Lin Xiaohui felt annoyed by their chance encounter, while Lu Chengming was flustered at being caught. He instinctively moved aside, afraid Chen Lishu might notice something.
He had been maintaining the facade of a single, promising young man to appease Lin Xiaohui.
He had brought Lin Xiaohui out today to buy her a pair of leather shoes. He had expected this side of the commercial street to be relatively safe, a place where he wouldn't run into acquaintances. He hadn't anticipated such bad luck as to run into Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu also frowned instinctively when she saw the two of them. She hadn't expected Lin Xiaohui to be with Lu Chengming, and judging by their expressions and behavior just now, they didn't seem like ordinary friends.
"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen people dating?"
Just as Lu Chengming was racking his brain for ways to distance himself from Lin Xiaohui, Lin Xiaohui suddenly lifted her chin and looked at Chen Lishu with an arrogant expression.
She was dating Lu Chengming now, and in terms of background and appearance, Lu Chengming was far superior to Gu Xingdong.
Most importantly, if she married Lu Chengming in the future, she would become a city resident with a city hukou, eating rationed food. That would be so much better than Chen Lishu, a villager.
"Xiaohui, what are you talking about?" Lu Chengming hadn't expected Lin Xiaohui to be so quick with her words. He forced a smile and said, "We're just ordinary friends, you..."
Before he could finish, Lin Xiaohui directly reached out and linked her arm with his. "Chengming, I know you're afraid that if the news gets out, it will damage my reputation. But she's an exception. Didn't you say before that she even seduced you when she was in the village? Now that you have me, you should let her see reality. A toad wanting to eat swan meat shouldn't even look in a mirror to see what she's like."
Chen Lishu was amused by Lin Xiaohui's words. "You call me a toad wanting to eat swan meat? Lin Xiaohui, I've realized you not only have poor eyesight but your brain is also just for show. You're dating that Lu, but how much do you know about him?"
"Chen Lishu, stop trying to stir up trouble. I think you're just openly jealous. I definitely know Chengming better than you do. I advise you to give up on that idea as soon as possible. I've already been very generous by not telling Brother Gu about the shameful things you did before."
Seeing Chen Lishu's face darken, Lu Chengming knew things were about to go wrong. He quickly turned his head to pull Lin Xiaohui aside. "Xiaohui, forget it. Those are all past events, let's not bring them up again. Didn't you say you wanted a pair of leather shoes? I'll buy them for you right now."
"Lu Chengming, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Chen Lishu stepped aside, blocking Lu Chengming's path. She turned to Lin Xiaohui and said, "Come on, tell me, what did Lu Chengming say about me to you?"
Lin Xiaohui sneered. "Chen Lishu, I've never seen someone as thick-skinned as you. Don't you know what you've done? You shamelessly pursued Chengming and toyed with his feelings. But when you saw the generous betrothal gifts from the Gu family, you turned around and married into their family."
Chen Lishu gave Lu Chengming a knowing smile. This was the kind of thing only a shameless person like him could fabricate.
"Lu Chengming, if I remember correctly, you were intensely involved with Zhao Hong at that time, weren't you?"
Before Chen Lishu could finish speaking, Lu Chengming quickly interrupted her and said righteously, "Chen Lishu, that's enough. Even if I rejected you back then, you don't have to hold a grudge against me until now out of resentment, even trying to smear my name. I saw back then that beneath your beautiful exterior, you hid a poisonous heart. You're nowhere near as gentle and sensible as Xiaohui. No matter what you say today, she won't believe it, and our relationship won't be affected by even a hint of your provocation."
"I'm provoking you?" Chen Lishu laughed in exasperation. "Lu Chengming, I really underestimated your ability to lie with a straight face."
"You and Zhao Hong had a child before marriage, and she even secretly aborted a child for you. Later, she married you, and you returned to the city together. Your home was at No. 38, Family Compound of the Timber Factory, Dongzhi Road. Have you ever brought Lin Xiaohui home to see it? Have you ever told her you were married before? And what about those flirtatious women at your factory? Do you know you're committing a crime? The crime of hooliganism, the crime of promiscuity. What, do you want to commit bigamy too?"
"Don't rely on your good looks to go around seducing young girls. You'll eventually get what's coming to you."
After Chen Lishu finished speaking, Lu Chengming turned his gaze back to Lin Xiaohui. "It's okay to be stupid, but it's crucial not to be brain-dead and blind. You believe everything he says. I'm telling you, if it weren't for your sister and brother-in-law, I wouldn't have bothered saying anything today. If you want to jump into the fire pit, I won't stop you. Anyway, I never liked you from the start."
After saying that, Chen Lishu grabbed Zhang Xue and left directly.
As the person finally walked away, Lu Chengming secretly breathed a sigh of relief, cursing his bad luck.
Lin Xiaohui, however, stood there and thought for a moment before looking up at Lu Chengming and saying, "Chengming, we've been together for some time now, but you've never mentioned wanting to bring me home to see."
Seeing her confused gaze, Lu Chengming's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a calm expression. "Xiaohui, can't you tell that that surnamed Chen just wants to sow discord between us? If you want to come home with me, I'll take you back right now. A clear conscience fears no slander. I have nothing to fear. It's just that you believed what someone who has a prejudice against me said, and that disappoints me greatly."
Lu Chengming frowned, the hurt in his eyes unconcealed.
It had to be admitted that Lu Chengming possessed a handsome face. Although his fair skin and upturned eyes gave him a hint of superficiality, many girls were irresistibly drawn to him because, as the saying goes, "a little badness in a man makes him attractive."
Lin Xiaohui softened, even starting to reflect on herself, thinking that suggesting a visit to his home was a wrong decision. Her suspicion of Lu Chengming was precisely falling into Chen Lishu's trap.
"Chengming, I was also driven mad by that bitch Chen Lishu. I know you're the best to me. You spend almost all your salary on me. If we were to get married, your wife would have caused a scene long ago. I shouldn't have doubted you."
Hearing her words, Lu Chengming relaxed immediately, took her hand, and kissed it. "Xiaohui, you're truly wonderful."
...
On Saturday afternoon, Chen Lishu and Chen Liyuan returned to the military dependents' area. They had a simple meal to fill their stomachs, and then the sisters cleaned the house. While washing clothes, Lin Xiaoyue came over with her child for a visit.
Children are naturally sensitive to adults' likes and dislikes. Knowing that Chen Lishu genuinely liked him, Wu Yan, upon seeing her, began to frolic in Lin Xiaoyue's arms. He beamed at Chen Lishu with his two tiny new teeth showing and stretched out his hands to be held.
"Your aunt is working, you little rascal, you're just too energetic. Calm down a bit." Wu Yan was almost seven months old and weighed over twenty catties. With him wriggling around like this, Lin Xiaoyue was having a hard time keeping him in her arms.
Chen Lishu wiped her hands, got up, smiled, and took him into her arms. She affectionately pulled his little hand and kissed it heavily, eliciting a "giggle" from Wu Yan.
After playing with the child for a while, Chen Lishu asked casually, "Sister-in-law, how has Xiaohui been recently?"