Kang Wei glared, while Shao Guangrong looked innocent.

This time it wasn’t him – he truly hadn’t blabbed!

Among the group of men and women, Zhou Yi and Tong Lili led the way. Zhou Yi greeted her cousin, acting as if it were a chance encounter. While Xia Xiaolan was still waiting for Zhou Cheng’s introduction, over a dozen pairs of eyes fell on her.

The most intense gaze came from a young woman in a leather jacket, wearing glossy lipstick, with a very “stylish” presence from head to toe.

By the era’s aesthetic standards, she was trendy.

By Xia Xiaolan’s standards, she wanted to help redo the girl’s eyeliner – such pretty eyes, why torture them like that?

That hostile gaze made Xia Xiaolan remain silent.

Zhou Cheng stood up, “Sister, you’re here for dinner too?”

Zhou Yi nodded, her eyes fixed on Xia Xiaolan. Zhou Cheng made a straightforward introduction: “This is my girlfriend Xiaolan. Xiaolan, this is my cousin Zhou Yi.”

“Hello, Sister.”

Being Zhou Cheng’s cousin, Xia Xiaolan naturally had to greet her.

As for the others, since Zhou Cheng hadn’t introduced them, Xia Xiaolan just smiled.

They couldn’t find any fault with her – standing beside Zhou Cheng, she was tall, beautiful, and showed no trace of being the rumored country girl in her demeanor. Zhou Yi felt that Tong Lili had been too impulsive coming today – they wouldn’t gain any advantage at the moment.

Without any weaknesses, if they wanted to shame someone for being unworthy of Zhou Cheng, they needed some concrete evidence.

Tong Lili was like a wife catching her husband’s mistress – she’d brought a group to observe the vixen who’d bewitched Zhou Cheng, but the “vixen” was devastatingly beautiful, leaving Tong Lili embarrassed.

If Xia Xiaolan had dressed shabbily or shown provincial manners, she would have certainly humiliated her, declaring her unworthy of Zhou Cheng in public.

But Xia Xiaolan was dressed appropriately, showed no discomfort in the high-end restaurant, and had inexplicable confidence, just smiling without speaking, even naturally calling Zhou Yi “Sister”… Wasn’t she supposed to be a country girl from another province? Why wasn’t she unsophisticated? The clothes she wore – surely Zhou Cheng had bought them?

Tong Lili finally seized on this crucial point.

She wanted to speak, but Zhou Yi, fearing she’d say something offensive, jumped in first:

“Zhou Cheng, since you’re on leave, why haven’t you visited Grandfather and Grandmother? They’ve missed you since New Year… Now that your girlfriend’s in Beijing, you could take her to meet them too. By the way, have Uncle and Aunt met Xiaolan yet?”

His cousin’s words seemed faultless but felt off somehow.

The girl in the leather jacket was even more amusing, wearing an expression like she was catching adulterers, thinking Xia Xiaolan couldn’t see.

The group whispered among themselves, seemingly all pointing and discussing her.

Perhaps out of fear of Zhou Cheng, they spoke very quietly – Xia Xiaolan couldn’t hear clearly, but who wants to be stared at like a monkey in a zoo?

Zhou Cheng held Xia Xiaolan’s hand, “I took leave temporarily. If Xiaolan wants to visit my family, I can take her anytime. Sister Yi, since you’re so good with words, why not help me persuade Xiaolan to agree to meet the parents sooner? I’d feel more at ease if we could settle our marriage plans early.”

How brilliantly Zhou Cheng spoke!

In just a few sentences, he elevated Xia Xiaolan to an extremely high position.

It wasn’t that he wouldn’t take her to meet his parents – it was Xia Xialan who hadn’t agreed. If she nodded, Zhou Cheng couldn’t wait to get married!

Zhou Yi was stunned.

Was this still her cousin who never showed tenderness toward women?

It wasn’t that Zhou Cheng didn’t know how to be tender – it was just that none of the girls who had pursued him before, including Tong Lili, were worthy of his tenderness.

Zhou Cheng must love this country girl.

Zhou Yi was caught in a dilemma – continuing to help her good friend would mean offending her cousin.

Zhou Cheng’s position in the Zhou family was significant – young and capable, the family’s future depended on him. Though she envied him, after marriage she’d still need to rely on him. As Zhou Yi hesitated, Tong Lili ignored such considerations.

“Zhou Cheng, has this vixen bewitched you? You’re taking her to the Zhou family? What a joke – would the Zhou family let you marry a country girl from another province?”

Tong Lili was furious – she’d liked Zhou Cheng for several years.

Considering their family’s equals in status, she’d ignored whether it was proper for a woman to pursue a man, and two years ago Zhou Yi had acted as a matchmaker, but Zhou Cheng had immediately refused.

Tong Lili hadn’t given up.

These past two years, anyone in their circle who showed interest in Zhou Cheng was defeated by her persistence.

Only she was worthy of being Zhou Cheng’s woman!

Xia Xiaolan remained silent, waiting to see how Zhou Cheng would handle this.

Zhou Cheng wanted to do something – he wanted to hit a woman.

Zhou Yi was his cousin, so he’d tolerated her meddling once, but who was Tong Lili? Zhou Cheng barely knew her.

“We’ll set aside who the Zhou family wants me to marry… but I certainly won’t marry you!”

“Zhou Cheng, you’re being too rude.”

Zhou Yi’s sympathy finally tilted toward her good friend. Being spoken to like this by Zhou Cheng in front of over a dozen people – how could Tong Lili save face? Running away crying wasn’t her style. Her teeth chattering with anger, she pointed at Xia Xiaolan and cursed: “If this vixen can marry you, I’ll write my name backward! If you won’t marry me, you won’t marry anyone!”

Wow—

Tong Lili was quite domineering herself.

Her personality clashed directly with Zhou Cheng’s – Xia Xiaolan almost wanted to applaud. The onlookers were all dumbfounded.

Holding Zhou Cheng back, Xia Xiaolan couldn’t help speaking:

“You’re Tong Lili, right? Do you have an engagement with Zhou Cheng?”

Zhou Cheng remembered Xia Xiaolan’s question before they started dating, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on:

“Of course not, I barely know her!”

Zhou Cheng thought if Tong Lili dared to make something up, he’d destroy this woman.

Under Zhou Cheng’s gaze, Tong Lili’s anger weakened. Asked to lie in front of so many people, even she couldn’t even bring herself to do it. Their social circle was so small – how could anyone get away with lying about engagements?

Tong Lili glared defiantly, softly uttering one word:

“Hmph!”

Xia Xiaolan smiled, “So that’s a no. Let me ask another question – has Zhou Cheng ever said he likes you?”

Zhou Cheng desperately wanted to tear out his heart and show Xia Xiaolan, show everyone, that only one woman’s name was written there – only “Xia Xiaolan”, carved stroke by stroke, with no room for anyone else!

“Xiaolan—”

“Wait a moment, I’m asking Tong Lili!”

Xia Xiaolan’s voice was full of smiles but firmly cut off Zhou Cheng’s words.

How did everyone present feel? Zhou Yi thought her cousin was truly bewitched. Since childhood, Zhou Cheng has been willful and dominant, having the final say in their circle. As a child, his personality was called “stubborn”; as he grew up, it became “decisive and commanding.” After his rapid promotions at work, rising like a rocket, this personality became an asset.

When Zhou Cheng spoke, even the Zhou family patriarch listened carefully to his views.

Everyone in the Zhou family valued Zhou Cheng’s words… No one would interrupt when he was speaking, let alone tell him not to talk. Yet Xia Xiaolan had done just that, and Zhou Cheng looked aggrieved rather than angry!

Zhou Yi wanted to retreat – regardless of what happened later, right now her cousin was deeply enchanted by this little vixen.

The surroundings fell silent, with only Tong Lili’s somewhat heavy breathing audible.

It must have been the restaurant’s heating – Tong Lili’s face was flushed, her chest heaving as she refused to admit defeat:

“Zhou Cheng will like me sooner or later – we’re well-matched, made for each other!”