When Ge Jian called Xia Xiaolan about Yu Li wanting to transfer her mother to Pengcheng for treatment, she was just about to leave with Zhou Cheng to visit Tang Hongen’s hometown.
Wasn’t Yu Li’s mother doing well in Beijing? Looking at Shao Guangrong’s behavior, he was eager to fulfill filial duties for Yu Li, frequently visiting Yu Li’s mother at the hospital.
Moreover, Yu Li herself said she had built good relationships with the Beijing hospital. Even without Shao Guangrong, she trusted the current hospital’s treatment.
“Alright, I understand. Since Yu Li has requested it, handle it quickly. Not just for Yu Li, but for all employees who work diligently for the company – we should try our best to help resolve their concerns within our capabilities.”
Such an urgent hospital transfer might have some underlying reason.
However, now wasn’t the time to probe into the details. Xia Xiaolan preferred to get things done first.
Solving employees’ problems allowed them to focus better on work. If the company remained indifferent, distracted employees couldn’t create maximum value for the company, and might even cause huge losses due to their preoccupation!
Both Xia Xiaolan and Ge Jian understood what carried more weight.
She quickly gave some instructions and hung up. Zhou Cheng was already waiting for her at the door.
The flashy red sports car was out of the question; Zhou Cheng had somehow found a Jeep instead.
The newlyweds wanted to play it low-key in front of the Tang family while still showing some “rich but naive” qualities – quite a delicate balance to strike.
“What’s wrong?”
Zhou Cheng jumped out to open the car door for her, almost wanting to carry her into the car himself.
The awkwardness of their wedding night had faded, and Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan were getting more comfortable with each other. Every day after marriage brought new delights, and they naturally grew more affectionate.
“Nothing much, just that Yu Li suddenly wants to transfer her mother to Pengcheng. I find it a bit strange.”
“It is strange. You can ask her after we return from the countryside.”
They both thought of Shao Guangrong.
Although Yu Li and Shao Guangrong hadn’t officially confirmed their relationship, everyone around them saw them as a definite couple.
Yu Li worked outside while Shao Guangrong stayed in Beijing, taking care of Yu Li’s mother – they had achieved a balance… Now that balance was suddenly broken, Xia Xiaolan naturally suspected something had happened between Yu Li and Shao Guangrong.
Unfortunately, she and Zhou Cheng were headed to the Tang family and could only inquire after their return!
Zhou Cheng drove, first picking up Xia Xiaolan, then Tang Chunlei, with Tang Chunlei giving directions as they had planned earlier.
However, when Zhou Cheng arrived, they found not just Tang Chunlei waiting, but also his wife and son, plus a young woman around seventeen or eighteen.
“This is my younger sister Tang Ruojia, who studies in Beijing. Ruojia, greet everyone.”
Though the Tang family lived in the countryside, they perhaps had some cultural heritage.
If nothing else, the Tang family’s skill in naming children far surpassed the similarly rural Xia family!
Look at the Tang family’s female names: Tang Xiaugu was called Tang Youru, and Tang Chunlei’s sister was Tang Ruojia.
Compare that to the Xia family: Xia Ziyu’s original name was Xia Chunhua… No wonder Xia Ziyu’s first action after rebirth was to change her name.
“Is that the ‘jia’ from ‘jianjia’? It’s beautiful.”
Tang Ruojia was still young and lacked Tang Chunlei’s smoothness. Though she knew she should curry favor with Second Uncle Tang Hongen, she couldn’t bring herself to flatter Xia Xiaolan, Tang Hongen’s stepdaughter, and her expression remained rather cold.
Xia Xiaolan had no intention of warming up to such a cold reception.
She only wanted to help Old Tang make up for his regrets – why should she care what the Tang family thought of her?
She didn’t rely on the Tang family for survival.
The atmosphere in the car grew tense, giving Tang Chunlei a headache:
“Ruojia is in her final year of high school, usually staying at school and only coming home once a month. With just half a year until the college entrance exam, and Father’s passing, I don’t know if it will affect her exam next year… Ruojia, you should seize this opportunity. Your Sister Xiaolan graduated from Huaqing University – didn’t you always say you wanted to attend Huaqing? Now that you’ve met, you could ask for her advice.”
Tang Ruojia finally gave Xia Xiaolan a proper look.
As for Zhou Cheng, what young lady would dare to stare for too long? She could only steal glances.
If she wanted to attend Huaqing, so be it. Xia Xiaolan saw Tang Ruojia’s pride and couldn’t be bothered with her.
At Tang Ruojia’s age, she wasn’t even born when Aunt Tang disappeared, so she couldn’t possibly know any clues.
If she got into Huaqing, she’d have to call her “Senior Sister” anyway. Why should Xia Xiaolan try to please Tang Ruojia… Honestly, Ji Jiangyuan, Old Tang’s biological son, didn’t put on any airs, yet Tang Ruojia, a niece barely acquainted with Old Tang, showed inexplicable pride!
Pride needed to be backed by substance – did this Tang Ruojia have enough to justify it?
Noticing Tang Ruojia’s stolen glances at Zhou Cheng, Xia Xiaolan withdrew her warmth:
“I’ve forgotten most of the exam knowledge, so I probably can’t help Ruojia much. After she finishes her exams and wants to apply to specific programs at Huaqing, I could offer some advice then.”
Tang Ruojia immediately became unhappy.
What did Xia Xiaolan mean – was she doubting her ability to get into Huaqing?
What was so great about her? She was just Uncle’s stepdaughter, not his biological daughter. Besides, she had no sense of propriety, sitting in the front passenger seat while three adults and a child from the Tang family squeezed in the back.
Tang Ruojia couldn’t help turning to Tang Chunlei, “Big Brother, why haven’t I seen Brother Jiangyuan? I thought I might meet him this time!”
Oh, this girl was doing this deliberately, wasn’t she?
When Ji Jiangyuan left with Ji Ya, he was only around 7 years old, and Tang Ruojia was at most 2 or 3 – how could they remember each other?
She was intentionally mentioning Ji Jiangyuan to remind Xia Xiaolan that he was Old Tang’s real son.
Young in age but quite calculating.
Xia Xiaolan smirked and fell completely silent.
Tang Chunlei was embarrassed and glared at Tang Ruojia: “There will be opportunities to meet Jiangyuan in the future.”
Right now, forget about Cousin Ji Jiangyuan – even Second Uncle Tang Hongen had deep rifts with the Tang family.
Tang Chunlei could see through Tang Ruojia’s little scheme.
His sister Ruojia was a typical Tang family member – proud, unwilling to be mediocre, and indeed performing well in school. She was just young and didn’t know how to hide her thoughts, expressing whatever was on her mind.
When pride meets arrogance, isn’t it bound to clash like planets colliding?
Tang Chunlei silently cursed his bad luck.
Throughout the journey, Tang Chunlei tried to ease the tension. Finally, Zhou Cheng drove them to their destination around noon.
Zhou Cheng turned off the engine and naturally went to open the door for Xia Xiaolan:
“Don’t get out yet, put on your hat. It’s cold today.”
He worried about his wife getting cold.
It was January, and though the Tang family was within Beijing’s borders, it was in a remote rural area where even breath turned to frost.
They were a married couple, so it was normal for a husband to care for his wife. Tang Ruojia, who already disliked Xia Xiaolan, saw her calmly accepting Zhou Cheng’s attentiveness, and Zhou Cheng even fixing her hair in public. Tang Ruojia thought it wasn’t dignified enough.