Chapter 17: Purposefully Teasing Him (Part 2)

No one in Xinghua Village had ever seen a helicopter before. The helicopter landed on the threshing ground, and the villagers gathered around with their lunches, watching in awe.

When Dai Ning and Uncle Qian arrived, they found the helicopter surrounded by curious villagers, kids reaching out to touch it, and some even crawling underneath for a closer look.

Uncle Qian instructed the guards, “Clear a path, please, so the villagers don’t get hurt when we take off.”

Dai Ning found it amusing. “They’re so cute, like country bumpkins!”

“…Miss, please mind your words.”

Among the crowd were Li Zhuang and Li Er Niu, the village chief’s kids. Er Niu, who had shared a meal with Dai Ning, was less intimidated by her.

“Miss, is this your family’s plane? I’ve never seen one before—it’s so cool!”

Dai Ning smiled, “Yep!”

Er Niu asked, “Why are you leaving? Is it because our village isn’t fun, or because Zhao Yu was mean to you?”

With a troubled sigh, Dai Ning leaned in and whispered, “Zhao Yu…was inappropriate with me.”

Er Niu’s mouth dropped open. Village kids matured early. Er Niu, older than her younger sister, had often heard the adults complaining about certain lazy men in the village, so she knew what Dai Ning meant.

Dai Ning added, “But don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Er Niu patted her chest confidently. “Got it!”

Er Niu then ran over to her brother, Li Zhuang, and whispered, “Zhao Yu did this and that to the young lady—but don’t tell anyone.”

Li Zhuang: “…!”

Dai Ning watched, laughing uncontrollably. Soon enough, the whole village would hear about Zhao Yu’s “inappropriate behavior.”

Meanwhile, enough space was cleared for the helicopter. Unlike airplanes, it didn’t need a runway, just a bit of open ground free of bystanders.

Uncle Qian said, “Miss, it’s time to go.”

“Wait a moment,” Dai Ning looked around, sensing something was amiss. “Aren’t we forgetting something?”

Uncle Qian couldn’t immediately think of anything and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“All right, let’s go then.”

The creature in her mind was nearly beside itself, reminding her, “…Chen Xiaoli.”

Oh, right—someone was missing. Ever since spending an hour “peacefully bonding” with the village chief’s pig, Chen Xiaoli had refused to leave her room in anger.

Chen Xiaoli had come with them, so Uncle Qian decided quickly, “Zhang Yongfeng, go fetch Chen Xiaoli.”

Dai Ning protested, “I don’t want her on the flight with me! Let her take a car, Uncle Qian. You and I will take the helicopter back!”

Uncle Qian sighed, feeling a bit sentimental after their time together, and gently said, “Miss, Chen Xiaoli is only seventeen. Even if she’s caused trouble, she’s had a rough time. Let her go home a little earlier. I’ll go back with the team by car, and you be good and listen to Old Mr. Ji.”

Dai Ning considered it, then nodded in agreement, secretly planning to amuse herself by annoying Chen Xiaoli during the flight.

Uncle Qian didn’t realize her intentions and was relieved, thinking she’d softened.

But when Zhang Yongfeng returned, Chen Xiaoli was nowhere to be found.

Breathless, he reported, “Uncle Qian, Miss, Chen Xiaoli isn’t in her room. I asked the village chief, and he said she went out earlier.”

Dai Ning shot Uncle Qian a sidelong glance, her expression practically saying, See? I’m not the only troublemaker.

Uncle Qian ignored her look and frowned. “Where could Chen Xiaoli have gone?”

Before they could come to a conclusion, a villager shouted, “Someone’s fallen in the water!”

The cry worked like a magnet, and everyone, even those around the helicopter, ran off to see who it was.

Uncle Qian said, “Could it be Chen Xiaoli? Hurry, let’s check!”

Better not let anything happen to her.

Coincidentally, the river wasn’t far from Zhao Yu’s house.

Following Uncle Qian, Dai Ning caught sight of Chen Xiaoli standing on a narrow wooden bridge.

But if Chen Xiaoli was standing there fine, then who had fallen into the water?

Squinting, she saw someone splashing around in the river, shouting for help—it was Du Tian.

At the other end, Zhao Yu had already jumped in and was swimming towards Du Tian.

Dai Ning was incredulous. “I’ve barely been gone half an hour, and Du Tian’s at it again?”

The green orb replied uncertainly, “It, it seems like it…”

Dai Ning waved at Chen Xiaoli, who came over, still shaken.

Dai Ning asked, “Did you push her?”

Chen Xiaoli quickly shook her head, looking equally bewildered. “I don’t know what happened. I only spoke with her briefly, didn’t even touch her, and she just fell in.”

Dai Ning blinked, curious. “You don’t even know her. What were you talking about?”

Chen Xiaoli fell into a guilty, silent pause.

The green orb snickered, “Dai Ning, they were definitely badmouthing you.”

It wasn’t hard to guess: harboring resentment about the pigpen incident, Chen Xiaoli must’ve gone out to confront Dai Ning, only to run into Du Tian, who was returning from the hospital. The two likely bonded over their mutual dislike.

Chen Xiaoli probably vented furiously about Dai Ning, while Du Tian put on her usual gentle facade, pretending to advise restraint.

Unexpectedly, Du Tian had suddenly fallen into the river, needing Zhao Yu to pull her out.

Watching with interest, Dai Ning saw that Zhao Yu had already rescued her. Although it had been cooling down lately, people were still dressed for summer, and Du Tian was even worse off. She was wearing a white blouse that had become transparent when soaked, with several buttons undone.

Her pink undergarment was visible, and someone in the crowd let out a whistle. Blushing furiously, Du Tian coughed and leaned closer to Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu’s brows furrowed, and a kind villager quickly handed Du Tian a piece of clothing to cover herself.

Zhao Yu was also drenched, his clothes clinging to him, outlining his strong, well-defined build. Being a man who often worked shirtless during the summer, he remained calm as he wrung out his clothes and pants.

Feeling a gaze on him, Zhao Yu looked up and saw the young lady who was supposed to have left, watching him intently from the riverbank.

Dai Ning overheard the nearby villagers chatting.

“Brother Yu is a righteous man; Tian girl owes him a lot for this.”

“I heard Brother Yu might have feelings for Tian girl.”

“Liu Shuan just got married this month, and Brother Yu’s older than him by a couple of months. He ought to consider it too. He just held her like that in front of everyone—marrying her wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

…

Amidst the lively discussions, Dai Ning finally understood what Du Tian was after. She was trying to marry Zhao Yu!

In her past life, up until Dai Ning’s own passing, Du Tian had always hovered between three male leads, remaining the unattainable muse in their lives. None of them could win her, making her all the more cherished.

But now that Dai Ning had disrupted Du Tian’s plans, she seemed to have panicked, fearing she might lose one of her suitors. Desperately, she was now betting on Zhao Yu.

Du Tian had calculated correctly: Xinghua Village was isolated and slow to adopt new ideas.

In the village, people married young, yet premarital propriety was taken seriously; both men and women were expected to maintain decency.

Now, with the two of them drenched and embracing in front of everyone, if Zhao Yu didn’t marry her, their reputations would suffer. But if he did, it would be a story of heroism rewarded.

Du Tian really was a clever one!

Uncle Qian approached. “Miss, let’s stop watching. Now that we’ve found Chen Xiaoli, let’s go home.”

Chen Xiaoli practically shook with excitement at the word “home.” Could it be—she could finally leave?

“I suddenly feel faint from flying,” Dai Ning clutched her head, “I need to lie down and rest.”

With that, she turned and headed towards Zhao Yu’s house.

Uncle Qian held her back. “Miss…”

“Oh, by the way,” Dai Ning cast a mischievous glance at Chen Xiaoli, “it seems Chen Xiaoli doesn’t want to go back. See how she shivered when you mentioned ‘going home’? Let’s hold off on leaving for her sake. She’s been through a lot lately, so don’t push her, Uncle Qian.”

The supposedly “reluctant to go home” Chen Xiaoli’s face contorted.

She wanted to scream that she did! She absolutely did!

But by then, Dai Ning was already skipping away in the direction of Zhao Yu’s house. Chen Xiaoli felt like blood was choking her, bitterly regretting her stubbornness now.

By the time she reached Zhao Yu’s house, Dai Ning had already arrived. Little Zhao An’an came out to greet her.

“Miss, are you back for this? It didn’t go missing—I kept it safe for you,” she said, handing Dai Ning a bank card.

Dai Ning asked, “Where did you find it?”

“In the chicken coop. I saw it while I was feeding the chickens,” the girl answered sweetly. “We don’t have these cards in our house, so it had to be yours. My second brother says it can hold money, so don’t lose it again.”

Dai Ning’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The green orb commented, “Well? Surprised? Touched? Zhao Yu’s got principles—he didn’t take your family’s money. You’re more than just a passing presence to him.”

Dai Ning tossed the card away as if it burned her fingers and pinched Zhao An’an’s cheeks. “Touched, my foot! Zhao An’an, you little pest, something as dirty as a card from the chicken coop, and you hand it to me!”

The green orb: …

Zhao An’an, her face squished by Dai Ning, mumbled incoherently.

“Ah, I, I’ll pay more attention next time…”

“Next time? You’re finished. Your brother’s finished. As long as I’m here, he’ll never get a wife in this lifetime!”

Behind her, the man doomed to be “forever wifeless” stood soaking wet, silently gazing at her.