Jiang Le’s fainting wasn’t an act. It might have been due to the injury on the back of his head flaring up, or perhaps he just hadn’t fully adjusted to this new body yet. Either way, he collapsed straight to the ground, out cold.  

In the darkness, a cheerful mechanical voice rang in his ears: *[Beep beep—host detected! Would you like to bind with this Melon-Eating System?]*  

Jiang Le: “???”  

He knew about systems—after all, it was all the rage for transmigrators to get one. Had the transmigration god finally delivered his belated golden finger?  

But… what the heck was a Melon-Eating System?  

Before Jiang Le could ponder further, the electronic voice chimed in again: [Host binding confirmed! Countdown to binding… 3, 2, 1…]

Jiang Le: “…” Hey, weren’t you supposed to ask me first? I didn’t even agree yet!  

Perhaps because they were now bound, the Melon-Eating System picked up on his thoughts and immediately responded: [Host’s brain was severely injured, and your life was in critical danger. To save you, this system had no choice but to forcibly bind. If host would rather die than be bound, I can unbind right now~]

Jiang Le: This Melon-Eating System seems shady as hell…  

But still, a living dog is better than a dead lion. After finally transmigrating into a novel and getting a second shot at life, Jiang Le wasn’t about to throw it away.  

He quickly replied in his mind: [Don’t unbind!]  

The Melon-Eating System was satisfied: [Don’t worry! As a binding reward, this system has already repaired your body. Host is now in perfect health!]

Jiang Le: […Thanks.]  

The system transformed into a little glowing orb, floating happily in Jiang Le’s consciousness: [You’re welcome! Host is truly outstanding—you’ve already completed the beginner melon-eating mission!] 

Jiang Le was utterly baffled. He hadn’t even figured out what the beginner mission was—how had he already completed it? Still, he was grateful the system had healed him.  

Before he could process further, the Melon-Eating System cheerfully continued: [Beep! Congratulations, host, on completing the beginner melon-eating mission! Reward: 50 Melon Coins and one spin on the Grand Lottery Wheel! This system offers generous rewards—keep up the good work!] 

Jiang Le grew intrigued: [What are Melon Coins for? And what’s on the lottery wheel?] 

But before he could check, the system considerately reminded him: [Host, you should wake up now, or everyone will think you’re dead.]  

Jiang Le: “…”  

…

Jiang Le slowly opened his eyes and saw Zhao Meilian’s tear-streaked face. The moment she noticed he was awake, she immediately pulled him into a tight embrace: “My dear, you’re finally awake! You scared me half to death!”  

Jiang Le froze in her arms. How long had it been? He had forgotten what it felt like to be held by family. The warmth of her embrace made his nose sting with suppressed emotion.  

Zhao Meilian didn’t cry for long, though—there were still matters to settle.  

After Jiang Le fainted, the village chief, the Party secretary, and Xu Youcai had all rushed over. Of course, Xu Youcai had been dragged there against his will, evident from his thunderous expression.  

Truthfully, most of the villagers had followed along out of concern when Jiang Le collapsed, but the village doctor found their chatter irritating and shooed them all out.  

They were now in the village clinic, one of the better-built public facilities in the area, with proper brick walls.  

The village doctor was a woman in her thirties, casually draped in a white coat—unbuttoned, unlike the pristine doctors Jiang Le had imagined. She looked no different from the other villagers: her skin sun-darkened, her frame lean, her hands rough and calloused—the hands of a laborer.  

Jiang Le figured she must still work in the fields when not treating patients. After all, this was an era that glorified hard labor.  

A faint, sharp scent lingered in the air—not unpleasant, like some kind of medicine. He quickly identified it when the doctor screwed the cap back on a bottle of purple liquid. The back of his head felt damp; she must have applied it to his wound.  

Jiang Le had heard elders talk about this purple antiseptic solution before. In the past, it was used to disinfect minor wounds and speed up healing. For small injuries, it worked well enough. But for serious ones? Those with money went to the hospital. Those without could only leave it to fate.  

He wasn’t worried about whether the solution would work—the Melon-Eating System had already healed him. Without it, this purple medicine would’ve been useless.  

Still, perhaps to avoid suspicion, the system had left the bump on his head intact despite curing the injury.  

The thought darkened Jiang Le’s eyes. Just how much did Xu Youcai hate the original owner to swing a stick straight at his head?

Meanwhile, Village Chief Zhao Mancang and the Party secretary were taking turns questioning Xu Youcai.  

Zhao Mancang’s stern face was quite intimidating. “Xu Youcai,” he demanded, “tell the truth. How did Jiang Le get that injury on his head?”  

Though he personally disliked Jiang Le, as the village chief, he had to maintain an image of fairness—especially with the Party secretary watching. He couldn’t afford to slip up.  

Xu Youcai had never expected things to go this far. His prepared excuses were now useless, and his mind was a tangled mess. All he could do was shake his head in panic. “I… I don’t know.”  

Zhao Mancang studied him silently.  

At this point, even a fool could see the truth.  

Exchanging a glance with the Party secretary, both men frowned.

Xu Youcai was now dead set on not admitting anything. Could they really just hand him over to the police? If this incident got out, not only would it bring shame to the village, but as cadres, they’d also face criticism.  

Other villages can handle their educated youths just fine—why can’t yours? Clearly, the problem lies with the village cadres!

So, this was really a tricky situation.  

Just then, a commotion erupted outside. The village doctor immediately strode out, hands on her hips, and her voice carried from a distance: “What’s all this racket? If you want to make noise, go do it somewhere else!”

In this day and age, village doctors held high status. After all, everyone suffered from minor illnesses now and then, and it wasn’t feasible to rush to the hospital for every little thing. Most ailments were treated by the village doctor, so even if she scolded them to their faces, no one dared to talk back.  

Someone even chuckled and explained, “We’re not making noise—it’s just that some educated youths came over. They said something about… testifying for Jiang Le? We don’t really get it…”

The village doctor’s gaze immediately landed on two girls in the crowd. Even though the educated youths had been in the countryside for a while and had participated in labor, they still stood out from the locals.  

Compared to the villagers, the doctor had a bit more worldly experience. She recognized one of the girls—Lin Banxue. When Lin Banxue first arrived in the village, she had caused quite a stir.  

Lin Banxue was stunning—with delicate willow-leaf brows, dark, expressive eyes, and fair skin. But it wasn’t just her looks; even the villagers could tell there was something different about her, something that set her apart from the local girls.  

If Jiang Le had to put it into words, he’d say it was her aura.  

Lin Banxue was accompanied by her close friend. She had just learned about the conflict between Xu Youcai and Jiang Le from other educated youths. Remembering what she had witnessed earlier, she couldn’t bring herself to stand by and do nothing.  

When her friend heard she planned to go, she tried to dissuade her: “Banxue, just stay out of it. That Jiang Le is shifty-eyed and disgusting—what if he starts harassing you again?” 

Lin Banxue paled slightly at the words, hesitating for a moment before replying, “Yingzi, no matter what kind of person Jiang Le is, I need to act with a clear conscience.”

Yingzi sighed in exasperation. “Fine, fine—do whatever you want.”

And so, the two of them made their way to the village clinic.

When the village doctor heard that Lin Banxue was here to testify for Jiang Le, she quickly ushered her in. After examining the wound on Jiang Le’s head and hearing bits of gossip from the villagers, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the boy. If she could help even a little, she would.  

At this point, Xu Youcai was still stubbornly refusing to admit anything. With no concrete evidence, how could they force a confession out of him? He was betting on Zhao Mancang not wanting to escalate the situation, so he decided to brazen it out.  

However, he never expected to see Lin Banxue walk in.  

Xu Youcai immediately flushed with shame. Deep down, he had always admired Lin Banxue. The reason he framed Jiang Le for stealing eggs was partly because he couldn’t stand how Jiang Le kept harassing her—he wanted to teach him a lesson.  

But he never imagined that the girl he adored would now be here to expose him.  

“Comrade Xu,” Lin Banxue said calmly, “I saw you sneaking into Aunt Sun’s house. Please admit your mistake and stop falsely accusing innocent people.”  

Hearing this from the girl he liked was too much for Xu Youcai to bear. His face turned deathly pale, and he swayed unsteadily. “Jiang Le bullied you so much, and yet you’re still helping him?!”  

Lin Banxue frowned slightly, finding his words unreasonable. “Comrade Xu, I’m not helping him. I’m just telling the truth about what I saw. No matter who was being framed today, I would have spoken up.”  

Meanwhile, Jiang Le, the “injured party,” reclined lazily on the clinic’s only wooden bed—the best spot in the room—enjoying the drama like a true spectator.  

The moment Lin Banxue appeared, he recognized her: This is the original novel’s female lead!  

And honestly, Lin Banxue looked every bit the protagonist. When she entered, it was as if she brought a halo of righteousness with her.  

Out of curiosity, Jiang Le couldn’t help but glance at her a few more times—only to be met with a fierce glare from Yingzi, Lin Banxue’s friend. Yingzi couldn’t understand why Banxue would help this troublemaker, and now he even had the nerve to stare at her? Disgusting!  

Jiang Le rubbed his nose awkwardly. He really hadn’t meant anything by it—just pure curiosity. But no one would believe that, so he quickly averted his gaze.  

He remembered how, when reading the original novel, many readers complained that the female lead was too saintly, creating unnecessary trouble for the male lead and frustrating everyone.  

At the time, Jiang Le had agreed. But now, as the very cannon fodder who benefited from her kindness—being both forgiven and defended by her—he could only think one thing:  

What’s so bad about her being saintly? This female lead is amazing!  

Lin Banxue’s arrival was the final straw for Xu Youcai. Crushed by her words, he gave up all pretense and finally confessed.