Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2398 - 2334: No Handshakes Allowed

Previously on Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s...

During a tense meeting at the school, Chiang Xiao faced embarrassment from her teacher Liu Guoying's teasing remark about hygiene, sparking their usual bickering in front of guest Hu Xiangyong and the principal. As discussions turned to potential collaborations, including displaying Chiang Xiao's self-portrait in Hu's shop, Liu revealed his search for a talented new student whose skills could rival hers, heightening the competitive edge between them. After Hu departed, Chiang Xiao feigned a stomachache to abruptly drag Liu away from the principal's persuasion, retreating to his dormitory where she finally sighed in relief.

"Tell me, what's the deal with this guy's background? He doesn't scare me too much, but there's something off about him that I just can't put my finger on."

Liu Guoying shot a puzzled look at Chiang Xiao. "How on earth did you all end up crossing paths with someone like him?"

Chiang Xiao wrinkled her forehead in thought.

In truth, she wondered even more about exactly what Meng Xinian had done to anger this man, making him lash out right from their first encounter.

Back then, if Meng Xinian had chased after someone scheming with Hu Xiangyong and dug up dirt that hurt their interests, wouldn't he have sought out Tyrant Meng immediately upon his return?

So why did this fellow zero in on her at the start?

The whole thing struck Chiang Xiao as deeply suspicious.

Meng Xinian had forbidden her from telling Li Hanzhong about the incident, and she knew full well his reasons.

For now, Hu Xiangyong alone was probing into who saved Meng Xinian that night and the details of how it happened, yet spilling the beans would force them to lay out every bit of what went down.

That approach would leave them unable to be upfront and struggling to spin lies that hid the truth.

He figured it wiser to quietly expose the identity of that individual first and then make a call.

The military wasn't just under Li Hanzhong's thumb, after all, and with him in such a sensitive spot under constant scrutiny, one slip could easily gift Chiang Xiao's special edge to his competitors.

From Meng Xinian's perspective, that spelled massive risk for Chiang Xiao.

Were it not for the mess with Lu Shuangshuang's affair and the troop movements tying up his schedule and strength, he would have kept a sharp eye on Hu Xiangyong.

On that note, no one could say for sure if "Hu Xiangyong" was even his true name.

Chiang Xiao's mind drifted to Sun Han and Ding Haijing.

With some allies in her corner these days, why not get them to probe Hu Xiangyong on the down low?

Still, this guy radiated a seriously perilous aura; she feared Sun Han and Ding Haijing could slip up and fall into his trap.

Could her Talisman Diagram actually come into play here?

Chiang Xiao recalled the question she'd posed to Liu Guoying before.

"Teacher, what made you block me from shaking his hand just now?"

Liu Guoying creased his brows, thought for a moment, then answered, "I'm not entirely certain." He lifted his right hand toward Chiang Xiao. "Your eyes are sharp—take a close look at my hand for anything unusual, such as red marks from a needle."

His words jolted Chiang Xiao at once.

She snatched his hand right away and examined it intently, pressing, "What's going on? Teacher, why have me look at this out of the blue?"

"Perhaps I let my nerves get to me," Liu Guoying explained. "As I entered, that Hu guy gripped my hand, and it felt like a sharp poke, though nothing seemed amiss afterward. When he reached for yours, I noticed his ring and sensed something wrong with it, so I intervened."

He gave a dismissive huff. "Anyway, skipping the handshake costs nothing."

Something about it had simply felt wrong to him.

Yet at this point, he couldn't pinpoint the exact weirdness.

Reflecting on it, he saw he might have overreacted a tad; how could a simple handshake turn so alarming?