Was I Her Benefactor?

Wei Zijin's warm breath brushed his ear as she softly uttered those three words. Wang Xiaoliang froze for a moment, then instantly recalled the joke he had told her: when a pig stepped out of a Maybach, he was Marshal Tianpeng.

"Pfft..."

He burst out laughing.

"What is it, Xiaoliang?" Liu Xinyu, who was sitting closest to him, asked with concern. "What's got you laughing so hard? Tell us so we can all enjoy it."

Wang Xiaoliang frantically waved his hands. It would be awkward if Zhou Qiang heard.

"Nothing, nothing." He hurriedly picked up his glass, trying to change the subject. "I just remembered a joke. Come on, let's keep drinking. A toast to everyone."

Li Lanxiang, however, was not so easily fooled. Seeing Wang Xiaoliang's reaction, she glanced at Wei Zijin beside him, who was innocently sipping her juice, and immediately realized that whatever the two had been talking about involved them.

Her hand darted toward Wei Zijin's ribs.

"Tell me."

Wei Zijin shook her head. "It's nothing, just a joke."

"I don't believe you!" Li Lanxiang refused to let it go and started tickling her. "Tell me, tell me!"

Wei Zijin could only beg for mercy, her expression helpless yet indulgent. She leaned over and whispered the whole joke into Li Lanxiang's ear.

"Hahahaha... oh, my... Tianpeng... hahahaha..."

She rocked with laughter, practically falling into Zhou Qiang's arms as she pointed at Wang Xiaoliang.

"Well, look at you, Wang Xiaoliang!" Li Lanxiang was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "You seem so honest and quiet. I never knew you could be this wicked!"

Zhou Qiang was utterly baffled by his girlfriend's sudden fit of laughter.

Liu Xinyu looked from one to the other, even more confused. All he could do was raise his glass and clink it against Zhou Qiang's. Neither man had a clue what was going on.

Li Lanxiang's "accusation" made Wang Xiaoliang's face grow warm, but he did not feel embarrassed. Instead, he felt a little closer to everyone at the table.

Several rounds of drinks and dishes later, the meal was well underway.

The lively atmosphere gradually settled into a warmer, more familiar harmony.

Liu Xinyu and Zhou Qiang found common ground, discussing everything from Jiangcheng's economy to the next big business opportunities. Sometimes they argued heatedly; other times they exchanged knowing smiles, as though great minds really did think alike.

Meanwhile, Wei Zijin and Li Lanxiang huddled together, with an endless supply of secrets to share. They chattered away, their laughter never stopping.

Wang Xiaoliang seemed to be the only one without someone to talk to.

But he did not feel left out at all.

Quite the opposite: he was incredibly happy. He had never felt so clearheaded or at ease.

As he listened to the two separate conversations around him, his mind kept returning to one thing.

Li Lanxiang had said she had met plenty of benefactors. She had been lucky enough to encounter them.

But that was luck she could only recognize after the fact.

He was different.

He had the Book of Fate.

With the Book of Fate's guidance, he could identify the crucial benefactors in his life beforehand, then take the initiative, repay their kindness promptly, and seize every opportunity.

Wasn't taking control of his destiny like this a hundred times better than Li Lanxiang's passive good fortune?

Once that possibility opened up, everything became clear.

Wang Xiaoliang followed that train of thought. He had met Zhou Qiang through Wei Zijin. By that logic, Wei Zijin... was undoubtedly his benefactor too.

The thought that Wei Zijin was his benefactor filled him with an involuntary surge of excitement.

[Spouses who entrust each other with their lives are each other's benefactors.]

Spouses... each other's benefactors...

Wang Xiaoliang felt his cheeks warming. Instinctively, he raised his head and looked at Wei Zijin again.

Her head was tilted as she listened attentively to Li Lanxiang. The soft light fell across her face, tracing her lovely features, while her long lashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes.

And she was looking at him too.

There was unmistakable tenderness in her gaze.

For that moment, all the noise around him seemed to fade away.

All that remained in his world was the sentence echoing in his mind and the quiet, lovely girl before him.

He thought how wonderful it would be if they could be each other's benefactors.

But was he Wei Zijin's benefactor? What could he do to help her?

A sense of helplessness rose within him.

Just then, Liu Xinyu stood up and patted his stomach. "That's it. I've had a bit too much. I'm going to the restroom."

With his departure, the lively business discussion temporarily broke up.

Zhou Qiang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and turned his attention to Wang Xiaoliang.

"Xiaoliang, what exactly are your plans from here?"

Wei Zijin and Li Lanxiang's whispered conversation stopped abruptly. Almost immediately, both turned to look at Wang Xiaoliang.

"Qiang, I've already... rented a small place near Jiangcheng University. I'm not planning to go back home for now."

"I want to give it a try," he said deliberately, meeting Zhou Qiang's gaze. "Away from my parents, without a steady job, I want to see whether I can really survive in this city on my own..."

Zhou Qiang listened and nodded.

"If you need help, just say the word."

Wei Zijin quietly watched Wang Xiaoliang's profile, lost in thoughts of her own.

Even a lively dinner had to end.

When they walked out of the restaurant, the Jiangcheng night breeze carried a slight chill, clearing away the lingering haze of alcohol.

"All right, you guys keep talking. I'm heading off." Liu Xinyu knew when to make himself scarce. He gave Wang Xiaoliang's shoulder a firm pat. "My flight's at ten tomorrow morning. You'd better come see me off."

Zhou Qiang took the initiative to add Liu Xinyu on WeChat, asking him to keep in touch.

"Of course, Qiang. Let's stay in touch."

Still holding his phone, he turned to Wei Zijin.

"Come on, sister-in-law, let's add each other too! Whenever you need someone to tell Xiaoliang off, let me know. We'll do it together."

Wang Xiaoliang thought that form of address was entirely inappropriate.

He wanted to stop him, but Wei Zijin was already taking her phone out of her bag.

She did not seem to mind.

Right, it was only a joke.

After Liu Xinyu left.

Zhou Qiang took Li Lanxiang's hand and said to Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin, "We'll head off too, then. You two... stay safe."

There was an obvious implication behind his words.

Li Lanxiang even gave them a playful wink.

In the blink of an eye, only Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin remained by the roadside.

The evening breeze lifted Wei Zijin's long hair. A faint trace of awkwardness hung in the silence between them.

Wei Zijin spoke first.

"Shall we... take a walk?"

Her suggestion stirred something in Wang Xiaoliang's heart.

"Sure."

She seemed to have already decided where to go, adding softly, "Let's go to East Lake again."

At night, East Lake was even quieter and more mysterious than during the day. They walked side by side along the tree-lined lakeside path without speaking, but each could hear the other's soft footsteps and breathing. The silence was not awkward.

They naturally found their way to the bench where they had sat before and sat down.

The lake shimmered beneath the distant streetlights.

The quiet lingered for a long time.

Finally, Wei Zijin turned to Wang Xiaoliang, her eyes astonishingly bright in the darkness.

"Xiaoliang," she said, breaking the silence, "I have some good news to tell you."