While pondering this, Xia Xiaolan smiled:

“Sister, that issue with Gao Fei is long past. We were all young and foolish then. Is she here today?”

With so many spectators at the performance, Xia Xiaolan hadn’t spotted Gao Fei.

Leader Li’s wife was surprised – Xia Xiaolan was being incredibly agreeable today.

Could two years have matured her so much?

“I asked Old Fang, and it’s best that you think this way. Don’t worry, since you’ve offered a way out, she’ll take it quickly. Leave this matter to Sister to arrange.”

Leader Li’s wife looked gratified.

Xia Xiaolan thought to herself that they’d already consulted Fang Shizhong beforehand – Leader Li’s wife was determined to get her agreement.

After the performance ended, Zhou Cheng, who had been forced to temporarily separate from Xia Xiaolan earlier, returned.

As Deputy Battalion Commander, he had to handle all sorts of miscellaneous tasks, including participating in the performance.

“What were you discussing with Sister?”

Zhou Cheng vaguely remembered that several wives in the unit didn’t get along well with his partner.

Zhou Cheng hadn’t counted on rising through his wife’s social connections – whatever position he achieved would be through his abilities. What kind of man would rely on his wife’s suffering? If they got along, they could chat; if not, so be it. Xiaolan had little in common with these wives anyway.

There was a gap between married and unmarried women.

Another gap between career-oriented and family-oriented women.

All in all, too many generational differences!

Xia Xiaolan straightened his collar – the crisp uniform looked particularly striking on Zhou Cheng.

He looked good in casual clothes, but the uniform gave him a different air – uniform appreciation wasn’t just empty talk.

“Nothing much. Sister asked about my current thoughts on Gao Fei, probably wanting to resolve our conflict.”

Zhou Cheng frowned.

He hadn’t hit Gao Fei – during their altercation, she had rushed at him herself.

Back then, refusing to apologize, Gao Fei had insisted he’d hit her, severely damaging his reputation at the unit.

He’d been forced to take advanced studies at the academy.

Two years had passed, and he’d thought the matter had blown over, yet someone was bringing it up again.

What was Leader Li’s wife’s intention?

Was this Leader Li’s hint, or had someone taken issue with him?

Xia Xiaolan gently tugged his sleeve. “Don’t make that face. Uncle Tang told me that at school, one should keep things simple and not bring in worldly sophistication. I think that applies to you too – don’t complicate simple matters. The wives surely just want to avoid awkwardness between Gao Fei and me since we’ll be seeing each other often!”

She nudged Zhou Cheng and winked:

“I’m not being cowardly – I just think winners don’t need to quibble with losers. Comrade Zhou Cheng, haven’t you noticed my elevated thinking?”

Gao Fei didn’t matter anymore anyway.

If Xia Xiaolan let it go, others would call her magnanimous.

Since Zhou Cheng and Fang Shizhong had gone from equals to superior and subordinate, no one would mock Xia Xiaolan for taking a step back now.

If there weren’t so many people around, Zhou Cheng would have embraced his wife tightly.

Xiaolan didn’t need to deal with the family members – she was doing this for him. Zhou Cheng’s eyes darkened; he was now one rank above Fang Shizhong, so the wives wanted Xiaolan to “reconcile” with Gao Fei. If he were two ranks or more above Fang Shizhong, perhaps some wives would volunteer to be peacemakers and persuade Gao Fei to apologize to Xiaolan.

He still wasn’t strong enough to let Xiaolan live as freely as she deserved!

Zhou Cheng caressed his wife’s cheek:

“Yes, your thinking has evolved. You haven’t visited Aunt Liu and the others since returning – why don’t you head back to the city first? Don’t worry too much about Gao Fei – just deal with it if you happen to run into each other. No need to wait for her at the unit!”

“What’s this about? Are you deliberately sending me away?”

She had planned to stay at the unit tonight – was her boyfriend asking her to leave?

Xia Xiaolan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She understood Zhou Cheng’s meaning – he felt she would be compromising by making peace with Gao Fei.

Xia Xiaolan wanted to explain, but Zhou Cheng wouldn’t listen. In a relationship, each person had their thoughts, and Zhou Cheng wouldn’t unconditionally compromise on everything.

On this matter, he was quite insistent!

Xia Xiaolan thought to herself if he wanted to send her away, so be it – when she’d next visit the unit would depend on Zhou Cheng’s attitude.

Today was New Year’s Day – had the advertisement for “Cheng Rong Plaza” been published?

According to her arrangement with Du Zhaohui, today was supposed to be the first day of promotion.

…

January 1, 1987.

The northern wind and snow couldn’t trouble Pengcheng.

Pengcheng enjoyed clear skies.

Chinese people still placed more importance on the Lunar New Year – New Year’s Day meant a holiday but lacked a festive atmosphere.

Still, January 1st marked the start of a new year, jumping from 1986 to 1987 – time flew!

Yangcheng also had clear skies.

With the New Year holiday, Chen Xiliang didn’t go to the company, staying home with his wife instead.

Zhang Xiao was still Luna’s spokesperson. Not many people knew about their marriage – at least reporters hadn’t covered it, so ordinary people were unaware.

If it became public, it could benefit Luna’s publicity… but Chen Xiliang himself was unwilling. Luna was developing rapidly with many promotional strategies available – no need to turn private matters into public gossip.

Zhang Xiao got along well with Chen’s family without any celebrity airs. She was naturally emotionally intelligent, far smarter than Chen Xiliang’s ex-wife. Though married to Chen Xiliang for a year, she’d spent half that time filming elsewhere, so her actual time with his family was limited, yet they liked her very much.

Who wouldn’t like someone who spoke kindly and acted generously?

Zhang Xiao knew she wasn’t cut out for business and never interfered with Luna’s affairs, only handling their advertisements.

She didn’t concern herself with how much money Chen Xiliang made.

This hands-off approach made Chen Xiliang gradually trust her more.

The financial authority his ex-wife couldn’t obtain despite constant fighting, Zhang Xiao received.

This showed how personality determines fate. The ex-wife wanted money to lavish on her natal family, while Zhang Xiao, who had access to Chen Xiliang’s money, was generous to his entire family. She spent on her own family too, but consulted Chen Xiliang first – the money was earned by the husband, so he should know where it was going!

Married for a year, Zhang Xiao still wanted to act, so they agreed to wait a couple of years before having children.

Their life as a couple was very happy. Chen Xiliang no longer lived in his old single-story house… Fearing his ex-wife might cause trouble, he bought another courtyard elsewhere, had Liu Yong renovate it, and made it their love nest.

Even so, he worried about shortchanging his wife and was considering buying another property in Pengcheng under Zhang Xiao’s name when Xia Xiaolan’s new development opened for sale.

The couple was getting along like honey, enjoying their time together during the holiday, when some tactless person started pounding on their door early in the morning.

Chen Xiliang, wearing his pajamas, rubbed his eyes:

“Who is it?”

“Old Chen, Boss Chen, quick, open up! You’ve got to help a brother out!”

The voice sounded familiar.

Chen Xiliang opened the door to find his friend who dealt in electronics, a powerful middleman in Yangcheng. When Xia Xiaolan and Chen Xiliang had previously resold a batch of radios, this dealer had bought their stock.

“I was just saying a magpie was calling today – Old Duan, what a rare visitor!”

Duan was sweating profusely. “No time for pleasantries – tell me, how strong are your connections in Pengcheng?”