socalfunplaces Chapter 265: Taking Liang Ladi Shopping
Chapter 265: Taking Liang Ladi Shopping
Zhang Lei was unaware that Sha Zhu's actions had offended two factory directors at the same time. If he had known, he would have simply said, "He brought this upon himself."
Soon, Zhang Lei arrived near Liang Ladi's dormitory. Since it was a girls' dormitory, Zhang Lei felt awkward going in, so he asked a nearby older woman to call out to her. Liang Ladi was a little surprised to hear Zhang Lei's arrival, but seeing that it really was him, she went up to him and said, "Zhang Lei, you were looking for me?"
Zhang Lei looked at Liang Ladi and said with a smile, "I came to apologize to you." Hearing that she was apologizing to him, Liang Ladi shook her head and said, "If it's because of what happened yesterday, then there's no need. Qiu Nan has already told me."
Zhang Lei said with a smile, "What my wife said is what my wife said. This whole thing started because of me, so I have to give you an explanation." Liang Ladi shook her head and said, "No need. In the end, it's my own fault."
Zhang Lei thought for a moment, then took out the bicycle ticket that Li Huaide had given him from his pocket and said, "How about this, I just got a bicycle ticket from Director Li, so here you go." He then placed it directly into Liang Ladi's hand.
Liang Ladi stared in astonishment at the bicycle ticket. She knew how precious it was; in their factory, apart from the leaders, she had never seen anyone else own a bicycle.
Seeing her surprised expression, Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. We all have bicycles in our family, so we don't need this bicycle voucher. Just keep it." Liang Ladi thought about it and realized that Zhang Lei's family clearly had six bicycles on display. She was also quite surprised when she first saw them.
Looking at Liang Ladi, Zhang Lei said, "If you have nothing else, I'll be going now. By the way, regarding your job, I'll have someone talk to you about it. But as for where you'll live in Beijing, that's something you'll have to figure out yourself." Zhang Lei looked at Liang Ladi; after all, he had his limits when it came to helping people. He'd help his own people however he wanted, but with outsiders, the gesture was enough.
Hearing Zhang Lei's words, Liang Ladi looked at him in astonishment and said, "You're really willing to help me?" Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Actually, this is also related to my wife Ding Qiunan. After all, she talks about you all the time, and this blind date was also because of me, so I wanted to help you."
Upon hearing Zhang Lei's reason, Liang Ladi nodded and said, "Thank you." Then, clutching the bicycle ticket in her hand, she thought for a moment and said, "My studies here are almost over, and I haven't had a chance to explore Beijing yet."
Zhang Lei thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, get in my car, I'll take you around Beijing. We can buy some gifts for the kids back home, after all, we've come all this way."
Liang Ladi thought for a moment, nodded, and without any pretense, sat directly on the back of Zhang Lei's bicycle. Soon, with Zhang Lei's introduction, the two strolled around Wangfujing and Beihai Park, finally arriving at Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant.
Liang Ladi said somewhat nervously, "Let's not eat here, it's too expensive." Zhang Lei laughed and said, "Don't be so nervous, this meal is on me. We're friends now, so let me do my best to be a good host. Besides, wouldn't it be a waste of a trip to Beijing if we didn't eat Peking duck at Quanjude?"
Listening to Zhang Lei's words, Liang Ladi nodded. Actually, she also wanted to eat there, but she felt it was too expensive. After all, a meal here would cost almost as much as her monthly living expenses.
Soon, the roast duck arrived. Zhang Lei had specially ordered a plump duck and asked the restaurant to make broth from the duck carcass. The two of them quickly devoured the entire duck. Liang Ladi patted her round, full belly and said happily, "Zhang Lei, thank you so much! I've never eaten anything so delicious before!"
Zhang Lei said with a smile, "If you want to eat this in the future, just come find me in Beijing." Liang Ladi nodded.
On the way back, Liang Ladi looked at the gifts in her hands, most of which Zhang Lei had helped her choose for the children. Suddenly, she had a strange feeling—could Zhang Lei like her? But she quickly dismissed the thought, thinking that she was a widow with four children, while Zhang Lei had five beautiful wives. How could he possibly be interested in her?
Zhang Lei was riding his bicycle in front, completely unaware that Liang Ladi on the back seat would think this way about him. He only admired Liang Ladi and didn't have any romantic feelings for her. After all, he was busy with his farming life every day. His "Many Children, Many Blessings" system required children to earn rewards, and he had been thinking about getting Ding Qiunan and Lou Xiao'e pregnant lately, basically working on it every night without a break.
Looking at Zhang Lei from the back seat, Liang Ladi suddenly asked, "Zhang Lei, do you like me?"
Hearing Liang Ladi's words, Zhang Lei slammed on the brakes, causing Liang Ladi on the back to bump into him and cling tightly to him. Suddenly feeling two soft mounds press against his back, Zhang Lei was startled and quickly dismounted, saying, "Liang Ladi, how could you have such thoughts?"
Looking at what she was holding, Liang Ladi said, "Otherwise, why would you help me so much? And even want me to stay in Beijing?"
Zhang Lei looked at Liang Ladi and said speechlessly, "I helped you purely because my wife told me how hard you've had it, and I also admire your personality, but I really have no feelings for you personally."
Hearing Zhang Lei's blunt words, Liang Ladi was somewhat disappointed and said, "Is it because I've been married before and have four children?"
Zhang Lei shook his head and said, "No. If I didn't like you just because you've been married before, then my character wouldn't be very good either. But I helped you genuinely because of my wife, Ding Qiunan, and because I admire your decisive and passionate personality. Besides, the fact that you, a widow, can raise four children shows that you are capable. Introducing Sha Zhu to you before, or anything else, was all because I wanted to help you; I didn't have any ulterior motives towards you."
Hearing Zhang Lei's words, Liang Ladi lowered her head in disappointment and said, "I understand, thank you."
Seeing Liang Ladi's disappointed expression, Zhang Lei was somewhat taken aback. However, he thought it was better to be decisive in such matters to avoid giving her vague expectations and causing misunderstandings, which would only lead to her being disappointed and disgusting. Therefore, Zhang Lei refused decisively.
Soon, Zhang Lei escorted Liang Ladi back to her dormitory and then went home.
On the way, Zhang Lei thought a lot. He originally wanted to interfere in Liang Ladi's life, after all, his previous interference in Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu's lives caused the plot of "Full House of Love" to collapse, energy to dissipate, and the system to upgrade.
He thought that changing Liang Ladi's life would also give the system energy. However, after thinking about it for a long time, Zhang Lei decided to respect other people's lives, after all, the people in front of him were living, breathing people, not props. As for whether Nanjing University of the Arts and Liang Ladi would have any interaction in the future and live together again, he could only say to let nature take its course.