Chapter 2: Victimized

After Tang Wan left, the three young female educated youths inside the house exchanged glances. Li Qing felt especially embarrassed and kept tapping around nervously.

Tang Wan paid no attention to their reactions.

Among the educated youths who just returned, she didn’t see Zhong Ling. Recalling the story in the book, at this point Zhong Ling should have saved a drowning little boy using memories from her previous life. In that past life, this boy was not saved by Zhong Ling.

However, the reborn Zhong Ling had been waiting there early on. Because of saving the boy, she connected with his parents who worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, which later helped her gain access to black market goods.

Tang Wan originally did not intend to get involved in Zhong Ling’s affairs.

But the pendant space that ultimately ended up in Zhong Ling’s hands made Tang Wan change her mind.

Thinking about the book’s plot and this matter, Tang Wan believed the original owner’s eventual marriage to the village scoundrel was definitely related to Zhong Ling.

If that’s the case, then Tang Wan occupying this body would definitely not allow the same thing to happen again, and she would also seek revenge for the original owner.

With this in mind, Tang Wan walked toward the river behind the village.

The Red Flag brigade village lay beside the mountain and water, with a small river running through it. Villagers usually went there to wash clothes and such.

The river behind the village was deeper and farther away, so few people went there.

Before Tang Wan got close, she already saw two struggling figures in the river. Before she could approach, Zhong Ling had jumped in and was swimming hard toward the two drowning people.

Tang Wan paused, vaguely recalling the book mentioned that a little girl wasn’t saved at that time. That was the reason the boy’s parents were so grateful to Zhong Ling—if it weren’t for her, the boy would have died like the girl.

Tang Wan saw Zhong Ling dragging the boy toward the shore, but the little girl suddenly swam farther out into the middle of the river for some unknown reason.

Without thinking further, Tang Wan jumped in. As she swam to the middle, her eyes accidentally met Zhong Ling’s, who was swimming back. Zhong Ling looked shocked and panicked to see Tang Wan there.

By the time Tang Wan reached the middle of the river, the little girl’s struggling was very weak.

But upon seeing Tang Wan, the girl seemed to spot her savior and suddenly summoned strength, wrapping her limbs tightly around Tang Wan.

Anyone who has rescued a drowning person would know the hardest thing is the frantic struggling of the rescued person, and this little girl was exactly like that.

Fortunately, Tang Wan was a good swimmer and the girl was weak, so she managed to swim toward the shore holding the girl.

However, the girl’s struggles still delayed her somewhat. Tang Wan clearly felt her strength weakening, so she hurried even more toward the shore.

At that time, Zhong Ling had already placed the boy safely on the shore.

“Tang, I’ll help you,” Zhong Ling said as she jumped in and swam toward Tang Wan.

Zhong Ling reached them, took the little girl, and began swimming toward the shore. Just as Tang Wan relaxed, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her waist — Zhong Ling had kicked her back as she swam away, pushing Tang Wan backward and forcing a big breath out of her.

Zhong Ling acted as if nothing had happened, carrying the girl toward the shore.

After Zhong Ling got out of the river, she looked at Tang Wan in the water and said, “She’s unconscious now. I’ll take her to the village to get help. You come up quickly.”

Then Zhong Ling left with the two children on the shore.

Tang Wan immediately understood — Zhong Ling realized she was running out of strength and wanted her dead.

But Tang Wan had no time to consider why. Holding her breath, she swam toward the shore.

By her skill, she shouldn’t drown, but this wasn’t her body. The original owner never did hard labor and her stamina was limited.

At this moment, even the short distance of a few meters felt impossibly far.

Splash.

The next instant, Tang Wan felt an arm wrap around her waist, and in a few strokes she was brought to the shore.

Tang Wan was placed on the riverbank. She turned her head to look at the man standing beside her.

The man stood there with a very imposing height. One hand wrung the water from his shirt in front of him. From Tang Wan’s angle, she clearly saw the firm abdominal muscles hidden beneath his clothes, neatly arranged. Water droplets slid down from his chest along those abs to places she dared not look.

Tang Wan dared not look further down and raised her eyes to his face again.

This man’s features were sharp, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. His skin was a healthy wheat color. His face showed no expression, his lips tightly pressed, giving an unapproachable and heroic aura.

He was basically Tang Wan’s dream guy!

Thinking this, Tang Wan spoke: “I’m Tang Wan, a newly arrived educated youth in the village. Thank you for saving me. What’s your name?”

“Qin Zheng,” the man answered. “Don’t come to this river alone.”

The name sounded familiar but Tang Wan couldn’t recall where she’d heard it.

“There were kids who just fell into the water, I came down to rescue them,” Tang Wan explained, thinking he might have misunderstood her as coming here to play and cause trouble.

Qin Zheng listened but didn’t reply. He knew Tang Wan was telling the truth.

He had come down from the back mountain and saw an educated youth with two children heading toward the village — clearly just rescued from the river.

Normally, since the kids had been saved, he would have gone home directly, but something made him check the river again.

Then he saw Tang Wan, nearly exhausted from swimming.

Tang Wan saw Qin Zheng’s lack of response and didn’t look at him either. She tried to stand, holding his arm, wanting to explain.

Qin Zheng’s arm tensed involuntarily at her touch and he didn’t dare move. Even after Tang Wan let go, his arm remained stiff.

Tang Wan didn’t notice and looked at him, ready to explain.

Qin Zheng quickly glanced at her face and said, “I know. I saw someone bringing a drowning child to the village.”

Knowing he meant Zhong Ling, Tang Wan stopped talking.

She just realized that Zhong Ling’s kick was probably not only aimed at her, but also at the little girl.

The girl’s sudden shift toward the middle of the river was likely caused by Zhong Ling.

That was why Zhong Ling wanted Tang Wan dead—she thought Tang Wan saw her kicking the little girl.

At first, Tang Wan wanted to avoid Zhong Ling and live her life peacefully. Now that was absolutely impossible.

She was one hundred percent sure now. With Zhong Ling’s personality, the original owner’s fate was inseparable from her. After all, Zhong Ling must have seen Tang Wan as a rival for the male lead.

Tang Wan, of course, had no intention of fighting for the male lead. If she had to choose, it would be someone like this man in front of her—tall, long-legged, with eight-pack abs.