Chapter 160: Lu Hanchuan’s Invitation

Chapter 160: Lu Hanchuan's Invitation

He Jing stepped in, "Alright, alright, although Xiao Xiao is beautiful, you're pretty great yourself, and there are many people chasing you. Moreover, you already have Fang Kaixuan devoted to you—do you really need more admirers?"

Wang Jiao: "That's not the case."

He Jing: "So, Xiao Xiao must be feeling more troubled."

Xia Li: "That's right, Xiao Xiao has a boyfriend—why would she need anyone else to confess?"

Tang Xiuxiu glanced at her nosy roommates, "Believe me, Xiao Xiao's boyfriend is way more handsome than that guy just now."

This only made those who hadn’t seen Lu Hanchuan even more curious, but Tang Xiuxiu wouldn’t spill any more details.

...

Even though Deng Xuefeng wanted to dig into Lu Hanchuan’s business, their social circles barely crossed paths, and he couldn’t ask directly—otherwise, he’d be lucky to just get a beating.

After all, he was still somewhat afraid of that tough guy from the compound.

But an opportunity soon came up.

The Han family was hosting a bash for Old Mr. Han’s 60th birthday.

At that time, most folks from the compound would have to show up to pay their respects, even if it was just for appearances.

Han Xing, being Lu Hanchuan’s buddy, surely had the inside scoop. He could take the chance to chat with Han Xing.

Deng Xuefeng was being a bit too optimistic, not realizing he might not get Han Xing alone.

Deng Xuefeng wasn’t the only one eyeing Old Mr. Han’s 60th birthday.

Lu Hanchuan had already received the invitation.

He was definitely going—after all, the Lu family and the Han family had a good relationship, and he and Han Xing were tight.

Old Mr. Han was pretty fond of him too.

Unless he was called away for military duty, there was no reason to skip it.

Han Xing called Lu Hanchuan, "You’ve got to come, but fair warning—Cheng Min will definitely be there, so watch out."

Cheng Min was the one who’d been chasing Lu Hanchuan.

Although she also had the surname Cheng, she wasn’t related to the Cheng family on Old Mrs. Lu’s side.

Cheng Min’s father was the director of the 103 Hospital near the compound.

The 103 Hospital usually served military personnel and their families from the compound.

Because of this, Cheng Min was very familiar with everyone in the compound.

She was smitten with Lu Hanchuan from the get-go and had been enthusiastically pursuing him ever since.

They say that when a woman chases a man, it’s like a thin veil.

But for Cheng Min, it was like scaling the Great Wall.

Old Mrs. Lu used to like Cheng Min quite a bit, often inviting her over as a guest. Even so, Lu Hanchuan still maintained an indifferent attitude toward her.

"What Cheng Min does is none of my business," Lu Hanchuan said indifferently.

Han Xing: "It’s like the flower is willing, but the stream is indifferent! Poor Cheng Min, she’s really unlucky."

Lu Hanchuan's tone was cold: "I’m seeing someone."

Han Xing: "Yeah, yeah, you have... wait, what?!"

Han Xing seemed to have heard something astonishing, "You’ve got a girlfriend? Seriously?"

Lu Hanchuan emphasized again: "So what? I’m dating someone."

Han Xing immediately pressed: "Who is she? What’s her story? You’re always stuck in the barracks, how’d you manage to find a girl? Is she someone from your unit, a fellow soldier, or what?"

Han Xing had too many questions, and Lu Hanchuan had no patience to explain.

"I’m out."

"Hold on, don’t go! Bring her around, let us meet her."

Lu Hanchuan was puzzled, "Why do you need to see her?"

Han Xing almost choked, "What’s with you? You’re so protective!"

"We’re not gonna take her from you! After twenty years of friendship, can’t we at least meet her?"

Han Xing mainly wanted to see who this person was who could actually win over Lu Hanchuan.

He was really impressed.

Lu Hanchuan: "I’ll check, but she might be busy."

Plus, with so many people from the compound there, Xiao Xiao might not want to come.

There’s always someone who’ll pry, and he didn’t want Ye Xiaoxiao to feel awkward.

Han Xing exaggeratedly said, "Tsk tsk, Brother Lu, you’re not the boss at home, are you? I’m dying to know who this mystery woman is."

Seeing Lu Hanchuan so humble was a first.

The call ended abruptly.

Listening to Han Xing’s rambling made Lu Hanchuan feel like a fool.

Talking to him too much is bad for your brain.

Lu Hanchuan wanted to check if Ye Xiaoxiao was up for Old Mr. Han’s birthday party. He called Peking University, and the call got transferred to the med school’s girls' dorm.

The dorm auntie told Ye Xiaoxiao to come down and pick up the phone.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Auntie, aren’t we not allowed to use this phone?"

The dorm auntie waved her hand, "This call came from the higher-ups, it’s probably important, so pick it up."

Ye Xiaoxiao picked up the phone, "Hello."

Lu Hanchuan chuckled, "It’s me."

Ye Xiaoxiao looked up at the dorm manager, who had already gone back to embroidering insoles, and lowered her voice.

"What's up?"

Lu Hanchuan wouldn't have called the dorm unless it was urgent.

Lu Hanchuan then told Ye Xiaoxiao about the birthday party.

"There will be a lot of people there, but it's okay if you can't make it."

Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "What day is it? Let me check my schedule."

Lu Hanchuan replied, "March 18th."

Ye Xiaoxiao thought for a moment. "That's a Monday. I have morning classes, but I can be there by noon. Will that work?"

Lu Hanchuan was taken aback that Ye Xiaoxiao was actually willing to attend with him.

"That works, no need to rush."

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "Okay, you can pick me up then. Do I need to bring a gift?"

"Don't worry about it, I've got it covered."

"Alright."

Ye Xiaoxiao agreed to attend Old Mr. Han's birthday party with Lu Hanchuan for a reason.

The Deng Xuefeng incident had been a wake-up call.

The original owner had some typical supporting female character traits—the kind who starts off popular but ends up alone and miserable.

In the early days, she was the darling of the neighborhood, so it was only natural that many people liked her.

After her engagement with the Xu family fell through, many started to get ideas.

Ye Xiaoxiao wanted to put a stop to all that, and showing up with Lu Hanchuan in public was the perfect solution.

Lu Hanchuan quickly explained why he was calling, added a few more pointers, and then hung up.

Ye Xiaoxiao headed back to her dorm with a spring in her step.

Since she told Deng Xuefeng who her boyfriend was, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him.

Lu Hanchuan's name really did the trick.

After the birthday party, no one in the neighborhood would dare mess with her anymore.

...

On the day of the birthday party.

After her morning classes, Ye Xiaoxiao went back to her dorm to drop off her stuff and change.

It was still pretty chilly in the capital, so she needed a sweater and a heavy coat.

Ye Xiaoxiao changed into a high-neck base layer sweater and jeans, paired with an indigo long cashmere coat and black women's leather shoes.

The coat was bought by Lu Hanchuan during their last shopping trip.

She hadn't worn it to school before, but today, for the birthday party, she wanted to dress up a bit.

This outfit wouldn't be out of place even in the 21st century.

Ye Xiaoxiao applied some lipstick, looked in the mirror, and was very satisfied.