Chapter 269: A Chance Encounter at the Service Area

With New Year's Eve approaching, the roads were congested.

The journey from Pingchuan to Dongping usually took about two and a half hours, but today, after driving for over an hour, they had covered less than a third of the distance.

Snowflakes gradually started falling from the sky, just as Qin Yuhan had said—it was snowing.

After another half hour of driving, the snow grew heavier.

The traffic ahead had turned into a long line of vehicles, and just as their car reached the service area, Li Dong turned to the others and said, "The snow is too heavy. Let's take a break here, have a cup of hot water, and continue later."

Cao Feng and the others had no objections and nodded in agreement.

Li Dong steered the car into the service area, which was crowded with vehicles. Due to the heavy snow and traffic jams, many people were stranded at the service area.

---

After using the restroom, Li Dong let out a sigh of relief.

He hadn't driven such a long distance by himself for a while, and it took some time to get used to it again.

People who are lazy are indeed spoiled; he used to be thrilled to drive his own car, but now he felt back pain after driving for a while.

Cao Feng, who had come out behind him, glanced at the women's restroom and said with a grin, "Women are so troublesome. They have to wait in line to use the restroom, while we don't have to."

Li Dong glanced at him and joked, "If you find it troublesome, why are you still looking for women? Just find a man to spend your life with; you'll save water in the restroom."

Cao Feng scratched his head and asked, "Save water?"

Li Dong rolled his eyes, wondering how this guy's brain worked. Was that really the point?

Not wanting to argue further, Li Dong took out a cigarette box, handed one to Cao Feng, lit one for himself, took a puff, and asked, "Have you been in touch with Uncle recently?"

Cao Feng, who was examining the cigarette Li Dong had handed him, quickly nodded, "I spoke to him on the phone a few days ago. I also sent back 5,000 yuan. My dad reminded me to work hard and follow you closely."

"5,000? Spent the rest?"

Li Dong asked. Cao Feng had been in Pingchuan for more than half a year. He usually ate at supermarkets and managed his own accommodation, so his salary had almost reached 20,000 yuan over the past six months.

Cao Feng quickly replied, "No, I saved the rest."

Li Dong thought for a moment and said, "If you have a girlfriend, don't be too frugal. I noticed that Lin Meng's down jacket is still old. Didn't you buy her a new one?"

Cao Feng scratched his head and chuckled, "Lin Meng didn't let me. She said I should save more money so that we can use it as a down payment to buy a house in Pingchuan in the future."

Li Dong laughed. Lin Meng was quite good at managing things.

However, someone like Cao Feng, who was simple and honest, should find a smart woman like Lin Meng to be his wife.

Otherwise, even if Cao Feng's salary was high, he wouldn't be able to save much money throughout the year.

A few months ago, Li Dong had heard that Cao Feng would treat his colleagues to meals as soon as he got his salary. After a few such outings in a month, his salary was nearly spent.

Cao Yu had even complained to him once, asking him to talk to Cao Feng about it.

But Li Dong didn't want to interfere with such matters. Cao Feng making friends was his own business, and he hadn't brought it up with Cao Feng.

It seemed Cao Feng had corrected his ways now. Li Dong smiled and asked, "Is it a problem with Lin Meng?"

Cao Feng just smiled and didn't speak. Li Dong understood and said nothing more.

After chatting for a while, Li Dong asked, "Are you and Lin Meng planning to settle down in Pingchuan?"

Cao Feng said indifferently, "I'm fine with anywhere. In a couple of years, I could return to my hometown and build a small house. But Lin Meng wants to buy a house in Pingchuan. We plan to save for three to five years, and then we should have enough for a down payment. Buying a house in Pingchuan would make us look like city dwellers."

"Have you made up your mind about her?"

"Yeah, Lin Meng is a really nice person."

Li Dong nodded slightly, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "If you're really set on her, when you're getting married, I'll give you a house."

Cao Feng's mouth dropped open!

Li Dong laughed and asked, "What? Don't believe me?"

Cao Feng quickly shook his head, unsure of where to put his hands, and nervously said, "Dongzi, about this… I…"

He wanted to refuse but couldn't bring himself to do it.

A house!

If he had a house, he could marry Lin Meng right now!

He was twenty-five this year, and in the countryside, he was considered an older bachelor. If he waited to save enough for a down payment to marry Lin Meng, he'd be in his late twenties.

At that age in the countryside, children would already be in elementary school.

Cao Feng wanted to get married, but Lin Meng was ambitious and had been avoiding the topic.

After a few attempts, Cao Feng understood that without a house, it was almost impossible to marry Lin Meng in his hometown.

He knew Li Dong was a wealthy boss, but it was difficult to bring this up with him.

He didn't expect Li Dong to offer him a house today, which left Cao Feng momentarily stunned. Refusing was simply out of the question.

Li Dong didn't press further and continued, "Just keep this in mind. Don't mention it to Lin Meng for now."

"Got it, I understand…"

"What are you talking about?"

As they were talking, Lin Meng and Cao Yu approached.

Lin Meng had interjected, and Cao Feng blushed, not knowing how to respond.

Li Dong remained composed and said, "We were just chatting. Cousin praised his wife for being frugal."

Lin Meng laughed and rolled her eyes at Cao Feng, saying, "Your cousin is such a blockhead. Does he even know how to compliment people?"

Cao Feng, blushing, tried to defend himself, "Of course, I know how to compliment people. I often speak well of you to others in the supermarket."

Lin Meng, smiling, asked, "Really? How do you say good things about me?"

"I tell everyone that if someone dies, your insurance will definitely pay out. No deceit!"

Li Dong and the others couldn't help but laugh. Lin Meng, annoyed, glared at him and said, "Is that what you call a compliment? I said, why do people from your company look at me like they've seen a ghost? If you don't know how to talk, don't speak out of turn!"

"I didn't speak out of turn. I was just stating the truth," Cao Feng retorted, feeling indignant.

To him, insurance was about paying out when someone died, so what was wrong with saying that? Usually, people bought insurance for that purpose.

Lin Meng huffed and gave him a withering look. If she hadn't known Cao Feng's character, she would have scolded him long ago.

Seeing this, Li Dong smiled and changed the topic, "Let's not discuss this anymore. Go get a cup of hot water, and we'll continue on our way."

Cao Feng, eager to avoid further scolding, quickly grabbed a cup and hurried to the service hall.

Li Dong and the others followed calmly. Cao Yu pulled Lin Meng's arm and said with a grin, "Sister Meng, my brother is just a blockhead. Don't take it to heart."

Lin Meng shook her head and said, "If I took everything to heart, I'd have been furious a long time ago."

They chatted quietly for a moment, and Cao Feng returned with the water.

Li Dong checked the time and looked toward the entrance, saying, "Let's get in the car. The snow is getting heavy. If it keeps up, the roads might be closed. We should head back as soon as possible."

"Alright, we'll…"

"Li Dong?"

As they were about to leave the hall, someone suddenly called out to Li Dong softly.

Li Dong turned to look and was surprised to see Su Yu, a girl he had met a few times before. He had even helped her move books once. She was a freshman from Jiang University.

It wasn't strange to run into Su Yu, but Su Yu was standing next to someone Li Dong didn't expect—Su Rui, his neighbor who was suspected of being a mistress.

Connecting their names, Li Dong had a rough idea of their relationship and nodded, "What a coincidence. Are you heading home?"

"Yeah."

Both Su Yu and Su Rui nodded.

Then Su Yu looked at Su Rui with a puzzled expression and asked, "Sis, do you know Senior Li Dong?"

Su Rui smiled slightly and said, "I've met Mr. Li a few times. I'd say we're acquaintances. Isn't that right, Mr. Li?"

Li Dong smiled lightly and said, "Yes. You two chat. I have some business to attend to and need to leave."

But Su Rui chuckled and said, "Mr. Li, where are you headed? If it's on the way, how about

 we go together?"

"It's probably not on the way. I'll be getting off the highway soon."

Li Dong gave a perfunctory smile. He wasn't very familiar with these two, so naturally, he wouldn't go together. He showed an apologetic expression and said, "Sorry, it's getting late. We really need to go."

Su Rui wasn't offended and nodded, "Mr. Li, if you're busy, go ahead. We'll stay here for a while longer."

Just as Li Dong and his group were about to leave, Lin Meng suddenly called out, "Miss Su?"

Su Rui had been focused on Li Dong and hadn't noticed Lin Meng.

When Lin Meng called her name, Su Rui turned her head and was visibly surprised, "Manager Lin, what a coincidence."

Lin Meng was delighted to see Su Rui and said, "I didn't expect to run into you here. What brings you here, Miss Su?"

"By the way, Miss Su, aren't you also from Dongping?"

Su Rui looked a bit embarrassed and gave a forced nod.

Seeing this, Li Dong cleared his throat and said to Lin Meng, "Sister-in-law, we should get going. We can chat next time."

Lin Meng wasn't naive; she had greeted Su Rui because she had suddenly encountered a major client and was momentarily excited.

But thinking of her previous guesses and seeing Su Yu's curious expression, Lin Meng realized the situation. She smiled at Su Rui and said, "Miss Su, I'll head off first. I'll treat you to a meal next time."

Su Rui visibly relaxed and smiled, "Alright. Next time, I'll invite Manager Lin to dinner."

Once Li Dong and his group had left, Su Yu, who had been silent, turned to Su Rui and asked, "Sis, how do you know Li Dong? And what about that Manager Lin, are you friends?"

Su Rui responded dismissively, "We've had some work-related interactions. By the way, aren't you ranked lower than Li Dong? How do you know him?"

Su Yu didn't think much of it and didn't question how Su Rui knew she was ranked lower. She answered, "I met him when I asked for directions at the beginning of the school year, and we ran into each other once more. We're not very familiar."

Su Rui glanced at her and said after a long pause, "It's better if you're not too familiar. Try to keep in touch as little as possible."

Su Yu frowned but didn't argue.

She and Li Dong weren't very close; they didn't even have each other's phone numbers, so there was no way to stay in contact.