Chapter 21.1

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, cars—especially sedans and jeeps—were a rare sight. Even in the capital city, you’d be lucky to see a handful.

At first, Wen Xin sat quietly like a well-behaved goose. But soon, she grew restless, shifting in her seat. The car’s interior was small, and Yan Zeyang remained silent, one hand resting casually on the steering wheel as he drove steadily.

Despite his calm expression, the air inside the vehicle felt strangely heavy, making her hesitant to move too much.

Feeling awkward, she tugged at the hem of her dress, smoothing out the fabric over her legs. The soft material clung to her skin, cool and comfortable. Out of boredom, she absentmindedly pulled her dress up a little, then let it fall back down. Pulled it up again, then let it drop…

“Do your parents know?”

Just as she was playing with her dress, his voice suddenly broke the silence.

Wen Xin’s hands froze. She turned to look at him.

Yan Zeyang was resting his left hand on the edge of the car window while his right hand loosely gripped the steering wheel. His gaze remained focused on the road ahead. If she hadn’t just heard him speak, she would have thought he hadn’t said anything at all.

“Know what?” she asked cautiously.

“The blind date.”

“Oh. No, they don’t. And even if they did, so what? They don’t care whether I live or die.”

Wen Xin wasn’t actually related to the original character’s parents in this novel. She wasn’t inhabiting someone else’s body or taking over someone’s soul—she was completely herself, from head to toe.

But in this world, she had appeared out of thin air, with no past and no roots. Since she already existed here, she needed a backstory, didn’t she?

So, with no other choice, she had to accept the identity of being the daughter of the male lead’s enemy, however reluctantly.

Wen Xin pulled herself together. She figured it was time to improve the male lead’s impression of her.

Slipping into character, she spoke with a hint of grievance:
“…I wasn’t raised by them, so I guess there’s no real bond. In their eyes, I was just a tool to climb the social ladder.”

After speaking, she glanced at him, but Commander Yan’s expression remained calm and unreadable—utterly devoid of emotion.

“They even wanted to marry me off to Secretary Fu’s foolish son. That idiot not only hits people but also bites them. He bit his fiancée so hard on the chest that she was injured, and the engagement was later called off…”

This was a true event from the novel—she wasn’t making it up. In the book, the male lead eventually forced the Wen family to the point where they couldn’t stay in Beijing anymore and had to return to their hometown to farm. Since Wen Xin knew this plot, she had to make it clear that she wasn’t involved. The Wen family was the Wen family—they had offended him, but she hadn’t. She was just an innocent bystander, a pitiful victim, completely unworthy of Yan’s effort to torment her.

“…I have to plan for my future somehow, right? I had no choice but to go on a blind date. But don’t worry,” Wen Xin assured him sincerely. Her red lips parted slightly as she promised against his sharp-profiled face, “I won’t have any inappropriate thoughts about you. Once I find a place to settle, I’ll leave the Yan family…” Leave this place altogether.

Her feelings toward this so-called ‘Yan Demon’ were complicated. It was like seeing a fresh, dewy flower stuck in a pile of manure. But since, according to the book, he and Song Qian were destined to be together, she could only force herself to cut off any wishful thinking.

There were plenty of fish in the sea—if she couldn’t find one, she’d just keep looking.

Screech—

The Jeep suddenly came to a halt by the roadside. The abrupt stop caught Wen Xin off guard, and she slammed her head against his shoulder. His muscles were unbelievably firm, leaving her forehead red from the impact.

Before she could say anything, the cold voice of the ‘Yan Demon’ rang out.

“So, have you found your next target? That guy who was talking to you at the entrance?”

Huh? Was he referring to the man with glasses?

Wen Xin hesitated, regretting coming out today—it had been a complete disaster. But she didn’t want to admit her blind date had failed, so she nodded vaguely and said, “Mm… His conditions are pretty good. I heard from my sister-in-law…”

“Get out.”

“…Huh?”

Yan cut her off coldly. He leaned over, his long arm reaching past her to push open the car door on her side. In the cramped space of the vehicle, his arm accidentally brushed against the thin fabric over her full chest. The unexpected contact made her shrink back slightly, but he acted as if he hadn’t noticed.

The masculine scent of his body mixed with the fresh fragrance of soap, filling her nose from the close proximity. It was surprisingly pleasant.

Before she knew what was happening, Wen Xin had been unceremoniously kicked out of the car.

Dazed, she looked around and realized that this was an unfamiliar street—nowhere near the military compound. Panicked, she grabbed onto the car door and asked, “Where is this? You’re just leaving me here? How am I supposed to get back?”

“Walk.”

With that, Yan slammed the car door shut right in front of her. Through the window, she could see his cold face as he pressed his palm onto the steering wheel. His movements were swift and precise—reversing, shifting gears, stepping on the gas—all done in one smooth motion.

The roar of the engine as he sped away made Wen Xin’s scalp tingle.

WTF? She had no idea what she had said wrong to deserve getting dumped on the street. If she weren’t wearing sandals, she’d have kicked his car door a couple of times.

Luckily, after asking around, she found out that the military compound wasn’t too far away—just two streets over. She finally let out a breath of relief. The real problem was that she had never been here before and couldn’t take a taxi. If she got lost, she’d be screwed.

That evening, Yan Zeyang didn’t return for dinner. Wen Xin had cooked too much, and the leftovers ended up in the fridge. She was beyond frustrated—completely baffled. How did he have the nerve to throw her out in the middle of the street like that? And he called himself a soldier of the People’s Liberation Army? They were already so close to the compound—would it have killed him to drop her off at the gate?

…

The next day, at the pavilion, Sun Changwei’s wife greeted Wen Xin with a look of resentment.

“Wen Xin, honestly… If this was the plan all along, why did you have to drag me into it? I went through all that trouble, only to offend people and get scolded by my husband when I got home. I really didn’t gain anything from this at all.”

Offend people?

Wen Xin immediately realized she was talking about the failed blind date with the Fang family. But she didn’t dwell on it too much. She awkwardly pulled Sun Changwei’s wife to sit down and apologized profusely, finally making amends by promising to give her three bottles of body lotion—enough to last three months.

Last time, she had practically given one away, half-selling, half-gifting it. After using it for a few days, Sun Changwei’s wife had excitedly told Wen Xin and the other military wives in the compound that her husband had said her skin felt smooth and silky, and he couldn’t keep his hands off her.

Wen Xin: “…”

These military wives had absolutely no filter. Once they were married, they would openly discuss even the most intimate bedroom matters.

Even Wen Xin, who had seen a lot in the modern world, was sometimes left speechless. Let alone Li Weihong, who had never even kissed anyone before—she would always blush furiously and run away, covering her face.

Recently, Wen Xin had been focusing on making money. She had been selling her lotion both casually and strategically while also looking for sales channels.

People might underestimate the connections of military wives in the compound, but many of them had useful contacts. If she could get her products stocked at a supply store or a shop, it would be a steady source of income. The only issue was that those shops were too far away—in rural areas, traveling back and forth was a hassle, and it wasn’t as convenient as selling at the fabric counter.

Since she hadn’t found a reliable sales channel yet, she had to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations from the military wives. Thankfully, she was easygoing and generous, often throwing in extra product. Her essential oil was light yet moisturizing, with a long-lasting fragrance. It left the skin glowing and smooth, making it impossible to go back to the cheap five-yuan pearl cream sold in stores.

And that wasn’t just an exaggeration.

During this time, no one was foolish—people could easily tell good from bad after using something. As a result, Wen Xin’s palace-style skincare oil had spread throughout the military compound. Many people came to buy it, some even purchasing extra to send to their families.

She had indeed made some money—around four to five hundred yuan. She pulled out a thick stack of ten-yuan bills from a tin box, fanned them casually in her hand, and sighed. After all the effort she put in, selling so many bottles, she only made this much?

That was originally a few tens of thousands worth of goods in her previous life! Unbelievable.

She calculated that buying a house would cost at least 1,500 yuan. On top of that, she needed money for train tickets, lodging, and meals before settling down. She estimated she had to save at least 2,000 yuan.

But now, everyone in the compound who wanted to buy had already bought it. The market was nearly saturated, and she had barely sold a few bottles in the past two days. She would have to wait a month until they used up their supply before she could sell more.