Chapter 17 : Seduction

Fan Yanxing and the male protagonist Su Jinchuan, are both sent-down youth (young people sent to rural areas for re-education). The difference is that Su Jinchuan comes from a poorer background and has suffered a lot, gradually climbing up through his own efforts.

In contrast, Fan Yanxing was born at the pinnacle, with a solid background in the Beijing elite circles. Not only is he highly intelligent and emotionally intelligent, but he is also exceptionally capable. His journey has been smooth, with the most challenging period in his life likely being the two years spent in the countryside for experience.

Excellent people may have a bit of arrogance. Su Jinchuan looks down on Fan Yanxing for using his family’s influence to climb up, while Fan Yanxing despises Su Jinchuan’s feigned aloofness. Both men are competing with each other both openly and covertly. Therefore, a significant portion of the book’s early progress, aside from the romantic storyline, revolves around the competition between Su Jinchuan and Fan Yanxing.

Although Fan Yanxing return to Beijing ended this rivalry early on, after Su Jinchuan returned to Beijing, the two unexpectedly became partners on a project. Over time, they resolved their prejudices and became close friends who could talk about anything.

After the reform and opening up, they joined forces to build a business empire, exploring domestic and international markets and making a fortune.

Moreover, Fan Yanxing never married or had children by the end of the book’s happy conclusion for the protagonists!

There’s no official pairing, and Fan Yanxing with his excellent physique and appearance, is perfect in every way. Despite some minor disagreements between them, Liang Qingqing finds nothing about him that she dislikes.

What’s most important is that he is destined to live a life of comfort, and following him means sharing that fortune he is indeed a man who brings good luck to his wife! A man who brings good fortune is the best dowry for a woman!

Liang Qingqing’s eyes lit up instantly. If she could marry Fan Yanxing she’d save twenty years of hard work or even avoid struggling altogether. Her later years would surely be filled with wealth and luxury!

How could she have thought that Fan Yanxing family conditions were lacking? It was a mistake! His family’s genealogy is dazzling, spanning half of a history book!

The key point is that Fan Yanxing likes her! Although she “blinded” herself and rejected such a big investor yesterday, she didn’t say anything too harsh, so there is still a chance. Moreover, today, Fan Yanxing attitude doesn’t seem to hold a grudge from yesterday. He probably still has a favorable impression of her.

Of course, they have interacted less than five times, and Fan Yanxing feelings for her might not be deeply significant yet. At least, it hasn’t reached the level where he would overcome all obstacles to marry her.

For a prestigious family like the Fan family, it’s a given that a suitable match is a basic requirement.

As a rural girl with no background or connections, the difficulties in enjoying the Fan family’s blessings are unimaginable.

But according to the book, Fan Yanxinghasn’t married because he refuses to settle. He would rather remain single if he can’t find the right person. What does this mean?

First, Fan Yanxing strong capabilities give him a voice in the Fan family, so his elders can’t dictate his marriage choices otherwise, they would have arranged a marriage for him a long time ago. Second, Fan Yanxing personal preference is crucial. If she can win him over, entering the Fan family would become much easier.

So, the biggest challenge now is how to make Fan Yanxing fall deeply in love with her, to the point where he would only marry her.

After realizing this, Liang Qingqing instantly regretted not dressing up properly before coming out. Just look at what she’s wearing! Even women in their fifties or sixties in later times wouldn’t dress like this! She felt embarrassed herself, let alone how Fan Yanxin gwould perceive her.

But, to be fair, it wasn’t really her fault because the original owner’s wardrobe didn’t have any stylish clothes just a variety of ugly ones that could give someone a headache.

After closing her eyes and mentally preparing herself, Liang Qingqing tucked her long hair behind her ears, casually snatched the file bag from Liang Junqiang’s hands, cleared her throat, and sweetly said, “Fan Yanxing, what’s this?”

Fan Yanxing, Ma Xiuzhi, and Liang Junqiang, who were all present, had confused expressions on their faces. Fan Yanxing furrowed his brows even more. What was going on with Liang Qingqing? Why did her voice suddenly sound so… unique?

In a moment of distraction, she had already approached him. With a noticeable height difference between them, he looked down at her and instinctively reached out to take the file bag she offered. Although he was holding paper, and her hand was still some distance away, he couldn’t help but feel a soft and delicate sensation in his palm.

He touched the pads of her fingers—soft and yielding, almost boneless.

He reasonably suspected that she had purposely extended her hand, but when he looked up again, he met her pair of innocent, watery eyes. Her head was tilted slightly, her lips curved into a gentle smile, and her beautiful features were exceptionally vivid. She sweetly asked, “Fan Yanxing, what’s wrong?”

Seeing this, Fan Yanxing unconsciously swallowed, his heart pounding like a drum, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. After a while, he managed to respond hoarsely, “This is a letter from my family.”

“Really? Your family is so nice.”

Isn’t it normal to exchange letters? What’s so impressive about that?

His intuition told him that Liang Qingqing was acting strangely, very strangely. But he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong. He could only change the subject, “It’s getting late. I need to get back to the youth station; it’s almost time to start work.”

“Okay, then be safe on your way.” Liang Qingqing waved at him, her gaze fixed on him. Although her words suggested he should leave, her eyes were filled with a softness that seemed reluctant and hopeful, as if she wished he would stay.

Fan Yanxing nodded, furrowing his brow. He glanced at Liang Qingqing, exchanged a few words with Ma Xiuzhi and Liang Junqiang, and then turned to leave the courtyard.

Watching Fan Yanxing departing figure, Liang Qingqing slowly curled up one side of her lips, revealing a confident smile.

Once he was out of sight, she turned around, only to meet the bewildered expressions of her mother and second brother.

“Qingqing, weren’t you always not fond of Fan Yanxing? Why the change today…”

“Who said that? Fan Yanxing is a nice person. I never said I disliked him,” Liang Qingqing said, her eyes darting as she quickly denied Ma Xiuzhi’s comment. She then swept her long hair to one side and began braiding it.

She declared that Fan Yanxing was now her absolute favorite person. No matter who she disliked, she couldn’t dislike a lucky star!

“……” Who was it that said Fan Yanxing looked fierce and unrefined, and that she found him repulsive? That saying was definitely correct women’s hearts are as deep as the ocean, unpredictable and inscrutable.

Oh well, Qingqing changing her attitude and wanting to get along well with Fan Yanxing was a good thing. There was no point in delving into it further.

“Oh, come on and eat quickly. We have important things to do!” Ma Xiuzhi suddenly remembered the main issue and pulled Liang Qingqing’s arm, rushing her towards the kitchen.

“Mother, slow down. I’m still braiding my hair.”

“Slow down and you’ll delay things!”

After quickly finishing breakfast, they headed out. Fortunately, despite the rush, they managed to catch up with the leader’s departure time.

When Xie Qingbao saw Ma Xiuzhi bringing Liang Qingqing to his house, he was baffled. He couldn’t believe his ears. Liang Qingqing, known as the village’s “lazybones,” actually volunteered to go out to work?

Although he didn’t understand the reason, it was good to see her being proactive.

Now, the headache was figuring out where to put this “hot potato.”

Xie Qingbao’s eyes scanned Liang Qingqing back and forth three times. Finally, with a look of disdain, he decided her task: “Today, you’ll work with those youth to harvest the pumpkins and transport them to the warehouse. Make sure you do a good job and don’t slack off. Old Zhang and I will be inspecting the fields at any time.”

Old Zhang was the village accountant and scorekeeper stern, unyielding, and feared by all. Anyone caught slacking would have their work points deducted without exception.

As for those youth, when they first arrived in the village, the villagers treated them like ancestors, believing that, as educated individuals, they would help build the new countryside, increase food production, and grow together.

But they were arrogant and unproductive, showing no results…

Sigh, it’s better not to mention them. Like Liang Qingqing, most of them were good-looking but useless, unable to carry anything or do any real work. They still had to be allocated food at the end of the year, truly like ancestors!

The key was that nothing could be done about them. If something went wrong, the village officials would be held accountable. It was a never-ending source of frustration.

It was just right to assign Liang Qingqing to work with them on some detailed tasks, as it was easier to manage everything in one place.

“Yes, don’t worry, team leader. I’ll definitely work hard,” Liang Qingqing replied with great enthusiasm. Regardless of whether she would indeed work diligently, her attitude alone was reassuring.

Xie Qingbao nodded in satisfaction, “If you don’t understand something, find Qin Zhen to guide you. She’s an experienced member of the youth team and the leader of your group.”

After a brief reminder, he waved his hand, signaling them to start their work.

The pumpkin field was located to the north of the village, near the mountains. It wasn’t too far, but it still took some effort to walk there. As time passed, the sunlight bathed the green mountains and rivers, casting a golden glow over everything in the fields, creating a picturesque scene.

Along the way, they encountered many familiar villagers. They couldn’t help but chat with Ma Xiuzhi, though their eyes were constantly drawn to Liang Qingqing, as if they had seen something rare and fascinating.

As the center of attention, Liang Qingqing, aside from necessary greetings, had no interest in engaging with them. Her attention was completely absorbed by the mud under her feet. It had rained the night before, and though the rain was light, it was effective. In no time, the mud had caked her cloth shoes, making them heavy and wet, which was extremely uncomfortable.

“Just rub them on the grass,” Ma Xiuzhi, who had been watching Liang Qingqing closely, quickly offered a solution. She demonstrated the technique when she saw Liang Qingqing at a loss.

The rural path was lined with tall weeds that were hard to name but were everywhere, thriving stubbornly.

Liang Qingqing followed Ma Xiuzhi’s example, rubbing the mud off her shoes against the weeds. Although the mud was scraped away, the color stains couldn’t be removed, making her, who was particular about cleanliness, scrunch up her face in displeasure.

But in such an environment, being overly fussy was just being pretentious.

Liang Qingqing had no choice but to force herself to ignore the surrounding filth, lowering her straw hat and continuing forward.

Fortunately, the weather in the early morning was still relatively cool. They quickened their pace and soon reached their destination.

“Qin Zhen, Qin Zhen.”

At the call, a series of curious heads popped up from the pumpkin field, first glancing at Ma Xiuzhi and then, almost in unison, focusing on the young woman behind her.

In the sweltering summer, everyone was so hot that they wished they could work shirtless. But here was Liang Qingqing, wearing long sleeves and long pants, seemingly unaffected by the heat. Her yellow and white straw hat was slightly lifted, revealing a strikingly beautiful face. Her seaweed-like long hair was braided into a plait that hung down her chest, making her face look even smaller.

Her fox-like eyes were like autumn pools, sparkling and seemingly capable of drawing anyone in with just a glance.

With a heart-shaped face, cherry lips, and a delicate nose, her light smile revealed enchanting dimples on her cheeks. Her fair, flawless skin was tinged with a delicate pink from the sun, with beads of sweat rolling down her snowy neck into her collar, making her look both sensual and captivating.

Liang Qingqing’s beauty was well-known, but today it struck with a profound impact that was rarely felt. Yet, it was hard to pinpoint exactly what made her seem so different.

But this appearance was clearly not someone here to work! It was more like someone here to disrupt the work. Just look at the men in the neighboring field; they were so distracted by her presence that they couldn’t focus on their tasks, their eyes glued to her as if they had seen something rare.

“Auntie, what’s the matter?” Qin Zhen walked out from the crowd, looking puzzled. Although she had been in the commune for many years and was well-acquainted with the villagers through marriage and childbirth, she wasn’t particularly close to Ma Xiuzhi.

Having run through all possible scenarios in her mind, she couldn’t figure out why Ma Xiuzhi would bring Liang Qingqing specifically to find her. Moreover, thanks to their arrival, almost everyone was now looking at her, which made her feel a tremendous amount of pressure and her heart race.

“It’s nothing much. It’s just that my daughter is starting work today, and the team leader asked her to work with you. Please take good care of her,” Ma Xiuzhi said with a smile, pulling Liang Qingqing’s arm and pushing her in front of Qin Zhen.

“?”

Not just Qin Zhen, but everyone was stunned. Did they hear that correctly? Liang Qingqing was coming to work?

“Thank you for your trouble, Qin Zhien.” Liang Qingqing followed Ma Xiuzhi’s lead, thanking Qin Zhen with a friendly smile.

This left everyone who was accustomed to her sharpness taken aback. Was this really the same Liang Qingqing who was so arrogant?

Though surprised, Qin Zhen, being someone who wouldn’t reject a smile, especially under the team leader’s orders, could only nod in agreement and let Liang Qingqing join her in picking pumpkins.

“Mother, you should get to work too. I’m fine,” Liang Qingqing said, waving her hand at Ma Xiuzhi. Despite Ma Xiuzhi’s concern, she pretended to be nonchalant and left, but actually hid in a corner to watch for a while. Seeing that Liang Qingqing seemed to be settling in well, she felt a bit reassured and went to her own work area.

The pumpkin field was large. They had assigned more than ten women to pick pumpkins and pumpkin leaves, while a few men were responsible for transporting the pumpkins and leaves back to the village granary. With everyone clearly assigned their tasks, work proceeded smoothly, and soon the field was filled with pumpkins of various sizes and a pile of tender green leaves.

However, everyone’s gaze would occasionally shift to one direction, showing expressions of surprise.

“I didn’t expect Liang Qingqing to work so quickly. Aijia, what do you think made her suddenly want to come and work?” Someone thought that with Liang Qingqing’s temper, even if she did come to work, she’d surely slack off. Yet, she was not only working diligently but also fast.

“What’s the matter? Why is she suddenly acting like this?” Ding Aijia, who was squatting next to her, scoffed without looking up, “Who knows what got into her head. Probably just trying to attract Su Zhiqing’s attention.”

As she spoke, Ding Aijia stopped her work and glanced over to the neighboring field, her smile widening and her voice rising, “It’s a pity that no matter how much she tries, Su Zhiqing doesn’t even look at her. Her plans to catch his attention are bound to fail.”

“Aijia, keep your voice down…”

“What’s the matter? Can’t criticize someone who acts so provocatively? Some people have nowhere to vent their lust and come here to do so. It’s truly shameless,” Ding Aijia recalled seeing Liang Qingqing at the back door of the youth station a few days ago and felt pent up frustration. This was a chance to vent, and she wasn’t about to miss it.

Speaking of which, Liang Qingqing and she were both pitiable. They liked a man, but he was completely focused on other women.

Damn Xu Qiao, who had gone to the commune to become a teacher and still came back. Xu Qiao was even more shameless than Liang Qingqing! She had no modesty at all!

Ding Aijia’s loud and vulgar remarks attracted the attention of those around them.

Liang Qingqing, who was battling the pumpkin vines, heard the commotion. Annoyed, she exhaled sharply and turned her head toward Ding Aijia’s direction, smiling slightly, “Who are you calling a bitch?”

“Who are you calling a bitch?” Ding Aijia was annoyed and embarrassed, jumping up and angrily confronting Liang Qingqing. “What do you mean by that?”

“What do I mean?” Liang Qingqing rubbed her ears, playing dumb, and didn’t even glance at her.

Feeling ignored and hearing other people’s low chuckles, Ding Aijia felt even more embarrassed and furious. She gritted her teeth and said, “You’re insulting me!”

“I didn’t insult you; you were the one who started with the insults. Although I don’t know who you’re cursing at, you haven’t been wronged by anyone here, and your words are quite harsh. Why make things difficult for other women?” Liang Qingqing responded while moving pumpkins aside, preparing to transport them to the empty space later. This way, she could save a lot of time.

Since she decided to come to work and earn work points, she wasn’t going to intentionally slack off. Doing her best within her capabilities was one of her life principles.

“…” Ding Aijia was momentarily at a loss for words, taking a while to find her voice again: “You’ve been running to the youth station every day, didn’t you just want to attract Su Zhiqing’s attention? This unprecedented act of working in the fields must also be for Su Zhiqing.”

Hearing Ding Aijia’s firm statement, Liang Qingqing was almost amused by her anger. She finally looked up at Ding Aijia, her tone cold: “Comrade, I have no relationship with Su Zhiqing at all, so don’t slander our reputations.”

“I’m working to contribute to the village and earn food for my family. What does he have to do with it?”

After speaking, Liang Qingqing gave a dramatic eye roll. “Get to work already. So many people are working hard, and you’re the only one slacking off. Isn’t it shameful?”

“…” Ding Aijia pointed at herself, then at Liang Qingqing, her eyes widening in disbelief. When had she ever slacked off? And when did Liang Qingqing become so smooth with her words?

She remembered that whenever Su Zhiqing was mentioned before, Liang Qingqing would blush and look determined. Today, it was like she was a completely different person, not only distancing herself from Su Zhiqing but also coming up with a reason for coming to work.

Now Ding Aijia felt like an outsider!

“Ding Aijia, since the sun isn’t too hot yet, you should get back to work. Otherwise, if the scorekeeper catches you, you’ll lose most of your work points for today.”

Qin Zhen had watched the whole interaction from the side. Thinking about how the team leader had entrusted Liang Qingqing to her, she stepped in to mediate. At the same time, she developed a bit of respect for Liang Qingqing. The girl was clear-headed in her retorts, completely clearing herself of any negative comments and even turning the tables. That was impressive.

Moreover, she didn’t appear as delicate as she looked. Although she was a bit clumsy due to inexperience, it was clear she was working diligently, unlike those who just went through the motions and played tricks.

Ding Aijia wanted to say more, but seeing Qin Zhen staring at her and recalling the scorekeeper’s strictness, she stomped her foot, left with a parting shot, “No matter what you do, Su Zhiqing will never like you,” and returned to her original position.

Liang Qingqing frowned at the comment, finally understanding the frustrating feeling of having a troublemaker as a colleague while already being annoyed about work.

The neighboring field was also bustling with activity.

“Su Zhiqing is really lucky. Liang Qingqing is even willing to work in the fields just to chase after you!” a male youth teased, bumping Su Jinchuan’s shoulder and making playful gestures.

“Exactly, aren’t you considering it? Winning over the beautiful girl?”

“Hahaha, we’re so envious of you, Su. There are so few beautiful women in the village, and yet both Liang Qingqing and Xu Qiao have their hearts set on you.”

“Who told our Old Su to be so handsome! Women love this kind of delicate scholar look. Hahaha.”

These words were dripping with jealousy. Su Jinchuan, who had been listening without commenting, started to speak.

Seeing the cold expression, the first male youth, Hong Wei, was unhappy. “Why are you talking nonsense? Liang Qingqing was looking for you so often recently, wasn’t it because she had an interest in you? When have you seen her chatting and laughing with other men? And Xu Qiao, last time in the soybean field…”

“Comrade Liang was looking for me to borrow books and ask questions!” Su Jinchuan quickly interrupted Hong Wei. However, when it came to explaining Xu Qiao, he couldn’t come up with a response and could only lower his head and continue working.

“Hey, asking questions,” Hong Wei chuckled, clearly not believing him. He turned to a nearby person for support: “Yan Ge, do you believe this?”

“Believe it.”

Hearing this answer, Su Jinchuan frowned and looked up at Fan Yanxing in surprise. He remembered that Fan Yanxing never participated in such discussions, let alone expressed opinions. Why was he doing so today?

“Su Zhiqing has the most book. It’s not easy to buy books in the village, so borrowing from him is quite normal.” Liang Qingqing’s calm voice drifted out, followed by a loud sound. Looking in the direction of the noise, one could see a large rock hidden in the dirt being shattered by a hoe.

Wow, such strength!

Fan Yanxing, playing with the hoe in his hand, looked at Su Jinchuan and raised his eyebrows. “Some things should be said earlier to prevent people from speculating and ruining the girl’s reputation.”

“Exactly! Su Zhiqing’s mouth is like a clamshell that won’t open. He should talk more. It’s not like he’s mute.”

Hong Wei was a fence-sitter, but always followed Fan Yanxing lead. Hearing this, he quickly joined in.

“So, we misunderstood Liang Qingqing before? I didn’t expect her to be so studious.”

Upon hearing this, Fan Yanxing lips curled up slightly. Studious? Not necessarily.

But then he thought of something, and the smile quickly faded. He was considering whether to buy more books for the youth station, so that they could be available for those who might want to borrow them, rather than having people borrow them from elsewhere.

“It was my oversight.”

After being subtly and overtly mocked by Fan Yanxing and Hong Wei, Su Jinchuan remained calm and composed.

“Mm.” Fan Yanxingnodded, glanced at him, and then turned his attention elsewhere. He noticed a commotion in the pumpkin field not far away, where there was also a figure in indigo. His expression changed instantly, and he moved forward a few steps.

It wasn’t long before things calmed down again, and Liang Qingqing didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage. Only then did he relax his clenched hands.

How could he forget that she wasn’t a soft persimmon? He had worried for nothing.

Worried? Was he worried about her? What a joke. Maybe he hadn’t woken up properly in the morning.

Fan Yanxing shook his head, clearing his mind of these confusing thoughts, and continued to hoe the fields.

Summer often brings high temperatures and droughts. With increased rainfall, the village feared that heavy rain might flood the crops and ruin the harvest. They had already started arranging people to repair the ditches and ensure proper drainage. This was physical labor and could only be entrusted to the young and strong men in the village.

This was crucial for the entire village’s food supply and had to be done thoroughly without any slackening.

As time passed, the weather became unbearably hot, and there was not a hint of breeze in the fields. The pumpkin leaves were drooping under the sun, not to mention those who had been working all morning.

Liang Qingqing wiped the sweat from her forehead and was about to take a drink from her bottle when she suddenly saw a large black snake slithering slowly past her feet. Her face turned pale with fright.

“Ah! There’s a snake, a snake! Help!”

The scream shattered the tranquility brought on by the heat. Surrounded by girls, none of whom were fond of cold, slimy creatures like snakes, the cries of fear erupted almost simultaneously.

“Where’s the snake? Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

“Get out of the way. Can you catch the snake? .”

“The snake’s here! Use the hoe to kill it, hit it at the vital point, don’t miss it.”

With the sudden turn of events, the male youths from the neighboring fields saw it as a chance to show off and rushed over from a distance, some of them already starting to catch the snake, while others quickly positioned themselves beside their favorite girls to comfort them.

The large black snake was very fast, and within the blink of an eye, it had slithered away from under the wide pumpkin leaves and disappeared from view.

“It’s gone. Where did it go?”

“Look over there. We need to catch it. We’ll have a feast tonight!”

Upon hearing that the snake was no longer visible, Liang Qingqing’s face grew even paler. She began to tremble and backed away in the opposite direction, but before she had taken many steps, she bumped into a solid wall of flesh. Any touch at that moment was terrifying, and she almost screamed. Fortunately, the person behind her spoke up in time.

“Are you alright?”

It was Fan Yanxing!

Liang Qingqing’s mind raced quickly. She swallowed the words “I’m fine” that were about to come out and instead mustered a pitiful expression, shedding a couple of tears. She turned and grabbed the fabric at his waist, her voice trembling with a sob as she said, “Something’s wrong! Fan Yanxing, I’m so scared, woo woo.”

Her bright eyes were filled with sparkling tears, which seemed to be hanging precariously on her long lashes. Her slightly reddened nose made her look even more pitiful and lovable.

The field was covered with vines, and if you weren’t careful, you could trip over them. Noticing that her feet were surrounded by raised clumps of mud and vines, Fan Yanxinginstinctively reached out to support her shoulder. His palm felt the softness of her body through the fabric, and he could clearly sense her warm body temperature.

For some reason, he found it a bit uncomfortable, not knowing whether to pull back or not. He ended up just keeping his hand lightly on her shoulder, helplessly saying, “The snake’s gone.”

He had come over the moment Liang Qingqing called for help, but because there were many people and the snake had slipped away, he had kept a distance to avoid misunderstandings. Only when she was about to fall while backing away in fear did he step closer.

Just as he finished speaking, the snake seemed to appear as if to spite him, coiling on a huge pumpkin not far from them and flicking its tongue at them.

 “ahhh” Liang Qingqing, who had noticed the snake first, was genuinely terrified this time. Forgetting to maintain her weak facade in front of Fan Yanxing she quickly grab the corner of his clothe to forcefully switch their positions.

Faced with the snake, Fan Yanxing was momentarily speechless.

“I’m scared, woo woo.” Noticing Fan Yanxing silence, Liang Qingqing quickly tried to remedy the situation, her voice trembling as she added, “You, you’re a man.”

Seeing Liang Qingqing’s panic and her genuinely frightened demeanor as she leaned weakly against him, Fan Yanxingmomentarily set aside his shock at being pushed aside by her so thoughtlessly.

“Step back a bit, don’t cling to me so tightly,” he said, finding it hard to move.

“Ah?” Liang Qingqing blinked her long eyelashes, gripping his clothing even tighter, as if afraid he would abandon her and run away.

Fan Yanxingsighed. “I’m going to deal with the snake. Let go first.”

“Oh.” Liang Qingqing quickly released her grip and obediently took two steps back.

Perhaps hearing the commotion, the snake-catching team also ran over. However, Fan Yanxing was quicker. Before Liang Qingqing could even see when he raised his hand, the hoe he had been holding came down precisely on the snake.

The first blow didn’t kill it. The snake wriggled a few times, trying to escape, but the second blow finished it off.

Fan Yanxinglooked up and met Su Jinchuan’s cold gaze. The sunlight reflecting off his glasses created a glaring halo on the ground, which was somewhat blinding.

“ You weren’t bitten by the snake, did you?” Su Jinchuan asked, his gaze moving back and forth between Fan Yanxing and Liang Qingqing.

Hearing the question, Liang Qingqing shook her head and peeked out from behind Fan Yanxing. “No, I wasn’t bitten. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Su Jinchuan was momentarily taken aback by her polite thanks. He remembered her as always being spoiled and even rude, but today…

Before he could finish his thought, he was interrupted by another voice. Looking up, he sawFan Yanxing lazily leaning on the hoe, raising an eyebrow in displeasure and asking Liang Qingqing, “Why didn’t you thank me?”

Who was it that ran to her side the moment danger struck? Who was it that supported her when she almost fell? Who was it that struck the snake first?

It was all Fan Yanxing!

Yet, Liang Qingqing, this ungrateful person, thanked Su Jinchuan instead? What poor judgment!

Hearing this, Liang Qingqing curved her lips. She had heard many similar jealous remarks in her past life and immediately sensed the underlying tone. Regardless of how much of it was due to the man’s pride or her own actions, any hint of affection from him meant a strong likelihood he might fall for her.

Because a man would never use such a tone toward a woman he had no interest in.

After sorting out her thoughts, Liang Qingqing was about to respond when she saw a man lunging forward to grab the snake’s head. The bloody lower half of the snake dangled in the air, creating an extremely disgusting sight.

Liang Qingqing covered her mouth, bending over slightly, struggling to stop her nausea. She couldn’t bring herself to say a word.

The culprit, Hong Wei, was completely unaware that he had ruined Liang Qingqing’s perfect chance to flirt. Holding up the snake, he grinned at Fan Yanxing and said, “Yanxing, this snake was killed by you and Old Su. How should we deal with it?”

“Do whatever you like,” Fan Yanxing replied dismissively, pushing Hong Wei’s large head away and focusing his gaze on Liang Qingqing’s pained expression. He seemingly nonchalantly reminded, “Isn’t it time to finish work?”

Hong Wei looked up at the blazing sun, then put away the snake and agreed, “It should be time. Everyone seems to be pretty shaken up. How about we go back and have a meal?”

This suggestion was met with unanimous agreement. Although encountering snakes in the fields was common, it was always unsettling. Fortunately, most of the snakes they encountered were non-venomous. If they were unlucky enough to come across a venomous one, it could be quite serious.

Last year, a young intellectual from the neighboring village was bitten by a venomous snake and died. Being in a foreign place, by the time all the paperwork was processed, the body had already begun to decompose before it was finally claimed by the family. It was truly tragic.

“Old Su, what about this snake?” Hong Wei turned to Su Jinchuan, who shook his head. In front of so many people, there was no alternative solution for the snake besides returning it to the collective. Moreover, since Fan Yanxing had said it was up to them, if Su Jinchuan took over, it would seem petty.

“Then let’s take it back to the young intellectuals’ point and make soup. It’ll be good for everyone,” Hong Wei declared. Most of the people present were young intellectuals, so there were no objections.

The prospect of having meat soup seemed to alleviate the discomfort caused by the snake, and people began discussing how to prepare the soup.

“Let’s go. Yanxing, what are you looking at?” Hong Wei, holding the snake, blinked and followed Fan Yanxing gaze forward. He only saw a group of people and nothing special.

The only notable person was the excessively beautiful Liang Qingqing.

But that couldn’t be, Why would Brother Yan stare at Liang Qingqing?  After all, he had previously expressed his disdain for someone like her, who was lazy and dependent.