RIRW – Chapter 96

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After finishing their conversation, Zuo Dan immediately tried to send him away. “Alright, you can hurry back now. I need to rest.”

Shen Yiming sat there obediently, looking at her.

Zuo Dan glanced at him sideways. “What?”

“Comrade Zuo Dan, you just kissed me,” Shen Yiming said with a serious expression.

Oh ho, now he’s pretending to be all innocent? As if she didn’t remember his past misdeeds. Zuo Dan covered her mouth and laughed, then leaned in and gave him another strong kiss. She smirked. “What? Am I not allowed to kiss you?” She clearly remembered that Shen Yiming still had a bit of trauma from before. Ha!

Shen Yiming’s face and neck turned red at a visible speed. He seemed to sigh, then suddenly reached out and pulled Zuo Dan into his arms.

The world spun, and Zuo Dan suddenly found herself looking up at him.

“Shen Yiming, what are you doing?”

Shen Yiming tilted slightly, supporting himself with both hands above her. “Comrade Zuo Dan, I haven’t been able to sleep for days. I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Zuo Dan pouted.

Shen Yiming kissed her pouted lips. “Of course, it has everything to do with you. Every time I close my eyes, I think of you.”

Zuo Dan: “…” Oh my god, why is Shen Yiming so seductive when he says sweet things? This is dangerous.

“Zuo Dan, if you’re not serious, then don’t tease me. If you do, you have to take responsibility. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep.”

Zuo Dan swallowed nervously. “And how exactly do I take responsibility?”

Shen Yiming leaned in immediately and kissed her lips. “Let me kiss you as much as I want.” Then, he captured her lips in a deep kiss.

Zuo Dan realized that when it came to certain things, men seemed to be naturally gifted. Take Shen Yiming, for example. At first, he could only press his lips against hers, then he learned to gently lick, and now his kisses were making her dizzy…

As if kissing her lips wasn’t enough, Shen Yiming started kissing her cheeks, then her neck. He tried to move lower, but Zuo Dan was wearing too many layers, so he couldn’t reach. Frustrated, he continued to kiss her neck.

As he kissed, Zuo Dan felt her whole body heat up. She was just beginning to enjoy it when—suddenly—he bit her!

Zuo Dan yelped in pain and immediately covered her neck. She pointed at Shen Yiming. “Shen Yiming, what the hell? Are you a dog?!”

Shen Yiming froze, then quickly reached out, looking guilty. “Let me see if you’re hurt.”

“No way! What if you bite me again?” Zuo Dan looked at him warily. Honestly, it didn’t hurt that much—it had just caught her off guard. But she wasn’t about to let him get away with it. “Shen Yiming, why did you bite me? Be honest, do you have some weird fetish?”

Shen Yiming’s face turned bright red.

“Tell me! Why did you bite me?” Zuo Dan refused to let it go. She needed to figure out if this little troublemaker had some creepy tendencies. Otherwise, she was in trouble.

Shen Yiming pursed his lips, looking embarrassed. “I just… I felt like I really needed to do something. I was so overwhelmed, and I couldn’t hold back…”

Zuo Dan: “…” Oh no, oh no. Good thing he only bit her. Otherwise, she’d be doomed. She quickly jumped out of bed. “Shen Yiming, go back to your room. You already bit me. If you still can’t sleep, that’s your problem. If you really can’t sleep, just close your eyes and keep repeating my name—one Dandan, two Dandans—until you count to a hundred. Then you’ll definitely fall asleep.” With that, she pushed him out the door.

After shutting the door, Zuo Dan felt relieved. She decided she needed to spend less time alone with Shen Yiming. Kissing and touching were fine—they felt good anyway. But anything beyond that? No way. That had to wait until after marriage. She had heard that it hurt a lot. No way was she going through that unless absolutely necessary.

The next morning, Shen Yiming had already disappeared.

Zuo Dan wrapped a scarf around her neck and went outside. The bright red scarf made her face look fair and her lips rosy. Her grandmother beamed. “Red looks great on you, Dandan. Yiming has good taste—this suits you perfectly.”

Zuo Dan was surprised. “Grandma, you’re saying Shen Yiming bought this scarf too?”

“Of course! Didn’t he get it for you? He brought it back last year for New Year’s. You didn’t know?” Her grandmother looked puzzled.

Zuo Dan pouted. “My dad brought this scarf home for me. Shen Yiming must have asked him to give it to me because he was afraid I wouldn’t accept it. No wonder my dad randomly came home with a scarf.”

That little rascal had been scheming from the start.

Her grandmother chuckled. “Back then, you two weren’t even dating yet. That boy was playing tricks to chase you. You should teach him a lesson once you’re married. I’ll fully support you.”

Zuo Dan hugged her grandmother. “Grandma, you’re the best.”

As she leaned in, her grandmother noticed the faint bite mark on her neck peeking out from under the scarf. Her eyes widened. That little brat! He had been secretly bullying Dandan. That boy needed a good scolding!

At the provincial military district newspaper office, Shen Yiming finished his work in the morning and made a phone call to the coal yard.

He asked Xu Dapeng to get Wei Jingren on the line.

Wei Jingren had just finished up in the cafeteria. When she heard that Xu Dapeng was calling her to answer Shen Yiming’s call, her eyes lit up. She hurried to the office.

“Yiming…”

“Comrade Wei Jingren, I really don’t want to waste any more time on your family. But if you people insist on causing trouble, go ahead and try me,” Shen Yiming’s cold voice came through the phone.

“Did your girlfriend say something to you? Yiming, don’t misunderstand. I really didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to explain…”

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Yiming said, “No need to explain. I’m not calling to listen to your excuses. You should change your name.”

“What?” Wei Jingren was shocked.

“Change your name. You know very well why your mother gave you that name. Using a fake name makes a person fake too. Change it yourself. I won’t waste my time forcing you, but you should change it.”

“I’m not changing it. This is my name. How can a person just change their name so easily? I won’t agree to that.” Wei Jingren’s voice carried a hint of grievance and tears.

Shen Yiming sneered. “You won’t change it easily? Are you waiting for some kind of benefit in exchange? You told Dandan about the origin of your name just to provoke her, so that she would pressure me into making you change it, right? You’re using this as leverage to negotiate for a job at the coal yard.”

Wei Jingren fell silent.

Standing nearby, Xu Dapeng could see her lips trembling slightly. He wondered what Shen Yiming had said to scare her like this.

On the other end of the line, Shen Yiming chuckled coldly. “I’m not negotiating anything with you. Change your name yourself. If you don’t, I’ll make sure you have no choice but to. I don’t have the power to create an extra position at the coal yard, but I can certainly make sure there’s one less temporary worker.”

Without waiting for her response, he hung up.

Wei Jingren stared at the disconnected phone in shock. She numbly placed the receiver back and walked out in a daze.

Xu Dapeng watched her leave, wondering just how ruthless Shen Yiming’s words must have been to make her react this way.

Curious, he called Shen Yiming back. “Yiming, what’s going on?”

Shen Yiming replied, “Someone overestimated themselves and tried to play a double game.”

“Her? Seriously?” Xu Dapeng found it laughable. How much confidence did this girl have to think she could outmaneuver Shen Yiming?

“I just told her to change her name. I gave her three days. If nothing happens, call me.”

Xu Dapeng was puzzled. “Why the name change? If you don’t like her, I can just get rid of her. She’s not even good at her job in the cafeteria. Always acting weak—those older cafeteria ladies already have complaints about her but only tolerate her because of Shao Aijun.”

Shen Yiming said, “Her work isn’t my concern. Handle it however you see fit. Just keep an eye on the name change for me.”

“Got it. No problem,” Xu Dapeng agreed readily.

After hanging up, he decided to have a chat with Shao Aijun, reminding him to keep his girlfriend in check and not let her stir up trouble. He was sure Wei Jingren must have provoked Yiming first. Otherwise, why would Yiming even bother with her? His heart was with Dandan in the provincial city, not with some insignificant woman here.

“Comrade Dapeng!”

Just as Xu Dapeng stepped out, he heard a familiar voice calling him. He turned and was surprised. “Zuo Dan? What brings you here?”

“Oh, Yiming went to work, so I thought I’d take a walk. And somehow, I ended up at the coal yard entrance. So, I figured I’d drop by and see you. Hey, are you free? Show me around.”

“Of course! Where do you want to go?”

Zuo Dan grinned. “Where do the workers’ families live? Take me there. Oh, by the way, that girl we ran into last time with Wei Jingren—she has a boyfriend, right? Does his family live here too? Point me in the right direction. Since we’re kind of acquainted, I should go for a stroll.”

Xu Dapeng raised an eyebrow. “Did Wei Jingren offend you?”

“No, no, not at all. It’s just that she showed up at my house yesterday, so I figured I should return the favor. It’s only polite.”

At the coal yard’s family housing area, Shao Aijun’s mother was feeding her chickens outside her home. She didn’t work, so she raised a hen to lay eggs for the family. It was a prized possession, a gift from relatives back home, already mature enough to lay eggs.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck. Eat more and lay lots of eggs for Aijun,” she said cheerfully.

“Hello, Auntie, sorry to bother you.”

A clear, sweet voice called out from the side. Shao Aijun’s mother turned to see a young woman with red, teary eyes—it looked like she had been crying.

“Miss, what happened to you?”

“Auntie, I’m looking for someone. I was told they live around here, but I can’t find their house.” Zuo Dan’s voice trembled slightly.

Shao Aijun’s mother asked warily, “Oh? Who are you looking for?”

“Shao Aijun’s girlfriend.”

Shao Aijun’s mother stiffened. “What do you need with her?”

“I’m so upset!” Zuo Dan wiped her eyes. “I wouldn’t have come all the way here if I weren’t. Auntie, do you know? Wei Jingren’s boyfriend can’t even keep her in check. She came to my house yesterday—do you know what she said? She said she has feelings for my fiancé!”

Shao Aijun’s mother was stunned. “That… that can’t be true!”

“Oh, it’s true! She said things I can’t even repeat. That’s why I came here today—to ask her family what’s going on. Why would she still be interested in my fiancé when she already has a boyfriend?”

Shao Aijun’s mother felt just as offended. Her son’s girlfriend had gone to another woman’s house to declare feelings for another man?

“I’m going to make a big scene at their house. And since I don’t live here, it won’t be embarrassing for me! My fiancé isn’t interested in her at all, but just knowing someone else is eyeing him makes me uncomfortable. Auntie, you’re a woman too—you understand, right?” Zuo Dan grabbed her hand.

Shao Aijun’s mother nodded hesitantly.

Zuo Dan sighed deeply and asked, “Auntie, where exactly does her boyfriend’s family live? I heard their last name is Shao. How many Shaos are there here? Can you point me in the right direction? I promise I won’t tell anyone you helped me.”

Shao Aijun’s mother hesitated. “Uh… there are quite a few Shaos here. You might go to the wrong house. Besides, her boyfriend’s family might not even be home right now. Maybe you shouldn’t go knocking.”

Zuo Dan pouted. “But Auntie, I really need to confront them!”

Shao Aijun’s mother quickly said, “No, no, let me handle it. I don’t mind meddling in unfair situations. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she doesn’t bother you again.”

“Really?” Zuo Dan looked doubtful.

“Really, really! Just leave it to me.” Shao Aijun’s mother assured her repeatedly.

Zuo Dan finally seemed relieved and smiled. “Thank goodness I met a kind person like you. I was ready to cause a huge scene, but now it looks like I won’t have to. Auntie, you’re so kind.”

Shao Aijun’s mother awkwardly smiled.

After leaving the family housing area, Xu Dapeng emerged from the side, curious. “What did you talk to her about?”

“Just some casual conversation,” Zuo Dan said cheerfully. “Comrade Dapeng, I really appreciate your help today. I’ll have Comrade Yiming treat you to a meal.”

Xu Dapeng grinned. “Make it lamb soup and flatbread!” If Shen Yiming was paying, he might as well eat something fancy.

“As much as you want.” Zuo Dan readily agreed—after all, she wasn’t the one footing the bill.