Chapter 2: Confrontation

“Hiss, you hurt me!”

Yuan Songzhi gripped Su Xiaoyin tightly, making her feel as though her wrist was caught in an iron clamp. As expected of someone who had been a soldier.

Suddenly, in Su Xiaoyin’s mind appeared the image of this man pressing her hands above her head earlier, lost in passion.

“Ahem.”

She coughed lightly and struggled free.

“Why are you hurting yourself?”

Yuan Songzhi’s tone was cold, and it was unclear why he was angry.

The stone that had been in Su Xiaoyin’s hand had already been snatched away by him, and it still carried traces of blood, appearing somewhat terrifying.

Su Xiaoyin touched the wound on her forehead where she had scraped herself. The pain made her bare her teeth for a moment. “You mean this? Just a small injury. A few days and it will be fine.”

Not to mention she had healing powers, even without them, such a scrape was nothing.

During those years in the apocalypse, she had suffered countless injuries.

“If we want to escape unscathed, we must strike first.” After speaking, she took the stone back from his hand and randomly wiped it against her clothes. Some parts were even snagged by her rubbing.

Yuan Songzhi stared at her, astonishment flashing in his eyes.

“Strike first?”

Su Xiaoyin smiled slyly, “She wants to harm us, we cannot just let ourselves be bullied for nothing, don’t you think?”

Yuan Songzhi did not hesitate too long and asked, “What do you want to do?”

“Return the favor in the same way.”

–

Half an hour later, Su Xiaoyin lay on Yuan Songzhi’s back. Sensing the low pressure radiating from him, she rarely spoke softly.

“Alright, don’t be angry. Am I not perfectly fine?”

He did not respond, remaining silent as he walked toward the brigade.

Su Xiaoyin pressed her lips together.

She had only rolled down a hillside. She had protected the important parts of her body. At most, she had a few cuts on her body. She did not understand what Yuan Songzhi was angry about.

Since they were acting, of course they had to make it convincing. Otherwise, what if someone saw through it?

But this man was good—he stopped talking to her.

Petty.

“I didn’t hurt you, so what are you angry about?” she muttered in a low voice.

She felt the arm supporting her thigh tighten, and Su Xiaoyin instantly shut her mouth. If he threw her to the ground, how could the act continue?

Just as she was wondering what to say to ease the tension, voices came from the forest ahead.

“Xiaoyin, Su Xiaoyin!”

“Yuan Songzhi!”

The people searching for them had arrived.

No longer caring to be angry with Yuan Songzhi, Su Xiaoyin leaned toward his ear and whispered in a lowered voice, “Cooperate with me. You don’t want to marry Lin Limei either, do you?”

Her warm breath brushed against Yuan Songzhi’s ear, making the tips of his ears quickly flush red.

But Su Xiaoyin did not notice at all. She kept her attention ahead, and when she saw figures, she hurriedly spoke weakly, her voice like a thread of breath.

“We are here, Captain.”

Her voice was delicate and faint; from far away, those people could not hear, but Yuan Songzhi could feel it clearly.

Su Xiaoyin did not know why he had frozen. She urged repeatedly, “Go on, don’t tell me you can’t even lie?”

“Captain.”

“This way.”

Yuan Songzhi called out twice, and soon someone noticed them.

“Xiaoyin, Brother Yuan, you… what happened to you two, your bodies… how could you…”

A girl with braids rushed in front of them first. It was the female lead, Lin Limei.

Her words came out stammering, and the expression on her face shifted from a moment of shock to grievance and resentment.

She was determined to dump the blame on them.

“Sister Limei, what did I do to offend you that you had to treat me this way?”

Su Xiaoyin’s voice carried a sob, not too loud and not too soft, just enough for those who had walked closer to hear.

After speaking, tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Her face was dirty, her forehead wounded, and with her crying, she looked all the more pitiful.

“I… what did I do to you?”

Although Lin Limei had lived a second life, if she had truly been clever, she would not have ended up so poorly in her previous one. Even in the book’s second life, she relied only on clinging to capable people.

With just a few words, she was easily led by Su Xiaoyin’s nose.

“You…” Su Xiaoyin deliberately revealed a look of shame and fury as if wishing for death. Anyone watching could guess that today’s matter was far from simple.

The onlookers shifted their gazes among the three of them.

“Say no more, let’s go to the hospital first.” Yuan Songzhi spoke at the right time. If not for their prior understanding, even Su Xiaoyin would not have noticed that his urgency was feigned.

She cooperated by turning her head away, refusing to look at Lin Limei, appearing completely heartbroken.

“Stop!” Yuan Songzhi had just taken two steps when Lin Limei pulled him back.

“Make things clear. I kindly went to call people to look for you, and now I am blamed instead? You, a man and a woman alone in this wilderness, misbehaving, and yet you put the blame on me?”

Once these words came out, the whole place fell silent.

All those present were men. Although they did not usually have so many twisting thoughts, they were not stupid.

This Lin family girl said she ran into a wild boar on the mountain, yet she did not show the slightest sign of fear.

Moreover, along the whole way they came, where was there any trace of wild boars?

But even if they knew she had deliberately lured them here, today’s matter still could not be ignored.

If something shameful happened within the brigade, the entire brigade would be implicated.

“What exactly happened?” Brigade leader Qin Haide frowned and looked at them.

Su Xiaoyin already knew Lin Limei would not be able to hold herself back. Since the other party had set up this scheme today, she would certainly not be willing to leave without a result.

She pressed harder on Yuan Songzhi’s shoulder, reminding him that it was time to speak.

Glancing at his own shoulder, Yuan Songzhi’s face sank. In that instant, he seemed as though he had just stepped out of an ice cellar, and the look in his eyes toward Lin Limei was like tempered ice.

“She is injured. Can this not wait until later?”

Hearing this voice, even Su Xiaoyin wanted to rub her arms. No wonder Lin Limei could not stand it—his personality was indeed too cold.

Though complaining in her heart, she did not forget to continue acting.

Su Xiaoyin was famous in the brigade for her good looks and gentle temperament. Now she lay weakly on Yuan Songzhi’s shoulder, silently shedding tears, appearing truly pitiful.

But not everyone fell for this trick.

In front of some people, playing weak could arouse pity; in front of others, it only provoked jealousy.

Lin Limei was, of course, the latter.

“Wait for what? Isn’t she perfectly fine, even able to talk back to me? Yuan Songzhi, have you forgotten who your proper fiancée is?”

Yuan Songzhi said indifferently, “Do not make trouble without reason.”

“I am making trouble without reason!” Lin Limei was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, nearly jumping up. “Usually, it is one thing if you exchange glances with her, but now, sneaking around with her in the wild behind my back—yet I am the one making trouble without reason!”

Everyone looked at each other, and their gazes toward Su Xiaoyin and Yuan Songzhi had already grown strange.

“Could there be some misunderstanding?” The brigade leader stepped in to help, just as Su Xiaoyin had expected.

Yuan Songzhi had only just retired from the army not long ago, and he had been discharged because of injuries sustained on the battlefield. The higher-ups had specially instructed to take care of him.

Furthermore, if this matter truly blew up, the one most troubled would be him, the brigade leader.

The others also recalled how the two usually conducted themselves, and they all chimed in, “Yes, this Xiaoyin girl even has her head injured. Whatever it is, speak of it later.”

Seeing that everyone was not going along with her, Lin Limei’s face showed an anxious expression.

Observing this, Su Xiaoyin felt rather bored. She had wasted so much effort, yet this was all the capability the other had.

But since the stage had already been set, this play naturally had to continue.

Su Xiaoyin let out a self-mocking laugh. “So this is what you were planning. Comrade Yuan, put me down first. Since everyone is here, some matters ought to be witnessed by all.”

Hearing this, Lin Limei’s eyes flickered.

“What else is there to say? The two of you were just now already in each other’s arms. Su Xiaoyin, how could you face me, how could you face my second brother?”

As though afraid others would not believe, her voice rose sharply, startling several birds in the forest. That indignant look indeed lent her words a bit more credibility.

Su Xiaoyin did not hurry to respond. After Yuan Songzhi placed her down to sit beside a rock, she lifted her head and looked straight at Lin Limei.

Seeing her like this, everyone was stunned.

Today, Su Xiaoyin wore a white shirt. Earlier, while lying on Yuan Songzhi’s back, it had not been visible.

A perfectly fine light-colored garment was now utterly filthy, with several patches of red bloodstains that were especially shocking to the eyes.

“Xiaoyin girl, your body…” Even the brigade leader was so startled that he became somewhat incoherent.

As though unable to bear others’ concern, Su Xiaoyin’s eyes instantly filled with tears, yet she forced herself not to let them fall.

“Lin Limei, you want to bring up Lin Tianyang, don’t you? Then let me speak of it properly with you.”

Lin Limei’s brows furrowed, but before she could speak, Su Xiaoyin had already continued.

“From the age of ten, I lived with your Lin family. My family’s house was given for you to live in, my family’s private plot was given for you to farm, and all the pension money given by the commune was handed over to you, said to be for raising me.”

Back then, the original owner’s parents and grandfather had died while handling matters for the commune. Though much time had passed, everyone still remembered it clearly.

Because five hundred yuan of pension money was, at that time, an enormous sum. Everyone in the brigade envied the Lin family for raising her.

Lin Limei did not quite know why she brought this up, and doubt flashed across her face.

Su Xiaoyin, keeping her eyes on her expression, said: “And that jade pendant hanging on your neck—that is mine!”

Hearing this, Lin Limei’s pupils shrank, and she subconsciously reached out to clutch the pendant.

The Su family’s belongings had been accounted for with the help of the commune cadres. She could not deny it even if she wanted to.

“I—I just thought it looked nice and borrowed it to wear for a while.”

That jade pendant was proof of the original owner’s identity. At first, the Lin family had wanted to claim it, so they proposed to keep it safe for her. The original owner refused, but later it was tricked away by Lin Limei.

In the past, she had merely wanted to snatch Su Xiaoyin’s things. Now that she was reborn and knew the pendant’s great use, she was even less likely to return it to Su Xiaoyin.

Precisely because of this, Su Xiaoyin had pointed it out in front of so many people.

“Please return my mother’s keepsake to me.”

These words could not have been more pitiful.

Everyone cast condemning looks toward Lin Limei.

Lin Limei bit her teeth. Clearly unwilling, yet still forcing herself to act indifferent, she removed the pendant from her neck and returned it to Su Xiaoyin under everyone’s gaze.

“Here, take it. But don’t say that just because I borrowed your pendant, you want to steal my man.”

Lin Limei always remembered her purpose today. As for the pendant, she would have plenty of chances to take it back later.

Just when she thought she had the situation firmly in her grasp, she heard Su Xiaoyin speak unhurriedly.

“Was it not you who insisted on pushing him onto me?”