From that day on, Li Wanru switched to working mornings, and in the evenings, she would go for walks or casual meals with Chen Jiancheng.
Things between Meijin and Ming Jian were still up in the air.
Around 5 PM, Wanru received a call from Meijin.
"I'm listening, Jin!" Wanru picked up the phone.
"I'm so sad, Ru! Can you hang out with me for a bit?" Meijin said listlessly.
"Another bar?" Wanru asked hesitantly.
"No, I won't take you there again." Meijin quickly explained.
"Oh, good then. I'll come over to you after I get off work."
"No need, I'm already in front of the restaurant where you work."
"..." Li Wanru poked her head out to look, and sure enough, Meijin's car was parked not too far away.
Meijin had made such a sudden appointment that Wanru hadn't even had time to call Chen Jiancheng to tell him not to pick her up. What if the two of them ran into each other here? How would she explain it? Suddenly, Wanru felt a little guilty.
"Ah, Jin, why don't you go to the cafe next door and wait for me for a bit?"
"No need, you'll be off work in about 10 minutes."
"Ah... Alright, Jin, wait for me a moment!" Wanru hesitated for a while, then quickly hung up and called Chen Jiancheng. The phone kept ringing. Usually, Chen Jiancheng would always arrive a few minutes early to wait for her. Although Meijin was supportive, Wanru felt like Meijin had come to catch her in the act.
"Hello!" Chen Jiancheng picked up.
"Are you coming to pick me up?" Wanru asked urgently.
"Yes, that's right. I'm waiting at a red light, I'll be there in two minutes."
"Don't come. Meijin is waiting for me at the restaurant entrance. Don't turn in."
"..."
"I'll call you later, okay?" With that, she hung up.
Chen Jiancheng frowned in confusion. So what if his niece was at the entrance? What did that have to do with him picking her up? But Chen Jiancheng didn't listen to her; he still drove to the restaurant, just parking a little further away. After a while, he saw his little girl come out and get into his niece's car. After thinking for a moment, he sent her a message.
"No bars, no drinking."
Li Wanru's face darkened when she received the message. It seemed that the bar incident was deeply ingrained in this old uncle's mind.
"I know!" Wanru replied.
"Send me your location when you arrive. Call me if anything happens." Chen Jiancheng replied quickly.
"I know, I remember, I'll definitely think of you first." Wanru replied to the message with a smile. Why did she suddenly find her uncle so adorable?
Meijin, who was driving, looked at her friend, who was smiling foolishly, and asked, "Texting Uncle Chen?"
Li Wanru: "..." Should I tell her?
"How are things with you and Ming Jian?"
"Still the same. I'll tell you in a bit." With that, both fell silent. Li Wanru had successfully changed the subject.
Meijin took Wanru to a pottery workshop in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. As they entered, Meijin said, "I just found this online! The shop looks so pretty!"
The two chose an unoccupied corner to sit in. A staff member gave them a brief introduction and then left them in peace. This was Wanru's first time in such a place, so she was a little overwhelmed. She enthusiastically kneaded the clay in her hands, but didn't forget to ask, "So, can you tell me now?"
"Hmm, the other day Ming Jian and I went to see a movie at the mall. On the way back, a girl came up and said she was Ming Jian's girlfriend. She verbally attacked me, and Ming Jian intervened and called her family."
Then he explained to me that he met her in Australia, and he doesn't understand why she followed him back here."
"..."
"Min Jian said she has a mental illness, and she sees Min Jian as the light in her life, so she followed him, and he couldn't refuse."
"Are you disappointed, Mei Jin?" Wan Ru asked.
"Only my friend understands me."
Mei Jin smiled calmly and continued.
"Even though I know Min Jian doesn't have feelings for that girl, if he does, it's only pity.
But I feel like my affection is being divided into tiny pieces.
It's true that I used to love Min Jian with all my heart, and he left without a word for seven years.
I feel disappointed because my feelings are still intact, but he has already shared them with someone else."
"But Mei Jin, you know Min Jian didn't do anything wrong, right?" Wan Ru asked.
"Right, I know that clearly.
I can't blame him for doing something wrong to me.
But I'm really, really disappointed."
Mei Jin expressed herself with a very nonchalant attitude.
Wan Ru knew that her heart had somewhat calmed down.
Li Wan Ru was silent; the original story wasn't like this.
It seemed that Lan An, Min Jian's ex-girlfriend, didn't have any mental illness.
In the original story, she was also talented and astute.
She was a supporting female character beloved by fans of the original work.
Now, she has become a mentally ill, pathetic woman who chases after another man.
Li Wan Ru's thoughts became more strained. In the original story, she was the one who plotted to harm Mei Jin, but now she wasn't going in that direction.
Could the person replacing her be Lan An?
"Mei Jin!" She lowered her voice, looking very serious.
"Hmm?" Mei Jin, who was focused on making her vase, also replied.
"Mei Jin, don't meet Min Jian for now. I have a bad feeling about that girl!"
"Yes, I feel that way too. She looks crazy.
That's why I've been avoiding Min Jian too lately."
"That's for the best!"
Li Wan Ru praised the female protagonist, Mei Jin.
When she read the story, she really liked Mei Jin because she was righteous, strong, and very decisive.
Now, facing her, even though things different from the original story were happening, Mei Jin still coped steadily.
A female protagonist like this is truly worthy.