Chapter 54

A man’s voice?

Meng Yinyin frowned suspiciously but cautiously replied, “Yes, someone is home! Hmm… actually, more than one person!”

The last part of her statement was added hastily, sounding less confident, but she figured saying there were multiple people at home might deter any ill intentions.

The man at the courtyard gate seemed reassured upon hearing a response and continued, “Could I trouble you to call for Lu Chen?”

What?

Someone looking for Lu Chen?

It must be one of his friends or perhaps a member of the brigade. Could it be something urgent?

Since Lu Chen had left so abruptly in the morning, Meng Yinyin assumed many people were unaware he had gone to the county.

After hesitating for a moment, Meng Yinyin wiped her hands and decided to step outside to explain the situation to the visitor. After all, if it was something important, letting them know early might help them figure out another solution.

Soon, she walked out from the kitchen to the courtyard gate and immediately spotted a figure she found neither entirely familiar nor entirely unfamiliar.

The person standing at the gate was none other than Dou Zhengrong.

When Dou Zhengrong saw Meng Yinyin, he didn’t seem particularly surprised. After all, the entire brigade was aware of her relationship with Lu Chen, so her presence at his house wasn’t unexpected.

What puzzled him was why Lu Chen hadn’t come out, given it was mealtime.

“Oh, it’s you…”

Meng Yinyin initially wanted to greet him with “Comrade Dou,” but a sudden memory from her dream stopped her. In that dream, she inexplicably fell in love with Dou Zhengrong, and because of him, she was labeled shameless and immoral, ultimately leading to her miserable downfall.

Recalling those scenes from the dream sent chills down her spine!

How could she have fallen for Dou Zhengrong and even competed with Lin Xiuzhi for him? That was absolutely impossible!

After all—

Meng Yinyin’s gaze quickly swept over Dou Zhengrong’s face. Although his features were decent and exuded integrity, his appearance didn’t match her aesthetic preferences. She liked a more dashing and striking look, like Lu Chen’s.

No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t fathom why her dream self would act that way.

Besides, even if she did like someone, she still had basic morals and wouldn’t resort to stealing someone else’s husband.

It was all too bizarre.

Meng Yinyin began to suspect that this so-called “plot” was manipulating her, forcing her to lose her sense of self and behave abnormally. Her vigilance shot up to the maximum.

With a guarded expression, she stared at Dou Zhengrong and said stiffly, “Lu Chen isn’t home. He’ll be away for a week.”

Fearing that being too polite might make Dou Zhengrong misunderstand her intentions, her tone was deliberately curt and almost hostile.

Dou Zhengrong was baffled by her overt animosity.

He mentally reviewed all his past interactions with Meng Yinyin, wondering if he had ever offended her, but the only time they’d met was when she and Lu Chen had visited his house—and they hadn’t even spoken then.

There was no way he could have done anything to upset her.

Why was she treating him so coldly, even with a hint of hostility?

Realizing he wasn’t welcome, Dou Zhengrong wisely chose not to linger. After thanking her, he turned and left without asking further about Lu Chen’s whereabouts.

His original intention was to inquire about Lu Chen’s business, but seeing how unapproachable Meng Yinyin was, he decided against it.

Soon, Dou Zhengrong’s figure disappeared from the vicinity of Lu Chen’s house, and only then did Meng Yinyin’s taut nerves relax.

Once he was gone, she quickly locked the gate, leaned against it, and carefully reflected on her emotions and thoughts during their encounter.

To her relief, everything felt normal! She hadn’t suddenly fallen for Dou Zhengrong or started acting irrationally.

It seemed this so-called “plot” wasn’t as powerful as she had feared. She had easily resisted its influence and hadn’t developed any feelings for Dou Zhengrong!

When Meng Yinyin was feeling triumphant, a sudden thought struck her!

If the plot could be changed, was there a possibility she could change Lu Chen too?

Although she didn’t know what exactly caused him to become the person he was in her dreams, perhaps his personality could be altered?

Meng Yinyin refused to admit that she was so thrilled by this brilliant idea that she felt like jumping with joy!

She wasn’t unwilling to part ways with Lu Chen. She simply wanted to save him, to transform him from a gloomy and terrifying person into a cheerful and optimistic young man!

Alright then, let’s start by trying to reform him with love!

If love didn’t work, she’d figure out another way to make her escape.

After coming up with this genius plan, the heavy feeling that had clouded Meng Yinyin’s heart for so long finally lifted completely!

When Yu Xiaoyu arrived at Lu Chen’s home with some items, the first thing she saw was the radiant smile on Meng Yinyin’s face.

Yu Xiaoyu frowned.

“Did you find some money?”

Meng Yinyin blinked. “No.”

“Then why are you smiling so happily?”

Meng Yinyin was taken aback.

Was she smiling?

She instinctively reached up to touch the corners of her mouth and realized they were indeed stretched into a wide grin.

!!!

No, she needed to restrain herself.

The next moment, Meng Yinyin forced herself to stop smiling and put on a serious expression as she looked at Yu Xiaoyu.

Yu Xiaoyu: “…”

Forget it, just smile again.

Despite everything, Yu Xiaoyu temporarily settled at Meng Yinyin’s place.

During the day, Yu Xiaoyu, like Lu Chen, went out to work, while Meng Yinyin stayed home fully immersed in drafting her “Reform Lu Chen Plan.” It took her two whole days, but she finally came up with a detailed plan: to treat Lu Chen with unconditional kindness. She would let him see that there was still genuine love and sincerity in the world and that only true goodness could bring happiness!

Where should she begin?

Naturally, with cooking!

As the old saying goes, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Although Meng Yinyin wasn’t great at cooking, she knew she had to follow the process. After all, how else could she reform him?

However, she couldn’t recall what Lu Chen liked to eat. If she had known, she could have spent these few days practicing at home. Unfortunately, after some reflection, she realized Lu Chen didn’t seem to have any particular likes or dislikes when it came to food.

In that case, she would cook what she found delicious. After all, they’d be eating together anyway.

Meng Yinyin eagerly listed a bunch of delicious dishes in her notebook, deciding to start learning how to make them the next day.

But her plans fell apart almost immediately.

The next day, she realized the household was running low on ingredients.

Previously, Lu Chen had managed everything in the house, while Meng Yinyin’s sole responsibility was eating. She had no idea where to procure these things.

Fish and meat were out of the question, but she didn’t even know where to pick vegetables.

Suddenly, Meng Yinyin realized this household couldn’t function without Lu Chen.

Or rather, she couldn’t function without him.

With a sigh of frustration, Meng Yinyin turned to the slightly more reliable Yu Xiaoyu for help.

That afternoon, when Yu Xiaoyu returned from work, Meng Yinyin asked her if she knew where Lu Chen’s private plot was.

Yu Xiaoyu: “…”

After a few seconds, she looked at Meng Yinyin in disbelief.

“You’re asking me? Who’s Lu Chen’s partner, you or me?”

Meng Yinyin awkwardly fiddled with her fingers.

“I never asked him before. I thought maybe you might’ve overheard something.”

Yu Xiaoyu was even more exasperated.

“What kind of life are you two living? Lu Chen treats you way too well!”

She had assumed that, no matter how good Lu Chen’s temper was, he wouldn’t completely spoil Meng Yinyin. Even if she didn’t have to work for labor points or earn money, she should at least contribute by doing simple tasks like picking vegetables, preparing meals, or tidying up the house.

But now, it seemed Meng Yinyin truly didn’t lift a finger.

This lifestyle was simply too carefree, and Lu Chen was too indulgent!

While Yu Xiaoyu felt a pang of envy, she also couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated on Lu Chen’s behalf.

Regardless, picking vegetables became a top priority. Without it, neither Meng Yinyin nor Yu Xiaoyu would have anything to eat in the coming days.

After a quick dinner, the two decided to visit the brigade leader to find out the location of Lu Chen’s private plot.

The easiest option would have been to ask Lu Dashan and his wife next door, but Meng Yinyin was unwilling to talk to them. She’d rather take the long way around to ask the brigade leader instead.

The two quickly locked the door and headed to the brigade leader’s home. Upon asking, they soon learned the location of Lu Chen’s plot.

Just as they were about to head to the plot under the evening glow, the brigade leader asked Yu Xiaoyu to deliver some documents to the Educated Youth point. Left with no choice, Meng Yinyin had to go to the plot alone, though Yu Xiaoyu promised to join her shortly.

The two went their separate ways. Since it wasn’t dark yet and people were still out for post-dinner strolls, Meng Yinyin wasn’t afraid.

She soon arrived near Lu Chen’s plot. The private plots of the brigade members weren’t far from one another, but among them, the vegetables in Lu Chen’s plot were the most thriving. The second-best belonged to the neighboring plot.

She was curious about who next door was also able to grow vegetables and take such good care of them, but unexpectedly she saw the owner of that piece of land, and then Meng Yinyin’s face changed.

Who could tell her why the owner of the plot next door was Dou Zhengrong?

To run into him twice in one day—this probability was too high!

Meng Yinyin grew wary again, her face tense as she kept a watchful eye on Dou Zhengrong.

Dou Zhengrong glanced at her and then silently turned away, pretending he didn’t see Meng Yinyin standing there.

Although his actions were a bit exaggerated, Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved. She definitely didn’t want to get involved with Dou Zhengrong, but who could have guessed that today she might have been better off staying indoors? Not only did she encounter the trouble that was Dou Zhengrong, but she also ran into another huge problem.