Meng Mu stepped forward excitedly, grabbed Xing Yuan's hand, and said gently, "Good child, can you do Auntie a favor?"
Xing Yuan looked at her cautiously, feeling a sense of unease, but did not refuse directly. "Auntie, please tell me, what favor?"
"It's like this, I have a friend who lives in town. His son is coming back these few days. I originally wanted to ask someone to pick him up, but it's inconvenient for me, and I'm old, my legs and feet aren't good.
Xiao Yue is a girl, I'm afraid she'll be bullied.
I've also noticed recently that you're quite strong and probably won't be easily bullied, so I was thinking you could go pick him up."
Xing Yuan froze. Her first reaction was to refuse. This definitely had a catch.
But Meng Mu's next sentence made Xing Yuan swallow back her refusal.
"Oh! I knew you'd be troubled. If it's really not possible, then let Xiao Yue go! They were childhood sweethearts, grew up together, and have a good relationship!"
"No!" Xing Yuan grabbed Meng Mu's hand, trying to convey her firm resolve. "Auntie, there's no need to trouble Yue Yue with such a small matter, I'll go."
"Alright." Meng Mu nodded readily, so quickly that Xing Yuan was absolutely sure there was a trap.
But Meng Mu's tactic of retreating to advance was brilliant. Xing Yuan couldn't bear the thought of Meng Fanyue meeting a man who might rekindle their old flame.
In the blink of an eye, the day arrived.
Meng Mu sent Xing Yuan out early and, by the way, brought back Meng Fanyue, whom she had finally managed to get rid of.
"Mom, how was your test?"
When Meng Fanyue left, Meng Mu's reason was to test Xing Yuan and see if she could be entrusted with her daughter.
Although Meng Fanyue knew her mother had her own ulterior motives, she still agreed.
Because she believed that no matter what the test was, Xing Yuan would pass.
"Sigh!" Meng Mu sat on a chair and sighed heavily.
Her eyes were full of sorrow. "Mom tested her for you, and she's not qualified."
Meng Fanyue raised an eyebrow. Though she didn't believe it, she didn't interrupt her mother, instead gesturing for her to continue.
She played along, "Why isn't she qualified?"
Meng Mu immediately perked up. "I asked her to pick someone up, just to test her. And the result? As soon as she heard it was a beauty, she eagerly went off. This shows she's not a reliable woman."
Meng Fanyue chuckled, a helpless curve to her eyebrows. "Mom, I know you object, but this is too much!"
"Not to mention she's not a lecherous person, but even if she were, your daughter is much prettier than those people outside." Meng Fanyue said with a hint of narcissism.
She was speaking the truth. Meng Fanyue was naturally beautiful. Even before she was an adult, people were coming to propose marriage, but Meng Fanyue refused them all. To prevent her parents from having such thoughts, she made up her mind and went to join the army.
Over the years, although Meng Fanyue's skin had gotten a bit darker from the sun, her face was still beautiful.
And she was after her looks!
It's just that she hadn't succeeded yet.
Thinking of this, Meng Fanyue felt a pang of regret.
Meng Mu was speechless, clearly not expecting her daughter's reaction.
But she quickly got into character, sighed heavily, and said with a mournful expression, "My daughter is growing up and doesn't need me anymore! Now, for a woman, you don't even believe your mother."
Meng Fanyue rubbed her temples with a headache. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I believe she wouldn't do such a thing."
And her mother, to break up this couple that seemed abnormal in the eyes of the world, might be capable of telling a small lie.
"Sigh! I won't say more, you can see for yourself. Now, they should be at the station."
Meng Fanyue's heart skipped a beat. Although she still didn't believe it, a faint sense of unease settled in her heart.
Even if she truly wouldn't fall for someone else, what if her mother had deliberately set a trap? In this era, if something truly happened, someone had to be held responsible.
Meng Fanyue pointed at Meng Mu, her voice trembling. "Mom, you didn't do anything excessive, did you!"
Meng Mu lowered her head guiltily, mumbling, "What excessive things could I do? Even if I did, it's because she herself has such unsavory thoughts."
Without time to argue further with her mother, Meng Fanyue got on her bike and rushed towards the station.
There weren't many people at the station. As soon as Meng Fanyue entered, she saw a familiar figure.
After a few days apart, her skin seemed to have improved.
This thought suddenly flashed through Meng Fanyue's mind, and then she ran towards that direction without hesitation.
At this moment, a young man suddenly leaned in and, before Xing Yuan could react, he put his arm around her neck with a grin.
"Let's be friends?" the young man said with a smile.
Xing Yuan reacted, giving the man a cold, dismissive look. With one hand, she twisted the arm that had been around her shoulder, broke it, lifted the man high like a rag doll, and then threw him to the ground.
"Ah—" the man cried out in pain, curling into a ball.
Xing Yuan looked at him expressionlessly, stepped on his fingers, and walked past him.
Meng Fanyue stared blankly at the scene before her, feeling a sense of disillusionment.
She vaguely remembered that her sister seemed to be a gentle person. The person before her was extremely cold, almost heartless.
Meng Fanyue's first thought was that this was what her mother wanted her to see, but she dismissed the idea.
Impossible! Even she hadn't seen her sister like this, so how could her mother know?
No!
Meng Fanyue recalled the events just now and vaguely felt that the man's flirtatious approach might have been the elaborate play her mother had arranged. She just hadn't expected Xing Yuan to be so ruthless.
Even watching from afar, she felt pain, let alone the man himself.
As Xing Yuan walked away, Meng Fanyue cautiously approached the man lying on the ground.
The surrounding people seemed to be scared by the scene and no one dared to come near. This, however, made it easier for Meng Fanyue to act.
She kicked the young man, who was curled up on the ground like a shrimp.
"Hey, what did you say to her just now?"
The man, enduring unbearable pain, clutched Meng Fanyue's shoe, begging, "Miss, please take me to the hospital!"
Meng Fanyue's lips curved into a cold smile, but her tone was extremely gentle. "Alright! But before that, you have to answer me one question."
Meng Fanyue squatted down and gently squeezed the man's broken arm, causing him to cry out in pain.
"You, what did you say to her?"
Looking at the gentle smile on Meng Fanyue's face, the man felt a chill envelop him from head to toe.
Damn it, he must have had terrible luck to take on this job!
He was crippled before he could even get into character, and now he was being threatened by a weak woman, and he had no choice but to compromise.