Chapter 345: Chapter 345

"Why do you keep glancing towards the window?" The woman with the curled hair pouted her red lips in displeasure.

The man turned around, a trace of impatience flashing in his eyes. But considering her identity, he forced a smile onto his face. "Nannan, I’m not! It’s just that the pregnant woman over there looks familiar, as if she’s my sister’s classmate!"

"Really? So is your sister close to her? The purse that woman next to the pregnant lady is carrying is this year’s new model!" Nannan’s curiosity was immediately piqued. She had been sulking about her boyfriend looking elsewhere instead of at her.

"Uh... they’re somewhat close!" The man speaking was actually Zhou Gang, and when Zhou Rou was mentioned, he felt a pang of guilt. It reminded him of how she had been abandoned by that Han fellow because of him. Later, Zhou Rou confronted him and slapped him twice across the face. Even now, he could still feel the sting.

He knew his sister was genuinely upset. After suffering a miscarriage recently and needing to recuperate, she had to deal with his untimely and tactless visit. Plus, that Li Fei woman hadn’t made things any better.

The Han guy had clearly left already—how did he suddenly come back? Someone must have tipped him off.

Zhou Gang had guessed right, but what use was that now? By the time he brought Zhou Rou over the next day to look for them again, the Han guy and Li Fei were nowhere to be found.

This made Zhou Rou hate him to the bone. Even Mrs. Zhou, who rarely criticized him, called him up to scold him harshly.

It wasn’t until he mentioned his budding romance with his boss’s daughter that his mother finally let him off the hook.

But dating costs money, doesn’t it? Previously, besides his salary, he could occasionally ask Zhou Rou for a little financial help.

Since Zhou Rou left, his life had become increasingly difficult. Now, his girlfriend was footing the bill for everything she bought or ate.

Luckily, he told her he was saving up to buy a house so her parents wouldn’t look down on him. She believed him and even praised him for being ambitious and promising.

Nannan sneered and rolled her eyes, "What do you mean ’somewhat close’? Just say they’re not very close. I can see it now—your sister isn’t a pushover."

She had eaten with Zhou Rou once before, and her first impression wasn’t great. She always felt Zhou Rou seemed a bit fake.

Zhou Gang looked uncomfortable. "Forget it, why talk about her?"

"Fine, we won’t!" She turned her head away angrily.

That’s when she caught sight of Li Si and Leng Ning getting up to leave. Her sharp eyes immediately noticed the brand-new C bag Li Si was holding—the exact style Nannan liked the most.

"Hey, isn’t that woman rich? Look at her outfit and her bag!"

Zhou Gang recalled Zhou Rou mentioning that Li Si was dating a wealthy man.

"She’s got money. Nannan, I’ll work hard in the future too, so I can make you happy!" His promise was hollow, full of empty words.

But a woman in love often lacks rationality, and she actually believed him.

As the two prepared to pay the bill and leave, Zhou Gang’s phone rang. On the other end, Mrs. Zhou was venting her grievances.

It turned out that a few days ago, Mrs. Zhou had run into Zhang Meihua at the market. Thinking of how her daughter claimed that Zhang Meihua’s Li Fei had stolen her wealthy fiancé, Mrs. Zhou couldn’t hold back her anger. The two got into a verbal fight.

Since they were acquaintances, some onlookers tried to play peacemakers and mediate, and it took quite a while for the argument to fizzle out.

Still, grudges had been formed, and such conflicts couldn’t be resolved with just a few words.

Today, Mrs. Zhou had coincidentally bumped into Zhang Meihua’s sister-in-law and overheard a piece of gossip—that Li Fei had brought her boyfriend to meet the parents!

This infuriated her. How could this be? They had only dated for a few days. Back when her daughter Zhou Rou was with this wealthy fiancé, why didn’t he do anything ?

As Zhou Rou’s mother-in-law, she hadn’t even received a single phone call from him, let alone a visit.

But she was only aware of part of the story and not the whole truth.

During National Day, Li Fei had brought her boyfriend back to meet her parents. Not only had the Li family gathered, but Zhang Meihua’s family had all come too. Everyone was full of envy and showered Li Fei with compliments, praising her for finding a wealthy boyfriend. Her family’s future prospects were undoubtedly bright.

Even Grandma Li couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. Of all the children in the family, Li Fei was her favorite. Now that Li Fei’s boyfriend was so well-off, wouldn’t he be particularly filial to her?

Zhang Meihua and Li Guofu’s feelings were beyond words. If they weren’t worried about seeming ridiculous, they would have shouted in joy.

Li Fei had proven herself to be so capable. Li Guofu, unaware of the deeper situation, thought Li Fei had met her boyfriend after arriving in Beijing. He had no idea this was Zhou Rou’s ex-boyfriend.

Zhang Meihua knew the truth but still felt proud of her daughter. At this point, only the outcome mattered—did the process even matter anymore?

No matter how much Mrs. Zhou fussed, it didn’t matter. Now that Li Fei’s boyfriend was the Han guy, Zhou Rou was completely irrelevant. Follow current novels on novèlfire.net

Wu Dachuan savored his tea nearby, while Li Guozhi had switched shifts with someone just for Li Fei’s sake.

The two of them were somewhat envious and jealous, but since their daughter Wu Yue was still young, they didn’t want to voice their feelings.

Wu Yue, oblivious, munched on sunflower seeds while listening to her second aunt’s family chatter, finding it quite entertaining.

Zhang Meihua’s mother, brother, and his wife had all come today. There was no way they could miss such a significant event.

On the off chance Li Fei ended up being overly picky, wouldn’t it be a shame?

Her brother’s wife outwardly expressed polite remarks but was inwardly bitter. Why did others always land such well-off matches while hers amounted to nothing?

He couldn’t earn much money—they were just barely scraping by.

Finally, Li Fei’s call arrived, saying she and her boyfriend were downstairs.

The house descended into a whirlwind of chaos as everyone hurriedly prepared. When they welcomed the pair inside, the entire room froze for a few seconds before warmly greeting Han Mingxue.

It was truly strange to see someone like him in such a cramped and shabby setting—it felt out of place.

He was like a white swan among ducks, completely mismatched with the crowd.

Thankfully, Han Mingxue managed to adjust his demeanor and expressions, effortlessly mingling and delighting the group.

With drinks flowing and dishes served, the conversations grew more lively. As things got more intimate, Han Mingxue mentioned that his family used to live in North City, though now only an uncle remained there.

Ever since he stepped in, Grandma Li had felt he looked oddly familiar. She couldn’t pinpoint why. Upon closer observation, she wondered if it was just her imagination.

It wasn’t until Wu Dachuan’s curiosity prompted him to ask, "What’s your uncle’s name? North City isn’t that big; maybe we know him!"

When Han Mingxue replied with a name, Grandma Li’s chopsticks fell to the ground.

Others didn’t know, but she did. This man... this man was her second son’s biological father!

Everyone had been focused on Han Mingxue’s words, but upon seeing Grandma Li’s reaction, they all went silent and stared at her.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward.

Wu Dachuan tried to lighten things up by joking, "Mom, you know him, huh? You seem pretty worked up!"

Grandma Li quickly waved her hand dismissively. "Of course not. I just didn’t grip my chopsticks properly. You all continue!"

Li Guofu chimed in jestingly, "I’ve heard the name Han Baogui before. It sounds familiar, but I can’t remember where I heard it!"

Zhang Meihua shot him a glare. "Don’t start babbling after drinking. How could we possibly know Ah Xue’s uncle!"

(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can read at m.qidian.com.)