Stand-In Boyfriend Fu Zheng Ji

Chapter 494 Waiting for the Best Price
When Li Xiang saw Zhang Ling start seriously browsing the trending topics,

Out of curiosity, he quickly took out his phone to check it out.

He even went so far as to explain that he wanted to see how well he handled the situation.
of course!

Li Xiang's explanation was that no one had the time to argue or refute.

After Zhang Ling and the old lady finished reading all the trending topics,

After exchanging glances for a few seconds, they both looked at Li Xiang and asked in unison:

Are all the things trending on social media true?

Li Xiang appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.

He slowly raised his head after hearing the two women's questions, nodded with a leisurely smile, and said:

"Of course!"

Upon hearing this, the old lady smiled and said:
"So you've officially declared war on the Li family of Wuchuan."

Zhang Ling asked, somewhat confused:
"Mom, what are you talking about? You forgot! Li Xiang also has the surname Li. How can you say that Li Xiang is declaring war on the Li family? We can't just make things up."

She got engaged to Li Xiang.

She is considered a daughter-in-law of the Li family.

At this moment, he heard his mother say things that were detrimental to the Li family.

Naturally, I had to step forward and offer some reminders and explanations.

The old lady looked at Zhang Ling and saw that she really did resemble a daughter-in-law of the Li family. She smiled faintly and waved her hand.

Then, after gesturing for Zhang Ling to look at Li Xiang, he spoke again:

"Haha, I didn't say that. Li Xiang told me that himself. If you don't believe me, you can ask Li Xiang if that's true."

Zhang Ling looked at Li Xiang with a puzzled expression and asked:
"Is what Mom said true? You told Mom yourself that you were going to wage war against the Li family."

Li Xiang was naturally aware that something like this had happened.

I just don't understand why the old lady would suddenly bring this up?
According to Zhen Li, he and the old lady have a hidden alliance.

When necessary, ask him to cooperate with the old lady to a certain extent.

At that time, there was also an emphasis on concealing their relationship.

Is it really a good idea to expose the alliance so openly now?
To be honest, if he had given a definite answer...

Zhang Ling will inevitably press him for the reason.

He couldn't possibly attribute Li Xiang's tragic past to himself.

If you insist on explaining it to Zhang Ling.

That would prove that he is a patient with severe schizophrenia.

So all he could say, with a smile tinged with endless bitterness, was:
"Uh... it's not the right time to talk about these things now. Don't ask! Let's talk about something happier first. Like, let's talk about Little Bean."

Zhang Ling heard this.

As if after a fierce internal struggle, he hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, pursing his lips:

"Alright. Let's talk about Xiaodouzi then. Li Xiang, you've made the situation in Wuchuan so tense. Do you think it's safe for us to bring Xiaodouzi back for the holidays?"

This is indeed a very serious problem.

As a father, Li Xiang should have already thought of this rationally and logically.

But in fact, he had never really thought about this question.

This is indeed somewhat embarrassing.

You should know that we sent Xiaodouzi to study abroad for safety reasons.

The situation in Wuchuan is now so tense because of Li Xiang's actions.

What if Xiaodouzi gets kidnapped by some desperate people again after returning to China?
Li Xiang tentatively suggested that he wouldn't pick up Xiaodouzi from school this time.

Zhang Ling stated that she should fulfill her promises to her child without any compromise.

However, the safety of Xiaodouzi must not be ignored.

How to do?
Although the two did not engage in a heated debate on this issue.

However, the car was filled with a strong sense of oppression.

The old lady wanted to break the oppressive atmosphere.

Seeing the two young people with worried faces, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhang Ling turned her head in confusion and looked over, saying with a hint of complaint:
"Mom, everyone else is so worried. How can you still be laughing?"

The old lady smiled reassuringly and explained:

"What's there to worry about? After you bring Xiaodouzi back, he can stay with me. My security is top-notch. I'm sure no scoundrels will get close."

Li Xiang subconsciously replied:
"That's not good."

He simply didn't want to cause trouble for the old lady.

That's why I said that.

Unexpectedly, the old lady seemed to have misunderstood Li Xiang's meaning.

They mistakenly believed that Li Xiang was still not comfortable with the security measures at her home.

So he rolled his eyes at Li Xiang, dissatisfied, and said:

"I am Little Bean's grandma."

Zhang Ling saw that the old lady seemed genuinely angry.

It was because Li Xiang doubted the love a grandmother has for her granddaughter.

Li Xiang clearly sensed the old lady's hostility.

How could a man willingly accept being provoked?

Not to be outdone, he retorted, "I'm still Xiaodouzi's dad."

What's with this feeling of being at each other's throats?
No, we absolutely mustn't let the two of them really start arguing.

She'll be in a difficult position if she's caught in the middle.

So Zhang Ling quickly grabbed the old lady and called out "Mom";
Another "Li Xiang" was enough to send the eager Li Xiang back to the passenger seat.

He then breathed a sigh of relief and said:

“I know you all mean well for Xiaodouzi. We are all Xiaodouzi’s family. As family, we should sit down and talk things out calmly, instead of arguing in a way that is beneath our dignity. Can arguing solve problems? Obviously not.”

After hearing Zhang Ling's words, Li Xiang immediately backed down.

The old lady, as an elder, was lectured by a younger person.

I feel like I'm losing face.

Moreover, someone like the old lady has been educating others for decades.

Suddenly I heard words of admonition.

Even though she had repeatedly told herself that Zhang Ling was her daughter.

It also couldn't quickly quell the nameless anger in my heart.

With her keen observation skills, Zhang Ling seemed to understand the old lady's inner thoughts.

So, like a kitten trying to please its owner, it rubbed its face against the old lady's cheek.

Perhaps it was Zhang Ling's youthful body temperature that soothed the waves that had been rising in the old lady's heart.

Zhang Ling didn't say anything more.

The old lady also forgave her past grievances and showed a relieved smile, saying:

"Haha, my Lingling is right. Why don't you decide, Lingling? Whatever decision you make, don't worry, Mom will support you unconditionally."

The old lady was truly wise!
She knew that it was Li Xiang who had been pursuing Zhang Ling all along.

It seems that as long as Zhang Ling makes good decisions...

No matter how unwilling Li Xiang is, he will carry it out without any discount.

of course!

The old lady dared to make such a guarantee.

This is also because the old lady owns properties all over the world.

Even if the choice is to prevent Xiaodouzi from returning to Wuchuan.

It would also allow Xiaodouzi to spend her holiday at her home.

Because in her eyes, wherever Zhang Ling was, that was home.

Therefore, no matter which choice Zhang Ling makes, it will be in her best interest.

Zhang Ling saw how much the old lady doted on and supported her.

An unprecedented sense of happiness arose in my heart.

This must be what it feels like to have a mother.

She did not give a clear answer immediately.

I'm temporarily immersed in the happiness of being pampered by my mother.

How much time has passed?
The driver's words, "We've arrived at the airport," pulled Zhang Ling out of her blissful state.

She murmured to herself like a child:
"We're here already. Why didn't you slow down a bit? Honestly!"

The muttering was very soft.

Even the old lady who was closest to Zhang Ling couldn't hear what she said.
He even asked a question out of concern.

However, Zhang Ling was puzzled to discover that the driver seemed to have clearly heard her mutterings.

That's why I gave Zhang Ling a special apologetic reply:
"Ms. Ling, I'm so sorry. I've already driven as slowly as possible so as not to delay boarding." Zhang Ling let out an embarrassed "Ah."

Then, pulling Li Xiang, who was eager to get to the bottom of things, they hurriedly walked towards the airport terminal.

The old lady found Zhang Ling's hurried departure quite endearing.

She also understood why Zhang Ling had run away.

So no matter how much you want to understand the reason,

They didn't ask the driver what was going on.

However, she also knew.

Even if she doesn't personally get involved in this matter.

The driver will definitely take the time to explain the reasons to her.

So the old lady wasn't in a hurry.

During the flight.

Li Xiang was recognized as the person from Wuchuan who underwent gender reassignment surgery, as featured in the headline news.

He readily denied it.

But some people still haven't given up.

They always try every means to find out whether what is said in the news is true or not.

Those probing behaviors did not occur with Zhang Ling.

This sparked an inexplicable rage in Zhang Ling.

He proactively told those meddlesome people who still wanted to investigate to get lost.

They even forcefully summoned the flight attendants and made it clear.

If you see passengers from other cabins who have been brought in while you are in first class.

She promised to file complaints against all the first-class flight attendants until they lost their jobs after she got off the plane.

Because she figured it out.

These flight attendants definitely received bribes.

Every now and then, he would bring passengers from other cabins to hang around in front of Li Xiang.

They claimed they brought people to upgrade their cabin.

But in reality, she saw that they had brought more than ten people.

Only one person actually got an upgrade.

Moreover, this person only chose to upgrade to a higher class after Zhang Ling exposed his evil intentions, leaving him with no other option but to put himself in a difficult position.

Needless to say, most of these people were sent by Li Xi (or the old clan chief), who were unwilling to accept their fate.

It cannot be ruled out that some people are genuinely looking for clues to gossip news.

The flight attendants in charge of first class must have finally learned to be afraid.

After that, there were no more people using the pretext of upgrading cabin class to investigate whether Li Xiang had undergone gender reassignment surgery.

Li Xiang saw that Zhang Ling was protecting him.

He thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being protected.

That made me realize even more that my initial choice was right.

This further solidified his belief that he would marry no one but Zhang Ling in this lifetime.

Time flies.

The three of them arrived safely in the city where Xiaodouzi lived.

As soon as Zhang Ling got off the plane, she felt extremely flustered.

This must be a sign that something unexpected is about to happen.

She explicitly shared this perception with the old lady and Li Xiang.

She originally thought that the old lady, being a woman herself, would be the one who could best understand her emotions at this moment.

But the old lady didn't understand.

Instead, some people deliberately interpreted Zhang Ling's situation as her simply wanting to see her daughter urgently.

Is this really the case?
Zhang Ling is an adult who has been in the workforce for a long time.

I can still clearly distinguish between longing and danger.

It seems that Li Xiang is also deeply in love with Xiaodouzi.

Like Zhang Ling, she also experienced some negative emotions.

He mistakenly believed that these negative emotions were caused by seeing Zhang Ling's flustered appearance.

Unlike Zhang Ling, they didn't immediately associate it with Xiaodouzi.

It's important to understand that two people who truly love each other can indeed be influenced by each other's emotions.

Just as Zhang Ling was about to give up in disappointment and try to convince the old lady to believe her,

They happened to walk out of the airport gate at the same time.

A familiar voice sounded.

"Zhang Ling, it's me. I've come to pick you up."

Following the sound, Qi Diaozhe walked towards them with great enthusiasm, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Zhang Ling, with a look of disgust on her face, said to Qi Diaozhe standing in front of her:

"How will you be here?"

In my memory, Qi Diaozhe should never have been here.

The old lady, as if she had known about Qi Diaozhe's arrival all along, said:

"You brat from the Qi Diao family, I didn't expect you to have such a stubborn streak. You still dare to show your face in front of Zhang Ling now."

Qi Diaozhe smiled with utmost humility and said:

"Look, Auntie, you promised me yourself. It's not time yet, is it? I, Qi Diaozhe, haven't lost yet."

Zhang Ling suddenly felt as if she had been cruelly schemed against.

Moreover, the person who plotted against her was someone who had just been listed as a trustworthy mother.

So, filled with intense anger, she questioned:

"It's not time yet! Mom, what do you mean it's not time yet? Is there some agreement between you that I don't know about?"

The old lady remained calm despite Zhang Ling's questioning.

It seems perfectly normal to scheme and plot for profit.

He even acted on his feelings for Zhang Ling.

A hint of disappointment still lingered in the old lady's eyes.

Qi Diaozhe stepped forward and spoke to Zhang Ling on behalf of the old lady:
“Lingling, please believe that your aunt's love for you is genuine. I can vouch for that. Over the years, the old lady has always…”

Qi Diaozhe was trying to gain as much favor as possible from the old lady in this way.

pity!

Little did he know that his actions would only fuel Zhang Ling's even stronger hostility.

So Zhang Ling interrupted Qi Diaozhe before he could finish speaking and shouted:
"Enough! Enough with the nonsense. I don't want to hear any of this. All I want to know is about you and my mother..."

As she spoke, Zhang Ling realized that it was somewhat inappropriate for her to continue calling the old lady "Mom."

So he immediately changed his tune and said:

"No, it should be that you and this lady have plotted something dirty and shameful against me?"

The old lady could tell that Zhang Ling seemed genuinely angry.

So, in a tentative attempt to salvage the situation, he called out "Lingling".

Unexpectedly, Zhang Ling merely glared at the old lady with her scarlet eyes.

This prevented the old lady from continuing her sentence.

Qi Diaozhe acted as if he hadn't noticed Zhang Ling's anger.

He still explained to Zhang Ling without any hesitation:
"That's naturally the agreement I made to pursue you. Mr. Li Xiang, who's beside you, is one of the participants in this agreement. If you don't believe me, you can ask Li Xiang again. Don't I have an agreement with him about you?"

Zhang Ling pointed at Qi Diaozhe with one finger and shouted "He!" while staring coldly at Li Xiang and questioning him:

"Is everything you said true?"

Li Xiang watched as Zhang Ling's anger was about to overwhelm her reason.

I really want to argue that "no".

pity!

Given Li Xiang's character, it's certainly not permissible for him to do that.

So he could only nod helplessly without saying a word.

Zhang Ling's disappointed gaze kept shifting between the old lady and Li Xiang.

She finds it hard to tolerate two people she trusts.

It seems everyone treats her like an item waiting to be sold.

Therefore, her trust in people began to teeter on the brink of collapse.

Qi Diaozhe wanted to gain as much favor as possible from the old lady.

So he took the initiative to explain to Zhang Ling on behalf of the old lady:
“Speaking of which, Zhang Ling, I must say something fair on behalf of the old lady. She was merely acting as a judge in this matter. You shouldn’t have spoken to her like that. Because she did all that for your future happiness.”