Chapter 227 Who's Laughing in the Shadows (Part 2)

She didn't care about the money, so she knew Ruoke would care even less. Besides, it was rare to find clothes that the child liked, so she had to buy them no matter what, even if they were expensive.

"No, there are germs on these clothes. He'll bite the sleeves and collar later." She took the child's small hand, made him look at her, and smiled gently, "Son, be good. Take it off first, and Mommy will wash it clean before you put it back on. We won't wear it now, but we'll wear it back home for Daddy and the other kids to see, so they'll all envy Xiao Ping'an, okay?"

The little one looked at her, blinking his big eyes, as if he really understood. After a while, he let go of her hand, letting Ruoke take off her clothes and put them back on.

"This child is so smart. He's so young, yet he can already understand what adults mean."

"Yes, my friend's son is almost two years old and he still cries all day long. He stays up all night and won't sleep, making the adults want to cry with him."

"..."

Ling Ruoke naturally knew that these were compliments, but as a mother, she would be happy if there was even a hint of sincerity in them.

Xiao Ping'an changed back into his original clothes and saw the sales clerk pick up the clothes. He got anxious and started making "uh-uh" sounds as he ran over to pull at the clothes. He even turned back to his mother and made "uh-uh" sounds, as if calling for her to come and help him grab them.

This action made everyone laugh again, and the store was filled with laughter. Among them, Tan Peishi's voice was the loudest; she laughed until her stomach hurt.

Ling Ruoke smiled helplessly and shook her head, squatting down to hug her son's waist. "Little Ping'an, be good. Auntie will go and wrap up the clothes. Once they're wrapped, you can take them home to wear. Let go now, or you won't be able to take them home to show your dad."

The little guy scrutinized his mother's expression again, as if considering whether she was telling the truth or lying. His earnest, slightly tilted-head look was utterly endearing. After a while, he let go. He knew his mother never lied to him.

"Come on, let's look at some other things, there are so many beautiful ones." Ling Ruoke proudly led her little one, looking to see if there were any more suitable items. Since they'd come all this way, they might as well buy a few more.

Tan Peishi looked at her son, then at Xiao Ping'an, and felt frustrated. "I think my Lele is smart enough, but yours is even more cunning. Now I understand how he managed to piss off the captain. If this little guy is a few months older, he'll probably really make the captain furious."

Hearing this, Ling Ruoke couldn't help but laugh, thinking of the usual squabbles between father and son. "My husband says that the reason our son was formed in my belly was to torment him."

This time, Ling Ruoke spent over 1000 yuan, which was less than last time. The items were delivered to her door, so she didn't need to carry large bags around.

After leaving the children's clothing store, the four of them were a bit hungry. They chose to eat at the same quiet restaurant they had visited last time, because it was spacious and peaceful. Otherwise, it was lunchtime, and it wouldn't be appropriate for them to take their children to a noisy restaurant.

We ordered two bowls of soup first, so the two children could have some.

Lele is now able to feed himself, although he holds the spoon haphazardly and always spills half of what he eats. But he likes to eat by himself. Tan Peishi lets him be, only placing a clean plate under the small bowl so he can eat whatever falls out.

Xiao Ping'an was initially feeding himself obediently, but seeing his older brother able to eat by himself, he started fussing and trying to grab the spoon from Ruo Ke's hand. When Ruo Ke refused, he grunted unhappily and twisted his body, refusing to drink any more soup.

Tan Peishi laughed heartily again, truly impressed by this little rascal; he really was copying her every move. With such a mischievous and clever child, the captain would probably have a splitting headache when he got older.

Later, Tan Peishi had no choice but to feed Lele the drink as well, which finally convinced Xiao Ping'an; otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble it would have caused.

Little Ping An drank a few sips of soup, but then found it unpalatable. He reached out and tugged at his mother's clothes, making "mmm" sounds, meaning he wanted milk.

Ling Ruoke had no choice but to lift her clothes and breastfeed him.

Tan Peishi stuffed a piece of pork rib into her mouth and said, "After getting pregnant, your bra size has increased by more than one cup size, hasn't it?"

Ling Ruoke glared at her, and she stuck out her tongue and laughed.

It took more than an hour, but at least we managed to finish our meal.

After paying the bill, Ling Ruoke carried Xiao Ping'an and walked ahead. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped.

Tan Peishi almost bumped into her and asked, puzzled, "Ruo Ke, what's wrong?"

Tan Peishi's shout was heard by someone ten meters away, who turned around in surprise. Upon seeing Ling Ruoke and Tan Peishi, her face turned deathly pale.

Ling Ruoke remained still and silent, simply watching Mei Yanting and the man beside her. The man was dressed quite elegantly, appearing wealthy, and was tall and handsome. Although Mei Yanting distanced herself from Pei Shi as soon as she spoke, Ling Ruoke had already witnessed their earlier intimacy.

The man next to Mei Yanting, not understanding what was going on, reached out to pull her and asked, "Tingting, what's wrong?"

Mei Yanting dodged his hand, turned around, and quickly went downstairs.

Ling Ruoke watched them disappear, still feeling a pang of unease. She suddenly realized that the girl who had just stood before her was not the pitiful yet lovable girl she knew. She had initially thought Mei Yanting was just a little extreme, but kind-hearted; now she had actually cheated on her!

Tan Peishi naturally knew how difficult this would be for Ling Ruoke, and couldn't help but sigh. "Let's go. This is someone else's family matter, and we can't interfere." She had always felt that Mei Yanting was a bad person, and that Ruoke was just too kind.

Ling Ruoke let out a sigh of relief and took a step forward, carrying the child. The scene from just moments ago kept replaying in her mind, including the image of Chen Shan breaking his leg due to distraction. As she thought about it, she recalled the tragedy of He Jingwen and Wang Shumei's confrontation. She couldn't even imagine what extreme actions Chen Shan might take if he knew Mei Yanting had cheated on her!

Huo Qingfeng once said that soldiers like them could disregard a woman's appearance or talent, but they could not accept betrayal! As long as a woman is loyal to her marriage and has a kind heart, they can tolerate any of her shortcomings.

"Watch where you're going!" Tan Peishi grabbed Ling Ruoke, afraid she might lose her focus and fall. "This is someone else's business, it's none of your concern. If you don't watch where you're going and your son gets hurt, is it worth it?"

Ling Ruoke smiled at her and shook her head to temporarily clear her mind of these thoughts. "I'm sorry." She was used to Chen Shan calling her sister-in-law, and in her heart, she regarded him as a younger brother, just like Qingfeng. Now that her sister-in-law had cheated on her, she was naturally upset.

"We've had enough shopping, let's buy some snacks and head home." Tan Peishi knew Mei Yanting was no longer in the mood for shopping. Putting aside the fact that Mei Yanting's husband was the captain's soldier, Ruoke had placed her hopes on Mei Yanting. She had tried so hard to help Mei Yanting because she hoped the demons in her heart wouldn't surface, that she would live a kind and happy life. But now, Mei Yanting had completely disappointed her.

"good."

The two bought some snacks and fruit, then took a taxi home.

Ling Ruoke's mood hadn't recovered. Although she told herself not to think about it, the images kept flashing through her mind. She still couldn't understand why Mei Yanting would cheat on Chen Shan, who treated her so well—a thousand times, ten thousand times better than Xu An!

Back in Y City, she remembered Mei Yanting saying that as long as one man was good to her, she would be willing to spend her life with him even if he remained penniless. Chen Shan's financial situation wasn't great, but at least he was financially secure and treated her extremely well. Why didn't she cherish it?

Back home, Ling Ruoke put down Xiao Ping'an and Lele to play, and stood by the window in a daze with a cup of hot tea by herself.

Seeing that she had been standing there in a daze for a while, Tan Peishi finally couldn't help but walk over and pat her on the shoulder. "Alright. I know you're kind, but don't always worry about other people's problems, it's not worth it."

Ling Ruoke smiled at her, sighed, and turned to lean against the window to face her. "I just don't understand how a person can change so quickly. Chen Shan treats her so well, why isn't she satisfied? Do you still remember Xu An?"

Ling Ruoke had never told Tan Peishi about meeting Xu An in Y City. It wasn't that she wanted to hide anything; it's just that this person wasn't worth mentioning.

“I remember, that lunatic.” Unlike Ling Ruoke, who was an ethereal beauty in college, Tan Peishi was always quick to notice things. She remembered Xu An, the perverted man who ruined her best friend’s reputation. She had once said that Xu An was a sick person, and that such a person would eventually do something even more insane.

"He was Mei Yanting's ex-boyfriend. Even if Xu An wasn't mentally ill, he was definitely not a good man. He was unhappy with his life, liked to drink, and would beat Mei Yanting when he was drunk. Because she was an orphan, Mei Yanting was always very insecure and felt that she didn't deserve to find a good man to marry, so she just made do with Xu An. Later, Xu An disappeared, but he still owed some debts to loan sharks, so Mei Yanting ran away to Z City to escape those loan sharks." Recalling the past, she still couldn't help but sigh.

Tan Peishi put her arm around her shoulder and rested her head against hers. "If it's possible, people's hearts are never satisfied. If she meets a bad man, she'll think, 'If only a man were to treat me well, I would do this and that.' But when she meets a good man, she'll want wealth and luxury, and she'll want more. That's not surprising."

"I know." Ling Ruo wasn't someone who couldn't understand things, but this fact made her uncomfortable. "Forget it, like you said, let them worry about their own affairs."

"That's right. You shouldn't be too forgiving; people who are too forgiving are easily unhappy. There are too many things in this world that are beyond our control; just take care of your closest loved ones."

"good."

That evening, Mei Yanting brought fruit and went to Tan Peishi's door. She had gone to the villa but couldn't find her, so she came to Tan Peishi's house.

Ling Ruoke knew she had something to say to her, so she went into the guest room with her and closed the door. She sat on the edge of the bed, just looking at her without saying a word.

Mei Yanting became even more flustered under her gaze, twisting her fingers nervously for a long time before she could utter a word. "Sister Ximeng, I...I...I..."

"Yanting, I'll say it again, you don't need to explain anything to me. I'm nobody to you, I can't control you. Save your words for your husband." Ling Ruoke's voice was cold, unlike her usual gentle tone. If she could forgive Mei Yanting and Chen Shan's argument about money last time, she absolutely could not forgive this infidelity. She hated unfaithful people more than anything in her life!

Hearing this, Mei Yanting's face paled even further. "Sister Ximeng, my relationship with that person isn't what you think, please believe me! I beg you, please don't tell Chen Shan, I—"

"Yanting! Search your conscience. How can you face Chen Shan? I can choose not to talk to Chen Shan; it's your family matter, and you're not my sister, so I don't want to get involved. I'm just reminding you, walking in the dark is a recipe for disaster! Chen Shan has been so good to you. If you still appreciate his kindness, you should be honest with him sooner rather than later. Since you're no longer satisfied with your current life, why not get a divorce and let both of you find new happiness!"

Ling Ruoke had always greeted her with a smile, but this time her face was dark. Even her eyes were cold. She was kind and forgiving, but she also had her bottom line.

"No!" Mei Yanting reached out to grab her arm, but Ruo Ke dodged it. "Sister Ximeng, I don't want to divorce Chen Shan. It's really not what you think about me and that person, you have to believe me!"

Ling Ruoke was truly disappointed in her. "Yanting, believing in you is useless. I've said it before, I won't interfere in your affairs anymore. You'd better take care of yourself."

After saying that, she ignored Mei Yanting's attempts to pull her away, opened the door, and went out.

Mei Yanting stayed for a while longer, and seeing that neither of the two people besides Tan's mother paid any attention to her, she left.

The next afternoon, Ling Ruoke returned to her unit. However, her mood was completely different from when she left; the fact that Mei Yanting had cheated on her weighed heavily on her chest.

She was distressed, not only because of her disappointment in Mei Yanting, but also because of her guilt towards Chen Shan. If she hadn't known Mei Yanting, Chen Shan wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet her, and naturally, none of this would have happened.

Little Ping An returned to his familiar surroundings and happily started playing with his toys again. Wearing his tiger costume, he looked incredibly handsome and spirited.

Li Jun came over carrying his daughter. He praised his appearance and hugged and kissed him several times.

Ling Ruoke also bought an outfit for Li Jun's daughter, He Beibei—a cute bunny outfit. Because the size was only estimated, she was worried it wouldn't fit. "This is for Beibei, would you like her to try it on and see if it fits?"

Li Jun took it and said, "Oh dear, why are you buying it for her? She has plenty of clothes. Thanks."

Ling Ruoke just smiled and didn't say anything.