Chapter 787: Chapter 681

Chapter 681

Xiao Man was surprised to see Xia Qingting return with Wei Zhenling. After hearing the story of how they met, she hadn’t even had time to exclaim, "What are the odds!" before Xia Qingting dragged her into her room and left her utterly floored with a domineering declaration.

Xia Qingting’s exact words were: "Wei Zhenling is Gu Shaojun’s friend. He said he doesn’t have a girlfriend. In that case, he’s mine!"

Xiao Man: "..."

’How could I ever have thought Xia Qingting was a novice when it came to romance? I completely misjudged her. With that kind of take-charge attitude, who wouldn’t be impressed?’

Xiao Man had originally planned to wait for Wei Zhenling to arrive, ask Xia Qingting for her opinion in person, and then formally set them up. Now, all those steps could be skipped; they could cut right to the chase. Still, to be cautious, she needed to ask Wei Zhenling how he felt about it.

Wei Zhenling’s reaction left Xiao Man even more speechless. He was very pleased with Xia Qingting and then made a request: he wanted Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun to lie along with him. They were to pretend that Wei Zhenling had never known about Xia Qingting and that his return to Beijing wasn’t for some old-fashioned, stuffy blind date. The story would be that the two of them had found each other in a sea of people, their beautiful romance beginning with a magical, chance encounter!

Since they were both so on board, there was nothing left to worry about. Xiao Man was actually a bit glad she hadn’t told Xia Qingting about the setup beforehand. ’Look how happy she is now,’ she thought. ’Before, she was so against being set up.’

That afternoon, they returned to the Tang family home for a dinner party. Xiao Man invited Wei Zhenling to come along, and Gu Shaojun rushed back as well. He wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Wei Zhenling and Xia Qingting sitting together. The two comrades-in-arms didn’t need to speak; a simple exchange of glances was enough. Gu Shaojun didn’t mention the topic all evening. Their silent understanding was so perfect that Xiao Man was truly at a loss for words.

Xia Qingting, however, was astonished by Xiao Man’s family background. Xiao Man had told her why she had two homes but had never specified that her family in Beijing was so prominent.

As for Gu Shaojun, Xia Qingting vaguely remembered her parents mentioning he came from a significant background. She hadn’t thought much about it then, only that it was good he could offer Xiao Man support and protection. Now, it finally clicked: ’Why were Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man promised to each other as children? This must be what adults call a family alliance—a match between social equals, designed to unite the two families and consolidate their power.’

Xia Qingting felt a bit conflicted. On second thought, however, Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man were genuinely in love, without the slightest hint of it being forced or unnatural. The most important thing was that Xiao Man was happy. That was enough. This marriage was a good one.

After dinner, Gu Shaozhen invited everyone to a club he co-owned, promising some new and exciting entertainment. He had even invited several popular singers, one of whom was a mixed-race artist back from overseas that Mo Xinghua idolized. Xia Qingting was also eager to go, so the group headed to the new venue for more fun.

The two adorable twins clung to Xiao Man, not wanting her to leave. Tang Qingshan wanted to persuade his daughter to stay home, but then he saw the group of young people waiting. With Mo Xinghua and Xia Qingting in particular, it wouldn’t be right for his daughter, their friend and host, not to accompany them. He couldn’t bring himself to protest. Instead, he picked up the twins and told Xiao Man not to stay out too late and to come home early. He was about to assign two guards to go with them when Gu Shaojun promptly stepped to Xiao Man’s side. "Don’t worry, Mr. Tang," he said with a smile. "I’m here. I’ll take good care of Manman."

Tang Qingshan shot him a look, thinking to himself, ’I’m worried precisely because you’re here!’ But he couldn’t object; the man was her fiancé and had every right.

He could only wave them off. The arrival of Miss Xia, who was also staying with Xiao Man’s group at the Mo Mansion, actually made Tang Qingshan feel much more at ease.

Previously, when Xiao Man wanted to stay at the Mo Mansion to keep Xinghua company and Gu Shaojun was always trailing after her, Tang Qingshan had been quite worried. After all, Xinghua and Jiang Junlin were married. Once that young couple closed their door to rest, who knew what the situation was outside? Wouldn’t Gu Shaojun take the opportunity to spirit his daughter away? If Hao Wenli hadn’t stopped him, Tang Qingshan would have run off to the Mo Mansion himself to supervise his future son-in-law and guard his precious daughter.

Seeing that his future father-in-law didn’t say anything else, Gu Shaojun breathed a small sigh of relief. Having such a temperamental father-in-law really left him feeling helpless.

He turned his head and saw Xia Qingting climb directly into Wei Zhenling’s car instead of sticking close to Xiao Man. The corners of his mouth curled up. ’So, the big Dragonfly and Wei Zhenling have hit it off. She won’t be trying to steal my fiancée away from me anymore. This is a joyous occasion, truly worthy of celebration!’

Once in the car, he squeezed his sweetheart’s hand. He was in an excellent mood, his smile radiant and content. ’Tonight, we can once again... yes, lie in the same bed and drift off to sleep holding hands.’

For now, that was the full extent of his "perks."

The schedule for the following days went completely off the rails of Xiao Man’s original plan. Not only did Jiang Junlin and Mo Xinghua no longer need her to accompany them, but Xia Qingting also declared she was no longer needed. The official excuse was that she didn’t want to get in the way of Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun. In reality, the girl was completely smitten with Wei Zhenling, letting him take her sightseeing all over the city every day. Xiao Man figured if Wei Zhenling were a bad guy, he could sell Xia Qingting and she wouldn’t even suspect a thing.

Their relationship was developing so rapidly that Xiao Man couldn’t help but worry again, afraid that Wei Zhenling was only putting in so much effort because he was rushing toward marriage. Wei Zhenling looked perfectly innocent. "Come on, sis-in-law, be reasonable, would you? Of course you date someone with marriage in mind. Dating without the intention to marry is just being a scoundrel. Are you trying to make me a scoundrel?"

"Then do you genuinely like Qingting?"

"Of course," Wei Zhenling said with great seriousness. "I wouldn’t call it love at first sight, but by the second or third glance, I knew I had feelings for her. I’d actually seen her once before, at the G Province Military District. Her skin seemed even darker back then. She walked past our group like an officer reviewing his troops, her gaze sweeping over each of us. That mix of calm pride and feigned composure was fascinating, but unfortunately, I couldn’t just strike up a conversation. I never imagined she’d appear before me again so many years later. If Gu Shaojun hadn’t mentioned her, I might have forgotten all about her. But that doesn’t change the fact that I like her. It just proves we’re destined to be, and I’m sure it will be a wonderful marriage!"

After he said all that, Xiao Man knew it was time for her, the matchmaker, to bow out completely.

This year, Xiao Man wanted to celebrate her birthday quietly. Considering the grand wedding planned for the following year, both the Tang and Gu Families agreed to her wish. However, the friends and relatives in their circle all remembered. They kept pestering her about it, and some even sent gifts in advance. Pang Xiaoji and a few others were especially insistent, clamoring that her "last birthday party as a single woman" absolutely had to be a grand celebration.

Thus, at Gu Shaozhen’s strong recommendation, Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man borrowed his lavishly decorated European-style villa and its magnificent garden—personally designed by a famous horticulturist and home to over a hundred varieties of rare flowers and trees—to host a lively and festive birthday party.

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