Just as Zhang Tianci was about to make a move, Su Man quickly called Su Lan over and introduced her identity to Zhang Tianci.
With Su Man’s family present, Zhang Tianci immediately restrained himself. He maintained his usual serious and proper demeanor in front of others, but his gaze still clung tightly to Su Man.
Su Lan had once seen Zhang Tianci from afar when he was surrounded by a crowd. At that time, she had already developed admiration for him, but she had never dared to approach. Now that he was right in front of her, her heart couldn’t help but pound violently.
She had always felt Zhang Tianci was out of her reach, but if Zhang Tianci could even marry Su Man, then why couldn’t he be hers instead?
Suppressing her shyness, Su Lan greeted Zhang Tianci, her cheeks flushed red.
Su Man could no longer tolerate it. Zhang Tianci was like a toad—he didn’t bite, but he was disgusting to look at. She could not deal with this anymore, so she turned around and ran back home.
Zhang Tianci withdrew his reluctant gaze. When he turned around and saw Su Lan’s face suddenly close to him, he was startled and took two steps back in disgust. Then, as if remembering something, he said, “Um… Su, Su Man’s cousin, goodbye.”
It was obvious he hadn’t even remembered Su Lan’s name.
Su Lan had originally been happy to have a chance to be alone with Zhang Tianci, but now, staring at his retreating figure, she clenched her fingers tightly, hatred for Su Man growing in her heart.
When Su Man returned, the house had already quieted down. Only a mess remained, and Aunt Xia Hongxia was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t until nightfall that Su Man thought Su Ercheng would not come anymore. Feeling slightly disappointed, she was preparing to sleep when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
The three of them sat in the room. Xia Hongxia reluctantly took out a roll of money and vouchers, glancing fearfully at Su Ercheng beside her. Even when handing it to Su Man, she was unwilling to let go.
Su Man snatched it without hesitation. Noticing Xia Hongxia’s face was swollen on one side, she raised her eyebrows but pretended not to see it, lowering her head to count the money carefully.
After confirming that 780 yuan, along with grain coupons and meat coupons, were all present without a single shortage, Su Man finally smiled and became warm in attitude.
“I knew uncle and aunt weren’t that kind of people. I was just angry at noon and said those things in the heat of the moment. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, we’re still family.”
Then she suddenly exclaimed, “Auntie, what happened to your face? Why is it swollen?”
Xia Hongxia was furious inside. This time, she had truly emptied her family savings and even owed her maternal family a lot. But if she didn’t give the money, and Su Man exposed everything, Su Ercheng would never let her off.
She even began to suspect that Su Man’s previously obedient and easygoing behavior had all been an act, just to trick them today.
But no matter how much she hated her, Xia Hongxia could not break ties. As long as they married this girl off to Factory Director Zhang’s family and maintained this relationship, the benefits would be endless, and they would not worry about losing this money.
Xia Hongxia forced a smile. “It’s nothing, I just accidentally fell.”
Su Man pretended to believe her and suddenly changed the topic. “I’ve thought it through. I plan to give all the bride price from Factory Director Zhang’s family to uncle and aunt. And you don’t need to worry about my cousin going to the countryside—I’ll transfer my job to him tomorrow. After I get married, maybe I can even ask Factory Director Zhang to arrange a job for my cousin sister.”
“Oh, and my father’s house—please help take care of it in the future. If my cousin is getting married in a couple of years, he can move in first.”
Hearing this, Su Ercheng and Xia Hongxia were pleasantly surprised. They had expected to spend a lot of effort persuading Su Man, but she actually brought it up herself. For a moment, they felt uneasy. Could she really be this kind? Was she plotting something?
“From now on, uncle and aunt are my maternal family. If I get bullied, you must help me stand up for myself.”
Hearing this, both of them finally relaxed. They decided Su Man was sensible after all. As an orphan without family support, she would indeed be easily bullied. The frustration from earlier completely disappeared, and they even showed genuine smiles.
After sending off Su Ercheng and Xia Hongxia, Su Man waited until the night deepened. Estimating that the Su family had fallen asleep, she quietly slipped out of the house.
Following her memory, she found Aunt Liu’s house in the dark.
Aunt Liu was known for being warm-hearted in the area and had a good relationship with Su Dacheng’s family. The two families had often interacted before.
Now, she was the best person to help cleanly handle this matter.
Just as Su Man was about to knock on the gate, she realized it was slightly open and unlocked. That made things easier. Before she left here, it was best if tonight’s events were not discovered by others.
She carefully entered the courtyard and gently closed the door behind her.
Just as she was about to walk toward Aunt Liu’s house, her arm was suddenly twisted behind her back and she was pressed against the wall.
“Stealing things?” A low, magnetic male voice came from behind. Su Man felt like her arm was about to break.
“Easy, easy—hiss!” Feeling the man increase his force, she quickly explained, “I’m not a thief. I’m here to find Aunt Liu.”
The tall figure completely blocked the moonlight above her. The man did not move.
“Then why are you sneaking around instead of knocking on the door?”
“Because… because I have something I can’t let others know!”
After she said this, the man fell silent. It was unclear whether he believed her, but his grip loosened slightly.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Man struck back.
In modern times, she had learned basic self-defense. The man was too difficult to deal with. If she didn’t resist, her arm would be swollen by tomorrow, and that would delay her escape.
The man was unprepared and briefly let her break free, but quickly regained control.
Su Man was pinned with her neck restrained, her entire body trapped in the man’s embrace. A strong masculine presence surrounded her. Her back pressed tightly against his firm and hot chest, making her flush with anger.
“It hurts…”
Her soft voice sounded almost like a hook. The man froze for a moment and instinctively loosened his strength, though their bodies were still pressed together.
“Xiao Man, what are you two doing?” Aunt Liu came out upon hearing the noise and looked at them in surprise.
Realizing it was a misunderstanding, the man felt awkward and immediately released Su Man, then apologized seriously, “Comrade, I’m sorry.”
Aunt Liu quickly explained, “This is Xiao Zheng from our courtyard. He was injured and retired from the unit. This is Xiao Qi, his comrade-in-arms, who came to visit him.”
So he was a soldier. No wonder he was so alert and skilled.
Su Man moved her arm and found no injury, and her anger faded.
When she looked at the man again, the dim yellow light from the room cast a tall shadow on the ground. His features were sharp and striking, his eyes narrow and piercing. The military uniform added a sense of solemn restraint.
Su Man’s heart skipped a beat unconsciously. This man was extremely outstanding—so much so that even in modern times, he would easily outshine many male celebrities.