“Where did this Er Gouzi come from?”
Although she didn’t have time to ask Ning Xi the reason, it wasn’t hard to guess that today’s matter had everything to do with Cao Xinrou.
Among all these people, she was the most excited!
Cao Xinrou was at a loss for words.
Her heart throbbed painfully at Jiang Chengbei’s gaze.
She was so eager to make Ning Xi lose face in public that she didn’t think twice and blurted it out.
“I saw Er Gouzi go into the thatched hut with Ning Xi. Could it be that Er Gouzi ruined Ning Xi’s purity and ran off? Chengbei, let’s go catch Er Gouzi quickly! Ning Xi can’t just suffer this for nothing.”
Ning Xi couldn’t help but laugh hearing this.
Cao Xinrou really wouldn’t stop ruining her reputation!
She stepped out from behind Jiang Chengbei and looked at Cao Xinrou playfully.
“Xinrou, what nonsense are you talking about? What Er Gouzi? I’ve never even met this person. But you, you keep talking about ruined purity, your morality in tatters, pinning imaginary crimes on me—what are you thinking?”
Cao Xinrou’s heart skipped a beat. Could Ning Xi have discovered something?
Was she just babbling nonsense in front of Jiang Chengbei?
“Xixi, what are you saying? We’re sisters.”
“Sisters?”
Ning Xi’s eyes smiled, but there was a knife behind that smile.
“I’m not a sister who deliberately destroys her younger sister’s reputation like you do.”
“You…”
Seeing her plan fail, Cao Xinrou seethed internally but forced an innocent expression on her face. She found an excuse, claiming she might have been mistaken and that she was just worried and flustered.
If she argued further, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself.
“Then what are you doing here with Chengbei?”
Jiang Chengbei glanced at her and answered naturally.
“We’re about to get married and came to find a quiet place to discuss wedding matters. Do you have a problem with that?”
His gaze was so cold, subtly scrutinizing everything. Cao Xinrou panicked, nervously looking down, not noticing her nails digging deep red marks into her palms.
“No, I wouldn’t dare have any objections.”
The crowd, who had originally come to catch a scandal, saw there was no excitement and began to leave, grumbling that Cao Xinrou had poor eyesight after all, the engaged couple was discussing wedding matters, and she was making a scene.
Just as everyone was about to leave, Ning Xi suddenly reached out to Cao Xinrou.
“Xinrou, you borrowed a lot of money and notes from me before. Now I’m getting married, and there’s a lot to prepare. You should repay me. And the heirloom Grandma left me you said you just wanted to borrow it for a few days, but it’s been over a month. You’re not planning to return it, are you?”
The original owner was naïve.
Soon after going to the countryside, she had been coaxed by Cao Xinrou into lending her a lot of money and notes.
She said it was a loan, but Cao Xinrou never returned anything and even took possession of Ning Xi’s family heirloom jade pendant. Later, she accidentally activated the spiritual spring inside it and became a miraculous doctor thanks to that space.
A so-called miraculous doctor totally relying on the spiritual spring as a cheat!
Now that Ning Xi had traveled into this body, the spiritual spring had to be reclaimed!
Not returning it? Then she’d smash her head in!
Cao Xinrou didn’t want to give it back, her eyes darting nervously.
“It’s not that I don’t want to return it. I spent all the money and my mom lost the pendant. But Xixi, don’t worry, I won’t let you suffer I’ll return everything eventually.”
Ning Xi didn’t bother with her games.
“I went to the countryside for three months and lent you 123 yuan, not counting countless other notes. You spent all that money? Tsk tsk, no wonder you don’t feel guilty spending others’ money. And don’t try to stall it’s only right to repay debts. If not, I’ll report you to the police.”
One hundred-plus yuan?
The crowd, who had been about to disperse, all looked at Cao Xinrou.
“Looks like she never intended to pay it back.”
“No wonder the Cao family eats meat every day they’re spending other people’s money.”
“And she even occupies someone else’s grandmother’s heirloom doesn’t she fear getting cursed?”
Everyone chimed in. They were all poor, so why should Cao Xinrou suddenly get such a huge windfall?
Cao Xinrou’s face turned green.
Worried about her image in Jiang Chengbei’s eyes, she raised her head red-eyed.
“Chengbei, I didn’t! You know I’m not that kind of person we grew up together…”
But Jiang Chengbei frowned and interrupted.
“Enough talking. Return the money and the pendant both of them.”
He looked impatient, as if he saw her as a liar. Cao Xinrou felt terrible inside but knew she couldn’t escape and muttered that she’d go back immediately to gather money and find the pendant.
Fearing she might damage the pendant, Ning Xi went home with her.
Her legs were still weak, walking awkwardly. Jiang Chengbei noticed, and the dark glint in his eyes darkened further, his mind involuntarily conjuring unhealthy images.
The young girl under him, softly calling him “brother”…
His ears suddenly turned red.
At that moment, Ning Xi, walking ahead, suddenly turned and saw the man’s blood-red ears. She exclaimed, “Why are your ears so red?”
Jiang Chengbei: “…”
He had no reply, only muttering in a hoarse voice, “It’s too hot.”
Ning Xi glanced around. It was almost October hot?
She suspected he was reminiscing about some… steamy scene.
Cao Xinrou, walking in front, had been straining to listen to their interaction, her delicate face twisting with anger.
She was so unwilling.
But unwilling or not, what’s borrowed must be returned.
Things that don’t belong to you can never truly be yours.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Cao residence.
Ning Xi took the money and counted it twice.
“Not a penny missing. Xinrou, you said you spent it all looks like you were lying. You clearly didn’t want to return it. I didn’t expect you to be a deadbeat. Don’t pay your debts and you might not get married.”
Her words hit Cao Xinrou’s sore spot.
She nearly cried in anger.
The Cao couple also wanted to snatch the money back but, restrained by Jiang Chengbei’s presence, had to endure it. Seeing Ning Xi retrieve the translucent jade pendant carved into a teardrop shape, their eyes sparkled with envy.
This was a treasure of the Cao family!
Cao Xinrou felt empty inside, feeling as if she had lost something important.
Ning Xi didn’t care what anyone thought, cheerfully pocketed the money, and before leaving reminded Cao Xinrou to prepare her wedding gift.
“We’re so close you have to give me a big red envelope.”
The person she loved was getting married and she wasn’t the bride.
Nothing stings more than this.
Leaving the Cao family, Ning Xi felt completely relaxed, humming a little tune. Jiang Chengbei listened seriously for a while, his handsome features tinged with a helpless smile.
“Got money, got money. I don’t know how to spend it.”
This girl her temper was really like a child’s.
But… her body was like a ripe, juicy peach delicious and refreshing.
Jiang Chengbei swallowed, then spoke first.
“Tomorrow I’ll go to the county to submit our marriage application. Do you want to come?”
“Marriage application? So soon?”
Ning Xi never imagined she’d get married so quickly. In her previous life, she was single until twenty, and now in this new world she had a rugged, dark-skinned man and a painless wedding waiting.
Well… maybe not entirely painless.
Soldiers were really something else. She was still sore from earlier.
She was just surprised, but Jiang Chengbei misread it as her not wanting to marry him. Remembering the harsh words she wrote in her letter, his expression stiffened, and his mood visibly sank.
After a long while, he finally said,
“You’ve already slept with me.”
Ning Xi: “…”
Wait how did the rugged dark-skinned man suddenly become a sulky little bride?
Meanwhile, after Ning Xi and Jiang Chengbei left, Cao Xinrou took a shortcut to find Jiang Chengbei’s mother, Tian Guilan.
She used the excuse of protecting Jiang Chengbei’s future to persuade Tian Guilan not to approve the marriage.
“Aunt Tian, we can’t let gratitude ruin Chengbei’s future.”
“Ning Xi is a capitalist heiress. If Chengbei marries her, he might have to leave the army.”
She deliberately exaggerated, scaring Tian Guilan almost into a heart attack.
“Yes, yes, yes Chengbei’s future can’t be destroyed by Ning Xi!”