For instance, once when they were too hungry, they stole food from the production team.

At the time, Han Ting had taken the fall for all of them out of loyalty.

Compared to them, Lin Xiaohan’s hypocrisy and scheming felt way beyond his age.

Since arriving in the countryside, he had gone out of his way to earn praise. At the educated youth settlement, he wouldn’t lift a finger to help with the smallest chore, yet he was more than willing to help the villagers work.

But he never did it quietly—he always made sure the brigade leaders knew about it.

He was also very good at self-promotion. For every bit of effort he actually put in, he exaggerated his contribution tenfold.

The villagers were simply too gullible, fooled by his act, and held him up as a role model.

But people like him were rotten to the core—no sincerity, no genuine feelings, always calculating and putting personal interest first. Everything good about him was just a performance.

And when there was no benefit to be gained, his true face would show in an instant.

People like him, full of schemes and manipulation, were best left unprovoked.

Li Qiao conveyed this warning to Han Ting with a glance, and he got the message.

Suppressing his temper, Han Ting stopped engaging with Lin Xiaohan.

Returning to the previous topic of Chu Xia wanting to live alone, Han Ting picked it back up and said, “Chu Xia, I don’t agree with you moving out on your own. I promised Uncle Haikuan I’d take care of you. Just listen to me.”

Chu Xia had been quietly watching the whole scene unfold from behind the stove.

She hadn’t paid much attention to what Lin Xiaohan and Han Ting were arguing about—her mind was preoccupied with trying to figure out why, just moments earlier, she’d felt like she was under some kind of spell, unable to speak up and say no.

Then she realized: when she shifted her gaze away from Han Ting and toward Lin Xiaohan, that strange, spell-like pressure seemed to ease a little.

So now, she kept her eyes on Lin Xiaohan and tried saying, “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”

And it worked—she could speak. Chu Xia breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Han Ting frowned at her.

Chu Xia had followed him around since childhood, always listening to him, never arguing back or causing trouble. Her sudden change today threw him off completely.

His face darkened as he stared at her. “What’s gotten into you today?”

Chu Xia didn’t dare meet Han Ting’s eyes, afraid that if their eyes met, she’d fall under his influence again.

She didn’t look directly at Lin Xiaohan either, but focused instead on his hand and said, “Nothing. I’m not copying anyone. I just want to live on my own.”

Han Ting’s brows furrowed deeper. “Why?”

Chu Xia didn’t budge. “Too many people. It’s a hassle.”

Han Ting looked away, holding back his breath in frustration, and said nothing more.

Then, suddenly, he stood up and kicked over a bench, storming out with a grim expression.

The bench snapped a leg, and Chaozi, who had been sitting next to him, fell flat on the floor.

Guogai quickly helped Chaozi up and looked at Chu Xia. “What are you doing, Chu Xia?”

With Han Ting gone, Chu Xia felt a lot more relaxed.

She looked at Guogai and Chaozi and said directly, “Go ahead and divide the food up for me too.”

No one could understand her.

They’d all been living together peacefully for so long. Other than Lin Xiaohan, their relationships had been solid. Chu Xia’s sudden move felt like she was drawing a line between herself and everyone else.

It hurt. No one could be okay with that.

Especially Han Ting, who valued relationships deeply. And he and Chu Xia had grown up together as childhood friends.

Li Qiao forced a smile and said, “Chu Xia, don’t joke around. Han Ting’s already mad.”

Chu Xia looked at her and said, “I’m not joking. Even if all of you get mad and ignore me from now on, I’m still going to live on my own.”

Honestly, even when they were all living together, no one really cared about her or took her seriously.

Li Qiao: “……”

The smile froze on her face, and her voice dried up.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaohan watched the drama unfold with an amused smile, arms crossed, clearly enjoying the show.

By the small river.

The humidity in the air merged with the mist rising from the water.

Han Ting took a matchbox from his pocket, struck a match, and lit the cigarette in his mouth.

He flicked the extinguished matchstick into the river, took a couple of drags, and finally started to feel a little better.

Just then, someone came and sat down beside him.

He turned his head—it was Su Yun.

Among the five female educated youths at their settlement, Su Yun was the most beautiful.

She had studied dance at the youth palace when she was young. Her limbs were long and slender, her waist delicate and flexible, and she carried herself with a natural grace.

Su Yun pulled a fruit candy from her pocket and offered it to Han Ting. “Have some candy. Smoking’s bad for your lungs.”

Han Ting didn’t take it. Still smoking, he said, “If life’s not satisfying, living a hundred years is pointless.”

He had always been carefree and spontaneous—the kind of person who hated being confined by rules.

“Fine, don’t eat it then,” Su Yun muttered softly.
She pulled her hand back, unwrapped the candy, and popped it into her own mouth.

After that, she sat silently beside him, quietly sucking on the candy.

Han Ting finished smoking the entire cigarette, stubbed it out on a rock, then looked over at Su Yun and asked, “You girls all share a room. Do you know what’s going on with Chu Xia today?”

Su Yun, still holding the candy in her mouth, replied, “No idea. She doesn’t talk much.”

Han Ting said, “She’s never acted like this before—always obedient and well-behaved.”

Su Yun turned to look at him. “So, you like obedient girls?”

Han Ting chuckled and relaxed a little. “Where’d that come from? Chu Xia and I grew up in the same courtyard. She sees me as an older brother, and I treat her like a little sister—we’re even closer than real siblings.”

Su Yun knew he only ever saw Chu Xia as a sister.

She also knew Han Ting already had someone he liked—a girlfriend back in the city named Tong Rui.

Su Yun reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded yellow envelope, handing it to Han Ting. “Here, a letter from the girl you like. The mailman came while you were out, so I took it for you.”

Han Ting accepted it and unfolded the envelope to see Tong Rui’s name on it.

He stared at the writing for a moment without opening it. Then, without a word, he crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it into the river.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Su Yun exclaimed. But the paper ball was already floating on the water.

Han Ting spoke lightly, “I’ve already made it clear to her that we’re done. No point dragging things out.”

Su Yun looked at him. “You say it’s over, just like that? What if she doesn’t want to break up? She must still care about you—she wouldn’t write if she didn’t. And you didn’t even read it before throwing it away?”

Han Ting gave a half-smile. “So what if she can’t let go? She’s in the army, I’m in the countryside. There’s no future. If we keep clinging to each other, we’ll just hold each other back. It’s meaningless. Since I’ve said it’s over, I won’t keep any loose ends.”

Su Yun was quiet for a moment, then said softly, “You’re really coldhearted.”

Han Ting defended himself, “This is just being realistic—it’s for her own good.”

Su Yun didn’t argue further. After watching him for a while, she said, “You’d break up with such a well-matched girl just like that, not caring whether she agrees, and show not even a shred of regret. I really wonder what kind of woman it would take to truly get under your skin—to make you miss her so much you can’t even eat or sleep.”

Hearing that, Han Ting suddenly turned playful.

He leaned closer to Su Yun, narrowing the distance between them and said, “Why don’t you give it a try?”

Su Yun’s face flushed.

She quickly pushed him away. “I’m not interested in you.”

Seeing her reaction, Han Ting burst into laughter.

Just then, a voice suddenly called from behind: “Brother Ting!”

Han Ting turned his head and saw a silhouette gradually emerge from the darkness—it was Guo Gai.

Guo Gai ran up, bent over with his hands on his knees, panting as he said, “Brother Ting, we’ve weighed out Lin Xiaohan’s share of the grain and given it to him. Chu Xia still insists on living separately. We’ve tried everything to talk her out of it. What should we do—give her the grain or not?”

Hearing this, Han Ting felt a new wave of frustration rise in his chest.

After a moment of silent restraint, he said, “She’s never been like this before. But if she won’t listen, then just let her have it. She won’t last long on her own, not without anyone to look after her.”

Guo Gai straightened up. “Got it. I’ll go give her the grain now.”

Still catching his breath, he turned and ran off again.

Han Ting looked away, still feeling uneasy.

After thinking for a bit, he turned to Su Yun and said, “You girls talk more easily among yourselves. When you’re back in the dorm later, can you help me ask her what’s really going on?”

Su Yun nodded. “Alright.”