Could Xia Xiaolan be Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend?
Impossible.
This revelation left Wang Jianhua unable to think straight.
He would have preferred if Xia Xiaolan had gotten together with that wealthy Huaqing University student from before. In Wang Jianhua’s understanding, those with money weren’t as powerful as those with authority. Power was an intoxicating wine, and those who had tasted privilege didn’t want to fall from the clouds. If Xia Xiaolan was dating Zhou Cheng, Wang Jianhua would be hurt… Male pride was at work here. Wang Jianhua clearly understood that currently, the gap between his family and the Zhou family was still quite large, and he, still only a sophomore, couldn’t compare to Zhou Cheng.
This was forcing him to admit that Xia Xiaolan had found someone better than him.
It was also forcing Wang Jianhua to admit that not choosing Xia Xiaolan back then showed his poor judgment.
At this moment, Aunt Zhan chimed in:
“Your Jianhua is studying at the Capital Normal Institute, and he found a girlfriend among his classmates, it’s enviable… Both Jia’er and his girlfriend are capable, they even ran a tutoring class that made it into the newspapers.”
Classmates becoming lovers was already considered romantic in this era, indeed something to be envied.
Aunt Zhan also worked in the Higher Education Department, how could she not know about Wang Jianhua’s school? Last time there was even that tutoring class scandal that left Wang Guangping embarrassed at work. Aunt Zhan didn’t want to openly isolate Ran Shuyu; she just wanted Ran Shuyu to take the hint and leave quickly.
Ran Shuyu’s face alternated between red and white. The tutoring class incident was a painful memory the Wang family didn’t want to bring up, and that Zhan woman was doing this deliberately.
Fortunately, others didn’t know about it, so Ran Shuyu just thick-skinned her way through the social interaction.
When Xia Ziyu heard someone mention “tutoring class,” her heart jumped to her throat. When she had agreed to take the blame for Wang Jianhua back then, she never imagined that in 1984, the school’s disciplinary action would have such adverse effects.
Xia Xiaolan was just a few steps away, and Xia Ziyu especially didn’t want her situation to become known to Xia Xiaolan – if things were going well, there would be no problem, she would even brag about it to Xia Xiaolan, but with bad news, wouldn’t Xia Xiaolan just laugh at her misfortune?
Xia Ziyu didn’t know who Guan Hui’e was.
Ran Shuyu had never been patient enough to teach her, and Xia Ziyu knew almost nothing about Beijing’s social circles.
Wang Guangping’s position was just a high official in Xia Ziyu’s eyes. Knowing that Xia Xiaolan hadn’t bought her way in, Xia Ziyu assumed that the “Zhou Cheng” they mentioned was that wealthy student Wang Jianhua had seen at Huaqing’s gate last time.
An overseas Chinese?
It seemed that Xia Xiaolan had been accepted by the man’s family.
But the man’s family only saw that Xia Xiaolan was a Huaqing student; they probably didn’t know about her bad reputation from the countryside.
No matter how much this wealthy student liked Xia Xiaolan, even if he bought her a siheyuan courtyard house, his family elders surely didn’t know about it!
A flush appeared on Xia Ziyu’s face from excitement.
“Actually, Xiaolan and I are sisters, our fathers are brothers.”
Except for Wang Jianhua who knew the inside story, who wouldn’t be surprised by Xia Ziyu’s words?
Though they shared the surname Xia, it was indeed quite coincidental. Aunt Zhan looked at Xia Ziyu and Xiaolan, noting they didn’t look very similar, and skeptically asked, “Really?”
One had a small pointed face with fair skin, beautiful and stylish like a movie star. The other had an oval face, not exactly unattractive, but appeared quite provincial compared to Xia Xiaolan. If Xia Ziyu hadn’t mentioned it, who could have guessed these two were cousins? They didn’t share any resemblance at all.
Ran Shuyu experienced double joy.
If Xia Ziyu and Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend were cousins, didn’t that mean the Zhou family had also chosen a country girl as their daughter-in-law?
Xia Xiaolan’s appearance had fooled Ran Shuyu completely; she hadn’t noticed at all that Xia Xiaolan was from the countryside.
This meant the gap between her son Jianhua and Zhou Cheng wasn’t that big after all. Learning that Zhou Cheng had also chosen a country girl made Ran Shuyu somewhat gleeful – this was her first joy.
The second joy was that if Xia Ziyu and Xia Xiaolan were cousins, wouldn’t it be natural for the Wang family and Zhou family to socialize more?
“Child, why didn’t you say this earlier? Otherwise, when I visited your Aunt Guan last time, I would have brought you along…”
Xia Ziyu’s only redeeming quality was that she could claim kinship with the Zhou family. Since being forced into the engagement, this was the first time Ran Shuyu had looked at Xia Ziyu so favorably.
Everyone exchanged glances, surprised not only by this coincidence but also by what Ran Shuyu had revealed. She had visited the Zhou family alone? When did her relationship with Guan Hui’e become so close!
Just a few meters away, Guan Hui’e and Xia Xiaolan weren’t deaf; they could clearly hear Xia Ziyu and Ran Shuyu’s conversation.
It was impossible to pretend they hadn’t heard, as they were explicitly claiming kinship.
Guan Hui’e definitely stood on Xia Xiaolan’s side. Xiaolan had nothing to hide in the Zhou family; at their first meeting, she had not only honestly disclosed her family background but even mentioned her parents’ divorce, something that could have been left unsaid. If Xia Xiaolan said she had a bad relationship with her cousin, it must be true.
This cousin being Ran Shuyu’s daughter-in-law made Guan Hui’e’s impression even worse.
Last time when Zhou Guobin mentioned that Ran Shuyu dressed modestly, possibly as a way to gain sympathy, Guan Hui’e realized she had actually felt sympathetic, making her feel like a big fool.
Now that Xia Xiaolan’s cousin could associate with Ran Shuyu as family, Guan Hui’e felt they must be cut from the same cloth.
Despite not having a particularly delicate appearance, she was putting on airs – who was she trying to fool? With her eyes darting around, she couldn’t be up to any good.
Guan Hui’e put on a surprised face:
“Xiaolan, is she really your cousin?”
Xia Xiaolan nodded then shook her head, appearing hesitant to speak.
Guan Hui’e hadn’t felt there was anything shameful about Xia Xiaolan’s parents’ divorce. If Xiaolan could talk about it, she clearly wasn’t bothered by it. She deliberately lowered her voice, though people nearby could still hear: “Didn’t you say that after your parents’ divorce, you hardly had any contact with your father’s relatives, and that you had a cousin who always bullied you?”
Guan Hui’e’s implication was clear: Is this the one who bullied you?
How dare she casually greet people in front of everyone as if nothing had happened!
When it came to dramatic performances, Xia always faced challenges head-on, and acting opposite Guan Hui’e was truly exhilarating. Xia Xiaolan appeared hesitant; with her naturally pointed face, when she furrowed her brows, she looked on the verge of tears.
“Aunt Guan, please don’t say anymore… Thinking about it now, my cousin wasn’t really bullying me, perhaps she was trying to motivate me to improve. I should actually thank my cousin – if she hadn’t set an example, I wouldn’t have worked so hard in my studies.”
Xia Xiaolan spoke with such sincere emotion that Xia Ziyu nearly ground her teeth to powder.
When Guan Hui’e mentioned “the cousin who always bullied people,” Xia Ziyu felt several gazes fall on her, making her afraid to show any fierce expression.
She didn’t dare move. Xia Ziyu had suffered enough from her bad reputation, and this was the first time Ran Shuyu had brought her out to socialize, at a social gathering attended by many ministerial and departmental cadres’ family members. If tonight went badly, Ran Shuyu would probably want to skin her alive.
Xia Ziyu’s heart was bleeding, and she was furious. Xia Xiaolan just had to oppose her, and even had to appear at this kind of occasion.
Just because she found some rich sugar daddy, she thought she had the right to attend social gatherings?
Xia Ziyu didn’t know the Zhou family’s background. She was determined to put Xia Xiaolan in her place today. Her face showed delight:
“My methods might have been a bit aggressive before, I’m glad you don’t blame me. Xiaolan, actually, our family has always been thinking of you… Last time when I saw you buying a siheyuan with someone, I didn’t dare approach you. Xiaolan, congratulations on settling down in Beijing so quickly!”