Chapter 3: A Simple and Kind Girl

The ticket for the New Year’s Eve party was delivered to Song Xilan by Zheng Qiaoling. It was thanks to Zheng Qiaoling that Song Xilan had first met Yang Jingyu.

Yang Jingyu was a distant relative from Zheng Qiaoling’s mother’s side of the family, someone so far removed that they were practically strangers.

But that’s how things were in the countryside. Once someone moved to the city and settled there, they became the pride of the entire village. No matter how distant the relationship, if a villager came to the city, they would stay at your place, and you were expected to treat them well.

Otherwise, rumors would spread back to the village, and you’d earn a reputation for being a snob, ungrateful, and uncaring.

When Yang Jingyu passed the city’s singing and dancing troupe exam, his mother was worried about him being alone in the city without anyone to rely on. She did everything she could to find out the address of her distant relative, Yang Zufang, and wrote a letter asking her to take good care of Yang Jingyu.

Yang Zufang was very warm-hearted, and when Yang Jingyu first arrived in the city, she even helped him set up his dorm, buying all sorts of necessary supplies for him. From time to time, she also had Zheng Qiaoling send him food and other things.

That kind of warmth and kindness would earn praise wherever it went.

Song Xilan met Yang Jingyu because she had gone with Zheng Qiaoling to deliver some items to him.

Yang Jingyu had left them great seats for the show, in the middle near the front row, not far from the VIP seats where the leaders sat. The stage performances were clearly visible from there.

Song Xilan borrowed a program from someone and looked through it. There were twelve performances in total, and Yang Jingyu was participating in three of them. Considering he had just joined not long ago, that was quite impressive.

Song Xilan felt proud on his behalf.

Soon, she saw Yang Jingyu on stage. Song Xilan happily waved at him, and he saw her too, smiling brightly at her.

Her heart immediately raced, and her cheeks flushed. Zheng Qiaoling nudged her with her elbow, and they exchanged a knowing smile.

After Yang Jingyu finished his performances, Song Xilan found herself getting restless.

Zheng Qiaoling whispered, “Why don’t you go backstage now?”

Song Xilan responded seriously, “I’m not sure. I think I’ll wait until the show ends and go with you.”

Zheng Qiaoling smiled and pushed her: “Oh, come on, stop pretending with me! Hurry up and go. I won’t go backstage; I’ll wait for you at the entrance after the show.”

Song Xilan, following the suggestion, stood up cautiously, lowered her voice: “Okay, I’m going!”

This was her second time backstage. The first time, she had come with Zheng Qiaoling, who had a crush on a female singer in the troupe. She wanted to use Yang Jingyu’s name to get backstage and ask for an autograph.

Yang Jingyu had been a little unhappy and explained that the backstage was a restricted area, and he was worried they might accidentally damage any props or costumes. He didn’t let them wander around, and they didn’t get the autograph.

However, Song Xilan wasn’t upset. On the contrary, she understood that as a newcomer, it was understandable for him to be cautious.

This time, she was also careful, avoiding the chaotic crowd and trying not to bump into anything. She was cautiously looking around when she heard Yang Jingyu call out to her: “Xilan, over here!”

Song Xilan’s heart skipped a beat again. This was the first time he had called her so affectionately—before, he always referred to her as “Comrade Song Xilan.”

Yang Jingyu had eyes like peach blossoms, with a gaze full of emotion. When he looked at someone seriously, there was often a deep, affectionate feeling in his eyes.

Song Xilan’s cheeks turned red, and her voice trembled as she spoke: “Yang… Yang Jingyu, your performance today was really good. Are you tired? You must be hungry. These are my mom’s homemade sauerkraut beef dumplings, please try some.”

The lunchbox, wrapped in a thick towel, still held some warmth. Song Xilan nervously handed it over, her head lowered, too shy to look him in the eye.

Yang Jingyu reached out to take the lunchbox. His fingertips lightly brushed against the back of her hand, and his voice was softer than ever before: “Thank you. It must be delicious.”

Song Xilan’s hand shook, and it felt like an electric current ran through her body. She was dazed for a moment and, unexpectedly, she saw a series of words flashing through her mind, like a revolving lantern:

【Fat woman, go die, shamelessly seducing the male lead.】

【Where is the transmigrator, I don’t want to see this fat woman coquettishly showing off in front of the male lead. The female lead is meant to be with him.】

【She definitely has to wait until she has the child, finishes the confinement, and raises the kid. Then, when the female lead arrives, she’ll get a well-trained husband and a good son. That’s the real winner in life!】

【The fat woman is getting a free ride off the male lead for years.】

【I feel sorry for Yang Jingyu.】

【Don’t worry, Jingyu, your true love will come in a few years, and then you can live a truly happy life!】

What did that mean? Someone was trying to take her man and child, and telling her to die?

If she married him, people would feel sorry for him, but if someone else took her place, it would be true happiness?

Though she was confused and didn’t really understand, Song Xilan instinctively felt that the dumplings her mother had worked so hard to make could not be eaten by a man who would abandon her in a couple of years to seek happiness with someone else!

Snapping out of her daze, she saw that Yang Jingyu had already opened the lunchbox, and the strong aroma of the dumplings wafted out. He was about to pick one up with his chopsticks…

Song Xilan suddenly snatched the lunchbox back and closed the lid: “I… I don’t want to give it to you anymore.”

She turned and ran off.

Yang Jingyu was stunned: “Xilan?” Just as he was about to chase after her, a young woman from the troupe stopped him. “Yang Jingyu, I need to ask you something…”

After leaving the auditorium, Song Xilan was still fuming. Shameless? Who was shameless? Was pursuing love considered shameless?

If he didn’t like her, he could have refused, so why did he have to eat something she gave him? Who was really shameless here?

Unconsciously, she ran out through the back door of the hall. It was a bit dark outside, and Song Xilan looked around, trying to figure out how to get to the place where she had left her bicycle. But then she noticed a figure squatting in the wind-sheltering corner by the wall.

Startled, she took a closer look and saw that it was an old beggar, wrapped in a tattered military coat, wearing a torn military hat, and his face covered in unkempt stubble.

It was rather pitiful, considering it was so cold in the winter, and if there was anywhere to stay, he wouldn’t have to be squatting here. It was late already, and she wasn’t sure if he had eaten yet.

Without thinking, Song Xilan instinctively handed the lunchbox to him: “Here, you can have this.”

The old beggar looked up at her in surprise. His gaze was sharp and bright. He wasn’t an old beggar at all—he looked more like a fierce wild wolf!

The man’s sharp eyes scanned Song Xilan from top to bottom, then suddenly he smiled and reached out to take the lunchbox: “Thank you!” Then, he stood up.

His voice was deep and rich, yet still youthful.

Song Xilan trembled. The man was a whole head taller than her, strong and towering, exuding the powerful aura of a beast.

A line of text flashed through her mind:

[How bold of her to provoke Jiang Chengxiao, the series’ biggest villain]