《The Cannon Fodder Becomes a Smart and Stunning Young Lady》


 Chapter 1

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°miss xiang wan? miss xiang wan? can you hear me?¡±


    who is calling me?


    xiang wan forced herself to endure the headache, struggling to open her eyes. before her were several doctors and nurses in white coats, anxiously calling out to her.


    she gazed at them in confusion.


    ¡°great, miss xiang, you¡¯re finally awake! do you remember what you touched or ate before you fainted?¡± the doctor looked at the young girl before him seriously and asked softly.


    ¡°i¡­ i don¡¯t remember.¡± xiang wan hesitated for a moment before responding.


    ¡°it¡¯s fine. focus on resting for now. when you¡¯re feeling better, we¡¯ll conduct some tests.¡± the doctor, disappointed with not getting any information, turned and went to get some medicine.


    in the spacious room, xiang wan was alone. she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and couldn¡¯t quite grasp the situation.


    wasn¡¯t she at a party on the ferry? she remembered falling into the water, but how did she end up here?


    her mind was filled with doubts. she hadn¡¯t had a chance to think deeply when the door was pushed open.


    ¡°oh my, my dear young lady, how are you? why did you faint like that? it must be the lack of nutrition from food overseas. i¡¯ll research some herbal remedies to nourish you properly!¡± chen ma looked at the young girl before her worriedly.


    ¡°i¡¯m fine.¡± xiang wan looked at the person in front of her in a daze.


    this person was so familiar and affectionate as soon as she entered the room. who could she be? could she be her mother? but¡­ her mother didn¡¯t look like this either. besides, she hadn¡¯t gone overseas? what was going on?


    could she have transmigrated???


    ¡°are you alright?¡± chen ma stared at her skeptically.


    ¡°the doctor said i¡¯ll be fine after taking medicine. it¡¯s nothing serious,¡± xiang wan quickly replied, afraid of revealing anything.


    ¡°then i¡¯ll go prepare some delicious food for you. the little princess loves the pancakes made by chen ma the most.¡± chen mama didn¡¯t doubt further and quickly headed to the kitchen.


    so she was called chen ma. xiang wan calmed herself down and secretly remembered this name.


    soon, chen ma returned with a meal that was light but full of flavor. xiang wan finished her meal, took her medicine, and prepared to rest. just as she was about to lie down, she heard a servant outside informing chen ma that a guest had come to see her.


    ¡°miss, mr. yang is here to visit you. after you returned to the country, didn¡¯t you want him to take you out? now he¡¯s here,¡± chen ma said cheerfully as she looked at xiang wan.


    xiang wan didn¡¯t know whether to lie down or stay sitting. she could only sit up again. after all, it was the uncle ¡®she¡¯ had been eagerly anticipating.


    ¡°wan¡¯er, don¡¯t get up. lie down quickly. i was worried, so i came to see you¡± yang heng looked at the young girl in front of him dotingly. ¡°i already know the reason. do you remember why you fainted? you¡¯ve been fine all these years, why did something happen at this time?¡±


    xiang wan keenly caught the words ¡®this time¡¯ in his sentence. what could be happening now? could there be some hidden reason behind her fainting?


    ¡°i don¡¯t know.¡± xiang wan adhered to the principle of speaking less to avoid mistakes. she would answer questions only if asked.


    ¡°well then, i¡¯m relieved to see that you¡¯re fine. i¡¯ll stay in xiang jiang for the next few days. if you need anything, you can find me.¡± yang heng said, looking at the slightly wilted young girl. he thought she needed proper rest.


    ¡°didn¡¯t you want to stroll around xiang jiang before? once you¡¯re feeling better, i¡¯ll take you out!¡± yang heng was very fond of the child from his close friend¡¯s family. his friend had entrusted him to take care of his granddaughter before he passed away.


    ¡°sure!¡± xiang wan feigned delight as she responded.


    due to work commitments, yang heng couldn¡¯t stay long. after giving xiang wan some advice, he left.


    xiang wan asked chen ma to close the bedroom door, claiming she was a bit tired and needed to rest. chen mama exited the room.


    once there was no movement around her, xiang wan began to examine the room. antique furniture, decorations, dressing mirrors, and more¡ªall unfamiliar to her.


    she got out of bed and began to search for anything related to this body. she walked to the dressing table.


    she saw that there was an information bag on the bookshelf on the table. there were various documents inside. she wasn¡¯t sure what the reason was, but they were exactly what she needed.


    xiang wan was shocked as she looked at the documents. the photos on the documents showed a girl who looked exactly like her but noticeably younger. the name was the same¡ªxiang wan¡ªbut the age was different; the girl was only 18 years old.


    xiang wan quickly looked in the mirror, and there was a youthful face, the same as the person in the photo!


    no way!


    she looked at the scene before her in disbelief. her first thought was, had she died? but she had not spent all her money yet!


    thinking about the substantial inheritance her mother had left her, she was enraged that it had ended up in the hands of those illegitimate children!


    yes, xiang wan had a scumbag father.


    she once had a happy and complete family, but that was before she was seven years old. when she was seven, her mother passed away, and she became a child without a mother.


    not only that, but her scumbag father wasted no time. three months after her mother¡¯s death, he wanted to marry another woman.


    fortunately, xiang wan¡¯s mother had already prepared a backup plan. she left a will to protect xiang wan and the assets that she had left for xiang wan, while also restricting that scumbag father¡¯s evil deeds.


    for him to take control of the company, he couldn¡¯t remarry and had to take care of xiang wan until she turned 20.


    in the eyes of outsiders, he seemed like a playboy but was devoted to his wife. with his competence and his management of the company her grandmother had left him, women flocked to him.


    the will couldn¡¯t restrict his private life, which led to the birth of many illegitimate children. the older ones were only two months younger than her, while some were even unborn.


    xiang wan had to maintain her position as the young mistress of the family while occasionally engaging in power struggles with those illegitimate children.


    though it was tough, xiang wan didn¡¯t find it tiresome at all because she had to protect what her mother had left for her.


    it seemed that the incident of falling into the water was a big gift from her ¡®little brothers and sisters¡¯. in the end, she was still schemed against by them. her mother must have felt so sad.


    she had thought she was simply saved, but she didn¡¯t expect her soul to pass through someone else¡¯s body.

 Chapter 2

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    after sorting out her thoughts, she lay back on the bed, contemplating what to do next.


    [ding! congratulations to the host for successfully activating and binding the mercilessly wealthy system. please look at the big screen.]


    suddenly, a crisp voice sounded in her mind, followed by a silver-framed screen appearing before her.


    the screen was divided into three parts: mission, shop, and lucky draw. the first thing upon entering the shop was the dazzling array of luxury items¡ªjewelry, clothes, and more.


    she was a rich second-generation heir in her previous life and shopping was a woman¡¯s nature. hence, in her previous life, she often bought things. now, seeing the items in the shop made her eyes light up.


    without much thought, xiang wan immediately pressed the option to purchase a vintage piece of jewelry, but the system informed her that her balance was insufficient.


    how could her balance be insufficient? was she so poor? it shouldn¡¯t be like this, right?


    she looked at the account information column at the top.


    available balance: 3,000 yuan.


    locked fund: 100 billion.


    she was stunned. although she had been a multi-billionaire in her previous life, she had never seen so many zeros in her account. she didn¡¯t even know where to start counting.


    but why was it locked? was it only for display and not for use? what could 3,000 yuan do?


    [host, if you want to unlock the fund and become a billionaire, you need to complete the mission given by the system. please check the missions.]


    the system timely reminded her, and the list displayed a main mission and a few side missions.


    main mission: find your fianc¨¦, huo xiao, in golden bay district. reward: 50,000 yuan.


    side mission: retrieve the xiang family¡¯s old residence. reward: 30,000 yuan.


    she was dumbfounded. retrieving the old residence made sense, but where did this fianc¨¦ come from!!!


    wait, golden bay area? fianc¨¦? huo xiao? xiang wan?


    oh! right!


    these were the second male lead and second female lead in that melodramatic era novel! no wonder they felt so familiar!


    so, she had transmigrated into the role from that novel!


    this was not good. if things followed the novel¡¯s plot and progressed, wouldn¡¯t she be dead soon?


    xiang wan recalled that her role in the novel was a wealthy young lady whose family had been living abroad.


    due to an unexpected car accident, her parents and elders passed away. she was lucky to survive and decided to return to her homeland to find the fianc¨¦ her grandfather had arranged for her. he was the only person with a connection to her in this world.


    however, fate was cruel. when she returned to the country to search for her fianc¨¦, disaster struck her again. a sudden accident took the life of this young girl.


    and the fianc¨¦ from the book, huo xiao, had it even worse.


    huo xiao was an abandoned baby. when old master huo, huo chu, found him, he was barely breathing in the trash.


    huo chu took pity on him and brought him back to the huo family to nurture him. he also arranged for him and xiang wan to be betrothed as children.


    the huo family didn¡¯t know where this child came from, but seeing how much huo chu cared for him, they felt envious and jealous. except for huo chu, no one treated him kindly. he was met with scornful words and cold gazes throughout his life.


    originally, young huo xiao was content as long as he had his grandfather. however, huo chu had been framed by his family, forcing him to liquidate his assets to pay off debts.


    huo chu also had an unfilial son who betrayed him after the incident. he helped testify against his family and won a good reputation for putting righteousness before family. even though the situation was eventually resolved and the money was returned, huo chu¡¯s health deteriorated significantly.


    due to huo chu¡¯s severe illness, he could no longer protect huo xiao. this causes his life in the huo family to be a living hell.


    huo chu¡¯s son, huo song, didn¡¯t want to see that b*stard of unknown origin in their house anymore. he also didn¡¯t want to tarnish his reputation, so he found an excuse to send huo xiao to the countryside.


    huo xiao lived a solitary and difficult life in the countryside. the neighbors pitied him, but conditions were harsh at the time, and no one had the energy to take care of a child.


    huo xiao grew up in hardship. later, he met the novel¡¯s male and female protagonists. coincidentally, they were all able to resume their college entrance exams, so the three of them decided to attend university together to become educated youths in the village.


    after entering university, huo xiao started his own company. he met the male and female protagonists again and they formed a partnership.


    at this time, a visitor from the countryside told huo xiao that his fianc¨¦e had come looking for him earlier, but tragically met with an accident and passed away. they offered condolences.


    upon hearing this news, huo xiao became despondent. he eventually lost interest in managing the company and it eventually collapsed.


    using the excuse of not wanting their friend¡¯s efforts to go to waste, the male and female protagonists merged huo xiao¡¯s company into theirs, utilizing his connections to grow their own business.


    at a capital gathering, the male and female protagonists discovered that the eldest son of the wealthiest family in the capital looked strikingly similar to huo xiao. using huo xiao¡¯s identity, they established connections with the wealthy businessman.


    one could say that huo xiao¡¯s role was to contribute to the protagonists¡¯ glorious lives, while he himself suffered and became a stepping stone along the way.


    what a perfect supporting role!


    xiang wan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. looking at her current situation, she decided to accept reality. not only did she want to change her own life, but she also wanted to save the second male lead and earn more money to reach the pinnacle of life!


    xiang wan recalled that the book had mentioned that huo xiao would soon take his second exam. why was it referred to as the second exam? because the first time he had taken it was alongside the male and female protagonists. influenced by the protagonist¡¯s aura, he accidentally fell into the water before the exam, fracturing his right arm and running a high fever. unfortunately, he missed the exam.


    thinking about this, xiang wan couldn¡¯t help but sigh again at the second male lead¡¯s tragic fate. however, since he had to prepare for the exam, it wouldn¡¯t be suitable to find him now. it would be better to wait until after his exams. after all, there was no time limit for the tasks.


    with a few days left until the end of the college entrance exams, she decided to deal with the side quest first, and then joyfully head towards her 50,000 yuan reward!

 Chapter 3

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    xiang wan recalled the mention of the ¡®xiang family¡¯s old residence¡¯ from the original novel. however, this house should be in the hands of huo song.


    the xiang family¡¯s old residence was called ¡®xiang yuan¡¯. before the owner¡¯s family went abroad, xiang wan¡¯s grandfather, following the family rule that ancestral properties should not be lost, entrusted xiang yuan to an old friend in xiang jiang.


    this old friend was none other than huo chu. the two had established a deep friendship during the revolutionary period, so xiang wan¡¯s grandfather had great trust in huo chu¡¯s character. however, he didn¡¯t anticipate that his friend had an unfilial son.


    huo song saw that the house was many times better than his own, so he outright rejected the housing arrangement from his workplace and moved into xiang yuan. the residence was renamed as ¡°huo residence.¡±


    xiang wan did not expect to meet her fianc¨¦¡¯s ¡®family¡¯ so soon, so she decided to bring them a grand gift.


    early the next morning, after finishing the nourishing longan and lotus seed porridge prepared by chen ma, xiang wan grabbed her leather crossbody bag and headed out.


    her destination was xiang jiang¡¯s port.


    upon reaching the port, xiang wan scanned her surroundings and quickly identified her target¡ªthe newspaper office.


    entering the newspaper office, she obtained a few recent newspapers and then found a chair by the window to sit down.


    spreading out the first newspaper, the headlines of the hottest news caught her eye. among them, the largest headline was about the college entrance examination, the most popular topic that many newspapers were competing to cover.


    she had come here to check on the situation with the huo family, as she remembered there had been coverage about huo chu and his son huo song in the newspapers. huo song had even bought a special space in the paper to declare that he had severed his father-son relationship with huo chu.


    she skimmed through the contents of these newspapers but didn¡¯t find what she was looking for. she was wondering why there was no news about the incident with the huo family, which had caused quite a sensation back then.


    while she was pondering this, a girl wearing a beret and a black leather jacket approached her. the girl looked at her excitedly.


    perhaps the girl¡¯s gaze was too intense, as xiang wan quickly sensed someone looking at her. ¡°excuse me, who are you?¡±


    xiang wan looked at the other person in confusion.


    ¡°wanwan, you don¡¯t remember me at all? i¡¯ve been missing you all this time!¡± the girl accused xiang wan with astonishment.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry, i don¡¯t remember much. i got sick before and forgot a lot of things when i woke up.¡± xiang wan explained quickly, fearing that the girl might be a friend of the original owner and not wanting to reveal her true identity.


    ¡°oh, i see. so, have you recovered from your illness? no wonder you don¡¯t remember me. we used to play together when we were little. it¡¯s a pity that you went abroad with your family back then, otherwise, we could have been good friends for many years.¡± the girl said regretfully. ¡°let me reintroduce myself, i¡¯m chu ying, your best friend before you turned six years old!¡±


    chu ying extended her hand toward xiang wan and introduced herself confidently.


    ¡°hello, i¡¯m xiang wan.¡± xiang wan placed the newspaper aside and shook chu ying¡¯s hand.


    ¡°wanwan, when did you come back to the country? if i had known, i would have gone to look for you earlier. how are uncle and auntie?¡± chu ying sat on the chair opposite her and asked casually.


    ¡°i just returned to the country not long ago. my family had a car accident abroad, and i was the only one who survived, so i came back to china.¡± xiang wan whispered.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry, i didn¡¯t know¡­¡± chu ying looked at her with an apologetic expression.


    ¡°it¡¯s alright, it¡¯s all in the past.¡± xiang wan said, pursing her lips.


    ¡°after all these years, you still look as beautiful as when you were a child, exquisite like a doll. but, what are you doing at the newspaper office?¡± chu ying didn¡¯t want to see her upset, so she quickly changed the topic.


    ¡°i came here to check on some information, but i couldn¡¯t find anything.¡± xiang wan looked at the newspapers on the table, spreading her hands helplessly.


    ¡°what do you want to investigate? i can help you with that. i¡¯m familiar with this territory.¡± chu ying said generously.


    ¡°you own this newspaper company?¡± she looked at the girl in front of her, surprised by her capabilities.


    ¡°that¡¯s not it! i¡¯m a reporter. wherever there¡¯s news, that¡¯s my territory. i have some connections with the boss of this newspaper company, so i often come here.¡± chu ying quickly explained, realizing that xiang wan had misunderstood.


    ¡°i¡¯m impressed. i need your help with this matter.¡± xiang ying explained to chu ying about xiang yuan, expressing her desire to know the current situation of the huo family, so she came to the newspaper office to investigate the past events.


    ¡°well, you¡¯ve certainly asked the right person!¡± chu ying grinned happily. after hearing about the huo family¡¯s misdeeds, she exclaimed in anger, ¡°what kind of person is he? how dare he seize someone else¡¯s property. watch me put him in the newspaper!¡±


    chu ying stood up angrily and scolded loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the newspaper office.

 Chapter 4

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    xiang wan quickly pulled the agitated chu ying back to her seat and apologized to the surrounding patrons.


    ¡°don¡¯t get too agitated now, i don¡¯t want to make a scene. it¡¯ll be bad if the huo family finds out in advance,¡± she explained calmly to chu ying.


    ¡°don¡¯t worry, leave this matter to me. i¡¯ll investigate their recent situation. i¡¯ve been doing this for so many years.¡± chu ying nonchalantly replied, crossing her legs.


    ¡°alright, i¡¯m counting on you then.¡± they exchanged their contact details and addresses before xiang wan left the office.


    she didn¡¯t expect to gain a loyal ally on this trip, and the matter was also resolved perfectly.


    after bidding farewell to chu ying, she returned to the port, pondering where to find more help. after all, there was a big matter to be done and she could not manage it alone.


    lost in thought, xiang wan strolled, gradually walking into a bustling intersection.


    suddenly, a shadow darted past her and grabbed her shoulder strap, snatching her bag away.


    ¡°thief! catch the thief!¡±


    ¡°he went that way! stop him!¡±


    the force of the bag being snatched caused her to stagger forward. she then heard the crowd around her shouting about the thief.


    realizing he had been discovered, the thief¡¯s body tensed for a moment before he swiftly took a shortcut and dashed into a nearby alley.


    when she saw that the bag that she had spent all her savings on was stolen, she wasted no time and immediately gave chase.


    as she entered the alley, she spotted a tall man exuding an air of scholarly elegance. he stood on one side of the alley, holding her bag in his left hand and clutching the thief¡¯s collar with his right.


    he looked at her without blinking. ¡°is this your bag?¡±


    she looked at the bag in the man¡¯s hand and looked at him gratefully. ¡°yes, it¡¯s mine. thank you!¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re welcome.¡± ling yun looked at the girl before him, her beauty making him blush uncontrollably. however, he still gripped the thief¡¯s collar tightly.


    the captured thief, realizing he couldn¡¯t escape had stopped struggling, seemed to lose all strength, and began pleading desperately.


    ¡°please, i beg you not to send me to the police station. i didn¡¯t mean to do it, i¡¯m really in desperate need of money!¡±


    ¡°even if you¡¯re in need, that doesn¡¯t justify committing crimes. besides, thieves don¡¯t usually admit they¡¯re thieves!¡± xiang wan retorted irritably.


    ¡°i know i did wrong. i was desperate and resorted to this method. please let me go. i won¡¯t steal again next time,¡± the man said in despair.


    ¡°then tell us what difficulties you¡¯re facing. maybe if you explain, i could help you,¡± xiang wan felt that in this historical context, he might genuinely be in dire circumstances to resort to robbery.


    ling yun looked disapprovingly at xiang wan, thinking she was an inexperienced young girl who shouldn¡¯t easily trust others.


    ¡°i need money, a lot of money. i need to pay for my sister¡¯s medical treatment. i work eight jobs a day, and it¡¯s still not enough for her medical fees!¡± the man suddenly sat down on the ground and broke down crying.


    ¡°i can give you money, but you need to do something for me.¡± xiang wan¡¯s eyes flickered as she considered her plan.


    recalling the man¡¯s skill when he had snatched her bag earlier, she came up with an idea.


    ¡°you¡¯ll give me money? i¡¯ll do anything for you, miss, i swear! anything!¡± the man pleaded with xiang wan as if he had grasped a lifeline.


    ¡°help me find some reliable men who are capable of fighting, and find them quickly. i need them today. i¡¯ll pay each of them five yuan.¡± xiang wan set a high price.


    liu gang, the thief, heard that he could earn five yuan, and widened his eyes in disbelief. five yuan, he could barely earn five cents after working all day, this was a tenfold increase!


    ling yun, who had been standing behind the thief, suddenly chimed in, addressing xiang wan, ¡°are you looking for a fighter? i know the owner of a martial arts gym. would you be interested?¡±


    the promise of 5 yuan as payment piqued ling yun¡¯s interest.


    xiang wan¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°yes! that¡¯s exactly what i need.¡±


    the owner of the martial arts gym that ling yun mentioned was his brother. they had co-founded the gym together. however, ling yun didn¡¯t enjoy spending all his time at the gym, and his appearance wasn¡¯t that of a rugged martial artist, so he let his brother take the role of the gym¡¯s head instructor.


    ¡°alright then, including the two of you and your brother, find ten more people for me, and meet me at the location mentioned in the note.¡± she handed them the prepared note.


    she originally had intended to write down her home address, but since finding assistance went so smoothly, she changed it to the address of the newspaper office.


    after confirming the details with them, xiang wan hurried back to the newspaper office to find chu ying.

 Chapter 5

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    just as xiang wan arrived at the entrance of the newspaper office, she saw chu ying rushing out.


    ¡°perfect timing, i was just about to find you! i¡¯ve got some major news!¡± excitedly, chu ying grabbed xiang wan¡¯s hand.


    ¡°news? tell me!¡± xiang wan looked at chu ying with delight. she hadn¡¯t expected things to go so smoothly on this end as well. it seemed like she should buy a lottery ticket today ¨C she was bound to win!


    ¡°this afternoon, huo song is hosting a banquet for the factory workers. i assume it¡¯s related to his campaign for the position of factory director. this is a good opportunity for us!¡± chu ying exclaimed.


    ¡°i thought about it. to deal with that scoundrel, we should let him have a taste of falling from the clouds! wouldn¡¯t it be more satisfying if we destroy his path to promotion?!¡± as she spoke, chu ying¡¯s voice grew softer, but her excitement became more evident.


    glancing at the excited chu ying, xiang wan caught sight of a group of people approaching from not too far away. she cryptically said, ¡°let¡¯s go, i¡¯ll show you the ropes, little sister.¡±


    at the huo residence.


    a group of people dressed in peasant outfits raised their glasses in celebration around a table.


    ¡°cough, cough. welcome everyone here today. i¡¯m very happy to work alongside you all. fate brought us together. come, cheers to our fate!¡± huo song stood up, raised his glass, and proposed a toast to the crowd.


    ¡°cheers to fate!¡±


    ¡°cheers to manager huo!¡±


    ¡°here¡¯s to the money!¡±


    everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together before downing them in one gulp.


    ¡°today, there¡¯s something else i want to talk about. i won¡¯t beat around the bush since everyone knows about it. the contributions i¡¯ve made to our factory are clear to everyone. i won¡¯t say much more, but if all of you here can help me, huo song, reach a higher level, i will always remember your kindness!¡± huo song looked at everyone in front of him, delivering his campaign declaration.


    as soon as the others heard his last sentence, they became exceptionally excited. ¡°you vote for me, and i¡¯ll vote for you. tomorrow, the factory manager¡¯s surname will be huo.¡±


    ¡°then we must congratulate director huo in advance!¡±


    ¡°director huo, don¡¯t forget us, your old friends when the time comes!¡±


    compliments and flattery echoed in huo song¡¯s mind. he felt like he was losing himself in all the pursuit. seeing that his goal had been achieved, he invited everyone to eat and drink to their heart¡¯s content.


    the women¡¯s side was no different, with mrs. huo, liu lu, entertaining the female guests.


    ¡°congratulations, madam director!¡± the female workers surrounded liu lu, showering her with praises.


    ¡°don¡¯t jump to conclusions. it¡¯s not confirmed yet,¡± liu lu¡¯s lips curved into a smile that almost reached her ears as she pretended to stop them from speculating.


    ¡°we¡¯re not speculating. isn¡¯t it obvious? everyone knows that i never lie!¡± madam li was flattered.


    ¡°your words are too sweet!¡± liu lu covered her face and laughed.


    ¡°everyone, enjoy the food and drinks. if it¡¯s not enough, there¡¯s more! i¡¯ll arrange anything you want to eat today! let¡¯s all earn money together!¡±


    when they arrived at the entrance of xiang yuan, they overheard this sentence.


    xiang wan glanced at ling yun, and he understood. he stepped forward and kicked open the mansion¡¯s gate.


    ¡°bang!¡±


    ling yun led the way, liu gang protected xiang wan and chu ying, and the group stormed into the yard.


    the guests in the courtyard looked at them in surprise.


    ¡°earn money together? i wonder when boss huo will give me my share of the rent?¡± xiang wan¡¯s cool voice reached everyone¡¯s ears.


    ¡°who are you? why should i give you rent? what did i rent from you?¡± huo song stood up and questioned.


    ¡°who am i? of course, i¡¯m the owner of this house! you¡¯ve been living in this house for so many years. you can¡¯t be unaware that the house belongs to the xiang family, right? i¡¯m just asking for some rent, it¡¯s not too much, right? after all, we¡¯re all earning money together!¡± xiang wan mocked him.


    ¡°the ownership of this house is written in the xiang family¡¯s name! you, a thief, are shamelessly trying to take over our nest!¡± xiang wan pressed forward step by step.


    ¡°don¡¯t spout nonsense, and don¡¯t try to confuse the situation. if you keep talking nonsense, i will have someone send you away!¡± threatened huo song


    ¡°why are you so nervous? guilty conscience, perhaps?¡± xiang wan continued to press.


    at this moment, everyone¡¯s expressions changed subtly when they observed huo song.


    ¡°shut up! don¡¯t believe her lies, everyone. she¡¯s here to sabotage our plans, to prevent me from becoming the factory manager! tell us who sent you! i¡¯ll pay double the price!¡± huo song, cornered by relentless questioning, was so nervous that his head was covered in sweat.


    ¡°hurry up, call security! are they all dead? get them out of here!¡± huo song frantically looked around, trying to find help.

 Chapter 6

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°stop yelling, no one is coming to save you no matter even if you scream your lungs out! my people are all outside now,¡± said xiang wan, glancing at him before continuing, ¡°this house was entrusted to the huo family 14 years ago. you¡¯ve been living here for more than ten years, let¡¯s assume 12 years. if we calculate based on the market price, you owe me 6,000 yuan. and mind you, that¡¯s already a discounted rate! not too expensive, right?¡±


    ling yun chimed in, ¡°that¡¯s not all. given the location of this house, it costs at least 50 yuan a month.¡±


    ling yun wasn¡¯t wrong. given xiang yuan¡¯s location and size, it would have been worth 40 to 50 yuan several years ago. asking for 50 yuan was going easy on him.


    upon hearing this, xiang wan put on an expression that seemed to say, ¡®see how considerate i am? i¡¯m even saving you money!¡¯


    huo song struggled to suppress his inner rage and calmly said to xiang wan, ¡°miss, i believe there must be a misunderstanding between us. i¡¯ve always lived here and the people around here know me. if you¡¯re saying this house doesn¡¯t belong to me, please provide evidence. while i might not be very influential, i still have some connections in xiang jiang. it won¡¯t be good for you if this matter gets out.¡±


    then, huo song tried his best to persuade her again. ¡°i¡¯m a grown man, so i don¡¯t mind much. i am confident in my innocence. as for you, a young lady being arrested by the police wouldn¡¯t sound nice.¡±


    ¡°you old fart, you even know how to threaten people now? i¡¯ve never seen someone as shameless as you!¡± before xiang wan could respond, chu ying rolled up her sleeves and angrily pointed at huo song, cursing him loudly.


    having a background is so impressive, huh? if i reveal my family background, you¡¯d be scared out of your wits long ago!


    chu ying hated to see anyone bully xiang wan, especially in her presence. this huo song was truly shameless, and she was determined to have her father apprehend him!


    huo song stared at the defiant tomboy before him, his lips quivering in anger. he couldn¡¯t manage to utter a word for a while.


    ¡°don¡¯t get too worked up. if you get angry and drop dead, no one will compensate me. originally, i thought that if we could discuss this properly, i could give you some more time. but since you¡¯re being so unreasonable, don¡¯t blame me,¡± xiang wan said, raising her gaze and smiling at huo song and his wife.


    as people in the hall looked at xiang wan¡¯s smile, bright and radiant like the sun in spring, they were momentarily entranced.


    huo song and his wife watched xiang wan¡¯s smile, feeling a chill run down their spines as if a demon had grasped their throats. ¡°what are you going to do?¡± they asked.


    ¡°what can a weak woman like me do? i want to seek justice. since you¡¯re not willing to return the house or pay for it, then we¡¯ll have to take matters into our own hands,¡± xiang wan said, turning slightly to make room for ling yun behind her. ¡°take everything valuable from this house, leave nothing behind!¡±


    originally, xiang wan had planned to destroy all the hard work huo song and his wife had put into the house. however, she changed her mind. while she didn¡¯t care for the items inside, giving some compensation to others was still acceptable.


    as soon as xiang wan finished speaking, ling yun signaled his brothers behind him to start moving things. he strode towards huo song to prevent any desperate struggle.


    ¡°you can¡¯t do this! stop!¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t come any closer, don¡¯t come! i¡¯ll call the police! i¡¯m calling the police!¡±


    terrified, huo song tried to evade ling yun¡¯s outstretched hand, but how could a good-for-nothing like him resist? ling yun¡¯s grasp quickly subdued him.


    huo song glared viciously at xiang wan and turned his head to plead with the employees behind him in a desperate struggle, shouting, ¡°i beseech all of you to help me! once i become the factory manager, i¡¯ll repay you all for this favor. i plan to hire workers¡¯ family members at the factory, so everyone can join!¡±


    huo song, gasping for breath from exhaustion, looked at his employees with hope in his eyes.


    but there was no one to be found. liu lu was the only one being held down by one of ling yun¡¯s brothers and was struggling wildly on the ground.


    it turned out that before huo song was apprehended, the group of workers had quietly left the huo family¡¯s residence.


    facing a major crisis, they each took their paths, of course. they couldn¡¯t risk their lives just because huo song made a few grand promises!


    they were no fools. the people brought by the opposing side had the skills, capable of lifting heavy burdens with just a hand. was that something ordinary people could resist? not. survival was the priority, and who cared if huo song was going to become a factory manager?


    huo song saw that there was no one behind him, and he was dumbfounded. he nearly spat out blood in astonishment. what a bunch of ingrates!


    all his past care and provisions for these people, all the food and drinks he had given them, the sweet words he had spoken. and where were those people now? running faster than rabbits!


    they were all ungrateful wolf cubs!


    bah!


    with no more strength to resist, huo song let go of his struggling efforts and allowed ling yun to drag him to sit helplessly on the ground.

 Chapter 7

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ling yun¡¯s brothers swept through the huo family like locusts.


    ¡°miss, let¡¯s take this wardrobe away!¡±


    ¡°miss, take this bed away too!¡±


    ¡°miss, i think the patterns on the wall are quite good!¡±


    ¡°miss¡­¡±


    all of a sudden, she saw a burly man walking out with a bunch of women¡¯s undergarments, leaving her bewildered.


    ¡°hey! cui brat, what are you doing with that? those are for women. put it down!¡± ling yun roared in frustration, his face turning red with embarrassment.


    ¡°huh? they look pretty good. i want to give them to my mother.¡± cui sheng rolled up the items in his hand and wrapped them in a piece of cloth. he didn¡¯t understand what ling yun meant. he just thought these things looked nice.


    xiang wan looked at the dazzling array of clothes and thought to herself, ¡°this old man huo is quite a player behind, huh?¡± she gave huo song a meaningful glance.


    when huo song saw those items, his face turned so red that it could drip blood. he wished he could find a hole to hide in.


    he glared at xiang wan intensely again. it was all because of this woman that he was so embarrassed!


    liu lu looked at the chaotic scene before her, crazily trying to stop the people from moving things, but she was being controlled on the ground, unable to even lift her head. she could only cry.


    liu gang led his men around the house again and again, almost tearing the house apart, but they just couldn¡¯t find anything valuable. they only managed to find a few coins in the wardrobe.


    logically speaking, this shouldn¡¯t be the case!


    the huo family was living a prosperous life. liu gang would never believe that this was all the money they had.


    xiang wan wasn¡¯t surprised at all. a person like huo song must have hidden his money. having a dozen or so coins would be enough for his daily life.


    xiang wan gave liu gang a trusting look, signaling him to stay calm.


    ¡°i¡¯m only here today to inform you that i¡¯ll take back this house whether you like it or not.¡± she glanced at huo song and his wife, taking in their miserable state.


    ¡°b*tch, just you wait. i¡¯ll put you in jail! i¡¯ll make you die a horrible death! you little whore!¡± huo song cursed.


    xiang wan rubbed her ears irritably, selectively ignoring his foul language.


    ¡°i originally thought we could compromise, but it seems you¡¯re not willing to. so, i¡¯ll proceed with my methods. the things i¡¯ve moved out will be considered the interest for these years. i¡¯ll be back tomorrow, and i hope by then you¡¯ll have packed your things and prepared for compensation. otherwise, i have plenty of ways to make you suffer! do you still want to be a factory manager? dream on!¡±


    xiang wan no longer paid attention to their wailing, ushering chu ying and the others to carry the things and leave.


    huo song could only watch helplessly as xiang wan led her people away. he couldn¡¯t do anything.


    liu lu could no longer control her emotions and burst into a loud rant, ¡°i¡¯ll kill them! i¡¯ll kill them!! those damn b*stards, i want them to rot in hell!¡±


    ¡°shut up! what¡¯s the point of yelling!¡± huo song scolded his wife, who was going crazy.


    ¡°well, what do you suggest then? they¡¯ve torn my home apart! why is this happening to me!¡± liu lu sat on the ground, kicking her legs in distress while crying.


    ¡°stop shouting. do you think it¡¯s not embarrassing enough?¡± huo song scolded loudly, then whispered to liu lu, ¡°hurry up and bring me the things i told you to hide! be discreet about it!¡±


    liu lu hesitated for a moment as if remembering something. she stopped crying and stood up.


    she walked to the stairwell, crouched down, and began searching in the crevices of the wall. soon, she retrieved a vintage-looking safe box.


    no one would have thought that the item was hidden in such a concealed place! no wonder they couldn¡¯t find it!


    there was a removable brick at the corner of the staircase, and they had already dug a small pit under the wall to place the box.


    ¡°why did you ask me to find this?¡± liu lu held onto the box as if it were a treasure, afraid of dropping it.


    ¡°give it to me. why so much nonsense!¡± huo song lowered his voice, urging liu lu to hand it over quickly.


    ¡°go to the factory and apply for a few days of leave for us. then, go look for the children and tell them to stay in school for the next few days or go to your mother¡¯s place. tell them that the house is undergoing renovation and can¡¯t be lived in. don¡¯t tell them about what happened today,¡± huo song said to liu lu as he took out a few notes from the box.


    ¡°i¡¯ll leave while it¡¯s still early. i¡¯ll be back soon. after i leave, just close the door and refuse to see anyone, understand?¡± huo song was worried that liu lu would give away their intentions and reminded her several times.


    ¡°where are you going?¡± liu lu asked, fear evident in her voice.

 Chapter 8

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°i¡¯m going to find help. don¡¯t ask about the details. i¡¯m leaving! remember to wait on my return!¡± with these words, huo song didn¡¯t even look back and hurriedly left the house.


    liu lu watched as huo song left, then lifted the broken door panel from the ground and gently closed the door.


    back in the house, liu lu took out a few more notes from the money box, sealed the box securely, and carefully placed it back in its original spot before replacing the brick.


    liu lu tried to find a piece of cloth to wrap the money in, but she couldn¡¯t find any. even a piece of cloth was taken away!


    ¡°damn them all! they won¡¯t have a good ending!¡± liu lu cursed angrily.


    she cautiously tucked the money into the pocket of her bra, patted her chest, and calmed herself down.


    glancing at the wall clock, she realized there was only an hour left until school ended. liu lu paid no mind to the mess in the house and quickly walked out the door.


    ¡ª-


    xiang wan returned to the port with the group.


    the people at the port, seeing them arriving with all their belongings, assumed they were looking for a place to rent and smelled a business opportunity.


    they surrounded them with questions, and xiang wan politely declined several offers, explaining that she was just looking for help with moving. eventually, the others gave up.


    ¡°thank you all for your hard work today. searching for things and moving furniture around was no easy task. feel free to divide the items inside this envelope amongst yourselves. consider it your reward.¡± xiang wan handed the envelope from her bag to ling yun.


    she was satisfied with the people that ling yun and liu gang had managed to gather. given the time constraints, having over a dozen people was quite impressive. moreover, half of them were from the martial arts gym.


    the envelope had been purchased from the online shop. even the food coupons and money inside the envelope had been exchanged electronically through the mall.


    items from the store could be directly exchanged into her bag without any assembly required. furthermore, the money from the store could be automatically converted into the desired currency, regardless of the country.


    after handing over the money, xiang wan bid farewell to ling yun and the others and headed back to the newspaper office with chu ying.


    as for how they were going to split the furniture, it was not her concern.


    ¡°wanwan, don¡¯t worry. if that huo guy comes looking for trouble with you, you can look for me or leave me a message. i¡¯ll help you! but you¡¯re so cool today!¡± chu ying was full of admiration when she thought of how domineering xiang wan was just now.


    ¡°with you guys around, of course, i¡¯m not afraid! it¡¯s alright, i won¡¯t give them a chance.¡± xiang wan reassured her.


    seeing the sincerity in chu ying¡¯s eyes, a warm feeling welled up in xiang wan¡¯s heart. it had been a long time since she had been treated with such genuine care!


    in her previous life, she didn¡¯t have any friends. there were too many things that she couldn¡¯t control in the upper-class society, surrounded by countless pressures and traps.


    she had to act around everyone because she didn¡¯t know if the person in front of her was a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing or a genuine friend. a single misstep could lead her to a grave.


    though she was still unwilling, the days she had spent in this world could be considered the most relaxed and joyful days she had experienced.


    ¡°by the way, i¡¯ll have my dad accompany you tomorrow! my dad is the captain of the traffic police division. he might look a bit stern, but he¡¯s very nice. he¡¯ll help you out.¡± chu ying thought about how huo song seemed to know some influential people and wondered if her dad could handle it.


    xiang wan hadn¡¯t expected chu ying to have such a background. no wonder she was thriving at the newspaper.


    ¡°no need to trouble uncle for this; i have my plan,¡± xiang wan said mysteriously, giving a subtle refusal.


    ¡°alright, but if there¡¯s anything, you must tell me!¡± chu ying reminded her.


    ¡°today¡¯s incident will be a huge scoop, hahaha! let¡¯s call the headline ¡®shocking! unexpected attempt by a prospective factory manager to seize residential property!!¡¯ how does that sound? it¡¯ll surely grab people¡¯s attention!¡± chu ying returned to her usual work mode, instantly energized. it was clear that she truly loved her job.


    just like that, she chatted with chu ying for a while to discuss the content of this ¡®big scoop¡¯.


    seeing that it was getting late, xiang wan bid farewell to chu ying as she had an important matter to attend to.


    only then did chu ying reluctantly send her to the car.


    after informing the driver of the destination, xiang wan took out a small mirror from her bag and tidied up her appearance in the car.


    she tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ears, removed her dangling earrings, and replaced them with a pair of delicate silver flower studs. she wiped off the bold lipstick and applied a lip gloss that matched her natural lip color.


    after she was done, the car arrived at the destination¡ªthe municipal building.


    indeed, her brilliant plan was to get yang heng involved.


    yang heng had always been her trump card, which was why she had declined chu ying¡¯s kind offer.

 Chapter 9

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    after the commotion at the huo residence, xiang wan was well aware that someone as vengeful as huo song would not simply let things rest. the purpose of causing the scene was to teach huo song a lesson, but the greatest support to truly regain the property was yang heng.


    casually giving the driver a 5 yuan tip, xiang wan walked into the building while the driver stared in astonishment at the money in his hand.


    ¡°hello, may i ask what you need, miss?¡± the receptionist at the front desk noticed xiang wan right away.


    ¡°hello, i¡¯m here to look for my elder. this is his photo. could you please help me inquire? thank you.¡± she handed over the photo that chen ma had managed to find.


    having a photo would allow her to accurately find the person she was looking for without being treated as a troublemaker, avoiding the risk of being thrown out.


    ¡°you¡¯re welcome, in the service of the people! are you looking for mr. yang¡­ director yang? please wait, i¡¯ll contact him for you right away.¡± the receptionist¡¯s expression changed slightly as she glanced at xiang wan, then she carefully examined the photo in her hand to confirm she wasn¡¯t mistaken. she wondered about xiang wan¡¯s background ¨C to know chief yang personally, but she didn¡¯t stop and promptly dialed the number.


    she knew that uncle yang was not simple, but she didn¡¯t expect him to be a chief!


    it seemed that her request was settled.


    ¡°miss, please wait for a moment. someone will come to escort you up shortly.¡± after hanging up the phone, the receptionist smiled even more brightly at xiang wan and asked her to be patient. ¡°please register first.¡±


    xiang wan nodded slightly and took the pen from the receptionist¡¯s hand.


    it didn¡¯t take long before xiang wan saw a man rushing down.


    ¡°are you miss xiang? i am the assistant to the bureau chief. he is waiting for you in his office. just follow me,¡± the man, who looked around 40 years old and had a square face, said hurriedly. he had a simple and honest appearance.


    ¡°hello, i¡¯m xiang wan. please lead the way.¡± she replied politely.


    she followed the man upstairs. the receptionist at the front desk stared blankly at her back, and her eyes instantly became starry.


    such a good-looking person, with such a powerful backup, and so gentle and polite, did not make people feel distant at all.


    xiang wan did not know that she had left such a good impression on others. she followed the assistant into yang heng¡¯s office.


    ¡°miss xiang, wait here for a while. the chief will be back soon.¡± the assistant left the room after saying that.


    she sat on the sofa and waited, looking around the environment. the room had a distinctive style of an experienced official.


    the room wasn¡¯t cluttered; most of it consisted of files and records. there was a vintage desk lamp on the desk, and a lucky bamboo plant was placed beside it.


    not long after, yang heng hurriedly walked in.


    ¡°wan¡¯er, why are you here? is there something you need from me?¡± the young lady had come to look for him. he thought that something had happened. could it be that some blind people had ulterior motives? with this in mind, he quickly returned.


    ¡°uncle yang, don¡¯t worry. there¡¯s indeed something i need your help with.¡± xiang wan explained.


    ¡°i just found out that grandpa has a house in xiang jiang not long ago, but it¡¯s now occupied by someone else. i want to reclaim this property, but i don¡¯t know what to do.¡± she looked at yang heng.


    ¡°this is outrageous! there are still people illegally occupying homes these days. they have no respect for us!¡± yang heng slammed the table angrily upon hearing this.


    ¡°wait a moment. i¡¯ll get someone to investigate now. old zhang! old zhang!¡± yang heng called out anxiously.


    the assistant who brought her upstairs came in. ¡°chief!¡±


    ¡°my niece encountered an issue. find out more and investigate this matter,¡± yang heng instructed the assistant.


    ¡°miss xiang, can you describe what you just said?¡± the assistant took out his notepad and looked at her.


    following his request, she repeated what she had said to yang heng without any changes.


    after all, a person like yang heng could easily detect discrepancies in stories, especially when she was the victim herself.


    ¡°¡­moreover, today i went to the huo family¡¯s residence. because i was scared, i brought some people along to support me. once inside, i revealed my identity.¡±


    ¡°they¡¯ve lived in this house for so many years, so there must be some wear and tear. i told them about the compensation and rent, but not only did they refuse to return the property, huo song even threatened me, saying that he has influential connections in xiang jiang and would have me arrested. when i heard that, i was so scared that i came to trouble you.¡± xiang wan spoke with a hint of grievance.

 Chapter 10

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°threatened you? fine! i want to see what they¡¯re capable of!¡± yang heng slammed the table angrily. ¡°tomorrow, tomorrow i¡¯ll personally accompany you to the huo family.¡±


    he had thought that the city had improved under his efforts, but to his surprise, villains were still forcibly seizing homes right under his nose, and it was happening to people he cared for. yang heng felt a deep sense of shame.


    ¡°wan¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. i¡¯ll sort this out for you!¡± yang heng reassured her.


    ¡°wouldn¡¯t that be too much trouble for uncle yang!¡± she said apologetically.


    ¡°this incident has seriously affected the reputation of xiang jiang city, not to mention it¡¯s related to you,¡± yang heng said firmly.


    ¡°by the way, your auntie ting kept reminding me to bring you home for dinner. do you have any plans next? if not, come with me. it¡¯ll be a good way to relieve stress!¡± yang heng looked at xiang wan affectionately.


    ¡°sure! i wanted to meet auntie as well!¡± xiang wan replied politely. since the elders had invited her, how could she refuse?


    ¡°great, great. i¡¯ll call your auntie right away and tell her to prepare more dishes!¡± yang heng said as he walked out to make the call.


    xiang wan smiled and thought to herself how wonderful it was to have such a caring elder protecting her. he didn¡¯t even ask why she had investigated so thoroughly. he knew she had gone to disrupt their event knowing that they were having a banquet. perhaps uncle yang had already caught onto her cautious plan.


    it felt wonderful to be favored.


    let¡¯s go, wan¡¯er. i¡¯ve talked to your aunt. she¡¯s excited and said she¡¯ll make you braised pork ribs. you¡¯re in for a treat! your aunt¡¯s braised pork ribs are exceptional, something you can¡¯t normally eat. i¡¯ll be enjoying it all thanks to you!¡± yang heng grinned with joy, feeling even more convinced that inviting xiang wan for dinner was the right decision.


    ¡°it¡¯s all thanks to your kind invitation that i get to enjoy it!¡± xiang wan replied graciously.


    ¡°you¡¯re such a well-mannered child, not arrogant at all.¡± yang heng looked at her with satisfaction, increasingly seeing her as an elegant young lady.


    the two of them got into yang heng¡¯s car and headed straight to his home¡ªjing yuan.


    yang heng often drove between his home and workplace, never finding it a hassle.


    although the government had built unit apartments nearby to provide them with a better living environment, yang heng rarely stayed there. he usually only spent the night when he was exceptionally busy.


    yang heng¡¯s wife was named wang ting, and she worked at a hospital nearby. that¡¯s why yang heng hadn¡¯t asked his family to move into the staff quarters. wang ting¡¯s work could be busier than yang heng¡¯s at times, so he had to commute. but yang heng was more than willing.


    they had a son who was fifteen years old this year, three years younger than xiang wan. he also attended a school near jing yuan.


    ¡°we¡¯ve arrived. you go ahead, i¡¯ll park the car.¡± yang heng turned to xiang wan.


    xiang wan nodded and got out of the car, waiting for yang heng to return.


    at this moment, xiang wan was feeling quite anxious. it was her first time visiting, and she hadn¡¯t brought anything. she felt it was impolite, but the circumstances back then didn¡¯t allow her to buy anything.


    as yang heng was approaching, she made a determined decision. she bought a can of aged pu-erh tea and a bottle of perfume from a nearby mall.


    these items were already available in this era, but they were relatively expensive. however, they didn¡¯t pose much of an issue for her.


    as for what to buy for the young boy, she had no clue what a fifteen-year-old would like. she ended up purchasing a puzzle decryption toy, as teenagers of that age usually enjoyed trying out new things.


    fortunately, these three items weren¡¯t too large; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have fit in her small purse.


    the two of them entered an alley and saw a middle-aged woman pacing anxiously at the door.


    ¡°you¡¯re finally back! is this¡­ is this wan¡¯er? she¡¯s so pretty, oh my!¡± wang ting looked at the girl before her, her face lighting up as if she hadn¡¯t even noticed yang heng.


    ¡°hello, auntie. i¡¯m xiang wan. you¡¯re the one who¡¯s truly beautiful, taking care of yourself so well. you look like a young lady in her twenties!¡± xiang wan complimented warmly, quickly approaching and shaking wang ting¡¯s outstretched hand.


    ¡°this child knows how to talk. come in quickly! it¡¯s chilly outside!¡± wang ting warmly ushered xiang wan into the house, completely unaware of her husband¡¯s melancholic gaze.

 Chapter 11

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    even in her dreams, wang ting wanted another fragrant and soft daughter. she was so excited when she saw xiang wan!


    ¡°why are you still standing outside? come in quickly!¡± wang ting just noticed that yang heng was standing outside without entering the house and asked curiously.


    yang heng looked aggrieved as he slowly entered the house.


    ¡°dad, why did you just come in? could it be that the sandstorm outside blinded your eyes and you couldn¡¯t find the door?¡± yang yang observed the situation outside clearly and as soon as he saw yang heng enter, he quickly teased him.


    ¡°rascal, how dare you tease me!¡± yang heng playfully raised his hand and waved at yang yang. ¡°hurry up and greet. this is your sister xiang wan.¡±


    ¡°hello, sis xiang wan! i am yang yang, soaring high like a yang!¡± yang yang introduced himself seriously.


    he had never seen anyone so good-looking before, not even the prettiest girl in his school was one percent as good as xiang wan. hence, he tried his best to leave a good impression on her.


    ¡°alright, stop chatting. wan¡¯er, please sit down quickly. little yang, help me get the bowls and chopsticks!¡± wang ting brought the dishes over and called yang yang to pick up the bowls.


    before she could say anything, she was arranged to sit down obediently at the dining table and help to arrange the dishes and cutlery.


    looking at the table full of delicious food in front of her, xiang wan teared up.


    it had been a long time since she felt the warmth of a home, and she hadn¡¯t sat for a meal with a family together.


    in her past life, xiang wan lived cautiously at home. in front of others, she had to maintain the demeanor and grace of a noble lady. behind closed doors, she had to face the challenges and threats from her scumbag father and illegitimate siblings.


    she couldn¡¯t take a wrong step. every day, she had to practice how to become a qualified young lady of the xiang family to secure her position and protect her mother¡¯s assets.


    xiang wan had not experienced such a family atmosphere for a long time.


    ¡°why are you crying? it¡¯s alright, wan¡¯er. you¡¯ve broken aunt¡¯s heart with your tears! what¡¯s wrong?¡± wang ting noticed that xiang wan¡¯s mood was off and hurriedly walked over, wiping her hands on her apron to dry the water stains.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry, auntie. i just suddenly thought of my family.¡± xiang wan choked out.


    ¡°good child, don¡¯t cry. my good wan¡¯er. don¡¯t cry.¡± wang ting comforted her when she saw her crying.


    ¡°it¡¯s alright, auntie. i¡¯m sorry for ruining the atmosphere.¡± xiang wan wiped her tears and said apologetically.


    ¡°no, from now on, come to auntie¡¯s house for meals. auntie will cook delicious food for you. treat it as your own home, okay?¡± wang ting consoled xiang wan, complaining to fate for subjecting such a good girl to so much misfortune.


    ¡°that¡¯s right, sis wan. i heard that you¡¯re studying abroad. if you have time, please teach me their lessons!¡± yang yang quickly said, trying to comfort her.


    ¡°your auntie is right. this is your home.¡± yang heng did not say much, but every word carried determination.


    ¡°thank you¡­¡± she said gratefully.


    seeing that she finally smiled, everyone finally started eating.


    after the meal, she took out the presents from her bag and handed them one by one.


    ¡°auntie, this is french perfume. i think it suits you.¡±


    ¡°if you¡¯re here, so be it. why did you bring presents? old yang, what¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± wang ting glared at yang heng.


    ¡°this perfume seems quite expensive. i can¡¯t accept it! you can keep it for your use!¡± wang ting glanced at the packaging and thought that it was the same brand as one of the patient¡¯s family in the vip ward of the hospital. she quickly waved it off.


    ¡°it¡¯s not expensive. i think this fragrance suits auntie the best!¡± xiang wan handed the perfume back to wang ting.


    before wang ting could say anything, xiang wan turned to yang heng and said, ¡°uncle yang, this is a tin of aged pu-erh tea i got by chance. now, it¡¯s about the right time to drink it.¡±


    yang heng¡¯s eyes lit up as he took the tea tin and carefully examined it.


    yang yang looked at xiang wan with anticipation, and she decided to playfully tease him, not saying anything further.


    ¡°and what about mine, sister xiang wan? what did you get for me!¡± yang yang looked at what his parents were holding, his eyes full of longing.


    ¡°oh, i didn¡¯t know what boys like, so i didn¡¯t buy anything for you. if you tell me what you want, i¡¯ll bring it for you next time!¡± she looked at yang yang with embarrassment.


    ¡°oh, i see.¡± yang yang immediately felt downcast.


    yang heng and his wife suppressed their laughter at his reaction. how could xiang wan, who was so considerate, forget to bring something for him? however, it was amusing to see him sulking.


    ¡°i¡¯m just teasing you. here, this is for you!¡± she handed him the last item in her bag.


    ¡°i knew sister wan wouldn¡¯t forget me!¡± yang yang exclaimed excitedly as he took the toy.


    everyone burst into laughter.

 Chapter 12

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    after chatting for a while, she saw that it was getting late and took her leave.


    reluctantly, wang ting saw xiang wan off to the car, instructing yang heng to ensure her safe return home.


    yang heng escorted xiang wan back to her home, and he advised her to rest well today and assured her that he would pick her up early tomorrow to go to huo¡¯s residence together.


    the next day, xiang wan woke up early. perhaps the warm atmosphere from yesterday had an impact on her mood before sleeping, as she had a very good night without any dreams.


    not long after, yang heng and old zhang drove over to pick her up. she got into the car and headed to the huo residence.


    ¡°uncle yang, don¡¯t go in first. uncle zhang and i will go in first. i¡¯ll have a battle of wits with them first to gather some evidence. if the situation gets out of control, i¡¯ll signal uncle zhang to come and ask you for help. you can come and help me hold the fort!¡± xiang wan winked at yang heng.


    ¡°hahaha, alright, alright! we¡¯ll do as you say!¡± yang heng laughed heartily when he saw her mischievous expression.


    seeing that he had agreed, the corners of her lips curled up into a smile as she looked at him. she then got out of the car with old zhang and entered the huo family¡¯s residence.


    as old zhang observed the interaction between the girl and the chief, along with the information he had uncovered the previous day, his respect for the girl grew.


    xiang wan appeared gentle on the surface, but she was quite formidable. yesterday, she seemed to be the victim, but she didn¡¯t suffer any losses at all. on the contrary, it was the other who suffered heavy losses.


    when he told chief yang about this, chief yang did not say anything. instead, he was happy and unhappy at the same time, sighing as he said that she was becoming more and more like that person. old zhang could not figure out who he was referring to, perhaps a friend of the chief.


    in the huo family¡¯s living room.


    huo song was toasting with a middle-aged man, while liu lu stood by serving them.


    ¡°i¡¯ll have to trouble brother fu later. here¡¯s a toast to you,¡± huo song raised his glass and said to fu shan.


    fu shan was the captain of the traffic police team. due to certain reasons, he held considerable authority in the team. huo song had a somewhat distant relationship with him, merely an acquaintance.


    initially, fu shan had no interest in meddling in such trivial family matters. however, due to huo song¡¯s considerable favors and the fact that it was just a matter of helping him show off some dominance, he reluctantly agreed to make the trip.


    he was also afraid of getting into trouble, so he had someone investigate the other party in advance. he found out that she was just an orphan girl returning to the country alone, not worth mentioning. that¡¯s why he agreed to take on this task.


    after all, just making a trip could earn him a substantial reward, and it would also add to his achievements. why not!


    ¡°no problem, no problem!¡± fu shan sipped the tea in his hand and wrinkled his brow. he couldn¡¯t stand this lousy tea; alcohol was much more satisfying!


    setting down the teacup, fu shan casually turned his head and caught a glimpse of an elegantly adorned skirt hem.


    raising his gaze, fu shan froze in place.


    the person before him seemed to have stepped out of a painting. with a touch of makeup on her face and a perfectly poised smile, her willowy eyebrows curved gently above her forehead, and her peach-blossom eyes blinked seductively.


    the person who entered was xiang wan, with old zhang following behind her.


    ¡°brother fu, brother fu?¡± huo song was wondering why fu shan was stunned on the spot when he heard a scream beside him.


    ¡°ah! it¡¯s her! captain fu! it¡¯s this b*tch¡­ woman who wants to steal our house! hurry up and arrest her!¡± liu lu saw xiang wan right away and viciously cursed at her, pointing her finger.


    liu lu had come to despise xiang wan. if it weren¡¯t for her sudden appearance, liu lu should have been enjoying an enviable position as the ¡®factory director¡¯s wife¡¯. if it weren¡¯t for xiang wan, her treasured jewelry wouldn¡¯t have been taken away, and if it wasn¡¯t for xiang wan¡­


    huo song also looked at xiang wan, and his eyes flared with anger. seeing her, he was reminded of that day¡¯s humiliation.


    falling from the divine platform into the mud pool, he had never been so humiliated in his entire life!


    ¡°brother fu, remember our agreement! if this matter is resolved, you can choose anything from the huo family!¡± huo song whispered to fu shan in a low voice.


    ¡°alright, alright, alright!¡± fu shan said the word ¡®alright¡¯ three times in a row.


    huo song looked at fu shan¡¯s infatuated face and cursed in his heart. could it be that he was enticed by that little b*tch¡¯s beauty?


    ¡°brother fu, don¡¯t be anxious. if you can help me settle this matter and send this woman to prison, what happens to her will be up to you, right? you¡¯ll have money, a career, and a beautiful woman, all in your hand! hehehe~¡± huo song quickly tried to tempt him, his face revealing an evil smile.


    seeing the strange looks in the eyes of the two men, xiang wan guessed what they were thinking and shuddered internally.

 Chapter 13

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°don¡¯t shout so loudly. i know you must be really looking forward to my arrival, so stop yelling. i¡¯m here now.¡± xiang wan replied, ignoring liu lu¡¯s curses, as she looked at the two men in the yard.


    was this the backup huo song had brought? he didn¡¯t look very reliable.


    ¡°miss, do you have some misunderstanding with the two of them? i¡¯m fu shan, a police officer from this area. as far as i remember, they have been living here for a long time, and the neighbors all know them,¡± fu shan said with a smirk, trying to intimidate her.


    but xiang wan wasn¡¯t easily intimidated; she didn¡¯t take this trick seriously.


    ¡°by your logic, one day if someone said you were a pig, and they kept saying it for over a decade, would you become a pig?¡± xiang wan looked at him amusedly, unperturbed.


    ¡°well, it¡¯s not the same¡­ huh? are you calling me a pig?¡± fu shan couldn¡¯t believe it, feeling both embarrassed and furious. embarrassed because he found xiang wan¡¯s point valid, and furious because he hadn¡¯t caught on to her insult.


    ¡°did i say that? i don¡¯t think so!¡± she lifted an eyebrow, glancing at fu shan.


    it had to be said, her description of fu shan was accurate.


    fu shan was about 170 cm tall, but he was almost 135 cm wide, a solid-built man who looked like a small hill. his face was covered in greasy folds of flesh, and the collar of his shirt was also covered in alternating black and yellow stripes.


    ¡°don¡¯t change the subject! insulting a police officer can lead to detention! this is outrageous!¡± fu shan said angrily.


    ¡°sir, please help me!¡± huo song interrupted at the right moment, signaling liu lu to join him in acting pitifully. he blinked frantically at liu lu, hoping she¡¯d go in front of fu shan and play along.


    ¡°sir, please help me! i really can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± liu lu¡¯s cries were even more miserable than huo song¡¯s.


    old zhang looked at the scene in front of him and tilted his head to look at the sky, looking indifferent.


    huo song was pretending to cry, and liu lu¡¯s wailing was genuine as she mourned for her luxurious goods.


    ¡°tell the truth about how this woman took your house! make her give up!¡± fu shan was determined to take xiang wan to the police station and ¡®entertain¡¯ her there.


    ¡°sir, yesterday i was having a good time at home with colleagues, eating and drinking happily. but this woman brought a group of people and started smashing things without any explanation. they took all the valuable things from my home and forced us to move out by today. they even demanded rent from me. not only did she harm me and my family, but she also hurt my employees. there¡¯s no justice anymore!¡± huo song complained, looking aggrieved, as if he was begging for justice


    watching huo song¡¯s acting, xiang wan thought that if he were in her era, he would be an award-winning actor! it¡¯s a shame that he¡¯s not pursuing an acting career with his talent.


    ¡°miss, is what he said the truth?¡± fu shan interrogated her as if he was certain that she was the culprit.


    ¡°it¡¯s the truth, so what? if it¡¯s not the truth, so what?¡± she looked at fu shan as if she was looking at an idiot.


    she was well aware that no matter what she said, it would be seen as an excuse. the scales were already tilted, so she decided not to say anything at all.


    ¡°sir, she confessed! she admitted that she wanted to seize our house!¡± liu lu latched onto the beginning of xiang wan¡¯s statement, thinking she had found xiang wan¡¯s fault!


    hahaha, you can¡¯t escape now! liu lu thought viciously.


    ¡°since you¡¯ve confessed to your crimes, i will take you back to the police station. apologize to this couple and compensate them for their losses,¡± fu shan concluded, intending to take xiang wan away.


    ¡°when did i confess? and does it even matter whether i admit it or not?¡± xiang wan said helplessly to fu shan.


    these people were jumping back and forth on the thin life between life and death! let¡¯s see if they can still smile later!


    ¡°it seems you¡¯re well aware of your situation now. even if you¡¯re not guilty, i can make you guilty! be good and surrender quietly!¡± fu shan laughed loudly as if he had already captured the beauty before him.


    fu shan reached out to grab her hand, but she quickly turned and evaded his perverted hand.


    ¡°do you think that this is your place to call the shots? do you believe that i¡¯ll get the chief to help me?¡± she threatened.


    she lacked confidence in the second part of her statement.


    ¡°the bureau chief? do you think you can meet the chief whenever you want? how naive!¡± fu shan laughed as if he had heard a funny joke, sarcastically adding, ¡°here, i am the god. what can you do?¡±

 Chapter 14

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°i want to see who has the guts to say that he can rule the world like a god.¡± a deep voice echoed in from outside the door.


    xiang wan¡¯s heart leaped with joy and anticipation as she looked towards the entrance.


    ¡°who¡¯s playing tricks? come out if you dare!¡± fu shan looked around vigilantly.


    ¡°that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. i warn you not to meddle in other people¡¯s business. get lost as far as you can!¡± huo song chimed in, trying to exert authority.


    upon hearing this, xiang wan shot huo song with a sympathetic look. she hadn¡¯t encountered many people who could push themselves to the edge of death like him. it was truly eye-opening!


    ¡°it¡¯s me!¡± yang heng walked in with old zhang.


    it turned out that when old zhang saw that the situation was about to go out of control, he quickly followed their pre-arranged plan and quietly slipped out to get reinforcements while they were arguing!


    the commotion by the door caught everyone¡¯s attention, and they all looked over.


    at first glance, this wasn¡¯t too remarkable, but it sent fu shan¡¯s heart racing.


    ¡°ch¡­ chief?¡± fu shan instantly felt his blood freeze.


    ¡®what¡¯s the chief doing here?¡¯


    could it be that the woman brought him? how was that possible?


    huo song¡¯s mind was filled with question marks. he instantly lost the arrogant demeanor he had a moment ago and trembled, too scared to speak up.


    ¡°what¡¯s the matter? do you have a problem with me being here? i didn¡¯t know we had scums like you in xiang jiang!¡± yang heng glared at the three of them.


    ¡°chief, what are you talking about? we¡¯re just doing our job!¡± fu shan wiped the sweat off his forehead and said respectfully.


    huo song was stunned when he heard fu shan called him chief.


    could someone please explain to him why the chief was personally involved in a wealthy girl¡¯s matter???


    wasn¡¯t she just an orphan who had just returned to the country? how did she know the chief? and they seemed to be very familiar with each other.


    ¡°i don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple. didn¡¯t you just try to kick me out a moment ago?¡± yang heng¡¯s eyes emitted a chilling glint, piercing straight toward huo song.


    huo song suddenly felt a cold shiver down his spine and cowered behind fu shan.


    ¡°it¡¯s a misunderstanding. it¡¯s all a misunderstanding. we were just fooling around with this lady earlier. we were just having a little fun!¡± fu shan made up his mind not to back down. after all, they did not have any evidence. whether it was black or white, he still has the final say. with three against one, their odds were still in their favor.


    ¡°you sure know how to distort the truth! you won¡¯t shed a tear until you see the coffin!¡± she didn¡¯t expect them to deny it!


    ¡°miss, you¡¯ve misunderstood! we were truly just¡­ practicing a play with you.¡± fu shan hurriedly explained.


    ¡°that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! we were rehearsing a play for a competition in our factory! we just couldn¡¯t help but treat miss xiang as our opponent!¡± the huo song couple chimed in.


    ¡°¡­ even if you¡¯re not guilty, i can make you guilty¡­ be good and surrender quietly¡­ here, i am the god¡­¡± fragmented phrases from the recorded voice reached everyone¡¯s ears.


    when fu shan heard the voice from the recording, he felt his world go dark. he hadn¡¯t expected xiang wan to have an ace up her sleeve!


    huo song and liu lu sat on the ground with ashen faces.


    ¡°do you still have anything to say now? you dare to stir up trouble in front of me! if i don¡¯t teach you a lesson today, my surname isn¡¯t yang!¡± yang heng was infuriated by their denial, but luckily, xiang wan had prepared well, which both surprised and impressed him.


    ¡°it¡¯s my fault for not grasping the true situation. i apologize to miss xiang!¡± fu shan hastily declared, almost ready to kneel before her. he wanted to slap himself.


    huo song and his wife were struck dumb by the sudden turn of events, sitting in a daze without uttering a word.


    seeing their silence, fu shan tried to appease xiang wan, ¡°miss xiang, do you have any requirements concerning this house?¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t want to ask much. i just want to take back the house my grandfather left me,¡± she continued. ¡°but considering they¡¯ve been living here for so many years, as long as they compensate me for the years of rent, it will be fine.¡±


    just a second ago, fu shan was still thinking that this young lady was rather naive. she didn¡¯t even know how to ask for more when she had someone backing her up. she was too innocent!


    the next moment, my goodness, her request nearly scared him to death!


    ¡°well, that won¡¯t do! how about this? in addition to the years of rent, i¡¯ll make them compensate you for emotional distress, and i¡¯ll have them restore the house to its original state. what do you think?¡± fu shan had grown to detest huo song by this point and wished he could skin him alive.


    ¡°then let¡¯s proceed according to captain fu¡¯s suggestion!¡± xiang wan sighed in relief.

 Chapter 15

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°both of you, did you hear that? hurry up and follow me back to the station for a statement. move!¡± fu shan glared fiercely at huo song and his wife.


    as huo song looked at fu shan¡¯s changed expression, he was at a loss for words. it was his own hired helper that had turned against him. he had never expected he would be the one escorting him to the police station. he regretted his decision deeply now.


    the husband and wife reluctantly agreed to compensate and followed fu shan to make a statement.


    ¡°i never expected you would carry a recording device with you. well done, well done, you¡¯ve got courage and strategy!¡± yang heng observed xiang wan with growing satisfaction.


    ¡°it was just a coincidence,¡± xiang wan said modestly.


    the recording device was something xiang wan had purchased on a whim from the shop. fortunately, such devices existed in this era. otherwise, who knew how long she would have to be entangled with those two shameless people!


    yang heng still had important matters to attend to. after bidding farewell to xiang wan, he left with old zhang.


    seeing that it was still early, she decided to go to the newspaper office to share the good news with chu ying.


    upon arriving at the newspaper office, xiang wan didn¡¯t see chu ying. after inquiring around, she learned that chu ying had tried to publish an expos¨¦ about huo song¡¯s seizure of the property, but for some reason, it hadn¡¯t been successful. frustrated, chu ying locked herself in her office.


    xiang wan approached the office door and knocked.


    ¡°dong dong dong¡ª¡±


    there was no response from the room.


    ¡°dong dong dong¡ª¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t bother me! how many times have i told you!¡± chu ying¡¯s irritable voice came from behind the door.


    ¡°chu ying, it¡¯s me, xiang wan.¡± xiang wan said through the door.


    ¡°¡­ xiang wan? wait a minute!¡± chu ying was surprised.


    the door opened from the inside, revealing chu ying¡¯s disheveled figure emerging from the shadows.


    ¡°may i come in and sit for a while?¡± xiang wan was taken aback by her appearance. it was hard to imagine the usually lively and cheerful chu ying looking like this. she had suffered a big blow.


    chu ying was silent for a while, then said ¡°sure, come in.¡±


    ¡°can you tell me what happened?¡± xiang wan walked into the room and, as she asked, went over to the window to draw the curtains.


    chu ying remained silent but did not stop her.


    the glaring sunlight shone on chu ying¡¯s face, causing her to slightly furrowed her brows.


    ¡°when you¡¯re feeling down, as long as there¡¯s light coming in, there¡¯s hope for everything,¡± xiang wan consoled.


    ¡°the article i wrote about huo song didn¡¯t get approved by the chief editor, or i should say he did approve it, but some people don¡¯t want anything related to huo song to be published,¡± chu ying¡¯s voice sounded slightly hoarse.


    ¡°i had initially planned to publish an article exposing huo song¡¯s ugly side so that it could help you reclaim your house. but now, i can¡¯t even publish it,¡± chu ying laughed at herself.


    xiang wan hadn¡¯t expected this reason. she thought it was merely work-related troubles, but it turned out that chu ying felt guilty for not being able to help her. chu ying¡¯s honesty touched her deeply.


    chu ying was the first true friend xiang wan had made in this world. from chu ying, she experienced genuine kindness, the kind of courage that would stand up for a friend no matter what. it truly moved her.


    ¡°i came here today to tell you that i¡¯ve successfully reclaimed my house! huo song and the others have also been taken away.¡± xiang wan couldn¡¯t bear to see her in such a dejected state and hoped that this news would uplift her spirits.


    ¡°really?¡± chu ying asked in surprise.


    ¡°yes! so, don¡¯t be disheartened. the bad people have received the punishment they deserve,¡± xiang wan reassured her.


    xiang wan didn¡¯t expect that there was someone else backing huo song up. it seemed they had considerable influence, not even fearing chu ying¡¯s background. but why didn¡¯t ¡®he¡¯ appear when dealing with the property matters?


    ¡°that¡¯s great. indeed, there is still justice in this world,¡± chu ying sighed. ¡°so, what are you going to do next?¡±


    ¡°next, i¡¯m going to arrange for someone to clean up that house. after all, they¡¯ve been living there for so many years, and it just feels uncomfortable without a thorough renovation,¡± xiang wan said with a hint of disgust.


    thinking about how huo song and the others had occupied xiang yuan for a decade, xiang wan couldn¡¯t help but shudder. it would be best to erase all traces of their presence.


    ¡°i came here this time for this matter. i¡¯m planning to go to the countryside for a few days. i might stay outside for a while, so i wanted to ask if you could help me look after the house,¡± xiang wan briefly explained her plan.


    ¡°of course, i can do that. but why are you going to the countryside? it¡¯s not easy to travel around during this time,¡± chu ying readily agreed to take care of the house, but she was curious about xiang wan¡¯s trip.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong with this period? i¡¯m going to the countryside to find my fianc¨¦,¡± xiang wan keenly caught onto the keyword in chu ying¡¯s words.


    ¡°fianc¨¦? you have a fianc¨¦??¡± chu ying was shocked.

 Chapter 16

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°the marriage was arranged by our elders, i haven¡¯t met him yet. you know my situation, he might be the only person in this world who has a connection with me, so i plan to look for him,¡± she explained.


    of course, it was not just because of the engagement. it was definitely because of her fifty thousand yuan!


    ¡°if you¡¯re planning to go to the countryside, it¡¯s not that easy. my dad mentioned that the train stations are tightly controlled lately, and you need a certificate to travel. the train schedules are limited, and the travel time is quite long, usually between five to seven hours,¡± chu ying pondered for a moment, thinking about asking her dad for more information when she got home.


    ¡°such a long time! looks like i need to prepare in advance,¡± xiang wan was taken aback by how long the train journey would be.


    as for the certificate, that shouldn¡¯t be a big issue. she could go ask old zhang for information and if all else fails, uncle yang could help!


    she wanted to find someone to go to the train station to ask about the situation first, then find out how to get the certificate. after chatting with chu ying for a while, she bid farewell and left.


    she went out and called for a rickshaw.


    ¡°driver, do you know where qiu yang lane is? i want to go there to find someone,¡± xiang wan asked.


    ¡®you¡¯re talking about that alley near the pier!¡¯ said the driver.


    ¡°yes! that¡¯s where i want to go. thank you!¡± xiang wan got into the cab.


    hearing xiang wan¡¯s polite manners, the driver felt energized. she looked like a wealthy young lady, and he had noticed her as soon as she came out of the house. he didn¡¯t expect her to be so courteous, which pleasantly surprised him.


    the pier wasn¡¯t far from the newspaper office, and coupled with the driver¡¯s enthusiasm, they arrived quickly.


    ¡°miss, we¡¯re here. go through the alley on the left. that¡¯s qiu yang lane. as for the fare, just give me 30 cents.¡± the driver pointed her in the direction.


    ¡°thank you.¡± she gave him 50 cents. after understanding the prices of goods, she finally understood how cheap labor was in this era.


    giving 5 yuan directly like before was truly like winning the lottery.


    she didn¡¯t want to attract unnecessary attention with her extravagant spending. as for why she gave 50 cents, it was simply because she didn¡¯t want to deal with change, and she didn¡¯t have any coins on her.


    xiang wan walked into the alley, and it opened up to a more spacious area. a few women were sitting under a big locust tree, chatting about everyday life, while children played around.


    ¡°excuse me, is liu gang¡¯s house around here?¡± she inquired from them.


    the women turned their attention to the source of the voice. a stunning beauty stood before them, and even the children paused their activities as if the world had hit the pause button.


    ¡°is liu gang¡¯s house around here?¡± she repeated.


    ¡°wow, it¡¯s a fairy! the fairy has descended to the mortal world!¡±


    ¡°is fairy sister here to look for uncle liu?¡±


    ¡°fairy sister is so pretty! i want to marry someone this pretty when i grow up!¡±


    before the adults could speak, several children surrounded them, chattering away.


    among the women was li jia, seeing xiang wan, who looked almost like a fairy being described by her husband, she asked with a trembling voice, ¡°is it miss xiang?¡±


    xiang wan didn¡¯t expect anyone to recognize her, ¡°yes, i¡¯m xiang wan.¡±


    ¡°it is miss xiang! i¡¯m liu gang¡¯s wife,¡± li jia said excitedly, standing up and moving the children aside to introduce herself.


    ¡°that¡¯s great. i¡¯m here to find brother liu. there¡¯s something i need his help with,¡± xiang wan explained.


    upon hearing that she had a job for her husband, li jia was thrilled. ¡°please wait a moment, miss xiang. i¡¯ll go home and call liu gang over. he¡¯s repairing the wall at home!¡±


    the last time this young lady came to find liu gang, she left a deep impression. her generous gestures had liu gang talking about money falling from the sky for a few days. her extraordinary beauty was unforgettable too. this time, liu gang was sure to earn a hefty sum again.


    ¡°no need to trouble yourself. i¡¯ll go with you,¡± xiang wan quickly stopped her.


    ¡°ah¡­ ah? our home is too small. how can we let you go there? that¡¯s not right,¡± li jia vehemently refused.


    ¡°it¡¯s alright, take me there.¡± xiang wan insisted.


    ¡°alright then! come with me.¡± seeing that she was very insistent, li jia did not dare to refuse. she was afraid of displeasing the wealthy employer and losing out on future jobs.


    ¡°um¡­ miss, what kind of work are you looking for someone to do? my son can do anything!¡± a middle-aged woman nearby, having finally figured out that xiang wan was here to find help. moreover, xiang wan dressed up like a rich person so the woman stepped forward and tried to promote her son.


    ¡°i¡¯ll go look for liu gang first. i¡¯ll think about it after i find him.¡± she rejected tactfully and followed li jia deeper into the alley.


    the disappointed woman sat back under the locust tree, annoyed at her earlier impoliteness. she feared that the employer might not consider her son now.

 Chapter 17

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    when xiang wan arrived at liu gang¡¯s house, he was standing on top of a wall repairing it.


    upon seeing xiang wan, he quickly jumped down from the wall.


    ¡°miss xiang, why are you here?¡± liu gang rubbed his muddy hands together and placed them behind his back.


    ¡°i came here today to ask you for a favor,¡± xiang wan continued, ¡°you know that i¡¯ve successfully reclaimed my old mansion, but i haven¡¯t cleaned up the house yet. i¡¯m also planning to go to the countryside for a while, and i¡¯m not sure when i¡¯ll be back. so, i want to hire you to help me look after the house and perhaps clean it up a bit.¡±


    ¡°no problem. i can go over there now.¡± liu gang agreed immediately.


    ¡°there¡¯s no rush to go now. you can go tomorrow. i¡¯d like to ask you to find out about the train to the countryside for me later,¡± xiang wan told liu gang.


    ¡°if you¡¯re planning to travel to the countryside, you¡¯ll need that travel permit. with the permit, they¡¯ll allow you to travel,¡± liu gang informed xiang wan, concerned that she might not be familiar with the details of traveling.


    ¡°i¡¯m aware of that. i¡¯ll figure out the permit issue. i¡¯d like to ask you to buy a ticket for tomorrow morning,¡± xiang wan planned to buy a morning ticket so that she could arrive in the afternoon.


    liu gang readily agreed and tidied up a bit before leaving the house with xiang wan.


    when they walked past the big locust tree, the middle-aged woman saw them and her gaze never left them.


    ¡°what¡¯s the character of this family¡¯s son?¡± xiang wan asked liu gang in a hushed voice.


    liu gang shared the family¡¯s situation with xiang wan.


    it was a rather tragic story. the woman was named sun po, and she had a son. several years ago, sun po¡¯s husband had an accident while working and lost his life. the factory they worked for took advantage of their vulnerable situation as a widow and orphan and didn¡¯t even offer proper compensation.


    sun po had to raise her son alone, and when her son was ten, he had an accident. when he fell into the water, he hit his head. he was rescued, but his mental development froze at the age of ten.


    xiang wan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. fate is often unfair, but as long as people strive and work hard, opportunities will eventually come.


    ¡°when you help me with the house, make sure to bring her son along,¡± xiang wan suggested.


    she wasn¡¯t willing to involve just anyone, but people like sun po, who dared to self-recommend and seize opportunities, were the ones she was willing to give a chance.


    ¡°sure! he¡¯s reliable and hardworking!¡± liu gang enthusiastically agreed. he had a good relationship with sun po¡¯s son, zhou wei, and would always think of him for any work. even if xiang wan hadn¡¯t mentioned it, he would find an opportunity to ask.


    xiang wan smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. as long as someone¡¯s character was good, the rest wouldn¡¯t be too bad. especially in this era where people would do anything for money, having good character was extremely important.


    liu gang and xiang wan arrived at the pier and went their separate ways.


    liu gang arrived at the station and inquired about the train to jin gang district.


    ¡°move aside if you¡¯re not buying a ticket! don¡¯t block others.¡± the ticket seller glanced at liu gang¡¯s shabby attire and assumed he couldn¡¯t afford a ticket. she said with a hint of disdain


    liu gang awkwardly rubbed his clothes, remembering xiang wan¡¯s request. he gathered his courage and said, ¡°i¡¯m here to buy a ticket for tomorrow morning to jin gang district. could you please help me check the schedules?¡±


    ¡°jin gang district? there¡¯s a train at 7 am and another at 8 am. which one would you prefer?¡±


    ¡°7 am, please.¡± liu gang took out money to buy the ticket.


    xiang wan had given him the money. she wasn¡¯t sure about the approximate price so she handed him 50 yuan.


    the ticket seller hadn¡¯t expected liu gang to have that much money. she looked at him in surprise, secretly realizing that she had misjudged him.


    the ticket price was 12 yuan. after buying the ticket, there were still 38 yuan left. liu gang carefully put the money and ticket into the inner pocket of his jacket.


    outside the train station was a mix of people and chaos. liu gang was worried about potential mishaps, so he hurried back while the sky was still bright.


    what he was afraid of came true. liu had just left the train station when he was targeted.


    leading the group was a burly middle-aged man with a scruffy beard. several henchmen followed closely behind him, and as soon as they saw liu gang coming out, they started tailing him.


    the 50-yuan bill that liu gang had taken out to buy the train ticket was particularly tempting. the remaining balance was enough to sustain them for a month.


    the burly man thought to himself that this poor kid was so naive. he didn¡¯t know where the poor kid had obtained so much money. it was a shame that such a good opportunity was going to waste.


    liu gang sensed someone following him and immediately became alert. he tightened his grip on his clothes and quickened his pace, heading towards the entrance of an alley.


    the burly man signaled his henchmen, instructing them to block the other end of the alley. the henchmen understood and rushed to the opposite side.


    the burly man briskly approached liu gang and grabbed him, pulling him into the alley.


    ¡°you guys¡­¡±

 Chapter 18

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    xiang wan was waiting for liu gang¡¯s news at her home.


    chen ma informed her that someone had come to visit, and she assumed it was liu gang returning after buying the ticket. she marveled at how quickly he had managed to purchase it. however, the visitor turned out to be old zhang.


    ¡°i¡¯ve come this time to tell you about the outcome of huo song and his men,¡± old zhang said. ¡°huo song and his wife were ultimately sentenced to less than two years of imprisonment, and they have been ordered to compensate you for various losses, totaling eight thousand yuan.¡±


    ¡°additionally, we discovered that huo song had a lot of funds with unclear origins. after investigation, we assumed that he sold some of the antiques and artwork in xiang yuan. we looked into it for quite a while, but due to the passage of time, some things are likely impossible to recover,¡± old zhang hesitated as he spoke.


    ¡°it¡¯s alright, i¡¯ve already expected this. you¡¯ve done your best.¡± xiang wan already knew what kind of person huo song was. most of the things in xiang yuan were worth a lot of money. it would be strange if he didn¡¯t sell them.


    old zhang went on to explain the fate of fu san. he had been removed from his position in the end, but due to his unique circumstances, he hadn¡¯t yet faced further trial.


    although fu shan was a scoundrel, he had a good father.


    fu shan¡¯s father was an outstanding soldier who had fallen into action during a mission, leaving behind the 6-year-old fu shan to live with his mother.


    fu san had always strived to be strong and upright like his father. otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have reached his current position. however, people change over time, and as the years went by, fu san¡¯s negative traits began to surface.


    he capitalized on his battlefield injuries, using them to his advantage. he exploited his position for personal gain, and everything about her had been dug up.


    people in the military still remembered his father¡¯s contributions, which was why they had only stripped him of his position. they had yet to decide how to deal with him.


    old zhang felt that it was a pity for fu shan. no one had expected him to end up like this. in the end, his eyes were blinded by his desires.


    ¡°he did have many honors in the past, but that can¡¯t be used as an excuse or reason for his wrongdoing,¡± xiang wan stated firmly. she never felt any remorse for such people; they should pay the price for their actions, as they made their choices without anyone forcing them into their mistakes. everything was his choice.


    old zhang smiled after hearing her words.


    yes, justice would never be overwhelmed by darkness, and justice would never shield those vicious wolves in sheep¡¯s clothing.


    following that, xiang wan inquired about how to obtain a permit for the train journey.


    old zhang explained the process of obtaining the permit and assured xiang wan that he would take care of this matter for her.


    after expressing her gratitude, xiang wan accompanied old zhang to the front gate to bid him farewell. just as they were about to part ways, they saw liu gang stumbling towards them.


    ¡°miss xiang, i¡¯m sorry. i couldn¡¯t handle the task you entrusted to me,¡± liu gang said, collapsing in front of her.


    xiang wan was shocked by liu gang. he was supposed to go buy the ticket, so how did it end up like this?


    she quickly had people carry liu gang into the house and called for a doctor to come and check on him.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry, uncle zhang. something urgent has come up here, so i¡¯m not able to attend to you properly,¡± xiang wan expressed her regret to old zhang.


    ¡°it¡¯s fine. i want to see what¡¯s going on.¡±


    after liu gang recovered slightly, he told her about his ordeal that evening.


    ¡°¡­ as soon as i left the station, i was targeted. those people didn¡¯t dare to cause trouble at the station, so they followed me for quite a distance. i thought i could shake them off, but they were a large group, and i couldn¡¯t escape. in the end, they snatched my ticket and money. when i resisted, they beat me up.¡±


    xiang wan furrowed her brows. she hadn¡¯t expected something like this to happen.


    ¡°it¡¯s alright. money is secondary; your safety is the most important. next time, you should just give them the money and run away.¡± xiang wan reassured him.


    ¡°how could something like this happen? i¡¯ll arrange for people to investigate this. it¡¯s outrageous!¡± old zhang expressed his anger. ¡°you should focus on recovering for now, and i¡¯ll take care of the ticket.¡±


    ¡°miss xiang, you asked me about the permit earlier for this matter, right? leave it to me. tomorrow, i¡¯ll come with the permit to pick you up,¡± old zhang thought for a moment and said.


    ¡°then i¡¯ll have to trouble you, uncle zhang!¡± xiang wan was vexed about buying a ticket and forgot that old zhang was right in front of her.


    xiang wan had initially intended to have liu gang checked by the doctor again, but liu gang insisted on going back home. unable to persuade him, she arranged for someone to accompany him back home.

 Chapter 19

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    after sending off uncle zhang and liu gang, she returned to her room to start packing her luggage.


    she asked chen ma to bring over the tokens they had from their childhood, placing them inside a brocade box.


    back then, the two childhood friends had used a jade pendant and a letter as their tokens. they split the jade pendant in half, each child having one part.


    she did not expect that one day, she would be like the female lead of a melodramatic drama, searching for her fianc¨¦ with a token.


    ¡°miss, for this trip, it¡¯s better to bring more clothes and essentials. you¡¯ll need them,¡± chen ma chattered away, wanting to bring everything possible.


    ¡°no need, chen ma. i¡¯m just going for two or three days, and i¡¯ll be back soon,¡± xiang wan replied with a mix of laughter and exasperation as she watched chen ma¡¯s fervent preparations.


    from the items chen ma had packed, xiang wan selected a few necessary things to put into her luggage, leaving the rest at home.


    the next morning, xiang wan finished her breakfast and chen ma informed that uncle zhang was waiting outside.


    after checking her house one more time to ensure nothing was left behind, she instructed chen ma to load the luggage into the car.


    approaching the door, xiang wan suddenly realized she should carry a slightly larger bag so that she wouldn¡¯t draw attention if she bought things in the city.


    she hurried back to her room, picked out a suitable crossbody bag at the shop, placed the brocade box with the tokens inside, and bought a few common snacks to put inside. then, she used a handkerchief to decorate the bag.


    when she reached the door, uncle zhang stepped forward to open the car door.


    ¡°sorry to trouble you today, uncle zhang,¡± she said.


    ¡°it¡¯s no trouble, no trouble at all.¡± old zhang got into the car and handed the train ticket and receipt to her.


    they drove towards the train station.


    upon arriving at the station, xiang wan saw the bustling crowd inside and felt a bit overwhelmed.


    she had thought that with travel restrictions, the station would be less crowded, but there were still so many people. when she realized she would have to navigate through the crowds later, her mood became less cheerful.


    as if sensing her discomfort, old zhang chuckled and said, ¡°miss xiang, we don¡¯t need to go through that. follow me.¡±


    xiang wan followed old zhang to another entrance, where there were two rows of guards standing on duty, saluting old zhang.


    following behind, she thought, this must be the vip treatment. fortunately, she had asked uncle zhang for help; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t know how long she¡¯d have to wait.


    they walked through the vip passage and onto the platform.


    ¡°miss xiang, this is as far as i can send you,¡± old zhang said as he handed the luggage to her.


    ¡°alright, sorry to trouble you, uncle zhang.¡± she took her luggage and boarded the train amid the roar of its engine.


    when she got on the train, she curiously observed everything around her. she had only seen this type of train in period films before, and this was her first time traveling by train.


    there weren¡¯t many people on the train and there were still some empty seats. beside her was a middle-aged woman who was looking at her inquisitively.


    ¡°sister, where are you going?¡± xiang wan asked with a smile.


    ¡°oh, me? i¡¯m going home. i came to the city to visit my child,¡± the woman replied, flattered that xiang wan initiated a conversation with her.


    ¡°where do you live?¡± xiang wan asked again.


    ¡°my family is in jin gang district. my son got into school here and will stay on for his future. i also came to the big city to tour around!¡± the woman¡¯s face beamed with pride when she mentioned her son.


    upon hearing that her son had succeeded in his studies, the other passengers on the train praised him, saying that he was promising and that his family must have raised him well for him to have come from a rural area and succeeded.


    ¡°well, congratulations then!¡± xiang wan hadn¡¯t expected to encounter someone from the jin gang district who also took the college entrance exam.


    ¡°sister, do you know a person named huo xiao? he¡¯s also from the jin gang district.¡±


    ¡°huo xiao? his family is really poor.¡± the woman was a bit annoyed at being interrupted while boasting, but she still answered, drawn in by xiang wan¡¯s good looks.


    ¡°oh, him? he¡¯s the illegitimate child of a wealthy family in the city! the family is rich, but they didn¡¯t want to accept him, so they sent him to the countryside. they don¡¯t care about his food or welfare. how pitiful.¡± the woman¡¯s face briefly revealed a hint of disdain when she thought about huo xiao¡¯s background.


    ¡°he also took the college entrance exam, but i don¡¯t know if he got in or not. that child worked very hard.¡± the woman sighed.


    xiang wan thought to herself, of course, he got in. not only did he get in, but he also became the ceo of a successful company.


    ¡°young lady, are you looking for him? what¡¯s your relationship with him?¡± the woman asked curiously. xiang wan¡¯s appearance was far from ordinary; she exuded refinement from head to toe, clearly looking well-off.

 Chapter 20

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°i¡¯m his friend, looking to discuss something with him,¡± xiang wan replied, without revealing that she was his fianc¨¦e. after all, this matter could only be decided after they met.


    ¡°oh my, then you¡¯re going to the same place as me! what a coincidence!¡± the woman exclaimed. she hadn¡¯t heard of that poor guy having any friends in the city. if he had such a wealthy friend, how could he be living such a miserable life?


    the two chatted for a while longer, but xiang wan eventually stopped talking and leaned against the backrest with her eyes closed to rest.


    the woman secretly sized up xiang wan, noticing her sophisticated attire and the valuable-looking accessories in her hands. she thought to herself, ¡°this young girl is traveling alone, completely unaware of how evil people are.¡±


    as the train continued its journey, xiang wan sensed someone moving back and forth beside her and opened her eyes in confusion.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong, sister?¡± xiang wan asked.


    ¡°don¡¯t talk, don¡¯t ask questions. these people aren¡¯t easy to deal with. just hide your belongings,¡± the woman quickly whispered.


    xiang wan felt nervous all of a sudden, subconsciously glancing at her luggage and tucking her hand into her pocket.


    ¡°this young lady is quite beautiful! i wonder how she feels!¡± the leader of the group saw her at first glance.


    there was no way around it; xiang wan¡¯s appearance was too outstanding. amidst the many passengers on the train, she stood out immediately.


    ¡°you, move aside, don¡¯t get in the way!¡± the man shouted at the woman.


    the woman trembled in fear, stammering, ¡°this is my niece. she might look a bit attractive, but she¡¯s a bit slow. please let us go.¡±


    ¡°do i need you to tell me what to do? hurry up!¡± the man said angrily and reached out to grab xiang wan.


    ¡°no, no, no. big brother, please do me a favor. do you think this is enough? please, have mercy!¡± the woman stuffed the money she had into the man¡¯s hands and begged for mercy.


    ¡°smart move!¡± the man counted the money in his hand, nodded in satisfaction, and left with his men.


    xiang wan had remained silent throughout, trying her best to go along with the woman¡¯s explanation.


    originally, xiang wan had planned to give the man her money if things got tough¡ªjust as long as she remained safe. however, she did not expect the woman she had just met to speak up for her.


    ¡°thank you, sister. how much did you give him? let me pay you back,¡± xiang wan expressed her gratitude.


    ¡°it¡¯s fine. money isn¡¯t important. i also have a child around your age at home. i couldn¡¯t let you face those people alone. the next time you go out, bring someone who can protect you. you should also try to conceal your appearance,¡± the woman advised with sincerity.


    ¡°that won¡¯t do. you risked yourself to protect me, how could i just let you pay for it? keep this,¡± xiang wan handed over the money she had.


    ¡°you don¡¯t need to give so much. oh dear, quickly take it back, don¡¯t let anyone see it.¡± the woman, seeing xiang wan taking out several bills, hurriedly pushed them back, afraid of being noticed.


    ¡°this is what you deserve. please don¡¯t refuse.¡± she insisted and stuffed the money into the woman¡¯s pocket.


    ¡°alright then, i¡¯ll take you to that lad, huo xiao¡¯s house when the time comes.¡± the woman felt she couldn¡¯t just take the money, quickly thinking of another way to compensate xiang wan.


    xiang wan learned from the woman that the group of people who had targeted her on the train was known as the ¡®train¡¯s gold-digging team.¡¯


    they seemed to have some sort of backing or influence behind them, so no one dared to interfere with their activities. luckily, they were only after money, and as long as you gave them what they wanted, they would leave you alone.


    xiang wan hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a criminal gang on the train. there was no difference between this and collecting protection fees on the streets. she decided she needed to discuss this with uncle yang when she got back.


    after this incident, they soon arrived at jin gang district.


    xiang wan and the woman disembarked together. the woman offered to help carry her luggage, but xiang wan politely declined.


    ¡°miss, we¡¯re heading in the same direction, so let¡¯s walk together,¡± the woman suggested.


    ¡°that will trouble you. just point me in the right direction,¡± xiang wan replied.


    ¡°it¡¯s no trouble at all, we¡¯re heading the same way, and my family will be picking me up soon. besides, you¡¯re carrying so much luggage, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for you to walk alone,¡± the woman insisted.


    ¡°alright then. sorry to trouble you.¡± she held her bag tightly and followed the woman out of the station.


    at the exit, xiang wan saw a man waiting to pick up the woman. they exchanged a series of hushed conversations, likely in their local dialect, which xiang wan couldn¡¯t understand.


    the man turned to xiang wan and said, ¡°i¡¯m chen zhuang. my wife has already told me about the money you gave her. i¡¯ll take you to huo xiao¡¯s place later.¡±

 Chapter 21

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°brother chen, thank you very much,¡± xiang wan expressed her gratitude.


    with both their luggage in tow, chen zhuang led the way along a small path, while xiang wan and liu chun, chen zhuang¡¯s wife, followed behind.


    ¡°my name is liu chun. you can call me sister liu. miss, what¡¯s your name?¡± liu chun asked.


    ¡°you can just call me xiang wan.¡± xiang wan looked at the sky and continued, ¡°sister, how long do we still have to walk? i¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t make it before dark!¡±


    ¡°we¡¯ll make it, we¡¯ll make it! we¡¯ll reach¡­ reach huo xiao¡¯s house before dark,¡± liu chun reassured.


    ¡°that¡¯s good. is your home close to huo xiao¡¯s?¡± xiang wan felt that liu chun¡¯s words sounded wrong, and she tried to probe further.


    ¡°ah, not very close, but not too far away either,¡± liu chun said ambiguously.


    xiang wan didn¡¯t press further. she felt that her premonition was right.


    she squeezed the bag in her hand and slowed down her pace.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong? can¡¯t you walk anymore?¡± seeing her walking slowly and lagging, liu chun showed concern and asked.


    ¡°i¡¯m fine. i¡¯m just a little tired because i haven¡¯t walked for such a long time,¡± xiang wan explained.


    liu chun nodded understandingly. she thought that city girls were all like this, unable to endure much hardship, unlike those who worked tirelessly day in and day out.


    ¡°hurry up, or we won¡¯t reach home before it gets dark!¡± liu chun shouted, urging xiang wan to walk faster.


    seeing that she couldn¡¯t stall for time, she was so anxious that she didn¡¯t know what to do.


    in the remote wilderness, where could she seek help? it would feel like her calls to the heavens and the earth were unanswered!


    ¡°sister, if you¡¯re in a hurry, you can ask your husband to put my luggage down ahead. you can go back first, and i¡¯ve arranged for someone to meet me here.¡± xiang wan tried to appear calm and composed.


    ¡°someone to meet you? why didn¡¯t you mention it before? where are they meeting you?¡± liu chun exclaimed, sounding skeptical of xiang wan.


    ¡°we had arranged it beforehand, but he might be running late. since you said huo xiao¡¯s house is along the same path, i thought i¡¯d walk with you for a bit and meet that person together.¡± xiang wan explained.


    ¡°well, then let¡¯s walk together. come on!¡± liu chun exchanged a glance with chen zhuang, who was walking ahead and reached out to pull xiang wan along.


    xiang wan dodged her grasp and took a step back. ignoring the luggage still in chen zhuang¡¯s hands, she sprinted back.


    ¡°why are you running away? your luggage is still here!¡± liu chun shouted anxiously, trying to call her back.


    chen zhuang dropped the luggage on the ground and chased after her.


    xiang wan didn¡¯t pay attention to them; she only knew she had to run. she sensed someone was chasing her from behind and grew even more frightened, which spurred her to accelerate.


    the more she ran the more she deviated. she had wanted to run towards the main road, but her sense of direction was poor, causing her to veer further off.


    chen zhuang watched as she ran into the forest. he didn¡¯t dare to follow her further and stopped at the edge of the forest, panting heavily.


    ¡°she runs so damn fast! stupid b*tch!¡± chen zhuang leaned against a tree, catching his breath.


    liu chun followed behind with the luggage. ¡°what happened? you didn¡¯t catch her? why are you so useless? you can¡¯t even catch up to a woman!¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t talk nonsense. why don¡¯t you say your arms aren¡¯t long enough to grab that damn b*tch? and now you¡¯re blaming me?¡± chen zhuang retorted irritably.


    ¡°well, i got tricked by her words. who would¡¯ve known that cunning b*tch was lying to me?!¡± liu chun defended herself.


    ¡°never mind, so be it. at least the luggage is still here, so we shouldn¡¯t be at a loss.¡± chen zhuang stood up, rubbing his hands together, and eagerly inspected xiang wan¡¯s luggage.


    ¡°yeah, that b*tch has money. i¡¯ve never seen the stuff she had on her before. what a shame she managed to escape. otherwise, we could¡¯ve taken some things off her,¡± liu chun lamented with frustration. she wished all that money belonged to her.


    chen zhuang rummaged through the suitcase, examining the clothes and jewelry inside.


    ¡°this b*tch cares too much about her appearance. except for some valuable jewelry, there¡¯s nothing else in her luggage?¡±


    ¡°most likely, it¡¯s all on her. i remember she had a bag that could fit quite a bit,¡± liu chun recalled xiang wan¡¯s attire.


    ¡°what a waste. letting that b*tch escape. she seems quite smart. but once she¡¯s deep in this forest, there won¡¯t be any trace of her left. we might as well benefit from this by taking her things,¡± chen zhuang regretfully remarked.


    liu chun nodded in agreement, casting a fearful glance toward the dense forest.

 Chapter 22

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    there was only one thought in her mind, and that was to run as far away as possible.


    she ran for a long time until she felt like no one was following her anymore. just when she thought she might have escaped, she realized that she seemed to have taken the wrong path.


    looking around, all she could see were lush trees. the leaves even blocked out most of the sunlight.


    this was bad. fianc¨¦ had yet to be found, and she was getting herself lost already.


    she did not expect to get lost in the forest. at that moment, her only goal was to make herself untraceable.


    xiang wan hadn¡¯t expected that the sister who had so fiercely protected her on the train would turn out to be one of those who wanted to harm her.


    ever since she followed liu chun and chen zhuang down the mountain path, she felt that something was wrong. they seemed extremely eager to return home, urging her to walk faster.


    just as she suspected, they were part of the same group, attempting to deceive her and steal her money.


    in that case, liu chun¡¯s plot of risking her life to protect her was probably fake. and even if they were real, it wasn¡¯t about protecting her safety, but rather about the money she carried.


    it was even possible that they were working together with the gang on the train. otherwise, how else could they have so conveniently robbed her alone?


    despite being well-acquainted with the deceitfulness of human nature, she was still terrified by their actions.


    the lost luggage was no longer important; there was nothing valuable inside anyway.


    but what should she do now? deep within the forest, even in her previous life, there wouldn¡¯t have been any signal in a place like this!


    xiang wan forced herself to stay calm and headed toward the direction where the sunset was, hoping to find signs of human presence.


    ¡°is anyone there? help, please! is anyone there??¡± she continued to call for help as she walked, her voice growing hoarse. if she didn¡¯t encounter anyone soon, the sun would set, and that would be truly dangerous.


    who knew if there were wild beasts or tigers in the forest? in the end, she would not even have bones left. that would be a pitiful fate!


    she felt utterly exhausted, but she continued to wander through the lush green forest.


    ¡°is anyone there? can anyone help me? i¡¯ll give you money, please save me!¡± she desperately shouted, hoping that someone would come to her rescue. at this moment, what use was money? she was on the verge of losing her life.


    she bought a bottle of water from the shop, squatted beside a tree, and took a big gulp.


    suddenly, the leaves in front of her rustled, and a man walked out.


    ¡°was that you calling for help earlier? are you lost?¡± the man asked.


    she was startled by his sudden appearance. right now, the person in front of her seemed to blend with the leaves, and even his face was painted with shades of green.


    ¡°i¡¯ve lost my way in this forest. could you please help me find my way out? i can pay you,¡± xiang wan said, finally regaining her composure as she looked at the man before her, who was like a savior.


    ¡°move quietly and follow me,¡± the man¡¯s cold voice entered her ears.


    she quickly nodded. she was willing to do anything to survive.


    ¡°follow me!¡± the man glanced at her, feeling a sense of familiarity in her clear eyes.


    xiang wan hurriedly followed behind the man, walking cautiously and trying her best to avoid making any noise.


    although she didn¡¯t know why, she felt it was best to obey. after all, he was her lifeline.


    after an unknown amount of time, she began to feel the strain in her body. she had wasted a lot of energy earlier.


    seeing that she was slowing down, the man also reduced his pace, ensuring that he stayed within her ability to keep up.


    realizing the man¡¯s consideration, xiang wan felt encouraged and summoned some extra strength.


    soon, the warm sunset pierced through the trees and shone on her face, causing her to squint her eyes.


    finally, they emerged from the forest!


    ¡°thank you for leading me out,¡± she said to the man.


    ¡°you¡¯re welcome. we each get what we want.¡± the man glanced at her as if waiting for her to pay.


    she found this man rather uncharming. despite facing the gratitude of such a beautiful woman, he showed no change in expression and seemed solely focused on money.


    but perhaps dealing with someone straightforward like him was better. he didn¡¯t have hidden motives; he just wanted payment.


    ¡°um¡­ do you know where huo xiao¡¯s house is? i¡¯m here to find him, but i had an accident on the way,¡± xiang wan asked, glancing around. the surroundings were barren, and darkness was fast approaching. if she couldn¡¯t find huo xiao tonight, what would she do?


    ¡°why are you looking for huo xiao?¡± a hint of emotion finally appeared on the man¡¯s calm face as he asked.


    ¡°he¡¯s my fianc¨¦ . i need to talk to him about something,¡± she explained.


    the man remained silent and looked at her in astonishment.

 Chapter 23

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    huo xiao had gone up the mountain today to see if he could gather some herbs or hunt for prey to exchange for food supplies.


    as he went up a bit later than usual, he didn¡¯t find any signs of prey activity and managed to gather only a few medicinal herbs before deciding to head back down


    halfway down, he vaguely heard a voice calling for help, so he kindly came over to take a look and assist her out of the situation.


    unexpectedly, instead of the prey, he would encounter his fianc¨¦e!!


    looking at the disheveled girl before him, huo xiao felt a strange sensation in his heart.


    ¡°i know where he lives. follow me!¡± huo xiao did not reveal his identity, as he found it difficult to say outright. he decided to wait until they reached his house to explain.


    she had no other choice but to follow him. staying alone in the wilderness was far more dangerous¡ªshe might be eaten by some jackals, tigers, or leopards.


    huo xiao led the way, his home was quite close. it was at the foot of the mountain.


    ¡°come in!¡± huo xiao arrived at the entrance of a slightly rundown small courtyard and opened the door to step inside.


    hesitating, xiang wan wasn¡¯t sure if she should go in or not.


    ¡°is this huo xiao¡¯s home?¡± if so, why did he just walk right in without announcing himself?


    could he be huo xiao? if not, had she encountered another scammer?


    ¡°i¡¯m huo xiao,¡± he replied. he did not dare to look at her anymore and turned to walk into the house.


    she was stunned on the spot.


    no way, she stumbled upon her fianc¨¦ in the middle of the forest?


    she found him coincidentally??


    after such a tumultuous day, she hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a pleasant surprise.


    before she could react, huo xiao emerged from the house, carrying a basin of water.


    he placed the basin down, wiped the dirt off his face, and proceeded to rinse his hair.


    she was attracted by the ¡®spring scenery¡¯ in front of her.


    the way he washed his hair, the water flowed down his neck, revealing his form that had been hidden in the forest.


    his drenched white shirt became slightly transparent, vaguely revealing the outline of his abs.


    xiang wan¡¯s line of sight went from the top abs to the obliques. she didn¡¯t dare to look down further and her face turned red from embarrassment.


    xiang wan, xiang wan, what are you doing? she attempted to shake off the wandering thoughts.


    huo xiao wiped the water off his head, revealing his handsome profile.


    at this moment, she could only think that the original book¡¯s description of huo xiao had underestimated his charm.


    he was not just handsome, he was captivating! this wasn¡¯t just charisma; it was absolute devastation!


    undoubtedly, his appearance aligned perfectly with her aesthetic preferences.


    in her previous life, she had remained single for over twenty years. she maintained her image as a young lady, having only shallow relationships with others. she never contemplated forming deep bonds.


    after finally deciding to end her single status, her friends wanted to set her up with a few handsome boys. unfortunately, before she could meet any of them, she ended up here.


    ¡°do you want to clean up?¡± huo xiao asked as he brought another basin of water over.


    ¡°ah¡­ ah! i¡¯ll do that right now.¡± snapped out of her thoughts, she quickly responded


    she gave herself a quick rinse to get rid of some of the dirt, but it was difficult to clean completely. she gave up, realizing that she couldn¡¯t manage it. at most, she didn¡¯t mind throwing away this set of clothes.


    ¡°why were you in the forest?¡± huo xiao gestured for her to sit on the chair across from him and asked the question.


    ¡°it¡¯s a long story¡­¡± she proceeded to tell him the whole story, from start to finish, the twists and turns.


    listening to her account, he alternated between furrowing his brows and clenching his fists.


    he never expected that a delicate young woman, who seemed like a pampered lady, would come all this way just to find him, driven by their past promise.


    furthermore, he never imagined that her journey would be so perilous.


    ¡°as far as i know, the couple you encountered is indeed from the jin gang district. i¡¯ve only heard about them. but retrieving your belongings might not be easy,¡± huo xiao mused, trying to think of a way to help her retrieve her belongings.


    ¡°i can let them have the valuable items but i need to get my clothes back.¡± she emphasized, concerned only about getting her clothes back. she couldn¡¯t bear the thought of wearing the same outfit for days.


    although she could purchase new clothes from the shop, her handbag had limited space, and constantly taking items out would attract unwanted attention. it¡¯s better even if she could only retrieve her luggage bag.


    ¡°i¡¯ll go ask the village chief tomorrow, and see if he can help,¡± huo xiao suggested.

 Chapter 24

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    xiang wan nodded in agreement.


    she didn¡¯t have much choice at this point. in this unfamiliar countryside, she couldn¡¯t expect too much.


    ¡°by the way, i remember that when my grandfather and grandpa huo made the engagement, they used a jade pendant as a token. i wonder if that jade pendant is with you?¡± she inquired.


    while xiang wan knew that the token was with him, she couldn¡¯t outright ask about it. she had to ask indirectly first.


    huo xiao¡¯s body stiffened when he heard that. he thought to himself, ¡®is she finally going to tell me she wants to call off the engagement?¡¯


    ¡°wait a moment. i¡¯ll go get it.¡± he responded quickly before disappearing into the house.


    he retrieved a worn-out metal box from the center of his wardrobe, opened it, and found the jade pendant wrapped in a silk cloth, along with some letters and a small stack of scattered banknotes.


    the memory of his grandpa¡¯s final words echoed in his mind, causing his eyes to glisten with tears.


    huo xiao took out the jade pendant, held it in his hand, and walked out of the house with the box.


    ¡°everything is in here.¡± huo xiao pushed the box to her and sat upright on the chair as if awaiting a final judgment.


    she took out the same jade pendant from her bag, its texture warm and smooth. she matched the two pendants together, fitting them perfectly.


    perfect alignment, just like a puzzle piece!


    a smile spread across xiang wan¡¯s face as she looked at the letters in the box. she guessed they were related to the engagement, so she asked, ¡°may i take a look at these two letters?¡±


    huo song pushed the box forward again, signaling to her that she could do whatever she wanted.


    xiang wan picked up the slightly yellowed envelope signed by grandfather xiang. it seemed this was written by her grandfather.


    opening the envelope, she unfolded the letter and began reading it slowly.


    the letter roughly explained the origin of the engagement agreement, describing the friendship between the two elderly men, and how they sealed the betrothal with the jade pendants.


    ¡°alright, can i take grandpa¡¯s letter with me?¡± she asked politely after reading the letter.


    ¡°of course, this is yours to begin with.¡±


    huo xiu watched her put away the letter, assuming that she might be hesitant to directly discuss breaking off the engagement and didn¡¯t want to burden her with uncertain feelings.


    ¡°considering that this agreement was made by our elders, if you find it inappropriate, you can cancel it,¡± he said but immediately regretted saying it once the words were out.


    did he just make her misunderstand his intentions? he should have chosen his words more carefully just now!


    huo xiao pursed his lips in frustration.


    ¡°i didn¡¯t have any intention of canceling the engagement. do you want to cancel it? do you have someone you like?¡± initially, she had indeed thought about canceling the engagement as soon as she met him, then taking the 50,000 yuan and enjoying herself back in the city.


    but after meeting him today, she changed her mind.


    on one hand, how could she let such a handsome man slip through her fingers? just looking at that face could increase your appetite by two more bowls of rice!


    on the other hand, she was penniless and did not even have a place to stay. she needed huo xiao¡¯s help with practically everything.


    ¡°n-no, i wouldn¡¯t! i¡¯m thrilled beyond words!¡± huo xiu hurriedly explained.


    seeing his flustered state, she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, which made huo xiu¡¯s face even redder.


    why didn¡¯t she notice earlier that he could be so amusing when they walked out of the forest? he looked quite silly and naive!


    ¡°well, if you¡¯re that happy, then how about becoming my boyfriend?¡± she said straightforwardly.


    when huo xiao heard this, he felt as if his soul had ascended to the heavens. everything felt surreal.


    ¡°i am willing!¡± he quickly uttered the three words.


    looking at the girl in front of him with her sparkling eyes, he was annoyed at himself for being foolish and couldn¡¯t say anything else except those three words.


    ¡°alright then! boyfriend it is!¡± she gave him a sunny smile.


    ¡°yes! fianc¨¦e!¡± his eyes were filled with her smile.


    ¡°what? it¡¯s a girlfriend!¡± she playfully corrected him.


    ¡°alright, fianc¨¦e!¡±


    he continued to address her that way, and she didn¡¯t pursue the matter. it was a fact that she was his fianc¨¦e.


    ¡°now that you¡¯ve agreed, you can¡¯t go back on your word! you have to treat me well all the time!¡± xiang wan held onto his hand, making him listen attentively. ¡°i don¡¯t have any family left in this world. now you¡¯re my only family.¡±


    ¡°i promise! as long as you want me to! as long as i¡¯m capable!¡± huo xiu replied firmly.

 Chapter 25

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    feeling xiang wan¡¯s small hand clutching his fingers, huo xiao¡¯s face turned embarrassingly red again.


    ¡°coo, coo, coo¡ª¡±


    xiang wan felt a bit embarrassed as she covered her stomach, but there was no way around it. she hadn¡¯t eaten anything since getting off the train, and she had been forced to run for quite a distance. her energy was completely depleted


    ¡°wait here for me, i¡¯ll bring you something to eat,¡± he couldn¡¯t bear to see her hungry. he gave her some instructions and then left to borrow some food from the neighbor.


    after grandpa huo passed away, he had been living alone in the countryside. being a man, he had very few demands ¨C as long as he didn¡¯t starve, it was fine. consequently, there was hardly any food at his home.


    but now that she was here, he couldn¡¯t bear to let her make do with what little he had.


    though he said it was the neighboring house, in reality, it wasn¡¯t very close. there were only two or three families at the foot of the mountain, and none of them were particularly close by.


    while he was out, she took the opportunity to take some snacks from her bag and placed them on the table.


    she was famished. xiang wan quickly grabbed a piece of chocolate mousse and savored it, letting out a satisfied sigh.


    she had also bought some snacks from the shop and pretended to take them out from her bag, placing them alongside the others.


    soon, huo xiao returned, carrying a food container in his hands.


    ¡°eat while it¡¯s hot, see if it suits your taste,¡± huo xiao placed the meal next to the snacks.


    ¡°these are the snacks i brought in my bag. you should try some too.¡± she said while picking up her chopsticks to eat.


    she was truly famished, and the scent of the food made her stomach grumble uncontrollably.


    the meal was just simple home-cooked dishes, even lacking any meat. however, she was enjoying it immensely.


    after eating half a bowl of rice, she put down her chopsticks with a satisfied expression.


    she regretted having that small piece of cake earlier. now, she couldn¡¯t eat much of the food.


    ¡°aren¡¯t you eating more? why so little?¡± huo xiao quickly finished a bowl of rice and looked at her, thinking that the food might not suit her taste.


    ¡°i¡¯m full! i have a small appetite, so i can¡¯t eat much.¡± she explained.


    huo xiao made a mental note to learn from auntie wu in the future. he needed to find ways to get xiang wan to eat more.


    auntie wu was huo xiao¡¯s neighbor and was known in the village for her excellent cooking skills. she had previously worked as a cook in the commune.


    drinking orange juice she had just bought from the shop, xiang wan looked at him, who was still eating, and said, ¡°if you don¡¯t mind, you can finish my half bowl of rice too.¡±


    she knew that in this era, getting rice and flour in the countryside wasn¡¯t easy. he would probably feel bad about it if the food was wasted like this.


    he agreed with a nod, took the bowl from her, and began to eat the remaining rice. but his ears turned as red as if they were about to bleed.


    huo xiao, who was devouring his meal, suddenly started chewing and swallowing slowly, taking small mouthfuls of the rice.


    unaware of his peculiar behavior, xiang wan was still contemplating how to arrange a reasonable and comfortable place to stay for the night


    with nothing available at the moment, meeting her usual requirements was out of the question!


    after finishing his meal, huo xiao cleaned up the dishes and tidied the table. he then placed a kettle on the stove to boil water.


    ¡°i only have one bed here. you can sleep on the bed tonight, and i¡¯ll make do with the area near the cabinet.¡±


    ¡°okay. let¡¯s tidy up now; it¡¯s getting dark outside.¡± she said quickly.


    he removed his bedding and laid out a new one on the bed for her.


    the new bedding was slightly thicker, indicating that it was recently purchased. his family had always kept this spare bedding for emergencies.


    as she touched the quality of the bedding, she felt like she was about to break down.


    it was impossible to sleep on this! the fabric was so rough that her skin would quickly turn red from lying on it.


    she did not care if it was practical or not. while he was packing, she bought the most expensive four-piece bedding set from the shop and pretended to take it out from her bag.


    ¡°help me lay out this one. i think it¡¯s better.¡± she handed the set to him and the two of them worked together to make the bed.


    ¡°can i take a shower? i¡¯ve had such a rough day!¡±


    ¡°please wait a moment, the water isn¡¯t ready yet, but it will be soon,¡± huo xiao said, running out to check on the water.


    looking at her clothes, she realized that she wouldn¡¯t be able to wear them after taking a shower. taking advantage of his absence, she quickly entered the shop and bought a pair of pajamas.

 Chapter 26

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    huo xiao walked into the kitchen. the kettle on the stove was steaming.


    he picked up the kettle and poured the water into a large wooden bucket nearby, then lifted the bucket and brought it into the room.


    ¡°you can manage with this for now; my conditions here are limited,¡± huo xiao placed the bucket on the floor and used a wooden board to cover the window.


    he had never thought about the conditions before when he lived alone. although he would earn full points from the commune, he never used those points.


    huo xiao thought to himself that he must go to carpenter cui¡¯s house tomorrow to buy some furniture and supplies.


    ¡°then i¡¯ll go out. don¡¯t be afraid. i¡¯ll stay outside and watch over you.¡± he scratched his head, not daring to look into her eyes.


    when she saw him closing the door for her, she felt at ease.


    finally, she could wash off the sweat on her body. in this hot summer, if she couldn¡¯t take a bath, she would surely cry!


    after a while, she sat beside the wooden bucket and slowly wiped her body. she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable in such a quiet environment.


    ¡°huo xiao? are you still there?¡±


    when her voice came from inside, huo xiao, who was originally leaning against the doorframe with his eyes closed, woke up from his peaceful thoughts.


    ¡°i¡¯m here. what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    when she heard his response, she calmed down.


    it was strange; they had just met as strangers, yet his voice seemed to possess a magical quality that soothed her nerves.


    ¡°it¡¯s nothing, i¡¯ll be done soon!¡± she hasted her actions.


    ¡°there¡¯s no rush. take your time,¡± huo xiao reassured her.


    soon, he heard a soft and rustling sound from inside the room, causing his mind to wander about the scene within. his face instantly turned red from embarrassment.


    when she opened the door, she was met with this sight: a flushed-faced man staring at her intently


    ¡°what are you thinking about? seriously!¡± she pouted and blushed.


    indeed, men were all pigs! their brains were filled with nothing but dirty thoughts!


    seeing the annoyed expression on her face, huo xiao found her adorable when she was angry. he struggled to suppress his nosebleed.


    he quickly sidestepped into the room, carried the wooden tub, and walked out as if he were being chased by some ferocious beast.


    looking at his retreating figure, she stomped her feet in embarrassment. she walked to the bed and began arranging the clothes she had taken off.


    huo xiao put the wooden bucket back in the kitchen and then returned to the room with a broom to clean the damp floor. unfortunately, the floor made of soil couldn¡¯t be cleaned thoroughly, so he gave up.


    ¡°you can sleep on this bed tonight. i¡¯ll sleep outside.¡± huo xiao glanced at the bed and pointed at the door.


    ¡°how can you do that? there¡¯s nothing outside, how will you sleep?¡± she rejected his suggestion.


    she looked around and sighed at how bare his house was, with nothing but the bare essentials barely holding up.


    ¡°it¡¯s alright, i¡¯m healthy. sleeping outside for one night won¡¯t be an issue,¡± huo xiao said nonchalantly.


    suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something and grabbed his arm.


    ¡°quick, go get the wooden bucket i used for bathing earlier. i¡¯ve thought of something wonderful, but i need to experiment to see if it works.¡±


    confused, huo xiao went to the kitchen and brought the wooden bucket into the room as instructed.


    under her instructions, he turned the wooden bucket upside down and placed it on the ground. then, he placed his clothes cabinet next to the bucket and then used a few wooden planks to bridge the gap.


    ¡°mission accomplished! quickly try it out to see if it¡¯s stable!¡± excitedly clapping her hands, she urged him to give it a try.


    huo xiao used his hands to gauge the general stability of the makeshift bed and found it relatively stable. he then laid out his bedding on it and tried lying down.


    ¡°it¡¯s quite stable. you¡¯re clever, wan¡¯er!¡± huo xiao praised.


    ¡°alright, stop flattering and get some rest!¡± she scolded him with a playful glare, then settled into her bed to rest.


    ¡°i¡­ i¡¯m going to sleep in the room like this?¡± huo xiao asked in disbelief.


    ¡°where else would you sleep?¡± she didn¡¯t even look at him as she pulled up her blanket.


    ¡°¡­.alright!¡± seeing that she was ready to rest, huo xiao thought she must be tired after a long day, so he didn¡¯t disturb her further.


    her inner world was anything but calm. this was her first time staying under the same roof with a man. in her past life, she wouldn¡¯t even dare to think about it!

 Chapter 27

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    huo xiao remained frozen on the newly set-up small bed, afraid to move a muscle. his current emotions were a mix of excitement and nervousness.


    the bed made creaking noises with the slightest movement, and he was anxious that it might disturb xiang wan¡¯s rest. he had no choice but to be super still.


    the more nervous he was, the more sensitive he became to his surroundings. he could even smell the unique fragrance of xiang wan.


    the fragrance permeated the air filling his restless heart with warmth.


    ¡ª-


    she didn¡¯t know how she fell asleep, but when she woke up, he was no longer in the room.


    she pushed the door open and saw a woman sitting on the stone stool outside.


    ¡°miss, you¡¯re awake!¡± the woman turned around upon hearing the commotion and looked at xiang wan.


    ¡°who are you¡­?¡± xiang wan asked, puzzled.


    ¡°i¡¯m wu lan, you can just call me auntie wu. little huo asked me to come and take care of you.¡± wu lan¡¯s kind face had a smile on it. ¡°wash your face and have breakfast!¡±


    wu lan skillfully found a basin in the kitchen, poured hot water that had been heating since morning, and then fetched a ladle of cold water. she walked back into the courtyard holding these two things.


    ¡°auntie, let me do it!¡± she quickly walked forward and reached out to take the basin.


    ¡°it¡¯s okay, i have plenty of strength. don¡¯t tire yourself out!¡± wu lan evaded xiang wan¡¯s hand, indicating that she could do it herself.


    it was because xiang wan appeared too delicate, unlike her who was a farmer who had done all sorts of work and still retained strength.


    ¡°thank you, auntie.¡± xiang wan didn¡¯t insist further.


    ¡°see how much cold water you need to add to make it comfortable. early this morning, little huo already boiled the water. he asked me to watch over it so that it doesn¡¯t get cold,¡± wu lan seized the opportunity to gain some favor for huo xiao.


    xiang wan smiled and took the ladle from her without saying anything.


    after washing up, xiang wan dried her face and retrieved a few basic skincare products from her room to lather on.


    these skincare products were just purchased from the shop. she didn¡¯t dare to buy too many things, so she only got a basic four-piece skincare set.


    she planned to retrieve her luggage today if she had time so that she wouldn¡¯t have to hide or be secretive about buying more things.


    wu lan watched as xiang wan applied layer after layer on her face. observing her smooth skin, akin to a peeled egg, wu lan couldn¡¯t help but touch her rough cheeks.


    ¡°being young is good. there¡¯s still time for skincare to maintain. as for me, i¡¯m past that stage,¡± wu lan sighed with a touch of melancholy.


    xiang wan continued her actions and carefully looked at wu lan¡¯s facial features.


    from the current outline, she could tell that wu lan must have been a beauty in her younger years. unfortunately, the lack of skincare knowledge during her youth had taken its toll over time.


    ¡°auntie, you¡¯re still as charming as ever. it¡¯s never too late for skin care. here, take this!¡± xiang wan pushed the skincare products in her hands to wu lan.


    ¡°i really can¡¯t accept this. nothing will work for my old face!¡± wu lan quickly waved her hand.


    wu lan felt that it was a waste for her to use such precious items, so she declined xiang wan¡¯s kind offer.


    seeing wu lan¡¯s insistence, xiang wan didn¡¯t push any further. after tidying up, she walked to the courtyard.


    wu lan brought out the warm rice porridge and a few side dishes that had been warmed in the kitchen for a while, placing them on the small table in the courtyard.


    looking at the rice porridge and the small dishes in front of her, xiang wan suddenly felt her appetite build up. she eagerly picked up her chopsticks.


    the rice porridge was soft, fragrant, and sweet, and the side dishes were a mix of sweet, spicy, and refreshing flavors.


    ¡°auntie, did you cook this?¡± tasting the familiar flavors and feeling that it resembled the meal she had last night, xiang wan couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°yes! what¡¯s wrong? is it not to your liking?¡± wu lan immediately became nervous upon hearing this.


    she knew the girl in front of her came from the city and was worried that the food she made might be too simple and not suitable for her urban tastes.


    ¡°it¡¯s absolutely to my liking!¡± xiang wan¡¯s eyes turned starry as she stared straight at wu lan. she had found a treasure!


    yesterday, when xiang wan had dinner, she felt the meal was especially suited to her taste. but she had attributed it to being too hungry after a tiring day so anything she ate must be delicious.


    however, the breakfast this morning was equally delicious, indicating that it truly was tasty


    little did she expect that on just her second day in the countryside, she had stumbled upon such a talented cook!


    it just so happened that she lacked a cook whose cooking suited her taste at home. how could she convince wu lan to go back with her?

 Chapter 28

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°that¡¯s good!¡± wu lan was a little embarrassed by how intently xiang wan was staring at her. she almost thought her culinary skills had deteriorated!


    ¡°auntie, where did huo xiao go?¡± instead of bringing up the idea of hiring her as a cook, xiang wan asked about huo xiao.


    it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to mention employment right away; it might scare her off. besides, she had more important things to attend to. she needed to think thoroughly about the employment matter.


    ¡°huo xiao went to work. he should be back around noon soon.¡± wu lan glanced upward as she spoke.


    xiang wan also looked up at the sky. the sun was hanging directly overhead, indicating that it was close to noon.


    ¡°mom, is the pretty sister awake? the sun¡¯s about to scorch her butt!¡± a young boy¡¯s naive voice sounded from outside the door.


    ¡°little brother, don¡¯t say things like that. sister might have already woken up!¡± another female voice retorted.


    xiang wan lowered her head in embarrassment. she was just unusually tired last night; she usually had better discipline!


    wu lan saw xiang wan¡¯s blushed face and hurriedly shouted towards the door, ¡°she¡¯s awake, she¡¯s awake, she¡¯s long been awake. you two brats, come in quickly!¡±


    the door swung open with a bang, and two children entered as if they had been waiting for that very order.


    ¡°miss, these two are my children. the girl¡¯s name is zhou rui, and the boy is zhou zhou.¡± wu lan explained to xiang wan.


    ¡°sister is so pretty! she¡¯s like a fairy. no wonder brother huo didn¡¯t want us to see her!¡± zhou zhou was awestruck.


    zhou rui did not say anything, but her burning gaze said it all.


    ¡°your brother huo didn¡¯t want you to disturb her rest!¡± wu lan sighed, feeling a headache coming as she looked at her mischievous son.


    ¡°hello!¡± xiang wan looked at the siblings in front of her and found them both adorable.


    ¡°fairy sister! brother huo said you¡¯re from the city! can you tell me what the city looks like?¡± zhou zhou looked at her expectantly.


    his older sister beside him also perked up, indicating her interest.


    ¡°don¡¯t bother sister. didn¡¯t your brother huo tell you before!¡± wu lan was worried about the children disturbing xiang wan¡¯s rest and tried to interrupt them.


    xiang wan shook her head at wu lan, indicating that it was fine.


    ¡°in the city, there are many interesting and fun things. i don¡¯t even know where to start. when you grow up, i¡¯ll take you to the city to explore. you¡¯ll see for yourself.¡±


    she didn¡¯t intend to tell them about city life. children needed to grow up with their feet on the ground. plus, seeing things with their own eyes was different from hearing descriptions from others.


    ¡°ah! how long do i have to wait to grow up then?¡± zhou zhou¡¯s face showed a disappointed expression, and so did his sister¡¯s.


    ¡°it might come sooner than you think. but in exchange, how about you both tell me about the village?¡± xiang wan had originally intended to ask wu lan, but these two kids eagerly came over before she could even speak.


    asking kids might yield a different perspective. after all, no one would be guarded against a child. plus, wu lan was there to correct them if they said anything incorrect.


    ¡°then you¡¯ve asked the right person. i know everything about our village,¡± zhou zhou proudly stated.


    instantly, the two children were full of energy.


    seeing that xiang wan was chatting happily with the children, wu lan didn¡¯t say anything else and joined in the conversation.


    zhou zhou indeed wasn¡¯t exaggerating. he was well-versed in everything, from significant decisions made in the commune to minor incidents like who stole whose duck egg. xiang wan was thoroughly entertained by his stories.


    ¡°then do you know about chen zhuang and liu chun¡¯s family?¡± xiang wan finally got to the main point.


    ¡°these two aren¡¯t good people. why are you asking about them?¡± wu lan asked.


    the zhou siblings seemed to recall something as well. they pursed their lips and remained silent.


    ¡°when i arrived, my luggage was taken away by them.¡± she recounted the events to them.


    wu lan frowned upon hearing that. ¡°do you have anything valuable in your luggage? if you do, i¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy to get it back.¡±


    ¡°i can give them the valuable items. i just want to get back my luggage and some clothes,¡± she explained.


    ¡°they are despised not only in our village but also in the nearby area. moreover, they have backers behind them. even the village chief dared not confront them. you can tell from their actions over the years,¡± wu lan whispered to xiang wan.


    she suspected their background must be significant but she hadn¡¯t expected them to even intimidate the village head.

 Chapter 29

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    the group was discussing chen zhuang when suddenly a knocking sound was heard.


    ¡°is brother huo home?¡± a sweet and sugary female voice called out.


    ¡°it¡¯s that shameless woman!¡± zhou zhou muttered under his breath.


    ¡°yes, yes, yes. it¡¯s her voice. she¡¯s here to look for brother huo again!¡± zhou rui chimed in.


    confused, xiang wan asked, ¡°who¡¯s that? does she often come to find huo xiao?¡±


    ¡°shh¡­ that person is a girl from our village¡ªwell-known for throwing herself at men. she¡¯s always clinging to brother huo!¡± zhou zhou explained to xiang wan in a hushed voice.


    ¡°where did a child hear such rumors?!¡± wu lan scolded her son, telling him to stop talking.


    ¡°that¡¯s what everyone says!¡± zhou zhou refused stubbornly.


    ¡°the person outside is yuan min from the yuan family. she used to be in the same class as little huo. she doesn¡¯t have a good reputation in our area. however, little huo hasn¡¯t shown any interest in her. we all can see that.¡± wu lan quickly clarified on behalf of huo xiao.


    yuan min? xiang wan remembered that this person was mentioned in the original book. she was a famous scheming woman.


    yuan min was the only daughter in her family, spoiled by her parents while growing up. even though she was born in the countryside, she was never made to do any work. father yuan¡¯s sister married into the city, so yuan min occasionally went to the city to live for a few days.


    perhaps due to her exposure to city life, as she grew older, yuan min gradually refused to accept the fact that she was from the countryside. she made various attempts to marry into the city. this was also why she had her eyes set on the male protagonist in the book.


    at that time, coinciding with the resumption of college entrance exams, yuan min set her sights on the handsome and highly educated male lead. unfortunately, she was defeated by the halo of the female lead and failed to succeed in ¡®landing.¡¯


    huo xiao was the most promising person in their village after the male lead, so she shifted her attention to huo xiao.


    her previous excessive efforts to win over ji zhiqing, the original male protagonist, were all seen by the villagers. over time, her reputation became bad.


    ¡°brother huo? brother huo?¡± yuan min knocked on the door.


    yuan min thought that brother huo should be home by now. why didn¡¯t anyone open the door? did he go out with his so-called fianc¨¦e?


    the news about huo xiao¡¯s fianc¨¦e visiting him was beautiful as a flower spread throughout the village overnight.


    yuan min left for huo xiao¡¯s house early in the morning after receiving the news. she wanted to see what her so-called fianc¨¦e looked like.


    she had an aunt who married a man from the big city and had been exposed to things in the big city since she was young. therefore, she felt that it was simply because the country bumpkins were ignorant and that¡¯s why they praised her excessively.


    moreover, huo xiao was the person she had set her sights on. she couldn¡¯t let someone beat her to it. and what kind of feelings could an engaged couple, who had never met, possibly have? they might be here to call off the engagement!


    xiang wan gestured for zhou zhou to open the door.


    ¡°miss, why are you looking for huo xiao? i¡¯m his fianc¨¦e.¡± she looked at the person outside the door. she had no intention of allowing her ¡®rival¡¯ to harbor any illusions.


    ¡°you¡¯re huo xiao¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡± yuan min stared in astonishment at the girl inside.


    truly as beautiful as a fairy! yuan min felt that there was no way she could compare herself to this girl!


    yuan min looked at xiang wan with a mixture of resentment and jealousy. how could someone be both beautiful and wealthy? god was so unfair!


    xiang wan remained silent, ignoring the envy in the girl¡¯s eyes, waiting for her to continue.


    ¡°i¡­ what right do you have to come to find him? do you know how difficult his life was before? you¡­¡± yuan min¡¯s initial confidence wavered.


    ¡°i¡¯m here to find my fianc¨¦. do you have a problem with that?¡± xiang wan didn¡¯t want to argue with her and interrupted her.


    ¡°i do have a problem! of course, i have! look at how exquisitely you¡¯re dressed. do you think huo xiao can provide these to you? his earnings for a whole year might not be enough for you to buy a few outfits! can you bear to let him work so hard? you¡¯re ruining him!¡± yuan min earnestly explained the pros and cons to xiang wan.


    ¡°i¡¯m willing, and i don¡¯t mind! do you still have a problem?¡± xiang wan responded sharply to her question.


    ¡°why are you so oblivious to what¡¯s good for you? are you crazy about men? can¡¯t you live without a man? you look nice on the surface, but how shameless can you be to snatch someone else¡¯s man? you¡­¡±


    ¡°shut up!¡± huo xiao¡¯s roar cut off yuan min¡¯s words.


    ¡°brother¡­ brother huo?¡± yuan min trembled in fear and quickly shut her mouth.

 Chapter 30

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    after he got off work, he went to carpenter cui¡¯s place to look at the furniture. he didn¡¯t expect that when he got home later, he saw xiang wan was being bullied and his anger rose.


    seeing his darkened expression, yuan min shrank back in fear.


    she did not know when huo xiao had returned, nor did she know how much he had heard.


    it was widely known that no girls liked huo xiao because of his constant stern and gloomy expression. people thought he was terrifying. what if he married and the wife ended up being beaten?


    yuan min was extremely afraid that huo xiao would throw a punch at her and kill her on the spot.


    ¡°apologize!¡± huo xiao shouted at yuan min.¡¯


    ¡°i¡­ i¡­¡± yuan min trembled in fear, struggling to get her words out.


    ¡°apologize! don¡¯t force me to take action!¡± huo xiao stared at yuan min.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry! boohoo, i shouldn¡¯t have said those things about you!¡± yuan min was so frightened that she cried. she finished apologizing and quickly ran away.


    huo xiao exerted all his strength to suppress his anger, trying to appear calm. he then turned to xiang wan and said, ¡°i hope i didn¡¯t scare you. don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°miss, don¡¯t listen to what yuan min said. she¡¯s just jealous of you,¡± wu lan comforted xiang wan while holding her two frightened children.


    ¡°little huo, we should go back now!¡±


    ¡°right, thank you, auntie wu. i¡¯m sorry for disturbing you today and scaring you all,¡± huo xiao expressed his guilt as he looked at the two children. he had truly lost his temper just now.


    ¡°it¡¯s okay, brother huo. we know you were protecting sister,¡± zhou zhou showed his understanding like a little adult. then, the three of them returned home.


    ¡°come in, don¡¯t just stand outside like that. others might think i¡¯m mistreating you,¡± xiang wan teased.


    ¡°how could that be? don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t take it to heart. if there¡¯s anything you need, just let me know,¡± huo xiao panicked when he heard that and hurried into the courtyard.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry, wan¡¯er. if i had come back earlier today, you wouldn¡¯t have encountered that situation,¡± huo xiao looked as pitiful as a big puppy.


    ¡°you don¡¯t mind what yuan min said?¡± xiang wan asked.


    huo xiao understood her implication and did not reply.


    he walked over to the cabinet where he kept his belongings, and took out a neatly wrapped box from the middle shelf ¨C a box that looked similar to the one that had held the jade pendant before.


    he unwrapped the cloth and placed the box in her hand.


    ¡°what is this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°open it and see.¡±


    following his instructions, xiang wan opened the box, finding several large banknotes, a few ration coupons, and a bank passbook inside.


    she opened the passbook and was taken aback by the number displayed on it.


    she did not expect huo xiao to have saved up so much money. it was enough to buy a duplex bungalow in the city.


    ¡°this is the inheritance left by my grandfather, along with the money i¡¯ve earned over the past few years. i¡¯ll give them all to you.¡± huo xiao pushed the items toward xiang wan.


    xiang wan fell silent, gazing at the man before her, lost in thought.


    to be honest, they¡¯ve only spent one day together, just one day, and huo xiao dares to give her his entire fortune.


    ¡°aren¡¯t you afraid that i¡¯ll run off with all your money?¡± her voice was a little hoarse.


    ¡°i¡¯m willing to take that risk,¡± huo xiao gazed at xiang wan, his eyes filled with tenderness that was about to engulf her.


    as xiang wan looked into his eyes, there was a hint of gentleness in her eyes.


    initially, xiang wan had only intended to fulfill the task given by the system, find the person, and quickly return to enjoy her good life.


    however, who could have predicted that the journey would be so full of twists and turns, more dramatic than a novel would dare to depict?


    ¡°don¡¯t worry, i will provide you with the life you want,¡± huo xiao had great confidence in himself. once the college admission results were out, he would be able to go to the city with her.


    while this statement might sound a bit idealistic, xiang wan knew it was genuine. as a spectator with an omniscient view, he would undoubtedly be a winner in life if he could overcome the obstacles presented by the two main protagonists.


    ¡°alright, then i¡¯ll wait for you,¡± xiang wan let go of her concerns, deciding to let things unfold naturally.


    ¡°by the way, i inquired with the village chief about chen zhuang and liu chun. this afternoon, the village chief will arrange for us to meet with them.¡± huo xiao recalled the most important matter of the day and quickly informed her.


    but wasn¡¯t it said that even the village chief didn¡¯t dare to interfere in their affairs? how come now it¡¯s so easy to meet them?


    she told huo xiao about her doubts.


    ¡°of course, it¡¯s because a significant figure has arrived in our village today! interestingly, this big shot has some connection to you. you¡¯ll find out soon,¡± huo xiao revealed.


    xiang wan was momentarily surprised. a big shot related to her?


    the only significant figure she knew now was yang heng. could it be that yang heng had sent someone to pick her up?

 Chapter 31

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    xiang wan followed huo xiao to the village chief¡¯s house.


    ¡°comrade huo is here! come in, come in.¡± the village chief, wu feng, warmly greeted them at the door. ¡°this must be comrade huo¡¯s fianc¨¦e! she looked like a fairy! please come in!¡±


    xiang wan sensed that the village chief seemed more enthusiastic toward her than toward huo xiao. why could that be?


    as they entered the house, they saw a middle-aged man in a chinese tunic suit sitting at the main seat. he was wearing a hat and his hair was neatly styled.


    ¡°this must be miss xiang wan! hello, i¡¯m the mayor of jin gang district, zheng hui.¡± the person at the main seat stood up and introduced himself.


    ¡°nice to meet you, mayor zheng,¡± she replied politely.


    she glanced at huo xiao, her eyes conveying the message she wanted to say.


    ¡®this is the big shot you mentioned? and he has something to do with me?¡¯


    ¡®you don¡¯t know him?¡¯ huo xiao looked back at her.


    ¡®what do you think?¡¯


    capturing her expression, huo xiao realized she didn¡¯t recognize the person before them. he fell into deep thought.


    he did not know this person either. he did not arrange for anyone to come.


    after learning about xiang wan¡¯s unfortunate incident yesterday, he immediately got someone to investigate and collected evidence to present to higher-ups.


    he hadn¡¯t received any information about who was coming, so he didn¡¯t recognize the person in front of them. however, the information he received was related to xiang wan.


    it was quite strange indeed¡­


    ¡°miss xiang wan, assistant zhang sent me here. he also asked me to give you a letter and emphasized that i must hand it to you personally.¡± zheng hui had his assistant hand the letter to her.


    zheng hui was quite surprised as well. when he received the message, he was preparing to head home for a drink, but an urgent call stopped him.


    he thought it might be related to a mistake in his work, and he was anxious. however, the call only instructed him to quickly go to a remote village in jin gang district to help mediate a situation.


    he almost thought he had received the wrong call. after confirming multiple times, he came here with mixed emotions.


    after seeing the girl in front of him, zheng hui immediately explained the situation. after all, she was the niece of the person involved¡­


    ¡°so, it¡¯s uncle zhang! thank you for making this trip!¡± xiang wan took the letter and said with a sudden realization.


    the general content of the letter stated that yang heng had learned about what had happened to her and immediately sent someone to pick her up and deal with that couple.


    it seemed that her guess was correct. it was people sent by uncle yang. however, how did uncle yang know that she was in the jin gang district, and what had happened to her?


    in the past couple of days, apart from that couple, only she and huo xiao were aware of the incident. the couple would not publicize their misdeeds, so it could only be huo xiao who informed uncle yang.


    xiang wan looked at huo xiao suspiciously, and he responded with a smile without saying anything.


    she knew it wasn¡¯t the time to discuss these matters, so she averted her gaze and politely looked at zheng hui.


    ¡°mayor zheng, i believe you are aware of my situation here. i just want to retrieve my luggage.¡±


    ¡°just call me uncle zheng. i¡¯m around the same age as assistant zhang,¡± zheng hui explained, ¡°that couple¡¯s evil deeds should have been punished long ago. putting them in jail is the least they deserve. you don¡¯t need to worry about this aspect. we¡¯ll go to their house later.¡±


    upon hearing his first sentence, xiang wan¡¯s face showed a slight hint of surprise.


    around the same age? she really couldn¡¯t tell at all. if she hadn¡¯t been careful not to offend him, she might have almost called him grandfather.


    it seemed that uncle zhang had taken good care of himself. she had to go back and learn from him when she went back.


    under wu feng¡¯s lead, everyone arrived at the chen couple¡¯s house. from the smoke rising from the chimney, they knew that they were at home.


    perhaps it was because zheng hui¡¯s secrecy was done well, or perhaps the couple felt invulnerable due to their backer.


    the village chief walked into the courtyard and saw liu chun cooking.


    ¡°what brings you here, village chief? is today a special day? are you here to give us money since you¡¯ve finally come to your senses?¡± liu chun mocked the village chief when he saw him enter.


    when they joined forces, they tried to bribe wu feng to work with them. after all, having the village chief on their side would provide extra protection and convenience. however, they had been rejected, so every time they encountered wu feng, they would taunt him.


    ¡°hmph! even at death¡¯s door, you¡¯re still spouting nonsense!¡± wu feng knew there was a powerful figure behind him, so he remained composed.

 Chapter 32

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°how arrogant!¡± chen zhuang walked out of the house and looked at wu feng in disdain.


    ¡°i¡¯m giving you face by calling you village chief! and you¡¯re acting all high and mighty!¡±


    ¡°you¡­ don¡¯t get too proud! this is¡­¡± wu feng was so furious he was about to reveal zheng hui¡¯s identity, but a single glance from zheng hui stopped him.


    ¡°and what is it? don¡¯t think that just because you brought people here, i¡¯m afraid of you!¡± chen zhuang glanced at the people behind him and remarked nonchalantly.


    ¡°it¡¯s you! you showed up at my house!?¡± liu chun immediately noticed xiang wan among the crowd.


    ¡°ah! i see now, village chief, so you¡¯ve come to seek justice for this woman! quite a clever move, i must say. aren¡¯t you afraid your tigress wife will explode?¡±


    liu chun looked disdainfully at the opposite side, implying that wu feng had been seduced by xiang wan¡¯s beauty.


    at this statement, huo xiao¡¯s expression darkened.


    ¡°what nonsense are you spouting!¡± wu feng glanced at the group behind him and grew anxious.


    ¡°nonsense? what nonsense did i say? does she have three heads and six arms or something? look at how hard you¡¯re working for her!¡± liu chun retorted.


    ¡°you better pray that you can still speak so arrogantly later.¡± xiang wan glared at liu chun


    liu chun felt a chill run down her spine as if something bad was about to happen.


    as soon as she said that, huo xiao quickly stepped forward.


    ¡°what are you doing? what are you doing? husband! he¡¯s attacking me!!¡± liu chun¡¯s premonition came true.


    with agile movements, huo xiao rushed toward liu chun, who kept retreating in fear.


    seeing this, chen zhuang hurriedly stepped forward to block huo xiao. ¡°what are you doing? you dare to attack! watch me deal with you!¡±


    huo xiao paid no attention to chen zhuang¡¯s threats. he clenched his fists and started landing blows on chen zhuang, one after another.


    chen zhuang had initially thought that the opponent only had the advantage of more people backing up and didn¡¯t take it seriously.


    however, as soon as he felt the impact of huo xiao¡¯s fist, he realized something was wrong. the person in front of him seemed slim but was all muscle, and his punches were painful.


    a fist the size of a bowl landed on him, making him cry out in pain.


    ¡°stop! stop! help, someone! help, someone!¡± chen zhuang was defenseless against the onslaught of blows. he shouted for help repeatedly, but the other party didn¡¯t stop, so he rolled to the side and called for assistance.


    liu chun was stunned on the spot. she didn¡¯t understand why the other party dared to start a fight inside their house. she snapped out of it after chen zhuang called for help several times.


    ¡°husband! husband! how are you?!¡± liu chun ran over and helped chen zhuang up. ¡°you¡¯re so ruthless! great!¡±


    ¡°i did not wish to make things ugly since we are neighbors, but since you don¡¯t appreciate our kindness, don¡¯t blame me for being heartless. come out, all of you!¡± liu chun glared at huo xiao, then turned to shout into the house.


    everyone looked in that direction and saw seven to eight burly men coming out. they were the same group of people that had threatened xiang wan on the train.


    ¡°so, you are in cahoots!?¡± xiang wan looked at the familiar men and realized she had guessed correctly once again.


    ¡°whether we are or aren¡¯t doesn¡¯t matter. today, you¡¯ve injured the head of our house and forced me to reveal my trump card. there¡¯s no way i¡¯ll let you leave this place.¡± the fury in liu chun¡¯s eyes was about to materialize.


    ¡°such audacity! do you think the law is meaningless? you dare to be so arrogant.¡± xiang wan deliberately put on an act, playing the role of a naive and foolish young lady, enticing them to take the bait.


    ¡°law? in our remote mountain village, even if we do something to you, who would know?¡± liu chun glared fiercely at xiang wan, paying no heed to her words.


    it¡¯s all because of this little w*nch! she thinks she¡¯s invincible just because her family has some money. if she hadn¡¯t come knocking on their door, she wouldn¡¯t have exposed her trump card!


    ¡°if you dare to make a move, i¡¯ll get my uncle to arrest all of you! then, we¡¯ll throw money to make sure all of you never get out!¡± xiang wan threatened.


    xiang wan played the role of a spoiled, naive young lady to perfection.


    these people are a gang of criminals! zheng hui was a little surprised.


    wu feng was also taken aback. how come he had never heard about liu chun being this capable before? where did these people even come from? the small house couldn¡¯t even fit them all!


    the two men were perplexed as they looked at the chaotic confrontation before them¡­


    only huo xiao looked at the determined young lady who seemed to wield her words with a commanding air. a trace of emotion he hadn¡¯t noticed surfaced in his eyes: fondness.

 Chapter 33

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°you little b*tch, do you think that i can¡¯t deal with you just because you have a bit of money? get them!¡± liu chun wished she could chop the arrogant xiang wan into eight pieces. she waved her hand, prompting a few burly men to come forward.


    ¡°especially that woman, bring her to me. after i¡¯ve settled the score, i¡¯ll let you play with her.¡± liu chun lured them with a sly smile.


    upon hearing this, the burly men¡¯s blood surged, and they pounced toward the other party.


    ¡°stop! i dare you to come any closer!¡± zheng hui quickly reprimanded the approaching men.


    ¡°old man, who do you think you are? do you think we will stop just because you say so? do you think we¡¯re fools?¡± the burly leader burst into laughter.


    ¡°this is the mayor of our jin gang district. don¡¯t be rude!¡± wu feng shouted at them, summoning his courage.


    ¡°what? mayor?¡±


    ¡°the mayor is here? how¡¯s that possible?¡±


    ¡°what should we do?¡±


    hearing this, the group stopped in their tracks, exchanged glances, and looked at liu chun, hoping she would provide guidance.


    ¡°you¡¯re saying he¡¯s the mayor? stop fooling around! do you think the mayor has time to deal with your little matter? that¡¯s just a ridiculous idea!¡± liu chun sneered.


    ¡°you¡¯re truly unrepentant! i want to see if you can still laugh in a little while.¡± zheng hui¡¯s tone changed from slightly nervous to commanding.


    because he saw that his assistant had managed to gather some help.


    originally, he had brought some people with him on this trip as a precaution but he hadn¡¯t brought them into the village.


    firstly, having too many people would attract attention, and if they were noticed, it could spell trouble.


    secondly, it wouldn¡¯t be good to scare the villagers with a bunch of guards.


    when he saw the tense standoff between the two sides earlier, he realized it was turning into a dangerous situation. he quickly signaled to his assistant to bring the reinforcements.


    initially, he had been quite anxious, fearing that if things got physical, xiang wan would be injured, and then he wouldn¡¯t be able to explain it to his superiors.


    ¡°mayor, are you all alright?¡± the assistant panted.


    ¡°you came just in time, and you¡¯ve missed quite a show!¡± zheng hui joked, ¡°surround them.¡±


    at zheng hui¡¯s command, the police officers formed a line and stood guard at the door.


    ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°do you even need to ask? it¡¯s something liu chun¡¯s family did.¡±


    ¡°how many times has her family committed crimes? every time, they come out unscathed.¡±


    ¡°from the looks of it, it¡¯s different this time!¡±


    some curious villagers came with the police officers. everyone was chatting animatedly.


    ¡°you¡­ you¡¯re the mayor?!¡± liu chun exclaimed in disbelief.


    ¡°impossible! you¡¯re impersonating government officials; you¡¯ll end up in jail!¡± chen zhuang shouted.


    the men from chen zhuang¡¯s household, while appearing fierce, weren¡¯t skilled fighters. coupled with the fear they now felt, they were quickly subdued by the police officers.


    ¡°you b*tch! you¡¯ll die a horrible death! you¡¯ve ruined my whole family! i won¡¯t spare you even if i become a ghost!¡± liu chun, her hands cuffed, yelled at xiang wan with a twisted expression.


    xiang wan absentmindedly rubbed her ear, ignoring her.


    when huo xiao saw that, he stepped in front of xiang wan to shield her from liu chun¡¯s malicious glare. his brows furrowed in a stern gaze.


    liu chun trembled in fear. was this the same poor kid from before?


    why did his gaze seem so terrifying now? it was like an evil spirit torn from hell itself, sending shivers down one¡¯s spine.


    in the end, chen zhuang, liu chun, and their group were all taken back to the police station. this organization had garnered extensive attention from higher-ups.


    watching them being escorted onto the vehicles, zheng hui wiped off non-existent sweat from his forehead. ¡°this unexpected success is largely thanks to miss xiang¡¯s wisdom and wit!¡±


    ¡°uncle zheng, you¡¯re too kind. if it wasn¡¯t for your arrangement in advance, we might have already been beaten up!¡± she modestly replied.


    ¡°i suspect that there might be a bigger organization behind them. i must return and report quickly. we need to trace the roots and take them down in one go!¡± zheng hui said excitedly.


    it had been a while since he had been so excited. after this report, he was certain to receive great credit!


    village chief wu feng realized the gravity of the situation and promptly cautioned the villagers who had gathered to watch the commotion not to speak recklessly.


    everyone nodded in agreement. after all, with the mayor here, it could result in them being arrested if anyone leaked any information. therefore, they promised to keep their mouths sealed.


    inside liu chun¡¯s house, xiang wan found her suitcase, but everything inside had been rummaged through, and many items were missing.


    however, those things were no longer important. as long as she recovered her luggage, she would be satisfied. after all, the missing items could be ¡®purchased¡¯ again.

 Chapter 34

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    everyone returned to the village chief¡¯s house, and the villagers carried on with their work.


    ¡°miss xiang, aside from arresting the criminals, my main purpose here is to escort you back. what are your arrangements?¡± zheng hui asked.


    ¡°uncle zheng, i¡¯m almost done here. i¡¯ll go back with you tomorrow.¡±


    huo xiao, who had just entered the house, heard what she said. she was still holding her luggage.


    seeing him enter, xiang wan felt a bit guilty and avoided looking up.


    she had completely forgotten about her engagement; she hoped this wouldn¡¯t anger him.


    ¡°is everything settled? let¡¯s go back!¡± huo xiao said nothing else and calmly asked her if she was coming home.


    ¡°uncle zheng, i¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± xiang wan bid farewell to zheng hui and wu feng before heading back with huo xiao.


    the two walked back in silence.


    ¡°let¡¯s talk!¡± xiang wan said when they got home.


    ¡°alright.¡± huo xiao put the luggage into the house. when he turned around, she was already waiting for him in the yard.


    ¡°i¡¯m going to boil water, so it¡¯s ready later,¡± huo xiao seemed reluctant to sit down, as he kept finding things to do for himself.


    ¡°there¡¯s still time. please sit down.¡± she interrupted him and urged him to take a seat.


    ¡°i¡¯ve achieved my purpose of coming here to find you, so i plan to go back with uncle zheng tomorrow.¡± she reiterated her plan.


    that had been her original plan. after finding him to complete the mission, she would return.


    however, she didn¡¯t expect so many things to happen, nor did she anticipate getting involved with huo xiao.


    now, things have complicated¡­


    ¡°alright, once i receive my acceptance letter, i¡¯ll come to find you in the city,¡± huo xiao had already thought this through. he couldn¡¯t let her continue living in such a poor life with him¡ª she didn¡¯t belong here.


    he had already planned it out. once the acceptance letter arrived, he would distribute his responsibilities in the commune. after taking care of everything, he would move to the city for development.


    ¡°you¡¯ll come to find me?¡± she didn¡¯t expect him to say that.


    she had been pondering how to persuade him to leave with her, as she couldn¡¯t bear the thought of a long-distance relationship right after getting together. but she hadn¡¯t expected him to propose it himself.


    however, she clearly remembered from the original story that he was supposed to head to the capital for further development after the college entrance exam.


    ¡°didn¡¯t you want to go to the capital to develop?¡±


    ¡°who told you that i wanted to go to the capital?¡± huo xiao looked at her with an ambiguous expression.


    he did want to go to the capital directly to develop his career, but that was in the past. however, he did not share this with anyone, so how did she know?


    ¡°i guessed it! your grades are so good, it would be a waste not to go to the capital!¡± she laughed nervously, attempting to divert the conversation.


    ¡°xiang jiang is good too. both places suit me.¡± huo xiao did not probe further. everyone had their secrets.


    xiang wan thought about it and realized that indeed, wherever a person with great potential went, they would excel ¨C that was something that wouldn¡¯t change.


    moreover, going to xiang jiang was a good idea! going there meant he wouldn¡¯t encounter the male and female protagonists mentioned in the original novel. he might even have a smooth-sailing life.


    ¡°alright! i¡¯ll wait for you in xiang jiang.¡± she smiled.


    after their conversation, huo xiao went to boil water.


    she quickly ran to the bedroom to pack her luggage.


    she couldn¡¯t possibly keep any of the items in the luggage. she couldn¡¯t accept using clothes and items that those people had touched.


    she even took the time to check if there were any new missions in the system. unfortunately, there were none.


    looking at the extra 50,000 yuan in her account, she was in a good mood.


    however, she wondered when the quest would refresh. if huo xiao was the focus of the quest, what if she left tomorrow and had to come back?


    she shook off her thoughts and decided to take advantage of huo xiao¡¯s absence to quickly purchase some daily necessities and a few sets of clothes from the virtual shop.


    ¡°the water is ready! would you like to take a shower?¡± huo xiao¡¯s voice came from outside.


    ¡°alright! i¡¯m coming!¡± she was startled. indeed, it was easy to feel guilty when doing something sneaky!


    she opened the door, and he was outside, waiting for her.


    ¡°i¡¯ve cleaned the wooden bucket. you can use it with confidence,¡± huo xiao carried the wooden bucket into the room and poured hot water into it.


    ¡°i¡¯ve placed cold water on the floor. if it¡¯s not enough, just let me know.¡± after saying that, he left.


    she saw that the amount of hot water in the bucket was enough for her to take a bath. in addition, she had her clothes ready, so she did not worry.


    ¡°ah~¡± she lay in the hot water and sighed contentedly.

 Chapter 35

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    over the past 2 days, she has been experiencing what she had never gone through in both her lifetimes¡ªexciting and thrilling, but truly exhausting. now, she can finally relax and enjoy a comfortable bath.


    sinking into the wooden tub, the warmth of the water embraces her slowly¡­


    ¡°it¡¯s getting chilly. don¡¯t soak for too long, or you might catch a cold!¡± huo xiao¡¯s voice echoes from outside.


    he felt that the room was too quiet, even the sound of splashing water was absent. he was worried that something might happen to her, so he quickly reminded her.


    startled, she sat up abruptly. she was actually on the verge of falling asleep!


    she thoroughly rinsed herself and then dried her body promptly.


    it was very cold in the countryside at night, and huo xiao¡¯s house was not very well-insulated. if she did not dry off quickly, she might catch a cold.


    ¡°i¡¯m done!¡± she opened the door after tidying up.


    perhaps due to the steam from the hot water, she looks exceptionally beautiful today.


    at least that¡¯s how it seems in his heart, leaving him momentarily stunned.


    regaining his composure, he quietly carries the water tub outside and then comes back in to clean up the water spills, repeating the same steps as last night.


    observing his earnest and diligent appearance, she couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter.


    ¡°who would¡¯ve thought our comrade huo xiao is good at taking care of others!¡±


    he blushed at her comment. ¡°i¡¯ve never taken care of anyone before.¡±


    with that, he quickly left the room.


    she raised an eyebrow. he was quite adorable!


    the next morning, huo xiao heard a scream.


    ¡°ah!!¡±


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong? wanwan, what¡¯s wrong? can i go in?¡± he immediately knocked on the door.


    ¡°it¡¯s nothing, you don¡¯t have to come in.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯ll be right outside, just call me if you need anything.¡± he didn¡¯t barge in but stood guard at the door.


    on the bed, xiang wan was pulling her hair in a frenzy, looking bewildered at the new mission.


    [main mission: accompany huo xiao to get the acceptance letter and return to xiang jiang together.]


    she recognizes every word of this task, but she doesn¡¯t want to recognize any of it since being together with him!


    that¡¯s right, she woke up in the morning with a notification that the mission had refreshed. she couldn¡¯t help but let out a cry.


    was this a joke?! she bid farewell to huo xiao yesterday, sharing their feelings and everything.


    and now, what was this?! was she directly going back on her word?


    does she have to slap herself in the face like this?!


    xiang wan thought about staying in this remote and inconvenient place without baths or proper toilets for several more days, and she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.


    but this mission was worth 500,000.


    what did 500,000 yuan mean? she could easily buy this little village and still have plenty of balance left!


    she tidied herself up with a mixture of joy and distress.


    in the morning, they still ate the delicious food cooked by auntie wu lan.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked huo xiao.


    he sensed that her mood was somewhat complicated, just like when he was torn between going to xiang jiang or the capital. how could her emotions change so drastically overnight?


    ¡°i¡¯m fine. are you done eating? let¡¯s go find uncle zheng!¡± she couldn¡¯t explain why she was in a dilemma, and she had already made a decision.


    ¡°wait for me, i¡¯ll pack up and then get your luggage.¡± saying that he was about to go inside to fetch her luggage.


    ¡°no need, i¡¯ll have to come back anyway. i¡¯ll just take this.¡± she held the small basket in her hand and turned to leave.


    ¡°huh?¡± before huo xiao could ask, he caught up with her pace.


    when they arrived at the village chief¡¯s house, they saw zheng hui overseeing the packing and guarding of the prisoners.


    ¡°miss xiang, you¡¯re here! shall we set off?¡± zheng hui was eager to report back as soon as possible.


    he was worried that if there were any accomplices, this operation might not go smoothly. the sooner they leave, the better.


    ¡°uncle zheng, i¡¯m here to tell you about this,¡± she explained. ¡°i¡¯ve decided not to go back for the time being. please help me pass this letter to my uncle.¡±


    ¡°what¡­ alright!¡± he wanted to persuade her, but when he saw huo xiao behind her, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°these are some snacks i prepared. you can take them with you or distribute them to everyone. consider it a small token of appreciation from me. i¡¯ll be sure to thank you in person after i go back.¡± she handed the basket to zheng hui.


    ¡°if there¡¯s anyone to thank, it¡¯s your uncle. i¡¯m just running an errand for him.¡± zheng hui didn¡¯t dare to take credit for this matter. after all, he hadn¡¯t expected to bring back a criminal case along with him. who knows, he might even have to thank her in the future.


    zheng hui accepted the snacks and set off with the group.

 Chapter 36

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    after bidding farewell to the village chief, the two of them headed toward huo xiao¡¯s house.


    ¡°you¡¯re not going back?¡± asked huo xiao.


    ¡°yes, i¡¯ve decided to stay and accompany you to get the acceptance letter. how can i not be around for such an important moment!¡±


    huo xiao was extremely touched.


    in the morning, when he heard that she was not going to take her luggage, he wondered if she was not going to leave.


    he couldn¡¯t believe that she was willing to give up her city life and stay here to live a poor life with him!


    no wonder she was so conflicted earlier in the morning, he thought, his heart filled with happiness.


    huo xiao was overwhelmed by his own emotions before she had a chance to explain. he was determined not to let her live like this anymore.


    ¡°i ordered some furniture from carpenter cui. i¡¯m going to pick it up later. do you want to come along and see if there¡¯s anything else you need?¡± asked huo xiao.


    he remembered that one of the paths from this crossroad led to carpenter cui¡¯s house. since she did not plan to go back, they could go and take a look together.


    originally, he had already ordered a batch of furniture, but when he learned that she was planning to leave the next day, he didn¡¯t have them delivered. even if they were delivered, the master would not be around.


    but now, the situation has changed. he needed to think about what their home was lacking!


    ¡ª-


    ¡°comrade little huo, you¡¯re here! the furniture i kept for you last time is all set-aside. do i still need to deliver it?¡± carpenter cui was an enthusiastic person with a hearty manner of speaking.


    ¡°uncle cui, i¡¯m here to pick them up today. i¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything else i need. lend me the car later.¡±


    carpenter cui was a craftsman who did not pay attention to the gossip in the village, so he did not recognize xiang wan.


    however, he had a special liking for huo xiao, just like many of the elders in the village did.


    when huo xiao first arrived at the village, he was skin and bones, relying on the meager assistance from every household to barely grow up.


    after he grew up, he worked hard as a youth in the village and always had the best scores in every public assessment.


    although he was reserved and didn¡¯t talk much, he never forgot those who had been kind to him.


    carpenter cui¡¯s family had helped huo xiao in the past, but at that time no one had the energy to take care of extra children, so his ability was limited.


    apart from sharing meals, there wasn¡¯t much else they could do.


    in his spare time at the commune, huo xiao would help his neighbors with various tasks, even though he had repaid the favors then.


    due to this, everyone cared for him and liked him. if not for knowing that huo xiao had high ambitions beyond the village, carpenter cui would have considered grooming him as his successor.


    even so, carpenter cui still imparted his skills to huo xiao.


    he knew he couldn¡¯t be of much help to huo xiao, but having an additional skill could open up more opportunities for him outside the village. he hoped this young man could venture beyond the mountains.


    ¡°take a look and see what you like,¡± huo xiao told xiang wan, letting her choose what she needed.


    ¡°okay.¡± she walked into the shop, looking for something that suited her taste.


    ¡°how about this bathtub?¡± she asked excitedly. she was overjoyed when she saw the dusty bathtub in the corner.


    ¡°not bad!¡± huo xiao said to carpenter cui. ¡°uncle cui, i¡¯ll take that bathtub too.¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s great! you have no idea how nobody laid eyes on this item ever since i got it. i¡¯m so worried that my hair has turned white!¡± carpenter cui was even happier than her.


    in this era where wooden furniture was popular, it was rare for ordinary households to use porcelain items. after all, porcelain was expensive and fragile.


    thus, a large porcelain bathtub like this remained unsold.


    ¡°alright, i¡¯ll help you fetch the cart!¡± with the major problem resolved, carpenter cui moved with incredible speed, bustling around in high spirits.


    xiang wan didn¡¯t have much interest in other wooden furniture. as long as it was functional, it was fine, and even if she needed something specific, she could just buy it directly from the virtual shop.


    there were five days left until the release of the acceptance letter. in five days, she would leave this place. as long as the accommodation was comfortable, she could bear everything else reluctantly.


    the only exception was this bathtub, which was her favorite and the most necessary item for her right now.


    when they got home, huo xiao started to rearrange the furniture while she gave instructions.

 Chapter 37

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    although xiang wan¡¯s requirements had already been lowered significantly, she still had the habit of doing things according to her ideas.


    after busying themselves for almost half a day, the two of them finally managed to arrange the purchased furniture.


    a brand new king-sized bed was placed in the bedroom, adorned with the silk four-piece set that xiang wan had newly bought from the shop. the pillows even had lace edges.


    beside the bed stood a semi-new bedside table. huo xiao had cleaned it thoroughly, and there were xiang wan¡¯s aromatherapy sticks and a few books on it.


    in the spot where he had temporarily set up a small bed, they now put a wardrobe. initially, he didn¡¯t have this need, as he only had a few pieces of clothing that could easily be stacked together.


    however, she was different. her clothes consisted mostly of long dresses, and folding them would easily create creases. so, he bought a wardrobe for her.


    his rectangular cabinet was moved to a corner and used by her to store miscellaneous items.


    as for the bathtub, he had specially created a space for it at the back of the kitchen, not far from the bedroom door. he even put up a curtain around it.


    looking at the small house that seemed to have been renovated, she nodded in satisfaction.


    this was where she was going to live for the next five days!


    however, what they didn¡¯t know was that news of huo xiao¡¯s furniture purchase had spread like wildfire throughout the village.


    especially after buying the bathtub, many people said that huo xiao was afraid of his wife.


    however, most of them were criticizing her. after all, huo xiao had a fearsome reputation, and not many were willing to provoke him.


    therefore, everyone pointed their fingers at her. moreover, at that time, many harbored resentment against the rich, so they looked down on her even more.


    they slandered her, saying that she was here to ruin huo xiao¡¯s life. they wondered why she didn¡¯t just stay in the city as a rich young lady, but instead came to disturb their lives.


    they unanimously felt that his life had finally taken a turn for the better, and now he had to deal with an insensible fianc¨¦e.


    rumors spread like wildfire in the village.


    when she heard about this, she was having lunch at home.


    ¡°oh no, oh no! everyone in the village is saying bad things about sister! no matter what we say, it¡¯s useless!¡± wu lan¡¯s two children appeared together at huo xiao¡¯s house.


    recently, huo xiao had been busy at the commune and was not at home during the day.


    ¡°what did they say about me?¡± she looked at them curiously.


    zhou zhou and zhou rui took turns explaining the whole situation to her.


    ¡°oh~¡± she chuckled upon hearing the story.


    ¡°sister, why are you laughing?¡± zhou zhou couldn¡¯t understand how she could laugh in the face of such criticism to this extent.


    she reached out and gently ruffled zhou zhou¡¯s hair, not saying a word.


    it was quite obvious that someone was stirring the pot behind the scenes! such tricks were all too familiar to her. she had seen many in her previous life!


    in her previous life, such slander was at the lowest level. there were all kinds of schemes involving date rape drugs, framing, hiring assassins¨C a whole array of methods.


    she had already experienced much worse environments than this in her previous life. those people in her past would use any means necessary to bring her down. so, she had no choice but to learn and strengthen herself.


    however, the simpler the situation, the less it should be ignored. one should know that even a small wave could capsize a boat.


    snapping back to reality from her memories, she pondered, who did she offend?


    for the past two days, she hadn¡¯t ventured out of the house much and had been engrossed in exploring newly unlocked items in the shop. she had no interest in thinking about anything unnecessary.


    if anyone had a grudge against her, it would probably be¡­


    she had a general idea in her mind.


    ¡°little zhou zhou, could you do me a favor?¡± she gestured for zhou zhou to come over and whispered into his ear.


    the more zhou zhou listened, the brighter his eyes became! his admiration was practically written all over his face.


    ¡°i promise to do it well!¡± zhou zhou eagerly agreed, then pulled his somewhat baffled older sister along and hurried out to take care of the task.


    the next act of the drama was about to unfold!


    xiang wan picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.


    it was a pity that the delicious food prepared by auntie wu had lost its appeal due to the circumstances.


    however, she knew she still had to eat more ¨C she wouldn¡¯t fare well if she entered a ¡®battlefield¡¯ later on with an empty stomach.

 Chapter 38

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    huo xiao rubbed his slightly sore wrist, thinking about how he could finally go home to be with xiang wan after finishing his work.


    he set down his tools, stood up, and went outside to wash his hands. at that moment, he overheard a conversation that caught his attention.


    ¡°¡­ are you serious?¡±


    ¡°how can i lie to you? she¡¯s exactly that kind of person!¡±


    ¡°i couldn¡¯t tell. she¡¯s a rich young lady, to begin with. it¡¯s normal for her to struggle with adjusting, right?¡±


    ¡°what do you know! what rich young lady? that¡¯s all in the past. she¡¯s now hooked up with the mayor!¡±


    ¡°impossible, the age gap is ridiculous! the mayor looks like he¡¯s at least 60 years old!¡±


    ¡°you still don¡¯t believe me! otherwise, why would liu chun and the gang get arrested as soon as she arrived? they¡¯ve swindled others of their money before! think about it!¡±


    ¡°oh, now that you put it that way! it does seem possible!¡±


    ¡°what are you talking about?¡± huo xiao suppressed the anger building up in his chest and questioned.


    ¡°huo¡­ huo xiao? what are you doing here? ha¡­ haha!¡± both of them turned abruptly and saw huo xiao behind them. their legs turned weak with fright.


    ¡°tell me what you were talking about!¡± huo xiao¡¯s face darkened.


    ¡°we didn¡¯t say anything!¡±


    ¡°speak!¡± huo xiao roared, startling them.


    they quickly told him the whole story.


    ¡°huo xiao, we didn¡¯t say that. now that everyone is saying that, it must be true!¡±


    ¡°yes, yes! don¡¯t be fooled by xiang wan!¡±


    they persuaded earnestly.


    ¡°shut up! don¡¯t let me hear any more slanders about my fianc¨¦e. watch your mouths!¡± huo xiao glared at them before he turned and walked away.


    they watched him leave, pursing their lips.


    the only thought in huo xiao¡¯s mind right now was to hurry home and see her. at the same time, he hoped that the rumors hadn¡¯t reached her ears.


    the moment he returned home and saw her, he suddenly felt this was his home.


    she was holding a magazine on a stone stool in the courtyard. everything looked serene and peaceful.


    he was afraid of disturbing the atmosphere, so he stood still, not saying anything, silently watching her.


    ¡°you¡¯re back! why are you back so early today?¡± she sensed someone behind her and turned around to see huo xiao.


    just like waiting for her husband to return from work, she set down the book in her hand and walked over to huo xiao.


    ¡°yes, i¡¯m done with my work today.¡± huo xiao took off his coat and hung it on the hanger before returning to the dining table to eat with her.


    for the past few days, zhou zhou had been delivering the food. after that, xiang wan helped to prepare the food in advance¡ªwell, ¡®prepare¡¯ might be a stretch; she simply took the dishes out of the containers and arranged them nicely.


    after finishing the meal, huo xiao would willingly wash the plates, and then they would go together to auntie wu¡¯s house to return the food containers, which also served as a way to aid digestion.


    occasionally, they would eat together. the wu siblings enjoyed spending time with their beautiful ¡®little auntie¡¯. they would go to huo xiao¡¯s house all day long and hardly play with the children in the village.


    at the dining table, huo xiao ate while listening to xiang wan recount the day¡¯s events.


    ¡°today, that kid zhou zhou came by and brought me some news.¡± she felt it necessary to inform him about this matter so that he wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard.


    ¡°you don¡¯t need to worry about the rumors outside. i¡¯ll deal with them.¡± unexpectedly, xiang wan was already aware, and his eyes immediately darkened.


    ¡°don¡¯t worry. i¡¯ve already come up with a plan. i asked zhou zhou to help me with it. if i can¡¯t handle it, then i¡¯ll ask for your assistance!¡± xiang wan explained.


    ¡°alright, go ahead and do it! i¡¯ve got your back!¡± he said to xiang wan.


    she smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. she didn¡¯t like to rely on others because she could handle it on her own.


    however, hearing his words, she felt touched. in her previous life, no one acted as her support, and no one would back her up.


    she couldn¡¯t afford to make any mistakes if she wanted to keep her position. once she made a mistake, everything would be lost.


    she had grown accustomed to facing everything on her own; she had always been alone.


    looking at huo xiao¡¯s earnest expression, she thought that perhaps trying to rely on someone else could be a novel experience.


    maybe god also wanted to change her monotonous life, which was why she was brought here.


    ¡°however, this plan needs your help.¡± she winked at huo xiao mysteriously.

 Chapter 39

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    on the elevated platform outside the village chief¡¯s house.


    ¡°i gathered everyone here today for a reason! there¡¯s something to discuss.¡± wu feng looked at the gathered crowd, thinking about ways to explain to xiang wan.


    ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡± everyone asked in confusion.


    their village rarely held such meetings unless there was a significant issue in someone¡¯s family that required collective decision-making. otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t come together except for special occasions.


    ¡°today, it¡¯s mainly about those rumors about miss xiang wan that are circulating in the village.¡± wu feng hadn¡¯t even finished his sentence when the people below started to murmur and consider leaving.


    ¡°what¡¯s there to say? she¡¯s not even from our village!¡±


    ¡°i still have work to do. no time for this!¡±


    ¡°is it appropriate to discuss this openly? there are children around!¡±


    ¡°shameless people are invincible!¡±


    everyone spoke one after another, not giving wu feng a chance to say a second sentence.


    ¡°shut up!¡± huo xiao stood beside the village chief and shouted at the crowd below.


    everyone fell silent. huo xiao gestured for the village chief to continue.


    seeing that no one was speaking, wu feng quickly finished what he wanted to say, ¡°these past few days, i believe everyone has heard the rumors about miss xiang wan. in response to these rumors, miss xiang wan has decided to take legal action. every person who participated in spreading false accusations and insults against her will receive a court summons!¡±


    ¡°court? why?¡±


    ¡°we didn¡¯t say anything!¡±


    the same people who were just acting arrogantly a moment ago suddenly shrunk back like quails, not daring to speak anymore.


    ¡°hello, everyone. i am xiang wan.¡± she walked to the front of the platform, looking at the people below, ¡°i don¡¯t know where these rumors came from, but they have severely affected my normal life and have taken a toll on my mental health.¡±


    seeing the silent crowd, she continued, ¡°i came to this unfamiliar environment for the first time, with no grudges against any of you. why did you slander me like this? tarnish my innocence! therefore, i¡¯ve decided to take all of you to court!¡±


    as she spoke, she swayed unsteadily. huo xiao quickly caught her.


    in reality, all the talk about taking them to court was a threat. those who had seen the world beyond the small mountain village had left, leaving behind those who were unfamiliar with the law.


    xiang wan had seized upon this point. she had asked the village chief to help announce it because it would be more persuasive coming from him.


    in this matter, wu feng dared not oppose. others might not know about xiang wan¡¯s background, which is why they dared to defame her. however, wu feng knew very well.


    even the mayor treated her with respect, so how could he dare to say anything? even if it was black color, he had to call it red.


    hence, the scene that had just unfolded.


    huo xiao helped her to rest.


    ¡°i¡¯m xiang wan¡¯s fianc¨¦, huo xiao. everyone knows who i am. we don¡¯t want to be too absolute. if you can find the person who spread the rumors first, we¡¯ll withdraw the lawsuit against that person. we¡¯ll keep our word!¡± huo xiao glanced at the people below the stage.


    ¡°alright, now everyone knows the situation. don¡¯t doubt the truth of this matter, or you might end up like liu chun and the others!¡± the village chief reminded them kindly.


    the people below looked at each other, shoving each other in response.


    ¡°it¡¯s you, wang er! you were the one who told me about this! you described it in detail! i was blind and trusted the wrong person!¡±


    ¡°it wasn¡¯t me, it wasn¡¯t me! i heard it from zhao liu!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°i remember it started from the women!¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s right! i recall now. it was the yuan family¡¯s girl who said it first!¡±


    yuan min remained silent in the crowd as she glared with resentment at xiang wan who seemed about to faint.


    what to do now? yuan min panicked and stammered, ¡°it wasn¡¯t me, i heard it from someone else too!¡±


    ¡°who told you that!¡±


    ¡°i forgot¡­ ah!¡± yuan min was dragged to the front of the stage.


    looking up at the person holding her, yuan min¡¯s gaze met the dark eyes of huo xiao. she was so scared that she didn¡¯t dare move or think randomly.


    ¡°there are only a few people in the village. how could you not remember who you heard it from?¡± huo xiao yanked her collar and dragged her onto the stage.


    ¡°i don¡¯t remember! it wasn¡¯t me!¡± yuan min struggled desperately to break free, but there was no way her strength could overcome his.


    ¡°it¡¯s you! it¡¯s you!¡± the crowd began to jeer as someone took the stage.


    they were eager for someone to come forward and admit to the accusation, so they could escape being accused themselves.

 Chapter 40

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    xiang wan stole a glance at the commotion below the stage and couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for yuan min.


    this was human nature. whenever personal interests were involved, people would go to great lengths to exonerate themselves, even if the person ultimately being pushed out was just a scapegoat.


    although yuan min was the catalyst for this incident, there was an air of strangeness surrounding it.


    if yuan min had such intentions, she shouldn¡¯t have ended up so unfavorable in the previous argument with her.


    however, this time she concealed everything so well, even manipulating the entire village¡¯s residents. this didn¡¯t seem like something yuan min could pull off.


    if it wasn¡¯t yuan min, who could it be?


    this feeling made xiang wan very uncomfortable as if she were being watched by a hidden snake.


    just as she was pondering about something amiss, the situation suddenly changed.


    a commotion erupted within the gathered crowd, and several burly men in black attire seemed to magically appear from the crowd.


    huo xiao was the first to notice the situation spiraling out of control. he rushed to xiang wan¡¯s side and shielded her behind him.


    ¡°ah!!¡±


    the crowd immediately panicked, staring at those unfamiliar faces that had appeared menacingly among them, causing all to terrify.


    the crowd scattered to escape.


    huo xiao led xiang wan to run alongside the crowd.


    however, those men paid no attention to the screaming villagers and rushed toward xiang wan in unison.


    she couldn¡¯t quite grasp what was happening, and how everything had turned into chaos.


    moreover, their intention was clear, and it was directed right at her!!


    but she had never seen this group of people before!


    the leader of the group noticed their intention to escape and shouted at his comrades beside him.


    ¡°get them!¡±


    the ones behind them started chasing them frantically and surrounded them.


    ¡°hurry up and run, don¡¯t worry about me!¡± she felt that huo xiao could at least run faster to get help.


    ¡°shut up!¡± huo xiao¡¯s face darkened. he pursed his lips and held her hand tightly.


    there was no way he would leave her alone; he didn¡¯t even dare to entertain the thought.


    they were driven up the hill by the pursuing men.


    ¡°let¡¯s see where you can run to now!¡± the leader looked at them entering a dire situation and calmly moved forward.


    ¡°i have no grudge against you, why are you targeting us?¡± xiang wan yelled at them.


    ¡°no grudge? you¡¯re wrong! if it weren¡¯t for you destroying our stronghold over here, we wouldn¡¯t have come here to clean up this mess.¡± the leader sneered at her.


    it was this woman in front of him who had disrupted a significant source of their income. how could he not hate her?


    liu chun and his group were valued members of the organization. otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been given manpower. they believed that by developing in this small mountain village, they could avoid being discovered by others and simply intimidate the locals.


    but who could have expected the police to swoop in and arrest them all, causing the organization to lose one-fifth of its funds?


    the thought of losing one-fifth of this month¡¯s cut, along with the risk of exposure, made him wish he could skin her alive!


    ¡°so, you¡¯re all in cahoots!¡± she immediately understood that this was a trap set specifically for her.


    xiang wan hadn¡¯t expected liu chun to be backed by such a large organization. it seemed she couldn¡¯t afford to let her guard down.


    ¡°stay close behind me, don¡¯t stray too far,¡± huo xiao whispered to xiang wan.


    ¡°what are you going to do? don¡¯t be rash!¡± xiang wan saw through huo xiao¡¯s intentions and didn¡¯t want him to put himself in danger.


    ¡°it¡¯s fine! just look after yourself!¡± after saying this, he immediately charged toward the smaller crowd, breaking through their encirclement.


    she quickly followed behind him, escaping the encirclement. despite her exhaustion, survival was more vital!


    ¡°f*ck!¡± the leader cursed and reluctantly pulled out a pistol from his waist, aiming it at her.


    ¡°be careful!¡± huo xiao saw the gun being raised and immediately shielded her.


    ¡°bang¡ª¡±


    the sound of a bullet piercing flesh rang out, and the smell of blood filled the air. however, she didn¡¯t feel any pain.


    she looked incredulously at huo xiao, who had appeared behind her.


    ¡°huo xiao!!¡±