At that time, Hu Xibing was in Huali Teahouse.
He was sitting facing the entrance, so he saw Meng Xinian and Chiang Xiao as soon as they got out of the car. He quickly got up and walked out to greet them.
"Captain Meng, Sister-in-law!"
Chiang Xiao and Meng Xinian noticed a hint of green around his mouth and were taken aback for a moment.
"It’s nothing; it’s just that Zhang Dongliang, that hothead, provoked a few thugs, and I ended up fighting alongside him," Hu Xibing explained mostly to Meng Xinian.
This friend of his, Zhang Dongliang, had been previously met by Meng Xinian, who was acquainted with him.
"Is he still as stubborn as a mule?" Meng Xinian frowned and snorted, "Even helped in a fight, really learning some tricks."
Although Hu Xibing was a few years older than Meng Xinian, every time Meng Xinian spoke, it was with the tone of a boss. Chiang Xiao initially felt indignant on behalf of Hu Xibing, but Hu Xibing himself didn’t mind at all. He said that in the Alliance District, he was always defeated by Meng Xinian and had almost joined his troop, so, to him, Meng Xinian was his captain.
Besides, his teahouse had been established with the money borrowed from Meng Xinian, and Hu Xibing was truly grateful to Meng Xinian.
After being reprimanded , he felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Brother Xinian, you should return to the camp then. I will send the book later to Brother Kuang and have him return it to the library for me. With Brother Hu here, don’t worry."
Meng Xinian reached out and knocked on her head.
You ungrateful little thing, are you hurrying me away ?
"Just send the book to Brother Yun Xian. If there’s anything, write to me and don’t bother others," he said cryptically.
Chiang Xiao didn’t catch the meaning of his words, but she didn’t agree with his talk about not troubling others.
"Did you hear me? Respond, yes!"
Hu Xibing, who was beside them, nearly burst into laughter.
Really? Captain Meng, this is your fiancée, and just a young girl, yet you’re talking to her with the same tone you use for your subordinates?
The young girl must be about to explode.
However, to his surprise, Chiang Xiao didn’t explode at all. Instead, she immediately responded with a "yes," then muttered something that seemed like she was chiding him for being a bully, but it was far from blowing up.
A glint of amusement flashed through Meng Xinian’s eyes. He then ruffled her hair and turned back to Hu Xibing.
"Take good care of her, thanks."
"No need to thank me, Captain Meng." Is this not what I should do? Hu Xibing felt something was off about this phrase, so he didn’t say it aloud.
In fact, Meng Xinian’s return to the camp was not so immediate; he waited for half an hour before the return vehicle arrived.
After watching him get on the vehicle, Chiang Xiao took a deep breath in relief.
"Phew, finally got rid of the huge mountain weighing down on me."
Hu Xibing couldn’t help but laugh, "Is Captain Meng difficult to get along with?"
This question made Chiang Xiao struggle.
Is Meng Xinian hard to get along with?
That’s definitely not the case. In fact, when he’s with her, he is quite pleasant. When she reads, he sits quietly beside her without disturbing her; he even buys and hands her the food for their meals, taking good care of her.
But in his presence, that uncontrollable sense of trust and relaxation repeatedly betray her, and his eyes are as sharp as searchlights, always discovering her doubts.
Moreover, there’s a subtle sense that he is eagerly waiting for her to turn eighteen soon, to hurry up and submit the marriage papers, which also adds a bit of pressure to her.