Little You’s legs had gone numb from crouching. As she hurriedly tried to explain and stand up, she stumbled forward. Zhang Xiao, being closest, instinctively caught her.

“You know each other?”

A man shouldn’t speak to a young woman about stalking – it didn’t sound right.

Shao Guangrong’s face darkened. He had spotted Little You in the crowd earlier and was very displeased. Remembering that he had mentioned coming to Wangfujing to Zhou Cheng last night while Little You was in the car, today’s encounter seemed intentional.

Though young, this girl was quite calculating and determined!

While Shao Guangrong appreciated mutual attraction, he disliked being targeted and schemed against. Now he thoroughly disliked Little You.

Unaware of last night’s events, Xia Xiaolan sighed seeing Little You nearly crying from Shao Guangrong’s questioning: “Little You might not be following you – many people came to Wangfujing Street today for the event. Little You, did you spot us earlier?”

Little You, grateful for Xia Xiaolan’s consistently kind attitude, explained: “I saw you earlier, but couldn’t get through the crowd when you were invited to sit down, so I came to wait by the car.”

She was clever – regardless of how long it took them to return, they would eventually come to the car.

However, Shao Guangrong had only appeared with Little You during that Ji Bei trip.

Had they fallen out?

Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to meddle in others’ relationships, but Little You wasn’t even 20, and they had shared faces during their last outing together. She didn’t let Little You lose face:

“Perfect timing then – want to join us for lunch? Haven’t seen you since returning from Ji Bei.”

Little You could tell Xia Xiaolan’s group had important matters to discuss. She didn’t know Chen Xiliang but recognized the hat-wearing Zhang Xiao.

“No need, Sister Xia. I just wanted to say hello.”

With Shao Guangrong remaining silent, Little You dared not stay.

She understood clearly – she was here for Shao Guangrong’s attention, not Xia Xiaolan’s.

Seeing her wait so long only to leave hastily, Xia Xiaolan looked puzzlingly at Shao Guangrong.

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry about it. This girl is too crafty – I cut ties with her long ago!”

With Chen Xiliang and Zhang Xiao in Shao Guangrong’s car, only Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan remained in their car when Zhou Cheng finally mentioned last night’s events.

Xia Xiaolan frowned: “Risking her life – Little You isn’t just seeking status, she probably has some unspoken difficulty at home.”

Xia Xiaolan didn’t help everyone she met.

She caught a key point instead: “So that’s why Shao Guangrong came to the fashion show. I dropped you home yesterday – where did you go with him?”

Zhou Cheng had his freedom, but not mentioning it was strange.

“I had Guangrong accompany me to the Shi family, bringing some things to Grandmother Shi and checking if they needed anything or were adapting to life in Beijing.”

Though Xia Xiaolan said she couldn’t handle the Shi family matters, she hadn’t visited them.

But she had heard about them from Guan Huie Wei Juanhong had transferred from the workshop to office work but struggled greatly. If she weren’t a martyr’s widow, the unit would strongly object.

Being a martyr’s widow meant the unit could only let her keep the position. Too embarrassed to tell the factory she couldn’t handle office work, she continued struggling through it.

“Why hide it from me? At most, Sister Wei complained to you again. I don’t mind you visiting Grandmother Shi – you should when you have time.”

The long-distance aside, with the Shi family settling in Beijing, it was appropriate for Zhou Cheng to visit occasionally. Regardless of whether Shi Kai had saved Zhou Cheng, when a fellow soldier died, it was customary for surviving comrades with means to look after the deceased’s family.

This brotherhood among soldiers had always been this way throughout history.

Zhou Cheng shook his head, “I know you’re understanding and I felt this was my duty – a casual visit didn’t need special mention.”

It wasn’t something to seek credit for.

Seeing Xia Xiaolan still watching him, Zhou Cheng wanted to surrender:

“…Yes, Sister Wei wanted me to help her change positions, but I refused directly.”

Xia Xiaolan was satisfied – their cold war hadn’t been for nothing.

Changing positions wasn’t a big deal, but satisfying Wei Juanhong’s every “small” request would only increase her appetite. Zhou Cheng visiting Grandmother Shi with Shao Guangrong while refusing Wei Juanhong’s request showed he could now view the Shi family situation calmly, separating Wei Juanhong from the Shi family.

“You did right. Aunt Guan told me Sister Wei struggles in the factory office, but she’s young – early twenties is when memory is best. If she’s truly ambitious, she’d know to study hard. Currently, difficult work becomes easier with practice!”

Who didn’t need to learn?

Learning never stopped – Xia Xiaolan’s university graduation only marked the end of formal education.

After school, she faced new challenges requiring more knowledge, not just professional knowledge.

Zhou Cheng also needed to learn. Being a team leader at 20 was impressive!

Very impressive!

But Zhou Cheng couldn’t rely on past achievements forever.

Rapid promotion wasn’t common, so Zhou Cheng also attended academy training. For workplace advancement, he needed to increase his core competitiveness – achievements were one aspect, and constantly absorbing new knowledge was another. His English had improved significantly.

He previously relied on natural intelligence to profit from cigarette trading.

Now he approached problems with clear, rational analysis. This time, Zhou Cheng’s insights surprised Xia Xiaolan – their views on certain issues were aligning.

This was good news – not only would they share more common ground, but Zhou Cheng’s expanding knowledge would greatly advance his thinking ability.

Even older folks like her mother Liu Fen, Uncle Liu Yong, and Aunt Li Fengmei were still learning and improving.

Currently, Liu Yong seems under the most pressure, most motivated, and learning fastest.

Liu Fen followed.

Aunt Li Fengmei, with capable men at home, had lost her initial drive for urban success, becoming less ambitious about her career and more steady.

Those close to Xia Xiaolan were like-minded.

Different paths meant different journeys – she naturally distanced herself from those who didn’t strive to improve.

Now Zhou Cheng seemed to share this mindset.

Zhou Cheng saw her excitement, knowing she was very happy. He couldn’t quite describe this feeling – Xiaolan wasn’t happy because he refused Wei Juanhong, but because their thoughts aligned.

“Meeting of hearts and minds.”

This phrase suddenly occurred to Zhou Cheng.

Strangely, after two years of dating Xiaolan, Zhou Cheng truly felt what a “meeting of hearts and minds” meant for the first time. Their previous passion hadn’t faded.

But that passion differed from this heartstring-pulling moment – that was physical attraction, while now he increasingly understood Xiaolan, knowing what made her happy or sad. This feeling left Zhou Cheng wonderfully speechless.