Chapter 14

As soon as Ye Huan spoke up, Li Mingjie instantly felt emboldened—his chest even puffed up a bit.

Back at the local office, Yao Yujuan had tried to drag Ye Huan along to walk to the farm. Ye Huan refused, and Yao Yujuan had accused her of being pampered.

Clearly, Ye Huan shared his dislike for Yao Yujuan. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Although things had been a bit tense between them on the way here, now they were clearly united against a common foe. Li Mingjie was certain Ye Huan would stand on his side this time.

He wasn’t even hoping to use this opportunity to seize power from Lian Yanmei anymore—he just wanted someone to support him, so he could step down gracefully.

Thankfully, Ye Huan seemed perceptive and didn’t drop the ball at the crucial moment.

As for everything else, there would be plenty of opportunities later.

Li Mingjie looked at Ye Huan with bright, expectant eyes. Seeing that everyone in the courtyard had turned their gaze to her, he worried she might get cold feet at the last second. So, he encouraged her, “Comrade Ye, everyone has the right to speak their mind freely. Go ahead and speak boldly. Don’t overthink it—just tell it like it is.”

Ye Huan replied calmly, “Then I’ll go ahead. There’s just something I don’t quite understand, and I’d like to ask you about it.”

Li Mingjie immediately sensed danger in her tone—it didn’t sound promising. He was starting to regret encouraging her to speak.

But since he was the one who invited her to talk, he couldn’t very well stop her now. He forced a smile and said stiffly, “No need to be so formal—what do you want to ask?”

Ye Huan looked sincere. “Back at the town office, Yao Yujuan suggested we walk to the farm. At the time, you praised her for her high awareness, said you felt ashamed in comparison, and even said you’d learn from her in the future. So why are you now accusing her of lacking organization and discipline, and even asking the farm to punish her? You didn’t say a word back then, so why are your statements so contradictory?”

Her tone was genuinely inquisitive, as if she truly didn’t understand the drastic change in his attitude toward Yao Yujuan.

Yao Yujuan boldly chimed in, “I can vouch for that. That’s exactly what he said. If you don’t believe me, go ask Commander Gu, Fang Hui, Director Wan from the Youth Office, and even Liu Quangui—they were all there and heard it too.”

Zhao Pingtao happened to be drinking from a large mug and ended up choking, scurrying to the side to cough violently.

The others couldn’t hold back their laughter. They found Ye Huan surprisingly interesting—quiet and unassuming on the surface, but when she spoke, she was sharp and precise, striking right at the heart of the matter.

Yao Yujuan’s timely interjection only made things worse for Li Mingjie. Now everyone clearly saw what kind of person he was—hypocritical and inconsistent.

Someone like that was best avoided, or else you might get sold out by him one day without even knowing.

Li Mingjie was completely humiliated.

He wanted to deny it, but the truth was, Director Wan from the Youth Office, Liu Quangui from the farm, and both Gu Cheng and Fang Hui had all heard him say it. If any of them were questioned and confirmed it, he’d look even worse than if he just stayed silent now.

Though he had some street smarts, he wasn’t quick-witted under pressure. He stammered a few incoherent words before quietly retreating from Lian Yanmei’s side and blending into the crowd.

He was seething with resentment toward Ye Huan. When no one was looking, he shot her several vicious glares. I must’ve been blind to ever think well of her!

He deeply regretted buying into that saying—the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

In reality, the enemy of your enemy… is still your enemy.

……

Lian Yanmei feared Ye Huan would keep pressing the issue, forcing Li Mingjie to explain himself and making things even more awkward. That would only harm group unity.

So she quickly clapped her hands and steered the conversation back on track. “Minority submits to majority—that matter is settled. No one is to dwell on it any further. We’ll all be living together in this courtyard. Once again, unity is key—we must work together with one heart and one mind. Enough on that. Since we’re all here, let’s take this chance to introduce ourselves and get to know each other.”

There had originally been seven youths at this site—three men and four women. With the addition of Ye Huan and the other two newcomers, there were now ten.

Everyone gave brief self-introductions: their names and where they came from.

….

Ye Huan still felt a little disoriented in this world, so she mostly listened rather than spoke.

After all, to her, everything here was unfamiliar.

But when she heard the name “Bai Yin,” she suddenly realized where she was.

She was inside a storybook.

She had found the storybook while watering flowers in the greenhouse. It had been lying beneath a peony at the edge of the garden. There was no one else around, so she had no idea who had dropped it.

She hadn’t looked at it carefully, just flipped through it casually. One of the pages happened to mention the name Bai Yin. She remembered the description: “Bai Yin is one of the most beautiful girls at Red Star Farm. She has a classic oval face, large, double-lidded eyes, and lips that are a bit thin and always pressed together, giving her an aloof and unapproachable air.”

And sure enough, she was hard to approach. Even so, plenty of young men on the farm liked her—especially Feng Shengli. He was bold and thick-skinned. Unlike others who gave up after being rejected, the more she refused him, the more persistent he became. He often boasted, “A fiery girl fears a persistent suitor. Just wait—Bai Yin will be my wife one day.”

Because she had been in a hurry to water the flowers, Ye Huan had stuffed the book into her coat with the intention of asking around later to find the owner.

But she got busy and forgot all about it. That night, when she lay down to rest, she realized the booklet was still in her coat. It was already late, so she simply placed it by her pillow and went to sleep.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was in that big courtyard in Nanzhou.

Because she had only skimmed the book, she didn’t know the full plot. She only remembered the names Hongxing Farm, Bai Yin, and Feng Shengli.

Now, with both Hongxing Farm and Bai Yin matching up, it was all too real.

Bai Yin was standing directly across from her, and she couldn’t help but steal a few glances. She looked exactly as described in the book—oval face, big eyes, double eyelids, thin lips, and an air of pride.

She just didn’t know who Feng Shengli was yet—but she was certain he wasn’t one of the youths.

While Ye Huan was sizing up Bai Yin, Bai Yin was also observing her with slight confusion. She didn’t remember anyone like Ye Huan in her past life.

She clearly recalled what happened with Yao Yujuan—just like in this life. Lian Yanmei had initially wanted to handle it discreetly with internal criticism, but Li Mingjie had insisted on escalating the issue, making it widely known.

The farm was forced to punish Yao Yujuan to avoid seeming biased toward the youths. Because of that punishment, she couldn’t return to the city and eventually married a local man, spending the rest of her life on the farm.

That’s why she remembered Yao Yujuan. But Ye Huan? She had no recollection of her at all.

Given how pretty Ye Huan was, she should’ve remembered her. But she didn’t.

She also didn’t recall Ye Huan ever standing up to Li Mingjie.

In her memory, Yao Yujuan had been the one punished because of him.

So why was it different this time?

Then again, her mental state in her past life had deteriorated, and she had forgotten many things. Even what she did remember was often muddled, with events blending together.

If Ye Huan had been a quiet beauty with low presence, it was possible she had simply slipped her mind.

Thinking of the past, Bai Yin clenched her jaw.

In her previous life, a single wrong choice had ruined everything. By the time she realized it, it was already too late.

Fortunately, the heavens had pity on her and gave her a second chance. She would not repeat her past mistakes. She now understood clearly that in this world, no one could be relied on except herself.

This time, her mind was sharper than anyone else’s. She wouldn’t be fooled again. As long as she made it through these next few years, better days were waiting.

Having assessed Ye Huan, Bai Yin dismissed her as irrelevant.

……

Lian Yanmei said to Yao Yujuan, “There are free beds in both rooms. Take a look and choose where you’d like to stay.”

Ye Huan asked, “So anyone can choose whichever bed they want?”

With so few people at the settlement, Lian Yanmei usually didn’t interfere with such small matters as long as no conflict arose. She nodded in agreement.

Ye Huan continued, “When we arrived, Comrade Zhao from the main office told me to pick whichever room had an open door. That room,”—she pointed to the one she had just come out of—“was open, so I moved in and made the bed. But Xu Aixiang insisted I move to the bed by the wall.”

She gestured at Xu Aixian. “She said I had to do as she said. Is she the deputy team leader or something? Do I have to obey her arrangements?”

Everyone turned to Xu Aixian. A few who knew the inside story let out snorts of laughter.

Xu Aixian had always used her position as Lian Yanmei’s roommate to bully newcomers.

Fresh arrivals, not understanding their relationship, usually didn’t dare speak up. But this time, her scheme backfired when Ye Huan exposed her.

Caught off guard, Xu Aixiang quickly retorted, “I wasn’t forcing you to move—I was just suggesting it.”

“If you wanted me to move, you should have had a reason,” Ye Huan retorted. “But when I asked for one, you refused to explain, insisting I move simply because you said so.”

Xu Aixiang stammered, “I just wanted you to show some initiative…”

Yao Yujuan couldn’t resist cutting in, “Xu Aixiang, I think your thinking is flawed. If you want to encourage initiative, you should set an example yourself. Chairman Mao said, ‘Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.’ Since you arrived at the compound before Comrade Ye, if anyone should move, it should be you, not her.”