Ye Li’s heart leapt with joy as she looked at him expectantly. “Comrade Duan, don’t worry! I can sign a contract with you. Later, once I have a place to go, or if you find a girl you like, I can divorce you immediately.”
Upon hearing this, Duan Jiami was silent for a moment, his deep eyes fixed intently on Ye Li, making her heart flutter nervously. Just when she thought he might refuse, Duan Jiami slowly spoke, “Alright, I agree.”
Ye Li’s heart soared with happiness, and a smile unconsciously spread across her lips. “Then we can draw up the contract when we have time. When the Ye family comes to request a broken engagement, you can raise the condition of a marriage swap. As part of the deal, I will make sure to heal your leg.”
“Good!” Duan Jiami nodded, but seeing her relieved expression, he felt an inexplicable twinge of emptiness in his heart.
After settling their arrangements, just as they were about to leave, a familiar voice rang out, “Oh, sister, what a coincidence! Who are you having a meal with?”
Ye Zhirou affectionately leaned against Jiang Bowen. Since Duan Jiami had his back to the entrance, she only saw the silhouette and didn’t clearly recognize who it was. Ye Li shot her a glare, not bothering to respond. Truly, enemies cross paths everywhere—even here she encountered these two disgusting people.
Seeing Ye Li ignore her, Ye Zhirou covered her mouth, feigning surprise as if she had just noticed Duan Jiami. “Sister, you’re already betrothed—how can you go out to eat with another man?” Her voice was loud enough to attract the attention of those nearby.
Ye Li glanced at her and replied bluntly, “Yes, Ye Zhirou, you are betrothed. How is it that you’re acting cozy with your sister’s fiancé here? When did you and my fiancé get so close?”
As soon as she spoke, everyone around immediately stopped eating, their eyes wide like shining spotlights, ears pricked, focused on Ye Zhirou and Ye Li. They couldn’t miss this scandal between a sister-in-law and a fiancé.
Ye Zhirou looked aggrieved. “Sister, how can you say that? Brother Jiang and I are perfectly innocent—we just came out to eat together.”
Ye Li let out a scoffing laugh. “Yes, yes, innocent! You, a sister-in-law, cozying up to your sister’s fiancé in public, and you still have the nerve to try and sully my reputation? I invited Comrade Duan to dinner, and it’s thanks to my fiancé that he helped me. That’s what deserves thanks!”
Ye Zhirou’s audacity left Ye Li speechless. How shameless—barely able to cover herself, yet claiming innocence with Jiang Bowen.
“Comrade?” Ye Zhirou froze, a sense of dread rising in her heart. She glanced at the man with his back to her, only to see Duan Jiami slowly turn, a faint, almost teasing smile on his face.
“Ye Zhirou, I was injured in service, and now my leg is crippled. Are you looking down on me? I know I am now a disabled man, but I was once a soldier and certainly not the kind to cling or harass. If you fear I would hold you back, it’s understandable. You can even have your parents annul the engagement—I will let go without hesitation.”
He wore a face of restrained pain and grievance, appearing wronged yet dignified.
Ye Li was stunned. She had always thought he was a stern, iron-willed man, but she hadn’t expected him to be this kind of Duan Jiami.
Ye Zhirou turned pale as paper, her legs weakening, almost collapsing to the ground. Her lips trembled as she stammered, “Com… Comrade Duan, I… I didn’t mean that.”
The gazes around them felt like stabbing needles, and the murmurs were nonstop.
“So it turns out the sister and her sister’s fiancé are together—shameless!”
“Exactly! Too much, they lack discipline, and now they’re falsely accusing the sister and her fiancé. I was just sitting here—those two are so proper!”
“The sister’s fiancé and the younger sister were all clingy from the moment they entered. At first, I thought they were a newlywed couple!”
“That poor soldier—injured serving the nation, and his fiancée can’t even treat him properly, while cozying up with her sister’s fiancé.”
In this era, soldiers were highly respected, and no one would dare question a soldier’s character.
At that moment, Wang Xiufen came out from the counter, loudly defending Ye Li. “Earlier, this girl told me that someone had helped her a lot, so she invited them for a meal to show thanks. Such a good revolutionary friendship, yet it’s being slandered. It’s because her heart is dirty that she thinks others are unclean too.”
Jiang Bowen frowned deeply, his face dark. He hadn’t expected matters to escalate this way, silently blaming Ye Zhirou for her carelessness and Ye Li for not giving him face. He glared at Ye Li and harshly scolded, “Ye Li, are you just going to watch others accuse us?”
Ye Li rolled her eyes at him. That scumbag was unworthy of her attention. Crossing her arms, she coldly sneered at Ye Zhirou, “Ye Zhirou, anything else to say? You cozy up with Jiang Bowen here while looking down on Comrade Duan, who was injured in service. Truly exemplary!”
Ye Zhirou bit her lip, panic and unwillingness in her eyes, forcing herself to say, “Sister, please don’t slander me. Jiang Bowen and I are really just ordinary friends.”
Duan Jiami snorted coldly, his neck veins bulging, chest heaving, and knuckles white from gripping tightly.
Her reddened eyes stared daggers at Ye Li, her trembling lips betraying a sense of grievance, her voice hoarse and quivering: “Ordinary friends act like this in public—pulling, tugging, hugging, and holding each other? Ye Zhirou, if you don’t care for me, just say it directly. No need for this pretentious act.”
Ye Zhirou was left speechless, tears welling up in her eyes. “You… how can you say that about me? I already told you, Brother Jiang and I are perfectly innocent! On what basis are you slandering me?”
A flash of mockery passed across Ye Li’s eyes, her face filled with disdain and scorn. “Ye Zhirou, you were the one spouting nonsense first. And now you can’t stand it? I warn you, don’t provoke me, or I’ll spread all your dirty little secrets and see who ends up embarrassed.”
Wang Xiufen’s eyes immediately lit up, and she turned to Ye Li, asking eagerly, “Sis, what secrets? Tell us, everyone wants to hear.”
Ye Zhirou was truly panicked now. She pointed at Ye Li, trying to intimidate her, “Sister, if you spread rumors outside, father won’t forgive you when we get home.”
Ye Li feigned fear, shrinking back with a look of grievance. “Sister Xiufen, I… I can’t say. Father would beat me to death. Besides, she’s the daughter my stepmother brought in—I dare not say much.”
Wang Xiufen slapped her thigh, looking at Ye Li with pity. “No wonder this girl takes such pleasure in bullying her own sister. So she’s the stepmother’s child? Truly, with a stepmother comes a stepfather—this poor girl is really unfortunate!”
“Oh, so that’s why! No wonder she’s so arrogant, bullying someone who’s lost her mother.”
“Exactly! She acts like this outside! At home, she’d be bullied to death. Look at the girl’s fiancé, cozying up with his stepsister while criticizing his fiancée—shameless!”
The surrounding voices of accusation grew louder. Ashamed and humiliated, Ye Zhirou hastily grabbed Jiang Bowen and fled the state-run restaurant.