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Sitting in the front, Zhan Nanhui frowned slightly. Tang Didi? Tang A’ren?
“Oh, Sister Wang!” Yi An’an quickly grabbed Sister Wang’s hand, motioning her not to speak recklessly.
It had been a long time since Yi An’an last saw Tang A’ren. Now that she suspected Zhan Nanhui was the one who saved her daughter in her previous life, her thoughts had long since moved away from Tang A’ren.
“It’s nothing, I was just joking!” Sister Wang said with a grin. Then she lowered her voice and asked, “That watch of yours—do you still have any?”
Yi An’an looked at Sister Wang. “I have one left, but someone already reserved it and paid a deposit.”
“Oh, come on, give it to me,” Sister Wang said, “Yesterday I was playing mahjong with the town mayor’s wife, and she liked it and wanted to buy one. Let me tell you, I told her it was 300 yuan, and she still thought it was cheap! These watches sell for 500 on the black market!” She added, “By the way, how much did you sell it to that person for, and how much was the deposit?”
Yi An’an had claimed the watch was reserved to avoid Sister Wang trying to haggle. Since she had already stated a price, she didn’t ask for more and replied with a smile, “I sold it to her for 200 yuan, and she gave me a 50 yuan deposit.”
“Alright then, just return the deposit and sell it to the town mayor’s wife for 300. Even after returning the deposit, you’ll still make 50 yuan!” Sister Wang said, “Xiao Yi, Old Shen has had some disagreements with the mayor lately—political differences—and things are tense. This watch might really help me out, so you have to let me have it!”
Yi An’an pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, “Alright then, I’ll let you have it. After all, Sister Wang, you’ve helped me a lot too.”
Satisfied, Sister Wang quickly pulled out the money, afraid Yi An’an would change her mind.
Yi An’an feigned reluctance and modesty, pushing the money back and forth with Sister Wang for a while before finally accepting it.
Sister Wang then personally drove Yi An’an and Zhan Nanhui to the compound.
She even had her driver help carry their things. After everything was moved in, she reminded Yi An’an to deliver the watch to her as soon as possible. She’d be waiting.
Yi An’an agreed and watched Sister Wang leave.
While tidying up the house, Yi An’an took out the brand-new watch and placed it on the table.
Zhan Nanhui glanced over at the watch, his eyes freezing slightly.
Noticing his gaze, Yi An’an smiled and said, “You don’t understand—this is a business trick. The more I make it seem scarce, the more people think it’s valuable and hard to get.”
Zhan Nanhui said quietly, “That’s not what I meant. I have an exam tomorrow and might need my watch. Since you have one, why sell it to someone else?”
Yi An’an took off his watch, walked up to him, rolled up his sleeve, and fastened it back on his wrist.
Zhan Nanhui looked down at the serious expression on her face.
“I can still get more watches,” Yi An’an said softly. “So this one is yours.”
After all, once this man got into college, they would go their separate ways. This watch was meant for the future daughter-in-law of the Zhan family—she couldn’t keep it.
Zhan Nanhui’s lips moved slightly, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he silently accepted the watch.
Yi An’an smiled faintly. She felt a bit disappointed but also knew this was how things were meant to be.
After they had finished tidying up, Yi An’an saw it was getting late and cooked two simple bowls of noodles for dinner.
As they were eating, someone knocked on the door.
Yi An’an was puzzled. They had just moved in—who could it be, especially this late at night?
She put down her chopsticks and opened the door, only to find Lu Changfeng standing there.
Lu Changfeng wore a beaming smile, holding a pot of blooming azaleas in his hands. “I heard you moved in, so I brought you a flower to celebrate…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Zhan Nanhui sitting inside.
Zhan Nanhui was seated at the simple table, back straight. His jet-black short hair was neat, making his sharp features look even colder and more ascetic. He wore only a white shirt with a few buttons undone, revealing a bit of his collarbone—a very casual, homey look.
Though the room was simple, the man’s broad shoulders and noble air made the cramped and dim space feel like a splendid hall filled with blooming flowers. His presence was impossible to ignore.
Lu Changfeng straightened his back, and the smile on his face slowly froze. He glanced at Yi An’an and asked in a low voice, “This is…?”
“Oh, this is…” Yi An’an hesitated. Though she knew they would divorce in the future, she decided to be honest. “He’s my partner. His name is Zhan Nanhui. He’s taking the college entrance exam tomorrow.”
The moment Lu Changfeng heard the word partner, his hand clenched involuntarily. He looked down at the woman smiling like a flower and asked softly, “Wasn’t he your arranged match…?”
“We’ve already registered our marriage,” Yi An’an said.
Lu Changfeng’s heart sank. His lips moved for a while, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just forced a smile. “Well, since he’s got exams tomorrow, I won’t disturb you. Congratulations on your new home!”
He turned to leave, but in his panic, he nearly tripped on the steps.
Yi An’an rushed forward to catch his arm and steady him. “Secretary Lu, are you okay?”
Lu Changfeng gave an awkward smile and shook his head. He adjusted his clothes and said quietly, “It’s dark—I didn’t see clearly.”
Yi An’an nodded. “Then once Zhan Nanhui finishes his exam, you can come visit again.”
Lu Changfeng nodded, gave a polite nod toward Zhan Nanhui, then turned and left.
Yi An’an looked at the azaleas in her hand—bright red blossoms, beautiful and festive. She thought about it: in both her past and current lives, this was the first time a man had given her flowers, even if it was a potted plant.
Cherishing the gift, Yi An’an carried the azalea inside and, after admiring it for a while, placed it on the windowsill.
Watching her handle the flower so carefully, Zhan Nanhui frowned slightly. He asked in a low voice, “That person is…?”
“He was a classmate from my junior high school. I only ran into him again recently after moving into the compound. Oh, right—he’s pretty amazing. Back in school, he had great grades. His family was poor, but his social class was good, so he got recommended for high school and college. Now he’s the town mayor’s secretary. When I moved in the other day, everyone was greeting him—setting him up on dates, asking for job favors. He seems very capable.”
Zhan Nanhui’s brows furrowed coldly as he watched her talk about Lu Changfeng.
“You admire him?” he asked.
Yi An’an paused. Admire? Not really—more like envy, perhaps.
“Not really,” Yi An’an replied. “I just think he’s impressive.”
Zhan Nanhui let out a cold laugh. Isn’t that the same thing as admiring him?
“Go to bed early. I’m going out for a walk to clear my head. I’ll study when I get back,” Zhan Nanhui said as he got up and walked out.
Outside the compound, Zhan Nanhui looked at the mark on the wall and frowned slightly.
The upper-level operative had disappeared for half a year—he thought he’d been killed. He never expected that just as he was trying to find a way to leave Yanjiacun, someone would reach out to him again!