The sun set in the west, and the night market lights began to shine.
In front of the “Lin’s Snack Stall”, a long line had formed as usual.
Lin Nian was busy behind the steaming pot and stove. Her movements were quick and practiced. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but her face carried a satisfied smile.
“Boss lady, one spicy hotpot! Extra tofu skin!”
“Got it!”
“Give me half a pound of braised chicken feet, half a pound of pig ears. Extra chili!”
“No problem!”
Just then, the people in line suddenly stirred.
Two figures walked up to the stall, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Leading them was none other than Bai Yueru.
She was wearing a white poplin shirt today, paired with a dark blue long skirt. Her long hair rested softly over her shoulders, her makeup light and delicate. She looked pure and elegant—completely out of place in the noisy and oily night market.
Walking beside her was the unwilling-looking Lu Tingting.
Lin Nian paused for a moment, then continued packing food as if nothing had happened.
What should come would always come.
Bai Yueru did not line up like a normal customer. She walked straight up to the stall, her eyes carrying a hint of curiosity as she scanned the variety of ingredients.
Her posture was graceful. Even standing in front of a stall filled with smoke and oil, she still looked elegant.
“I’ve heard for a while that a new snack stall opened near the military district gate and that business is doing really well. Today, I specially came with Tingting to try it.”
Bai Yueru spoke with a gentle smile, her voice soft and warm, like a spring breeze.
As if she truly were just a regular customer who came because of its reputation.
Lin Nian looked up, tugged the corner of her lips, and showed a formulaic smile.
“What would you like? The menu is on the side.”
Her tone was neither warm nor cold. She didn’t flatter them because of their status, and she didn’t show hostility because of past grievances.
Bai Yueru seemed a little surprised by her calm reaction, but her smile didn’t change.
She raised her slender finger and pointed at a few of the cleanest-looking vegetables and a piece of dried tofu.
“These will do. Mildly spicy,” she said softly. Then as if remembering something, she added,
“Tingchuan has never liked spicy food since he was young. He never touches anything with heavy flavor. I’m like him—I’m not used to spicy food.”
It was just one sentence—light and casual—but the message behind it was huge.
She was showing off: showing she knew Lu Tingchuan’s preferences, showing the intimate bond from growing up together.
The military wives who were eavesdropping nearby instantly exchanged strange looks.
Who didn’t know that Doctor Bai was the “almost fiancée” of Commander Lu, his childhood sweetheart?
Lu Tingting lifted her chin proudly beside her, giving Lin Nian a provocative look.
Lin Nian sneered inwardly.
Her level was indeed much higher than Lu Tingting’s.
While she quickly cooked the vegetables, she spoke indifferently without looking up:
“Oh? What a pity. The specialty here is spicy. If you can’t eat spicy food, you won’t taste the essence.”
The implied meaning:
If you don’t like it, don’t get in the way.
The smile on Bai Yueru’s face stiffened.
She hadn’t expected Lin Nian to talk back so directly.
She took a deep breath, kept her gentle tone, and spoke as if making small talk, her gaze falling on Lin Nian’s busy hands.
“Boss Lin, your skills are really good. Just watching makes one hungry. I really envy you—having such a useful skill, able to support yourself and your children.”
She paused, then shifted the tone, letting a trace of pity seep into her voice.
“Speaking of which, being a woman raising two children alone must be very hard. Taking care of kids during the day, running a stall at night—it’s really not easy. Not like me… I’ve been clumsy since I was young. I’m terrible at all kinds of housework. If I had ended up in your situation… I probably wouldn’t last even a single day.”
Her words sounded like she was praising Lin Nian for being capable and pitying her hardship.
But in reality, every word displayed her sense of superiority.
She was telling Lin Nian:
Look, I’m born privileged, hands untouched by chores.
You, on the other hand, are just a struggling woman doing hard labor to survive.
We are not the same kind of people.
Lu Tingting listened with great satisfaction, staring at Lin Nian with obvious contempt.
Lin Nian didn’t pause. She lifted the cooked vegetables into the bowl, poured broth and seasoning over them, and finally sprinkled chopped scallions and cilantro.
She handed the packaged meal to Bai Yueru, her expression as calm as ever.
“Doctor Bai, you’re joking.”
“I’m just born with a life meant for hard work. Not like Doctor Bai—you were born blessed, born to enjoy a wealthy life.”
She spoke slowly, but her eyes were like blades dipped in ice as she looked directly at Bai Yueru.
“But personally, I prefer my life now. Earning my own living feels upright and steady. Money earned bit by bit feels safe to spend. My children are my own, and watching them grow day by day—even if it’s hard, it’s sweet.”
“As for the taste of all this… someone like Doctor Bai, born with a silver spoon, may never understand it in her whole life.”
Her words contained no insults, yet each one hit like a loud slap across Bai Yueru’s face.
You boast of wealth?
I tell you I’m self-reliant.
You pity my hardship?
I tell you I cherish it.
You imply we’re worlds apart?
I openly tell you—your kind of ‘fortune’ is nothing I admire.
Bai Yueru’s polite smile finally collapsed.
Her face turned red, then pale. The fingers gripping the meal box turned slightly white with pressure.
She hadn’t expected that the rural woman she thought she could casually manipulate would talk back so sharply, tearing apart her superiority with just a few sentences—and even turning the situation against her.
“You—!” Lu Tingting exploded, jumping in anger and pointing at Lin Nian.
“Tingting.” Bai Yueru quickly pulled her back, shaking her head.
She knew that today, in this place, she would gain nothing.
If she continued, she would only embarrass herself further.
She took money out of her wallet and slapped it heavily onto the table. Then she pulled Lu Tingting away, turning without a word.
Watching their embarrassed retreating figures, the corner of Lin Nian’s lips curled into a cold smile.
Bai Yueru?
The scheming female lead who toyed with the original Lin Nian in the book?
Sorry.
The woman standing here now was no longer the meek, obedient Lin Nian.
Want to fight with her?
Just wait and see.