Chapter 82

It was precisely because of that day's incident that Chen Dasheng became more restrained in front of Liu Xiaomin, fearing that she might also get angry like Liu Yunshi if he wasn't careful. However, he didn't expect that his restraint would make Liu Xiaomin feel uncomfortable.

Liu Xiaomin gave Chen Dasheng a strange look, assuming that Chen Dasheng was troubled by Li Lan's matter. She said, "I've already taken care of what you asked me to do. I got her out, so you can rest assured!"

"Huh?"

Chen Dasheng was taken aback for a moment, then he remembered that at Wenshu Temple, he had asked Liu Xiaomin to help get Li Lan out. Although Li Lan had gone too far, they had been in love, and Chen Dasheng didn't want her to end up with a criminal record. If it weren't for Liu Xiaomin's reminder, Chen Dasheng would have forgotten about it. It seemed that Li Lan had truly disappeared from his life. Seeing Liu Xiaomin's misunderstanding, Chen Dasheng just smiled and didn't say much, not wanting to bring up another woman.

"Liu Xiaoli will be back the day after tomorrow, did you know that?" Liu Xiaomin asked as they walked down the stairs.

Chen Dasheng nodded, "She told me. She actually came back yesterday, but said she had something to do and went back to her hometown. She won't be back in Rongcheng until Friday."

Liu Xiaoli had called Chen Dasheng on Monday to say she was coming back, with a flight on Wednesday. However, after returning to Rongcheng, she didn't stay and didn't go to Sisterhood. Instead, she went straight back to her hometown. Chen Dasheng was puzzled about why she would go back home for no reason, even to the point of not having time to visit Sisterhood.

Liu Xiaomin teased, "Once Liu Xiaoli is back, your good days will be over!"

Chen Dasheng rolled his eyes, "From childhood to now, my sister has never really managed me. Everything has been up to me. What do you mean by 'good days will be over'?"

Liu Xiaomin smiled, "Times have changed. In the past, Liu Xiaoli didn't want others to know she had a brother, to avoid causing trouble for your life, so she didn't manage you. Now, most of the forces in Rongcheng know about you. Do you think your sister will still let you do as you please?"

"Ha, don't scare me. Let me tell you, my sister is very traditional. I'm the only male in our family. According to the saying 'after the father's death, follow the elder brother,' our family has no elder brother, only me, the younger brother. So, I am the head of the family. Whatever I say goes!" Chen Dasheng said with a proud smile.

Liu Xiaomin pouted, "You only talk big in front of me. If Liu Xiaoli were here, you wouldn't dare say that. She would skin you alive."

"Even if she were here, I would still say it, uh..." Just as they came down the stairs, they saw a woman standing at the bottom of the stairs. Chen Dasheng's proud smile froze.

It was Li Lan. The woman was Li Lan, standing by the stairs, her face slightly haggard, looking nervous and anxious, as if waiting for someone.

Chen Dasheng saw Li Lan, and Liu Xiaomin saw her too. Li Lan also noticed the two of them coming down the stairs.

Chen Dasheng glanced at Li Lan and then turned his head away, as if she were a stranger, passing by her without a word.

"Dasheng!"

After taking a few steps, a slightly trembling voice called out from behind. Chen Dasheng stopped for a moment, slowly turning around. It was Li Lan's voice.

Seeing that Li Lan seemed to have something to say, Liu Xiaomin whispered to Chen Dasheng, "You talk. I'll wait for you outside." She gave Chen Dasheng a meaningful look, then turned and left the teaching building with her lesson plan.

At the bottom of the stairs, only Chen Dasheng and Li Lan were left. Occasionally, a student would pass by, glancing back at the two of them standing there.

Li Lan looked at Chen Dasheng, her eyes watery and slightly swollen, as if she had been crying. In just this short month, so much had happened, so much that was strange.

"Do you need something?" Chen Dasheng finally spoke, wondering why she had come to see him. Could it be that she wanted him to forgive Shu Yulong's family?

Her familiar voice, once so gentle, now felt cold to Li Lan. Her heart felt as if it had been stabbed, and her face showed a look of sorrow. She looked up at the man who was both familiar and strange, and after a long pause, said, "I, I broke up with him!"

"Huh?"

Chen Dasheng was taken aback. Li Lan's voice was too low, and he didn't hear clearly. "What did you say?"

Li Lan bit her lip, looked up at Chen Dasheng, and raised her voice, "Dasheng, I broke up with Shu Yulong!"

"Uh! Why are you telling me this?" Chen Dasheng was surprised. From Li Lan's appearance, he could sense her purpose.

Seeing that Chen Dasheng kept a distance of at least three meters while talking to her, Li Lan took two steps forward, mustering her courage, "Dasheng, can we, can we go back to the way we were before?"

Indeed, his intuition was right!

"Are you okay?" Chen Dasheng shook his head lightly and said directly, "We're over, we've been over for a month. We both know it's impossible to go back to the way we were before."

From the moment Li Lan said she had broken up with Shu Yulong, Chen Dasheng knew what she was going to say. Now, hearing it, he felt even more helpless, and his impression of Li Lan dropped even further.

She had broken up with him because he was poor and then got together with the rich and handsome Shu Yulong. Although Shu Yulong wasn't a good person, she had kicked him out when the Su family was in trouble and Shu Yulong was in the hospital. Chen Dasheng didn't know if this was right or wrong.

"If you only came to say this, I won't keep you company. My friend is waiting for me. I'll go now." Chen Dasheng turned and walked away. In his heart, there was no longer a place for Li Lan.

"Dasheng!"

Seeing Chen Dasheng about to leave, Li Lan called out in a panic, ran up to him, and hugged him from behind, pressing herself tightly against him.

"Let go!" Chen Dasheng frowned, remaining calm.

Li Lan didn't let go and immediately buried her face in Chen Dasheng's back, crying, "Dasheng, I know it's all my fault. I shouldn't have been materialistic, I shouldn't have loved wealth and despised poverty. I know I was wrong. We've known each other since high school, and it's been five years. We've only been broken up for a month. Please, please forgive my small mistake. Can we go back to the way we were before? I promise I won't be like that again, okay?"

Li Lan's voice was choked with sobs, and she cried uncontrollably, her face a mess of tears and smudged makeup, drawing the attention of many people.

Chen Dasheng, feeling helpless, grabbed Li Lan's hands and pried them apart, turning to face her. He saw that her face was covered in tears, her makeup completely ruined.

"Li Lan, can you calm down? What's most important between a man and a woman? Loyalty and trust. You didn't just make a small mistake. If I were still a poor boy today, do you think you would come back to me?" Chen Dasheng held Li Lan's shoulders and said seriously.

Li Lan looked up with tearful eyes, sobbing as she looked at Chen Dasheng. His words hit the mark. She wanted to win back Chen Dasheng's affection, and it was largely because of his recent success. If Chen Dasheng were still a poor boy, she definitely wouldn't have come back to him.

"I can forgive you for getting people to beat me and causing trouble at Sisterhood, but I can never forgive you for betraying me." Chen Dasheng looked straight into Li Lan's eyes, his gaze resolute.

"I didn't get people to beat you, it was Shu Yulong!" Li Lan quickly explained.

Chen Dasheng shook his head, "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you were involved!"