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Soon, Fu Huayi brought over several books and asked Lin Yuyao to help register them.
While she was focused on writing down the titles, he asked, “I heard Lu Jiangting went out yesterday. Did he come looking for you?”
Lin Yuyao paused her pen for a moment and nodded gently. “Mm-hmm.”
Fu Huayi took a deep breath. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine; I hid at the neighbors’ house. There are two girls living next door who work at a nearby factory.”
Just a few simple sentences tightened Fu Huayi’s heart.
If it hadn’t been for her neighbors helping her, would Lu Jiangting have treated her roughly?
Although it’s a crime to go against a woman’s will, in the context of marriage, determining whether it was consensual is quite difficult.
He held back his emotions and tried to speak calmly. “You shouldn’t stay there anymore; you should stay here.”
Lin Yuyao was taken aback and looked up at him.
Fu Huayi continued, “There’s a storage room in the attic. I’ll talk to the boss about clearing it out so you can stay there temporarily until you get your paycheck this month and find a place.”
Lin Yuyao thought for a moment but ultimately refused.
She had already troubled him enough; even if he had offended her family back then without knowing the situation, he had helped her so much that she felt she had repaid her debt.
“No, I can take care of myself. I’m… not afraid of him,” Lin Yuyao said firmly, biting her lip.
Seeing her pouting cheeks, Fu Huayi found her both adorable and amusing; she truly looked good no matter how he saw her.
He understood what she was thinking.
She didn’t want to add more trouble for herself.
If it had been someone else, he would have used strong measures to force them to comply, but she was different, and he didn’t want to make things difficult for her.
“Alright.”
He realized he couldn’t be too hasty.
Since she was unwilling to move, he had to find ways to give Lu Jiangting more works.
“Just be careful.”
After Lin Yuyao finished the registration, she packed the books and handed them to him. “I will. Thank you.”
Fu Huayi took the bag but didn’t leave.
Lin Yuyao asked, “Big Brother Fu, is there anything else?”
Fu Huayi took a deep breath and said, “It’s almost noon. How about we have lunch together?”
Huh?
She had already agreed to have lunch with Zhou Jing and the others. The three girls could share two dishes to save money.
She had made plans with them.
Fu Huayi noticed her hesitation, and just as he was considering how to resolve the situation, Yi Yunshuo arrived.
“Hey, Ah Yi, you’re still here?”
Yi Yunshuo ran in and was surprised to see Lin Yuyao. “Oh, Comrade Lin, what are you doing here?”
Lin Yuyao replied, “I’m working here.”
“What? You’re working here?” Yi Yunshuo rubbed his chin, glancing back and forth between her and Fu Huayi.
Fu Huayi grabbed him and said, “What are you looking at? Let’s go eat.”
He directly pulled Yi Yunshuo away without mentioning lunch with Lin Yuyao.
Lin Yuyao sighed in relief.
Fu Huayi led Yi Yunshuo to a restaurant diagonally across the street and casually ordered a few dishes.
Yi Yunshuo was full of questions but didn’t dare to ask.
He pointed at Fu Huayi’s books and said, “Why are you reading novels?”
“Just looking around, bored.”
“Huh?”
“We’re not busy at all? We’re overwhelmed with work, okay?”
Fu Huayi shot him a cold glare.
Yi Yunshuo shrank his neck and said, “Alright, I’m swamped lately; maybe you’re the only one free.”
When the food arrived, it didn’t stop his curiosity.
“How did Comrade Lin end up working at Sister Leyi’s bookstore?”
“I don’t know.”
“What? You don’t know? Did you just happen to bump into her?”
Fu Huayi remained silent, focusing on his meal.
Yi Yunshuo took his silence as agreement.
He sighed, “What a coincidence.”
“By the way, does Lu Jiangting know?”
He hoped Lu Jiangting would come here to bother her, saying, “I just asked her, and she said she didn’t know. She told me not to mention it.”
“Huh?”
“Why not?”
“How would I know? You can ask her.”
“This… never mind. I respect her privacy.”
He said this, but as he continued eating, he asked, “Hey, why do you think she’s working here without telling Lu Jiangting? What does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” Fu Huayi said flatly.
“Can I ask her about it?”
Fu Huayi’s expression darkened. “Didn’t you just say you respect her privacy?”
Yi Yunshuo was at a loss for words.
“Right, it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask, so let’s drop it.”
“Hey, by the way…”
Before he could finish, he met Fu Huayi’s icy gaze.
Yi Yunshuo shrank back and said, “Forget it, let’s just eat.”
He felt like something was off but didn’t know how to ask.
…
Lu Jiangting was overwhelmed with insecurity, feeling like things were slipping out of his control.
Today, after completing a difficult communication task, he finally returned. Suddenly, he received a call from Fang Qing.
Receiving Fang Qing’s calls didn’t evoke much feeling in him, but now, because of Lin Yuyao’s situation, hearing Fang Qing’s name suddenly filled him with fear.
He was afraid that there would be something she needed his help with, but what if Yuyao didn’t want to help? She would get angry.
However, thinking of how Wang Jianjun had saved his life, a complex sense of morality made it hard for him to refuse.
“Hello.”
As the call connected, Fang Qing’s voice came through, tinged with tears.
“Jiangting, Jiangting, I… I think I’ve encountered a gangster. What should I do?”
Lu Jiangting’s heart sank. “How did you encounter a gangster?” he asked worriedly.
“A man came to my hair salon to get his hair washed. He comes every few days, always saying his scalp itches, pointing at his head and casually brushing against my hand.“ she started.
Fang Qing exhaled and said. “I didn’t pay much attention at first, thinking it was just accidental, but today while washing his hair, he suddenly grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. That’s when I realized he had been doing it on purpose all along.”
Lu Jiangting’s heart tightened at her words, filled with anger and worry. “Have you reported it to the police?”
“No, how could I? If it escalates, what will people think of me?”
“Then how did you handle it?”
“I… I just put up with it.”
Lu Jiangting was left speechless.
“Putting up with it once isn’t scary, but I’m afraid he will come back again in a few days. What should I do?”
For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.
Fang Qing continued, “He found out that my husband is dead, thinking he can treat me like this because I’m a widow. But…” she sobbed. “If only Jianjun were still alive.”
Those words filled Lu Jiangting with guilt.
Yes, how great it would be if Wang Jianjun were still alive.
He was his best friend; they had gone to university together and were assigned to this place after graduation. He was closest to Wang Jianjun, then Fu Huayi and Yi Yunshuo. Unfortunately, during that battlefield mission, while they were out laying lines and setting up a signal tower, they were ambushed.
Wang Jianjun died, and he survived.
Thinking about how Wang Jianjun had a wife and young children waiting for him to return made Lu Jiangting feel so sorrowful that he wished he could take his place.
But unfortunately… everything had already been decided.