Chapter 1

The summer heat was scorching, and even the wind that blew carried a searing burn.

While hoeing the field, Song Ruan was bitten by a snake and collapsed unconscious.

In her coma, she had a long, vivid dream.

In that dream, she was also bitten by a snake, but was saved by a fierce-looking man. Yet instead of gratitude, she treated him coldly.

Because she knew — that man liked her. But she didn’t like him. She liked Zhao Jianguo, a young intellectual sent from the city.

The land she was working now had originally been assigned to Zhao Jianguo. But she, a delicate girl raised in comfort, was hoeing the fields under the blazing sun for love — while Zhao Jianguo was nowhere to be found.

Later, she got her wish and married Zhao Jianguo. But when the educated youth returned to the city, he heartlessly abandoned her. Then, shamelessly, he came back looking for her.

Happy and full of hope, she followed him to the city, only to discover the truth: he was doing poorly there, prone to domestic violence. His city wife had run away from him.

As for her — she endured endless abuse, and eventually, while trying to escape, she was struck and killed by a car.

Yet even in death, her soul lingered in the air for a long time.

She saw her family suffer terrible fates. No one even came to visit her grave after her death.

Until one day, someone did — the fierce-looking man from before.

He had found Zhao Jianguo, the man who abused her, and avenged her — beat him until he couldn’t get up. But that act was used against him by petty men, and he was arrested and thrown into prison.

Upon seeing this, her numb soul suddenly burst into tears…

“Song Ruan? Song Ruan?”

A deep, magnetic voice sounded in her ears. Song Ruan’s eyes flew open.

The face she saw belonged to a man with sharp features, sword-like brows, and deep, brooding eyes. Without a smile, he looked rather intimidating.

It was him. The only man in her dream who had avenged her. The man now saving her — Yang Bin.

Seeing her awake, the man relaxed his tightly furrowed brow.
“You’re awake? You wouldn’t respond no matter how I called you earlier. How are you feeling now?”

The breath from his words brushed against her nose, warm and close, making the already-hot air feel even more sweltering.

“Huh? Ah?” Her mind hadn’t quite caught up. She stared blankly at him.

Her soft and dazed expression made Yang Bin’s gaze darken slightly.

He swallowed hard and lowered his eyes. “Are you still feeling unwell? Dizzy?”

Still a bit dazed, Song Ruan nodded gently. “Dizzy.”

Yang Bin’s dark eyes lingered on her for a moment, then he leaned down — and began sucking the wound.

His warm lips on her skin, his breath brushing her calf, made Song Ruan’s limbs grow weak with heat.

He spat out the blood. “It’s red now. The venom is gone. If you’re still not feeling well, sit here and rest for a while.”

With that, he picked up her hoe and began tilling the soil for her.

“Wait—” Song Ruan blinked in confusion. “This land is…”

“I know.”

He knew this land was Zhao Jianguo’s assignment. He also knew Song Ruan didn’t like him — she liked that city man.

But he couldn’t stand seeing her suffer.

Sitting under the shade of a tree, Song Ruan watched Yang Bin work under the blistering sun.

The man was tall and broad. His coarse dark shirt had faded to near-white from wear, and it was clearly too small — clinging tightly to his muscular frame, making him appear even more powerful.

With practiced ease, he swung the hoe. As he moved, the muscles in his arms flexed rhythmically.

It was as if he had endless strength. He toiled under the sun for a long time without showing signs of fatigue.

Only sweat rolled down his body, catching the sunlight like shattered stars. It made him impossible to look away from.

Of course Yang Bin noticed her sneaking glances at him.

She had never looked at him this way before. And now, his heart was secretly rejoicing.

But… how long had she been staring at him? Half an hour?

Finally, Yang Bin couldn’t take it anymore. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, tossed the hoe to the ground, and walked straight toward her.

Up close, the scent of sweat from his body wasn’t unpleasant — rather, it carried a faint grassy freshness.

He crouched in front of her, his eyes dark and intense.
“Have you ever been kissed?”

Song Ruan’s mind exploded.

“W-What?”

Yang Bin swallowed hard, the corners of his eyes tinged red.
“Did you and Zhao Jianguo ever kiss?”

Probably. The thought made him sick with jealousy. Even though he knew he wasn’t worthy of her, he couldn’t stop thinking about her — craving her like an obsession.

Sometimes, he even cursed the heavens. Why couldn’t the one she loved be him?

His gaze swept over her delicate face, then landed on her soft, pink lips.

His eyes turned fierce. One hand grabbed hers, pulling her close, while the other cupped the back of her head — and he crushed his lips onto hers.

Let her hate him. Let her be angry. She looked at him like that for so long — it drove him crazy.

Just let him be reckless, just this once.

Even if… after this, he wouldn’t even deserve to quietly protect her anymore.

Her scent, her softness — it was addictive. He forgot his jealousy, his pain. All that remained was the satisfaction of the moment.

Finally, he let go, his voice hoarse:
“You… why didn’t you…”

Scold him. Slap him. Accuse him of taking advantage.

“I…”

Song Ruan didn’t know either. All she could think of was how he had avenged her in that dream. And how, under the blazing sun just now, his strong, powerful figure had been so mesmerizing.

If it weren’t for that unbelievable dream, she wouldn’t have realized it — how attractive, how captivating this man truly was.

And now, remembering the kiss — how she had been wrapped in his scent — she was surprised to find that she… liked it?

Her cheeks flushed bright red, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

“You… don’t hate me?” Yang Bin asked carefully.

Song Ruan softly shook her head. “No.”

“I mean… you don’t hate that I kissed you?”

Huh?

Song Ruan looked up, and their eyes met.

In the sunlight, his gaze shimmered with light. She quickly looked away, unable to face those eyes.

“I—I don’t know…”

His eyes grew brighter.
“Then you don’t hate it?”

His deep black gaze surged with emotion.
“Then from now on, only I can kiss you, okay? I’ll work hard, earn money, and marry you.”

Someone had recently invited him into a business venture. It was risky, but if he wanted to marry her, he couldn’t let her live a hard life.

Song Ruan shook her head. “No. Zhao Jianguo…”

She was technically still in a relationship with Zhao Jianguo. She needed to break it off cleanly first, or else people would talk.

But Yang Bin misunderstood. The moment she mentioned Zhao Jianguo, his eyes dimmed.

“…Heh. I see.”

So he had been delusional.

So foolish.

He had forgotten — there were more things between them than just his poverty.

His family had once been wealthy, and their background wasn’t clean. Though things weren’t as strict now, gossip never stopped.

If she married him, she’d only suffer.

His once-bright eyes darkened into ashes.
“Forget what I said earlier. I’ll take responsibility for what just happened.”