The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 159 - 156: Confrontation

Chapter 159: Chapter 156: Confrontation

Xue Jianian said while holding the third kitten, "I’ll take this one, the two spots on its mouth are like a painted mustache. Very cute."

"This is a male, and he’s very lively. But he’s also very clingy."

When they were talking, He Tongzhang came over on his bike. He originally thought it was just an ordinary short-haired cat but was surprised by how good-looking it was and took to it instantly. Seeing the spotted kitten in Xue Jianian’s arms, he thought she was giving way to him and addressed both with respect, "Sister Niannian, Sister Xiao Qiu, I really love it so much. Don’t worry, I will definitely treasure it."

Lu Jingqiu gave them some instructions, "I always use a litter box for them, and they won’t poop or pee randomly when they see it. But you have to clean the litter box regularly, or it will smell bad. As for food, they eat steamed buns soaked in water, all sorts of leftovers, boiled noodles, meat, fish—these they also eat. They can have raw eggs, cooked eggs, and they drink water too."

Both of them suddenly understood, and He Tongzhang exclaimed in surprise, "Your cats eat so well, they even get meat and eggs? You actually feed them these things?"

"Ah, I treat them as my children. These little ones want to find a good home. Tongzhang, you must not skimp on taking care of it, ha."

"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s chubby. We mainly want to observe its growth and decide what medicine to use and how much if it gets sick, and also look out for parasites and such."

"Then, will you perform operations on it?"

"Generally not, at most we might do a neutering surgery, but that’s also done by our teacher. We don’t have the capability yet."

"Ah, you even do that."

"Yes, Sister Xiao Qiu. If there are stray cats in your hospital, remember to help us catch some. If your cats need anything, you can come to us. Give us a chance to make a contribution to the country too."

"Okay, my Hua Hua needs to be spayed. I’ll contact you in advance when it’s time."

"Alright, no problem."

He Tongzhang didn’t stay long before he left.

Jiang Nanzhou and Lu Jingqiu were also about to leave. Just as they were leaving, they saw Xue Jianian looking hesitant to speak, and Lu Jingqiu couldn’t help but whisper, "What’s up? Do you have something on your mind?"

"Could you be my bridesmaid tomorrow? I don’t know many people here. My dorm mates have all gone home for the holiday."

Lu Jingqiu was expecting something more serious and immediately agreed, "Sure, is one enough? I can ask my girlfriends too."

"Would that be okay?"

"I’ll check if they’re available first and come to see you tonight."

"I’ll wait for you here tonight."

"Great."

Xue Jianian and the others also had to head out, to go to the state-owned restaurant to pay the manager a deposit.

So, the few of them stepped out together and just happened to bump into Gao Shu and Xia Lin head-on.

Upon seeing Lu Jingqiu, Gao Shu greeted her politely, "Jingqiu."

Lu Jingqiu’s lips bore a faint smile as she politely said, "What a coincidence."

"And this is?"

"My partner, Jiang Nanzhou. Nanzhou, this is Qingqing’s elder brother from our compound."

Jiang Nanzhou nodded at Gao Shu, the smile evident in his eyes: "Yes, I know her, I’ve seen her in Ten-miles Village."

Standing beside him, Xia Lin greeted Jiang Nanzhou enthusiastically: "That’s right, when we were in Ten-miles Village, I was really lucky that Comrade Jiang saved me. It’s such a coincidence to be here at our doorstep now, Comrade Jiang, please come and sit at my house. Have lunch with us today; I’ll call Shen Mu over in a bit."

Jiang Nanzhou said, "No need, we still have things to do."

Lu Jingqiu, observing Xia Lin’s eyes swirling with charm, understood why Xia Lin was always so enthusiastic whenever she saw Jiang Nanzhou, and, affirming her territory, hooked her arm through Jiang Nanzhou’s and said: "Gao Shu, Xia Lin, Nanzhou and I are getting married at the end of the year. We’ll definitely send you an invitation, and remember, make sure you come."

Sure enough, Xia Lin’s expression froze: "You... so soon?"

At that moment, Xue Jianian let out a snort, mocking: "They’ve been together for almost a year, getting married is the expected attitude."

Gao Shu stared at Xue Jianian and frowned, not quite approving of her tone, but didn’t bother to argue with a female comrade. Turning to Jiang Nanzhou, he said, "Jingqiu is a nice girl. I hope you don’t let her down."

Jiang Nanzhou laughed: "The one I love, finally brought home, naturally has to be cherished for a lifetime—there’s no need for Comrade Gao to worry about this." His words contained a hint of brotherly rivalry.

Probably not expecting Jiang Nanzhou to respond that way, his face flushed a shade of white then red, and just as he was about to say something, Xia Lin interjected: "Comrade Jiang, the two of them are educated youths from Ten-miles Village and from the same compound. It’s natural for them to be concerned about little sister Jingqiu. After all, Jingqiu used to chase after my family Ah Shu to the countryside... Now seeing her settled so well makes us happy for her." Her smile turned into a crescent, looking cheerful, but the words she spoke clearly meant otherwise, and the few people present could all hear it.

Gao Shu’s brows also furrowed.

Lu Jingqiu was not afraid of Jiang Nanzhou overthinking it—after all, it was true. If he minded, it could only mean that they weren’t fated. Disliking Xia Lin’s attitude, she was about to retort when Jiang Nanzhou squeezed her hand, silently comforting her.

He laughed and said, "Comrade Xia’s words are quite ambiguous, easy to lead to misunderstandings. Luckily, my Qiuqiu had talked to me about it, and at the time, I scolded her for being foolish. Not even a glance her way, yet she went out of her way to be heartfelt.

I get the impression from Comrade Xia’s words that chasing after your family Gao Shu is something to be proud of. He was merely first to the scene, having met my Qiuqiu earlier than I did. Do you believe that if we had met sooner, there wouldn’t be this silly business of my Qiuqiu running to the countryside? So, Comrade Xia, what exactly are you trying to say with this? There’s no need to brag, and absolutely no need for you to make me misunderstand. If you’re sincerely advising us, I thank you."

That sudden assertive defense by Jiang Nanzhou warmed Lu Jingqiu’s heart like a fire in winter. Looking at the two people opposite her, especially Xia Lin, their faces showed confusion and embarrassment.

"Why would Comrade Jiang think so? That’s not what I meant."

Jiang Nanzhou feigned innocence: "Perhaps I’ve misunderstood then?"

Wei Jincheng shook his head: "Maybe it’s us soldiers who can’t keep up with the thinking of college students. Oh, so you’re all from Ten-miles Village, right? Niannian, what did the person who pushed you into the water say?"

Xue Jianian pretended to be angry: "He said it was a woman from Ten-miles Village who told him to do it, and he even knew my name, wanted to harm me severely. Hmph, better for him not to let me find out who he is—otherwise, I definitely won’t let her get away with it. By the way, Comrade Xia, you’re a villager from Ten-miles Village, right? Do you know of such a fair, sweet, and cute-looking girl whose family elders manage things in the village, seems like she got into college, oh, and about your age? This woman is vicious. I don’t even know what I did to offend her. When you return to Ten-miles Village, Comrade Xia, I’ll join you. I really want to see who would deal me such a cruel blow."

Gao Shu, who had just been upset by Jiang Nanzhou’s words, listened to the insinuations from Wei Jincheng and Xue Jianian and felt even more preposterous: "You’re saying someone from Ten-miles Village specifically went out of their way to harm you?"

"Yes, we caught the person, named Mazi. Unfortunately, our place is too far from yours, the police station couldn’t spare people to investigate, but we won’t let this go. The police said they will come to Ten-miles Village to look into it when they have time."

"Mazi"—isn’t that the comrade who hangs around with that hooligan?

Wei Jincheng asked: "What, does Comrade Gao know him?"

Without a word, Gao Shu remained silent; Xia Lin, panicked inside, feigned composure: "This kind of absurd story, whom are you trying to fool? Xue Jianian, ever since you moved here, you’ve been stirring up trouble, claiming my house is too noisy one day, and the next that our tree has grown into yours—will you never stop?"

"No, I won’t. How dare you say that when you were the one with the nerve to report me after having someone search my house. Snitching when your own hands aren’t clean. I’m telling you, I don’t like the sight of you, that’s that."

"You..."

Gao Shu had never seen someone so unreasonable in his life, daring to bully his wife right in front of him: "Comrade Xue, if you’ve done something wrong, you need to take responsibility for it and can’t blame others. If I catch you bullying Xia Lin again, don’t blame me for being impolite."

Wei Jincheng disagreed: "What does ’being impolite’ entail? Speak up, Comrade Gao, I’d like to be enlightened."