Chapter 133: Why Are You Such a Show-off?

As noon approached, Gu Qingfeng returned carrying two large crucian carp.

"Sining, let's make crucian carp soup for lunch."

Song Sining merely glanced at them before taking them casually.

"I'll go make it in a moment. Go inside first."

Gu Qingfeng immediately sensed her seriousness.

"What's wrong?"

"Let's talk inside."

A moment later, the two sat down in the living room.

Without waiting for Gu Qingfeng to press further, Song Sining took the initiative: "Li Qiuhua came by this morning."

Gu Qingfeng was somewhat surprised. "What did she come for?"

Although the two families were in-laws, they were not particularly close to Li Qiuhua.

"Jianguo moved into the factory dormitory. He wants to divorce her."

"Ah? Divorcing again?" Gu Qingfeng's expression became exaggerated, which was rare for him.

After all, there had been a scene just before Su Yan returned.

"What happened this time? Does it have something to do with Yan'yan?"

He understood Su Jianguo's temperament too well; aside from Su Yan, no matter how outrageous Li Qiuhua's actions were, he would not easily mention divorce.

Song Sining nodded. "Li Qiuhua cannot tolerate Yan'yan."

Gu Qingfeng's expression turned solemn; he wasn't surprised by this point.

"What did she mean by coming here?"

"She wanted you to persuade Jianguo. She also said many bad things about Yan'yan," Song Sining said truthfully.

Gu Qingfeng could already imagine it and shook his head helplessly.

"What are your thoughts?"

Song Sining finally smiled. "You, you just know what I'm going to say."

"We've been husband and wife for over twenty years. If I, as your husband, couldn't guess what my wife was thinking, wouldn't I be unqualified?" Gu Qingfeng's tone was naturally doting, reflecting the deep affection they had shared through years of hardship.

"Actually, I've been thinking about getting the two children married off as soon as possible. Once Yan'yan marries in, Li Qiuhua won't have so much to fuss about, nor will she dare to."

He was also helpless regarding this point.

"I considered that as well, which is why you should go see Jianguo this afternoon," Song Sining had already made her plans. "Tell Jianguo that he must either marry Yan'yan into the family or quickly sever ties with Li Qiuhua. It is impossible for him to keep both sides."

Reality was often like this; one could not have it both ways.

"Alright, I promise to deliver the message!" Gu Qingfeng actually felt a bit sorry for Su Jianguo; after all, at his age, he shouldn't have to deal with such domestic heartache. However, he felt more joy; the more Li Qiuhua caused trouble, the sooner the Gu family could welcome a daughter-in-law.

Between a daughter-in-law and an old friend, he would choose the former without hesitation.

"You'd better remind Jianguo as well: Li Qiuhua is a woman with an improper heart. Even if they continue to live together in the future, he must remain on guard," Song Sining's mind was exceptionally clear.

As Su Yan's stepmother, and given the relationship between the two families, if Li Qiuhua had even a shred of kindness, she should not have spoken ill of Su Yan in front of her.

Yet, not only did Li Qiuhua fail to cover for Su Yan, she deliberately added fuel to the fire, clearly intending to use this to sabotage the marriage.

Her malicious intent was plain as day.

If it weren't for her absolute trust in Su Yan, anyone else would have been manipulated by Li Qiuhua's provocations.

***

Xinghua High School.

With exams approaching, the atmosphere in the school was exceptionally tense.

Every student was thinking about achieving good grades, and of course, looking forward to the leisurely holidays after the exams.

Only Sun Mang could not hide the excitement on his face.

"Sun Monkey, looks like you've prepared well. You aren't nervous at all?"

His academic performance in class was at the bottom, so the classmate speaking was naturally being deeply mocking.

"I am nervous."

Although Sun Mang said this, the excitement in his voice was unmistakable.

He was about to learn skills from Su Yan; he didn't care about the exams at all.

"Su Yan, didn't you promise me you'd tutor me after school? You haven't forgotten, right?"

He shouted toward Su Yan at the top of his lungs.

Gossip-filled gazes immediately swept the surroundings.

Su Yan tutoring Sun Mang?

Wouldn't they just regress together?

Su Yan rose from her seat expressionlessly and walked toward the classroom door.

Sun Mang jogged to catch up.

"Who knows what's actually going on with those two? Coming and going together every day? Could they really be together?"

"Impossible! Su Yan is Senior Gu Yang's fiancée. Unless Senior Gu Yang is blind, he wouldn't choose Sun Mang!"

"Hahaha! Isn't Su Yan just a blind person herself?"

Even though Su Yan had already walked out of the classroom, she could still clearly hear the unpleasant mockery.

***

The small woods.

Sun Mang was already eager to start.

"Su Yan, what talisman are we practicing today? I'm still not very proficient with that Soul-Collecting Talisman you taught me last time. How about we practice that?"

"Not that one." Su Yan calmly shattered his beautiful imagination.

Sun Mang blinked. "Are you going to teach me a new talisman?"

That would be even better.

Without wasting words, Su Yan pulled two sandbags out of her cloth bag.

Sun Mang was completely stunned when he saw the sandbags.

"Su Yan, what kind of treasure is in that cloth bag of yours?"

How could it hold so much?

"Stop talking nonsense and tie the sandbags to your legs," Su Yan commanded.

Though he didn't understand, Sun Mang obediently did as he was told.

The two sandbags were not light; his legs immediately felt a strong sense of downward pull.

"Alright, now what?"

Su Yan casually pointed toward the depths of the mountain forest. "Let's start with a five-kilometer round trip today."

"Got it, no problem... Wait, Su Yan, did I hear you wrong? What did you say I should do?" A crack immediately appeared on Sun Mang's blissful face.

"Weighted running," Su Yan repeated.

Sun Mang felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning, leaving him charred inside and out.

After being excited for two days, what he finally looked forward to was weighted running?

"Heh, hehe. Su Yan, I still have an injury on my foot, did you forget?"

"You don't want to run?"

Sun Mang clearly felt the coldness radiating from beneath Su Yan's black veil.

"Fine, I'll run, okay?"

He slowly lifted his legs, muttering incessantly.

"Five kilometers is just ten *li*, right? A round trip would be twenty *li*. Are you trying to train me to be an athlete?"

Watching his unhurried, casual silhouette, Su Yan took a talisman out of her bag.

In the blink of an eye, the talisman transformed into a ball of fire and chased after Sun Mang.

Sun Mang noticed something was wrong almost immediately. When he turned around and saw the fire talisman behind him, he let out a terrified wail.

"Su Yan, what is this?"

"If it catches you, you're dead," Su Yan told him the fact with total indifference.

Sun Mang's expression changed drastically. Having just witnessed the power of the fire talisman, his heart began to tremble.

He bolted away instantly; this was truly a case of "fire burning his buttocks."

However, he soon discovered to his despair that no matter how fast he ran, the fire talisman stayed right behind him, impossible to shake off.

(End of Chapter)