Li Weimin opened his mouth slightly, "I..."
"I was a college student when you met me, and now you're telling me we have nothing in common? Li Weimin, you scoundrel!" Zhang Xue looked straight at him, her lips pressed tightly together, stubbornly refusing to let tears fall.
Li Weimin fought the urge to comfort her, turning his gaze away.
A profound disappointment settled in Zhang Xue's heart. "I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I'm not someone who clings. I won't bother you again from now on."
The tears that had welled up in her eyes could no longer be held back, rolling down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away with a fierce swipe of her hand, then turned and ran off.
Li Weimin's hand, which had reached out halfway, slowly fell back down. It was better to endure a short pain than a long one; perhaps this was the best choice for Zhang Xue.
Gu Xingdong went to the company early. As the weather continued to warm, the Jiangpan Garden project was about to commence. With the company's staff increasing this year, he planned to purchase two more pieces of equipment.
After feeding the two children, Chen Lishu was about to head to the store to check the sales of the spring collection. As soon as she stepped out the door, she saw Zhang Xue approaching and smiled, "When did you get back?"
"Lishu." Zhang Xue drew nearer and called out, her voice filled with dejection.
Seeing her slightly red eyes, Chen Lishu realized something was amiss. She abandoned her plan to go to the store, quickly pulling Zhang Xue back inside, and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Zhang Xue choked out, "Li Weimin broke up with me..."
Chen Lishu was surprised. "Broke up? Weren't things going well? Didn't you tell me you were going to take him home to meet your parents before the New Year?"
Mentioning this made Zhang Xue both anxious and angry, so she briefly explained the situation.
"My parents were indeed a bit cool towards him, but couldn't he have tolerated it for me? I think he doesn't love me at all. I was blind to have mistaken him!"
Chen Lishu frowned. "From what I understand, Li Weimin isn't someone who shirks responsibility. Is there some misunderstanding here?"
Zhang Xue glared at her. "Whose side are you on? You'd rather speak up for that scoundrel than help me?"
Chen Lishu immediately changed her tune. "I agree, he really lacks responsibility. He can't even withstand this little bit of pressure, so how can you rely on him to support you in the future? He looks like a lump of coal; I always thought he wasn't good enough for you. It's for the best that you broke up with him. Don't worry, I'll find someone better for you. We have looks, we have talent; the next one will definitely be more handsome and more outstanding than him."
"But I still feel so upset." Zhang Xue lowered her head and sobbed softly.
Chen Lishu knew she was feeling terrible. Zhang Xue was usually carefree and never dwelled on small matters. Crying so heartbrokenly this time indicated that Li Weimin had truly hurt her deeply.
At this moment, any words of comfort would be hollow. It was better to simply be a silent listener.
Not long after, Zhang Xue finally regained her composure and remembered that she and Chen Lishu weren't the only ones at home. She must have made quite a scene.
Chen Lishu quickly reassured her, "My mother-in-law and the others are upstairs. Don't worry."
Li Xiulan and Zhao Qiuyue, seeing Zhang Xue's distress, had already taken the three children upstairs.
Zhang Xue sniffled, "I'm not leaving today. I want to sleep with you tonight. I haven't slept with you since you moved out of the dorm."
Chen Lishu replied, "I have to get up at night to feed the baby, so I might disturb you."
"I don't mind being disturbed. I'm so miserable, can't you just spend the night with me?"
Seeing how pitiful she sounded, Chen Lishu quickly agreed, "Alright, alright, I'll stay with you."
Because Zhang Xue was in a bad mood, Chen Lishu, who had planned to go to the store, stayed home all day accompanying her. With so many people in the house and the occasional giggles and babbling of the children, Zhang Xue's mood gradually improved.
In the afternoon, Gu Xingdong returned, his clothes smudged with dirt.
Chen Lishu asked, "How did you get so dirty?"
Gu Xingdong replied, "A piece of equipment wouldn't start, so I helped everyone fix it."
"Was it repaired?"
Gu Xingdong nodded. "At first, we called the manufacturer. They vaguely explained the cause of the malfunction. If they sent a technician, besides the cost of travel and not knowing when they could come, the public land needed it urgently. So, I called Liu Yang over, and we fixed it together."
Chen Lishu nodded and went to the wardrobe to get him clean clothes. Along the way, she briefly told him about Zhang Xue and Li Weimin's situation.
"She needs comfort the most right now, so you'll have to make do with squeezing in with our son."
Gu Xingdong paused as he took the clothes, saying reluctantly, "Only for one night."
Chen Lishu found his serious expression amusing. "The two little ones aren't as clingy as you."
"In that case, forget it. I don't want to anyway."
"Alright, alright, just one night." As he walked towards the door, Chen Lishu reminded him, "When you have time, ask Li Weimin what's going on with him."
Although she hadn't interacted much with Li Weimin, she believed he wasn't the type to play with people's feelings, otherwise Gu Xingdong wouldn't have agreed to introduce them.
In the evening, Gu Xingdong carried his quilt to Rui Rui's room. The little one was extremely excited to sleep with his dad, his eyes shining. He had already made a generous portion of the bed available.
"Dad, I'm small. This little bit is enough for me."
Gu Xingdong flicked his forehead with his finger. "Are you going to be restless when you sleep tonight? If not, I'll sleep on the floor."
To be able to take care of the other two little ones during the night, so Chen Lishu could get more sleep, otherwise, he would sleep downstairs.
Rui Rui immediately promised, "I'll be good, very good."
Gu Xingdong nodded and began to spread his quilt. "Alright, I'll trust you this time."
Rui Rui's lips curved into a smile.
In another room, Zhang Xue had finished washing up and was lying in bed. Her gaze fell on Chen Lishu, who was in front of the dressing table, and she said with a touch of nostalgia, "It feels like we're back to when we were in school, but this bed is much bigger now."
Chen Lishu finished applying her face cream, got up, and walked to the other side of the bed, lifting the covers and slipping in. "You were always restless when you slept back then, yet you were always eager to join the fun downstairs."
Zhang Xue retorted, "It was so cold in the dorms in winter. We huddled together for warmth, and besides, I shared my quilt too."
Mentioning this perked Chen Lishu up. "Speaking of which, your quilt seemed to be the thickest in our dorm, right? Every time I slept on your side, I felt like I couldn't breathe."
Zhang Xue replied, "Da Jie's should be the thinnest."
Thinking of Yang Lili, she said curiously, "I wonder how she's doing abroad. Judging by the time, she should be coming back soon. We could get together then."
Talking about old times helped to temporarily put aside the present unhappiness. Unconsciously, both of them drifted off to sleep.
Gu Xingdong hadn't forgotten Chen Lishu's request. He took the opportunity to call the military headquarters and, without saying much, directly asked Li Weimin to come home when he had some free time.