Reborn: I'll Never Fail My Childhood Sweetheart Again-Chapter 66 - 45: The Junior Schoolmate Meets the Qing Mei

Chapter 66: Chapter 45: The Junior Schoolmate Meets the Qing Mei

Thinking to myself, why are you trying to flex in front of Huang Panpan, mom? Can’t you see she’s obviously buttering you up?

He needs to keep Zhao Lixia clear-headed and not let Huang Panpan manipulate her.

Zhao Lixia was enjoying the flattery, but Su Zelin interrupted, making Granny Su unhappy. She glared and said, "Cough, cough, if your throat isn’t well, go take some herbal medicine. Serves you right for drinking so much last night!"

Still, she stopped her bragging: "Panpan, you chat with Zelin for a bit, I’ll be back soon!"

"Alright, Auntie, you go ahead!"

Huang Panpan played the role of a sensible and well-behaved girl in the Su family perfectly, almost flawlessly.

Zhao Lixia entered the room to find Su Jianjun still snoring in bed, not yet sober from last night’s drinks.

"Jianjun!"

Granny Su shook her husband several times before Su Jianjun opened his eyes: "Lixia, what’s going on?"

"Get up quickly, Panpan is here!"

"Which Panpan?"

Half-asleep, Su Jianjun was still a bit confused.

"How many Panpans are there? Our son’s junior, Huang Hongbo’s daughter!"

"What? She’s here again!"

Su Jianjun jolted awake instantly.

This girl’s matter needs to be handled well.

Zhao Lixia didn’t know how to handle it either.

"You know, Panpan is so good with her words, she made me so happy. I’m just worried I might accidentally be too warm to her, like playing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dynamic, which could lead to misunderstandings, so I need you to step in!"

When it comes to managing interpersonal relationships and maintaining boundaries, Su Jianjun was undoubtedly more skilled.

"Alright, I’ll rinse my mouth, wash my face, and be there soon!"

Su Jianjun got up.

"Hurry up, I can’t handle this!"

Zhao Lixia urged.

"Got it, got it!"

Su Jianjun was already getting dressed; he couldn’t afford to be careless when it came to Huang Panpan.

Not long after, he tidied himself and came to the living room, freshly washed and dressed.

"Hello, Uncle!"

Huang Panpan gave him a bow.

"Panpan’s here, Uncle had a few drinks last night, just woke up, sorry for not greeting you earlier!"

Su Jianjun chuckled.

"Please don’t say that, Uncle. I’m the one who interrupted your rest!"

"No, no, I needed to get up anyway. I still need to check on the shop later!"

"..."

Once Su Jianjun was present, he handled the situation perfectly, keeping a proper distance. Men do tend to be more composed, unlike Zhao Lixia, who gets carried away by flattery.

While they were chatting, someone walked in.

It was Qin Shiqing, holding two cleaned plates used earlier for the green onion pancakes.

Seeing Huang Panpan in the living room, she was momentarily surprised.

The last time the junior schoolmate visited was at night, so she didn’t know.

Huang Panpan was all smiles, but with Qin Shiqing’s appearance, a flicker of subtle hostility flashed in her eyes.

She had always regarded Qin Shiqing as a romantic rival, a formidable one!

After all, she was the school flower and top student at No.2 Middle School, not only pretty but also with outstanding character and academics. And she lived next door to Su Zelin, making her an enormous threat.

Zhao Lixia was a bit anxious.

She didn’t mind Huang Panpan but didn’t want Qin Shiqing to misunderstand either, as she was the prime candidate for an ideal daughter-in-law.

Su Jianjun remained calm and said nonchalantly, "Shiqing’s here, this is Zelin’s junior. You should know her, right? She’s here to congratulate Zelin on his excellent exam results."

"Yes, Uncle." Qin Shiqing smiled, "I’ve met junior Panpan many times."

Zhao Lixia thought it was good they knew each other, but Shiqing was so perceptive. Would she notice Panpan’s interest in their Zelin?

"Hello, Senior Shiqing!"

Huang Panpan instinctively straightened her chest, though her greeting carried a subtle hint of hostility.

Su Jianjun detected it too, feeling slightly puzzled but quickly realizing something.

If Huang Panpan liked Zelin, she’d definitely be wary of Qin Shiqing since this childhood friend of his was too excellent.

The atmosphere became a bit delicate.

"Lixia, isn’t there a watermelon in the fridge? Why don’t you cut some slices!"

Su Jianjun broke the tension.

"Right, right, it’s so hot. Some chilled watermelon would be great to cool us off!"

Zhao Lixia nodded vigorously.

"Auntie, let me help you!"

Huang Panpan stood up to offer her assistance.

Aside from being attentive, she also wanted to show off to Qin Shiqing.

"Umm..."

Zhao Lixia felt a bit awkward.

What would Qin Shiqing think if she let Huang Panpan help with the watermelon?

If she didn’t let her help, she was afraid of hurting the girl’s feelings.

"Panpan, you’re a guest. Just sit back and let your aunt take care of it!"

Su Jianjun found a suitable excuse, also making it clear in front of Qin Shiqing.

They were treating Huang Panpan as just an ordinary guest.

"Your uncle is right. How could we let a guest help? It’s not a troublesome task anyway!"

Zhao Lixia chimed in.

With the two elders saying so, Huang Panpan, although slightly reluctant, could only helplessly sit back down.

A little while later, Zhao Lixia returned with a plate of chilled watermelon.

As they were eating, Liu Sufen came over as she had something to discuss with Granny Su.

Seeing Huang Panpan in the living room, she casually asked, "Lixia, is this young girl a cousin of Zelin’s? I’ve never seen her before."

Since she was familiar with the children of neighbors, Liu Sufen assumed she might be a cousin of Su Zelin.