“Alright, deal.”
Just as Lin Jiaojiao, convinced that Gu Tingzhou would refuse, was about to reveal her trump card, the man, who had been silently staring at her for a long while, finally spoke.
In an instant, the anxiety weighing on her heart disappeared.
She looked at Gu Tingzhou with sparkling eyes that shimmered like the stars themselves.
They were dazzlingly beautiful.
So beautiful that Gu Tingzhou’s heartbeat quickened.
It was the first time he had ever seen such a pair of captivating eyes, and for a moment, he found himself lost in them.
Lin Jiaojiao, however, didn’t notice his lapse.
At that moment, her heart was overflowing with excitement.
Since Gu Tingzhou had been so supportive, she felt she should do everything she could to satisfy him in return.
After thinking for a moment, she looked at him and said, “Thank you, Comrade Gu. As expected of a soldier—you really have a strong sense of justice.
“But I promise you, since I’ve said I’ll take care of your two children, I’ll do my very best. I definitely won’t hold you back.”
“Mhm.”
It was only a single word, yet it carried Gu Tingzhou’s trust.
That made Lin Jiaojiao feel even more certain that relying on him had been the right choice.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Jiaojiao! Are you in there?”
At that moment, loud knocking and a woman’s voice came from outside.
The knocking wasn’t on their door, but on the room next door, where Lin Miaomiao and Liu Quan were staying.
Hearing the familiar female voice, a mocking smile appeared on Lin Jiaojiao’s lips.
The woman knocking was the original Lin Jiaojiao’s so-called best friend, Li Xiaoyan.
The original owner had trusted Li Xiaoyan wholeheartedly, sharing all her secrets and every good thing she had.
But in reality, Li Xiaoyan was nothing more than Lin Miaomiao’s lackey.
She had only become friends with the original Lin Jiaojiao under Lin Miaomiao’s orders.
And the upcoming “catching someone in the act” farce was also part of the scheme Li Xiaoyan and Lin Miaomiao had carefully planned.
According to the original novel, they had succeeded.
But now that the target had become her, the Lin Jiaojiao from another world, the ending would naturally be different.
Lin Miaomiao… it’s time for you to reap what you’ve sown.
Seeing the excitement shining on Lin Jiaojiao’s face, Gu Tingzhou unconsciously revealed a gentle smile.
“Do you need me to cooperate with anything?”
His question snapped Lin Jiaojiao back to reality.
Honestly, she hadn’t expected him to offer his help voluntarily.
She was genuinely grateful.
Blinking playfully at him, she smiled brightly.
“No need. Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show.”
Li Xiaoyan called out again.
“Jiaojiao, open the door! If you don’t, I’m coming in!
“It’s broad daylight, and you’re sharing a room with a man. That won’t do your reputation any favors.
“As your best friend, I can’t just stand by and watch you make such a mistake.”
Though Li Xiaoyan claimed she was acting for Lin Jiaojiao’s sake, every word she spoke was clearly meant for everyone else to hear.
She was openly implying that Lin Jiaojiao was behaving indecently by renting a room with a man.
It was obvious she wanted to brand her as a shameless woman.
This was the 1970s.
Back then, even an unmarried couple holding hands in public would be criticized as immoral and disgraceful.
Let alone an unmarried young woman renting a room with an unfamiliar man.
Li Xiaoyan wasn’t just trying to ruin Lin Jiaojiao’s reputation.
She was trying to destroy her life.
Her intentions couldn’t have been more vicious.
As expected, the moment Li Xiaoyan finished speaking, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
“What’s going on? It’s noon! Can’t people even take a nap in peace?”
A middle-aged woman in her thirties shouted irritably.
“I think I just heard someone say there’s an affair going on?”
A man’s excited voice followed immediately after.
Li Xiaoyan glanced at the shirtless man nearby before turning toward the middle-aged woman.
“Auntie, here’s what happened.
“My good friend got carried away and actually rented a room with the man she was just introduced to.
“They haven’t been inside very long, so I don’t think anything has happened yet.
“You look like such a kind person. Please help me persuade her.
“Otherwise, her reputation will be ruined. Who would dare marry her after this?”
As she spoke, Li Xiaoyan even began crying pitifully.
She looked every bit like a loyal friend worried sick for her best sister.
Anyone who didn’t know the truth might have thought her entire family had died.
Listening from inside, Lin Jiaojiao couldn’t help twitching the corners of her mouth.
“I’ll help! I’ll help! I love helping people!”
The man standing nearby, whom Li Xiaoyan had completely ignored, spoke up enthusiastically.
Without waiting for anyone’s permission, he lifted his foot and kicked the tightly shut door open with one powerful blow.
Li Xiaoyan immediately rushed inside with the middle-aged woman close behind him.
The speed at which they charged in was like wild horses breaking free from their reins.
Opening her own door, Lin Jiaojiao only managed to catch a glimpse of their disappearing figures.
“…”
How badly does Li Xiaoyan want to catch me in bed with another man?
“Come on. Let’s go have a look.”
Without thinking, Lin Jiaojiao grabbed Gu Tingzhou’s hand and followed them inside.
“My goodness! I’ve truly seen everything today! This is absolutely disgraceful!”
The moment they entered, the middle-aged woman’s furious voice rang out.
“This is utterly immoral!”
Although the man echoed her words, his eyes were fixed greedily on the exposed skin of Lin Miaomiao, unwilling to look away for even a second.
Meanwhile, Li Xiaoyan stood frozen.
She stared blankly at the two people lying on the bed.
“How… how could this be?
“Why is it Miaomiao?
“It was supposed to be Lin—”
“Supposed to be who?”
Before Li Xiaoyan could finish, Lin Jiaojiao’s icy voice interrupted from behind her.
Li Xiaoyan shuddered violently before turning around.
Sure enough, Lin Jiaojiao was standing calmly at the doorway.
Li Xiaoyan immediately rushed over and demanded,
“Lin Jiaojiao! Why is the person in the room Miaomiao instead of you?”
Lin Jiaojiao glanced at the few more people who had just entered before blinking innocently.
“Xiaoyan, what do you mean by that?
“Why were you hoping it would be me?
“Could it be that, as my best friend, you actually wanted me to end up like Lin Miaomiao?
“Sleeping around with another man before marriage and secretly renting a room together?”
As she spoke, Lin Jiaojiao deliberately widened her eyes in shock, covering her mouth with one hand.
She even took several steps backward, putting some distance between herself and Li Xiaoyan.
It was as if she were saying, So this is the kind of person you really are.
“No… that’s not what I meant! How could I possibly wish that for you? I just…”
Halfway through her sentence, Li Xiaoyan suddenly seemed to realize something.
She looked at Lin Jiaojiao in confusion.
“Jiaojiao… then why are you here?”
Lin Jiaojiao shyly glanced at Gu Tingzhou standing beside her.
Blushing, she explained,
“It’s like this.
“My fiancé said he has to return to the army tomorrow, so he wanted me to bring him home at noon while my father and my stepmother were back from work so he could meet them.
“But he said it would be rude to visit empty-handed, so I came back with him to pick up a few things before heading to my house.
“And then…”
She deliberately left the rest unsaid.
Everyone present understood exactly what she meant.
Gu Tingzhou, the unwilling prop in her story, was speechless.
This girl is really good at making things up.
If I weren’t involved myself, I might actually believe her.