Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 25: Cousin Jing Jichuan, a 120,000 Meal (Part 2)
Jiang Li had never found the word "home" to sound so sweet.
Right now, she wished she could sprout wings and fly back. Who cared about some class reunion?
Zhong Mufeng couldn’t bear to watch. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at you. What did your Shen say to you?"
Jiang Li put her phone away. "Nothing much. He said he’s cooking something delicious tonight."
Guo Yao, who had been watching Jiang Li, couldn’t help but ask, "Shen? Your husband’s surname is Shen?"
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Why? Is there a rule against me marrying someone with the surname Shen?"
That wasn’t it, of course. It was just that the surname Shen was uncommon, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was *the* Shen Yanzhi.
After all, Shen Yanzhi had been so in love with Jiang Li. For Jiang Li to suddenly swap grooms at her wedding—and for the new one to also be named Shen—it was easy for one’s imagination to run wild.
She steadied herself and pressed on, "This Shen you’re talking about... it couldn’t be Shen Yanzhi, could it?"
Hearing this, another girl nearby couldn’t help but laugh. "Are you kidding? As if Jiang Li would ever marry Shen Yanzhi."
’She has a point,’ Guo Yao thought. ’Just because Shen Yanzhi liked Jiang Li didn’t mean Jiang Li liked him back.’
’Having the surname Shen doesn’t automatically make him Shen Yanzhi. There are so many people with that surname in the world; it can’t be that much of a coincidence.’
Jiang Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She desperately wanted to ask why it was so impossible, but to avoid blowing her cover, she had to pretend she hadn’t heard anything.
As the only one there in on the secret, Zhong Mufeng’s lips curled into a smile as she mused internally, ’The funny thing is, the one thing you think is impossible is the actual truth.’
As if to console herself, Guo Yao said, word for word, "Exactly. Jiang Li’s husband could be anyone. Anyone but Shen Yanzhi."
Jiang Li nodded. "Yep, yep, you’re right."
Zhong Mufeng chimed in, "Oh, so, so right."
Speechless, Guo Yao rolled her eyes. Remembering she’d been lucky enough to get Shen Yanzhi’s contact information back in the day, she hastily pulled out her phone.
She opened WeChat and tapped on the pinned chat.
But her one-handed grip was awkward, and her thumb slipped, accidentally taking her to Shen Yanzhi’s Moments feed.
CLATTER—
The phone hit the floor.
Guo Yao blinked in disbelief. Her throat went dry, and for a moment, she couldn’t make a sound.
She was frozen to the spot, as if someone had cast a paralysis spell on her.
The girl sitting next to Guo Yao saw this, bent down to pick up the phone, and asked, "What did you see? You look so shocked."
Guo Yao snatched the phone back, her eyes glued to the screen.
She hadn’t misread it, and her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.
Shen Yanzhi had gotten his marriage license. Just a few days ago.
The Moments post was a simple announcement: a photo of a woman from behind and a photo of the red marriage certificate.
The caption was simple, too: Certified for duty.
’So! Who the hell is that bitch!’
Guo Yao subconsciously glanced over at Jiang Li, only to find her completely absorbed in her food, totally unfazed by the commotion.
’If Jiang Li was the one who married Shen Yanzhi, he would have come with her,’ she reasoned. ’I must be overthinking this.’
With that thought, Guo Yao nodded to herself and, without hesitation, placed a voice call to Shen Yanzhi.
The call connected almost instantly, and Shen Yanzhi’s cold voice came through. "Who is this?"
Guo Yao gripped her phone tighter. "Shen Yanzhi, it’s me, Guo Yao."
"Don’t know you."
Guo Yao bit her lip as she tried to explain, "My name used to be Guo Zhenzhen. It’s Guo Yao now."
"Still don’t know you."
Before Guo Yao could say anything else, Shen Yanzhi asked, "What do you want?"
Guo Yao took a deep breath, fighting the urge to cry. Her voice thick with emotion, she asked, "I just saw your Moments... Are you married?"
"Yes. Just recently."
Guo Yao shut her eyes, grinding her back teeth. "Then, if I may be so bold... who is she?"
"You are being bold," Shen Yanzhi agreed.
He paused before continuing, "When the time is right, I’ll announce it on my Moments."
Guo Yao’s hand clenched the chair’s armrest so hard her perfectly manicured nails nearly snapped. "Do you have to be so secretive?"
Her only answer was the sound of Shen Yanzhi hanging up. She immediately burst into tears of pure frustration, startling the girl next to her.
"Whoa, why are you crying all of a sudden?"
Not wanting to lose face in front of her classmates—and especially not in front of Jiang Li—Guo Yao made a beeline for the restroom.
The moment Guo Yao was gone, Zhong Mufeng leaned in and gloated, "If she knew you were the one who married Shen Yanzhi, what do you think she’d do?"
Jiang Li was the picture of calm. "I don’t know what she’d do, but what I *do* know is that the only people who know I married Shen Yanzhi are our families and you."
