manynovel Page 49
Page 49
He sat in the car, his eyes fixed firmly on the entrance to the yoga studio, secretly plotting how to find Li Wei, who was using the alias Zhuang Yan, through Lan Weiwei.
Time ticked by, and Su Chang's patience gradually wore thin. He glanced at his watch, a growing sense of frustration creeping in: "I've been waiting all day. Is there really no hope today?"
Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly saw Lan Weiwei walk out of the yoga studio. Su Chang's eyes lit up instantly. He stared intently at Lan Weiwei, only to see her run straight towards a man, and then the two of them embraced and kissed, oblivious to everyone else.
Su Chang's heart suddenly raced. He tried to calm himself down and carefully observed the man. Although he couldn't see his face clearly, Su Chang's intuition told him that this was Li Wei, the top conman in "Let's Get Married," the man he was looking for. He took a deep breath and waited until the two got into their car and drove away before continuing to follow them.
Half an hour later, Su Chang followed the two to a Western restaurant. He waited until Lan Weiwei and Li Wei went inside before getting out of the car, holding the DSLR camera that he had prepared the night before.
Su Chang entered the Western restaurant, casually glancing around while secretly observing Lan Weiwei and Li Wei's seating arrangement. When he saw them sitting by the window, he found a nearby seat and ordered a mid-range set meal. After all, he didn't particularly enjoy Western food, and besides, he wasn't there as his real self.
After ordering, Su Chang picked up her DSLR camera and pretended to take pictures of the scenery outside the window, but in reality, she was secretly observing Lan Weiwei and Li Wei. She noticed that after the two finished ordering, she didn't immediately take pictures of them.
Su Chang took out a few business cards with the name of independent photographer Li Sheng printed on them and a few red envelopes from his pocket, found a young couple, and walked straight over.
"Hello! Handsome guy and beautiful girl, this is my business card. I wonder if you could do me a favor?" Su Chang handed the business card to the boy and said with a gentle expression.
The boy looked at Su Chang with wariness, after all, he was too handsome, while the girl looked at him with infatuation, nodding repeatedly and saying, "Handsome guy, if you need any help, just say so."
"Okay, thank you, handsome guy and beautiful lady. My name is Li Sheng, and I'm an independent photographer. I'm currently taking some photos of couples for a competition. I saw how loving you two are and wanted to capture it. But don't worry, I won't take these photos for nothing; this is just a small token of my appreciation." Su Chang said, handing over the prepared red envelope.
The young couple noticed that the red envelopes were quite generous, as Su Chang had put 2999 yuan in each one, which was considered a good omen. The girl was already tempted, and upon hearing that there was money to be had, she immediately said, "No problem, handsome Li, how can we cooperate with you?"
The boy glanced at the red envelope and ultimately didn't object. Hearing what Su Chang was about to say, Su Chang smiled and said, "You two beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen, there's no need for you to cooperate so much. Just eat normally. I just need to snap a few photos."
"Oh, okay, no problem." The boy breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Su Chang's words. After all, not many boys like taking pictures, and he probably would have refused if there were any other requests.
Afterwards, Su Chang took a few simple photos of the couple, thanked them, and then walked towards another couple. Su Chang repeated the same thing, and this couple, who had already witnessed Su Chang's behavior and conversation with the previous young couple, agreed without much thought.
So Su Chang gave another red envelope, and then he found several other couples and used the same method.
Finally, Su Chang walked over to Lan Weiwei and Li Wei's table. Before Su Chang could speak, Lan Weiwei said, "Handsome, are you going to take a picture of us?"
Su Chang smiled gently: "Yes, I wonder if this most beautiful lady in the whole restaurant would grant me the honor of taking a few photos of you and this most charismatic handsome man?"
After Su Chang finished speaking, he handed over the business card and red envelope. Lan Weiwei quickly took them. Li Wei wanted to object, but Lan Weiwei hugged Li Wei's arm and said coquettishly, "Oh, Brother Wei, don't object! This is a great opportunity!"
A pleading glint in her eyes, and her slightly pouting lips made her look even cuter. Li Wei felt a little disgusted watching Lan Weiwei's coquettish behavior; she'd stolen her best friend's boyfriend and was still so self-satisfied, but he couldn't show it directly.
“Weiwei, you know my relationship with Taozi. If someone takes pictures of us and posts them online, won’t Taozi cause trouble for both of us?” Li Wei said, frowning.
Upon hearing this, Lan Weiwei quickly shook Li Wei's arm and said coquettishly, "Brother Wei, don't worry, no one will know. Besides, it's just a small activity, it won't have any impact. If you agree, tonight..."
Although she didn't finish her sentence, a meaningful and seductive smile appeared on her face, as if telling Li Wei that if he agreed, everything that night would be wonderful. Looking at Lan Weiwei's smile, Li Wei hesitated. After all, he knew this little vixen had many positions she could unlock.
How could Su Chang possibly give up this opportunity? He said to Li Wei with a sincere expression, "Sir, I really think you two are a perfect match and very much in love. If you feel uncomfortable about it, that's okay. I promise I won't use your photos for the competition. I just can't bear to miss such a beautiful moment. I'll send you the photos later as a keepsake. Is that alright?"
Looking at Su Chang's sincere expression, and then at Lan Weiwei nestled in his arms, Li Wei thought about the wonderful evening ahead. He stared at Su Chang again and asked, "Are you sure our photos won't be sent out?"
Su Chang patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, sir, I guarantee I won't send it out based on my professional ethics." But in his heart he was thinking, "Hehe, I'll just send it to Yang Tao and Xue Sumei. My profession is picking up girls. What do I care about being a photographer? Besides, it was Li Sheng who guaranteed it. What does it have to do with me, Su Chang?"
Lan Weiwei said coquettishly from the side, "Oh dear, just let him take the picture. It's not like there's any loss, and it'll be a keepsake." Li Wei sighed helplessly, but finally nodded.
Su Chang was secretly delighted and quickly picked up his camera to take pictures of Lan Weiwei and Li Wei. As he took the pictures, he praised their beauty and temperament, making Lan Weiwei and Li Wei feel quite flattered.
After taking the photos, Su Chang thanked the two again, then took their phone numbers, told them she would print out the photos and send them to them later, and then left. As for the meal, was that important? After paying the bill, she left the Western restaurant directly.
"Oh yeah!" Once in the car, Su Chang excitedly slapped the steering wheel and shouted as he looked at the photos he had just obtained. He glanced in the direction of the Western restaurant, a smirk playing on his lips, revealing a smug smile: "Li Wei, Li Wei, let's see how you die this time?"
Su Chang went to a photography shop and had several copies of Lan Weiwei and Li Wei's photos printed. She sent one copy to Lan Weiwei's house. Since she had promised, Su Chang would certainly keep her word.
However, Su Chang hesitated about sending the photos afterward. After all, if she anonymously sent them to Tao Zi and Xue Sumei, Lan Weiwei would recognize them, and Tao Zi and Xue Sumei would think she was scheming, leaving a bad impression on them. That wouldn't do.
After thinking for a while, Su Chang printed out a set of photos of the other couples, packed them all in transparent bags, and then went to the mall to buy some gifts before heading to Xue Sumei's house.
Upon arriving at Xue Sumei's house, Xue Sumei opened the door and, seeing Su Chang there, excitedly welcomed her inside: "Su Chang, what brings you to Auntie's house today?"
Su Chang quickly and politely replied, "Auntie, I saw Taozi yesterday. I went out today to take some photos, and after developing them, I came to see you." As she spoke, Su Chang slyly waved the transparent bag in front of Xue Sumei, secretly pleased with herself: "Hehe, look how excited Auntie is. I bet there will be some gossip to tell you when she sees the photos."
"Oh, is that so? Then come in quickly." When Xue Sumei saw that Su Chang was carrying quite a few gifts, her smile widened, but she still pretended to complain, saying, "Oh dear! Xiao Su, you're here, why did you bring gifts?"
Su Chang immediately smiled and explained, "Auntie, these are just small things. It's not appropriate to come empty-handed for the first time." After saying that, she handed over the gifts, which Xue Sumei immediately took, but said, "Alright, Su, I'm telling you, I'll let it go this time. But if you do this again, Auntie won't welcome you anymore."
Su Chang was secretly delighted, thinking to herself, "No wonder they're mother and daughter. If you weren't so hard to suppress, I would believe you." She quickly pretended to be innocent and said, "Okay, next time I'll definitely come to freeload with my bare hands."
Xue Sumei smiled and said, "That's no problem."
Xue Sumei placed the gift on the entryway and then led Su Chang to sit down in the living room.
Su Chang sat on the sofa, wondering how she could let Xue Sumei see the photos of Lan Weiwei and Li Wei.
Xue Sumei thought Su Chang was a little nervous on her first visit to her home, so she smiled and said, "Little Su, don't be nervous, just make yourself at home."
Su Chang nodded and said, "Okay, Auntie."
After chatting for a while, Xue Sumei suddenly asked, "Xiao Su, how did your chat with Taozi go yesterday? Is Taozi as pretty as Auntie said?"
Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Fight Broke Out
Su Chang said, "Auntie, Taozi is as beautiful as you. I like Taozi very much, but I don't know what Taozi thinks."
Xue Sumei smiled and said, "It's alright. No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Since Taozi can chat with you, it means she still likes you. She's a good girl. You can spend more time with her and be sure to treat her well in the future."
Su Chang quickly said, "Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely treat Taozi well."
After chatting for a while, Su Chang felt that it was about time, so she casually took out the bag of photos: "Auntie, these are a set of couple photos I took today. I feel that when I see photos like these often, I unconsciously want to have a sweet romance."
Upon hearing Su Chang's words, Xue Sumei said to her, "Really? Then, Su, show the photos to Auntie too, and Auntie will show them to Taozi as well, so she can experience it for herself."
Su Chang smiled and nodded, thinking: Isn't she hooked? But she still handed the photos to Xue Sumei and said, "No problem, Auntie. I think Taozi can look at them more. These beautiful moments will make people unconsciously like the feeling of being in love."
Xue Sumei took the photos, her face full of smiles, nodding and praising Su Chang: "These photos are really well taken. You should take more pictures of Taozi in the future."
Su Chang was secretly pleased with himself. He had specially learned photography for his ex-girlfriend, so he was confident in that.
However, when Xue Sumei flipped to the last few photos, her smile froze instantly, her eyes widened, and her face was filled with disbelief. She rubbed her eyes, as if trying to confirm what she was seeing. Then, her face turned extremely grim: "Bang!" She slammed the photos down on the coffee table.
Although Su Chang was somewhat prepared, he was still taken aback. He feigned grievance and asked innocently, "Auntie, is there something wrong with the photo? Please don't be angry. If the photo isn't good, I'll take it back." As he spoke, Su Chang reached out to put the photo away.
Xue Sumei then remembered that Su Chang was still beside her. She tried to soften her expression, picked up the photo of Lan Weiwei and Li Wei, and said to Su Chang, "Little Su, I'm sorry, Auntie wasn't angry with you. Can you tell Auntie where this photo was taken?"
Su Chang feigned ignorance and asked, "Oh, Auntie, this photo was taken this afternoon at the Western restaurant along with those other photos. Is there a problem?"
Xue Sumei pointed at the two people in the photo through gritted teeth and said, "Xiao Su, I won't lie to you. This woman is Lan Weiwei, the daughter Lan Caiping introduced to you yesterday. She's also Taozi's best friend. And this man is Li Wei. He swindled my daughter out of her money and ran away. He's a complete scumbag! You tell me..."
"What?" Before Xue Sumei could finish speaking, Su Chang stood up, feigning surprise and anger. "He's Li Wei? How could they do this?" He wore a pained expression on his face, but secretly chuckled to himself, thinking: Li Wei, Li Wei, let's see where you can run this time.
"Yes, that Lan Weiwei and that damned Li Wei, how could they do this to my Taozi?" Xue Sumei's eyes reddened as she spoke, and tears streamed down her face. Then, as if she had thought of something, she picked up the photos of Lan Weiwei and Li Wei and was about to leave.
Su Chang knew that Xue Sumei was definitely going to settle scores with Lan Caiping, and he wasn't about to miss this opportunity to watch the drama unfold, so he stood up and asked, "Auntie, what's going on?"
"Oh, Xiao Su, I'm sorry, Auntie has to go out today, so I can't entertain you. I'll definitely cook you a big meal another day to thank you." Xue Sumei didn't dare let Su Chang know what she was going to do. She didn't even dare to tell Su Chang that Li Wei was Yang Tao's ex-boyfriend.
"Oh, that's alright, Auntie. Since you're going out, how about this, I happen to have a car, I'll take you there. It'll be safer that way, otherwise I won't feel at ease leaving you there so late at night." Su Chang said sincerely, but in her heart she was thinking: Don't do that, I've got the gossip, how can you not let me have some?
Xue Sumei glanced at the darkening sky outside the window, then at Su Chang, and then, as if she had made a decision, sighed and said, "Alright, Xiao Su, then I'll trouble you to take me there." With that, the two of them went out the door.
After a ten-minute drive, Su Chang arrived at Lan Caiping's building, following Xue Sumei's directions. As soon as she parked, Xue Sumei, without a word, stormed upstairs with several photos in her hand. Seeing this, Su Chang quickly parked her car, intending to follow her.
But after thinking about it, he decided to call Yang Tao first, just in case something unexpected happened later, Tao would blame him terribly.
As soon as the call connected, Yang Tao's gentle voice came through: "Su Chang, it's so late, what's up?"
Su Chang feigned mystery, pretending to hesitate before speaking, and said, "Ahem! Um... Peach Beauty, Aunt Xue, she..."
When Yang Tao heard Su Chang mention her mother and seem hesitant to speak, her heart tightened. Thinking something had happened to Xue Sumei, she roared, "What happened to my mother?"
Su Chang's ears rang from the loud noise, and he quickly explained, "Um... Peach, don't worry, Aunt Xue is fine now." He thought to himself: She's fine now, but who knows what might happen if those two fake besties start fighting later.
Yang Tao breathed a slight sigh of relief, but still asked with some concern, "Oh, it's good that everything's alright. I'm sorry, Su Chang, did my mom need something from you?" Yang Tao guessed that it was her mother urging Su Chang to start dating her, which made her feel a little annoyed, but also somewhat relaxed.
Su Chang thought to himself, how am I supposed to tell Yang Tao this? He hesitated for a moment, then concealed the crucial information and said, "No, Taozi, hey! You should come to Aunt Lan Caiping's house. I can't explain it clearly in a few words. Your mother has rushed to Aunt Lan Caiping's house and is fighting for her life. I'll go up and check first, just in case something happens."
"Huh?" Yang Tao was startled upon hearing this and quickly said, "Okay, Su Chang, thank you for your trouble. I'll be right there. Could you please keep an eye on my mom and the old lady for me and make sure they don't start fighting?"
Su Chang quickly patted his chest and assured her, "Okay, Peach, then be careful on the road. Don't worry about Auntie's safety, just leave it to me."
"Okay..." Before Yang Tao could finish speaking, Xue Sumei's roar came from upstairs: "Lan Caiping, open the door for me!"
"Um, Peach, which floor does Aunt Lan live on?"
"11nd Floor."
Su Chang didn't dare to say anything more. He knew the big show was about to begin. He hung up the phone and ran upstairs, roaring in his heart, "Wait a minute, you two! I'm not here yet!"
Meanwhile, Yang Tao called Lan Weiwei as she left the house: "Hey! Weiwei! Hurry, something's happened! My mom went to your house and started fighting with your mom for some reason..."
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The doorway of Lan Caiping's home on the 11th floor.
When Xue Sumei arrived at Lan Caiping's door, she pounded on the door, her face filled with anger.
When Lan Caiping opened the door and saw Xue Sumei, who looked like she was there to interrogate her, she angrily snapped, "Xue Sumei, what's wrong with you? What do you want to do in the middle of the night?"
Xue Sumei glared at Lan Caiping and said through gritted teeth, "Lan Caiping, how dare you ask me what I'm doing? Look at the mess your daughter has made!" As she spoke, Xue Sumei threw photos of Lan Weiwei and Li Wei at Lan Caiping's face.
Lan Caiping couldn't dodge in time and was caught off guard by Xue Sumei. She didn't care about the photos anymore and directly rolled up her sleeves, pointed at Xue Sumei, and shouted: "Xue Sumei, what's wrong with my Weiwei? If you don't explain yourself clearly to me today, I'm not done with you."
"You're not done with me yet? I'm not done with you either! Don't you have eyes? Your Weiwei actually stole Taozi's boyfriend! You're shameless!" Xue Sumei retorted directly, rolling up her sleeves as if she was ready to fight Lan Caiping.
"You're talking nonsense! Xue Sumei, my Weiwei is so beautiful, why would she need to steal your Taozi's boyfriend? Besides, my Weiwei is single now. Her ex-boyfriend is named Zhuang Yan, what does he have to do with your Taozi?" Lan Caiping was not one to be trifled with, so there was no reason for her not to retort.
"Lan Caiping, you're the one talking nonsense. Look at the photos yourself," Xue Sumei said, pointing to the photos on the ground.
Just then, Su Chang finally arrived, secretly lamenting that he hated gossip that had no beginning or end.
However, she still stepped forward and pulled Xue Sumei aside, comforting her, "Aunt Xue, let's talk things out. Don't get angry. It's not good to make a scene here so late at night. Let's go inside and talk. Don't hurt yourself by getting upset. Aunt Lan, is that alright?"
Su Chang dared not let the two argue in the hallway. It was more interesting to enjoy this gossip by herself. Lan Caiping was also afraid of affecting her and her daughter's reputation, so she snorted and turned to go inside. Xue Sumei picked up a few photos from the ground and followed her in. Su Chang quickly followed and closed the door.
The three entered the living room, and Lan Caiping sat directly on the sofa without inviting Su Chang to sit down. She could tell that Su Chang had come with Xue Sumei, who was an enemy, and wouldn't give him a friendly look. Su Chang didn't care; he was just there to watch the drama unfold, and frankly, he wasn't interested in Lan Weiwei at all.
Xue Sumei stood opposite Lan Caiping, slammed the photo onto the coffee table, pointed at Lan Caiping, and shouted, "Lan Caiping, look at this yourself! Look at what your daughter has done!" Her face was full of anger and dissatisfaction, and her eyes revealed her accusation against Lan Caiping.
Chapter Ninety-Eight: Severing Ties
Lan Caiping then looked at the photos and was immediately stunned. Wasn't this her daughter and Taozi's scumbag ex-boyfriend? A wave of panic washed over her, but she still stubbornly said, "Who knows where you got these photos? And maybe this is Weiwei finding a boyfriend who looks a lot like that Li Wei." Her expression was somewhat unnatural, trying to hide her nervousness.
Xue Sumei was so angry at Lan Caiping that she laughed. Then she pointed at Su Chang and said, "Su Chang, tell Lan Caiping where these photos came from."
Su Chang didn't expect to be caught up in this gossip, but he still said, "These photos were taken at the Western restaurant this afternoon. I didn't know that was Lan Weiwei at the time." A hint of helplessness appeared on his face, and he also deliberately distanced himself, showing an innocent expression.
"Did you hear that? Lan Caiping, what else do you have to say?" Xue Sumei questioned Lan Caiping again. Her tone was even harsher, and her eyes were filled with disappointment and anger.