Fu Jingwei gave a gentle, refined smile. “Alright, I’ll be looking forward to your birthday gift then.”
Jun Ning looked at Fu Jingwei—handsome, good-tempered, and clearly capable in managing a household—and felt a wave of admiration. He really was a catch: a man who could hold his own in public and shine in the kitchen.
Standing at her doorway, Lin Qingqing’s face was twisted with rage as she watched their natural, warm interaction. Afraid that Jun Ning would snap at her again, she turned her focus to Fu Jingwei instead.
“Fu Jingwei, why are you so good to Jun Ning? You just got back and already made her noodles with poached eggs, and now you’ve bought an old hen to stew for her. It’s true that people born under the same star have different fates. I’m dying of envy.”
Fu Jingwei acted as if he hadn’t heard a word she said and continued plucking the chicken feathers.
Lin Qingqing hadn’t expected that Fu Jingwei would share Jun Ning’s temperament, choosing to completely ignore her existence. In her mounting frustration, her common sense vanished.
She lashed out recklessly at him: “Fu Jingwei, did you hear me speaking to you? I am telling you, solemnly and seriously, that buying a chicken from a villager is speculation and profiteering. It is wrong! It should be criticized! If someone reported this to the commune, I’d like to see what you’d do then!”
Hearing her blatant threat, Fu Jingwei finally turned his head to look at her.
Lin Qingqing noticed his gaze and, thinking he was finally caving to her pressure, couldn’t help but look at him triumphantly, her chin tilted up. Little did she know that Fu Jingwei’s tongue was just as sharp as Jun Ning’s.
He gave a cold laugh and immediately switched into a rapid-fire mode of retaliation.
“Lin Qingqing, I know you have a ‘good relationship’ with that Director Tan at the commune. I even saw you enter his house late that night and stay for quite a long time before coming out.”
“But even if you’re close with Director Tan, you can’t just slander me for speculation. I traded malted milk extract with a villager for this hen. Bartering is permitted by policy. Don’t think you can just move your lips and pin a crime on me.”
“Lin Qingqing, your behavior—maliciously slandering people and trying to label them as criminals—is truly disgusting!”
The moment she heard these words, Lin Qingqing’s face turned as white as a sheet.
It was true. She desperately wanted to return to the city and get a transfer quota from Director Tan. Under that despicable man’s threats and inducements, she had succumbed and slept with him. But it wasn’t because she wanted to! She was forced!
How could Fu Jingwei be so cruel? How could he use such a thing to attack her?
Lin Qingqing’s eyes turned blood-red with rage. However, she struggled to suppress her exploding temper. With tears in her eyes, she said to him pitifully, “Fu Jingwei, what grudge do we have that you would use such lies to ruin my reputation? You’ve gone too far! Waaaah…“
After sobbing out those words, she covered her face, spun around, and ran back into her room, slamming the door with a loud bang.
Jun Ning hadn’t expected to witness such a massive scandal today; her eyes were wide with shock.
Seeing her stunned expression, Fu Jingwei couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “What? Scared silly? You didn’t expect her to do something like that?”
Jun Ning sighed lightly. “I really didn’t.”
Fu Jingwei snorted. “If she hadn’t tried to pin that ‘speculator’ label on me, I wouldn’t have bothered bringing up her messy affairs. It’s just sickening.”
Jun Ning nodded in agreement. “Exactly. She threatened you so directly; if you had backed down, I would have looked down on you!”
She was the type of person who preferred to settle scores on the same day. The more immediate and satisfying the retaliation, the better!
Previously, seeing Fu Jingwei’s refined, gentlemanly appearance, she had assumed he would be like most men—even if the woman was a nightmare, he would choose to be “the bigger person” and endure it. If Fu Jingwei had truly been that kind of spineless “nice guy,” there would be no future for them.
Fortunately, he wasn’t. His sharp-tongued and merciless treatment of a toxic woman was perfectly to her taste. In both friendship and love, people with matching values and temperaments are destined to go further.
Fu Jingwei quickly finished cleaning the hen, took it to the kitchen, and chopped it into small pieces with a cleaver. His movements were so agile that Jun Ning felt a bit inferior.
As she watched him stew the soup, Jun Ning told him about renting Uncle Liang’s house and her plan to move out immediately.
Fu Jingwei paused for a moment, then gave her a smile of understanding. “Moving out is good. It saves you the headache of dealing with certain people.”
Then, he cautioned her seriously, “However, living alone outside, you must pay attention to your safety. Don’t let yourself be targeted by malicious people.”
Jun Ning gave a faint smile. “Don’t you worry. I have my own trump cards. I’m not afraid of those low-lifes coming to my door. If they actually dare to lay a hand on me, I’ll make them regret it for the rest of their lives!”
Looking at her confident, radiant face, Fu Jingwei suddenly felt that she had changed.
The old Jun Ning was a typical “nice person.” Even if she suffered a loss, she would say that “suffering is a blessing.” Even if people took advantage of her, she would say it was fine as long as she could help others. Consequently, everyone liked to borrow money from her, and anyone with a craving for sweets would beg for the food her family sent. She would rather go without herself just to satisfy their demands.
It was this selfless spirit that had won her so much affection. While Fu Jingwei liked that version of Jun Ning—she was a great friend because you never had to worry about betrayal or calculation—he would have been very hesitant to marry her.
But the current Jun Ning had developed an edge. Facing someone as toxic as Lin Qingqing, she had learned to strike back rather than blindly endure.
To be honest, Fu Jingwei liked this Jun Ning even more. He wondered to himself: Did that brush with death finally make this girl wake up and learn how to protect herself?
After the chicken soup was simmering, Fu Jingwei realized it would take another hour or two. He said to Jun Ning, “A’Ning, go back and get some rest. I’ll call you when the soup is ready.”
Jun Ning nodded. “Alright, I’ll head back first.”
Just as she was about to return to her room, the other educated youths returned from their work, looking exhausted. As soon as they saw Jun Ning, they crowded around her, asking in unison, “Jun Ning (A’Ning), are you okay?”
Xiao Yanru, a female youth with a fierce personality and high “combat power,” had the best relationship with Jun Ning. She asked with concern, “A’Ning, are you really alright? Don’t push yourself. When it’s time to rest, you must rest. If you ruin your health, it’s your own loss.”