Chapter 881: Who Are You Calling Evil?

Li Ye’s expression changed, and Zhao Meiwen immediately grew afraid.

“Brother, I didn’t tell them about your situation—I just said I had overseas sponsorship. I wasn’t showing off. I really wasn’t.”

This time, Zhao Meiwen truly burst into tears.

Since Li Ye and Wen Leyu confirmed their relationship, Li Zhongfa and Wu Juying had issued strict orders to their children: no one was allowed to flaunt Li Ye’s connection to Wen Leyu outside the family.

Moreover, Zhao Yuanchao, due to the nature of his work, repeatedly emphasized to Zhao Meiwen the necessity of keeping quiet—especially about things like “my cousin married a Haomen daughter”—and warned her that if she said such things, he’d break her legs.

Think about it—if Ruan Jiawei knew Zhao Meiwen’s cousin-in-law was from Wen Leyu’s family, would he still have said that “one-year deadline” nonsense?

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

Li Ye smiled and comforted Zhao Meiwen: “My wife and I aren’t monsters you have to hide. So what if I show off?”

“.”

In truth, Li Ye fully understood Zhao Meiwen’s behavior.

You can’t expect a girl under twenty to have the composure and cunning of a middle-aged person.

Which girl, when belittled or looked down upon, wouldn’t want to prove herself?

【You think I can’t get a study-abroad spot? I’ll show you in a heartbeat!】

It’s only natural, nothing to criticize.

So Li Ye handed Zhao Meiwen a handkerchief to wipe her tears and said seriously: “If the two of you are truly compatible and your families are truly suited, then my and your sister-in-law’s situation will eventually come out.”

But you must consult your family first—ask your mother’s opinion.”

“Hmph~”

Grandma Wu Juying sniffed again, pursing her lips: “Your aunt said to find out about that family first, and then let your big cousin take charge.”

【Holy shit, a grown girl wants me to make the call? How bold!】

Li Ye was both amused and exasperated, but he couldn’t ignore it.

If it were up to Li Ye’s temperament, he’d skip the inquiry entirely and just start over—but his aunt and uncle had always treated him exceptionally well; back when he used to fight, his uncle had cleaned up after him more times than he could count.

【Economic Committee—who should I ask?】

As Li Ye was pondering whom to consult, Grandma Wu Juying said: “If you don’t have a suitable contact, just go visit directly—ask them straight out what they think. We won’t beg, but we won’t beg alone either.”

“Grandma, how can you even ask something like that? We’re the bride’s side.”

“So what if we’re the bride’s side?”

Grandma Wu Juying glared, her voice sharp: “This kind of thing must be settled clearly—who’s looking down on whom? If it weren’t for the generational gap, I’d go myself!”

“.”

In a flash, Li Ye suddenly understood why his grandfather had married his grandmother.

Imagine—Grandfather Li Zhongfa was still injured! Grandmother brought him meals and medicine every day, and once he’d grown hungry enough, she’d demand a straight answer.

Just ask Li Zhongfa how he’d handle that!

“Alright then,”

Li Ye nodded and told Zhao Meiwen: “Tell Ruan Jiawei your brother wants to visit and ask if he’s willing to receive us.”

If they had just plainly said ‘it’s inconvenient,’ Li Ye would’ve been spared the trouble!

…………………

Zhao Meiwen called Ruan Jiawei to arrange it, and Li Ye pulled Wen Leyu aside to whisper: “I can’t ask this myself—later, ask Meiwen if she and Ruan Jiawei have anything real going on, if she’s been taken advantage of.”

Wen Leyu immediately rolled her eyes at Li Ye, sneering: “You have evil thoughts doesn’t mean others do too.”

What do you mean I have evil thoughts? Every man has them!

When Li Ye first courted Wen Leyu, he endured immense restraint—only after marriage did he finally win her over. So he believed he was no worse than Liu Xiaohui.

So Li Ye complained: “Don’t you know how respectful I was when we were dating? Why are you unfairly slapping me with this label now?”

But Wen Leyu scoffed: “Hmph, do you think I can’t read your eyes? How many times did I kick you away before you forgot?”

Li Ye was speechless.

Wen Leyu had indeed kicked his shin back then—but she’d also said, “Stop flirting with me, or I won’t be able to take it!” It was mutual attraction—why was it all his fault now?

Li Ye grew angry and snapped: “So if I had actually been evil back then, you’d have left me, right?”

“.”

Wen Leyu’s face flushed crimson, then she growled: “If you’d dared to be evil with me back then, I’d have kicked you so hard you’d never get out of bed again—fine, I’d nurse you for life!”

【Holy crap, that analogy is off—just to avoid being evil, they’d both spend their lives celibate? What an insane level of fidelity!】

…………………

Zhao Meiwen called back—the groom’s side agreed to Li Ye’s visit.

Wen Leyu had also confirmed: Zhao Meiwen, having heard too many of Li Ye’s warnings—especially about the tragic fate of Lu Gang—had only held hands with Ruan Jiawei; there was still room to maneuver.

So the next day, Li Ye canceled his vacation, bought gifts, and went with Zhao Meiwen to visit.

The gifts were modest but thoughtful: two bottles of Xifeng liquor, a bunch of large bananas, two boxes of luncheon meat, and pastries from Daoxiangcun—four items, a lucky number.

When they arrived at the Economic Committee’s residential compound, the guard called inside before letting Li Ye in.

By the time Li Ye reached Ruan’s building, he already felt uneasy.

Though men in the 80s weren’t as accommodating to women as today, couldn’t you at least come out to greet us?

The Ruan family lived in a newly built dormitory, on the second floor. Based on Li Ye’s understanding of 80s housing allocation rules, Ruan’s father must’ve been a mid-level official.

But a Beijing mid-level official should’ve been more humble than Zhao Yuanchao, a deputy director in a county town!

Whatever. I’m here already—might as well take a look.

Li Ye and Zhao Meiwen climbed the stairs and knocked.

The door opened.

Li Ye finally understood why Zhao Meiwen was so obsessed.

The boy in front of him was kinda handsome.

Though he still fell short of Li Ye by a few points, his refined demeanor made him naturally appealing to girls.

At 1.75 meters, he wasn’t as tall as Li Ye’s 1.80, but in this era, he was still considered tall.

【Sigh, girls are all beauty addicts!】

Li Ye recalled an older woman’s dating philosophy from his past life: “You don’t need money, but you must be clean.”

Back then, Li Ye thought that was simple—but his friend had sadly explained: “Clean” meant clean-cut, handsome, and fresh-looking. If you looked like Xiao Bao, even a full scrub wouldn’t make you “clean.”

“You must be Brother Li! Come in, come in… no need to change shoes, just be comfortable.”

Ruan Jiawei welcomed Li Ye with a bright smile—his manners and warmth forced Li Ye to admit: this kid wasn’t just good-looking, he was well-bred.

But when Ruan Jiawei’s mother brought out a plate of fruit from the kitchen, Li Ye changed his mind.

Her eyes flickered over the gifts, and a faint, barely noticeable smirk curled her lips.

Mockery.

Li Ye’s sharp observation instantly confirmed she was mocking him and Zhao Meiwen.

【Seriously, what the hell.】

People in Beijing drink Erguotou—I brought Xifeng, what’s wrong with that?

Who doesn’t love meat these days? Is luncheon meat not good enough?

Ruan Jiawei ushered Li Ye and Zhao Meiwen to the sofa, then knocked on a bedroom door.

“Dad, Xiao Wen and her cousin are here~”

“Oh, alright.”

Ruan Jiawei’s father emerged from the bedroom, smiling and greeting Li Ye—nothing seemed amiss.

But Ruan’s mother scolded her son: “Your father’s exhausted from work—he finally gets a day off, why’d you call him out?”

Do you think I’m not tired? I haven’t had a break in half a month.

This is only because it’s my cousin’s affair—if it were my own, I’d have stormed out long ago.

But Ruan’s father’s next words surprised Li Ye.

“I heard you graduated from Peking University’s Economics Department—do you know Cai Minying?”

Li Ye’s mind raced, then he replied calmly: “I’ve heard her name—she was the genius of the class of 80. I entered in ’82; she’d already gone abroad.”

“Oh~”

Ruan’s father murmured, his disappointment fleeting but clear.