Chapter 94 : Phone

Liang Junqiang stood there, his ears feeling slightly warm, unable to believe what he had just heard. However, her smile didn’t seem fake, she looked so happy she might just jump for joy.

“So I’ll be Qingqing’s sister-in-law?” Huang Yali’s grape-sized eyes were filled with excited stars, her smile couldn’t be contained.

“Yes,” Ma Xiuzhi, seeing her genuine happiness, couldn’t help but smile as well.

“That’s wonderful.” Huang Yali didn’t expect to have such a fate with Qingqing. Her eyes curved with happiness, but this joy was short-lived, as the voice from the door brought a cold chill.

“I disagree.”

Everyone turned to look at the speaker. This was the first time the Huang family had seen Liang Junqiang, and because of his words, everyone’s expressions turned sour.

“Comrade Liang…” Huang Yali murmured his name, her eyes welling up.

Liang Junqiang turned his head to avoid Huang Yali’s gaze, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He squeezed his palms and continued, “I didn’t save you in order to receive Huang Yali’s promise of marriage, so there’s no need for that.”

“I didn’t want to marry you just for that reason,” Huang Yali felt speechless, her emotions churning inside her, making it hard for her to explain herself.

“No matter what, I can’t marry you.” He wondered what she had that he didn’t, feeling their differences were too vast. It wasn’t the way to achieve such a thing.

“Why? Is it because you…” Huang Yali’s lashes trembled, tears beginning to fall.

“You two should talk alone. We’ll step out.” Ma Xiuzhi looked at Huang Yali with concern and sighed deeply. She had underestimated Liang Junqiang’s determination. In this situation, even if she agreed, her stubborn son would likely still “run away from the wedding.”

So, only if Huang Yali could convince Liang Junqiang would there be any chance for this marriage to continue.

“Yes, we’ll all step out.” Huang’s mother patted Huang Yali’s arm. If Liang Junqiang still refused this time, then she would have to give up completely.

Ma Xiuzhi was the last to leave. Before she left, she couldn’t resist turning back and saying, “Junqiang, do what you think is right. Worrying too much isn’t what a real man does!”

With that, she shut the door behind her, leaving them alone together.

Huang Yali stared at the closed door, her heart pounding rapidly. What did Auntie mean by that? Was it possible that he…

With a decision in her mind, her tears flowed even more fiercely, crying like a rain-soaked pear blossom, looking pitiful.

Liang Junqiang stood helplessly, wanting to comfort her but unable to find the words.

She spoke before he could.

Huang Yali lifted her head, her tearful eyes fixed on him, “Do you dislike me because I was almost…”

“How could that be!” Liang Junqiang quickly interrupted, afraid she would think wrongly, and firmly stated, “I don’t dislike you. There’s nothing to dislike. Don’t think that.”

As soon as he finished speaking, she immediately followed up, “Then why won’t you marry me? You need to give me a reason.”

“Because…” The rest of his sentence stuck in his throat. Liang Junqiang rubbed the back of his head in frustration.

“Is it because I’m ugly?” Huang Yali reached up to touch her face, stepping closer and closing the distance between them, “Is that why you don’t like me?”

“You’re not ugly at all.”

On the contrary, he thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Huang Yali took another step forward, bringing them so close that they could feel each other’s breath. Liang Junqiang seemed to retreat instinctively, taking several steps back. Fortunately, she didn’t move closer but stood still, gripping her own fingers, her pretty features contorted as she began to cry again.

“Then you still dislike me.”

“I don’t dislike you.”

Liang Junqiang rubbed his forehead, feeling more frustrated than he ever did while solving math problems as a child. He couldn’t understand why she was bringing this up again.

“If you don’t dislike me, then marry me.” Perhaps due to crying for so long, her voice had taken on a slightly hoarse and choked tone, sounding both pitiful and unreasonable.

Liang Junqiang clenched his fists, struggling to suppress the urge to step forward and wipe away her tears. He gave a wry smile and said slowly, “Comrade Huang, setting aside our families, I am a divorced country man who barely manages to get by with hard labor in the fields. But you are different. You have a formal job, you’re protected from the elements, and you have a bright future ahead.”

“If it weren’t for this incident, our paths would never have crossed.”

“I am worthless and not worthy of you. Marrying me would only hinder your future. You should marry someone better.”

Huang Yali could not bear to hear him belittle himself. She shook her head vigorously and stepped forward to cover his mouth, saying, “What is a better person? I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”

“From my perspective, most men are the same, but you are different. You’re the first man to make my heart race just by looking at you. Maybe this is what they call love at first sight.”

“When I said I wanted to marry you that night, it was impulsive, but this time I am serious. Liang Junqiang, no matter how much you look down on yourself, in my eyes, you are the best, the most amazing.”

“Do you know? That night, you weren’t the only man who passed by, but they all ran away in fear, not even daring to call the police. I was resigned to my fate, but then you appeared and saved me from those bad people, giving me a new lease on life.”

“You are so kind and brave, how could you be worthless?”

“A person’s background is something they cannot choose. As long as one works diligently, they can make a good life. I don’t care if my partner works in the fields or in an office. What matters is whether he is the person in my heart.”

After saying so much in one breath, Huang Yali suddenly realized that her hand was still covering Liang Junqiang’s mouth. She quickly looked down and withdrew her hand, visibly dejected.

“If you don’t marry me, I won’t marry anyone for the rest of my life. Anyway, everyone around here knows my situation, and they probably don’t want to marry me either.”

This statement was like a sharp thorn driven into Liang Junqiang’s heart. He suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and said, “You can’t think like that.”

“Life is short. How many people will we meet who are right for us? If we miss it, it’s missed.” Huang Yali shook her head, as if she had seen through the world. She sighed and forced a smile, saying, “Look at me, I came here to thank you today, but it’s turned into me trying to make things difficult for you.”

“Our issue is…” Forget it.

“Marry me.”

They both spoke at almost the same time, their eyes meeting in mid-air and sparking different emotions. Huang Yali cried tears of joy, her body moving faster than her mind. Before she realized it, she had thrown herself into Liang Junqiang’s arms, holding his back tightly, just like that night.

With him around, she always felt exceptionally safe.

From this moment, the wheels of fate began to turn. What the future held was unknown.

But for now, they were content and joyful, and that was enough.

—

Far away in the provincial city, Liang Qingqing had no idea she was about to gain a new sister-in-law who was also her good friend!

She was staying up late reading by lamp light, nearly exhausting herself over the task given by Tian Fengchun. She had guessed what her first official job might be, but she never expected it would be hosting a variety show.

The variety show was organized jointly by the City Agricultural Bureau, the City Finance Bureau, the City Public Security Bureau, and the City Education Bureau. To be straightforward, it was a matchmaking event. Single men and women would perform on stage, and Liang Qingqing’s main task was to give the opening speech and announce the performers.

It was her first time doing such a job. Saying she wasn’t nervous would be a lie, but fortunately, Tian Fengchun had assigned her an experienced male partner, so if anything went wrong, there would be someone to cover for her.

With the other dormitory members already asleep, Liang Qingqing was under her blanket, using a flashlight to review her script. After going over it silently and finding no mistakes, she turned off the flashlight.

Stretching her head out from under the blanket, Liang Qingqing closed her eyes slowly. Her heart was full of mixed feelings, but mostly she felt anticipation.

She was more curious than anyone else about how well she could perform. She just hoped there wouldn’t be any mishaps.

As she thought about this, she fell into a dream. Early the next morning, as soon as there was movement in the dormitory, Liang Qingqing woke up, quickly changed her clothes and tidied her bed, then went to wash up.

Having lived with her three roommates for a long time, they had already formed their own circle. Liang Qingqing, not wanting to intrude, and sensing that they looked down on her rural background and were deliberately distancing themselves, preferred to remain independent.

Though it was somewhat lonely without friends to accompany her, for Liang Qingqing, this was actually a good thing. It allowed her to focus all her energy on her work, study hard, and catch up with the others as soon as possible.

Just after finishing her wash, Liang Qingqing heard the dorm manager’s shout from downstairs, “Liang Qingqing from Room 312, you have a phone call!”

“Coming!”

Liang Qingqing set down the towel she was holding and almost flew down the stairs, her lips curling up uncontrollably because she knew only one person would be calling her.

Sure enough, as soon as she picked up the phone, a familiar deep voice came through.

“Qingqing?”

“I’m here.” Liang Qingqing instinctively wrapped her fingers around the phone cord, her voice softening to a gentle tone she hadn’t even realized she was using. “Why are you calling so early?”

Without needing to guess, she knew he must have taken the earliest bus into town. Since there were no phones in the village, he could only call from the county’s post office.

He had promised to tell her next time they met, and now he had delivered.

Fang Yanxing was getting increasingly adept at keeping her in suspense, and he knew exactly how to push her buttons.

“Today is your big day. I called to congratulate you in advance on completing your work successfully.” Fang Yanxing chuckled softly, “If I didn’t call now, you wouldn’t have been able to answer my call later.”

Fang Yanxing was right. She had to go over early to familiarize herself with the venue, change clothes, and get styled. She would be so busy she might not even have time for a proper meal.

“Why the congratulations? It hasn’t even started yet.” Liang Qingqing’s eyelashes fluttered, her eyes smiling more deeply as if she had dipped herself in a honey pot, her joy so overwhelming she could hardly contain it.

She hadn’t expected that a casual remark she made would be remembered so clearly by Fang Yanxing, who had even called to give her encouragement. This kind of thoughtfulness was unparalleled.

“I believe in my partner’s abilities. Heaven won’t let her efforts go to waste,” Fang Yanxing said, sensing her cheerful tone and pressing on, “Qingqing, I miss you so much.”

The sudden declaration of affection caught her off guard. Liang Qingqing instinctively responded with a surprised “Ah,” her face flushing with two pink spots.

“I said, Qingqing, I miss you so much.”