Chapter 15

His mom really didn’t understand him; he liked beautiful women, so why was she setting him up with someone just because she’s “cultured and well-mannered”?

Li Qiang felt that if Xu Niannian had agreed to meet him for a date, she shouldn’t be on a date with anyone else. It seemed that he forgot he was doing the exact same thing. Without holding back his frustration, he ignored the woman he was supposed to be on a date with, took a big step forward, and approached Niannian.

Feigning surprise, he asked, “Niannian, what are you doing here?”

Xu Niannian recognized him from her memories as Li Qiang and curled her lip. “Just eating with a friend.”

Li Qiang glanced at the man in military uniform with a close-cropped haircut sitting across from her. Despite feeling slightly intimidated by the uniform, he dismissed his concerns since the man didn’t seem hostile. Clearly, this was also someone here to date her. Li Qiang felt displeased that he was competing with others and, with confidence in his own worth, pulled up a chair to sit down. A soldier couldn’t offer her the wealth he had, and besides, she’d probably end up separated from him due to his deployments. Li Qiang felt certain that he was the better option.

“Well, since we’re here now, we don’t need to wait until tonight for our date. Let’s just do it now.”

Xu Niannian’s eyes widened, shocked by his audacity. How could he say something so shameless with a straight face, as if she had agreed to it? She couldn’t hold back her laughter out of sheer anger. Not caring that Xie Yang was there, she let her words fly.

“What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever agree to date you? Even if there were no men left on earth, I still wouldn’t go out with you.”

Li Qiang, who had always been pampered, had never been humiliated like this before, especially in front of another man. His face turned red with fury, and he clenched his fists. For a moment, he wanted to punch her, but reminded himself that she wasn’t his woman—yet. Just wait, he thought; once she was his, he’d teach her a lesson.

Taking a deep breath, he countered, “What are you saying? We agreed to go on a date tonight, didn’t we? Oh, I get it—you’re pretending you didn’t say yes because of this guy. Do you like him?”

Xu Niannian’s face turned cold as she prepared to fight back.

Ignoring her icy glare, Li Qiang turned his attention to Xie Yang. “Hey, man, she’s my woman. Got it? So take a hint and leave. My dad’s a factory director.”

Xie Yang’s expression went from a smile to deadpan to one of chilling anger. As a soldier who had been in combat, he had a look that most couldn’t ignore when he became serious. Li Qiang flinched, but quickly laughed, knowing that military personnel weren’t allowed to fight civilians. He smirked and turned back to Niannian.

In response, Niannian took a teapot and poured its contents over his head.

“Are you awake now? Who told you I was going out with you? We haven’t seen each other in ages.”

Li Qiang wiped the tea from his face. “Your sister told me! I can’t believe you’d pour tea on me!”

Furious, he picked up the cup in front of Xie Yang and prepared to splash it on her. But Xie Yang’s grip was like a vice, holding Li Qiang’s hand in place, rendering him unable to move.

Li Qiang’s rage was escalating, and he shouted, “You little tramp, you’ve already found yourself a lover and forgot about me?”

The surrounding diners began casting judgmental glances at Niannian, whispering amongst themselves. During this time, the guests at a nearby wedding banquet had taken notice of the commotion as well.

Lu’s mother nudged Lu Huaijin, who had been eating with his head down. “Look over there; isn’t that Niannian?”

Lu Huaijin paused. He had noticed Xie Yang arguing with someone but didn’t realize it was Niannian. He had assumed it was something trivial.

“Xu Niannian?”

“Yes, that’s her! Go and see what’s happening.”

Adjusting his clothes, Lu Huaijin walked toward the scene. As he approached, he could hear Niannian angrily berating Li Qiang.

“You moron! You actually believed Xu Ruhua’s lies? If she had any morals, she wouldn’t have gone after her sister’s boyfriend. Has a mule kicked your brain? Why don’t you go ask Xu Ruhua yourself if I ever agreed to a date with you?”

Li Qiang’s face turned purple with anger as he struggled against Xie Yang’s grip.

Just as Li Qiang raised his leg to kick the table, a shadow appeared, pinning him face-down against it.

Seeing the man before her, Niannian suddenly felt a pang of embarrassment. Just a moment ago, she’d been confidently trading insults with Li Qiang, but now her voice faltered.

The man in front of her had striking features—sharp brows and starry eyes. Dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, he had an imposing presence, and even his jawline exuded a certain elegance. She found herself drawn to his looks.

Meanwhile, Xie Yang stepped aside as he saluted Lu Huaijin. “Thank you, Commander Lu.”

Lu Huaijin restrained Li Qiang, casting a glance at Niannian.

“What are you doing here, Xie Yang?” he asked his subordinate.

“Just grabbing a bite with a friend,” Xie Yang replied, aware that he needed to tread lightly.

Niannian’s heart skipped a beat. Huaijin, and a commander at that… Could this be Lu Huaijin?

Xie Yang then turned to introduce them, saying, “This is Commander Lu, and this is my friend, Xu Niannian.”

Awkwardly, Niannian offered a polite smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Lu Huaijin nodded. “Yes, it is. Excuse me while I go take care of this situation.”

With that, he lifted Li Qiang as if he weighed nothing and carried him outside.

As Niannian and Xie Yang prepared to follow, they were stopped by a server who had just brought out their dishes. Despite the disturbance, the restaurant had no intention of refunding their meal since the dishes were already prepared. In an instant, the table was filled with food.

Sitting down, Niannian felt increasingly uneasy. “What does ‘take care of him’ mean?” she asked Xie Yang, nervous about what awaited Li Qiang.