The matter with Nie Wei Guo wasn’t worth discussing.

It could be explained simply – Nie Wei Guo started it, and Xia Xiao Lan merely paid him back in kind.

Even if Zhou Cheng hadn’t descended from the heavens, Xia Xiao Lan could have resolved it, though with more effort.

“I wasn’t his target. He probably has some old grievance with Old Master Ning. He was mainly targeting Old Ning; I just happened to be involved.”

Xia Xiao Lan spoke casually, but Zhou Cheng sneered:

“If he wanted to attack Ning Yan Fan, he could have gone through your classmate Ning Xue, who’s Ning Yan Fan’s actual granddaughter. Leaving Ning Xue alone and only causing trouble for you – he must think you’re an easy target!”

Xia Xiao Lan laughed heartily: “That’s where he was wrong. I’m someone who always gets even. No matter who his ultimate target was, he was the one who troubled me.”

If Nie Wei Guo had proved that Xia Xiao Lan used connections to attend the conference, her reputation would have been ruined.

No one would have listened to her explanations.

The conference attendees were the backbone of China’s architectural community. Xia Xiao Lan wanted to combine her profession with her business ventures – having her reputation destroyed at her first appearance would certainly hinder her future career.

Nie Wei Guo wasn’t wrong about one thing – if she was exposed as an impostor at the conference, it would also shame Huaqing’s Architecture Department.

Whenever Xia Xiao Lan’s name came up, people would say Huaqing’s architecture students were frauds.

Xia Xiao Lan might have her business as a backup if her academic career didn’t flourish – university wasn’t her only path.

But Nie Wei Guo didn’t know that.

His ill intentions could have destroyed an ordinary student in Xia Xiao Lan’s position.

So Xia Xiao Lan gave him a taste of his own medicine.

Zhou Cheng’s brow remained furrowed, “If I hadn’t come, would you have pretended this never happened and not told me? Distributing flyers is like posting big-character posters to attack someone – getting caught wouldn’t be pleasant. Who helped you do it?”

Though it was evening, Jiang City University was still bustling with people. When discussing Nie Wei Guo, they both kept their voices low.

Xia Xiao Lan mentioned a name, but Zhou Cheng shook his head: “Didn’t catch that. Come closer and say it again.”

Xia Xiao Lan didn’t believe him at all.

But Zhou Cheng just watched her quietly, his eyes full of mischief, clearly feigning ignorance.

How could he be so shameless?

It seemed Zhou Cheng had always been a bit roguish. For a moment, Xia Xiao Lan glimpsed that same Zhou Cheng who had followed her around, selling eggs and eels in Shang Du.

Do couples need to argue to rediscover their initial innocent sweetness?

Xia Xiao Lan leaned close to his ear, her warm breath tickling as she spoke. Zhou Cheng’s ear immediately turned red.

That tiny spark set his whole being ablaze.

He was too embarrassed to admit that his mind was buzzing and dizzy – this time he hadn’t heard what Xia Xiao Lan said.

Having succeeded in her teasing, Xia Xiao Lan stood up from her chair:

“Let’s go back to the guesthouse. The sun’s already set – we can’t just stay here feeding mosquitoes, can we?”

Xia Xiao Lan tried to pull Zhou Cheng up, but his bottom seemed glued to the bench.

“Wait a moment…”

Wait for what?

Wait for that feeling to subside – he couldn’t hide his embarrassment if he stood up now. Zhou Cheng sat unnaturally hunched. He had started the teasing, but couldn’t handle her playful response.

So when would he and his wife finally make things official?

…

Liu Fen was overjoyed to see Zhou Cheng.

She hadn’t seen him in ages. If it weren’t for his calls home and Guan Hui E’s occasional visits to the clothing store, Liu Fen might have worried that he and her daughter had broken up. His appearance finally put her mind at ease.

She never thought that just because their family was better off now, Xia Xiao Lan should find someone better.

When their family was struggling, Zhou Cheng never looked down on Xia Xiao Lan’s circumstances!

Two young people in love was better than anything else.

Liu Fen used to fear being a burden to her daughter, but now that she had mastered running the clothing store, she had become more confident.

Though she couldn’t compare to Guan Hui E and Zhou Guo Bin in terms of family background, she could help financially.

Xiao Lan often suggested hiring someone to manage the clothing store so her mother wouldn’t work so hard. But Liu Fen couldn’t trust others to manage the business – no employee, no matter how dedicated, would treat it like their own. The more money the store made, the less pressure Xiao Lan would have with her loans.

This time, if it weren’t for wanting to celebrate Xiao Lan’s 20th birthday, Liu Fen would never have agreed to stay out for so many days.

Thinking of Xiao Lan’s birthday, Liu Fen suddenly understood:

“You came to celebrate Xiao Lan’s birthday, didn’t you?”

Liu Fen might not understand young people’s surprises and romance, but Zhou Cheng making this trip warmed her heart.

No matter how busy, how could dating couples go so long without meeting?

A hundred letters and phone calls might not compare to one hour together in person.

Zhou Cheng felt quite embarrassed: “Auntie, I want to spend more time with Xiao Lan. I took several days off this time – I’ll accompany her through her birthday, and wherever else she wants to go.”

Several days off?

Xia Xiao Lan had thought Zhou Cheng would leave after tomorrow at most.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t happy – even Liu Fen was pleased:

“That’s perfect! Someone needs to watch the Beijing store, so I’ll head back tomorrow. I’ll feel better with you accompanying Xiao Lan.”

Liu Fen wanted to cook a meal for her daughter at the guesthouse, but it wasn’t convenient – the guesthouse kitchen was busy preparing meals for guests and couldn’t be borrowed for personal use.

Xia Xiao Lan tugged at her mother’s arm:

“Just make me a bowl of noodles then, with a fried egg at the bottom – that’s all I want.”

She worried about her mother getting overheated with elaborate cooking – Jiang City’s weather was hot, and the kitchen would be like a steamer.

Noodles would be simple – even without borrowing the kitchen, they could use a small stove and pot.

Liu Fen asked about dinner tonight.

“Let’s eat out tonight. Auntie, since I rarely get time off, please give me a chance to treat you. Xiao Lan is so good to my family – at least let me treat you to a meal?”

There would be no private time tonight.

Zhou Cheng wasn’t so inconsiderate as to exclude Liu Fen – that wouldn’t be right.

Despite Gong Yang’s repeated refusals, Zhou Cheng insisted he join them:

“We’re all close here. I should thank you for helping Xiao Lan and Uncle with so much.”

Zhou Cheng’s words were generous – Gong Yang was just an employee, wasn’t getting paid for work normal? But hearing Zhou Cheng say this made him feel good!

“What about the Nie Wei Guo situation – should we not worry about it?”

It was a mood-killer to bring this up, but after the police came to take Xia Xiao Lan away that afternoon, Gong Yang worried they might show up during dinner, which would really ruin the meal.

Zhou Cheng’s mouth twisted:

“Don’t worry about it. He’s just a deputy director of a design institute – he thinks too highly of himself. I’m not in the architecture circle; I don’t need to give a face to anyone.”