Chapter 8 You two don’t care about the dog’s life or death, right?

“Pfft! Cough cough! You two—could you please be a little more considerate of us single folks?!” Lu Hang suddenly sprayed the soda in his mouth and broke into a fit of coughing behind them.

Only then did Ruan Xiangxiang and Gu Rongqing remember there was still a Lu Hang tagging along behind them.

“Drink slower, will you? No one’s fighting you for it,” Gu Rongqing glanced back at him and gave a few solid pats on his back.

“Easy, Qing-ge, don’t smack me to death!” Lu Hang protested. He was absolutely convinced Qing-ge was doing it on purpose. He also deeply regretted tagging along with this couple to get their marriage license. He was nothing more than a 100-watt third wheel!

Ruan Xiangxiang blushed. She had truly forgotten about Lu Hang back there. Not her fault—he’d been silent the whole time!

“Sis-in-law, sis-in-law, you really have an older sister? Is she single? What do you think of me? I mean, my rank isn’t as high as our Commander Gu’s right now, but I’ve got potential! Why don’t you introduce me to your sister?” Lu Hang perked up again. Seeing how perfect his commander and Xiangxiang looked together, his restless heart started stirring. If this worked out, wouldn’t the commander have to call him brother-in-law? That’d be sweet.

“You have a sister?” Gu Rongqing asked curiously. The two of them had talked about a lot last night, but not about her family.

“My stepmother’s daughter—she brought her into the marriage,” Ruan Xiangxiang shrugged casually, like she didn’t care.

“Huh? Wait, sis-in-law, you’re saying… you have a stepmother?” Lu Hang was instantly at a loss for words, suddenly realizing he might’ve brought up something he shouldn’t have.

“Yep. Since we’re on the topic, let me tell you a bit about my background,” she said lightly, as if she were telling someone else’s story. “As you’ve probably noticed, I don’t look quite like most people here. My birth mother wasn’t Han Chinese—my father had me while he was stationed in a remote area. She passed away, and within half a year, my father remarried. My stepmother came with a daughter. That girl’s quite the top student—just got accepted to Shangdu University this year. They needed money badly, so they married me off to pay her tuition.”

Though she said it casually, Ruan Xiangxiang still felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Her birth mother had only been gone for six months before her stepmother moved in. Sure, you couldn’t deny her father the right to seek happiness again. But what kind of life did the original host live after that woman arrived?

All the good food and clothes went to Ruan Mengmeng, the stepsister. The original host was often hungry and dressed in rags. After the stepmother came, she never got a single new outfit. Even when she had her period, she had to use her stepmother’s used pads. All the money she earned from working was taken by the stepmother, supposedly to “save” for her dowry. But in the end? Not only did she not get a dowry—her stepmother charged her 300 yuan for the bride price!

Gu Rongqing quickly picked up on her change in mood. Just moments ago she had been cheerful like a little girl, but now her blue eyes were filled with melancholy. His heart clenched instinctively. Without thinking, he reached out and gently pulled her into an embrace.

“I’ll take good care of you from now on. No one will ever bully you again,” he said softly. “That daughter of your stepmother—the one who got into Shangdu University—you know which school exactly?”

Feeling the solid warmth of the man holding her, Ruan Xiangxiang felt a comforting peace rise within her. So this is what it feels like to have someone to rely on…

“I heard it’s Shangdu University,” she said, a bit bitterly. The original host’s stepsister really was impressive—getting into Shendu University. Even in the future, that was a top-tier 211, Double First-Class school.

“Shangdu University, huh? Got it.” Gu Rongqing tightened the arm around her slender shoulders. She was far too thin. Her shoulders weren’t even as wide as his hand.

“All right, let’s stop thinking about unhappy things. I’ll take you to get something to eat, then we’ll go shopping at the department store,” he said.

“Yay, yay! I’ve never been to a department store before!” Ruan Xiangxiang instantly brightened up. No matter the era, girls would always love shopping.

The three of them found a restaurant first. Gu Rongqing was determined to fatten her up, so he ordered a full spread of dishes.

Ruan Xiangxiang especially loved the local specialty: donkey meat fire buns. She ate three in a row and followed it with a big bowl of lamb soup. Lu Hang was stunned by how much she ate. Who would’ve guessed someone so skinny could have such an appetite?

“Eat slower,” Gu Rongqing said gently. He’d already had a big meal at home, so now he mostly just sat and watched her eat—each bite made her look so radiant in his eyes. Truly, beautiful people made even eating look elegant.

Lu Hang chewed on his own donkey meat bun and rolled his eyes. He was so done with being force-fed dog food by this couple. He swore he’d find someone of his own soon. Why hadn’t his family arranged any blind dates for him after all these years in the military? If only he had come home from a mission to find his mom had picked out a gorgeous bride for him, like Qing-ge!

While he was spacing out in his own fantasy world, Ruan Xiangxiang and Gu Rongqing had already finished eating. They had to call him three times before he snapped out of it.

Seeing the couple holding hands in plain sight, Lu Hang clutched his chest dramatically and said, “You two just don’t care if this poor dog dies of jealousy, huh? Hmph! I’m not going to the department store with you. I’m heading to the post office to call my mom and tell her to get me a girlfriend ASAP!”

“Take care of yourself,” Gu Rongqing said without a hint of reluctance. Honestly, he was more than happy to let that third wheel go off on his own so his wife wouldn’t feel shy.

“Wow, so heartless! Sis-in-law, don’t you go easy on him when you go shopping! I’m telling you, he’s got plenty of money saved up—at least this much!” Lu Hang held up six fingers.

Ruan Xiangxiang laughed. She wasn’t sure if he meant six thousand or six figures, but either way, that was a hefty sum.

“Get going already!” Gu Rongqing said, exasperated.

Once Lu Hang was gone, Gu Rongqing took Ruan Xiangxiang’s hand, gave it a gentle squeeze, and led her toward the department store.

With her hand in his, and his long strides matching her pace, Ruan Xiangxiang glanced up at the handsome curve of his jawline and felt blissful.

No wonder, she thought, her bestie in the future loved dating tall guys over 185 cm. She even taught her all those tricks for catching a man. Too bad she never got to use them—until now.

Finally, she could experience the joy for herself!