Chapter 110: Thank You for Liking Me

On a public bench on the sidewalk outside Delong Plaza.

Chen Feng sat down first with Wu Mengting. Less than a minute later, Shen Lin indeed followed and stood before them.

“Is this what you call sitting down for a good talk?”

Shen Lin stared at Chen Feng with a mocking expression.

Chen Feng said calmly, “Isn’t it nice here? It’s free, there aren’t many people, the air is fresh, and we can even get some sun.”

Wu Mengting let out a soft chuckle, then immediately covered her mouth.

Seeing her cooperate with Chen Feng like this, Shen Lin’s anger flared up again. She asked in a cold voice, “I’m asking you, when did you two get together? Did you hook up before the divorce?”

The reason Shen Lin was so angry was that she suspected Chen Feng had cheated on her before their divorce and gotten together with Wu Mengting. If that were the case, it would undoubtedly make her feel like a fool.

Wu Mengting frowned, her expression serious, and said in a displeased tone, “Please be more respectful. When Brother Feng and I met, he was already divorced. And we only officially confirmed our relationship a few days ago.”

“Heh, I’m talking to Chen Feng. He hasn’t even spoken, what are you interrupting for?”

Chen Feng gently squeezed Wu Mengting’s hand, signaling her not to speak, then said to Shen Lin himself, “You know my personality. Before the divorce, it was impossible for me to cheat, nor did I flirt with other women. In short, I did nothing to wrong you during our marriage. On the contrary, you, for the last half a year, were often not home, frequently having ‘colleague dinners’ or ‘unit activities.’ It made me wonder if you were the one cheating.”

Hearing this, Shen Lin was so angry she laughed. She gritted her teeth and said coldly, “Well, well. Your skill at turning the tables has become even more masterful. If I had been up to something before, would I still be single now?”

Chen Feng also sneered, “Isn’t that Section Chief Yuan eagerly pursuing you? I think he’s had his eye on you for a long time, hasn’t he?”

They were both men, who didn’t know how things worked? The moment he saw Yuan Dawei’s demeanor and thought about Shen Lin being in the same unit, how could he not know?
Shen Lin was momentarily at a loss for words.

Yuan Dawei had indeed been after her. For the past two years, he had been secretly trying to undermine her marriage. She had never mentioned this to Chen Feng before. But many people in the unit knew, they just didn’t spread it around.

“I… anyway, I didn’t!” Shen Lin said, glaring. “I’m the one asking you now, what right do you have to question me?”

Chen Feng shrugged and said calmly, “I didn’t either. So what right do you have now to demand an explanation from me?”

Shen Lin was stunned. That’s right, they were already divorced. What right did she have to demand an explanation from Chen Feng?
Even if Chen Feng had cheated during the marriage and flirted with this woman, what was the point of saying all this now?
For a moment, Shen Lin didn’t know what to say.

After a while, Wu Mengting spoke up, “I don’t know why you two divorced, but I have to say, Brother Feng is a very good man. I believe he absolutely did nothing to wrong you during the marriage. If my relationship with him has made you so angry, I can apologize to you. But Brother Feng is not at fault, and you have no right to accuse him of anything.”

Hearing this, Shen Lin stared at Wu Mengting for a while, then let out a long sigh and said, “It seems I’ve misunderstood. You’re a girl with a good personality. With your qualities, there’s really no need to be with Chen Feng. He’s poor and lazy, and in Xiuzhou, he only makes about three thousand a month. He can barely support himself, he really doesn’t have extra money to support you. Don’t be deceived by him.”

Hearing her assessment of him, Chen Feng was speechless.

However, he couldn’t say she was wrong. Before the divorce, Chen Feng was indeed as she described.

So, Chen Feng was quite calm and didn’t bother to retort.

“Thank you!” Wu Mengting smiled in gratitude, then said, “I haven’t been deceived by him. To be honest, I was the one who pursued him. I chased him for almost two months before he reluctantly accepted me.”

“How is that possible?” Shen Lin didn’t believe it. She looked suspiciously at the smiling Wu Mengting, then at the calm-faced Chen Feng.

“Don’t disbelieve it. I’m telling the truth,” Wu Mengting said with a look of innocent charm. “Perhaps it’s a fate destined by heaven. We met by chance several times, and Brother Feng and I are from the same hometown, both from Lu City. Brother Feng helped me out several times, and slowly I fell for him. With my relentless efforts, he finally agreed to be my boyfriend a few days ago.”

Wu Mengting’s words made Chen Feng feel very proud, while Shen Lin felt a tightness in her chest, extremely stifled and uncomfortable.

She really found it hard to believe that the currently poor and fat Chen Feng could still be pursued by a beautiful girl.

At first, she thought Wu Mengting had been deceived by Chen Feng. Now she suspected there was something wrong with Wu Mengting’s brain.

Otherwise, how could this be explained?
Anyway, Shen Lin didn’t believe it.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking. As someone who’s been through it, I still have to advise you, men are often unreliable. Chen Feng previously promised me he would work hard to earn money to buy me a car and a house. And the result? After five years with him, I bought the car with my own loan, and the house was rented for us by his parents.”

Chen Feng couldn’t help but remind her, “I helped you pay back the car loan too, you know?”

“Isn’t that what you were supposed to do?”

Shen Lin’s one sentence made Chen Feng feel a bit uncomfortable. He really wanted to say, I barely drove your car, and I barely rode in it. It was only because I was your husband at the time that I helped you pay the car loan, but was that really what I was supposed to do?

Even if it was, you can’t completely erase the fact that I helped you pay the car loan, can you?

Besides, why is it taken for granted that a man should spend money on a woman, but not the other way around?

Isn’t gender equality always being advocated?

But reality was just like that; men and women were very unequal. In many areas, it was female-dominated and male-subservient.

Things like “men are responsible for earning money to support the family, women are responsible for being beautiful as a flower.”

Such bitchy words were still spouted by many women daily, revered as golden adages. One could only呵呵 (chuckle).

Of course, Chen Feng didn’t think Shen Lin was a bitch. After all, she also had a job and had contributed to their home back then.

He was just annoyed by the tone of her words just now.

Chen Feng didn’t want to argue with her about whether it was right or wrong, because he didn’t want to argue with her anymore.

But Wu Mengting spoke up for him very well, “Sister, I know Brother Feng may have wronged you in the past, but that was definitely not his intention. Besides, the standard for a good man isn’t necessarily about buying a car or a house.

A man who can make money isn’t necessarily a good man. In my opinion, as long as two people truly love each other, even if they only have a single tile to shelter them, even if they eat pickled vegetables and radishes every day, it is as sweet as honey. That is also a kind of happiness.”

Hearing Wu Mengting’s words, Shen Lin was even more certain that there was something wrong with her brain.

Shen Lin shook her head, a look of pity on her face as she said to Wu Mengting, “Do your parents know about you two? I think you should have a good talk with your family. I was too young and foolish back then, I didn’t listen to my family’s advice and insisted on marrying him. And the result? As expected, the song ended and the people scattered, a desolate end.”

Hearing her words, Chen Feng felt a little guilty. This was the main reason why he could never be ruthless towards her. He had wronged her so much in their marriage, causing her to nearly break off ties with her family.

In his heart, Chen Feng had actually always wanted to compensate her. But now that they were divorced, giving her monetary compensation would be improper and he was afraid she would misunderstand, leading to further entanglement.

So, if he were to die, he could leave her some financial compensation in his will.

Now that he was still alive, and Shen Lin would likely have a new partner, giving her money might instead affect her future happiness.

Thinking about it this way, Chen Feng, this ex-husband, was still quite noble.

But the thought of her starting a new family with another man, even having children for another man, inevitably made his heart feel a little sour.
No matter what, they had loved each other.

Wu Mengting, hearing Shen Lin’s words, still had a polite smile on her face. She said, “Thank you for your kindness. However, this is my own business. I won’t trouble you to worry about me. Now that Brother Feng has given you an explanation, are you satisfied?”

Wu Mengting had turned the tables. Her tone was still gentle, and her face still wore a smile, but it gave Shen Lin a feeling of being kept at a distance. This was a dismissal.

Shen Lin really wanted to say to her, “A dog bites Lü Dongbin, unable to recognize a kind heart,” but she had always been a gentle and elegant intellectual woman. She had never had the experience of being a shrew and cursing in the street, let alone engaging in a war of words with another woman over a man.

“Alright. You’re on your own.”

In the end, Shen Lin could only put on a cold and aloof appearance. With a condescending smirk, she seemingly said this casually, then turned and walked away.

But… why was her heart still so angry? Her chest still felt so tight.

---

Chen Feng and Wu Mengting didn’t get up and leave immediately. They remained seated on the bench.

“She doesn’t know about your illness, does she?”

Wu Mengting was certainly not stupid. She was very smart. From Shen Lin’s attitude and reaction, she easily came to this conclusion.

Chen Feng gave a soft “mm.”

“You proposed the divorce because you got sick, didn’t you? Do you still like her in your heart?”

Wu Mengting turned her head to look at Chen Feng, her expression slightly nervous.

A bitter smile appeared on the corner of Chen Feng’s mouth. “I was the one who initiated the divorce. But it wasn’t entirely because I got a terminal illness. The main reason was that I was poor, fat, and lazy at the time, with no ambition, which made her lose confidence and hope in our future together. Slowly, our relationship developed problems. I don’t know if I still like her now, but I can be sure that compared to you and her, I like you more now.”

Wu Mengting wasn’t very satisfied with this answer. But she also felt some relief. At least Chen Feng wasn’t lying to her.

As Shen Lin said, they had been together for five years and were married. Shen Lin had almost broken off ties with her family for him, which showed that they were very much in love back then.

Even though they were divorced now, the main reason was that Chen Feng had a terminal illness and deliberately hid it from her.

Just based on this matter alone, how could it be possible that Chen Feng had no feelings for Shen Lin at all?

If that were the case, it would make Chen Feng seem too heartless.

And Wu Mengting, as his girlfriend, had only just established a nominal relationship with him, having known him for less than two months. For him to like her more than his ex-wife, what more could she ask for?
Wu Mengting leaned over and gently rested in his arms, looking at him with a smile, and said softly, “Thank you for liking me.”

Chen Feng reached out and stroked her hair, smiling, “Don’t be so literary, okay? It feels like you’re trying to flirt with me using the style of a romance novel.”

Wu Mengting couldn’t help but giggle. “You don’t like it when I flirt with you like this?”

“I like it, I like it, it’s just that I feel it’s a bit deliberately sentimental and cheesy.”

“Is it?” Wu Mengting blinked her eyes and said, “These are my sincere words. They’re really not deliberate, and certainly not cheesy.”

“Alright, alright. Not cheesy, not sentimental. I’m quite moved. Then let me say it too.”

At this point, Chen Feng deliberately paused, then put on a deeply affectionate look, gazing down at her, and said in a baritone voice, “Thank you for liking me!”

Wu Mengting was stunned for a moment, then she couldn’t help but burst out laughing, her body shaking with laughter…

---

Shen Lin returned to the main entrance with a gloomy expression. Tang Yue was the first to run up and ask, “How was it? How was it? What did he say to you? How did that woman get with him? Did they get together before your divorce?”

Tang Yue seemed concerned, but it was more out of curiosity and gossip.

Shen Lin was in no mood to explain to her at this moment. She forced a smile and said, “I’ll tell you about this later. I’m in a bad mood right now, so I’ll go back first. You guys continue shopping.”

Yuan Dawei quickly said, “Then let me take you back.”

Shen Lin frowned. “No need. I drove here myself.”

After saying that, she nodded to Tang Yue and then walked quickly towards the parking lot.

“This… what do you guys think is going on with her?” Yuan Dawei looked at Tang Yue and Kong Tianlu with a helpless expression.

Kong Tianlu smiled faintly. “She’s probably been provoked. It hasn’t been long since her ex-husband divorced her, and he’s already found a woman who is younger and more beautiful than her. How could she not be angry?”

“What kind of taste do you have?” Tang Yue retorted unhappily. “That woman is at most a little younger than Sister Shen. How is she more beautiful? Her figure isn’t as good as Sister Shen’s either.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I didn’t get a good look just now,” Kong Tianlu quickly said with a placating smile. “In short, I think Sister Shen must have been provoked. Her ex-husband found a partner before her, and he seems to be living quite freely. If it were me, I’d feel bad too.”

Tang Yue said, “I think that Chen Feng is no good. He must have gotten together with this woman before the divorce.”

“That’s probably impossible. Chen Feng looks quite upright.”

“You can’t judge a book by its cover, you know? If you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes today, would you believe he managed to get such a young and beautiful woman? She looks like a college student. Several years younger than him, really shameless.”

“Hehe, that’s his skill too. Otherwise, how did Sister Shen marry him back then? I can only say that this Chen Feng has a way with women.”

A hint of envy appeared on Kong Tianlu’s face, which was seen by Tang Yue.

“What, you want to learn from him too?”

Kong Tianlu quickly shook his head. “How could I? Of course not. I’m not that kind of person.”

“Hmph! As if you’d dare,” Tang Yue curled her lip in disdain, then turned to the愁眉苦脸 (frowning/worried) Yuan Dawei and said, “Section Chief, don’t be discouraged either. Sister Shen must have completely given up on her ex-husband now. She might have been thinking about getting back together before, but she definitely doesn’t have that thought anymore. So, if you put in a little more effort, you might be able to win over the ‘flower of our unit’.”

Hearing this, Yuan Dawei’s eyes immediately lit up. He nodded repeatedly and said, “You’re right, Xiaoyue. I hadn’t thought of that. Okay, I’ll definitely put in more effort.”

Yuan Dawei was suddenly filled with ambition again.