Take her as my wife

Of the schools we visited today, Yicheng Public Security University has the strictest discipline. Anyone who dares to commit a crime here must have a death wish.

Tan Wen naturally wouldn't let him off so easily, so he notified the leaders of both schools. After a while, a teacher came over with a stern face and took the boy away.

As the crowd dispersed, Tan Wen's tense expression finally relaxed a bit. He looked at Xiao Yuling, saying very little, but his tone was sincere: "Thanks for earlier."

Jiang Ni added, "Thank you, classmate."

Xiao Yuling stared at her with wide, bewildered eyes: "You don't recognize me?!"

Faced with her question, Jiang Ni subconsciously looked to Tan Wen for help with her eyes: Should I get to know her?

Tan looked down into her bewildered eyes and found her particularly endearing from this angle and with this expression: "She is Xiao Yuling."

Jiang Ni made an awkward "uh" sound and apologized to her, "I'm sorry, you look quite different from before, I didn't recognize you."

In Jiang Ni's mind, Xiao Yuling used to be similar to Tan Wen at eighteen, labeled as a "problem girl".

Not only does she often dye her short hair in various colors, but she also always wears overly trendy Western-style makeup, along with a string of earrings and a necklace, a fashion style that Jiang Ni doesn't understand but respects.

Xiao Yuling was now wearing a neat and clean police uniform, with a short, ear-length haircut in ordinary black. Her baby face was clean and cute—no wonder Jiang Ni didn't recognize her.

With Xiao Yuling around, Tan Wen felt relieved and went to queue up for food again. Before leaving, he gave Xiao Yuling a look that said, "Don't talk nonsense."

Xiao Yuling secretly gave him the middle finger.

But when facing Jiang Ni, he awkwardly acted well-behaved and greeted her politely, "Sister, it's been a long time."

Jiang Ni's expression softened: "Long time no see, you've changed a lot. I heard from Da Guang and Xiao Rong about your college entrance exam, and I'm very happy for you."

Xiao Yuling hummed in agreement and started chatting with her: "It's all because of Tan Wen, he was so incredibly competitive. You have no idea, after you left, he would get up at five every morning to run and memorize vocabulary, studying and doing exercises from morning till night, making even the top student in our class cry."

Although Jiang Ni didn't witness Tan Wen's hard work firsthand, she knew that the period when he was left to make the final push was exceptionally tough.

She left the Tan family in May—wait, May.

Tan asked that his phone password was [0502].

Jiang Ni suddenly realized—if she remembered correctly, she was supposed to return to Yicheng on May Day, but Tan Yan and the others had to hold a May Day event, so they postponed it to May 2nd to pick her up.

"Sister, I heard you broke up with Tan Wen's brother?" Xiao Yuling, oblivious to her distraction, continued talking, "What happened?"

Jiang Ni composed herself and replied calmly, "Our relationship broke down, so we stopped being together."

Now that Tan Yan is married and has children, she doesn't want to tell everyone about his affair, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble for his future children.

She has always had an extremely tolerant love and patience for children.

"But I heard from Da Guang and the others that you're engaged to Tan Wen's older brother. Tan Wen that night—" She got so excited that she almost blurted out something she shouldn't have, and quickly shut up.

Jiang Ni's curiosity was piqued: "What happened to Tan that night?"

Xiao Yuling shook her head: "It's nothing...it's nothing."

When Jiang Ni saw Tan Wen carrying a large tray over, she didn't press the matter any further.

Actually, she could guess a thing or two. It was nothing more than Tan Wen thinking that she was going to get married to Tan Yan, and that she was upset and drinking herself into a stupor.

Tan Wen brought out the food and arranged it, then went back to another window to get the last bowl of soup he had ordered.

At that moment, Jiang Ni heard Xiao Yuling whisper, "...He was crying so hard."

Jiang Ni was startled.

She knew now wasn't the right time to talk about these things, so she looked up and said, "Let's add each other as friends, Yuling."

Xiao Yuling said "Oh", took out her phone and added her as a friend, her eyes constantly glancing at her expression, wondering: I said Tan Wen cried, why is she still so calm?

That was the first time Tan Wen cried.

She thought this and said it aloud, her tone carrying a sense of protectiveness towards Tan Wen, clearly accusing Jiang Ni of not asking more questions or showing more concern.

Jiang Ni nodded, seemingly brushing the topic aside: "Thank you for being with him back then—you should eat some of these dishes, it would be a waste if Tan Wen and I couldn't finish them."

Xiao Yuling felt very frustrated by her attitude.

Then, thinking back to what Tan Wen said this morning, "I begged her to choose me," how could Jiang Ni not like such a humble and wonderful Tan Wen?!

Tan Wen returned and sat down in the empty seat next to Jiang Ni, leaving Xiao Yuling alone to sit opposite them.

"Sister, try the sweet and sour pork we make in the cafeteria..."

After finishing a meal and resting for half an hour, the afternoon's competition will begin.

Before parting ways at the cafeteria, Jiang Ni went to the side to answer a phone call.

Taking this opportunity, Tan Wen glanced at Xiao Yuling and asked, "Did you talk nonsense?"

Xiao Yuling rolled her eyes: "What can you do to me if I tell you? You're such a jerk. You reject so many people who like you, and you insist on trying to win her over—you and your brother are completely different types. She doesn't seem interested in you at all. Face reality."

Her words really hit Tan Wen right in the heart. What Tan Wen feared most and didn't want to think about was that he wasn't Jiang Ni's type. Because, taking Tan Yan as the only reference, the two brothers were indeed completely different in terms of personality, appearance, and hobbies.

"Stop talking nonsense," Tan Wen said, too lazy to listen, and only instructed, "Don't mess up my rhythm."

Seeing that Jiang Ni had put away her phone, he left Xiao Yuling behind and went straight to her side, subtly probing, "Who were you talking to on the phone, sister? Did I disturb your work?"

"No, it's a personal matter," Jiang Ni turned around and saw Xiao Yuling walking on the other side. She turned back to Tan Wen and said, "Yuling still likes you very much."

Tan Wen, fearing she might misunderstand, explained, "When she was little, her father abused her and her mother. The year she graduated from middle school, I came up with a plan to send that man to prison, but unexpectedly, he died of a heart attack before he could serve his sentence—it was less about 'liking' him and more about gratitude and dependence."

Xiao Yuling was short and thin at that time. After being beaten and scolded by her scumbag father at home, she was also ridiculed and bullied by her classmates at school. Tan Wen couldn't stand it and helped her once. Once was enough, and before he knew it, he had a little follower.

The intense sunlight shone on them, and Tan Wen still held out his hand to shield her head, not mentioning Xiao Yuling again, but saying to Jiang Ni, "It's my fault, I didn't even think to remind you to wear a sun hat when you go out... Sister, tomorrow..."

"Tan Wen." Jiang Ni interrupted him, suddenly stopping in her tracks and calling his name.

Tan Wen also stopped and looked down at her: "Hmm?"

Completely unexpectedly, she actually raised her hand and gently touched his slightly prickly short hair.

"Has anyone ever said," she said, her beautiful eyes crinkling into a smile, revealing a small dimple on one side, "that you are a very, very good person."

A very likable person.