Jiang Sicheng nodded, reluctant to part.
Xiao Xiao smiled, nudged him, and sent him away.
Seeing Xiao Xiao enter the room, Zhang Jingzhi felt a little embarrassed and asked, "Did I bother you again?"
Xiao Xiao smiled helplessly, "It's alright, I'm used to it." She took out some orange juice from the refrigerator and handed it to Zhang Jingzhi, "According to you, you felt really good cursing him, so why are you crying? Are you still hung up on Yang Lei?"
Zhang Jingzhi shook her head, looking somewhat downcast. She took the drink bottle but didn't drink it, instead hugging it to her chest, enjoying the coolness. Xiao Xiao went over, smiled gently, and pulled out a tissue, handing it to her. "If you want to cry, just cry. There's nothing shameful about it. It's just heartbreak."
Zhang Jingzhi leaned her head on Xiao Xiao's shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "I'm upset not because of Yang Lei, but because I've realized that I'm also a rotten person, no different from that bitch I just cursed. When she's upset, she goes to her ex-boyfriend to cry, but what about me? I just thought of Wang Yuhan. Tell me, what's the difference between me and that bitch?"
Xiao Xiao was both amused and exasperated. "Little sister, while self-criticism is a virtue of our Chinese nation, haven't you noticed that you've taken this virtue a bit too far? You thought of Wang Yuhan, but have you even gone to find him?"
Zhang Jingzhi's eyes reddened again. She shook her head and mumbled through her nose, "No."
"Well, you might as well have gone. That would have saved everyone so much trouble!" Xiao Xiao thought to herself, then asked, "Why didn't you go?"
“Because that’s tasteless. You reject someone, get hurt by someone else, and then go back to them,” Zhang Jingzhi bit her lip. “Only a scoundrel would do that!”
"That settles it. Everyone has selfish moments. The difference is that some people think about it and their morality makes them stick to their principles, while others—well—"
“You don’t need to say anything more,” Zhang Jingzhi interrupted Xiao Xiao. “I understand what you mean.”
Xiao Xiao smiled with relief, "Alright, don't be sad. Didn't you prepare before you pursued her? It's not a big deal. Hurry up and eat something. If you don't want to go back tonight, you can stay here. My mother is flying to see me tomorrow, and she specifically asked to see you!"
Zhang Jingzhi blew her nose and asked through a sniffle, "Your mother is here? That's rare! Don't tell me she's here to interrogate Jiang Sicheng."
Xiao Xiao smiled but remained silent.
"Oh my god, oh my god, Xiao Xiao, are you really planning to settle down?" Zhang Jingzhi asked in surprise.
"Mmm!" Xiao Xiao smiled. She hadn't expected it to be so fast, but since the relationship had progressed this far, and she had decided not to hold back anymore, she might as well just let it all out. Jiang Sicheng had told her several times that he wanted her to meet his family. Judging from his tone, if Xiao Xiao refused again, Jiang Sicheng was ready to kidnap her. So Xiao Xiao told her parents first. Unexpectedly, her father was in Europe on some kind of trip, and only her mother was in China. As soon as she heard that Xiao Xiao had a boyfriend, her mother wished she could sprout wings and fly over.
Seeing that the "most enchanting woman in the world" had actually decided to settle down, Zhang Jingzhi was naturally happy for her. But as she was enjoying herself, she felt a little sour. She took a big gulp of orange juice, pouted, and said in a sour tone, "I never thought that you, this enchanting woman, would find such an innocent little police officer. I thought I would be the one to marry myself off first!"
Xiao Xiao chuckled and patted Zhang Jingzhi's head. "It's okay, you can do it too. You at least have the appearance of a lady, so it won't be hard for you to get married!"
"It's not hard, it's not hard, sigh—" Zhang Jingzhi muttered, "I really want to just be a rotten person!"
Xiao Xiao laughed and tossed the phone to her, "It's not hard to find a scoundrel, just make a call! You know the number pretty well, don't you!"
Zhang Jingzhi hesitated, looking at the phone. "Wouldn't that be too undignified? I just broke up with my boyfriend today, and now I'm immediately chasing after someone new?"
She threw the phone down again, saying, "No, no, besides, he hasn't liked me for a long time. He's made it very clear. I'm not going to go back to that shameless guy!"
"Little sister, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Think of the White Bone Demon, she's lurking around like a hawk." Xiao Xiao tempted her from the side.
The mere mention of the White Bone Demon made Zhang Jingzhi even less inclined to fight. Moreover, she wasn't even sure what her feelings for Wang Yuhan were. She had been so annoyed with him just a few days ago, and she couldn't just go back to him immediately after breaking up with Yang Lei.
"No way! I'd rather die than be a mistress. If he really gets together with that 'White Bone Demon,' what kind of nonsense would it be for me to go back and bother him?"
Xiao Xiao regretted it so much she wanted to slap herself. She had originally intended to use the White Bone Demon to provoke Zhang Jingzhi, but she hadn't expected Zhang Jingzhi to be so stubborn. Rolling her eyes, she decided to sell Wang Yuhan out first. "Little sister, let me tell you the truth, listen carefully, he likes you, he has always liked you. He even stayed by your side when you were in the hospital. If he didn't like you anymore, why would he stay by your side? You can check my phone if you don't believe me. He practically called me non-stop during the days you were in the hospital!"
Zhang Jingzhi was stunned for a moment before she reacted to Xiao Xiao's words and asked blankly, "He stayed by my side at the hospital? How come I didn't know?"
"That's right, I stayed up all night, you know that? You're burning up like a roast suckling pig, what else do you know!" Xiao Xiao held back, but still changed "bullshit" to "what else." "Jingzhi, he's a grown man. You keep treating him like that, what can he do? He has to keep some self-respect, so he can only watch you silently. Aren't you satisfied with a man like that? Where else can you find one? You always say you're annoyed by him, annoyed by him, but what are you annoyed by? Who memorized his phone number so well? Who keeps his name and what he says on their lips all the time? Zhang Jingzhi, why can't you see things clearly?"
Someone held Zhang Jingzhi's head in both hands and shook it vigorously, intending to make her even more confused so that she would forget about the fact that the person and Wang Yuhan were in cahoots.
"Stop! Xiao Xiao, stop! Let me think about it myself."
"Fine, think about it carefully. Think about how much you've wronged Wang Yuhan!" Xiao Xiao sighed, sat back on the sofa, and looked at Zhang Jingzhi with schadenfreude.
For a long time, Zhang Jingzhi remained sitting there blankly.
After Xiao Xiao finished cleaning up the kitchen, she came out and asked, "Have you figured it out?"
Zhang Jingzhi shook her head, her mind still a jumbled mess. She thought about the scene when she first met Wang Yuhan, his carefree laugh, his wicked jokes, the "Good morning" he said when she woke up that morning, and the hurried yet intoxicating kiss in the car...
Was she really wrong? Zhang Jingzhi couldn't figure it out.
The phone rang, and Zhang Jingzhi answered it absentmindedly. It was her aunt's voice that came through. Zhang Jingzhi's expression grew more and more serious. After a long while, she put down the phone and looked at Xiao Xiao, saying with a worried look, "My aunt knows about Chu Yang and Fang Yi. She scolded Chu Yang, and as a result, Chu Yang ran away. The house is in chaos. She asked me if Chu Yang is with me."
Xiao Xiao was stunned after hearing this.
Zhang Jingzhi dialed Chu Yang's number, but it was switched off. She became a little anxious. "I remember having Fang Yi's number last time. I have to ask him if Chu Yang is with him."
Xiao Xiao stopped her, "Don't rush, think it over before you call. What are you saying? Do you think she'll listen to you? How much can you control this? Besides, what if she doesn't go to Fang Yi?"
Chu Yang
At that time, Chu Yang was indeed with Fang Yi.
In Fang Yi's private apartment, Fang Yi had just finished showering when he heard the doorbell ring. He checked the time and was a little puzzled, thinking that Huang Fei was coming to drag him out for drinks again. But when he opened the door, it was Chu Yang standing outside.
Fang Yi was somewhat surprised, smiled, and asked, "Does this count as a spot check?"
Chu Yang shook his head, seeing Fang Yi looking like he had just come out of the bath, peeking into the room, and joked, "Did you really stumble upon something exciting?"
Fang Yi pulled her inside, lightly tapped her on the head, and teased, "Ever since I met you, I've devoted myself to Buddhism!"
"What would you like to drink?" Fang Yi asked, opening the refrigerator to find her something to drink.
Chu Yang waved his hand, "No need, no need to be so polite. I'll just check the cleanliness of your house."
Fang Yi brought over some ice water, casually sat down on the sofa, watched Chu Yang pretend to wander around the rooms, smiled, and asked, "Did you find anything? Has anything changed since the last time you came?"
Chu Yang had visited his apartment twice, but hadn't stayed long on either occasion.
"It's alright, it's alright." Chu Yang spun around happily.
Fang Yi leaned back on the sofa, narrowed his eyes, and raised the corners of his mouth. "Chu Yang, you didn't come here so late just to check on my hygiene, did you?"
"Of course, of course! Alright, since I haven't found anything, I'll be going now." Chu Yang smiled, but it was somewhat forced. He glanced at Fang Yi awkwardly and walked towards the door, but then stopped, looking conflicted, and turned back to look at Fang Yi.
Fang Yi remained motionless, only looking at her with a half-smile.
Chu Yang gritted his teeth, walked back a few steps, threw his bag on the sofa, straddled Fang Yi's lap, pressed his hand on Fang Yi's shoulder, looked directly into his eyes and said, "That's right, I have something to do."
Fang Yi stared at her face silently, his eyes suddenly darkening. He said in a deep voice, "You did this on purpose?"
"Huh?" Chu Yang didn't understand what he meant.
Fang Yi met her gaze, gripped her waist tightly, and suddenly lifted her up, making her sit next to him. He frowned and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't care if you understand or not, remember not to sit like that in the future, or don't blame me if something happens."
Chu Yang seemed to understand but not quite, and his face flushed slightly.
Fang Yi laughed, took a few gulps of ice water, and asked with a smile, "What's so important that you came all this way so late?"
“My mom knows about us,” Chu Yang said. “She saw us when you went shopping with me this afternoon.”
Fang Yi laughed, gently touched Chu Yang's forehead, and said with a smile, "It's nothing, it was bound to happen sooner or later. If she tries to make things difficult for you, I'll go. If all else fails, there's always my mom. We can just let her take the field. She's been itching to get involved for a long time anyway."
Chu Yang let out a long sigh, rested his head on Fang Yi's shoulder, and after a moment of silence, suddenly said, "Let's get married, okay? Let's get engaged first!"
Fang Yi stiffened, then slowly pulled Chu Yang away, scrutinizing her and taking in her expression. He smiled, "No other reason?"
Suppressing his inner turmoil, Chu Yang adopted an offensive stance and asked, "You don't want to? Or are you just playing with me?"
Fang Yi shook his head, his expression serious: "I'm not playing with you. You're not a fun kid. I just want to make sure you really want to marry me, to make sure you genuinely want to marry me from the bottom of your heart."
Chu Yang, feigning anger, stood up from the sofa and said, "Hey, my mom's about to cut ties with me, and you're still saying this? If you don't want to, just say so already, don't give me this nonsense!"
Fang Yi grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap, gripping her waist tightly. His gaze was intense, as if he could see into the depths of Chu Yang's heart. Under his gaze, Chu Yang felt a little guilty and turned her head away in a huff, refusing to meet his eyes.
Fang Yi grabbed her chin, turned her face back, and continued to look at her with deep eyes.
“Okay, I’ll tell you, there are indeed other reasons,” Chu Yang knew that some things couldn’t be completely kept from Fang Yi. If she couldn’t give him a convincing reason today, he would definitely guess more. She deliberately sighed and said, “You know He Yiqian is your brother, don’t you?”
Fang Yi narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded slowly, "You mean the fifth brother?"
"Yes, that's right, it's your fifth brother. I've known him for a long time. We played together for a few years when we were kids. He said he liked me, but I didn't like him. Luckily, he went abroad later, and I thought that was the end of it. Who would have thought he would come back? He hasn't changed at all and still keeps bothering me." Chu Yang reached out and fiddled with the front of Fang Yi's pajamas, saying casually, "Originally, I didn't want to tell you about this. After all, he's your brother, and it would seem like I was trying to sow discord. But I'm really annoyed by him now, so I thought I might as well just marry you. At least once I become his sister-in-law, he'll restrain himself a bit."
After Chu Yang finished speaking, she looked calmly at Fang Yi, waiting for his reaction. She knew that he had already found out about her past with He Yiqian, but she didn't know how much he knew. She was also betting that he wouldn't find out about what happened six years ago, since He Yiqian's mother had covered it up very well, and no one else would know except for those few people involved.
"Is that all?" Fang Yi asked in a deep voice, his tone devoid of any emotion.
Chu Yang was also a little scared and began to doubt whether she had made the right move. Could she use Fang Yi? She had no confidence at all.
She lowered her head and said softly, "Partly, and partly because I think you're really nice. To be honest, I haven't experienced the heart-wrenching love described in novels. I don't know if I love you that much. I just feel comfortable being with you, not unpleasant at all. Sometimes I think of you, and when you kiss me, I..."
The sound gradually faded until it was almost inaudible.
Fang Yi chuckled lightly, then asked in a rather wicked tone, "What will happen?"
Chu Yang bit her lower lip, looked up at him with bright eyes, and bravely said, "My heart races, I feel breathless, but I'm also very happy..."
In this world, for a proud man, nothing is more powerful than a young girl's courageous confession, especially when this girl is biting her lower lip, trying hard to suppress her shyness, blushing, and looking at you with bright eyes. More importantly, you love this girl.
Fang Yi felt his throat go dry and could no longer maintain his frivolous demeanor. He stared at Chu Yang for a long while, then suddenly sighed softly, turned Chu Yang's body away from him, put his arm around her waist, and gently pressed his face against Chu Yang's back.
Chu Yang was somewhat surprised and asked, "What are you doing?" He didn't understand why Chu Yang would suddenly make such a move.
"Don't move," Fang Yi said in a low, hoarse voice. "Before I decide whether to marry you, I have something to say, but not to you. It's for your heart to hear, so stay close to it."
Chu Yang tensed up, straightening his back in Fang Yi's arms and daring not to move.
His face was pressed against her back, and she could feel his breath, hot and gentle, spraying onto her back and through her cotton shirt, making her heart beat even faster.
Slow down, jump slower, please jump slower! Chu Yang prayed silently.
After a long while, Fang Yi finally let out a soft sigh and said, "Chu Yang, marry me. I'll marry you, but don't try to take advantage of me. That's not fun at all."
Xiao Xiao was somewhat worried about the meeting between Jiang Sicheng and her mother, because no matter how she looked at it, Jiang Sicheng was far from the ideal son-in-law in her mother's eyes.
The mother's standards are: beautiful eyes and eyebrows, gentle and elegant, charming and handsome, and preferably eloquent and articulate!
His appearance isn't so bad; after all, while Jiang Sicheng might not be considered handsome, he at least has thick eyebrows and big eyes, and while he might not be considered gentle and refined, he's certainly dashing. The biggest problem is that Jiang Sicheng's speaking skills are terrible. If Xiao Xiao says something flirtatious to him, he can stammer for ages and his face turns red enough to be used as a red light. If he were to meet his future mother-in-law, he might get nervous and who knows what the scene would be like!
Can you blame Xiao Xiao for worrying? Besides, her parents are both cultured people, especially her maternal family, which has been a scholarly family for generations. As soon as they heard that Jiang Sicheng's family had a military background, regardless of what position the father of the man had now held, they looked down on him from the bottom of their hearts.
According to her mother, he was nothing special; he was just a rough man from the military who only knew how to wield weapons!
But to my surprise, the first meeting was a resounding success!
Jiang Sicheng was dressed in a formal suit and tie, looking dignified. He spoke with neither arrogance nor servility, and answered his mother's questions appropriately. He was quite elegant, not only without blushing, but also with a touch of aristocratic flair.
Xiao Xiao suddenly realized that the man in front of her was far more complex than she had imagined. This was no longer the blushing policewoman she had always known! Could it be that even she, who had seen countless people, had misjudged him?
"Hmm, this child is not bad!" After returning from dinner, Xiao's mother said while tidying up her simple clothes. Her features were very similar to Xiao's, and her skin was even fairer. She was a cheerful woman. Although she was nearly fifty years old, she looked very young in both appearance and figure because she took good care of herself and loved sports.
Xiao Xiao was quite beautiful and felt that it was really not easy to get such a compliment from her mother. Just as she was about to say a few more good words for Jiang Sicheng, she heard her mother say lightly, "He's just a bit dark-skinned."