Chapter 23

They lived in a small house, so when the voices got loud, the neighbors around could hear everything. A few passersby looked confused.

“Returning gifts during the New Year? Who does that?”

Hearing someone chime in, Auntie Xiao quickly agreed, “Who knows? Xiao Zhou’s wife is from the city, soft-eared and sensitive—can’t stand to hear a single bad word. How is a rural elder like me supposed to coax her?”

Xiao Zhou’s gaze instantly turned cold.

A neighbor, unable to stay silent, added, “Xiao Zhou’s wife, us villagers sometimes don’t talk nicely, but we mean no harm. Don’t take it too seriously.”

Bai Jiaojiao glanced at Auntie Xiao, who smiled sheepishly at her, trying to look sincere—but her eyes were full of calculation and malice.

A little city girl like her dares to fight me? She’d ruin her reputation in a snap!

But Bai Jiaojiao smiled faintly, like a breeze of early spring—warm and pleasant to behold.

Everyone was having a hard time believing such a pretty girl would do something as disgraceful as taking back New Year gifts.

Xiao Zhou frowned slightly under all the gazes, but when he saw the bright light in the girl’s eyes, he relaxed and smiled gently at her.

“Auntie,” Bai Jiaojiao began, “I respect you as an elder, but you’ve been insulting Xiao Zhou’s mother, saying she’s not worthy of my father-in-law. You even made your son throw rotten eggs at her and say things like ‘idiots don’t deserve to live.’ Is that the kind of upbringing villagers have?”

The crowd’s expressions changed instantly. Neighbors looked at Auntie Xiao with clear disdain.

“Erzhuang’s wife, how could you say something like that?”

“I didn’t! She’s making it up!” Auntie Xiao’s face darkened—she didn’t expect the city girl to react so quickly.

Bai Jiaojiao put on a hurt expression. “Auntie, I’m from the city. Do my words mean nothing here? As soon as I speak, it’s a lie, but when you do, it’s truth? Is this village really that terrifying?”

She looked to Xiao Zhou, eyes full of pain. He quickly replied, “It’s just her. We’re not all like that.”

“Erzhuang’s wife, stop talking. You’re the reason our village has a bad name,” another neighbor scolded. A few women even dragged Auntie Xiao inside the house.

Bai Jiaojiao was satisfied and swaggered off with Xiao Zhou, arms full of gifts. As they passed others, she put on a pitiful expression to explain what Auntie Xiao had done. Once they were gone, her smile bloomed brightly again.

“I’m amazing,” she murmured to herself.

“Jiaojiao is the most amazing,” someone chimed in beside her.

She turned to look—there was Xiao Zhou, broad-shouldered, standing tall in the snow like a gentle pine tree. His eyes held the snowy landscape—and her.

Thump.
Her heart skipped a beat.

Flustered, Bai Jiaojiao turned away. Thinking back on what she’d done today—scolding a kid, confronting a nasty auntie—she felt like she must’ve seemed like a total shrew. There’s no way someone could like her after that… right?

Probably not.

On New Year’s Eve, the village came alive as city folks returned home.

After dinner, Bai Jiaojiao stared at the snowy scene outside, wondering when she should make another trip to Chenjia Village.

She asked Xiao’s father. Other than Auntie Xiao, there were no other relatives in Chenjia Village. Now that ties were cut, they probably wouldn’t visit again.

Xiao Yueyue sat next to her, watching the snow too. One big braid and one small braid—like a pair of matching girls.

“Jiaojiao,” a man’s voice called gently behind her, full of warmth and tenderness.

Bai Jiaojiao froze and pretended not to hear.

But someone sat down next to her.

“You seem distracted. What are you thinking about?” Xiao Zhou asked casually.

Bai Jiaojiao wasn’t sure whether to tell him—it seemed silly. But maybe she could…

Before she could answer, Xiao Zhou continued, “Last time you woke up and suddenly mentioned Chenjia Village. Did something happen?”

Surprised by his keen intuition, Bai Jiaojiao glanced at little Xiao Yueyue. She had autism and might misunderstand if she overheard, so Bai Jiaojiao pulled Xiao Zhou toward the back door.

“I had a dream… a bad one,” she said, trying to make it sound less ominous for New Year’s. “I think it has something to do with Chen Dawei.”

Xiao Zhou furrowed his brow slightly, but then relaxed. “It was just a dream. Maybe it was about Auntie Xiao. You’ve already taught her a lesson—nothing bad will happen now.”

Bai Jiaojiao frowned. “It just doesn’t feel right. Mom’s really afraid of someone named Chen Dawei. I feel like the dream is connected to him.”

She didn’t think her logic made any sense. She couldn’t solve this on her own—if the big villain Xiao Zhou got involved, then everything would be safe.

“Okay. I’ll look into this Chen Dawei,” Xiao Zhou said. He raised his hand, gently brushing the back of her neck and drawing her close—but not so close as to make her uncomfortable. His eyes glowed like firelight.

“You dreamed about him—did you dream about me too?” he asked.

“Of course I did,” Bai Jiaojiao replied.

Xiao Zhou’s lips curled slightly. He leaned closer and said softly, “I dream about you all the time too.”

Bai Jiaojiao was curious.

Xiao Zhou looked at her, blush creeping up from his ears to his cheeks.

“I dream about us… being very passionate. You’re very… proactive.”

“That’s definitely just a dream,” Bai Jiaojiao muttered, face flushing as she turned away shyly.

Xiao Zhou’s smile froze. His eyes darkened, becoming deeper and colder.

Just as Bai Jiaojiao was about to leave, his hand lightly touched the back of her neck.

Like flipping a switch, his other arm locked around her waist, pulling her firmly into his embrace.

“It’s not a dream. It’s our future.”
“Or maybe… our present.”

He lowered his head, inhaling her unique scent deeply, his mood only slightly improving—but the dark emotion in his chest burned even hotter, wanting to possess her completely.

“Xiao Zhou…” Bai Jiaojiao looked up at him with wide eyes and, for once, spoke gently, “If you ever remember everything and still feel this way, then… I won’t say no.”

Xiao Zhou’s desire to regain his memory surged to the peak.

Bai Jiaojiao felt a little guilty—was she giving him false hope again?

She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes to hide her nervousness, avoiding the fire in his gaze.

She didn’t need to look to know—his eyes were burning, scorching hot. She wanted to trust him with everything, but still didn’t dare give her heart completely.

Xiao Zhou, oh Xiao Zhou… you really are a master of playing with people’s hearts.