Reborn as a Rich Woman in the Eighties
Chapter 182 - 181 Indiscretion

Chapter 182: Chapter 181 Indiscretion

Lu Zheng offered to help, but they all told him not to worry about it, so he had no choice but to sit quietly in the living room sipping tea.

He gently stroked the rim of his teacup, lost in thought.

Lin Xia and Lin Qiu had a silent understanding in the kitchen, one chopping vegetables while the other cooked.

Lin Qiu leaned closer to Lin Xia and whispered, "Sis! After I left, what did Big Brother Lu say to you?"

Lin Xia was busy blanching the cubed pork belly, intending to prepare a dish with it. Without looking up, she answered, "He didn’t say anything!"

Lin Qiu pursed her lips with a smile, muttering softly, "I don’t believe it!" He didn’t say anything yet you blushed all the way to your ears? She thought to herself, surely Big Brother Lu must have said something to her sister!

Lin Xia said, "Whether you believe it or not, there’s nothing I can do!" He truly didn’t say anything.

"Sis!" Lin Qiu glanced towards the living room, then whispered into her sister’s ear, "Actually, both Dongzi and I think Big Brother Lu is quite nice!"

Lin Xia raised an eyebrow, "When did you two discuss this?"

Lin Qiu whispered, "It was before Dongzi started school..." At that time, the two of them had talked a lot privately and felt that although their Second Brother was also nice, he didn’t have the bravery and sense of security that Big Brother Lu did.

But now with Second Brother nowhere to be found, Lin Qiu’s eyes dimmed.

Noticing the change in her eyes, Lin Xia softly commanded her, "Xiaoqiu, focus on cooking!"

"Oh!" Lin Qiu put her curiosity aside and silently chopped the vegetables.

Lin Xia, however, glanced towards the living room and lightly pressed her lips together.

She didn’t deny her fondness for Lu Zheng, but the gap between them was too great, and she often told herself to be calm and rational;

Yet his sudden arrival definitely disturbed the peace of her heart...

Jiang Mingqing, who had left Lin Xia’s house earlier, was having dinner with Sheng Yijin with red eyes.

She hadn’t expected that Lin Xia would not only seek Sheng Yijin’s help but also bring a man to her workplace to make calls to help find her Second Brother.

Jiang Mingqing, curious, wiped her eyes and pressed Sheng Yijin, "Big Brother Sheng! Who is that man to Lin Xia? My mom and I have been to her place before, and I really haven’t seen him!"

When she had visited Lin Xia’s home, she hadn’t seen any man. Could he have been hiding in another room? It was certainly a possibility!

Sheng Yijin said, "I’m not clear on what his relationship is with Lin Xia, but the calls he made were to leaders! And by the accent, he’s not from around here!"

"Could he possibly be Lin Xia’s boyfriend?" Jiang Mingqing felt uncomfortable as she asked this.

In her heart, not even her Second Brother was good enough for Lin Xia, how could she find someone better than him?

"That I’m not sure!" Sheng Yijin saw Jiang Mingqing’s bias against Lin Xia and reminded her again, "Xiaoqing! It was me who stopped Lin Xia from notifying you; don’t blame her for it.

She’s been running around for your Second Brother’s sake..."

When Jiang Mingqing came to the office looking for him and mentioned Lin Xia, her tone was sharp—he could sense her disagreement with Lin Xia.

Jiang Mingqing quickly defended herself, "Big Brother Sheng! How could I blame her? I was just upset when I first found out..."

Speaking of Jiang Mingyuan, Jiang Mingqing’s tears started flowing again, "I don’t know where my Second Brother is now... if anything’s happened to him..."

"Xiaoqing! Your Second Brother should be fine! Stop crying!"

Jiang Mingqing, delicately wiping her tears, nodded vigorously, "Don’t worry, Big Brother Sheng, when I get the chance, I will sincerely apologize to her!"

"Good!" Sheng Yijin, seeing her react this way, felt some things were better left unsaid.

He kept checking his watch; if it weren’t for Jiang Mingqing’s sobbing in the office that was affecting her colleagues’ work, he wouldn’t have taken her out to eat.

The calls the man that Lin Xia brought had made were still pending feedback; it was better for him to stay by the phone.

What if there was news about Jiang Mingyuan?

Jiang Mingqing noticed Sheng Yijin’s anxiety and understandingly indicated that she was done eating.

After parting ways, Jiang Mingqing watched Sheng Yijin’s retreating figure until he was out of sight, then bit her lip and turned to leave...

Lin Xia had prepared a table full of dishes to entertain Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng praised Lin Xia’s cooking skills, and as everyone was eating, the front door was suddenly knocked on.

Lin Xia and Lin Qiu couldn’t fathom who it might be, so both went to open the door, with Lu Zheng instructed not to bother getting up.

When Lin Xia saw that it was Jiang Mingqing standing outside, her face turned cold.

"What are you doing here?"

She was very angry about what Jiang Mingqing had previously said at her home.

If it weren’t for Zhao Da Nian being there at that time, she definitely wouldn’t have let it go just like that.

What did he mean by saying she should never think about entering his house?

Indeed, she got along well with Zhao Da Nian and her second brother, but that didn’t mean she had any plans for the future with her second brother.

She even had to thank Jiang Mingqing for what he said today, as it made her see the reality more clearly. If her second brother was to return safely, she would definitely keep an appropriate distance from him.

With red-rimmed eyes, Jiang Mingqing said, "Lin Xia! Sheng Da Ge just treated me to a meal and explained that it was all his idea!

He also mentioned you asked a friend to help... I want to thank you on behalf of my second brother!

You see, when I heard about my second brother’s situation, I was too emotional and spoke without thinking... So, in consideration of my second brother’s face, could you please forgive me?"

On the way there, Jiang Mingqing had thought a lot; perhaps she had indeed been too emotionally unrestrained.

Even if she felt a certain way inside, she shouldn’t have voiced it outright.

So, she thought it would be better to apologize and, by the way, inquire about the man Lin Xia knew.

Lin Xia and Lin Qiu were both taken aback by this turn of events.

Jiang Mingqing had always seemed very proud and full of a sense of superiority in their eyes, and this behavior seemed unlike her.

Lin Xia pursed her lips; with Jiang Mingqing mentioning her second brother like that, what else could she say?

"Alright! Come in and we’ll talk!"

But the kernel of resentment in her heart didn’t just vanish.

In the past, she had envied Jiang Mingqing, who had such a wonderful family and was able to attend university, later becoming a teacher at a school.

But now, she felt that sometimes people shouldn’t just judge by appearances.

Jiang Mingqing followed Lin Xia and Lin Qiu into the house.

Upon seeing Lu Zheng sitting at the living room table, Jiang Mingqing’s eyes widened in surprise.

She wanted to see who the man Lin Xia knew was.

But she hadn’t expected the man Lin Xia knew to be so handsome and imposing, obviously someone from a good family background. A pang of discomfort instantly hit her.

Lin Xia made introductions between the two with indifference.

Lu Zheng, with a stern face, merely nodded as a form of greeting.

Jiang Mingqing’s arrival had brought the atmosphere at the dinner table to a freezing point.

At this point, Lin Xia had nothing much to say to Jiang Mingqing. She was indeed worried about her second brother’s lack of contact, but now it seemed that some of her actions might lead to a lot of speculation in the eyes of others.

Therefore, it was better for her to remain silent.

Lin Qiu, who was inherently introverted, had grown even quieter after witnessing the scene at the door. She knew from listening that Jiang Mingqing had said something unpleasant, so she was even less inclined to speak.

Thus, Jiang Mingqing left awkwardly after just sitting for a few minutes without really settling in.

The departure of Jiang Mingqing didn’t have much of an impact on the three of them, and they continued their meal.