Xiang Yang felt annoyed and forcefully twisted his wrist downwards. Taking advantage of his pain, he pulled Chen Jiaojiao’s hand away.
He pushed Chen Jiaojiao behind him.
“Don’t think that just because we were classmates for two years and shared a dorm for two years, I won’t dare to hit you when you act like this!”
“You dare to be so rude to a girl in public, who knows how arrogant you are in private! You scumbag, stay away from us from now on!”
“Heh, so you two know each other. What’s going on, did she come with you?”
“Not bad, Xiang Yang. You always seem so meek and honest, but you can hang out with this kind of woman…”
Xiang Yang pointed his index finger at his nose. “Watch your mouth. What do you mean by ‘this kind of woman’?”
Li Pengcheng looked at his hand without restraint. “Brother, I think you’re just too honest. You don’t even know when you’re being played.”
“You think just because she’s a bit good-looking, she’s a pure maiden? Let me tell you, her reputation in Jincheng is ruined.”
Chen Jiaojiao was so angry she wanted to rush forward and tear his mouth apart. “What did I do to you for my reputation to be ruined? You damn…”
Xiang Yang reached out and stopped her. “There’s no point talking sense to this kind of scum. You go first, I’ll handle this.”
“Go? If you leave, won’t people still know what she did? Don’t be foolish, Xiang Yang. It’s not worth sticking up for this kind of woman!”
Li Pengcheng continued his unrestrained slander.
“Don’t you know she has a boyfriend? Back when her dad wasn’t in trouble, she was openly going in and out of hotels with an old man. I saw her. Who knows how many lives she’s had inside her. And you’re still defending her…”
“Li Pengcheng, you damn well watch your mouth! Say one more word and I’ll run you over with my car!”
“Oh, hit a nerve, did I? Embarrassed and angry? Speaking of which, why doesn’t your boyfriend want you anymore? Got tired of you, now you have to look for younger guys?”
Before Chen Jiaojiao could rush forward to tear his mouth, Xiang Yang could no longer tolerate it. He stepped forward abruptly, grabbed him by the neck, pinned him to the ground, and rained punches down on him. m..oΓg
A perfectly good class reunion ended up with a trip to the hospital.
Classmates pulled the two apart and mediated. Li Pengcheng didn’t call the police on the spot.
However, he went to the hospital for a medical examination, took photos, and threatened that he wouldn’t let Xiang Yang off the hook, telling him to wait.
Xiang Yang had injuries on his face and some abrasions on his hands. Chen Jiaojiao took him to the hospital for simple bandaging.
After leaving the hospital and getting into the car, Chen Jiaojiao was extremely annoyed. With practiced movements, she took another cigarette from the storage compartment and lit it.
However, before she could take a puff, Xiang Yang pulled her over.
“Smoke less. You’re young, why learn something like this?”
Chen Jiaojiao was already upset and, hearing Xiang Yang reprimand her in that tone, she sneered and deliberately raised her eyebrows, feigning a defiant look.
“You don’t like me anymore? You heard about my past, now you see I’m not your type and everything I do is annoying?”
Xiang Yang looked at her self-mocking expression, his heart aching. After a few seconds of pause, he pressed the cigarette into the ashtray.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
Chen Jiaojiao closed the car window, started the engine, and drove him back with a cold expression.
“Regardless, Li Pengcheng was right about one thing.”
“Before getting involved with a girl, you must understand her thoroughly before falling for her, otherwise, you’ll suffer a great loss.”
“Don’t get into fights so easily in the future, especially for me. It’s not worth it.”
At a time like this, she was still quoting Li Pengcheng to belittle herself. Xiang Yang was almost amused to the point of anger.
“He said that about you, aren’t you angry at all?”
“Not angry. What he said is true, and even if it were false, so what? Talking doesn’t change anything.”
Chen Jiaojiao educated Xiang Yang like a seasoned veteran.
“You’re going to be a star, you’ll have plenty of haters cursing you. According to your logic, should you hit them all back?”
Xiang Yang knew that what Li Pengcheng said wasn’t true, or at least not entirely true.
Although he hadn’t interacted with Chen Jiaojiao much, he could feel that she wasn’t that kind of person.
After being so slandered by a man, she could remain so calm and composed. He realized she was quite similar to Xiang Wan.
Very mature, very forbearing.
Since she and Li Pengcheng were classmates, it meant Chen Jiaojiao was still very young. What had she experienced to become this way?
Xiang Yang couldn’t help but be curious. “Can you tell me the truth? How old are you really?”
Hearing his implication that people often saw her as older, Chen Jiaojiao glanced at him sideways.
“How old do you think I am?”
“I can’t tell. Really. My intuition tells me you’re very young, but your dress, your demeanor, and your way of doing things… I’m sorry, I’m just telling the truth.”
“It’s okay. Everything you said is the truth.”
Even though the truth was unpleasant, it was at least not hypocritical. Chen Jiaojiao hated hypocrisy.
“My ID is in the drawer in front of you. Take a look yourself.”
Xiang Yang indeed found her ID in the wallet within the storage compartment.
She was a month younger than him.
“To think you always acted like a big sister, I thought… I thought you were my elder sister.”
Sister?
Chen Jiaojiao couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“I’m involved in the underworld, dealing with middle-aged people all day. You want me to acknowledge you, a young lad, as my elder brother? I can call you that, but would you dare to accept it?”
Xiang Yang looked at her. “Why wouldn’t I dare? Don’t always look down on me. It’s just because I’m still studying, you always look down on people.”
It was at this moment that Xiang Yang finally fully understood a saying he had read online before.
When does a man suddenly grow up and realize his own inadequacy?
It’s when he falls in love with a woman and realizes he cannot provide her with a better life.
Chen Jiaojiao looked back at him, afraid of hurting his pride, and said jokingly.
“If you want to be my elder brother, you have to treat me to a meal. If I had known I would run into a mad dog, I wouldn’t have come out today. You made me hungry all this time.”
“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
“What does it have to do with you? The mad dog isn’t yours.”
Xiang Yang sincerely apologized. “I’ll treat you to a meal. Tell me, what do you want to eat?”
Chen Jiaojiao felt sorry for his wallet but didn’t want to refuse him. She saw a noodle restaurant by the roadside.
“Let’s go get a bowl of noodles.”
Every time she went out, she dressed very elaborately. Sitting in a humble noodle restaurant, she was like a radiant beacon.
Many people turned their gazes towards her.
Chen Jiaojiao was clearly accustomed to being looked at and didn’t mind. Xiang Yang, however, felt a pang of possessiveness and discomfort.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Chen Jiaojiao waved her hand generously. “I’ll let you ask fifty. Ask all the questions you have in your heart.”
As a grown man, he kept hesitating in front of her, which was annoying.
Since he was so forthright, Xiang Yang didn’t want to hold back anymore and asked several questions in a row.
Chen Jiaojiao spoke to him truthfully from the beginning.
“My grandfather was sent down to the countryside and returned to the city during a good policy period. He went into business and acquired two mines in Jincheng. Our family’s fortune was revived from then on.”