Chapter 769

Xiao Man had met Feng Hui’s wife, Lin Qingqing, three times and knew her to be a gentle, kind, and agreeable woman. She’d known Feng Hui for several years, and they were friends despite their age gap. Because of this, she didn’t feel it was at all inappropriate to bring Xia Qingting to their home for a visit without prior notice.

Xia Qingting wasn’t being thoughtless; she just cherished their bond and wanted to spend more time with her friend. After all, they lived in different places, each with their own work and studies. Once they parted, it would be a long time before they could meet again. If it had been anyone else, Xia Qingting might not have been willing to tag along.

Feng Hui had given them the address earlier, so Gu Shaojun drove to a residential compound for staff. Feng Hui was already waiting at the compound gate. He first greeted Gu Shaojun with a smile, then nodded a hello to Xia Qingting. Then, he eagerly pulled Xiao Man out of the car, ignoring a certain someone’s icy gaze, and dragged her away. As he went, he turned back to explain, “You two wait here for a few minutes. We’re out of alcohol at home, so we’re going to the little shop over there to buy a couple of bottles. We’ll be right back, right back!”

After they had walked a short distance, Xiao Man pulled her hand free and looked at him. “Buy what alcohol? You know my Gu Shaojun is in uniform and drove here, so he definitely won’t be drinking. We girls don’t drink either. Are you going to drink by yourself? That’s a pretty flimsy excuse. If you have something to tell me, just spit it out.”

Feng Hui coughed dryly a few times and chuckled sheepishly. “You’re as sharp as ever, Xiao Man. Um… COUGH COUGH! When we go inside and see Qingqing… can you not mention what happened the other day?”

“The other day? What happened?” Xiao Man feigned ignorance.

“Argh, just the other day! On Cui Zhu Road, by the bus stop! You… you saw me!”

“Oh, that’s right. I did see you. I saw you drive a woman to that street. The two of you were laughing and flirting right there on the main road, looking pretty happy about it. You even gave her fruit and wine and told her to give them to her aunt and uncle as a gift… What about it? Is there a problem?”

Feng Hui was so anxious he was practically jumping up and down. “I’m begging you, you little troublemaker! You absolutely can’t tell Qingqing any of this!”

“I can’t? But why?”

“Because… Argh, just because! You just can’t!”

“Did something happen? Let me guess: you ignored my sage advice and continued living under the same roof with that girl, just the two of you, and you finally did something to betray Qingqing, right? And now Qingqing is back today, but she’s still completely in the dark about everything?”

Feng Hui gave a helpless, bitter smile. “Don’t just guess wildly; you’re completely wrong! I’ll be honest with you: your speculation the other day did have a point. My wife and I were too careless and let a wolf into our home. Zhao Ling is a real piece of work. She… that very night, in the middle of the night, she snuck into my room and almost… Ugh! This isn’t something I can discuss in detail with you. I was furious! I kicked her out the very next day!”

Xiao Man was completely confused. “So what exactly happened between you and her?”

“Of course nothing happened! There’s no way I would let her get away with it!”

Feng Hui’s face was stern and righteous. “She even dared to threaten me, saying she’d make a scene in the residential compound and report me to my work unit. Do I look like a pushover? Because of her relationship with Qingqing, I’ve helped her family out a lot. She was even counting on me for a transfer to the provincial city this time. I know more than half of what goes on with her family, and there’s plenty of dirty laundry. I told her to go ahead and report me. If she dares to make a move, her brother and sister-in-law’s careers back in Wancheng will be finished! I’d be surprised if her own mother let her off the hook then.”

“It seems you and your wife were too good to Zhao Ling and ended up raising an ungrateful wolf. Now you see how vicious she can be, huh? You looked like you were enjoying yourself the other day. She was being so sweet to you.”

“COUGH COUGH! Can we just drop it? You absolutely can’t mention this to Qingqing. The moment she got back today, she asked where Zhao Ling was and why she was gone. If she knew that her childhood best friend was that kind of person, she’d be heartbroken!”

“So you’re just going to hide it from her forever? Brother Feng, that’s not right. If you really have Qingqing’s best interests at heart, the wisest thing to do is to tell her the truth directly and expose Zhao Ling’s ugly nature. That way, Qingqing won’t be deceived by her again in the future. Zhao Ling is willing to deceive a friend she grew up with and brazenly try to destroy Qingqing’s family. It shows her character is twisted and malicious. She has no real friendship for Qingqing; she couldn’t care less if Qingqing lived or died. This time, Zhao Ling’s target was you, and you managed to resist. You’re a man, so you have the physical advantage and could easily fight her off. But what if Zhao Ling decides to target Qingqing next time? If Qingqing is caught off guard, she’ll definitely be the one to suffer!”

Feng Hui stood stunned for a moment, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. He suddenly slapped his head twice. “You’re right. I was thinking about this all wrong, oversimplifying things! Qingqing has always been innocent and kind, and she was so good to Zhao Ling, truly giving her all. But Zhao Ling repaid her kindness with malice. For one, I’m worried Qingqing won’t be able to accept it. And second… to be honest, I’m afraid she’ll misunderstand and think something happened between me and Zhao Ling!”

Xiao Man rolled her eyes at him. “If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Unless, of course, you actually did something.”

“I didn’t! I absolutely didn’t!” Feng Hui swore up and down.

“What’s the use of swearing to me? In any case, I don’t know anything, and I’m not getting involved. I won’t say a single word to Qingqing. You can go back and figure out how to explain it to your dear Qingqing yourself! So, are you still treating us to dinner or not? If not, say so now. We need to find another place to eat!”

“Yes, yes, of course! Let’s go up, let’s go up! Don’t you love the braised duck that Qingqing makes? It’s her family’s secret recipe, and she’s watching over the pot right now. The other dishes are all ready too. We can eat as soon as we get upstairs!”

After talking with Xiao Man for a bit, Feng Hui felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He forgot all about his excuse to buy alcohol and enthusiastically ushered everyone upstairs. When they reached the fourth floor, Lin Qingqing, having heard their voices, opened the door with her son. A wide smile on her face, she welcomed her guests inside.

Lin Qingqing was as young and beautiful as ever, with a gentle and graceful demeanor. She happily took Xiao Man’s hand, asking her this and that to catch up. Feng Hui invited Gu Shaojun to take a seat. On the left side of the living room, in a prominent spot, was a glass liquor cabinet filled with numerous bottles of alcohol. ‘It was a mystery how the guy had come up with the excuse to go buy alcohol just now.’

Xiao Bin, who was a little over three, looked like his father but had his mother’s personality. He appeared polite, adorable, and well-mannered. Xia Qingting held out the small wicker basket to the little boy. The little fellow was immediately captivated by the golden cupcakes, verdant zongzi, and bright red eggs inside. His eyes went wide, but he didn’t grab for it right away. Instead, he first looked up to get a clear look at Xia Qingting’s face, then smiled and said, “Thank you,” before reaching out to take the small wicker basket.

Xia Qingting really was an adaptable person—strong with the strong and gentle with the weak. Upon meeting a child she took a liking to, her own inner child came out to play, and she and Xiao Bin hit it off immediately. She didn’t get a chance to cling to Xiao Man all evening, which, as it turned out, suited Gu Shaojun just fine.