Chapter 35: Clingy as Taffy

A sharp gaze bore down on her from above.

The man suddenly grabbed her wandering finger and shot her a warning glare.

Wen Nian stopped immediately.

This man was far too upright—flirting too hard would only backfire.

She had to take it slow and steady.

But even like this, it was already a huge step forward.

If this were in the past, he would’ve pushed her away in a heartbeat.

Or he would’ve lectured her with all that righteous indignation—

This isn’t right, that’s inappropriate.

Lu Hanzheng looked down at the girl in his arms.

Her clear, bright eyes were full of laughter, her rosy cheeks glowing under the warm, dim light.

Her lips were slightly pursed, innocent and tempting at once, and her soft, clean scent quietly invaded his senses.

He closed his eyes for a moment, using his ironclad military willpower to forcibly suppress the desire building below his waist.

…

With a new letter of introduction, Wen Nian no longer felt anxious and started making time to search for a place to live.

After asking around quite a bit, she found there were no houses for sale at all.

There were, however, a few places for rent.

All of them were in traditional courtyard compounds—old, run-down, and cramped, and even worse, shared with others.

And unlike the neatly restored courtyards of the future, these ones were filthy and broken down.

The interiors were cluttered with piles of stuff, barely any space to even set foot.

The yards were full of people sharing everything.

Wen Nian only took a glance from the entrance and her scalp already started to tingle.

She couldn’t stay in a place that dirty and chaotic even for a second.

She even went to the Housing Bureau to ask around.

And came back thoroughly disappointed—there were simply no houses for sale.

Walking dejectedly along the street, she suddenly heard someone calling her name.

“Wen Nian! Wen Nian!”

Across the street stood a man with signature gold-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, and black trousers.

He was pushing a shiny new 28-inch bicycle.

His face lit up with surprise and joy when he saw her.

Zheng Jiahe.

The moment she recognized him, Wen Nian ignored him and prepared to walk around.

“Nian Nian, what a coincidence! I haven’t seen you at the family quarters in a while. How have you been lately?”

Zheng Jiahe stepped in front of her, blocking her path, calling her nickname with fake intimacy.

The girl before him wore a retro-style buttoned blouse and a pale blue long skirt.

Her jet-black hair was simply tied back with a matching ribbon, the rest cascading smoothly down her back.

Her face was bare of makeup, but her beauty was both pure and alluring.

The well-fitted clothes perfectly outlined her graceful figure.

Ever since they last met, he’d been dreaming about her every night.

And now, seeing her again, she was even more beautiful than before.

Wen Nian frowned and spoke coldly.

“Comrade Zheng, we’re not that close. Please call me Comrade Wen.”

She even took two deliberate steps back to widen the distance between them.

How disgusting. As if he had the right to call her “Nian Nian.”

He really didn’t know his place.

If there were another way back to the military compound, she would’ve turned around and left without hesitation.

Clearly, she hadn’t checked the almanac before leaving the house today.

Zheng Jiahe’s smile froze for a moment. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.

Unbothered by her cold attitude, he persistently followed after her.

“Nian Nian, I know you have feelings for me too.”

Wen Nian suddenly stopped in her tracks, staring at him in disbelief.

Was this guy brain-damaged?

“Aunt Chen told me everything you really feel. Nian Nian, marry me—I’ll take care of you.”

Zheng Jiahe looked at her with eyes full of longing and sincerity.

Chen Qiuwei really was relentless. Even after Wen Nian had completely cut ties with them, she was still stirring up trouble.

“What exactly did she say?”

Wen Nian asked bluntly—she was genuinely curious to know what nonsense had come out of that woman’s mouth.

Zheng Jiahe looked a little embarrassed by the question.

“Aunt Chen said that after our matchmaking meeting, you couldn’t stop thinking about me, and you’ve been wanting us to get married as soon as possible. But someone maliciously reported us to the Women’s Federation, saying it was an arranged marriage, so our wedding had to be postponed.”

He paused, ears slightly red, then added,

“I have feelings for you too. As long as we truly love each other, even if someone reports us again, it won’t matter. Don’t worry—we’re already engaged, the betrothal gifts have been exchanged, and everyone in the compound knows we’re going to get married. Whether sooner or later, it’s going to happen.”

Wen Nian laughed in anger. These two were like ghosts that refused to leave her alone. Still not giving up?

She hadn’t even settled the score from last time—when they drugged and imprisoned her—and now they had the nerve to come bother her again.

Chen Qiuwei had gotten more cunning. She knew she couldn’t make Wen Nian agree directly, and she didn’t dare go against the Women’s Federation’s warning, so she’d switched tactics.

She sent Zheng Jiahe to harass her and spread rumors.

Telling everyone that Wen Nian was already engaged to the Zheng family, that the betrothal gifts had been given, and that marriage was inevitable.

Over time, people would just subconsciously believe it to be true.

And by then, no matter how Wen Nian tried to explain, no one would believe her.

In the end, she’d be forced to marry Zheng Jiahe.

In this era, a woman’s reputation was everything.

If this were the original Wen Nian—the docile supporting female lead—this tactic might’ve worked.

Though frankly, they probably wouldn’t even need to go that far.

The original character had a meek, timid personality. She obeyed everything without protest, always mumbling and deferential.

After returning to the capital with Wen Jiancheng and meeting Zheng Jiahe once, she married him right away.

And not long after, she was beaten to death in a case of domestic violence.

But Wen Nian wasn’t her.

This kind of thing didn’t even count as a problem.

Trying to control her with “reputation”? What a joke.

Wen Nian let out a cold snort.

“Comrade Zheng, you’ve misunderstood. I don’t like you, and I absolutely will not marry you. Everything Chen Qiuwei told you was a lie—she just wants to pocket your family’s betrothal gifts for herself.”

She had a boyfriend now, but even if she didn’t, she’d never like someone like Zheng Jiahe—just a pretty face with nothing else going for him.

Better to make her stance clear early on.

She wasn’t concerned about reputation, but she did hate trouble.

“Nian Nian, what… what did you say?”

Zheng Jiahe thought he’d misheard. His eyes were wide with disbelief as he stammered out his question.

“I said, I don’t like you, and I won’t marry you. Don’t come looking for me again.”

Wen Nian repeated firmly.

Just then, the two of them happened to be near the steel factory.

It was lunchtime, and workers were hurrying out the gates to go home and eat.

Zheng Jiahe was well-known around here—his father was the deputy factory director, his mother headed logistics, and his older brother was a workshop supervisor.

On top of that strong background, he was capable and handsome. Among the female workers, he was practically a walking prize.

Now seeing him standing with a pretty young woman, the gossip radar of the surrounding workers immediately kicked in. People instinctively slowed their steps and pricked up their ears.

Zheng Jiahe couldn’t care less about the nosy stares around him—his face turned red with urgency.

“But… but Aunt Chen didn’t say that at all. And besides, you’ve already accepted my family’s betrothal gifts. That makes us engaged!”

Wen Nian’s expression remained cold. She raised her voice slightly, enunciating each word.

“I don’t care what Chen Qiuwei told you—none of that was my will. As for your family’s betrothal gifts, I didn’t accept a thing. If you gave them to someone, go ask them for it back. It has nothing to do with me.”

Wen Nian didn’t want to waste another second arguing. She turned to leave.