Not long after, the nanny came over and said, "Feng Xue is here."
Song Qinglan exclaimed, "I haven't seen Feng Xue in a long time either. I heard this child got into Traditional Chinese Medicine University, right? So enviable."
The old lady reminded her, "What are you envious of others for? Didn't Cheng You also get in?"
Mentioning Cheng You, Song Qinglan's smile faded.
She truly disliked Cheng You, and couldn't feel happy even knowing she had gotten into university.
Feng Xue walked in, holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Grandma, I came to see you."
The old lady nodded with a smile, "Sit down."
Feng Xue saw Song Qinglan and was startled, "Auntie Song is here too."
"Yes, I came to chat with your grandma. What a coincidence."
Feng Xue, who had just been reprimanded by her teacher for something related to Qi Chengan, felt a bit awkward seeing Song Qinglan.
Fortunately, Song Qinglan left soon after.
As Feng Xue watched her figure disappear at the door, she casually remarked, "Auntie Song is truly unfortunate. Neither of her sons is very promising."
The old lady glanced at her faintly, "Two sons? What do you mean?"
Feng Xue said, "Didn't Zhou Qi also get into trouble recently?"
The old lady chuckled, "You only heard about Zhou Qi's trouble, but you don't know about Chengan's."
"Brother Yan's matter?"
The nanny smiled and walked over, briefly explaining a few things to Feng Xue.
It was somewhat sad. Who would have thought that the incident back then was actually orchestrated by Zhou Qi.
Something in Feng Xue's heart plummeted rapidly, with a dull thud.
"So, Brother Yan is back in his position?"
The old lady hummed, "He's back, it's considered that the hardships are over."
Feng Xue curved her lips slightly, realizing she couldn't force a smile.
Qi Chengan had actually been reinstated.
Seeing her expression, the old lady offered a reminder, "He's married now, you should keep your distance from him."
Feng Xue's face turned pale, "Grandma, I know."
Everyone in the military compound knew she had pursued Qi Chengan back then.
Later, when Qi Chengan ran into trouble, she immediately distanced herself from him as if he were a plague.
Many people had laughed at her behind her back.
But Feng Xue didn't feel she had done anything wrong; avoiding danger and seeking safety was human instinct.
It was just that now, hearing Qi Chengan was reinstated, she still felt a pang of regret.
If she had persisted back then, staying by his side during his lowest point, would she be the one standing beside him enjoying the glory today?
The more Feng Xue thought about it, the more upset she became, losing even the desire to entertain the old lady.
...
"Feng Xue? If possible, avoid interacting with her. She's not a good person," Song Jingtang said.
Judging by his tone, he didn't have a good impression of Feng Xue.
Cheng You asked, "Why?"
Song Jingtang scoffed, "She liked Brother Yan back then. Later, when Brother Yan got into trouble, she immediately cut ties with him and badmouthed him instead."
To prove she had nothing to do with Qi Chengan, she told everyone bad things about him.
Even though they never had any real connection, Feng Xue acted as if they had a deep-seated feud.
"But don't misunderstand, Brother Yan never gave her a second glance from beginning to end. He didn't care," Song Jingtang clarified.
Cheng You let out a chuckle, "If it were me, I wouldn't look at her either. How's your business lately? Want me to come patronize you?"
"Okay, I'll give you a discount."
Song Jingtang quickly finished a bowl of noodles and wiped his mouth.
"I have to go back and tend to the stall first. Xiao Wan, bring Cheng You over later, alright?"
Sun Xiaowan waved her hand, "Go on, go on."
She helped Song Jingtang every weekend, and they had just finished a busy morning.
Cheng You sighed, "He's really changed a lot."
Sun Xiaowan slowly took a sip of soup, "Life forced him, I guess."
After eating, she took Cheng You to Song Jingtang's stall.
He was too busy to attend to them, so he told them to pick whatever they liked.
Indeed, Song Jingtang was quite capable when it came to doing business.
In a short while, several items were sold.
Finally finding a moment, he asked, "Have you picked out anything you like?"
Cheng You had indeed selected a few items. Although they were from a street stall, the quality was quite good.
Song Jingtang charged her at an 80% discount.
Cheng You wouldn't accept them for free, so a discount was better.
Cheng You took the clothes and helped him tend the stall for a while longer.
Soon, Feng Xue and Tang Yu arrived.
Tang Yu browsed the stall, not buying anything, but with a look of disdain.
"Cousin, you're suffering now, aren't you? You refused to go to college and insisted on selling clothes! Being a university student is so much better. You had to do something so unsavory!"
Sun Xiaowan pulled Cheng You aside, "Ignore her. The Song family people come every few days to say things like this."
Their intention was to demoralize Song Jingtang, making him retreat and go home.
If Song Jingtang were easily discouraged, he would have given up long ago and wouldn't have persevered until now.
Cheng You glanced at Tang Yu but said nothing.
Tang Yu, however, felt uneasy under her gaze and quickly pulled Feng Xue away.
Feng Xue asked curiously, "You seem to be afraid of Cheng You?"
Tang Yu shrunk her neck, "She has something on me."
Cheng You knew she had taken someone else's spot to enroll in university. What if she reported her if she was unhappy?
"What do you mean she has something on you? You're keeping secrets from me?"
Tang Yu linked her arm with Feng Xue's. After a moment of hesitation, she confessed, "I actually didn't get into university. I bought my university spot from someone else. You absolutely cannot tell anyone about this."
Feng Xue was surprised but showed no outward reaction.
Tang Yu was truly a fool for spilling such a thing.
"This is a serious matter. What if Cheng You reports you?"
Tang Yu pouted, "That's why I'm scared."
"You badmouthed Qi Chengan last time, Cheng You must resent you. Be careful," Feng Xue warned.
Tang Yu was also worried. She couldn't even bring herself to tell her parents about this.
Feng Xue sighed faintly, "If you're reported in the future, it will definitely be Cheng You who did it."
Tang Yu was still somewhat scared. After thinking about it, she decided to find Song Jingtang's mother, Tang Jing.
She confessed everything to her aunt, things she couldn't even tell her parents.
Tang Jing was so angry she wanted to slap her.
"What did that Qi Chengan do to you that you had to slander him like that at school? Tang Yu, has your head been kicked by a donkey?!"
Tang Yu's ear was twisted hard by her, her face contorting in pain.
"Auntie, don't scold me first. Please help me. What if Cheng You reports me?"
Tang Jing sharply tapped her head, saying impatiently, "What can be done? What can be done? Your family worked so hard to secure this for you, and you just handed it over as leverage!"
"Auntie..."
Tang Jing rolled her eyes in anger and pushed her hand away.
"I'll find a time to visit the Qi family another day. You be well-behaved for now."