Liang Yufeng, in this matter, was not a dog, but a wolf. Lan Lan had decent stamina, but she still couldn't keep up with him. That night, she slept like a log, thinking she'd be in bed all day Saturday.
However, Liang Yufeng didn't let her wish come true. The next morning at seven-thirty, she was woken by Liang Yufeng. Lan Lan, furious, left a scratch mark on his arm, "Why are you disturbing me? Don't you want to live!"
"It's time to get up," Liang Yufeng said, ignoring the pain. "We're going to pet school today."
"You go to yours, why call me?" Lan Lan tried to burrow back into the covers, but Liang Yufeng picked her up, determined to take her along.
The end result was that Lan Lan drank two Americanos, perked up, and went to school with him.
There were many other puppies at the pet school. After a few days, Muffin had made a good friend, a Shetland Sheepdog two months older than her. When Liang Yufeng and Lan Lan arrived for class, they saw Muffin chasing the Sheltie on the lawn, completely engrossed in their play.
The dog trainer naturally assumed Liang Yufeng and Lan Lan were a couple and spoke to them about Muffin's progress in class. "Your child is very trainable. She's done very well these past two or three days. I'll demonstrate the training content later, and you can learn it. I'll also teach you the meaning behind some of her little behaviors."
Soon, the trainer brought Muffin over. The dog she had been playing with had already been taken back, leaving only her on the lawn.
The trainer first demonstrated what Muffin had learned in the past few days. Professionals were indeed impressive. Muffin was much more disciplined than at home and less easily excited. She understood the trainer's commands.
After the demonstration, the trainer gave Muffin a small jerky treat, and Muffin crunched it happily.
While attending classes with Muffin, Lan Lan always felt like she was at a parent-teacher conference for kindergarten. Liang Yufeng was much more serious than her, even taking notes on his phone while the trainer spoke, like a diligent student.
Lan Lan remembered that he used to be like this in his university classes.
Muffin attended school for over two months and graduated successfully. During these two months, Muffin had also grown significantly, doubling in size from when she was first brought home. The growth rate of medium to large dogs was truly astonishing.
In the meantime, Lan Lan had been attending pet school with Liang Yufeng, gradually developing a parental feeling. From initial reluctance, it became a natural habit.
Liang Yufeng's contact with Zhou Bing seemed to have completely stopped. At least, Lan Lan never saw them attend any public events together again, nor did Liang Yufeng mention Zhou Bing to her.
Then, one day, Lan Lan came across Zhou Bing's social media. She announced her boyfriend and showed off her engagement ring. Judging by the photos, the couple was very much in love.
It seemed that her previous relationship with Liang Yufeng was indeed just an act. Lan Lan, considering Zhou Bing a friend, gave her post a like.
Shortly after, Zhou Bing messaged her privately, explaining the situation with Liang Yufeng.
Lan Lan replied, "I know, he told me."
Zhou Bing asked, "So, how are things between you two now?"
Lan Lan replied, "Same old."
After a few minutes, Zhou Bing asked again, "After all these years, aren't you considering getting married? He really likes you."
Marriage...
During this time, she found herself thinking about it more and more, becoming increasingly indecisive. Marriage required a moment of impulse; the more rational one was, the harder it was to make a decision.
Liang Yufeng had also never mentioned it. He had already passed his birthday this year, turning thirty-one.
Xu Zhengxi was very anxious about Liang Yufeng's marital status but knew that he couldn't force Liang Yufeng to compromise with his own efforts. Therefore, he took a risk and went to Runcheng to bring Jiang Wan back to Nanjiang.
The caregiver at the nursing home was Liang Yufeng's person, so it wasn't easy to get Jiang Wan out. Xu Zhengxi went personally, under the guise of visiting Jiang Wan, and then, when the caregiver went to get something, he took Jiang Wan away.
Jiang Wan was disoriented and didn't resist, thinking she was just going out for some fresh air with him. Little did she know, she was being taken onto a plane.
When Liang Yufeng received the news that Xu Zhengxi had taken Jiang Wan, Jiang Wan was already on the plane. The caregiver kept apologizing to Liang Yufeng, but he didn't blame her.
Since Jiang Wan was hospitalized, she had been taking care of her diligently, which Liang Yufeng had noticed. Xu Zhengxi had clearly planned this. Liang Yufeng knew his intentions.
Jiang Wan woke up on the return flight and realized she was on a plane, so she asked Xu Zhengxi, "Where are you taking me?" She was lucid at this point.
"Back to Nanjiang. You'll live with the Xu family from now on," Xu Zhengxi said. "You need to help Yufeng with his marital affairs."
"Help with what?" Jiang Wan asked, confused. "Aren't he and Lan Lan doing well?"
Judging by Jiang Wan's tone, she seemed to like Lan Lan very much. Xu Zhengxi asked her, "Have you met her?"
"Yes, I have. They've been together for so many years, and their relationship is very stable. Lan Lan is very good to Fengfeng, and she's good to me too," Jiang Wan asked him, "Are you preparing for their wedding?"
If they were getting married, it would make sense to bring her to Nanjiang.
Xu Zhengxi chatted with Jiang Wan for a long time and learned that Liang Yufeng and Lan Lan had a relationship in college. According to Jiang Wan, Liang Yufeng had agreed to return to the Xu family back then precisely to give Lan Lan a better life.
This information was vastly different from what Xu Zhengxi had previously investigated. He had already looked into Lan Lan. Not to mention anything else, but in the years she had worked at Xinhe, she had dated seven or eight boyfriends. Only after Liang Yufeng returned did the people around her become stable. How could it be as Jiang Wan described?
Xu Zhengxi's mind worked quickly. Combining the information he had with what Lan Lan had said during their last meeting, he deduced some facts.
As Jiang Wan had said, Lan Lan and Liang Yufeng likely dated in college. The records showed they were in the same department. At that time, it was probably Lan Lan who broke up with Liang Yufeng, which was why Liang Yufeng hadn't let go for years and hadn't mentioned it to Jiang Wan. Lan Lan was likely a major factor in his decision to return to the Xu family.
Therefore, after returning to China, he quickly established cooperation with Xinhe and threatened Lan Lan to return to his side. This entanglement lasted for another two years.
Xu Zhengxi became even more convinced that Lan Lan was after the Xu family's fortune. He absolutely would not allow Jiang Wan to have such a good impression of Lan Lan.
Therefore, Xu Zhengxi asked Jiang Wan, "Do you know how Lan Lan treats Yufeng?"
Jiang Wan didn't catch his implication. "Lan Lan treats Yufeng very well. What's wrong?"
Xu Zhengxi found Lan Lan's information on his tablet and handed it to Jiang Wan, letting her see for herself.
When Jiang Wan saw photos of Lan Lan with different men, her expression changed, and her eyes showed unconcealed shock. "What is this...?"