Chapter 008

Back at the dorm, the others hadn’t returned yet.

Chu Xia didn’t wait for them—she quickly washed up, climbed into bed, and lay down.

Although she was tired from the day’s work, once she lay down, she didn’t fall asleep right away.

During the day, she’d been too busy to think about much. But now that she was alone, fully relaxed in the dark, her mind started spinning again.

Naturally, her thoughts drifted back to that extra novel she’d come to know so much about.

After everything that had happened—turning down the partnership and refusing to give up the teaching opportunity to Su Yun—she was more convinced than ever that the novel’s events were real.

At this point, she knew the entire plot and had awakened to her self-awareness. Yet when it came to major events involving Han Ting, she still couldn’t shake the grip of her original character setting.

In front of Han Ting, she simply couldn’t say no to anything he asked of her.

But both recent incidents showed her something important: Lin Xiaohan seemed to be the key to breaking that constraint.

The first time, it was while looking at Lin Xiaohan that she managed to refuse the partnership.
The second time, it was only after he suddenly showed up that she could say no to giving up the teaching spot.

She began to wonder: Could it be because Lin Xiaohan and Han Ting were inherently at odds? That they were destined to clash, and would remain enemies until the bitter end?

Maybe that natural opposition was what allowed Lin Xiaohan to disrupt the setting’s control over her.

In the novel, there was a concept called “personal magnetic fields.”

If she applied that idea here, maybe Lin Xiaohan’s magnetic field interfered with the influence Han Ting’s field had on her.

If that were true, then getting close to Lin Xiaohan—drawing on his magnetic energy—could help cancel out the residual “programming” Han Ting left on her.

Thinking along these lines, a strategy began to take shape.
If she could just stay close to Lin Xiaohan, stay within his magnetic range, maybe she could gradually free herself from Han Ting’s hold.

But then she thought of Lin Xiaohan’s face and grimaced inwardly.

Seriously—who in their right mind would willingly want to be around a guy like him?

Still, weighing her options—being forever bound to the novel’s plot, sacrificing her entire life and future for Han Ting, or sticking close to Lin Xiaohan?

The choice was clear. The latter was definitely more tolerable.

After all, she didn’t need to actually do anything with Lin Xiaohan. Just be near him.

With that, Chu Xia took a deep breath and gave herself a silent pep talk.

If staying close to Lin Xiaohan was what it took to escape the story’s constraints, then so be it. She’d do it.
Heck, if it helped, she’d call him “big brother” every day if she had to!

Of course, all of this was still just her own theory for now.

She planned to test it out—try staying close to him more often and see if anything changed.

With that plan in mind, Chu Xia finally felt her tension ease.

Right then, the others returned, chatting and washing up as the dorm grew livelier.

Because of Chu Xia’s “out-of-character” behavior the past two days, a rift had formed between her and the others. Since she’d already gone to bed, she didn’t greet them.

Likewise, Li Qiao and the others ignored her completely, acting like she wasn’t even there as they chatted about their own things while washing up.

Gu Yuzhu let her braids down and started brushing her hair. “Just thinking about going out early tomorrow to fertilize the fields is giving me a headache.”

Li Qiao followed up, “Whose head isn’t hurting? That stuff reeks.”

Gu Yuzhu stretched out her voice dramatically, “Some people just have better luck. They won’t have to do this kind of work much longer.”

It was clear who she meant.

Li Qiao picked up on it. “And she’s not the only one. Su Yun has Han Ting protecting her. She goes to the fields every day, sure—but she barely lifts a finger.”

Then Chen Sisi added in a low voice, “Hey, do you think, with Han Ting being so nice to Su Yun, and Chu Xia listening to everything Han Ting says… is it possible he’ll make Chu Xia give up her chance to be a teacher for Su Yun?”

Gu Yuzhu said, “Letting Su Yun take the position is only right. In terms of ability, she’s more suited to be a teacher. Plus, if Su Yun becomes the teacher, she’s in our partnership—it’ll be good for us.”

Li Qiao nodded in agreement.

Although Han Ting helped Su Yun with her work every day, he didn’t earn much work points for it, and Su Yun’s own points were minimal. In truth, she had been dragging the team down.

If Su Yun got the teaching position, she would have a stable salary and could contribute money to the group—that really would be a benefit.

Hearing this, Chu Xia couldn’t hold back and spoke up: “Keep dreaming. I’m not giving up the spot. I worked hard for this opportunity and I won’t hand it over to someone who only knows how to mooch off others.”

All three—Li Qiao, Chen Sisi, and Gu Yuzhu—were stunned by her sudden remark.

Then Chen Sisi let out a chuckle and said, “Chu Xia, you’re still awake?”

Chu Xia replied, “Just about to sleep.”

An awkward look briefly crossed Chen Sisi’s face.

Gu Yuzhu, however, showed no embarrassment and shot back, “What you worked hard at was farm labor—what does that have to do with teaching? Just because you can farm doesn’t mean you can teach.”

Chu Xia answered coolly, “That’s how the village evaluates things. That’s how the team leaders see it. If you’re unhappy with it, go complain to the party secretary and the team leader. If you’ve got the skills, try getting the teaching job for yourself.”

Bang!

Gu Yuzhu slammed her comb down hard on the table in frustration.

She stewed for a while, unable to think of any strong rebuttal, then picked up the comb again, trying to calm down.

At that moment, Chen Sisi couldn’t help but speak up.

With a cautious smile, she asked, “Chu Xia, what’s gotten into you these past couple of days? You’ve suddenly become so…”

Chu Xia knew exactly what word was about to follow—probably something like “sharp-tongued” or “harsh.”

Without letting Chen Sisi finish, she replied, “Nothing in particular. I just suddenly understood something: being too nice makes you an easy target. I don’t want to be the soft one or the sucker anymore.”

And reality had already proven this true.

The more quietly and selflessly someone contributed, the more others took it for granted. Not only did you get no thanks, but the day you stopped giving, people would complain, criticize, and blame you.

Chen Sisi gave another smile and didn’t say more.

Just then, Su Yun returned. Chen Sisi quickly turned to greet her, ending the conversation with Chu Xia.

After that, none of them brought up Chu Xia again.

They changed the subject and chatted about other things, and the atmosphere in the dorm soon lightened.

Gu Yuzhu finished combing her hair.

As she climbed into bed, she muttered her usual complaint, “When will this kind of life ever end? I miss home so much I can’t take it anymore.”

Li Qiao chimed in, “Probably never.”

Gu Yuzhu let out a deep sigh as she lay down, “Are we really going to live out the rest of our lives here?”

Day in and day out, it was just farm work. The food was bad, the sleep was worse, there was nothing fun, no electricity—and apart from a bit of idle chat, all they did was work. It was a hopeless kind of existence.

Chen Sisi added, “Our household registrations have already been transferred here, so probably, yeah. I heard a lot of older sent-down youths have already married and started families in the countryside. They’re stuck—they can’t go back.”

Gu Yuzhu exhaled heavily. “Well, I’m definitely not going to get married and have kids in some backwater village.”

Li Qiao agreed quickly, “Me neither. Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl.”

Their conversation soon drifted back to Su Yun.

Gu Yuzhu teased with a laugh, “Hey Su Yun, when are you and Han Ting getting married?”

Su Yun blushed at the question and said shyly, “What nonsense are you talking about? Han Ting and I are just good friends—it’s not what you think.”

Gu Yuzhu obviously didn’t believe her and kept grinning. “Come on, do you think we’re blind or stupid? The way you two flirt all the time—even a blind man could see it.”

Su Yun climbed into bed and quickly covered Gu Yuzhu’s mouth. “Enough of that, go to sleep already.”

Gu Yuzhu pulled her hand away and said, “I’m being serious. A guy like Han Ting—strong, charismatic, totally the type girls fall for—he’s also the type who doesn’t commit easily. You better hold on to him, or some other girl might swoop in and snatch him up.”

As they chatted and joked, Chu Xia remained silent.

She wasn’t asleep—she lay in bed, quietly thinking things over.

She wasn’t dwelling on Su Yun and Han Ting’s relationship. What occupied her thoughts now was something broader—something tied to the times they were living in.

Earlier, the others had talked about being stuck in the countryside for life.

Chu Xia used to think the same way. That was how the world worked—policy was like a mountain, and most sent-down youths were rooted in rural areas with no way back.

But now she had knowledge of the novel’s entire plot.

According to the novel’s timeline, society wouldn’t stay this way forever.

In the not-too-distant future, things would change.

The college entrance exam system, suspended for a decade, would be reinstated. Everyone would have a chance to attend university, and sent-down youths would no longer be restricted—they could return to the cities freely.

Then came the Reform and Opening Up.

Society would undergo dramatic transformation.

Running a business would no longer be considered a crime of profiteering. Private enterprise would be officially recognized. People without formal jobs could find ways to earn money.

Some of those self-employed individuals would get rich first, giving rise to a new term—“ten-thousand-yuan households.”

With the loosening of policies, development would accelerate. Skyscrapers would rise from the ground, people would live in apartment buildings and use telephones.

Later on, computers and mobile phones would be everywhere. Colorful cars would fill the streets, fueled and on the move.

And beyond the old green trains, high-speed rail would emerge. Flying would become an everyday mode of travel.

All of this, of course, was beyond Chu Xia’s imagination.

With her current experiences and limited worldview, she couldn’t even begin to picture such a future.

She hadn’t experienced the events in the novel yet.

Just trying to imagine them based on the descriptions felt wildly exaggerated.

The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a fantasy story.

But no matter how unimaginable it seemed, those things would eventually happen.

So she began to wonder—once the country started rolling out new policies, could she also catch a ride on that train of progress and carve out her own path in the tide of change? Could she become one of the first to get rich?

In the novel, the ones who caught that ride were Lin Xiaohan and Han Ting.

And Han Ting only made it because she gave him all of her family’s assets to fund his start-up.

The more she thought about it, the more stifled Chu Xia felt.

If she had the ability to kickstart a business, then why shouldn’t she be the one to do it? Why should she hand over the resources and opportunities that were rightfully hers to Han Ting?

Did being the woman behind a successful man really count as a woman’s success?

She didn’t want that kind of “success” anymore. That kind of success was a lie.

Chu Xia rolled over in bed, turning to face the wall.

She had a lot to think about, but some things were clearly still too early to act on. So she forced herself to rein in her thoughts and focus on the problem right in front of her.

And right now, the most urgent thing was figuring out how to break free from the constraints of the novel’s plot.

If she didn’t deal with that, everything else would be meaningless. No matter how much she resisted, she’d still end up following the path the story laid out for her.

So—

Starting tomorrow—

She’d shamelessly stick to Lin Xiaohan like glue.

…

The next day.

Chu Xia was still the first one in the dorm to wake up.

As she stepped out with her toiletries, Lin Xiaohan happened to walk out from the opposite dorm.

They didn’t greet each other, just walked silently to the well to wash up.

No words were exchanged—they brushed their teeth, washed their faces, returned to the dorm, then went to the kitchen together to prepare breakfast.

Today’s breakfast was even simpler—just steamed some leftover buns and ate them with canned food.

Lin Xiaohan finished steaming his first. He grabbed a bun, poured some hot water, and sat down at the table to eat.

Chu Xia followed soon after. She placed her steamed bun in an empty bowl, picked up the canned food and chopsticks, and hesitated for a second before resolutely sitting down across from Lin Xiaohan.

Lin Xiaohan looked up at her, puzzled. “What are you doing?”

There were three tables in the kitchen. Whenever there was a meeting here, no one ever sat at the same table as him—not even Chu Xia.

Chu Xia cleared her throat, her tone businesslike. “We finished cleaning up the school yesterday. That means we can officially start enrolling students today. I’d like to seriously discuss with you how we should go about recruiting.”

Lin Xiaohan lowered his gaze and continued eating. “Stop with the we. You’re you, I’m me. We’ll recruit separately. You do yours, I’ll do mine. Let’s not get in each other’s way.”

Chu Xia looked at him for a moment before asking, “Do you really not want to work with me as a partner?”

Without a shred of hesitation, Lin Xiaohan replied, “No, I don’t.”

He had no desire to partner with someone who couldn’t think straight and had a head full of mush.

Chu Xia looked at him and said in a slightly consoling tone, “Well, I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to put up with me for a while.”

“…?”

Lin Xiaohan paused mid-bite and looked up at her again.

He thought she’d immediately take her bowl and sit somewhere else—far away from him. But not only did she stay, she had the nerve to say that.

Chu Xia met his eyes with a calm expression and offered him a sincere smile.

Lin Xiaohan: “…”