Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Winter Solstice

Looking at the mission candidate list Lu Cheng submitted, Commander Zhong frowned so hard he could have crushed a fly.

He didn’t have a good impression of Zhang Jia Ming because his wife, Wei Qing, had caused all sorts of trouble while staying with the troops.

Still, he was a veteran and had performed exceptionally well on past missions, so his selection was understandable.

"But Jiang Peng is just a greenhorn. Even if you want to give your brother-in-law a leg up, you shouldn’t risk such an important mission to do it, should you?"

Lu Cheng smiled. "Commander Zhong, I admit I have personal reasons for wanting Jiang Peng on this mission, but please, trust my judgment. When have I ever been wrong about someone?"

That left Commander Zhong speechless.

When it came to selecting talent, Lu Cheng’s judgment had always been uncannily sharp.

Just think back to when he married the notorious Jiang Moli. So many people were waiting to see him fall flat on his face.

But as it turned out, Lu Cheng hadn’t married the wrong person.

Jiang Moli might have her share of minor flaws, but her talent and intellect were outstanding, and her open-mindedness and perspective were exceptional. Her strengths were more than enough to overshadow those small shortcomings.

...

As Meng Wei and her colleague walked out of the broadcasting building, she spotted Wen Jingerui by the roadside, and her expression flickered.

She stopped and told her colleague, "You go on ahead. I have something to take care of."

"Alright, I’ll head out then."

Just as she said that, Wen Jingerui walked over, pushing his bicycle.

"Xiao Wei, you’re off work."

Her colleague sized up Wen Jingerui and gave Meng Wei a teasing look. "So, you have a date tonight! Who’s this? Aren’t you going to introduce us?"

Meng Wei gave a tight-lipped smile. "A friend."

"Ooh~"

The colleague smiled at Wen Jingerui, then tactfully took her leave.

Meng Wei looked at Wen Jingerui. "Why did you come? You didn’t say anything beforehand."

"I’ve been busy the last few days, and I got off work early for once, so I thought I’d come and take you to dinner," Wen Jingerui explained gently.

Meng Wei nodded. "Let’s go."

After they had walked a short distance, Meng Wei took the initiative to explain. "I just don’t like discussing my personal life with my colleagues. Please don’t misunderstand."

Wen Jingerui was quiet for a moment before speaking. "Xiao Wei, if you don’t have romantic feelings for me, you can just tell me."

Meng Wei opened her mouth to explain but didn’t know what to say.

She didn’t dislike Wen Jingerui, but his ordinary family background was a fact that was hard for her to swallow.

The men she had known before, whether it was Lu Cheng, Lin Jianfeng, or others, were all one in a million in terms of family background, ability, and looks.

In comparison, Wen Jingerui was just too ordinary in every respect.

Seeing her silence, Wen Jingerui continued, "I understand. There’s a huge gap between my family and yours, and I’m lacking in many areas. I get it, and I’ll respect your decision."

Hearing the intention to withdraw in his words, Meng Wei started to panic.

This situation was so similar to her argument with Lin Jianfeng back then.

She couldn’t make the same mistake again.

"Jingrui, I think you’re a wonderful person. I’m just not ready yet. Can you give me a little more time?"

Wen Jingerui watched her for a moment, then smiled. "Alright. There’s no rush. Take your time."

Jiang Moli and Qian Ling couldn’t squeeze onto the bus and were too lazy to wait for the next one, so they decided to just walk home.

Egg-filled pancakes, sugar oil balls, sticky rice cakes, leaf-wrapped dumplings, and tofu pudding were all delicious street snacks you could find everywhere this time of year.

Jiang Moli bought a large portion of sticky rice cakes, and she and Qian Ling ate as they walked.

The soft, translucent balls of sticky rice were coated in a thick layer of toasted soybean powder and drizzled with a generous spoonful of brown sugar syrup. They were fragrant, sweet, and wonderfully chewy.

A cold gust of wind blew by, and Qian Ling shivered. "It’s so cold. The winter solstice is almost here."

Jiang Moli speared a piece of the sticky rice cake with a bamboo skewer and popped it into her mouth. "This Saturday," she said, chewing, "want to come over to my place for dinner?"

Qian Ling eyed her. "To your place for dinner? Why?"

"For the winter solstice! I’ll treat you to some lamb."

Qian Ling was tempted. "Your in-laws won’t have a problem with it, will they?"

"You’re a professional radio host. Are you telling me you’re afraid you can’t out-talk her? For every one thing she says, you can hit her back with ten."

Qian Ling was flabbergasted. "That doesn’t sound like a good idea."

Jiang Moli laughed. "I’m just kidding. My mother-in-law is actually very nice. She’s not one to stir up trouble."

Qian Ling breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case, I’m in!"

When Qian Ling got home, her family was in the middle of dinner, and her father’s cousin, Qian Meizhen, dropped by for a visit.

She sat down next to Mrs. Qian and immediately started talking about Hong Hua. "I introduced Mr. Hong to Xiao Rong a couple of days ago. Xiao Rong took a liking to him right away. They’re already an item, and they’re planning to get married next spring."

Mrs. Qian was surprised. "That fast? They’ve only known each other for a few days!"

Qian Meizhen shot a glance at Qian Ling. "It was a case of ’like attracting like’—they just hit it off. It just goes to show, you can’t be too picky. Pick and choose too much, and you end up with nothing."

Qian Ling nodded. "What a shame."

Qian Meizhen couldn’t help but look smug. "It’s too late for regrets now."

Qian Ling said, "Auntie, I feel sorry for Xiao Lan. He’s such a good catch, yet you didn’t introduce him to her. Instead, you’re busy setting up your nieces. You’re truly selfless."

Qian Meizhen had come specifically to see Qian Ling full of regret, but instead, she got a backhanded insult. "I’d like to see what kind of man you end up with!" she snapped, before leaving in a huff.

After seeing Qian Meizhen out, Mrs. Qian turned and shot her daughter a glare. "What is wrong with you? Can’t you just speak nicely for once? You always have to be so passive-aggressive. She’s still your elder, you know."

Qian Ling retorted self-righteously, "If she thinks Hong Hua is so great, why didn’t she marry him off to her own daughter, Xiao Lan? Instead, she keeps pushing him on us Qians. Don’t you find that odd?"

Mrs. Qian and Mr. Qian said nothing, mainly because they didn’t know anything about Hong Hua either.

...

「In the blink of an eye, the winter solstice arrived.」

After finishing her broadcast, Meng Wei returned to the office. Her colleague, Zhu Xiao, called her outside for a private word.

"He Ming seems pretty interested in you. He’s asking you to dinner tonight. Are you going?"

Meng Wei bit her lip for a moment, then nodded. "I’ll go."

Zhu Xiao smiled. "Great. I’ll call him back right now."

After work, as she walked out of the broadcasting building, she saw Wen Jingerui waiting for her. A look of conflict and guilt flickered in her eyes.

"Jingrui, I’m so sorry. Something came up last minute, so I can’t have dinner with you tonight."

Wen Jingerui smiled. "It’s alright. Go do what you need to do. We can always reschedule."

"Okay. You should go ahead. I’m waiting for a friend."

"Alright. Goodbye."

Watching Wen Jingerui’s retreating figure, Meng Wei let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.

’Two-timing him is wrong,’ she thought, ’but this is about my happiness for the rest of my life. I have to be selective and explore my options.’

After walking some distance, Wen Jingerui suddenly remembered he’d forgotten to give Meng Wei the gift in his bicycle basket. He quickly turned around and headed back.

This winter was much colder than usual. In his department, the nurses were all secretly knitting gloves and scarves for their boyfriends.

Following their example, he had gone to the department store and bought a rabbit-fur scarf.

He was still a ways from the broadcasting building when he stopped in his tracks.

In front of the broadcasting building, Meng Wei was smiling radiantly as she accepted a bouquet of flowers from another man. Then, she got into a car parked by the curb with him and drove away.

Wen Jingerui stood there, stunned, for a long time. Then, with a bitter smile, he turned his bicycle around.

...

Night fell, and hazy streetlights flickered on along both sides of the road.

Jiang Moli had her hands stuffed in the pockets of her army greatcoat, her shoulders hunched against the cold as she peered toward the intersection.

When she saw a familiar figure ride past on a bicycle, she called out, "Doctor Wen—!"

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