Wen Mingzhu, Manman’s cousin, was the only daughter of her Uncle Wen Shitong.
Uncle Wen Shitong’s family of three had moved to Beijing over a decade ago and made their fortune through property speculation.
They treated the Wen Family relatives differently—as Wen Haoxue’s family was not poor, they were given special attention, while Uncle Wen Shitong avoided the other Wen Family members.
Manman remembered clearly that back when their family-owned grocery store was struggling, Wen Haoxue’s family was not as rich yet.
Her father had tried to borrow money from Wen Shitong, who had given them the runaround over the phone.
Afterward, all calls to Wen Shitong from their family were completely ignored.
From then on, Manman understood one thing: when you’re poor, everyone treats you like a virus or a bacterium, and relatives become strangers.
Why seek out Wen Shitong?
She, Manman, like her father Wen Shixuan, believed in self-reliance when she couldn’t borrow money; she didn’t covet what she couldn’t get.
When Wen Haoxue wanted to show off, Manman just let it go in one ear and out the other, “Really?
Mingzhu’s place is nice, and you’re living there.
I believe Uncle and Auntie must be relieved.”
Like her other sisters, Wen Haoxue didn’t believe that Manman didn’t have any desire for vanity or profit at all.
In a moment of inspiration, she said, “Sister Manman, when do you have time?
Let’s go out and have fun together.
Or tell me where you are, and I’ll come to find you.
Now that we’re in Beijing, just us sisters, it’d be sad to become strangers by not interacting.”
Without thinking, Manman knew this girl must have just arrived in Beijing, didn’t know where to go, had nowhere fun to go, and wanted to find Manman for entertainment.
Manman didn’t want to deal with her and said, “Right now, I have no fixed abode.
I’ll let you know once I’ve settled down.”
And that’s how the call ended.
But Manman knew that with Wen Haoxue’s capabilities, finding out where she was wouldn’t be impossible.
——”The Late Hours of a Grand Wedding”——
Jiang Yan returned to school, thinking about how to find a specialist for Manman’s stomach issues.
The Jiang Family had connections in the hospital—his second sister, Jiang Mei, was the head of the finance department in one of the military hospitals.
However, if he asked his second sister for help, the secret would inevitably come out.
Mo Wenyang gave him an idea, “Why don’t you ask Jun Ye for a letter of introduction.
Although Jun Ye has broad connections as well, considering his temper, we won’t bother him.
Elder Yao is quite amiable.”
Both elders were part of the military health system.
Regardless of whom he asked for a letter of introduction, that letter would be more than enough to find a professor in the hospital who might show some special favor.
For Manman, Jiang Yan was willing to do anything.
The next day, when Jun Ye was not around, Jiang Yan deliberately lined up behind Yao Ziye in the cafeteria at lunchtime.
Seeing him sneaking around, Yao Ziye roughly guessed what he wanted to do.
His long eyebrows raised, and with a sleepy squint, he said, “Colonel Jiang, just say what you need.”
“A friend of mine fell ill and I want to find a specialist for gastrointestinal treatment.” Since Yao Ziye had already brought it up, Jiang Yan didn’t stand on ceremony.
“A gastrointestinal illness?
Have they seen a doctor?
Is it the stomach or the intestines?”
Faced with the professional’s questions, Jiang Yan was at a loss.
Yao Ziye wasn’t trying to make things difficult for him.
He said, “Gastrointestinal specialists each have their specialties.
If you want to find a good, specialized expert, find out the details and let me know.
It would be better to bring the patient’s previous medical records so that I can have a clearer understanding.”
Jiang Yan had no choice but to ask Mo Wenyang to call Chun Xia for Manman’s medical records on his behalf.
Chun Xia saw it as an opportunity.
When delivering the medical records to the military school, she figured she could also arrange a meeting between the two and dragged Manman with her.
In the school, after lunch, Lu Jun officially took leave from the school due to personal matters, planning to go home for a couple of days, while Yao Ziye accompanied him to the school’s gate.
The two talked as they walked.
Lu Jun asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me to check it out?” In his heart, he thought it would be helpful to have someone with him when meeting Nannan for advice and support.
Bowing his head, Yao Ziye seemed to be looking at his own shadow, “No need to go anymore.
After all, isn’t it necessary to complete a paternity test to be sure?”
His words made sense, but Lu Jun felt that something was off, his mind fixed on that woman who boarded the car with five hundred yuan, just as he was about to say something.
Up ahead, a taxi that had stopped at the school gate opened its door, and two women emerged from it.
Seeing the two shadows he would recognize even if they turned to ash, Lu Jun abruptly halted.
The first to emerge from the car was Chun Xia, who looked up to see the soldiers in front of her and froze, her eyes widening as if they might pop out.
Enemies on a narrow road!
“Chun Xia?” Manman saw her good friend standing motionless and adjusted her glasses to look forward, first at the stunned Elder Yao, then at that chilly Jun Ye.
“What are you doing here?” Lu Jun’s cold voice broke the scorching silence.
Coming back to her senses, Chun Xia, hearing this, bristled, “Why can’t we be here?”
It was clear there was a misunderstanding.
Yao Ziye stepped forward, his gaze naturally falling on Manman’s bespectacled face.
Seeing her pallor was gone, a smile rippled through his handsome eyes, “Are you feeling better?”
This officer, much kinder than the other icy one beside him, prompted Chun Xia to sniff, “She is better, and she has been wanting to find an opportunity to express her gratitude to you.”
Hearing this talk of gratitude, Lu Jun kept a stoic face, “No need.”
Manman stepped forward, standing in front of him and looking up.
The woman in front of him with glasses, Lu Jun only remembered one impression from that night in the military car—defiance.
Afterward, when Yao Ziye spoke to him, he couldn’t help but search her face, trying to find any trace of Nannan.
Delicate brows, a petite nose, and dense eyelashes like brushes; her demeanor was ethereal and detached, as if she was a fairy aloof from the world.
His heart stirred unexpectedly.
He suddenly felt there was some truth to Yao Ziye’s words: if his sister were to appear before him, she might not be breathtakingly beautiful, but she would certainly possess a unique charm.
The image of Nannan in his memory, at birth, she wasn’t the prettiest or most adorable girl, but she was full of spirit, ethereal and captivating, her presence so enthralling one could not look away.
Manman was earnestly trying to clarify the situation, not wanting to be misunderstood, “That time, I didn’t intend to flee; I went to withdraw money to repay the medical costs.
You can give me the bank account details, and I’ll transfer the money into your account.”
“How old are you this year?”
Startled, her delicate brows slightly knit, Manman looked up, meeting a gaze as sharp as the gleam on the edge of a blade, a daunting presence pressing close to her face.
“How old are you this year?” The same words, the same urgent and intimidating tone, came from Yao Ziye, who had quickly followed suit.
Faced with such sudden questioning, out of the blue, especially from two pairs of inscrutable eyes, Manman bit her lip.
Chun Xia, fearing they were troubling Manman, stepped forward to speak.
Manman, who always thought there was nothing shameful about being an older single woman, slightly raised her brows and said nonchalantly,
“Twenty-nine.”