Chapter 668: Chapter 576: Touching a Raw Nerve

After the Qingming Festival, Xiao Man noticed that Mr. Tang suddenly seemed to have a lot of free time. He often returned to Beijing and would stay for many days at a time. Whenever he was around, he would personally come to her school or the hospital on weekends to pick her up and take her home. Seeing her father for two weekends in a row made Xiao Man happy, but also quite surprised. She couldn’t help but ask, "Dad, are you not busy anymore? How come you have so much time to come home? Don’t tell me you’re like Grandma, starting to get all worked up about my engagement already?"

Tang Qingshan was speechless. He gave Xiao Man a displeased look, a complex mix of emotions churning within him that was hard to describe. In short, it felt terrible. ’Is it true that a daughter won’t stay with her family once she’s grown? Is she this eager for marriage because Gu Shaojun has been feeding her some kind of love potion? It looks like I’ll have to find some time to knock some sense into him. That boy better not go too far!’

Xiao Man saw Mr. Tang’s brow furrow and knew exactly what he was thinking. She chuckled, which only made Tang Qingshan’s expression darken further. "It’s just an engagement ceremony. The wedding is still four years away. You, young lady, need to be a little more reserved!"

Xiao Man laughed. "It’s not that I’m not being reserved. Actually, I’m... sigh. It’s a long story!"

Grandma Tang, Granny Gu, Mrs. Gu, and Grandma Hao had been gathering frequently lately, enthusiastically planning the July engagement ceremony from morning till night. Grandma Hao doted on her grandchildren but wasn’t skilled at handling young children. She very seriously proposed to Hao Wenli that she take over the management of Xiao Man’s engagement ceremony. This would allow Hao Wenli to focus on playing with her kids outside of work. Hao Wenli had to work three or four hours a day, and there were some tasks she didn’t want to take on but couldn’t refuse. The rest of her time was entirely devoted to her children. The two kids were used to having their mother around and would get especially noisy and restless with a nanny or anyone else. Hao Wenli truly had no time to spare for Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun’s engagement, so she was more than happy to have Grandma Hao’s help.

Every weekend she came home, Xiao Man would be cornered by the elders. One moment they’d be pulling her over to look at jewelry, the next they’d be grabbing her to try on clothes. The fuss had left her feeling numb. Normally, a girl discussing marriage and engagement should be nervous and shy. But after being lectured and fussed over by the grandmothers so much, Xiao Man felt completely indifferent about her upcoming engagement. She wasn’t embarrassed at all, which was why she could discuss her own marriage so calmly and naturally with Mr. Tang.

Hearing Xiao Man say this, Tang Qingshan couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness for his daughter. ’Born a Tang Family Girl, she hasn’t enjoyed much wealth or comfort. Instead, she has to bear the responsibility of a strategic alliance as soon as she returns. Even though she and Shaojun are in love and willing, how should I put it... compared to other young women her age, my daughter ultimately lacks a degree of freedom and the opportunity to choose for herself.’

The adults of both families were bursting with enthusiasm. By mid-June, nearly all the preparations were complete. Mrs. Gu wished she could just call Gu Shaojun back and hold the engagement ceremony ahead of schedule.

Stationed on the nation’s front lines, Gu Shaojun was also silently counting the days, his heart a mix of excitement and anxiety. When he finally got a chance to call Xiao Man, he very seriously told her not to be too nervous. Xiao Man laughed and said she wasn’t nervous at all; she was just worried that when the day came, a certain someone might be absent due to a sudden mission. Gu Shaojun gave her his firm guarantee: "That will absolutely not happen."

Holding an engagement ceremony naturally meant inviting friends and family to witness it. When the Gu and Tang Families sent out their invitations, it inevitably struck a nerve with certain people, and soon, all sorts of situations began to arise.

Huang Minyan, whom she had met once at the Gu Mansion, actually showed up at De Ren Hospital looking for Xiao Man. She told the doctors and nurses that she was a good friend of Xiao Man’s. Xiao Man was both annoyed and amused. She told her that she was busy studying and working and had no free time to play games with her, advising her to go have fun somewhere else.

Of course, Huang Minyan wasn’t the type to be easily embarrassed. She stuck to Xiao Man with a grin, following her up and down the hospital floors. Regardless of whether Xiao Man wanted to listen, she chattered on nonstop. She told Xiao Man how she and Gu Shaozheng had met. According to her, she had saved his life. A few years ago, Gu Shaozheng had gone to the Northwest for some unknown reason, gotten lost in the Desert, and was on the verge of dying from thirst. She ran into him and his companions, gave them water, and led them out of the desert. But that guy was ungrateful and pretended not to know her. How could she possibly let him get his way?

Xiao Man never knew Gu Shaozheng had such an experience, so she asked Huang Minyan a few more questions. This only made Huang Minyan talk even more animatedly. Then, somehow, the topic suddenly shifted to Jun Ran and Bai Junfan. ree

Actually, Xiao Man was also a little curious. Last year, she had clearly heard that Bai Junfan and Jun Ran were planning to get engaged, so why did it all come to nothing?

Huang Minyan said the Bai Family was, of course, very eager to form a marriage alliance with the Jun Family. You could tell just how determined the Bai Family was by how Bai Qingyue was always sticking to Madam Jun like glue. However, just when the two families were about to discuss the engagement, Old Sir Jun sent two people to the Northwest. When those two returned, they brought back a reply letter from Leader Huang Yuxuan. After Old Sir Jun read it, the Jun Family never mentioned marrying into the Bai Family again.

Huang Minyan paused for dramatic effect, but when Xiao Man didn’t ask, she continued on her own: "The reason, of course, was Bai Junfan!"

When he went to the Northwest, he still had a bit of backbone and ambition, thinking he should make a name for himself first. Who would have thought his next move would be so unexpected—faced with the ardent pursuit of Huang Yuxuan’s eldest daughter, who is also Huang Minyan’s older sister, Bai Junfan accepted Huang Minying, and the two fell madly in love!

Huang Minyan took out a photograph to show Xiao Man and said with a sigh, "This is my older half-sister. She’s twenty-seven this year and an officer in the military’s arts troupe. She’s the eldest daughter in our family. Because she lost her mother when she was young, my father dotes on her immensely. If my brother and I do something wrong, we get beaten and scolded, but my big sister can do whatever she wants at home. Even if she hits us, it’s no big deal!"

Xiao Man glanced at the beautiful woman in military uniform in the photo and froze for a moment. She couldn’t help but laugh to herself. ’Life is just full of cheap drama. Huang Minyan’s sister, Huang Minying, looks exactly like Yang Liu’er!’

’So that must be the real reason why Bai Junfan would rather let down Jun Ran, offend the Jun Family, and throw everything away to fall madly in love with Huang Minying, right? Maybe this time, his love is actually genuine and not for personal gain!’

Xiao Man didn’t say a word, listening quietly as Huang Minyan prattled on: "Actually, my cousin Jun Ran doesn’t even like Bai Junfan. She doesn’t care whether he’s around or not. My cousin Jun Ran already has someone she loves. They were deeply in love once, but unfortunately, a homewrecker came between them and ruined their relationship! My cousin Jun Ran says that man is her one true love, that she’ll love him forever in this life and never have any regrets! If there’s a next life, she’ll definitely protect her beloved and never let go!"

"Jun Ran sent you to tell me all this. Aren’t you afraid of offending me? How do you expect to stay friends with Gu Shaozheng after this?" Xiao Man asked without looking up, continuing to write up a pathology case report.

Huang Minyan paused, then leaned on the desk and whispered, "My cousin Jun Ran said that Bai Junfan also played with your feelings in the past before abandoning you... I came to tell you this just so you could see that man’s true colors. He’s not worth thinking about!"

Xiao Man rolled her eyes at Huang Minyan. ’Whether she’s genuinely stupid or just pretending, with a brain like that... if Gu Shaozheng gets tangled up with her again, I’m cutting off all ties as his sister-in-law, effective immediately!’

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