"So this is the sister-in-law, right? Nice to meet you for the first time!"
Su Zelin didn't have much fondness for Niu Rong, but he still greeted her politely.
Zhao Mingxuan gave them a quick introduction.
"Haha, Su Zelin, I've heard so much about you!"
Niu Rong's words suddenly became more numerous: "I heard from Mingxuan before that he has a high school classmate who is pretty amazing, who became an executive at a large enterprise in Zhejiang Province just after graduation. I was surprised at the time, thinking such a young and talented person must be worth meeting, to see if he has three heads and six arms! I didn't expect you to be not only outstanding but also super handsome!"
At this point, she covered her mouth and laughed: "Handsome guy, do you have a girlfriend? If not, I'd like to introduce you to a girl from Beijing."
Su Zelin was slightly startled.
He always felt Zhao Mingxuan's words were somewhat intriguing.
On the surface, it seemed like she wanted to play matchmaker, but in fact, it seemed like she was subtly investigating whether he was single.
Could she be interested in him right after they met?
In the past life, they met once at Zhao Mingxuan's wedding, but the venue wasn't Jianglan, it was Beijing, because Niu Rong didn't want to have the wedding in such a small city, and she didn't even go to Jianglan after marriage.
At that time, when they were introducing classmates from Jianglan, Niu Rong's attitude towards him was quite cold, so Su Zelin wondered if he was overthinking.
"Haha, sister-in-law, you don't need to worry about that!"
Su Zelin hadn't replied yet, but Lin Yude interrupted: "How could someone like him not have a girlfriend? It was the class beauty from high school, and after college, I heard they got together. All the boys in the class were so envious, and Mingxuan..."
At this point, Lin Yude suddenly closed his mouth.
He originally wanted to say Zhao Mingxuan had also pursued Qin Shiqing, but the bespectacled man gave him a sign, afraid he might say too much.
Although Zhao Mingxuan was self-indulgent in high school, his girlfriend had a temperament that couldn't tolerate the slightest bit of sand in her eyes; if she knew he had liked other girls in high school, she might fly into a rage.
"Is that so? That's really a shame, I have quite a few friends with good conditions."
Niu Rong expressed regret, a barely noticeable hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, which Su Zelin saw and found increasingly puzzling.
Logically, even if she couldn't play matchmaker, she shouldn't be disappointed.
Could it be that this woman is really interested in me?
In the past life, at Zhao Mingxuan's wedding, she was cold to him because he had only been in entrepreneurship for a few years and hadn't achieved much, but now it's different.
Once the chatterbox appeared, the private room quickly became lively.
With his eloquence, it was easy to stir up the atmosphere in such a small setting.
Niu Rong looked at Su Zelin, then at Zhao Mingxuan, thinking they both came from Jianglan, yet why do others seem so articulate and not at all like the bumpkins from small places, while her boyfriend is so vulgar and incapable.
With this comparison, she felt more like a flower placed in cow dung.
She became more enthusiastic towards the chatterbox, constantly smiling, and people who didn't know might think she's very nice.
However, Su Zelin was not fooled by her disguise.
From Zhao Mingxuan's mouth, he already knew what kind of person Niu Rong was.
She was only being so agreeable because she learned he wasn't the usual bumpkin, hence she viewed him differently.
Also, Su Zelin noticed something.
Niu Rong had almost not looked Zhao Mingxuan in the eye for even a second, yet her attention stayed on him.
If a woman truly loves her boyfriend, regardless of the occasion, her eyes will hold his shadow, just like his girlfriends.
Niu Rong's attitude towards Zhao Mingxuan indicated she was already tired of this boyfriend and had no real love for him.
If that's the case, why did she and Zhao Mingxuan get married in the past life?
Su Zelin was a bit puzzled.
He pondered briefly and made a guess.
This Niu Rong was probably a flirtatious woman long ago, likely juggling multiple relationships, and Zhao Mingxuan was just one of her boyfriends, the least favored backup. Initially, she probably never intended to marry Zhao Mingxuan, and even got tired, planning to ditch him, hence proposing some unreasonable conditions like never going to Jianglan for instance.
Such conditions no man could accept, yet Zhao Mingxuan endured it, still willingly flattering her, since as a backup, he couldn't restrict her freedom, so Niu Rong temporarily kept him around.
Later, this woman might have been hurt by a scumbag, became disheartened, and wanted to marry someone honest, and Zhao Mingxuan after some years in Kyoto, achieved some fame, also obedient to her, so she compromised to marry him, but remained unfaithful after marriage, maintained a lover outside, which Zhao Mingxuan eventually found out, leading to their divorce.
Thinking it over, Su Zelin felt his conjecture was probably reliable.
If that's the case, then she really might be interested in him upon meeting.
Might as well use this to break her and Zhao Mingxuan up.
The chatterbox planned to test her.
"Hey, don't mention it, what class beauty, just a dull, old woman, it's better to find a girl from a big city, romantic and knows how to enjoy life. Look at sister-in-law, being from Beijing makes a difference, so elegant and articulate!"