Chapter 19

Gu Cheng asked Fang Hui, “What were you talking to Liu Ruyu about just now?”

Fang Hui: “Huh?”

“I’m asking what you were saying to Liu Ruyu that made her so happy. She was beaming.”

Fang Hui: “…Nothing much. The movie’s about to start, so I asked her if she knew what they were showing. She said she did—Female Pilot…”

Gu Cheng: “Didn’t you ask Director Wang about the movie yesterday?”

Yesterday, Fang Hui had pestered Director Wang relentlessly, extracting information not only about this month’s films but also about the screenings for the next two months.

Gu Cheng didn’t believe Fang Hui could have forgotten so quickly, not even overnight.

“Just making conversation,” Fang Hui said. “You have to start with a topic the other person is interested in, right? A little back-and-forth keeps the conversation going.”

“Tell me exactly what you said.”

Fang Hui was a little confused by Gu Cheng’s seriousness, but still explained honestly, “I asked her if she knew what movie was playing this month. She said Female Pilot. I replied, ‘I heard it’s a pretty good film…’”

“And what if she said she didn’t know?”

“Then I’ll tell her I heard they’re showing Female Pilot, but I’m not sure if the information is accurate.”

“What if you don’t know what the other person is interested in?”

“Then I’ll just strike up a casual conversation, like talking about the weather.” Fang Hui looked up at the sky. “The weather’s great today, isn’t it? Look how blue the sky is. The locust flowers behind the family compound must be in full bloom by now; I can even smell their fragrance here at Camp Headquarters.”

Chatting isn’t hard at all. If he puts his mind to it, he can keep a conversation going with anyone for three days and three nights without a single awkward silence.

Gu Cheng replied with a simple “Hmm” and then returned to his office, looking thoughtful.

Fang Hui stared after him, puzzled. “…What does ‘Hmm’ mean?”

Seeing Gu Cheng’s unusually serious expression, Fang Hui had assumed he was about to discuss something urgent, making him quite nervous. Instead, Gu Cheng had only asked what he and Liu Ruyu were talking about and demanded specific details.

Fang Hui was genuinely bewildered. What had happened to the Commander during his trip to town?

Had something happened there?

……

At the same time, Ye Huan was carrying her bag of braised rabbit meat back to the camp. As she rounded a corner, she spotted Bai Yin standing beneath a sycamore tree. Dappled sunlight filtered through the newly sprouted leaves, casting alternating shadows across her face.

She’s still beautiful, Ye Huan thought. No wonder Feng Shengli keeps pestering her.

Bai Yin wasn’t alone. Facing her was a young man of average height and sturdy build, holding a mesh bag containing several apples.

Since his back was turned, Ye Huan couldn’t see his face, but his posture suggested he was agitated. He kept trying to press the bag into Bai Yin’s hands.

Bai Yin wore a faint smile, but her refusal was firm.

Could this be Feng Shengli? Ye Huan wondered.

The romance novel she’d read mentioned Feng Shengli’s persistent pursuit of Bai Yin. She hadn’t finished the book, so she didn’t know if he eventually won her over.

Regardless of the outcome, he was clearly still actively pursuing her now. Not wanting to intrude, Ye Huan was about to detour around them when Bai Yin noticed her and called out, “Ye Huan!”

Ye Huan froze, startled by Bai Yin’s call.

From the time she arrived yesterday to this morning, the two of them hadn’t exchanged a single 8

To be precise, apart from Bai Yin’s initial glance when Lian Yanmei introduced them, Bai Yin hadn’t given Ye Huan a second look.

This was understandable. As the novels said, Bai Yin was naturally aloof and disliked socializing.

Ye Huan accepted this. Some people loved to talk, while others preferred silence; some were easygoing, while others were proud.

But why was Bai Yin suddenly calling her now? What did she want?

Bai Yin had already approached her. “You’re heading back to the camp, right? Let’s walk together.”

Noticing Feng Shengli following, she turned to him. “Feng Shengli, you haven’t met her yet, have you? This is Ye Huan. She just arrived yesterday and doesn’t know her way around. I’ll walk her back to make sure she doesn’t get lost.”

Without waiting for a response, Bai Yin grabbed Ye Huan’s hand and hurried away.

Feng Shengli caught up. “Take these apples. I’ll come by later.”

Bai Yin refused. “No, give them to your parents.”

Feng Shengli insisted. “We have plenty at home.”

Afraid Bai Yin would refuse, he set the net bag on the ground and scurried away.

“Hey, hey!” Bai Yin called out, but didn’t manage to stop him. She frowned at the three large, juicy, and vividly red apples on the ground—they looked delicious.

After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up the net bag. Only when they were back at the compound did she apologize to Ye Huan. “I’m sorry for saying you didn’t know the way. He kept pestering me, and I really didn’t know how to get rid of him.”

Ye Huan, having served as a human shield, wasn’t angry. They were both young women, and Bai Yin clearly didn’t want to see Feng Shengli. Since she happened to be there, helping out was no big deal.

Still, remembering the stories she’d read, she couldn’t resist asking Bai Yin, “You don’t like him, do you?”

“No, I don’t,” Bai Yin replied. “Don’t overthink it. We’re not involved.”

Not involved? Bai Yin wanted to tear him apart with her bare hands.

In her previous life, Feng Shengli had relentlessly pursued her, showering her with sweet words and gifts like flowing water. Unable to resist the temptation, she had foolishly married him.

Only after the wedding did she see his true nature: utterly lacking ambition, content to coast through life, and so lazy he wouldn’t even pick up a fallen oil bottle.

When they first got married, he treated her reasonably well. But as time passed, he stopped valuing her, his attention drifting to other attractive women.

Feng Shengli’s father was the logistics director of the farm. With his father in charge, the family lived comfortably. Moreover, Feng Shengli feared his father, harboring only the desire but not the courage to act on his desires. He dared only to flirt discreetly, never crossing the line into actual infidelity.

But once his father passed away, everything went downhill. The family’s situation worsened, and Feng Shengli didn’t change at all. He took more time off than he actually worked. While others were moving into new houses, they were still stuck in the same leaky three-room house they’d built when they married.

Without his father’s restraint and with his mother’s indulgence, Feng Shengli began openly philandering. The modest savings his father had accumulated were quickly squandered.

She couldn’t bear it any longer and wanted a divorce to return to the city. But Feng Shengli, that bastard, threatened anyone who dared sign her divorce application with a kitchen knife, scaring everyone into refusing to sign.

In her previous life, that bastard Feng Shengli had tormented her for half her life, driving her to the brink of madness. She couldn’t even remember how old she was when she died or how it happened.

Fortunately, fate had granted her a second chance, allowing her to be reborn before her marriage to Feng Shengli.

With the memories of her past life, how could she possibly repeat her mistakes and jump back into that fiery pit?

Working on the farm was tough, but in just two years, the gaokao (national college entrance exam) would be reinstated, offering a perfect opportunity to return to the city.

This secret was hers alone, and she had no intention of sharing it. The fewer people who knew, the less competition there would be. By preparing in advance, she was confident her grades would secure her a place at Peking University. Then she would leave this wretched place in glory, soaring to new heights.

For now, she couldn’t afford to offend Feng Shengli. His father was the logistics director, a man she couldn’t afford to cross. She would play along for now, while carefully plotting her escape.

……

The two returned to the camp.

The place was eerily quiet, with no sign of the other residents.

Ye Huan and Bai Yin went to their respective rooms. Ye Huan’s room wasn’t empty; Xu Aixiang was there, bent over near Ye Huan’s bag, reaching for the zipper.

“What are you doing with my bag?” Ye Huan asked.

Ye Huan walked so quietly that Xu Aixiang hadn’t heard her return. Ye Huan’s sudden voice startled her so badly she nearly fell to the floor.

Xu Aixiang had been suffering from diarrhea all night and again that morning. Unable to bear it any longer, she went to the clinic for medicine. After taking it and sleeping for a while, she finally felt a little better.

Once her stomach settled, she couldn’t stay in bed any longer. She remembered Ye Huan taking things out of her bag yesterday and had glimpsed a variety of snacks inside, some of them rare treats.

A nagging curiosity stirred within her. She just wanted to see what Ye Huan had brought, not to steal any.

Moreover, she had never seen Ye Huan apply face cream, yet Ye Huan always carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Xu Aixiang suspected Ye Huan must be applying it secretly, afraid others would use it, and then tucking the jar back into her bag. Driven by her curiosity, Xu Aixiang wanted to know what brand of face cream Ye Huan used that smelled so good. If it was affordable, she might buy a jar herself.

Since she was alone in the room, Xu Aixiang climbed out of bed and reached for Ye Huan’s bag to peek inside. But the moment her hand touched the zipper, Ye Huan caught her red-handed.

It wasn’t exactly a clear-cut case. Xu Aixiang hadn’t unzipped the bag, and she vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Ye Huan couldn’t prove otherwise, especially since no one else had witnessed the incident.

Xu Aixiang straightened her back and snapped, “Which eye saw me touching your bag? It was your bag that was in the way! I almost tripped over it just now. I was trying to move it when you came back. You should move it somewhere it won’t cause trouble.”

Ye Huan retorted, “Were you planning to climb the wall?”

The bag was placed flush against the wall. Unless Xu Aixiang intended to scale the wall, there was no way she could have tripped over it.

Xu Aixiang had nearly died from diarrhea and had to spend extra money on medicine. Already simmering with anger, Ye Huan’s defiance only fueled her rage.

Snatching Ye Huan’s bag, she threatened to throw it out. “I told you it almost made me trip! Just admit it! There’s plenty of space outside—put it out there!”

Before she could hurl the bag, Ye Huan seized her wrist.

Ye Huan rarely resorted to physical confrontation; it simply wasn’t worth the trouble. But Xu Aixiang’s repeated attempts to take advantage of her patience had worn thin.

Xu Aixiang instantly felt as if her wrist had been clamped in an iron vise, the pain making her howl in agony.

“Why were you touching my bag just now?” Ye Huan demanded.

Xu Aixiang stubbornly refused to admit wrongdoing. “I told you, it was in the way. I just wanted to move it. Why can’t you be reasonable?”

Ye Huan tightened her grip. Xu Aixiang yelped in pain, unable to break free.

After screaming for a while without anyone coming to her aid, she finally relented. “I just wanted to see what was in your bag! I wasn’t going to take anything, I swear! I just wanted to look.”

Ye Huan released her. Xu Aixiang’s wrist throbbed, and her head buzzed with pain. Glancing down, she saw a ring of dark purple bruises encircling her wrist.

“Ye Huan, you’re too rough!” she shrieked.

Ye Huan shot her a fierce glare. Xu Aixiang, thinking she was about to be hit, stumbled backward several steps in terror.

Xu Aixiang never imagined that Ye Huan, who appeared so delicate and spoke so gently, could possess such strength—even greater than Lian Yanmei’s—and such ferocity. Looks can be deceiving, she thought. That demure act of hers is just a facade to trick people.

A knock at the door gave Xu Aixiang hope. She threw her head back and wailed at the top of her lungs, exaggerating her pain as if she had broken an arm or leg.