Reborn as a Tough Army Wife

Chapter 624 - 619: Direct Rejection

Li Aihua sighed, seeing that she couldn’t convince Fang Pingying, she settled for the next best thing, "I’m not asking you to marry him, you can agree to start seeing Liu just casually, don’t always refuse. Think of it as giving yourself a chance, and giving Liu a chance too. Think about how much he has helped you along the way."

As they were speaking, someone knocked on the door just in time. Fang Pingying, annoyed by Li Aihua, pushed her towards the door, "Mom, can you go get the door, please?"

When Li Aihua opened the door, she saw Liu Fengsheng and his daughter standing outside. Her eyes crinkled into a smile and she quickly invited them in, "Oh, Liu, what a coincidence. I was just talking about you with Pingying."

Hearing this, Liu Fengsheng was somewhat surprised, but also pleased, indicating at least he had some standing in the Fang Family.

He then joked, saying, "Is that so? Was Pingying complaining about me to Auntie?"

Fang Pingying and Fang Xiu, who were in the kitchen, were surprised to hear Liu Fengsheng’s visit. According to their customs, people don’t usually go out on the first day of the Lunar New Year unless they are family.

Fang Xiu whispered to Fang Pingying, "Big sister, it seems like Liu Fengsheng already considers you as one of his own."

To Fang Pingying, the arrival of Liu Fengsheng wasn’t significant; it was the first day of the new year, and it was not a big deal to greet friends. But hearing Liu Fengsheng’s words made her a bit unhappy; his words were too intimate, as if they really had something between them, which was clearly a conversation between lovers.

It seemed that she had to clarify something sooner rather than later.

Aunt Aihua, upon hearing Liu Fengsheng’s words, laughed heartily, saying, "No, not at all. I was saying good things about you."

As soon as Li Aihua finished speaking, Tingting smiled and greeted Li Aihua, "Grandma Aihua, happy New Year."

After that, she playfully bowed to Fang Pingying and Fang Xiu in the kitchen, "Aunt Pingying, Aunt Xiu’er, happy New Year."

Hearing this, Fang Pingying frowned and smiled, "What’s the matter? You’ve changed the way you address me, you’ve always called me sister, why suddenly call me auntie? Have I aged a generation all of a sudden?"

"My dad advised me to do so, said it’s improper to mess up the seniority." Tingting, looking quite knowing, winked at Fang Pingying, "I thought so too. You are of my dad’s generation, calling you sister seems a bit confusing."

Fang Pingying glanced at Liu Fengsheng, then smiled mildly at Tingting, "What’s all this talk of confusion? I like it when you call me sister."

Tingting didn’t respond but just nodded with a smile.

But Li Aihua continued, "It’s better to call her aunt. From now on, just call her Aunt."

After saying this, she glanced at Fang Xiu in the kitchen, then back to Tingting and called out, "Xiu’er, come help me find something. I couldn’t find it all day yesterday."

Then she called Tingting, "Tingting, you come too."

Fang Xiu looked at Fang Pingying awkwardly, "This..."

In fact, Fang Xiu understood that Fang Pingying did not like Liu Fengsheng, while Li Aihua was actively trying to match-make, purposely sending them away to leave Liu Fengsheng and Fang Pingying alone.

Just in time, Fang Pingying also had something to say to Liu Fengsheng and she told Fang Xiu, "Xiu’er, go help Mom. I can manage the kitchen alone."

Hearing Fang Pingying’s words, a glint of joy flashed in Liu Fengsheng’s eyes. He immediately followed up on Fang Pingying’s words to Fang Xiu, "You go, I’ll help your big sister."

When they all left, Fang Pingying watched as Liu Fengsheng removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. She smiled at him, "There’s no need, I have already finished everything. You are a guest, go sit on the sofa, there are seeds and peanuts there, and if you are bored, you can watch some TV."

She pondered how to start the conversation, as bringing it up abruptly seemed a bit abrupt.

Hearing this, Liu Fengsheng smiled softly, came close to her, and looked into her eyes with a very serious expression, asking, "Pingying, are you always going to treat me as just a guest? Even Aunt Aihua considers me family now."

After asking, Liu Fengsheng’s gaze lingered on Fang Pingying, suggesting he was expecting an answer today.

Now was as good a time as any for Fang Pingying to clarify things.

Fang Pingying wiped her hands with a towel, looked up, and said seriously to Liu Fengsheng, "Fengsheng, to be honest with you, regardless of how much our mothers try to bring us together, it is not possible between us. I have always regarded you as a good friend and a great work partner, but I have never thought about our relationship in a romantic way."

Liu Fengsheng wanted to say something, but Fang Pingying preempted him, cutting him off, "If you still value our friendship, I hope you will not direct your romantic feelings towards me in the future. You are a great catch, and it wouldn’t be hard for you to find a good woman. Don’t waste your time on me. It’s not going to happen between us."

Perhaps because Fang Pingying spoke so assertively, Liu Fengsheng was initially unable to accept it. He looked at her and tentatively asked, "Pingying, did something happen? Are you in a bad mood today?"

Fang Pingying didn’t know whether she was in a good mood herself; after all, she hadn’t slept well the night before, so her mood probably wasn’t great. But regardless of her mood, this was something she had intended to say for a while.

Therefore, she smiled at Liu Fengsheng and continued, "Fengsheng, I know today is the first day of the new year, and I shouldn’t be discussing this with you, but I don’t want to drag this out any further. I also don’t want anyone to misunderstand our relationship."

After Fang Pingying finished speaking, her eyes remained very calm as she looked at Liu Fengsheng, showing no contradiction or struggle.

At this moment, if Liu Fengsheng persisted any further, he would feel as if he were being unnecessarily insistent. He fell silent for a while, then nodded, "I understand. I won’t bother you anymore."

In fact, Liu Fengsheng’s feelings had never troubled Fang Pingying - he had always been there quietly helping her whenever she needed, and she was more grateful than bothered.

But to allow Liu Fengsheng to give up on her completely, Fang Pingying still nodded, "Alright."

At that moment, Fang Pingying saw a flash of hurt in Liu Fengsheng’s eyes, but she remained silent. It was better to clarify things now rather than hurt him later.

She truly had no feelings for Liu Fengsheng.

It wasn’t relevant whether he was outstanding or had helped her a lot; love can’t be forced.

Liu Fengsheng, being outright rejected by Fang Pingying, was extremely disappointed inwardly, but he didn’t show any displeasure outwardly. His demeanor remained as it had always been.

For Liu Fengsheng, there was nothing in his life he couldn’t achieve. What he wanted, he got.

But the method differed with each individual.