"Ah, except for the fat ones!"
Li Xiaoli quickly corrected.
The two girls discussed back and forth while eating, and Tang Ming just kept his head down and ate voraciously.
Having been troubled by the Zhou Family ti and again, Tang Ming was quite annoyed, so this ti he stripped the Zhou Family’s four experts naked for public display. His intention was to deter the Zhou Family from harboring any improper thoughts, and the effect was indeed significant. For the short ti that followed, the Zhou Family didn’t co to bother him anymore.
"Right, it seems like Xia Wei’er hasn’t co looking for Tang Ming in a long ti."
Li Xiaoli suddenly turned to Tang Ming and uncertainly asked,
"Tang Ming, isn’t that right?"
"Huh?"
Caught off guard by the sudden shift of the conversation to himself, Tang Ming was slightly startled and mumbled unclearly,
"It has been a little while since I’ve seen her."
"Aren’t you helping her family make slimming popsicles? Don’t you need to go anymore?" Liu ngting looked at Tang Ming with perplexity, and thought warily,
"Tang Ming and Xia Wei’er haven’t started dating in secret, avoiding Li Xiaoli and , have they?"
"It’s deep autumn now, so it’s normal for popsicle sales to drop. I guess Xia Wei’er is busy dealing with exams just like you two, so she hasn’t co to find ."
Tang Ming, with his mouth full of food, also speculated uncertainly.
"Hmph, I think she feels inferior," Li Xiaoli sniffed with pride and declared,
"At the autumn outing, ng Ting showed off her formidable financial power, sothing Xia Wei’er couldn’t compare to at all."
"Hey, what does that have to do with ?" Liu ngting shot Li Xiaoli a scornful look.
"Anyway, you have one less rival in love now, which is always a good thing."
Li Xiaoli laughed, "All this is thanks to my efforts. ng Ting, you owe a al."
"Cough cough, ti surely flies, it’s already been two months since I beca your bodyguard. In another four months I can regain my freedom!"
Seeing the girls fixated on the topic of Xia Wei’er, Tang Ming shifted the conversation with a hint of lancholy.
"What do you an by that? My house provides you with food and drink. Have we treated you badly? Is that why you’re so keen on leaving?" Liu ngting looked at Tang Ming with displeasure.
"I was just speaking my mind, no complaints," Tang Ming faltered for a mont, thinking bitterly to himself,
"Can I tell you? I’m just waiting for the contract to expire so I can talk to you about calling off the engagent?"
"Alright, alright, we have four more months to go, let’s not talk about this."
Seeing the mood turning sour, Li Xiaoli quickly interjected to calm things down.
"I’m full, and just seeing him gets angry." Liu ngting tossed her chopsticks aside and headed upstairs.
"Tang Ming really has no clue how to deal with girls,"
Li Xiaoli gave Tang Ming a reproachful look and hurriedly followed Liu ngting.
"What’s going on? I didn’t even say anything."
Tang Ming rolled his eyes in annoyance, then... continued to eat.
The next day after school, before Liu ngting and Li Xiaoli had finished packing up, Xia Wei’er appeared at the doorway of the classroom, timidly asking soone to call for Tang Ming.
"Geez, we were just talking about how Wei’er had given up out of insecurity yesterday, and here she is today."
Li Xiaoli watched Tang Ming leave the classroom with a displeased expression, muttering to herself.
"So what if she’s here, what can we do about it!" Liu ngting pulled a face, continuing to pack her things on her own.
"Hehe, ng ng seems pretty worried." Li Xiaoli said sneakily, glancing at Liu ngting before softly reminding her:
"Back during the autumn trip, Brother Tang Ming and Wei’er did that kind of thing with their pants off, aren’t you worried they might rekindle their old fla?"
"Humph!" Liu ngting snorted coldly, involuntarily looking in the direction of the doorway.
"What’s up, did your family sell out of popsicles?" Tang Ming asked Xia Wei’er as he stepped out of the classroom.
"Not yet, the weather’s gotten cold, so they’re not selling well."
Xia Wei’er said sowhat shyly with her head lowered, embarrassedly speaking, "I ca to find you because I have sothing else."
"What’s up, tell ." Tang Ming asked.
Xia Wei’er ca to find Tang Ming because of the urban redevelopnt project; with the colder weather, the project had been dragging on for several months, and the Ma Family, who were in charge of the developnt, were getting impatient.
Their previous plan to make an example and intimidate others had failed. Under the influence of Tang Ming’s terrifying thods, Huo Ge and others didn’t dare to rough up the residents of the shantytown for fear of provoking Tang Ming’s people. Even the Ma Family didn’t dare to ss with Tang Ming lightly, so they could only make compromises.
The Ma Family was preparing to hold a community eting for the shantytown residents that night, where they would offer to increase the compensation for the redevelopnt agreent and give the hold-outs so benefits.
Xia Wei’er, having dealt with the demolition company on several occasions without disadvantage, was elected by all the residents of the shantytown to represent them and speak at the eting. However, Wei’er was after all just a student and was very afraid of facing the situation, so she ca to seek Tang Ming’s company to the eting.
"That’s the situation; the neighbors want to be the representative and speak, but I’m kind of scared. Could you co with ?"
Xia Wei’er looked at Tang Ming with a hopeful expression.
"No problem, I bet those bastards will use intimidation and bribery at the eting. With there, I can protect you."
Tang Ming agreed readily.
The person presiding over the community eting was Huo Ge. Initially, he planned to offer improved benefits and use so intimidation at the eting, but upon seeing Tang Ming’s arrival, he got so scared that he hastily told his n to put away all their coercive tactics and obediently began the eting, conveying the notice about the improved welfare.
After listening to Huo Ge’s introduction, the shantytown residents started enthusiastic discussions, as the compensation for the redevelopnt had indeed increased. Although the increase was not substantial, it was still much better than before.
Given this, so of the shantytown residents were beginning to waver, their attitudes not as firm as before, which is why they eagerly started discussing.
"The terms don’t seem that great, aren’t these people too easily satisfied?" Tang Ming yawned, asking Xia Wei’er in a bored tone.
Xia Wei’er was pouring water for Tang Ming as she explained:
"With the current conditions, the households can’t get new housing of equal size here, but as long as the demolition money is paid, they’ll be able to afford a small-sized house in the suburbs. After all, houses in the city are so expensive, equal space compensation seems unlikely."
"Why unlikely? In the future, this shantytown is bound to turn into high-rise buildings; a single building could settle all of you, and the rest would be pure profit for the developer – even square footage compensation would be cheap."
Tang Ming analyzed, puzzled.
"That’s true, but if the shantytown isn’t demolished, those skyscrapers can’t be built, everything else is just talk. Plus, with the cold weather now, winters in the shantytown are tough to endure; so people wanting a slightly smaller new house is understandable."
Xia Wei’er patiently explained.
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