Ran Shuyu’s complaints irritated Wang Guangping.

They had once held similar positions, but now Zhou was much stronger than him. He had suffered for years at the farm in Ha Province, and upon reinstatement, he was placed in the Education Department.

Now that Ran Shuyu was making comparisons with Zhou Guobin, Wang Guangping was even more displeased.

He had been back in the city for a month and had gathered most of the information he needed.

His former position was now occupied by Zhou Guobin’s older brother, Zhou Wengang. Although he knew the state wouldn’t restore him to his original position, Wang Guangping was still unhappy. What capabilities did Zhou Wengang have to deserve his former position? Meanwhile, he was pushed into the Education Department upon his return!

Moreover, Zhou Guobin, who had once been his equal, had in these years… Of all people, Ran Shuyu could compare them to, why the Zhou family? Wang Guangping had his hang-ups and spoke irritably:

“The Zhou family still has their old man to protect them. Why must you compare us with them?”

The Zhou family was simply lucky to have their elder.

With Old Man Zhou there, he was like their anchor. Even in retirement, he could still serve as a “guardian” for Zhou Wengang and Zhou Guobin. Wang Guangping could only envy them – he always felt his downfall was because no one had stood up for him at the crucial moment.

Hearing Wang Guangping’s displeasure, Ran Shuyu didn’t dare continue fixating on the Zhou family:

“I just feel it’s unfair to Jianhua. Look at Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend, while our Jianhua got trapped by some country girl in the countryside!”

She wasn’t blind – she knew that inviting Professor Liu’s family to dinner and having Xia Ziyu crash was Jianhua’s idea.

But she couldn’t bring herself to blame her dear son – it must all be Xia Ziyu’s fault.

Wang Guangping said Xia Ziyu’s tutoring idea was good and could help Wang Jianhua, which was the only reason Ran Shuyu had swallowed her anger. She had mentioned meeting Xia Ziyu’s parents, but Xia Ziyu had backed away herself. Whether it was playing hard to get or lack of confidence, Ran Shuyu didn’t care to investigate – she was glad to avoid dealing with country folk.

“You don’t understand. A prestigious university degree and beauty are advantages, but finding someone smart, insightful, and helpful to your son is more practical!”

At least for now, Xia Ziyu could still be helpful – why shouldn’t Wang Guangping accept her?

With Jianhua’s involvement, they needed to open new tutoring locations in both east and west. Teachers’ college students alone weren’t enough – if Beijing Normal University… Wang Guangping wanted to create momentum but feared others would notice and try to take advantage.

Ran Shuyu remained silent.

Weren’t students from prestigious universities smart too?

Someone who satisfied all conditions – prestigious university, beauty, intelligence, plus a good family background – would be most suitable for Jianhua!

…

When Zhou Guobin returned home, Sister Zeng mentioned while serving fruit that it was from Xia Xiaolan.

Zhou Guobin was surprised, and after hearing what Xia Xiaolan had said to Guan Hui’e, he remarked: “This girl indeed handles matters gracefully.”

Just from her words, you could tell she was broad-minded.

The world was full of such contradictions – expecting a young woman to always prioritize her boyfriend or husband meant she would willingly play the role of a submissive woman, a supportive wife who believed maintaining a good family was more important than pursuing her career. But women who focused entirely on family often became oversensitive because their daily interactions were limited and their world was confined to the family space, causing them to overthink… Hoping for a perfect blend of both was practically a dream.

Better to find someone open-minded and generous than someone who overthinks – didn’t Zhou Guobin know what kind of person was easier to get along with?

Now that Xia Xiaolan had shown her attitude, what could the Zhou family do but wait and see if her actions matched her words?

Guan Hui’e was gloomy and mentioned running into Ran Shuyu today:

“I barely recognized her at first glance. She used to be so particular about her appearance, but now she dresses so plainly – it’s quite pitiful.”

Xia Xiaolan’s private matters – Zhou Cheng certainly hadn’t told his family.

Even Zhou Guobin didn’t know.

But Zhou Guobin knew Zhou Cheng had inquired about Wang Guangping’s reinstatement before, and he had been keeping an eye on Wang Guangping. Hearing Guan Hui’e sympathizing with Ran Shuyu, he quickly warned her: “Wang Guangping has returned to work now, placed in the Education Department. He’s colleagues with Zhengqing, though not in the same division. Wang Guangping was always particular about work matters, and now my brother occupies his former position… Not to mention, reinstated cadres all received their back pay – Comrade Ran’s plain dress shows high ideological consciousness, not financial difficulty as you might think.”

At Wang Guangping’s level, he would have received at least thirty to forty thousand in back pay.

Ran Shuyu’s plain dress might be due to increased consciousness after suffering in exile, maintaining frugal habits despite financial comfort.

Or perhaps she had other motives for dressing that way.

Zhou Guobin wanted to warn Guan Hui’e not to sympathize with Ran Shuyu based on preconceptions.

Guan Hui’e nodded: “We weren’t close anyway. She greeted me first on the street – how could I just walk past ignoring her?”

Even if Ran Shuyu was deliberately playing pitifully, it wasn’t Guan Hui’e’s place to feel sorry for her.

Once Zhou Guobin explained, Guan Hui’e knew to keep her distance from that family. Everyone followed state arrangements for work matters – the Zhou family didn’t owe anyone anything. But who knew what was really in Wang Guangping and his wife’s hearts? People’s thoughts were unfathomable, and Guan Hui’e wanted to avoid trouble!

…

After leaving Zhou Cheng’s home, Xia Xiaolan still found the situation surreal.

But thinking carefully, it made sense – Zhou Cheng knew Wang Jianhua, so wasn’t it natural for Guan Hui’e to know Ran Shuyu?

It was just that the Wang family’s exile had prevented interaction between the families before. Now that Wang Guangping was reinstated, of course, they wanted to rebuild some personal connections. Xia Xiaolan couldn’t oppose Guan Hui’e’s relationships – it wasn’t her business. If Ran Shuyu visited the Zhou family, Xia Xiaolan realized it wasn’t a big deal after careful thought – it was just that bit of drama between Wang Jianhua and Xia Ziyu, and Xia Xiaolan wasn’t the one who should feel guilty!

Back at school, Xia Xiaolan wrote a letter to Zhou Cheng before heading to the library to study. She went to the cafeteria only in the evening, and when returning to her dorm, she saw Ning Xue using her key to open Room 305.

“Ning Xue, you’re back!”

She had been looking for Ning Xue for two days and finally caught the chance.

Ning Xue didn’t want to get involved, but with Xia Xiaolan standing there holding her meal box and staring at her, she couldn’t pretend not to see her.

Did Xia Xiaolan want to discuss the “Military Training Excellence Graduate” matter?

Ning Xue put down her things, and sure enough, Xia Xiaolan was still waiting at the door.

“Classmate Xia, did you need something from me?”

Xia Xiaolan glanced at the hallway – now everyone was returning from self-study or outings, and she didn’t want her conversation with Ning Xue to become gossip throughout the school.

“Can we talk? How about we walk around the playground and chat?”