Chapter 5: The Taste of Those Lips—Soft, Sweet…

Zhan Nan Hui’s eyes darkened instantly, his chest trembled, and his mind went blank for a moment.

He had joined the army at sixteen and spent eight years there. Later, because of family ties, he was sent to Yan Family Village for reformation. When had he ever been this close to a woman…

A few seconds later, Zhan Nan Hui snapped back to his senses. He yanked away the arm An An had wrapped around his neck and instinctively stepped back, shouting in a low voice, “Step back!”

Yi An An knew her actions were abrupt and bold, but she had no choice.

Her father—the only one in her family who cared for her—was now unable to help. She could only save herself.

Returning home meant reliving the abyss of her past life. She had to carve a new path.

Zhan Nan Hui, whose identity was special but temporarily fallen, was her lifeline!

Although it would take two years for Zhan Nan Hui to restore his identity, the college entrance exam would resume this year. He had been educated—he could change his fate through the exam!

“I told you—I want to marry you!” Yi An An gritted her teeth and stepped forward again, her gaze locked firmly onto Zhan Nan Hui.

“I won’t marry you. Tonight was forced upon me. If you keep pestering me, don’t blame me for being rude!” Zhan Nan Hui’s eyes grew colder.

Yi An An smiled. “If I hadn’t barged in tonight, you’d already be a long-term laborer in Yan the Electrician’s household by now, wouldn’t you? Spending your life serving Yan A Ni and taking care of their family?”

She glanced at the shattered white porcelain bowl on the floor as she spoke.

Zhan Nan Hui grabbed her arm. “What do you know?”

“Yan A Ni likes you, doesn’t she? Between me and her, who would you marry?” Yi An An stared into his eyes without fear. “I know you want to leave this place, but you’re labeled a ‘bad element.’ It’ll probably take another two years to be cleared. But this year, I can find a way to get you out of here—if you agree to marry me.”

“You think I’ll believe that?” Zhan Nan Hui said coldly.

“This year the college entrance exam will resume. It won’t just admit people with good class backgrounds anymore. I know you’re smart—based on your abilities, you’ll definitely get into university and leave this place!” Yi An An continued. “And if you marry me, you’ll get a village household registration, shed the ‘bad element’ label, and be eligible to take the college entrance exam and leave here.”

She didn’t want to reveal too much, but she needed Zhan Nan Hui to believe her. She had to take the risk.

Zhan Nan Hui’s eyes flickered. In fact, he had already received an internal letter written by someone he knew in the capital. The letter had mentioned the resumption of the college entrance exam. But Yan Family Village was so isolated—how did this rural girl know about it?

Zhan Nan Hui quickly weighed his options. He knew Yan A Ni had been pestering him lately, and Yan the Electrician wanted him as a live-in son-in-law. Given his current status, he might really have to self-harm to protect himself. But if he married Yi An An, at least he wouldn’t be targeted by other women in the village.

“I’m a little tired. You think it over. If you agree, I’ll get the proof tomorrow, and we’ll register our marriage!” Yi An An yawned, walked over to a grassy mat, and lay down on a blanket made of ragged cotton. She wasn’t picky—she lay down fully clothed and closed her eyes.

Since waking up, so much had happened that she hadn’t had time to think. Now she needed to calmly plan how to break free from the Yi family and change her fate.

Zhan Nan Hui frowned slightly and wanted to approach her, but when he caught sight of her large floral underwear drying to the side, he paused, quickly looked away, and gave her a kick. “You’re sleeping here—where do I sleep? Even a pigsty, you’re fighting me for it?”

“You know it’s not a good place to sleep, huh? If you marry me, I’ll let you change rooms tomorrow!” Yi An An scooted aside to make space for him. “Bear with it. Just one night!”

Zhan Nan Hui sneered. “Full of empty talk!”

Yi An An opened her eyes and looked at him. “You can test it out—see for yourself if I’m just full of it. Besides, you’ve been living in this pigsty for years already.”

Zhan Nan Hui sat down, his eyes dark.

Yi An An didn’t care about him. Her stomach was growling. If she fell asleep, at least she wouldn’t feel hungry. Everything else could wait until after they were married.

She would figure it out!

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The next morning, Yi An An woke up in the man’s arms.

She didn’t know when she had slipped into his embrace, but she had slept very soundly.

She looked up at the man’s long eyelashes, straight nose bridge, and somewhat dry lips. He really was good-looking. It was just a pity he’d been locked in this pigsty for a year or two and had lost his spirit.

But even so, he was still ten thousand times more attractive than that Yan Da Bao!

The man suddenly opened his eyes and met Yi An An’s gaze.

“Morning!” Yi An An smiled casually, as if they were an old married couple.

Zhan Nan Hui’s eyes darkened again. The soft fragrance in his arms made his body stiffen. His gaze fell on her lips—so pink, so moist—and he suddenly remembered how they tasted: soft… sweet…

Zhan Nan Hui sat up abruptly and, in the process, accidentally shoved Yi An An away.

Yi An An let out an “ow” and rolled onto a nearby iron shovel.

Although the shovel had been cleaned, it was used to scoop pig manure. The handle still faintly smelled foul…

Yi An An couldn’t help sucking in a breath. Fine, she would endure it. If she wanted to snare this man, she had to put up with everything today!

“Sorry…” Zhan Nan Hui saw her hit the shovel and looked worried. He wanted to help her up, but his arm had gone numb from being under her all night. He had to clench his fist and move it around to get the blood flowing again.

Yi An An stood up, forcing a smile. “Let’s go register our marriage!”

The man’s eyes flickered again.

He did need to leave this countryside soon. If the college entrance exam really was coming back this year…

Yi An An went to change into her own clothes. When she took off the man’s jacket, a photo of a woman slipped out.

Photos in those days were black and white. She couldn’t make out the details, but the woman had delicate features and wore two braids—clearly a beauty.

On the back of the photo were two characters: “My Love.”

Yi An An frowned. No wonder Zhan Nan Hui was reluctant to marry her—he loved someone else.

She handed the photo to Zhan Nan Hui.

Zhan Nan Hui’s face darkened the moment he saw it. He quickly snatched it back and held it in his palm as if it were a treasure.

“So you have someone you love. I’m sorry—I didn’t know,” Yi An An said softly. “But what’s done is done. Let’s just register our marriage. Once you get into university and leave this place, we’ll divorce. How about that?”

Zhan Nan Hui looked up, his eyes flickering.

“Don’t worry—I’ll cover all the expenses during this time!” Yi An An said confidently. Her mind was full of money-making ideas. Supporting a man wouldn’t be a problem. “You just need to play one role well—be my man!”

Zhan Nan Hui thought of her hunger and desperation the night before, and his chest felt a sudden chill.