Ruan Tang rubbed her forehead.
“If they bully me, I’ll just run away. A living person won’t let themselves be trapped by circumstances. Our house isn’t far from theirs anyway—just remember to open the door for me when the time comes.”
Ruan Tang wasn’t worried. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. If it really came to that, divorce was always an option.
Right now, the top priority was staying in the city, not worrying about things that might or might not happen.
In the end, Ruan Mu couldn’t think of any better solution and had to compromise for the time being.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ye didn’t go home but headed straight to the cotton mill.
He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and make Su Jincheng lose his job.
He absolutely refused to let the girl keep pining over that scumbag.
Last year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, she had accidentally bumped right into him at the department store.
Flustered, she looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears, filled with confusion and innocence.
She was truly delicate, soft, and utterly helpless.
At that moment, Jiang Ye’s first thought was how much he wanted to tease her.
Later, he realized he was acting strangely—even dreaming about the girl—so he decided to confess his feelings.
Little did he expect that she already had a fiancé. When he found out, it felt like the sky had fallen.
Given his usual way of doing things, he would’ve snatched her away without hesitation.
But doing so would surely ruin her reputation.
After wrestling with it for a long time, he ultimately chose to give up for her sake.
Later, by chance, he saw Su Jincheng and Cai Xiaolan going to the movies together.
At first, he didn’t pay much attention, but out of boredom and a desire to stir up trouble, he had someone keep an eye on them. Unexpectedly, something did come up.
Not only did the two go to the movies, but they also secretly met at a dilapidated temple.
At first, they only kissed and touched, but Jiang Ye felt that wasn’t enough, so he waited a while longer.
Sure enough, they couldn’t resist crossing the line.
Jiang Ye knew his opportunity had arrived.
Since Su Jincheng didn’t know how to cherish her, he couldn’t blame Jiang Ye for not holding back.
That’s how today’s events unfolded. Jiang Ye had even played a role in fanning the flames, though no one knew it.
Jiang Ye parked his bicycle in front of the office building and went straight up to the second floor.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Come in.”
He pushed the door open. Jing Yu, seeing who it was, put down his pen and joked with a smile, “You’ve made quite a stir with your meddling! By now, probably the entire cotton mill knows about their affair.”
Jiang Ye, without his usual playful grin, looked on with disdain.
“Hmph, someone was asking for it. If I didn’t make a big deal out of it, I’d be wasting the opportunity he gave me.”
Jing Yu stood up, poured Jiang Ye a cup of tea, and placed it on the coffee table in front of him.
“You wouldn’t come here without a reason. Tell me, what do you need my help with? Even though I’m just the factory director’s secretary, I can still whisper a few words in his ear.”
Jing Yu was Director Gu’s secretary and had some influence in front of him.
On a personal level, Director Gu and Jing Yu’s father had once been comrades-in-arms and had a decent relationship, which was why Jiang Ye sought Jing Yu’s help.
Su Jincheng and Cai Xiaolan’s behavior was despicable and morally corrupt. Simply making them read a self-criticism was letting them off too easy.
After a busy morning, Jiang Ye was genuinely thirsty. He picked up the cup and drank it all in one go before saying, “Make Su Jincheng and Cai Xiaolan lose their jobs. If you can pull this off, I’ll put in a good word for you in front of my cousin.”
This guy had it even worse than him—he’d liked Jiang Ye’s cousin for over a year but still didn’t dare confess.
He even had to hide his own feelings, otherwise they wouldn’t even be able to remain ordinary friends.
Jing Yu smiled, a trace of bitterness flashing in his eyes. This guy really had a sharp tongue, always knowing exactly what to say to hit a nerve.
But he said aloud, “Thanks, brother.”
Jiang Ye looked up at him, equally frustrated by his lack of progress. “I’m telling you, if you want to win over a girl, you have to learn to be shameless. You’re always so proper, more righteous than a saint—how can anyone sense your true feelings?”
Jing Yu shook his head, unable to agree. “Luo Ning’s situation is different. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Fine, fine, I don’t understand. Anyway, I’m about to get myself a wife,” Jiang Ye said, his smug expression practically begging for a beating.
Jing Yu didn’t want to see him anymore and started shooing him away.
Jiang Ye had other matters to attend to and didn’t plan to stay long. Before leaving, he reminded him, “Don’t forget, Su Jincheng’s mother is the workshop director. She’s a tough one to deal with.”
Jing Yu frowned. This was indeed a problem, but given Director Gu’s character, he wouldn’t go easy on him just because of their relationship. It would just take a bit more effort to explain.
“Director Gu transferred from the military. He’s upright and impartial. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”
At that moment, Su Jincheng had no idea he was about to lose his job. He was at home, being lectured.
Wu Mengzhi had completely lost face today.
“I’ve told you time and again not to rush into marriage. I’m still looking for a suitable match for you, but you wouldn’t listen. Not only did you go ahead and date someone on your own, but you also pulled such a stunt. Where does that leave our dignity?”
Wu Mengzhi was so angry her chest heaved violently, and her hand trembled as she pointed at Su Jincheng.
“I’m warning you, cut ties with that little slut. She’s not worthy of entering our Su family.”
Su Jincheng hung his head, feeling utterly stifled.
His mother never asked him what he liked; she only imposed her own expectations on him and constantly criticized him for not measuring up.
Cai Xiaolan wasn’t like that. She was obedient, always encouraged him to have his own goals and ideas, and even praised him for his writing.
Su Jincheng’s lips twitched, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Mom, I like Xiaolan. I want to marry her.”
Those words stirred up a hornet’s nest. Wu Mengzhi’s barely suppressed anger flared up again, and she unleashed another torrent of abuse, even kicking him a couple of times.
Her permed shoulder-length hair stood on end, making her look like an enraged lion.
Seeing this, Su Jincheng shut his mouth again.
After Wu Mengzhi had exhausted herself from scolding him, her tone finally softened as she looked at his swollen face.
“Why can’t you just listen to me? Do you think I would ever do anything to harm you?”
“I’ve already looked into it. The factory director’s secretary, Jing Yu, has a sister who just graduated from high school. I was planning to have someone introduce you two after you broke off the engagement with Ruan Tang.”
“Jing Yu’s father holds a position in the Southern Military Region, and his mother works at the hospital as the head of the obstetrics department. A girl from a family like that is worthy of ours. Such in-laws could actually help you.”
“But you had to go and do something like that, and get caught red-handed. Now your reputation is ruined. Break it off with that Cai Xiaolan immediately.”
“Once some time has passed and people have forgotten about this, I’ll have someone introduce you to better matches.”
Su Jincheng didn’t dare voice any more objections and could only nod obediently.
As for Cai Xiaolan, she was different—she knew how to paint a rosy picture. Her situation was the complete opposite of his.
Upon learning of this, Cai’s mother flew into a rage, “How could you be so careless? How did you get caught red-handed? How are we supposed to show our faces in public after this?”
Did she have no regard for her dignity?
If they were going to share a bed, they should have gone to the man’s house!
The Su family’s residence is so spacious—their two-courtyard siheyuan must have spare rooms. How could they go to a rundown temple instead? They really have no sense of propriety.