novellhall Chapter 236 Encountering an Acquaintance
Chapter 236 Encountering an Acquaintance
Zhuang Qingxiang had no objections as long as Zhuang Luping followed her.
As long as Zhuang Luping is under her watchful eye, that's fine.
Tian Dongyue had no objection to this, but he would have been hesitant if Zhuang Qingxiang had directly agreed to go out with him alone.
She is indeed a delicate and charming young woman, obedient and well-behaved. At home, she listens to her father, and after marriage, she will listen to him.
"Shall we go eat roast duck?" Tian Dongyue steeled his heart and decided to go all out.
Zhuang Luping had been away from Beijing for so many years, and when he heard about it, he really craved it. He immediately decided to go eat Peking duck.
Zhuang Qingxiang followed silently behind them, secretly pursing her lips as she listened to the two getting more and more animated in their conversation.
She then pretended to admire the scenery and looked around, trying to see if anyone was following her to protect her.
But she hadn't been trained, so you couldn't tell anything from her.
Once they arrived at the restaurant, Tian Dongyue asked Zhuang Qingxiang with concern what she wanted to eat.
Zhuang Qingxiang smiled slightly: "Anything is fine with me, I'm not picky."
"Don't worry about her," Zhuang Luping said kindly. "Girls should just listen to their men."
Tian Dongyue laughed and said, "Then Uncle, you can order. Like Qingxiang, I'm not picky; anything is fine with me."
While speaking, his gaze never left Zhuang Qingxiang's face.
Zhuang Qingxiang didn't want to look him in the eye, nor did she want him to have a chance to chat with her, so she pretended to be curious and looked around.
Even so, Tian Dongyue still managed to come over and say, "Is this your first time seeing roast duck? Try some later, and if you like it, I'll bring you back to eat it again."
Zhuang Qingxiang felt a chill run down her spine and quickly moved to the other side.
Just then, her gaze met that of another person, and she froze instantly.
In such a vast city as Beijing, how could I possibly run into an acquaintance by such a coincidence?
Guan Jing, Lu Congyue's stepmother...
Zhuang Qingxiang frowned slightly, then suddenly stood up: "I'm going to wash my hands..."
"If you don't know the way, I'll go with you." Tian Dongyue stood up as well.
"No need, I'll ask the waiter." Zhuang Qingxiang saw Guan Jing walking towards her and quickly turned to give Zhuang Luping a wink.
Zhuang Luping was puzzled, but he still called out to Tian Dongyue: "Dongyue, let her go by herself. Women are always so troublesome. Let's chat a bit more, you and I."
Tian Dongyue had no choice but to stay.
Zhuang Qingxiang left quickly, and as she expected, Guan Jing caught up with her soon after.
"Zhuang Qingxiang!"
Guan Jing called out, and Zhuang Qingxiang stopped and gave a faint greeting.
Guan Jing looked at the fashionable woman in front of her with suspicion and uncertainty.
She wasn't sure if this woman was the widow from the countryside just now, but now she's sure it really is her. But what does this outfit have to do with being a widow from the countryside?
With the situation so tense now, who would dare to dress so ostentatiously?
Country folk are just country folk, they know nothing and still commit crimes against the wind.
"Zhuang Qingxiang, what are you doing here? Where is Lu Congyue? Who were the two men who were with you just now?" Guan Jing asked one question after another.
"What's it to you?" Zhuang Qingxiang couldn't answer, so she could only retort, "If you're looking for Lu Congyue, go find him. I don't know anything."
Guan Jing was even more surprised: "You two broke up?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just helping out with the kids before."
What nonsense about helping with the kids! They've already filed their marriage certificate! Before, Lu Congyue even caused a huge scene in Beijing because of her, making his family lose face in the compound. Even his son was almost implicated by Lin Wei and sent to jail.
Old Lu was so angry that he decided to get rid of Lu Congyue's affairs. As a result, the two broke up.
"You two really broke up?" Guan Jing asked anxiously.
Zhuang Qingxiang frowned: "Comrade Guan, we're not familiar with each other. If you have any questions, please ask Lu Congyue. Please don't bother me, okay?"
She paused, then added, "I hope that in the future, when you see me, you'll just pretend you don't see me or don't know me!"
After saying this coldly, she left immediately.
Guan Jing thought for a moment, then followed her back. She watched as Guan Jing sat back down at the table, next to two men, one old and one young, who, judging from their attire and demeanor, were not from the countryside.
Looking at Zhuang Qingxiang's current attire, Guan Jing sneered inwardly: Has she hooked up with an old man or a young one? She's utterly shameless. She'll go back and tell Lao Lu that she'll call Lu Congyue to laugh at him.
The thought of seeing Lu Congyue make a fool of himself made Guan Jing feel much better.
Old Lu always said that Lu Congyue was the most promising of his two sons, and that if he was properly trained, he could help his younger brother in the future. Bah! This time, let's see just how unreliable Lu Congyue really is!
Zhuang Qingxiang returned to her desk, her heart still pounding.
Fortunately, Guan Jing didn't come over to cause trouble.
When Tian Dongyue was not around, Zhuang Luping immediately lowered his voice and asked her what had happened.
Zhuang Qingxiang whispered, "Dad, stop wasting time. Don't pay any more attention to Tian Dongyue. Just finish what you need to do and leave! Otherwise, if we run into someone we know and things get out of hand, we'll have a hard time explaining ourselves."
"An acquaintance? What acquaintance?"
"Lu Congyue's mother!" Zhuang Qingxiang said deliberately, "She's seen me before. Just now, when she saw me sitting with you, she kept asking me what my relationship with you was! If she makes a phone call, Lu Congyue will definitely turn on her."
Zhuang Luping immediately said he was unlucky. How could he run into someone he knew while just having a roast duck?
"Dad, hurry back after you finish eating. What do you need to do? I'll go with you," Zhuang Qingxiang said again, seizing the opportunity.
Zhuang Luping glared at her: "You can't get things done on foot, can you? Ask Tian Dongyue later if you can borrow his car for a day."
"Borrow a car? Dad, where are you going?" Zhuang Qingxiang asked curiously.
"Just lend it to me, stop asking so many questions."
Zhuang Luping scolded them a couple of times, and then Tian Dongyue returned. Seeing that the father and daughter looked a little off, he asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"
"No, no," Zhuang Luping said with a smile, giving Zhuang Qingxiang several winks. Seeing that she wouldn't respond, he said, "Qingxiang insisted that I show her around the capital, saying it's her first time here... I can show her around, but I'm getting old and I'm afraid of getting tired..."
Tian Dongyue immediately said with a joyful expression, "I still have one day off, I'll take Qingxiang around."
"No, I want to go with my dad." Zhuang Qingxiang immediately moved closer to Zhuang Luping.
"Haruka, Uncle still has work to do..."
"I go out to work with my dad," Zhuang Qingxiang interrupted him.
"Qingxiang!" Zhuang Luping scolded her in dissatisfaction, then smiled apologetically at Tian Dongyue, "This girl is shy, we'll have to get to know her slowly, don't mind her."
"I don't mind, there's nothing to mind." Although disappointed, Tian Dongyue still smiled. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about I lend you my bicycle? That way it will be more convenient for you to go out."
Zhuang Luping raised an eyebrow slightly: "Well... Dongyue, you work for the Transportation Bureau, so you have easy access to vehicles. Could you lend us one? It'll only take one day. I can finish my work in one day, and then I can spend the rest of the time traveling around with Qingxiang."