Chapter 41: Separate the Bridge from the Road

Yi An’an watched quietly and couldn’t help but sigh.

Although Zhan Nanhui usually had a stern, harsh expression, it was clear he was somewhat moved tonight.

What Chen Sisi said made sense to anyone who listened.

If you can’t protect yourself, you’ll end up like Wang Xiaohuan.

So it was understandable that Zhan Nanhui was tempted.

But none of this was a reason for Yi An’an to forgive Chen Sisi.

If she wanted to protect herself, why hurt others?

Yi An’an turned back and lay on the bed, closing her eyes.

There were less than ten days until the college entrance exam. Her time with Zhan Nanhui wasn’t long. She didn’t want to care about his relationship with Chen Sisi. After all, bridges and roads should stay separate, with no intersection in the future.

Zhan Nanhui stood at the courtyard gate, thoughtfully going over Chen Sisi’s words again.

He had been so busy with exam preparations these days that he hadn’t considered such things might happen. Tomorrow, he still planned to visit the neighboring village to at least let Wang Xiaohuan rest in peace.

However, he still felt something was off about Wang Xiaohuan’s case. The last time he saw her, she hadn’t shown any signs of being bullied.

Zhan Nanhui glanced at the candlelight flickering in the shack, hesitated, then returned to the pigpen.

He believed he would never have such dreams again tonight.

---

In the morning, Yi An’an went to the town’s barbershop. After getting a number and looking around, she left.

At the alley entrance of the black market, a few people stood around — they looked like public security officers.

Yi An’an didn’t dare to approach. Just as she was about to turn around, she bumped into a man.

He was much taller than her and immediately steadied her with an outstretched arm.

“Thank you…” Yi An’an quickly said.

“Where’s my watch?” the man asked in a low voice.

Yi An’an looked up and recognized him as the watch vendor from yesterday. She said, “It’s with me, but I have conditions. That watch is worth 500 yuan—not a small sum!”

The man’s eyes sharpened instantly. “How much do you want?”

“I don’t want money. I want to partner with you!” Yi An’an said cheerfully. “Since you can get watches, you must have connections. Selling on the black market risks getting caught. I know many wealthy women. You know women love beauty and want watches even more than men. You provide the watches, I’ll sell them. But the price can’t be so high — only 200 yuan per watch. From each watch, I want 30 yuan profit.”

The man hesitated. “You have guts. If caught, you’ll be sent for reeducation…”

“Fortune favors the bold. I’m doing it and will take the risk,” Yi An’an said quietly, glancing at the people near the black market alley. “They caught you yesterday. They’re definitely watching you now. It won’t be so easy to sell goods in the future.”

The man still hesitated.

Yi An’an handed him the watch. “My name’s Yi Jixiang. I work at the supply and marketing cooperative. I have many resources. If you decide, come find me there tomorrow!”

With that, Yi An’an turned and left.

The man frowned slightly, watching her leave. This woman was quite something.

---

“Wang Daning!” Suddenly, someone called behind him.

Wang Daning quickly put on the watch and hid it under his sleeve.

“Secretary Lu, why are you personally here?” Wang Daning turned around, smiling.

The newcomer was Lu Changfeng, the new town secretary. He wore a black wool coat, perfectly tailored pants, broad shoulders, a straight back, and long legs. Wearing glasses, his handsome features were stern and imposing — clearly a government official.

“There’s been a crackdown on the sale of various tickets in the city. You’re on our key surveillance list now. You’d better behave. If we catch you again, it won’t be just a night in jail,” Lu Changfeng said sternly, exuding an overwhelming sense of authority.

“Secretary Lu, how dare I? I was just passing by yesterday, got wrongly caught!” Wang Daning shrank his neck nervously, wiping a deliberately running nose. “So, watching a show is illegal now?”

Lu Changfeng didn’t buy it. “You know if you’re watching or involved. I’m telling you, you didn’t do this just once. You’ve been clever so far, but once we catch you with evidence, the sentence will be severe!”

Wang Daning chuckled. “Secretary Lu, you’re not that old, just graduated this year, right? This town’s waters run deep. You’d better wade carefully!”

After saying this, Wang Daning swayed away.

Lu Changfeng frowned, suddenly recalling the woman who spoke with Wang Daning earlier — why did she look so familiar?

---

After impersonating Yi Jixiang, Yi An’an returned to the barbershop.

The barbershop was near the supply and marketing cooperative. Yi An’an sat outside, handing out numbers and watching the cooperative’s entrance.

Sure enough, Wang Daning appeared soon. He stood at the door, looking around, asked a cooperative worker something, then turned and left.

Yi An’an smiled — the vendor was hooked.

With the cooperative employee identity, Yi An’an could easily reach women who wanted to buy watches but lacked enough industrial coupons. And if things went wrong, the supply would still trace back to Yi Jixiang, giving her a safety net.

---

The next day, Yi An’an again sat outside the barbershop, watching. She saw Wang Daning appear at the street corner and quickly took a back alley to the cooperative’s door. She walked in, then pretended to leave, just meeting Wang Daning.

“Come, let’s talk over there!” Yi An’an pulled Wang Daning into a nearby alley.

“I have a customer who wants to buy a watch,” she said, holding out her hand. “Give me the watch, and after selling it, I’ll pay you 170 yuan!”

Wang Daning hesitated, then handed over the watch.

Yi An’an smiled and put the watch on her wrist. “Wait at the wonton shop there tomorrow. Don’t come to the cooperative again. If anything happens, neither of us can run!”

Wang Daning, having already scouted the place yesterday, knew there was a Yi Jixiang at the cooperative who looked about the same age as this woman. He nodded faintly without suspicion.

Yi An’an sent Wang Daning off, then walked around the cooperative again, lingering by the watch-selling area.

Seeing Yi An’an’s red wool coat, the employee recognized her as a big customer and didn’t show a cold face, letting her look around freely.

While Yi An’an was looking at the watches, a young couple came over, obviously about to get married.

The woman went straight to the counter and pointed at a watch identical to the one on Yi An’an’s wrist, asking, “Are you really not willing to accept two fewer industrial coupons?”

The employee gave the woman a cold look. “What do you think this place is? Bargaining? And you’ve come several times already. If you have that much time, why not go to the black market and buy some industrial coupons?”