They thought that since they had already apologized, Jiang Mian would immediately forgive them.
But Jiang Mian didn’t even acknowledge them.
Instead, she walked over to the older woman and held her hand.
“Big sister, thank you for speaking up for me.”
“No need to thank me. I’ve been through this myself—I’ve had children. It’s not easy being pregnant, and you still have to work. And now you’re being slandered for no reason. If I didn’t stand up and say a few words for you, I’d feel guilty afterward! Now that I’ve said it, I feel much better.”
As she spoke, the woman shot sideways glances at those gossiping people.
Jiang Mian felt warmth in her heart and smiled.
“Big sister, for your sake, I won’t argue with them.”
Everyone: “……”
What more did you want to argue about?!
Though they felt unconvinced, no one dared to say anything.
One by one, they found excuses to slip away.
Jiang Mian didn’t press the matter either, letting it pass just like that.
After thanking the woman, Jiang Mian was also ready to leave.
If she stayed any longer, who knew what trouble might arise?
The male lead was basically a magnet for trouble—she had to stay far away from him to keep herself alive.
Jiang Mian strode out the door. Not long after, she ran into someone head-on.
It was Sun Danhua, whom she had just met yesterday.
With her was an elderly man in his sixties, wearing a cotton cap.
Seeing them, Jiang Mian was both surprised and delighted.
“Aunt Sun, what brings you here?”
“Jiang Mian.”
Sun Danhua supported the elderly man as they walked slowly.
In contrast, Jiang Mian, despite her big belly, hurried over briskly.
It made both Sun Danhua and the old man nervous.
“Jiang Mian, you’re pregnant—slow down!”
Director Qi quietly asked Sun Danhua:
“Is this the winter strawberry expert we’re looking for?”
“That’s her.”
“A pregnant woman?”
“Yes. What, do you look down on pregnant women?”
Director Qi didn’t mean any disrespect.
He was just a little surprised.
Just as he was about to say something, the corner of his eye caught sight of a rather unwelcome figure.
Lu Heng!
Why was this guy everywhere today?!
Sun Danhua also saw Lu Heng walking out from inside and exclaimed:
“Professor Lu?!”
Lu Heng approached with a smile.
“Director Qi, Teacher Sun—what wind brought you two here?”
“Well, Director Qi—”
“Cough! Cough cough!!”
Before Sun Danhua could finish, Director Qi suddenly coughed violently, interrupting her.
Before the coughing even subsided, he turned his head.
“Teacher Sun, let’s go. We’ll talk about this another day.”
Lu Heng quickly grabbed Director Qi’s arm.
“Director Qi, why are you leaving? Since you’re already here, come inside and sit for a while.”
Sun Danhua also said,
“Yes, Director Qi, we’ve come all this way—we can’t leave for nothing. Let’s talk inside.”
One on each side, Lu Heng and Sun Danhua practically carried Director Qi into the room.
“Jiang Mian, come over too. We need to talk to you about something.”
Jiang Mian frowned slightly, feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
But she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Hopefully, she was just overthinking.
For the moment, Jiang Mian set aside her doubts and returned to the meeting hall.
The group found a corner and sat down.
Lu Heng sat beside them as well.
Perhaps thanks to the elegant and distinguished Professor Lu, as soon as they sat down, a server approached with a tray.
“Hello, would you like some soda?”
“Bring one for each of us.”
“Alright.”
The server opened four bottles of soda.
Each person took a bottle.
Jiang Mian finally got the soda she had been craving. Listening to the fizzing bubbles, she took a small sip.
Mm, this was the feeling!
That tingling-on-the-tongue feeling.
The first time Jiang Mian ever drank soda, it was bought by Lu Heng.
When Lu Heng heard she had never tried it before, he specially asked someone to bring back two bottles from a provincial store, carrying them all the way back to the farm.
Jiang Mian had thought soda was just sweet, like honey water.
Without thinking much, she took a big gulp.
The result—
Her tongue felt like it had been electrocuted, crackling and sparking.
She spat it out on the spot and asked Lu Heng in shock:
“Why is this shocking my tongue?!”
Lu Heng had almost laughed himself over.
After that, it became a private joke between them.
Now, feeling that same fizz dancing on her tongue again, Jiang Mian was already used to it.
It only felt slightly sour, sweet, and refreshingly cool as it slid down her throat,
flowing into her stomach.
Her whole body relaxed, and the heat inside her eased.
Watching Jiang Mian calmly drink the soda, Lu Heng recalled the past—especially that silly phrase “shocking the tongue”—and couldn’t help but smile.
The corners of his lips lifted.
He also took a sip of soda.
Sun Danhua said:
“Let me introduce—this is Jiang Mian from the Beidahuang farm. She is currently a widow. Her husband has passed away—”
“Pff!!!”
Lu Heng spat out a mouthful of soda.
It almost sprayed onto Director Qi’s face.
He quickly put the bottle down, clenched his fist near his mouth, and began coughing violently.
Her husband died?
Jiang Mian actually told people her husband was dead—that she was a widow?!
Jiang Mian: “…” She calmly turned her face to the side, pretending not to notice Lu Heng’s overwhelming resentment.
Sorry… back then, when she said her husband had died, she really hadn’t expected they would ever meet again.
Even less did she expect that those words would be repeated right in front of the person involved.
Sure enough, when you’re unlucky, even drinking cold water can get stuck in your teeth.
Seeing Lu Heng coughing until his face turned red, Director Qi reminded him:
“Professor Lu, mind your image.”
Lu Heng didn’t bother arguing with the old man’s jab:
“Sorry—”
Then he casually shot a glance at a certain “widow” whose husband had supposedly died.
Jiang Mian, unfazed, took another sip of soda.
She was starting to like this tingling sensation more and more.
Sun Danhua continued the introductions:
“Jiang Mian, this is Director Qi, the head of the Agriculture Department at Huaqing University.”
Jiang Mian hadn’t expected the old man to have such a high status and quickly greeted him respectfully:
“Hello, Director Qi.”
Director Qi gave a slight nod in return.
Sun Danhua then pointed at Lu Heng and continued:
“This is Professor Lu from the Science Department of Huaqing University.”
She added half-jokingly:
“He’s one of the most popular young professors at our university. Plenty of girls come just to see him—attending his classes, and even students from other schools come over just to catch a glimpse of him.”
Lu Heng quickly corrected:
“No, the ones who attend my classes are all serious students.”
Sun Danhua laughed:
“Yes, yes, all serious—everyone comes for your knowledge.”
The way Sun Danhua spoke with Lu Heng was casual, even teasing, suggesting they were quite familiar with each other.
Jiang Mian guessed that since they worked at the same university, they must know each other.
But she hadn’t expected them to be this close.
Pretending it was her first time meeting him, Jiang Mian greeted him formally:
“Hello, Professor Lu.”
“Hello, Comrade Jiang Mian.”
They exchanged greetings.
Jiang Mian’s gaze moved back and forth among the three of them.
So… what exactly was going on with this situation today?