things for someone you didn’t like, or even hated at first!

However, apart from him being a little miserable, it was a good thing for her. When she proposed to go with him to the army, wouldn’t she have a better chance of success?

Then she would just have to make him suffer a little. After she went with him to the army and got a formal position, she would go to the organization and file for divorce. He wouldn’t be affected.

After making up her mind, sleepiness also came over her. She turned over and fell into a deep sleep.

When Lu Jingzhe finished washing up and returned to the room, he found that she was already asleep. Her body was curled up slightly, making her look even smaller. The only improvement was that she wasn’t sleeping at the edge of the bed like before.

Lu Jingzhe turned off the light, lay down on the bed, and unconsciously recalled Xia Qingning’s words to Maimiao:

“It wasn’t me being bold. It was the bad guys being too evil.”

He seemed to have a faint idea. Perhaps he should find a time to talk to Xia Qingning properly about that incident.

The next day, Lu Jingzhe had something to do and left early. When Xia Qingning was getting into Wu Xiaodong’s car at the gate, she ran into Maimiao, who was walking out of the house. As soon as Maimiao saw her, she ran over and whispered in her ear:

“Qingning, can you come to my house after work this afternoon?”

“Aren’t you going on a blind date with that Xiao Wu? It wouldn’t be convenient for me to go.” Xia Qingning said truthfully.

“I’m a little nervous.” Maimiao said anxiously, “I won’t be afraid if you’re here.”

“Afraid of what?” Xia Qingning laughed, teasing her, “Xiao Wu won’t eat you.”

“Oh.” Maimiao’s face immediately turned red. She shook Xia Qingning’s arm, “Please come. I’m not sure what to do. You said he didn’t even like He Shanshan. How could he like me?”

“Why wouldn’t he like you?” Xia Qingning knew she was nervous. She praised her, “You’re beautiful and kind, much better than He Shanshan.”

Maimiao burst into laughter. Her worries instantly lessened, and she gained some confidence. Looking at Xia Qingning, she said:

“Qingning, you’re really good at talking. Okay, I’ll just meet him and see how it goes. What if I don’t even like him?”

Thinking about watching Maimiao’s embarrassment, He Shanshan rushed home as soon as she got off work. As she rode her bicycle to the entrance of the courtyard, she saw the matchmaker who had introduced her to a partner walking ahead with a man.

She looked carefully and found that the man was Xiao Wu, who had gone on a blind date with her a few days ago. He was carrying a bunch of gifts and had an unconcealable smile on his face as he walked quickly forward.

He Shanshan’s eyes lit up. Did he think about it at home for the past few days and decided that she was still good enough, so he came back to see her?

Just as she was happily about to greet him, she saw them walk straight into Maimiao’s house the next second.

He Shanshan was stunned.