Ch. 1271..1280
Chapter 1271: 1270 Coincidence
Ye Sheng never expected to be struck by a falling red sign from the sky while looking for a roommate. He hadn’t found a roommate, but instead had been ambushed.
He touched the swelling on his forehead where he had been struck, then bent down to pick up the “hidden weapon” from the ground. It was a red sign with a name and a wish written on it. He thought it might have fallen from a tree, but upon seeing the name, he felt it was somewhat familiar.
“Li Li…” Ye Sheng read the name out loud, then searched his memory for a matching face. Soon, he recalled the person associated with the name, “Could it really be that girl?”
Li Li, the girl who had grabbed him at the entrance to the boys’ dormitory that night, a girl who could land someone in the hospital, and one who was very loyal.
Was this red sign hers? Ye Sheng couldn’t come to a conclusion.
“I’m so sorry, really, very sorry!” Li Li dashed over to apologize, “I didn’t mean to hit you on purpose. I just used a bit too much strength, and the red sign flew out and accidentally struck you. I’ll compensate you for the bump on your head. Can we exchange contact information so I can cover all your medical expenses later?”
Ye Sheng instantly recognized Li Li and was somewhat surprised to hear her apologizing. From her behavior that night, Li Li seemed like a very aggressive person who was skilled in hitting others; he couldn’t have imagined her speaking in such a tone.
Li Li clasped her hands together, “Could you please return the red sign to me?”
Ye Sheng handed the red sign back to Li Li, “Sure, here you go.”
Li Li was very grateful to Ye Sheng. She gave him a smile and then said, “You can keep my contact details, and make sure to get checked out at the hospital to see if there’s anything else wrong. If there are any other issues, you must call me, and I’ll pay for it.”
Ye Sheng chuckled, “Is this your new way of hitting on someone?”
Li Li was taken aback, “Huh? What way of hitting on someone?”
Noticing Li Li’s expression, Ye Sheng knew she had forgotten him and reminded her, “Last time we met, you wanted me to be your boyfriend. How could you forget so quickly?”
Li Li began rummaging through her memory for this person. She had a faint impression of him, but she had pursued too many boys and asked many of them to be her boyfriend, so she really couldn’t recall which one was him.
To be honest, Ye Sheng was not the extremely handsome type. His looks could only be described as quite attractive, very delicate, and with his glasses on, he appeared even more scholarly and refined.
His smile was good-looking. If Li Li were to describe it, she’d say it was like a spring breeze in April, gentle and warm.
“Have we met somewhere before?” Li Li had a slight image of him in her mind but couldn’t remember where they had met.
Ye Sheng reminded her again, “Last time you hurt your stomach, not your head. How have you lost your memory?”
With that reminder, Li Li immediately remembered who he was, “You’re that senior from the other night! What was your name? I remember your surname was Ye, Ye what?” Li Li had a good memory for the names of handsome guys she knew, but she just couldn’t recall this one’s name.
“My name is Ye Sheng,” he said.
Li Li nodded rapidly, “Right, right, I remember you now, Senior Ye Sheng.” Since they knew each other, Li Li felt much more relaxed, “Senior, since we’re so familiar with each other, maybe we can come to an agreement on something?”
Ye Sheng asked, “What would you like to discuss?”
Li Li pointed to the red sign in Ye Sheng’s hand and said, “Senior, I really didn’t mean to hit you. I just accidentally threw it too hard when I was tossing the sign, which cost me fifteen dollars. Can you give it back to me, please?”
Ye Sheng handed the sign back to Li Li and then said, “Of course. But next time you throw it, you need to be careful. There are many people around; make sure you don’t hit anyone.”
Li Li was thrilled. Once she had the sign back, she bowed to Ye Sheng, “Thank you, Senior! I hope you find the one meant for you soon!”
Chapter 1272: 1271 met an acquaintance again
After finishing her words, Li Li ran off without looking back, seemingly paying no attention to Ye Sheng.
Ye Sheng wanted to call her back, but she ran so fast that in the blink of an eye, she was ten meters away. With so many people around, even if Ye Sheng tried to shout, she wouldn’t be able to hear him.
“Ah! Didn’t you say you’d compensate me?” Ye Sheng touched his forehead, which had turned red from being hit, and said helplessly, “Just because you know me doesn’t mean what you just said doesn’t count.”
But they were schoolmates, they’d talk about it next time they met.
Ye Sheng watched the girl’s retreating figure and suddenly smiled. He had initially thought Li Li was a violent and irrational person, but from her behavior today, she seemed quite adorable.
Suddenly, the smile on Ye Sheng’s face disappeared, “What am I thinking about? Forget it, I better go back and read some more books to calm down.”
Then he quickly left the Love Tree and went to find his roommates.
After getting the red placard, Li Li hurried back to meet Lan Ning, “Ning Ning, guess who I just met?”
Lan Ning guessed, “Tan Rou and her group or Liang Lu and her group?”
Li Li shook her head, “Neither, the person I just met we’ve only seen once before, and he’s a boy.”
Lan Ning couldn’t guess then, as there were so many boys they had met just once. She couldn’t even remember some of their names, so how could she know who it was?
“Then I can’t guess who he is,” Lan Ning gave up guessing.
Li Li continued to describe, “The night I fought, we met him at the entrance of the boys’ dorm. He was passing by there, and then I pulled him over to pretend to be my boyfriend. He is a senior from the Chemistry Department.”
Lan Ning suddenly realized, “Oh, that person!”
Li Li said smiling, “The senior is quite nice actually. He didn’t ask me to pay for hitting him with the placard and just returned it to me.”
Lan Ning smiled in agreement, “This senior does have a good temper. If it had been someone else, they probably would have scolded us at the dorm entrance that night.”
“Actually, the senior is quite good-looking, but he’s not my type,” Li Li said with a bit of regret, “Never mind, let’s not dwell on this. Let’s hurry up and hang up the placard.”
Lan Ning pointed at the placard hanging on the tree and then said, “Mine is already up there.”
Li Li thought she had hung it too low and said, “You hung it too low, let me help you take it down and hang it again.”
Lan Ning declined, “No need for the trouble, I just found it fun and wasn’t really using the Love Tree to find romance.”
Since Lan Ning said that, Li Li couldn’t insist, so she flung her own placard up forcefully. This time she hung it high and didn’t hit anyone else with it.
After hanging the placard, Li Li was admiring her placard under the tree when she heard someone calling her.
“Li Li, are you guys making wishes here too?” a very familiar voice rang in Li Li’s ear.
Li Li turned around and saw Jiang Min and a stranger, both holding red placards in their hands.
“Senior Jiang, long time no see!” Li Li greeted Jiang Min enthusiastically.
A faint smile appeared on Jiang Min’s face, “Yeah, it’s been a long time indeed. Let’s have a meal together sometime soon.”
Since Jiang Min graduated, Li Li had seldom seen her. Their circles didn’t overlap, and if it weren’t for Tan Rou bridging the gap, they wouldn’t have known each other at all.
Although they talked about having a meal together next time, when exactly that might be was hard to determine. It might not even happen by the time Li Li graduated.
“Sure,” Even though she knew the likelihood of having that meal was slim, Li Li didn’t refuse, “Next time, let’s call Tan Rou and the rest to join us.”
Lan Ning spoke up, “We’re all here today, Tan Rou, Liang Lu, and Tian Tian are all around. Why don’t we all have a meal together today?”
Li Li also thought it was a good opportunity. Who knew when they could gather again, so they might as well eat together today.
An unnatural expression appeared on Jiang Min’s face, “Tan Rou came too?”
Li Li replied, “She did, she was just with Brother Zhuang Liu hanging up a placard under the tree, and now they’ve probably gone somewhere else to visit.”
Chapter 1273: 1272 Jiang Min’s Fiance
Jiang Min furrowed her brow when she heard Tan Rou had arrived, “I have something else to do today, let’s have dinner together some other time.”
Li Li was very good at observing other people’s expressions, and she instantly noticed Jiang Min’s abnormal behavior. Especially after hearing that Tan Rou was also coming, Jiang Min’s face turned very ugly, as if she did not want to meet Tan Rou.
“Senior Jiang, did you have a fight with Tan Rou?” Li Li tentatively asked.
After asking, she suddenly remembered the incident that had occurred at the beginning of the year. TR Company had discussed a project with government departments, and during the installation of equipment, it was discovered that there were problems with the construction of a government building, which was the responsibility of Jiang Min’s family company.
The project was later halted, and the government department sued the Jiang family’s company. It was said that the Jiang family lost a lot of money, and Jiang Min’s uncle was arrested and sentenced to several years.
Could it be that Jiang Min had fallen out with Tan Rou over this matter? But Tan Rou hadn’t mentioned any quarrel between them; she only said that Jiang Min was underutilized at work, and with her capabilities, she could easily achieve high honors in the field of technology.
Moreover, Tan Rou had invited Jiang Min to join her company as a research and development consultant. Initially, Jiang Min seemed to have agreed, but there was no further movement afterward, probably because she didn’t want to work for someone else.
“No,” Jiang Min’s face showed a bitter smile, “How could I possibly quarrel with her? It’s just that I’ve been a bit busy recently and it’s inconvenient to have dinner with you all. I’ll contact you when I’m free.”
Li Li felt that Jiang Min was definitely hiding something from them, but since it was Jiang Min’s own business, there was no need to disclose it, so she did not ask any further, “Okay, then we’ll contact you next time.”
Lan Ning had been observing for a long time. She noticed that the man next to Jiang Min had been silent all this time, so she spoke up, “Senior Jiang, who is this gentleman?”
Jiang Min’s expression became even more bizarre, but she still introduced the man next to her to Li Li and the others, “This is my fiancé, his name is Feng Jiao.”
The man named Feng Jiao immediately stepped forward, smiling and greeting Li Li and the others, “Hello, I’m Feng Jiao, Little Min’s fiancé.”
Li Li was quite focused on appearances, and she looked down on Feng Jiao’s looks from the moment she first saw him. Feng Jiao’s hair was somewhat sparse, his eyes were large but obscured by glasses, making him look foolish. His lips were thick, resembling two small sausages hanging at the side of his mouth, and his skin was rough and pitted.
On hearing that the man was Jiang Min’s fiancé, Li Li and Lan Ning both showed surprised expressions, “Ah?”
Jiang Min, embarrassed by their reaction, said, “We have something to do, so we’ll be leaving now.”
Feng Jiao smiled, “Okay, then we’ll meet up next time.”
Jiang Min frowned and said, “It’s a meeting between them and me, not us.”
But Feng Jiao said, “In the future, we’ll be one family. Your friends are my friends; there’s no need to draw such a clear line.”
Jiang Min clearly disagreed with this statement, “Sorry, we’re not married yet, so please don’t interfere in my life.”
Feng Jiao was also very unhappy with Jiang Min’s attitude, “What do you mean? We’re about to get married soon, and after we’re married, I can’t even inquire about who you’re friends with? If that’s the case, then we might as well not get married.”
Jiang Min clenched her fist, and finally compromised, “Let’s talk about future matters in the future. Let’s not keep people from doing their work right now.”
Feng Jiao nodded, “That’s more like it. Let’s go, let’s walk around the temple.”
Li Li was confused about the interaction pattern between Jiang Min and Feng Jiao. In her memory, Jiang Min was a very decisive and strong woman who had led her research team to win many awards when she was at school.
Yet now, this formidable woman was about to marry a man who was not only unattractive but also disrespectful to her, which Li Li found hard to swallow.
Li Li stopped Jiang Min and Feng Jiao, saying, “Senior Jiang, I’ve been thinking carefully, and today’s opportunity is really rare because not only are the few of us here, but Senior Shang Jin and her boyfriend also came. It’s been such a long time since the two of you met, why not take this chance to have a good gathering.”
Jiang Min hesitated, “I still have something to do today, let’s meet up another time.”
Chapter 1274: Why 1273?
“Hey, you can’t talk like that,” Feng Jiao said very generously. “Since it’s been so long since you’ve seen your friends, today is a good chance. How about we all go out for a meal together? I’ll treat,” she said. “You guys pick the place to eat, find the best restaurant.”
Li Li looked at her and suddenly felt like she couldn’t eat, but to clear up the matter between Jiang Min and herself, she still endured.
“Senior Jiang, come with us,” Li Li said. “You’re going to pay respects at the temple, and we’re going to do the same, so it’s perfect for us to go together.”
Li Li had put it so openly that it would be a bit impolite for Jiang Min to refuse now.
“Alright, then let’s go together,” Jiang Min said. “After we pay respects at the temple, let me treat you guys to a meal. Call up Tan Rou and the others; we’ll go eat in the city center.”
Back when they were in school, Jiang Min would often treat her teammates to meals, many times including Li Li and the others. So this time, Li Li didn’t want Jiang Min to spend more, “Let us treat… no, let Liang Lu treat, her movie box office was high last time, and she said she’d treat us to a good meal.”
Jiang Min chuckled, “Still, I insist…”
Before she could finish, Li Li was already on the phone with Liang Lu. Liang Lu didn’t refuse and even said she would arrange it.
Feng Jiao tugged at the hem of Jiang Min’s clothes from behind, meaning to stop her from making an offer. Jiang Min didn’t understand Feng Jiao’s thinking. Wasn’t it Feng Jiao who had offered to treat them to a meal just now? Why did her attitude change upon hearing someone else would treat?
“What do you mean?” Jiang Min quietly asked. She pretended not to understand Feng Jiao, “Weren’t you the one who wanted to treat us to a meal just now? Why are you tugging at my sleeve now?”
Feng Jiao chuckled with a ‘hehe,’ and when she laughed, her eyes narrowed, making her look even uglier, “Since the little sisters want to treat, you shouldn’t refuse.”
Li Li didn’t like this nickname. Even Jiang Min had never called them “little sisters,” usually addressing them by name. The term “little sisters” was quite annoying, especially coming from the mouth of a strange man when he called her that.
In a place we couldn’t see, Li Li rolled her eyes, then she said to Lan Ning, “Ning Ning, stay here and talk to Senior Jiang for a moment. I need to make a phone call over there.”
She gave Lan Ning a meaningful look and emphasized in a low voice, “Make sure that ugly ghost doesn’t get away, I’m going to find someone to teach him a lesson.”
Lan Ning felt this wasn’t quite right and grabbed Li Li’s hand, “Li Li, let’s just wait here for Tan Rou and the others to come over.”
Li Li nodded at her, “Don’t worry, I’m not that thoughtless.”
Lan Ning wanted to say “You are thoughtless,” but Li Li was quicker, breaking free from Lan Ning’s grasp and running off to make a phone call.
With Li Li gone, Lan Ning felt awkward on her own, and Jiang Min felt it was inappropriate to bring up leaving, so she started making small talk with Lan Ning.
“Lan Ning, what happened to your leg?” Jiang Min asked.
Lan Ning replied, “I was accidentally injured last time.”
“Is your leg seriously hurt?” Jiang Min squatted down to look at her leg. “When will it recover?”
Lan Ning wasn’t sure about the recovery time but said, “Tan Rou has prepared an ointment for healing bone injuries for me. I believe my leg will recover soon.”
Jiang Min was relieved, “Yeah, Tan Rou’s medical skills are extraordinary. Ah Jin’s face was injured before, and it only returned to normal after using the ointment she made.”
Lan Ning said, “Yes, Tan Rou is really talented. She’s helped me a lot, and I’ve always wanted to repay her, but I’ve been no help to her at all, just bothersome every day.”
Jiang Min said with a light laugh, “Tan Rou won’t mind those things; she’s helped me a lot too. Back in university, without her encouragement and assistance, my experiments wouldn’t have been able to continue. And for Lang Yue and the others as well, I promised to create a future with them, but in the end, I failed to do so.”
Lan Ning curiously asked, “Why did you leave the team? You’re skilled in science and technology, why did you give up the career you love to go back home and take over the family company you dislike?”
A trace of sorrow crossed Jiang Min’s face, “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s think about what we’ll eat later.”
Chapter 1275: First meeting in 1274
On the other side, Li Li was calling Tan Rou, and she didn’t care whether Tan Rou was listening seriously or not; she just kept talking.
“Tan Rou, let me tell you, Jiang Min’s sister has found a super ugly guy to be her fiancé,” Li Li said dramatically. “That guy looks like a toad, even Xiao Chen is a thousand times better-looking than him!”
Xiao Chen was the least good-looking person in Jiang Min’s team, not that he was ugly, just plain-looking.
Tan Rou felt that Li Li was exaggerating, “Li Li, I know you have high standards and like handsome guys, but you can’t expect everyone to like only handsome guys. Maybe Jiang Min’s fiancé is just plain-looking; you don’t need to degrade him like that.”
Li Li said excitedly, “He really is ugly! And not only is he ugly, but he’s also mean-spirited. He keeps arguing with Jiang Min, making her very unhappy.”
Tan Rou didn’t see anything wrong with that, not everyone can be as harmonious as she and Zhuang Liu, “Li Li, please don’t be jealous of others. I know you’re anxious about finding a boyfriend, but you shouldn’t put down other people’s boyfriends.”
Li Li said, “Tan Rou, this guy is definitely not good news! You need to come here and see for yourself, then we can deal with him together. We can’t let him marry Jiang Min.”
Tan Rou knew Li Li’s personality; sometimes she indeed couldn’t accept some things, which was why she had encountered so many setbacks in her quest for a boyfriend.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming now,” Tan Rou said helplessly, “Don’t talk bad about him. I’ll be there soon, let’s talk when I arrive.”
Li Li urged, “Hurry up, if you’re late, Jiang Min and the others might leave.”
After hanging up the phone, Tan Rou shrugged at Zhuang Liu and said, “Li Li says Jiang Min’s sister has got a boyfriend who looks like a toad, and she’s asking us to come stop their wedding.”
Zhuang Liu was amused by Li Li, “After all these years, her personality hasn’t changed at all, has it?”
Before he and Tan Rou got together, Li Li had already been Tan Rou’s good friend; she was very protective of Tan Rou. If Tan Rou faced any unfairness, she was always the first to stand up for her.
Zhuang Liu had a good impression of Li Li; he also hoped to have friends who truly cared for Tan Rou by her side, so he pulled some strings to give a little business to Li Li’s parents’ company, which was now doing very well, making Li Li quite the wealthy second-generation rich kid.
However, Li Li’s personality was indeed difficult to deal with. Zhuang Liu had never met anyone as meddling as Li Li; if it wasn’t for her friends’ significant backgrounds, this young lady would probably have been eradicated by society long ago.
Zhuang Liu could see that Tan Rou cared a lot about Li Li; otherwise, she wouldn’t defend Li Li in everything. According to Tan Rou, Li Li was her first peer friend in high school and her best friend. If possible, Tan Rou would protect Li Li for a lifetime.
One doesn’t need too many friends in a lifetime, but one must have very close friends. Li Li and Tan Rou are such friends.
“Let’s go,” Tan Rou said with a sigh. “We better hurry and stop this girl before she causes any trouble.”
Zhuang Liu said jealously, “You treat her better than you treat me.”
Tan Rou pinched Zhuang Liu’s face with a smile, “She’s just a kid who never grows up, aren’t you a kid as well?”
Zhuang Liu replied, “Yeah, I’m a kid too.”
Tan Rou certainly didn’t indulge Zhuang Liu, she started walking towards Li Li first, looking back to say, “Don’t act spoiled here!”
Zhuang Liu was deeply envious of Li Li but couldn’t prevent it; he could only follow behind grudgingly.
When Tan Rou and her group arrived, Liang Lu and Lu Qing were already there, and Tian Tian and the others, who lived further away, were still on their way.
When Feng Jiao saw Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu, his eyes widened, “You… you are…”
Zhuang Liu smiled gently, “Nice to meet you, Zhuang Liu.”
Tan Rou smiled faintly, “Tan Rou.”
Feng Jiao was clearly familiar with them; he said excitedly, “Ah Min, how could you not tell me you know Mr. Zhuang Liu and Miss Tan Rou?”
Jiang Min asked strangely, “Why should I tell you that?”
Unperturbed, Feng Jiao extended his hand in greeting, “Nice to meet you, I’m Feng Jiao.”
Chapter 1276: 1275 Jiang Min’s friend
“Feng Jiao?” Zhuang Liu carefully pondered the name and then said, “Are you from the Feng family?”
Feng Jiao straightened his collar and replied very solemnly, “I am the eldest son of the Feng family.”
Zhuang Liu looked at Feng Jiao’s face and recalled the face of the head of the Feng family; indeed, the two bore some resemblance.
“Oh, eldest young master Feng, pleased to meet you.” Zhuang Liu said.
Feng Jiao said, “Third Young Master Zhuang… oh, that’s incorrect, you have now become the head of the Zhuang family. When you became the head, I was studying abroad and failed to present you with a generous gift—my apologies!”
Zhuang Liu wasn’t lacking Feng Jiao’s generous gift, as Feng Jiao’s father had already sent a present, and Zhuang Liu had reciprocated. The main reason he remembered the name Feng Jiao was that Xiao Mo had complained about him by his side.
Xiao Mo said that Feng Jiao was ugly, frivolous, unclear with many beauties abroad, and although smart, his character was really too poor, just like his father.
At that time, Zhuang Liu had asked Xiao Mo why he spoke ill of Feng Jiao, and Xiao Mo answered that it was because Feng Jiao had harassed his cousin abroad. When his cousin refused Feng Jiao’s pursuit, Feng Jiao spread rumors that his cousin was a hostess.
Later, Xiao Mo’s cousin approached Xiao Mo in tears, and Xiao Mo used Zhuang Liu’s connections to teach Feng Jiao a lesson, after which Feng Jiao no longer bothered his cousin.
Feng Jiao did not realize Xiao Mo’s cousin had Zhuang Liu backing her and thought he had offended some big shot abroad.
Xiao Mo had also talked about this incident with Zhuang Liu, who didn’t take it seriously and let him handle it on his own; he had not heard anything about Feng Jiao since then.
Zhuang Liu had never thought that Jiang Min’s fiancé would turn out to be Feng Jiao, as he regarded Jiang Min as a strong and capable person; why would she choose such a fiancé?
“Thank you for the kind offer, but it’s no longer necessary.” Zhuang Liu said indifferently, “Let’s talk business in the future.” He was reluctant to talk for too long with someone like Feng Jiao; it would waste his precious time.
Naturally, Feng Jiao did not want to miss this opportunity. Now that he was back in the country, if he planned to develop here in the future, he would inevitably need to deal with the Zhuang family. With the head of the Zhuang family right in front of him, how could he pass up such a good opportunity?
“Mr. Zhuang, meeting is fate. As this is our first meeting, why don’t I play host today and treat you and Miss Rou to a meal?” Feng Jiao said with a smile. While speaking, he looked towards Tan Rou, “Miss Rou, what do you think?”
Tan Rou didn’t know Feng Jiao and was unaware why he knew her, “No, since it has already been decided that Liang Lu is treating us today, let’s not complicate things.”
Liang Lu said, “Yes, I have already arranged the restaurant. If Mr. Feng wishes to organize another meal, it will have to wait for another time.”
Feng Jiao found Liang Lu unfamiliar and asked, “Who is this?”
Liang Lu answered, “Liang Lu, a friend of Jiang Min’s senior. Although Liang Lu and Jiang Min aren’t from the same school, she also calls Jiang Min senior, as it feels more familiar.”
Liang Lu also disapproved of Jiang Min’s fiancé. First, the man was too ugly and simply did not match Jiang Min.
Second, Li Li had just complained to her about Feng Jiao’s behavior, so Liang Lu did not have much of a favorable impression of him.
Third, although Feng Jiao’s attitude hadn’t been warm initially, his face blossomed like a sunflower at the sight of Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu, nearly trying to stick himself to them. Liang Lu found this behavior most repulsive.
Feng Jiao hadn’t heard of Liang Lu before and, seeing her dressed very ordinarily, didn’t take much notice, merely nodding slightly, “Hello.”
Lu Qing stood behind Liang Lu all this time, having become more composed over the years. Unless absolutely necessary, he would not speak, so he stayed quiet, and Feng Jiao didn’t notice him, considering him just another ordinary friend of Jiang Min.
Before long, Shang Jin and Xu Yan arrived; Feng Jiao’s attitude was still not warm, clearly uninterested in them. His attention was entirely captivated by Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu, constantly steering the conversation towards them.
“Sorry we are late,” Tian Tian and Tao Zhi finally arrived at the gathering.
When Feng Jiao saw Tao Zhi, he was astounded, “Isn’t that Little President Tao? What brings you here?”
Chapter 1277: 1276 unexpectedly
Tao Zhi didn’t recognize Feng Jiao and simply nodded in response to Feng Jiao’s greeting, “Oh, hello.”
Feng Jiao was not quite satisfied with Tao Zhi’s attitude. He asked, “Does Chief Tao not remember me? I attended your wedding with my dad, and I was standing right beside him and even talked to you then. Don’t you remember?”
During the wedding, Tao Zhi had met many people he had never seen before, and after the wedding concluded, he had not contacted those individuals. As a result, he didn’t recognize most of them. Had there not been subsequent business dealings, Tao Zhi would not have made the effort to connect with these people. He could not answer Feng Jiao’s question.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have a strong impression of you,” Tao Zhi said with a smile. “Could you tell me your father’s name? Maybe then I’ll be able to remember.”
Feng Jiao said, “Dongda Real Estate’s Feng Lai. Haven’t you heard of him? I am his eldest son, Feng Jiao, and I also have a younger brother named Feng Ao. Surely, you must have heard of him, right?”
With that explanation, Tao Zhi immediately understood his identity—he was the elder son of Dongda Real Estate. Tao Zhi had heard of Feng Jiao but had never met him; he had only met his younger brother, Feng Ao.
It must be said that Feng Jiao and Feng Ao did not look much alike. Feng Jiao resembled his father, Feng Lai, while Feng Ao resembled their mother. By the way, Feng Jiao and Feng Ao didn’t share the same mother. Feng Jiao’s mother, who was Feng Lai’s wife, had struggled alongside him for many years. On the other hand, Feng Ao’s mother was a beautiful woman, a starlet who was only mistress to Feng Lai.
However, that woman had a short life. She died in a car accident when Feng Ao was only five months old. After her death, Feng Ao was taken into the Feng Family’s care, and since then, Feng Jiao’s mother had been looking after him, and he regarded her as his own mother.
It was said that the brothers had a good relationship—at least on the surface, there were no significant conflicts.
“I’ve met your second son a few times,” Tao Zhi remarked. “It’s true that your second son’s appearance is quite different.”
Feng Jiao’s smile paused, then he burst out laughing and said, “Chief Tao really has a way with words. You could just say I’m ugly and my brother is handsome, no need to be indirect.”
Although Feng Jiao said that, Tao Zhi couldn’t just agree and say Feng Jiao was ugly. They would have business interactions with the Feng Family in the future, and it would be rather awkward if he ran into Feng Jiao again, wouldn’t it?
“Is the great young master Feng here for fun too?” Tao Zhi asked politely.
Feng Jiao pulled Jiang Min to his side and then introduced her, saying, “I heard that the Love Tree here is quite magical, so my fiancée and I made a special trip to pay our respects. Look, we haven’t even thrown our plaque yet.”
Jiang Min had forgotten about the red plaque in her hand because of the interruption by Li Liyi. Reminded by Feng Jiao, she had no choice but to take out the red plaque, “Oh right, I forgot to throw it up there.”
Upon hearing her words, Feng Jiao seriously criticized her, “What did you just say? What do you mean ‘throw it up there’? Do you think this is garbage? Can it be thrown just anywhere?”
His words shocked everyone present, especially the men who already had girlfriends or wives. They felt Feng Jiao spoke too harshly. How could he yell at his own wife? Oh, they weren’t actually husband and wife yet, just fiancés.
If Feng Jiao dared to scold Jiang Min like this when she was only his fiancée, what would happen after they got married? Would he start hitting her?
However, Jiang Min’s reaction was beyond their expectations. She bowed her head and apologized softly, “I’m sorry, I misspoke. I shouldn’t have said I’d throw the plaque up there.”
“And how should you have said it?” Feng Jiao questioned.
Jiang Min took a deep breath, then raised her head with a smile and said, “I should say I’ll carefully hang the plaque up.”
Feng Jiao corrected her, “You should also find an appropriate place to hang it. This is a very important thing, and you can’t just hang it anywhere, understand?”
Jiang Min replied without expression, “Mhm, I understand.”
Feng Jiao, still angry, said, “Do you feel aggrieved being with me? What’s with that attitude? If you don’t want to get married, we don’t have to! Don’t think you’re my only option!”
Chapter 1278: Doesn’t she know?
Jiang Min seemed to be triggered by a certain sentence. She said loudly, “I know, I’ll go find the highest place right now to hang up the sign with our names on it, so that this tree of love can witness our love!”
Feng Jiao nodded his head with satisfaction, then smiled and said to everyone, “I’m really sorry to keep you waiting. We’ll just hang this sign and then leave. Do you think that’s okay?”
Although it sounded like he was asking for everyone’s opinion, in reality, Feng Jiao only cared about the thoughts of three people: Tan Rou, Zhuang Liu, and Tao Zhi. As for the opinions of others, he couldn’t care less.
Jiang Min kept watching them, but neither Zhuang Liu nor Tao Zhi spoke as if they were reluctant to answer Feng Jiao’s question.
Tan Rou didn’t want to speak either, but she felt it would be very bad. She could embarrass Feng Jiao, but she couldn’t let Jiang Min lose face. Seeing the sad expression in Jiang Min’s eyes, Tan Rou said with a heavy heart, “You guys go ahead, we’ve already finished hanging our sign. Once you’re done, we can take a stroll in the temple and then go eat.”
Jiang Min breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled at Tan Rou, meaning to thank her for her understanding.
Tan Rou nodded slightly, signaling her to hurry over.
After they had walked away, Li Li was the first to lose her patience. She muttered curses at Feng Jiao’s back, calling him “stupid”, and even made kicking motions. If it weren’t for the crowd, Li Li would have probably gone up and pinned Feng Jiao to the ground to beat him up.
The others remained silent, even Lan Ning, who usually held back Li Li to keep her from being impulsive, kept her mouth shut. They let Li Li curse Feng Jiao behind his back, as they felt the same way as her, they were just too embarrassed to make the kicking motions themselves.
After about five minutes of silence, Zhuang Liu finally spoke. He cautioned, “I’m not that close to Miss Jiang, so there are some things I’m not at liberty to say, but you’re her friends. You should advise her. This Feng Jiao is not a good man.”
Tao Zhi nodded and said, “Although I’ve never met the young master of Feng Family, I’ve heard of his exploits abroad—none of them positive. Barely anyone has anything good to say.”
Tan Rou asked, “What kind of negative feedback exactly? Drugs or gambling?”
Tao Zhi shook his head and said, “Neither gambling nor drugs, he doesn’t even smoke.”
Li Li blurted out, “Could it be that he frequents prostitutes?”
Drugs, gambling, and prostitution – the three vices. If he didn’t indulge in drugs or gambling, that left only prostitution.
“Er… how should I put it?” Tao Zhi thought carefully, then tossed the tricky question to his old classmate, “Zhuang Liu, you say it.”
Zhuang Liu glanced at him, reproachfully saying, “Why don’t you say it yourself?”
Tao Zhi laughed, “Because you were the one who first said his character was bad, so I think you must have something to say.”
Tan Rou didn’t want to hear them shirking responsibility back and forth, so she said, “Explain it within a minute, or neither of you are going home to sleep tonight.”
Tao Zhi and Zhuang Liu looked at each other, then in unison said, “He has a very colorful romantic history.”
Zhuang Liu said, “Feng Jiao likes beautiful women, and he had countless girlfriends abroad. He even harassed Xiao Mo’s cousin, but after being taught a lesson by someone Xiao Mo sent, he didn’t dare to bother her again.”
Tao Zhi said, “Many of Feng Jiao’s lovers are married women. You could say his love interests are quite diverse, ranging from female college students to married women—he harasses all.”
“With that face of his, he can attract that many people?” Li Li asked, visibly shocked.
“Money talks,” Tan Rou felt Li Li was too naive. “Dongda Real Estate has been one of the best-developing real estate companies in the country in recent years. Many properties in the Capital belong to Dongda Real Estate. As the heir of Dongda Real Estate, how could Feng Jiao not be rich?”
“Yeah, not everyone judges by looks like you do,” Liang Lu said. “Li Li, you’re still too innocent.”
Li Li would not like Feng Jiao regardless of his wealth; no amount of money could sway her if his looks didn’t appeal to her.
“We should help Senior Jiang Min, we can’t let her be deceived by this man,” Lan Ning expressed her concern seriously.
“Do you think Jiang Min doesn’t know about Feng Jiao’s affairs?” Tao Zhi questioned.
Chapter 1279: Jiang Min’s dilemma in 1278
Lan Ning instantly realized that Jiang Min must know about the things Feng Jiao did abroad and how he had many lovers, but she still chose to marry him.
“Does Jiang Min have any difficulties?” Lan Ning said with distress, “Can’t we think of a way to help her?”
“It must be an arranged marriage between the families,” Zhuang Liu roughly knew about the affairs between the Jiang family and the Feng family, “A long time ago, the Jiang family wanted to form an alliance through marriage with the Feng family, given their many business connections. However, the partner the Jiang family chose for Jiang Min was not Feng Jiao, but his younger brother Feng Ao because the Feng family didn’t think Jiang Min was good enough to be the wife of the eldest son, so the Jiang family could only interact with the second son of the Feng family.”
“Then why has Jiang Min’s marriage partner changed to Feng Jiao now?” Lan Ning asked in puzzlement, “I feel that Jiang Min wouldn’t like Feng Jiao.”
“It must be that Feng bastard forcing Ah Min!” Shang Jin said angrily, “I’m going to find that Feng guy right now and make him stay away from our Ah Min. With his ugly face, how can he be worthy to stand beside Ah Min?”
Not to say that Jiang Min was a peerless beauty, but she was also a very attractive person, and on top of that, a graduate from Capital University, a true beauty with both brains and looks. How could she end up with a man who is both unfaithful and ugly?
Xu Yan pulled Shang Jin back, “Have you asked for Jiang Min’s opinion? If she is determined to be with Feng Jiao, then your actions will only trouble her.”
“If she marries Feng Jiao, she’ll be troubled for a lifetime,” Shang Jin asserted, “If she really wants to marry Feng Jiao, then I… I will cut ties with her from now on.”
After speaking, Shang Jin’s eyes reddened. She suddenly crouched on the ground, her voice angry and aggrieved, “Why? Ah Min is such a good person, why should she be arranged to marry someone like him? Life is so unfair!”
Xu Yan crouched down to console her, “Don’t rush to conclusions, they’re not married yet. There’s still a chance.”
“What chance?” Shang Jin cried, “Do you expect me to hijack the wedding?”
Xu Yan was taken aback, “You don’t have to do that.”
“Let’s go and ask Jiang Min,” Tan Rou suggested calmly, “She must be in a difficult position because she had promised to join my company a long time ago, but ever since that incident, she hasn’t mentioned it again. I thought it was because she hadn’t handled the company’s transition well, but it turned out to be because she was held up by other matters.”
“Right!” Shang Jin stood up, wiping her tears, “Ah Min must be in trouble. I’m going to ask her what it is now. If it’s really that man forcing her into marriage, I’ll just stuff that guy into a sack and beat him up so he doesn’t dare get close to Ah Min anymore.”
Shang Jin and Li Li were both impulsive. When they encountered problems, they always thought of using forceful solutions. Indeed, such an approach might be the simplest, but they failed to consider the consequences. If it were possible to take action against Feng Jiao, Jiang Min would have probably done so long ago.
“Don’t be impulsive. Let’s find out more about the situation before making a decision,” Xu Yan said.
A while later, Jiang Min and Feng Jiao returned, both with smiles on their faces. The pin-on-badge activity seemed to have brought them closer.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s move on to the next part of the event,” Liang Lu, the organizer of the gathering, was in charge of arranging the next activity.
Everyone agreed without objection, but Feng Jiao seemed to disagree slightly with Liang Lu’s decision-making, asking, “And who are you? I don’t seem to have seen you in Capital.”
Jiang Min was about to say that Liang Lu was her friend, but Liang Lu spoke before she could.
“With so many people in Capital, can you guarantee you know each one?” Liang Lu retorted with an edge to her voice, “Besides, you’ve been abroad for so many years, Capital isn’t the city you once knew. So it’s normal that you don’t recognize me.”
Jiang Min looked at Liang Lu, hesitating to speak. She was in a difficult position, torn between her friend and her future husband, struggling to make a decision.
Tan Rou walked up behind her, patted her on the shoulder, and said, “Sister, you don’t have to say anything.”
Chapter 1280: 1279 Little People
Feng Jiao laughed heartily and said, “Even though I’m not in the Capital, I always keep an eye on what’s happening there. I know very well which family is declining and which is on the rise. Since I’ve never heard of you, nor have seen you around the Capital, you’re clearly not someone famous.”
Liang Lu was well aware of her own status, indeed she wasn’t born into a large Capital family like Tan Rou or Zhuang Liu, nor was she a person of status like Jiang Min. She was an outsider, and it was not easy for her to establish herself in the Capital; therefore, she never cared about empty titles.
But not caring about empty titles didn’t mean she could be disparaged by others, especially by someone she knew. Although she wasn’t familiar with Feng Jiao, she was good friends with Jiang Min, and as Jiang Min’s fiancé, Feng Jiao shouldn’t speak to her with such a derogatory tone.
“So, what you’re saying is that you’re famous?” Liang Lu said with her arms folded and a smirk, “Then go ahead and shout your name here, let’s see if anyone pays attention to you.”
Feng Jiao wasn’t going to fall for that. He said, “How could people of status like us shout in public places? If you want to shout, I won’t stop you.”
It seemed that Feng Jiao was not one of those brainless rich second generations; he was quite clever.
After thinking for a moment, Liang Lu said, “Alright then, I guess I’m too insignificant to stand before you. Senior Jiang Min, let’s skip this meal today. A poor devil like me really can’t afford high-end dishes.”
Jiang Min didn’t want to stay either; she never intended to have Feng Jiao appear in front of her friends. If it weren’t for Li Li suggesting a gathering, she would have taken Feng Jiao and left earlier.
“Okay, then we’ll take our leave first, you all continue,” said Jiang Min apologetically, “I am so sorry for disturbing your fun.”
Tan Rou looked at Jiang Min’s aggrieved expression and felt a little sad. Just a few months ago, Jiang Min was full of vitality, and she was very decisive in dealing with things, not like now, always speaking with her head down.
Tan Rou had only one thought in her heart: she couldn’t let Jiang Min marry this man!
“Mr. Feng has been overseas for a long time and must have overlooked some information about the Capital,” Tan Rou intervened, “This is Director Liang Lu, a new film director. You might not have heard her name, but you might have heard of the movies and TV dramas she made.”
Tan Rou listed a few of the most famous movies and TV dramas directed by Liang Lu, and unsurprisingly, Feng Jiao had heard of them, but having already spoken, how could he take back his words?
So he continued arrogantly, “So you’re from the entertainment industry, no wonder you don’t speak very intelligently. It’s said that people in the entertainment industry are poorly educated, I didn’t quite believe that, but after meeting you today, I do.”
“May I ask which university did Mr. Feng graduate from?” Lu Qing, who had been silent, finally couldn’t hold back, “Judging from Mr. Feng’s tone, unless it’s a globally top three ranked university, I guess that wouldn’t suffice, right?”
Feng Jiao, upon hearing Lu Qing speak, asked with displeasure, “And who might you be?”
“Lu Qing,” said Lu Qing indifferently, “an unimportant person.”
Feng Jiao sneered, “If you’re so unimportant, then there’s no need for you to speak. This isn’t the place for you to talk.”
Lu Qing smiled slightly and then walked up to Feng Jiao, placing his hand on Feng Jiao’s shoulder, “I rarely get into conflicts with others, and I don’t like getting physical either, but that doesn’t mean I have a good temper.”
Liang Lu walked over as well, moving her wrists around, “I’ve been out of the loop in society, and society has been lacking rumors about me. Back when I was fighting in school, Mr. Feng probably didn’t even know where to sit to watch the beauties.”
Liang Lu’s words were somewhat exaggerated as Feng Jiao was a few years older than Jiang Min and naturally older than Liang Lu too. But Liang Lu needed to project a strong presence, so that’s what she said.
Seeing that the situation was turning sour, Jiang Min immediately stepped forward to intervene, “You guys…”
Tan Rou held her back and said, “Senior Jiang Min, now is not the time for you to speak. Since Mr. Feng has offended someone, he needs to learn a lesson.”
Jiang Min said quietly, “I’m worried that Liang Lu is at a disadvantage. Feng Jiao has had training, and he’s very good at fighting.”