Chapter 12: Passion for Feces  

“I never thought that even as we’re approaching the 1980s, the boxed meals on trains could still be this terrible…”  

A woman grumbled all the way as she followed a refined young man into the dining car, drawing the attention of most people inside.  

“Unlucky, no seats left. I told you we should’ve just tossed the boxed meals and come earlier,” the woman said with a sulky expression.  

“Comrade, please wait by the door for a moment. You can order first,” the dining car attendant handed them a menu, gesturing for them to stand in the corner.  

Qian Lai looked up in disgust, just as the two of them swept their gazes over.  

The man brightened and quickly approached: “Comrade, what a coincidence, we meet again! Don’t you think this is a wonderful twist of fate?!”  

He stared at Qian Lai, eagerly awaiting her response.  

He never expected to encounter such a captivating woman in this small southern town.  

Sure, she was a bit aloof, but she had every right to be!  

Lu Ximing had always excelled academically, with handsome looks and a tall stature, making him the object of many girls’ affections.  

However, years of being fawned over had long since bored him. Now, he actually wanted to experience the thrill of pursuing someone earnestly.  

To him, Qian Lai was the elusive flower atop a high peak he had been searching for.  

The more she kept her distance, the more it fueled his desire to conquer.  

He refused to believe that with his outstanding talent and looks, there could be any “summit” he couldn’t claim!  

Hua Rui: Another destined encounter?!  

Qian Lai mechanically curved her lips, exchanging a glance with Hua Rui: I hate him.  

“Oh, you said you didn’t know each other this morning, and now you’re holding a child in your arms?!”  

The noisy woman followed Lu Ximing closely, crowding their table.  

Only then did Lu Ximing notice the man sitting beside the “flower atop the peak”—the child’s father from the wonton stall that morning.  

Seeing the child smirk at him as if taunting, his anger flared: “I say, comrade, you sure know how to enjoy yourself! You just met this morning, and now you have the nerve to let this young lady babysit while you eat to your heart’s content!”  

“Ximing, are you blind? Can’t you see she’s willingly helping with the child?” The woman behind Lu Ximing sneered, her eyes filled with hostility toward Qian Lai.  

“We’re friends. How we interact is none of your business,” Hua Rui snapped.  

“We couldn’t care less about you. Just hurry up and vacate the seats. How shameless to hog them like this…”  

“Comrade, could you please step away from our table? When you speak, try not to spray saliva everywhere.”  

Qiao Muting’s tone was icy, but it made Hua Rui burst into laughter.  

This seemed to ignite the woman’s fury instantly: “How dare you speak like that? You have no manners!”  

Glancing at their nearly empty table, she seized the opportunity to accuse them loudly: “Everyone, look at these people! They’ve finished eating but refuse to leave, not caring if others are still hungry. Isn’t this hogging public resources? Isn’t this selfish?”  

“There’s a child here too. Is this the example you’re setting for them?…”  

Her voice was so loud that Lu Ximing covered his ears beside her: “Yin Xiaonian, lower your voice. You’re deafening me.”  

“I want everyone to know about this!”  

Lu Ximing leaned in and whispered, “Stop shouting. It’s beneath you.”

Feeling the eyes of everyone in the train car on herself and Yin Xiaonian, Lu Ximing felt his face burn with embarrassment.

He quickly explained to Qian Lai, “I’m sorry, comrade. My friend here… she has a bit of a temper…”

“Ximing, what are you saying!?”

The man she had always loved usually treated her with indifference, but now, when trouble arose, not only did he not stand up for her, he was only considering the other party’s feelings?

Yin Xiaonian couldn’t believe her ears as she questioned Lu Ximing, “Ximing, whose boyfriend are you? How can you apologize to the enemy instead of helping me when I’m being bullied?”

“Who said I’m your boyfriend!? We’re just ordinary friends.”

Lu Ximing, afraid his “goddess” would misunderstand, hurriedly clarified, “We really are just acquaintances. She was the one who insisted on following me all the way to Nancheng—I couldn’t even shake her off. Comrade, please don’t misunderstand!”

Qian Lai didn’t even look up, but Hua Rui spoke bluntly, “Oh, so you’ve met a prettier girl and want to switch targets!”

“Lu Ximing! You hypocrite!” Yin Xiaonian, hearing Hua Rui’s words, grew even angrier. “Don’t forget, your job still depends on my father’s approval.”

This statement was nothing short of a direct slap to the face of this “heaven’s favored son.” He violently shook off her clinging hand and snapped furiously, “Yin Xiaonian, don’t act like a shrew at such a young age!”

A shrew!

She had given him her whole heart, and now he called her a shrew!

She might not be the daughter of an ultra-wealthy family, but she was still the treasured pearl of the city tax bureau’s office director.

From childhood, she had been the center of attention. Only with Lu Ximing had she endlessly compromised.

Yet he could never give her a sense of security. Every time they argued, he never once took her side, let alone defended her.

For a moment, Yin Xiaonian felt all her sincerity had been wasted.

“Lu Ximing, back then, weren’t you the one clinging to me like this? Now you’re turning your back on me?…”

Lu Ximing felt like he was suffocating from her accusations!

How could she twist the truth and slander him like this? And in front of his goddess, no less.

Just as he was about to defend himself, a waiter behind them said, “Sorry, the last dish has been packed to go… You two shouldn’t wait any longer.”

No food left!

Yin Xiaonian grew even more displeased.

After all this trouble, now she wouldn’t even get lunch. She was furious!

She lashed out at Qian Lai, “Happy now? With that fox-like face of yours, all you know is how to seduce men. One isn’t enough—you even covet other women’s men. No wonder you finished eating but won’t leave. You love ‘keeping an eye on the pot while eating from the bowl,’ don’t you? Shameless!”

Hearing the insults directed at her, Qian Lai could no longer stay uninvolved. Her expression turned icy as she retorted, “Don’t assume that just because you like something, every woman in the world wants to snatch it! Besides, as you can see, what woman would be interested in some stray cat or dog when she has someone like him by her side?” She leaned slightly toward Qiao Muting.

Qiao Muting stiffened slightly, straightening his back.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, as if sharing a silent understanding. “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘If flowers bloom, butterflies will come’? Everyone is drawn to beauty—what fault is there in the flower? Only dung beetles love feces, treating it like treasure! Willingly circling around it!”

After a pause and exchanging glances with Hua Rui, who was desperately suppressing a smirk, she added, “I heard you’re out of food. There’s some leftover soup here—consider it a gift!”

“You… you… you…” Yin Xiaonian finally understood—she was being called a dung beetle obsessed with manure. Furious but at a loss for a fitting retort, she could only sputter.

As the group of three adults and two children stood up, Lu Ximing reached out to pull Qian Lai aside, hoping to explain himself properly. However, Qiao Muting’s broad frame blocked him completely.

Faced with a man half a head taller standing in his way, Lu Ximing couldn’t hide his frustration: “Comrade, please step aside. I just want to get to know this female comrade. Why are you standing between us?”

“Can’t you tell she has no interest in knowing you?” Qiao Muting didn’t budge an inch.

Lu Ximing had no choice but to dodge around him while calling out to Qian Lai, “Comrade, I swear there’s nothing between us. Don’t misunderstand me. Where’s your seat? I’ll come find you later.”

“Did you not hear or just not understand her words?” Qian Lai said coldly. “I really don’t want to engage with strangers. Please stop harassing me.” With that, she handed Wenquan to Qiao Muting and turned to leave.

Qiao Muting raised an eyebrow at Lu Ximing, flashing a roguish, mocking smile before following her out.

Hua Rui sidled up to Qian Lai with a mischievous grin, whispering, “That Dr. Qiao… does he have feelings for you…?”

“Don’t speculate. By the way, I need to ask you a favor—don’t tell anyone about my situation, including him.” Qian Lai jerked her chin backward.

Hua Rui turned to see Qiao Muting gazing at Qian Lai with unmistakable tenderness.

She nodded with a knowing smile.

……

After lunch, the carbon narcosis hit hard. Combined with having stayed up all night talking, Qian Lai grew increasingly drowsy.

Finding an excuse, she slipped into her Dimension and enjoyed a long, blissful nap.

Little did she know—she’d wake up to big trouble!