Chapter 50: Who messed with her precious charging treasure?

Then he shifted his gaze to Xie Xiaohua’s face, carefully observing her reaction. He was genuinely worried she wouldn’t understand, and all his efforts would go to waste. Xie Xiaohua seemed to finally grasp Zhao Hang’s intention and nodded repeatedly. “Got it, got it. And then?”

A cold sneer flickered across Zhao Hang’s face. “Someone has to lure her to the gangsters’ turf for this to work…”

After all, even the local thugs wouldn’t dare harass a female comrade in broad daylight. That would be asking for a bullet between the eyes.

Xie Xiaohua hesitated. “It’s not a problem to find someone to trick Chang Suisui into going there. But… will those gangsters listen to you?”

If someone brings her there and nothing happens, it’ll all be for nothing.

Zhao Hang patted his chest confidently. “Don’t worry about that. As long as you can get Chang Suisui there, I’ll handle the rest.”

He had some ties with a few punks in town. Getting them to rough up a female educated youth was just a matter of money. Besides, even if she got assaulted, she’d have no choice but to accept it—far from home, afraid to spread the word. In the worst case, she might even be forced to marry one of those thugs.

As Zhao Hang thought about this, a dark gleam flashed in his eyes.

Chang Suisui wanted to marry someone else? Hah! Then he’d make sure she got passed around by more than one man.

Xie Xiaohua’s eyes flickered. “Let me think it over…”

It wasn’t that she cared about Chang Suisui’s chastity—she just worried that if Zhao Hang’s chosen thugs weren’t reliable, it wouldn’t just be Chang Suisui who’d suffer…

Zhao Hang could easily read her thoughts and sneered inwardly. Out loud, he said casually, “You don’t have to lure her yourself. Just find someone else who knows her and have them do it.”

That immediately sparked Xie Xiaohua’s imagination. He had a point!

But who should she use?

Her beady eyes rolled around in her wide face, and suddenly, a name popped into her head—Chang Meili!

She didn’t know why Chang Meili was suddenly clinging to her brother, but she was sure the girl would do anything to please her “future sister-in-law.”

Getting her to trick Chang Suisui? Easy.

With that thought, Xie Xiaohua nodded eagerly. “Alright, I’ll take care of the Chang Suisui part. You handle the gangsters.”

“Good. Then we have a deal.”

“Deal!”

Xie Xiaohua wrapped her headscarf tighter in excitement and ran off down the path.

What they didn’t know, however, was that their entire conversation had been overheard—word for word—by Qian Weimin, who was hiding nearby.

He had originally gone to the village head’s house to discuss a trip into town, but just as he arrived, he saw Xie Xiaohua sneaking out in disguise.

With a soldier’s instinct, he followed her without hesitation—and sure enough, he’d caught something big.

He hadn’t expected to catch not just one, but two culprits.

At first, he wanted to jump out and confront them, but without evidence, they’d probably just slip away. Worse, once they knew the plan was exposed, they might retaliate against Comrade Chang even more viciously.

After thinking it through, he decided the best course of action was to report everything to Xie Yu. The regiment commander would know what to do.

—

That evening, Chang Suisui strolled confidently to Xie Yu’s place with a basket in hand. Thanks to Zhao Xiulan and Xie Xiaohua, she no longer needed to sneak around to visit.

So as soon as the day’s work ended, she made dinner and brought it over.

When she arrived, Xie Yu was sitting on the edge of the bed, face gloomy, his whole figure radiating a dark, stormy pressure. Even the occasional rays of sunlight that filtered through the window couldn’t dispel the oppressive aura around him.

Chang Suisui’s brow furrowed immediately.

Was he upset? Who had pissed off her precious rechargeable battery?

She hated seeing him like this and walked straight in.

Xie Yu, of course, had heard the door. When he looked up, his eyes met hers—bright and full of laughter. In that instant, his stormy expression melted away, replaced by a clear, spring-like calm.

His eyes softened in surprise. “You’re here early today.”

Chang Suisui lifted the basket with a grin. “I was afraid you’d be hungry! I made something special just for you!”

She sat on the edge of the bed and started unpacking the basket.

Unlike before, this time she’d brought not only two lunchboxes but also an extra bowl—covered with another bowl to keep it warm. Clearly, it was more food.

Xie Yu’s suspicion deepened, especially when he saw the two pairs of chopsticks. Then it hit him.

“You’re eating with me today?”

“Mhm. Maybe from now on, I’ll eat with you all the time.”

Her eyes crinkled with a teasing smile, playful and irresistible.

Xie Yu felt his heart thump wildly again. He knew she was probably joking, but he couldn’t help picturing a future where she was his—where they ate together every day.

The thought of her belonging to him made his blood race.

He lowered his gaze, remembering what Qian Weimin had reported earlier. His brow tightened once more.

Chang Suisui noticed the subtle change immediately. She hesitated, then asked, “Did someone upset you today?”

Xie Yu snapped out of it, shook his head… then nodded.

Chang Suisui: “???”

She tilted her head in confusion, obviously puzzled.

Her innocent reaction made Xie Yu’s heart itch again. He reached out and ruffled her hair, then after a moment’s hesitation, told her the truth:

“Comrade Chang, you shouldn’t go into town for the next while. Someone’s planning to target you there.”

He’d already instructed Qian Weimin to alert Li Dayong to tighten town security. Especially those punks Zhao Hang mentioned—they’d be under close watch.

But still, he wasn’t reassured. Those guys were careful not to cross legal lines, which made it hard for law enforcement to act.

So he had to warn her—at the very least, so she’d be mentally prepared.

Chang Suisui raised an eyebrow. “The person plotting against me… it’s Zhao Hang, isn’t it?”

Xie Yu hesitated, then nodded.

“And also Xie Xiaohua…” he added.