Seeing Bai Wenwen so concerned about him, Zhou Zhongwen was overjoyed.  

So what if Bai Wenwen was the daughter of the Revolutionary Committee director?  

Didn’t she still succumb to his charm, willingly giving herself to him and vowing to marry no one else?  

As for that fat pig Lin Wanwan—what a blind, worthless piece of trash! She actually dared to demand back what she had given him, and with interest! Worse still, she had him by the throat with those damning secrets of his.  

If he dared not give her that hundred yuan, that fat sow would report him to the commune the very next day for promiscuity.  

He might even end up executed by firing squad.  

Just thinking about having to hand over that hundred yuan for nothing made Zhou Zhongwen feel as if a knife were twisting in his heart. He wished he could stab Lin Wanwan twice.  

Bai Wenwen noticed his face growing even paler and panicked completely. “Brother Zhou, are you feeling unwell? Wait here, I’ll go to the next brigade and fetch a doctor for you right now.”  

Having long given up hope of returning to the city, she refused to marry any of the country bumpkins who toiled in the dirt. From the very beginning, she had set her sights on Zhou Zhongwen, a fellow educated youth.  

He was handsome, a high school graduate, and his family background seemed decent.  

She’d once heard Wang Haoran mention that Zhou Zhongwen’s father was the deputy director of a steel mill, and his mother worked at the neighborhood committee. With too many children at home and not enough job assignments to go around, Zhou Zhongwen had been forced to go to the countryside.  

Of course, Zhou Zhongwen’s parents were still trying to pull strings to get him transferred back to the city for work. Once he returned, his family surely wouldn’t abandon her, their future daughter-in-law.  

With a little acting pitiful, she might even get to go back with him.  

So Zhou Zhongwen couldn’t afford to have anything happen to him—she was counting on his family’s connections to return to the city.  

The two in the room each had their own ulterior motives and schemes.  

Seeing Bai Wenwen about to fetch a doctor, Zhou Zhongwen quickly stopped her. “Wenwen, there’s no need for a doctor. My injuries are from…”  

“From what?”  

“That fat pig Lin Wanwan beat me up.”  

“This is just too much!” Bai Wenwen wiped her tears indignantly, then declared firmly, “No, I’m going to the brigade leader right now to demand justice!”  

“They’re bullying us too much! Just because they’re locals, they think they can assault educated youths? If the brigade leader won’t handle this, I’ll take it to the commune!”  

“And if that doesn’t work, I’ll go to the county! No matter what, I’ll get justice for you…”  

Hearing Bai Wenwen’s idiotic plan to seek justice from the brigade leader, Zhou Zhongwen nearly cursed out loud.  

If she wanted to die, that was her business—but he still wanted to live!  

If this matter blew up, the Lin family would walk away unscathed, while the two of them would be the ones dragged off to jail.  

Zhou Zhongwen cut her off urgently. “Lin Wanwan has dirt on both of us. If we don’t give her a hundred yuan, she’ll report us to the commune for promiscuity and have us arrested!”  

“What? That fat pig actually dares to report us? Does she have a death wish?” Bai Wenwen was stunned, her voice rising sharply by the end.  

Zhou Zhongwen snapped, “Right now, it’s not about her not wanting to live—if she exposes us to the commune, it’s us who won’t survive!”  

“Then why don’t we just make our relationship public? I’ve already given myself to you—getting married is just a matter of time anyway. Once we do, let’s see how she can report us then!”  

The more Bai Wenwen thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. She even laughed to herself.  

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhongwen, still sitting on the bed, felt his face darken further.

Of course, he knew this approach could work—but the real problem was that Lin Wanwan still had those love poems he’d written to her.  

That crazy woman was backed into a corner now, and there was no telling what she might do.  

He… couldn’t take that risk.  

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhou Zhongwen steadied himself and coaxed her half-heartedly, “You’re right in principle, but even a mighty dragon can’t crush a snake in its own lair. If this really blows up, who do you think the brigade leader will side with?”  

“The brigade leader is Lin Wanwan’s uncle—anyone with half a brain knows he’ll protect her. If it comes to that, our lives in the brigade will become unbearable.”  

“And most importantly, what if we anger the brigade leader and he blocks us from ever returning to the city? Have you thought about that?”  

After hearing Zhou Zhongwen’s analysis, Bai Wenwen’s face turned deathly pale. Fat tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over instantly—pitiful enough to soften anyone’s heart.  

“Then what do we do? Are we really just going to swallow this loss in silence?”  

“We’ll have to take the loss, and we’ll have to give Lin Wanwan that hundred yuan. Otherwise, once she exposes us to the commune, we’ll be the ones suffering the consequences.”  

“Don’t forget—she caught us kissing at the educated youth outpost last time.”  

Bai Wenwen trembled in fear and immediately clung to Zhou Zhongwen’s arm. “Fine, we’ll give her the money! We absolutely can’t let her escalate this!”  

If word got out that she’d been kissing a man before marriage, the brigade’s gossipmongers would tear her apart with their vicious tongues.  

At this moment, Bai Wenwen was immensely grateful that no one had discovered her and Zhou Zhongwen rolling around in the haystack.  

At this point, Zhou Zhongwen hesitated, looking troubled as he struggled to say, “Wenwen… I don’t have that much money right now. Do you think you could cover it first and pay that fat sow?”  

Afraid Bai Wenwen might refuse, he quickly raised his hand in a vow. “Don’t worry, I, Zhou Zhongwen, will never betray you. If I’m lying, may lightning strike me dead!”  

Then, silently, he added in his heart: None of that counts—I’m just tricking this little fool Bai Wenwen.

A truly successful man shouldn’t have just one woman in his life. He deserved a whole flock of beauties surrounding him.  

Bai Wenwen’s expression stiffened, her tone unnatural. “I… I don’t have that kind of money…”  

Zhou Zhongwen assumed she was just being stingy, but with Lin Wanwan breathing down his neck—giving him only two days to come up with the cash—he couldn’t afford to delay.  

To keep this from reaching the commune, he forced himself to stay patient and coax her further:  

“Wenwen, how could you not have money? Your dad’s the Revolutionary Committee director, and you’re his daughter. There’s no way he didn’t give you money before you came to the countryside.”  

“Just think of it as an investment in our future. Give the money to that fat sow, and once we’re married, I’ll hand over every cent I earn to you.”  

Bai Wenwen’s eyes darted around guiltily. “Brother Zhou, I really don’t have the money. If I did, I’d give it to you.”  

Zhou Zhongwen’s face instantly darkened. Seeing that Bai Wenwen had money but refused to help him, his voice carried a suppressed fury.  

“If you don’t want to help me, just say so. Stop making excuses. I must’ve misjudged you.”  

Panicked by his anger, Bai Wenwen rushed to grab his hand and explain, but Zhou Zhongwen shoved her away.  

He turned his back on her, refusing to engage further, and left her with only one sentence:  

“If Lin Wanwan doesn’t get the money by tomorrow night, she’ll report us to the commune for promiscuity. And when that happens, I won’t be the only one suffering.”  

“Whether or not you give the money is entirely up to you.”