Chapter 29: The Battlefield of Love

That evening, Shen Yingying ordered braised pork with glass noodles and a side of stir-fried greens.

The cabbage and noodles also had chunks of radish, which she didn’t like. One by one, she picked them out and placed them into Xie Fangzhu’s bowl.

Back when she first arrived in this world, she hadn’t dared to do this.

Food was scarce in this era, and many people didn’t even have enough to eat.

She was a picky eater, but she didn’t want to waste food. When she encountered something she didn’t like, she forced herself to eat it.

But then she noticed that Xie Fangzhu seemed to eat anything without complaint.

So she started testing the waters, secretly placing her unwanted food into his bowl.

He never said a word about it—just ate everything she gave him.

Eventually, she became bolder. Anything she didn’t like went straight into his bowl.

As more and more radish chunks piled up in his bowl, Xie Fangzhu couldn’t help but glance at the person beside him.

Her long, curled lashes were lowered as she picked through her food with great concentration.

Sensing his gaze, Shen Yingying looked up and gave him a bright, sweet smile.

“Xie Fangzhu, you work hard—eat more!”

Xie Fangzhu: “…” Since when does hard work mean eating all the radishes?

But he couldn’t resist that coy, spoiled tone of hers. It was intoxicating.

Even though he knew it was just an excuse for her picky eating, he still silently accepted it.

Without complaint, he picked the radish chunks out of her bowl and placed them into his own.

As he did so, he urged, “Eat quickly before the food gets cold.”

Seeing how cooperative he was, Shen Yingying grinned in satisfaction.

“Xie Fangzhu, thank you!” she giggled.

Xie Fangzhu shook his head helplessly.

How had he never noticed how picky she was before?

Not far away, Wu Xiaoxia stared intently at Xie Fangzhu and Shen Yingying.

From her position, she could clearly see their interactions.

When she saw Xie Fangzhu dotingly picking up food for Shen Yingying, she was nearly driven mad with jealousy.

She truly couldn’t understand—Shen Yingying had humiliated Brother Xie so badly.

How could he still treat her so well?

And she couldn’t understand how Shen Yingying, who had always despised Brother Xie, had suddenly changed her attitude toward him in just one day.

She had even heard that Shen Yingying now waited for Brother Xie every day when he came up from the mines, and the two of them were practically inseparable.

Before, Shen Yingying had looked down on Xie Fangzhu, so Wu Xiaoxia had always been confident that she could take her place.

But now that Shen Yingying had changed her attitude, Wu Xiaoxia wasn’t so sure anymore.

With Shen Yingying’s cunning, how could the simple-minded Brother Xie possibly be her match?

And strangely enough, all of this seemed to have started after Shen Yingying ran off with that “factory director.”

For a moment, Wu Xiaoxia was filled with regret.

If she hadn’t gone out of her way to introduce Shen Yingying to that “factory director,” would things have turned out differently?

Maybe Shen Yingying wouldn’t have suddenly changed, their friendship wouldn’t have fallen apart, and she could have continued sowing discord, making Shen Yingying hate Xie Fangzhu even more.

But now, there was nothing she could do.

She could only sit here and watch them being affectionate, completely shut out.

Thinking about it made her eyes sting, and she almost teared up.

She had lost her appetite and was about to leave with her tray—

When suddenly, she noticed a lean young man walking toward Shen Yingying’s table.

At first, she didn’t pay much attention.

But when she saw his peach blossom eyes—

Wu Xiaoxia, who had just risen from her seat, took a closer look and sat back down again.

A glimmer of hope ignited in her eyes.

…

Out of the corner of her eye, Shen Yingying suddenly noticed someone approaching.

She didn’t think much of it—after all, the cafeteria was busy, and people were constantly passing through.

But when her gaze landed on the person’s face, her heart skipped a beat.

That ordinary-looking face, those strikingly bright peach blossom eyes—

Who else could it be but Li Yanzhao?

Shen Yingying cursed internally.

Why was this guy so persistent?

Crashing into her with his bicycle this afternoon wasn’t enough? Now he had to show up in the cafeteria too?

She quickly averted her gaze, avoiding any eye contact.

Not because she was afraid of him—

But because she was afraid Xie Fangzhu would overthink things.

Back when Xie Fangzhu indulged the original Shen Yingying’s every whim, she had never been discreet about her attempts to climb the social ladder.

That included her involvement with Li Yanzhao.

Most people in the mining district knew about them.

Xie Fangzhu had probably heard about it too.

In the past, he might have wished she’d run off with someone else so he could finally have an excuse to break her legs.

But now, Shen Yingying was certain—Xie Fangzhu would not be happy to see her getting entangled with another man.

All in all, it would be best if Li Yanzhao just disappeared.

That way, everyone could be happy.

But before she could even finish that thought—

Li Yanzhao stopped right in front of her table.

And then, in a clear voice, he said:

“Comrade Shen, I finally found you.”

Shen Yingying’s happiness vanished instantly.

She kept her face neutral, looking calm and collected—

But inside, she was panicking.

And crying.

What was this sneaky bastard Li Yanzhao up to?

Was he blind?

Did he not see her man sitting right there?

Did he not realize how awkward it was for the three of them to be in the same place?

She immediately glanced at Xie Fangzhu.

He was already looking at Li Yanzhao.

And when he felt her gaze, he turned slightly to meet her eyes.

Just moments ago, his gaze had been warm as they ate together—

Now, it was utterly cold.

Shen Yingying shivered inexplicably and rushed to explain, “He’s the one who crashed into me this afternoon.”

Then, she frowned and glared at Li Yanzhao, looking annoyed.

“What do you want? I let you off the hook this afternoon because I was in a hurry—are you seriously here to make trouble for me now?”

Li Yanzhao hesitated.

Even though she was speaking fiercely, the fear in her eyes was unmistakable.

What was she afraid of?

Xie Fangzhu?

Li Yanzhao was amused.

Didn’t Shen Yingying used to treat Xie Fangzhu like a complete nobody?

Since when was she afraid of him?

“Comrade Shen, don’t worry, I’m not here to cause trouble,” Li Yanzhao said. “It’s just that I saw you limping earlier in the cafeteria, and I figured it must be from the fall this afternoon. I felt bad, so I bought you some medicine.”

He pulled a small bottle from his army-green satchel.

“This is red medicine, for disinfection. If you apply it, your injury will heal in a couple of days.”

Shen Yingying forced a smile.

“Thanks, but it’s not that bad. I don’t need it. You can take it back.”

And while you’re at it, just go away already!

But Li Yanzhao was utterly oblivious.

Not only did he stay put, but he insisted, “That won’t do. Comrade Shen, just take it. Don’t worry—I don’t have any other intentions.”

That “other intentions” remark was incredibly suggestive.

Shen Yingying wanted nothing more than to tape his mouth shut.

“We’re not even close,” she snapped. “Of course, I know you don’t have any other intentions.”

Then she raised her voice impatiently.

“I just don’t need it! Take it back!”

“Comrade Shen, it was my fault you got hurt. If you don’t take this, I’ll feel guilty. How about this—you don’t have to accept it, but I’ll just leave it here. If anyone else needs it, they can take it.”

Shen Yingying thought it was finally over.

But then—

Li Yanzhao pulled another stunt.

“You must be Comrade Shen’s husband, Xie Fangzhu, right?”

He suddenly turned to Xie Fangzhu and held out his hand.

“Hello, I’m Li Yanzhao, a communications officer from the propaganda department. I interviewed you before in the mines—do you remember?”

“I don’t remember.”