Cheng You said, "You've come at the right time. Grandma and Grandpa have something to tell your mother."
Feng Xue paused, a bad feeling stirring in her heart. "What is it?"
Zhu Yan had caused trouble, so it was likely nothing good.
Cheng You chuckled, "You'll know in a moment."
Feng Xue sat downstairs, feeling uneasy. Soon, Cheng You came down from upstairs.
"Grandma said she won't see you. She wants me to pass on a message."
Feng Xue's expression was distant. Once upon a time, she was the one who could come and go freely in this house. Now, it was Cheng You, truly a turn of fortune.
"What message?" she asked, standing up.
Cheng You said, "Grandma wants your maternal uncle to divorce your mother. Otherwise, whether this son lives or dies is up to him."
Feng Xue found it absurd. "Impossible! My parents are fine, why should they divorce?"
"Fine? Look at the Feng family now. If you think this is fine, what would be considered bad in your eyes?" Cheng You scoffed.
Feng Xue couldn't refute, yet she wouldn't admit her mistakes.
"Things have come to this, and my mother knows she was wrong. Why can't Grandma forgive her? Cheng You, harmony in the family brings prosperity. You should advise Grandma more."
Cheng You had no patience for her nonsense and said directly, "You can go back now."
Feng Xue snorted, "I won't go back without the money. My father is still waiting for surgery."
Her words were brazen, making Cheng You laugh.
"Grandma's message is clear: money or divorce."
Feng Xue's tears welled up. "Does it have to be like this? Can't you think of family ties? My father needs surgery, and you're forcing them to divorce!"
Cheng You waved her hand, pointing to the door. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Your second uncle is leaving today. If you have time, you can go see him off."
Feng Xue seemed to have been struck at a sore spot, her footsteps quickening.
As she reached the door, she bumped into Zheng Lei, who was carrying a child.
Seeing each other, Feng Xue felt even more awkward. She instinctively wanted to avoid Zheng Lei, but then heard her say, "Your second uncle is leaving today. You're here just in time to see him off."
Feng Xue lowered her head, covering her face with one hand. "I'm not here to see him off."
She tried to bypass Zheng Lei but was stopped again. Feng Xue quickly looked up and saw Zheng Lei's face full of sarcasm and contempt.
"He's waiting for you. After all, you kept him company in bed for so long. You're quite heartless."
Feng Xue's breathing quickened. "What are you talking about!"
"Oh, you care about your reputation now? Feng Xue, lift your head. Weren't you quite smug when you came to provoke me? When your mother demanded compensation from me, you threw all shame away. What are you pretending now?"
Feng Xue didn't want to make a scene here and be ridiculed, so she swallowed her anger.
"Are you done? If you're done, I'm leaving."
Zheng Lei chuckled. "I'm done."
Holding the child in one arm, she slowly walked up to Feng Xue. Her hatred for Feng Xue had not dissipated even after Feng Yaojie's demotion. She hated both of them.
Zheng Lei gritted her teeth in hatred. Suddenly, she raised her hand and slapped Feng Xue across the face.
The crisp sound was loud, stunning Feng Xue. "This slap is what you owe me."
Feng Xue clutched her face, tears welling in her eyes, not daring to retaliate. She glanced back, hoping someone would come out to uphold justice for her. But her gaze met Cheng You's. Cheng You would be glad not to see her in trouble.
Watching Feng Xue run away, Zheng Lei let out a cold snort and walked into the house with the child.
"I hit her. Is that okay?"
Cheng You shrugged. "Unless she complains to Feng Yaojie."
"You don't even call him second uncle anymore."
Cheng You smiled. "I've never acknowledged him as my second uncle in my heart." She only recognized her maternal grandparents among the Feng family.
"Take the child upstairs to accompany Grandma. I'm going home now." With that, Cheng You left. She had school tomorrow and needed to buy some books. It was rare for Qi Chengyan to have a free day, and he could accompany her out.
Watching Cheng You get into the car, the couple chatting and laughing, Sister He couldn't help but smile. Attractive people were a pleasure to look at. "They've been married for a few years, but this couple still looks like newlyweds," she exclaimed.
Her husband immediately said, "What's the use of looking like newlyweds if the woman can't have children? It's all for nothing."
Sister He glared at him. "Cheng You just isn't planning to have children yet, she's not infertile. What are you talking about?"
Her husband didn't argue with her. Qi Chengyan also said they weren't in a hurry. When a man gets married, he's always eager for children. It must be that his wife can't conceive.
Cheng You and Qi Chengyan were unaware of their discussion. They went to the bookstore, bought some books, and some snacks, then drove towards the outskirts. There were several parks in Yanjiao, with fewer people and beautiful scenery. Cheng You planned to go for a spring outing with Qi Chengyan. Recalling the past few years in Yancheng, she had rarely gone out, spending most of her time on academics and career.
"You can't earn all the money in the world. In the future, I really need to find time to go out more." She had been walking too fast, never stopping to look at the flowers and plants.
There was a lawn in the park. Cheng You spread out the blanket she brought, took out the food and drinks, and sat there basking in the sun, feeling quite content. A few people were playing soccer on the lawn. This wasn't popular a few years ago, but more and more people had started playing such sports in the last couple of years.
Cheng You lay on the blanket, eating snacks fed to her by Qi Chengyan, lazily kicking her feet. "Can you play?"
Qi Chengyan shook his head. "No." He had joined the army very early and had no time to learn such things.
Cheng You squinted. "You would look better playing than they do." The young men's figures were youthful and energetic, but their bodies were too thin, lacking muscle, making them look soft. Having seen soldiers like wolves in the army, these young men who hadn't been tempered seemed lacking in strength.
Qi Chengyan's eyes were calm as he looked at the young men in the distance. "If you like it, I'll play for you later."
Cheng You opened her eyelids to look at him. "Didn't you say you can't play?"
Qi Chengyan bent one leg, his arm resting casually on it, his eyelids drooping. "It's not difficult."
Cheng You sat up, resting her chin on his firm thigh. "You can't play alone. Get your soldiers to join, and ideally, take this off." She was referring to his shirt. The thought of that scene was quite appealing.
Qi Chengyan said, "If you want to see, I'll show you when we get back tonight."
Cheng You flipped over, resting her head on his thigh. "That's not the same."
Cheng You smiled, one hand restlessly stroking his abs.
Qi Chengyan held her hand, and with his other hand, he suddenly raised it. Cheng You looked surprised and turned her head to see a soccer ball flying towards her with lightning speed. She yelped in surprise. Qi Chengyan's gaze remained unchanged. With very little effort, he accurately batted the soccer ball away.