Chapter 718: Chapter 621: Scumbag

The mother and daughter supported each other as they rushed out the building’s side door, but there was no sign of Xiao Man. She had likely run out of the hospital long ago.

Lin Aizhen was furious, pointing at Wu Xiaowen as she launched into another tirade. "...You brainless idiot! You’re more trouble than you’re worth. Are you trying to kill me with anger? Years ago, when Bai Lihua first started pursuing you, I warned you: the Bai family aren’t good people. I said you could fool around with him, but you had to keep a clear head and not give him your heart. You agreed, and I thought you actually had some sense. Then you met Tang Qingyun. I went to so much trouble to help you land him! The Tang family is more respectable than the Bai Family, and their fortune is several times greater. Most importantly, I could have used that marriage to finally get my revenge, to crush Tang Qinglan and take everything from her. My whole life would have been worthwhile! But no, you had to be a disappointment, so self-righteous, messing things up time and time again until we ended up like this... Heavens! How did I give birth to such a fool? All my hard work, wasted! AHHHHH..."

Lin Aizhen pounded on Wu Xiaowen, who sobbed so hard she seemed to wish she were dead. The mother and daughter wept in a heap, looking for all the world like they were in a melodrama. Too bad there was no audience to watch them.

Meanwhile, Xiao Man strode briskly out of the hospital’s main entrance. Just as she was about to cross the street, a car pulled up directly in front of her. The window rolled down halfway, and Xiao Man peered inside. "Huh?" she said, surprised. The driver was none other than Wei Zhenling.

Wei Zhenling leaned over and opened the passenger-side door. He watched Xiao Man get in, then said with a smile, "Surprised? I’ve been back for over half a month. I’ve passed by here a few times, but we just happened to run into each other today. I definitely didn’t come looking for you, so make sure you tell Shaojun that."

Xiao Man stared at him, speechless. ’What’s that supposed to mean?’

Wei Zhenling’s smile widened with a teasing glint. "Did you know your Gu Shaojun is completely unreasonable? I applied for leave and came back, and not only did he not ask me to pass on a message to you, he laid down some strict rules for me: First, I’m not allowed to use his name as an excuse to visit you. Second, I’m not allowed to invite you to a meal and disturb your studies or work—and of course, I can’t use my mom’s name as an excuse, either. His reasoning? Since I just came from seeing him, you’ll be nice to me because you miss him, and he absolutely forbids that! I mean, come on, what is that? Can’t you have male friends other than your fiancé? Am I only worthy of your kindness because of my connection to him? How is my character any worse than his? Little Manman, you be the judge!"

Xiao Man burst out laughing. "You complain so much, yet you still came? I’m definitely telling him about this. You two aren’t going to end your friendship over it, are you?"

Wei Zhenling was silent for a moment, then shook his head and sighed. "Now I finally understand what a perfect match is. You and him really are a match made in heaven!"

"As long as you know. Since we just happened to run into each other, I’ll have to trouble you to give me a ride back to school, Mr. Wei."

"How about we grab dinner while we’re at it? He won’t let me treat you, so you can be the host and treat me."

"Some other time. I’m running late. I really do have something tonight. I have plans with my professor and labmates; they’re waiting for me in the lab."

"Just listen to you! Shaojun needs to hear this. And here he is, being so wary of me. Why doesn’t he stop and think about all those male labmates you have? And your professor... they’re all men, aren’t they?"

"Not at all. Professor Tong is a woman, and I have female labmates too. But seriously, no more joking. It’s rush hour with so many people and cars around. You need to pay attention to the road."

Xiao Man watched him yield to two groups of jaywalkers, then asked with a smile, "You came back to Beijing with your mother, right? How is she?"

"My mother is in good health. As for everything else... for now, it is what it is."

The mention of Mrs. Wei naturally brought unpleasant matters to mind. Wei Zhenling’s sunny smile vanished, his handsome face turning serious. He instantly transformed into a cool, aloof heartthrob. His window was halfway down, and the car was moving slowly. On the street, women standing on the curb gawked at him, their eyes wide. One young woman even chased the car for a few steps. It was a good thing he was in a car; if he were walking on the street, who knows how many women he would have mesmerized.

Xiao Man’s heart already belonged to someone else, and besides, she was long used to their circle of handsome men, so she was immune to their charms. Still, she couldn’t help but inwardly snark, ’It’s really not a good thing for a man to be this handsome for no reason.’

Wei Zhenling’s features somewhat resembled his father’s, yet they were more refined and striking. With his tall, imposing posture, he even looked a bit taller than his father. He had inherited Mr. Wei’s ageless quality. In her past life, Xiao Man had noted that at the same age, Wei Zhenling somehow managed to look much younger than Gu Shaojun. Even Gu Shaozhen and Zheng Shaolian would seem older than him if they didn’t shave often enough.

Fortunately, Wei Zhenling hadn’t inherited Mr. Wei’s philandering, scumbag ways. In her past life, he never married; he never even had a girlfriend. Xiao Man used to think he and Gu Shaojun wanted to be brothers in misery, looking out for one another. ’But now,’ she thought, ’it was probably because his parents’ problems had left a deep shadow on him, right?’

’But for a grown man, he’s a bit too fragile to be so easily affected. He must lack practice in this area.’ Xiao Man decided not to coddle his ’wounds.’ ’If I provoke him a bit more, he should gradually toughen up.’

’In this life, I am definitely going to marry Gu Shaojun and live happily ever after. I refuse to have the three of us living together all the time like in my past life. Whenever Wei Zhenling was around, the two of them would go for walks, thick as thieves, and then lock themselves up in the study together. I was completely left out!’

’A new life means a new start. That is absolutely not happening this time around, nope.’

The car turned onto a main road. Before Xiao Man could speak, Wei Zhenling brought up his parents himself. His tone was detached, yet tinged with a bleak loneliness. "My father... he betrayed my mother. She couldn’t forgive him. They finalized the divorce yesterday. From now on, they’re strangers."

Xiao Man: "..."

This outcome wasn’t surprising in the slightest. It was simply that Mr. Wei’s affair had been spotted and reported by an acquaintance, and Mrs. Wei, who had zero tolerance for infidelity, finalized the divorce a year earlier than she would have otherwise. Still, hearing Wei Zhenling state it so bluntly, with such a wounded and lonely expression, made Xiao Man feel an inexplicable pang of guilt. She started to wonder if her earlier selfish desire to keep him away from Gu Shaojun was too cold and... inhuman.

"Um, that’s really a shame," Xiao Man said after a brief silence, managing to find a few words. "But a lot of women can’t accept their partner betraying their trust and their family. And what your father did was really awful; I wouldn’t be able to accept it either. So, you should understand where your mom is coming from. Don’t be too sad, okay?"

Wei Zhenling glanced at her expression and couldn’t help but laugh. "Thanks. Thank you for the comforting words, Little Manman. I’m not sad anymore."

"Exactly. It’s not your fault, after all. You just need to be there for your mom. Life is always better after ditching a scumbag. Cheer up! There are plenty of other things in life worth striving for."

"Scumbag?"

"Oh, that’s what we call philanderers and men of low character down in the South."

"..." Wei Zhenling gave a bitter smile. "You’re right. And I do understand my mother. If I hadn’t supported her and done my best to persuade my grandparents, she wouldn’t have been able to get divorced so quickly. It’s just... Sigh. I’m just so angry at my father. A perfectly good family, torn apart just like that. My mother lost her partner in middle age, my grandmother is heartbroken and disappointed, and my grandfather is completely downcast... He’ll express remorse and say he’s sorry, but then he’ll go right back to his old ways, knowing full well it’s wrong. He claims he does it for love. A love like that is just plain evil!"

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