The handsome young man, Lin Yu, spotted Su Zhi from afar. On the sparsely populated farmland path, Su Zhi stood out the most.
The oversized shirt she wore was tucked into her pants, accentuating her slender, delicate waist. The plain outfit couldn’t conceal her natural beauty. Her striking features were exquisite in every detail. Her fair cheeks and slender neck were flushed a deep pink from labor, damp bangs and messy strands sticking to her face, adding an alluring, disheveled charm.
Lin Yu’s breath almost unconsciously quickened, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He was the son of a village secretary from a neighboring village. Usually idle with no proper job, his favorite pastime was gathering a group of friends to eat, drink, and have fun, accompanied by pretty girls. And Su Zhi was clearly one of the most memorable among them.
Su Zhi had gone out with them before, but during those brief encounters, while Lin Yu found her attractive, he hadn’t been overly impressed. He even looked down on her for being materialistic and vain, considering even her striking features somewhat vulgar.
But now, looking at Su Zhi again—perhaps because marriage had “nourished” her—she seemed to glow. Her once-vulgar, flamboyant beauty was now utterly captivating, delivering a stunning impact.
Lin Yu couldn’t resist. He stepped forward with a smile, overjoyed, and reached out to grab Su Zhi’s arm. Suddenly, a muscular arm shot out from the side, seizing his hand and stopping his motion.
Following the arm that gripped his hand, Lin Yu looked up and met Yue Chunhan’s cold, lowered eyes. Yue Chunhan stood tall, around 190 cm, like a solid wall, easily holding Lin Yu’s arm immobile.
Lin Yu was from a neighboring village and had never seen Yue Chunhan before. He had only heard that Yue Chunhan was a hot-tempered, strong madman with a slight limp in his left foot. So, he imagined Su Zhi’s husband, Yue Chunhan, as a disabled, easily enraged brute, picturing a rough, burly figure.
But the man before him was quite good-looking, even handsome—tall and well-built, with a cool demeanor and thin lips pressed together. He didn’t seem to have any issue with his left foot either. Therefore, Lin Yu thought Yue Chunhan was Su Zhi’s new lover.
Lin Yu, his arm gripped, felt both sour and angry. Sarcastically, he said to Su Zhi, “Wow, Su Zhi, you’ve got quite the skills. Married to Yue Chunhan for just a few days and already found your next man? Who’s this guy? Which village is he from?”
Su Zhi’s mind was completely blank. She had no idea who this handsome young man was. After all, she hadn’t inherited the original host’s memories. The only information she had came from the incomplete original novel, and this young man clearly wasn’t a character mentioned or described in it.
Though still confused, the stranger’s foul-mouthed, insulting words grated on her ears. What nonsense was he spouting? Didn’t he even recognize Yue Chunhan? Was he from another village?
Su Zhi frowned, about to argue with him, when Yue Chunhan beside her spoke in a low, stern voice, “What’s it to you? What does it have to do with you?”
Lin Yu laughed angrily. Indeed, he and Su Zhi didn’t have any further relationship, but he was currently very interested in Su Zhi and happy to stir trouble for this new lover of hers. So, he deliberately, ambiguously placed his other hand (the one not held) on Su Zhi’s arm, holding it loosely.
Lin Yu raised his eyebrows defiantly and said pointedly, “What do you think? What relationship? Before Su Zhi got married, she often came out to play with us. Our relationship is much closer than yours.”
Yue Chunhan stood coldly beside Su Zhi, one hand gripping Lin Yu’s wrist, the other holding two sickles, his shirt—the one Su Zhi had sat on earlier—draped over his shoulder. Tall and handsome, his dark eyes were now as cold as ice.
His gaze fell on the young man’s hand gripping Su Zhi’s arm, then glanced at the genuine intimacy on the young man’s face. Yue Chunhan frowned deeply, the chill intensifying.
Under normal circumstances, a man wouldn’t casually grab a woman’s arm, especially in public. Only those with a very intimate relationship would do such a thing. And… Su Zhi didn’t seem particularly upset either.
Yue Chunhan inwardly sneered, his gaze shifting between the two of them, lingering on Su Zhi a few extra moments. His dark eyes were icy and profound.
It wasn’t that Su Zhi felt nothing; she was initially stunned by Lin Yu’s bold behavior. Reacting, she tried to pull her arm back, but her strength was already weak after a day of labor. She tugged a few times without success, only making him grip tighter.
Su Zhi’s movements were as light as a kitten’s. Lin Yu wasn’t angered; instead, he felt an itch in his heart, thinking Su Zhi was deliberately flirting with him.
After all, in the past, Su Zhi had tried countless times to attach herself to him, but failed. Now, he was quite enjoying it. Lin Yu grinned widely, his gaze frivolously lingering on Su Zhi’s fair neck and face, his mind filled with indecent thoughts.
Su Zhi’s face flushed with anger. Lin Yu leaned closer, breathing ambiguously near her ear. “I heard the guy you married is just a dirt-poor farmer with a terrible temper. His family is poor and has no prospects. Being with him is worse than being with me. Don’t you think, Su Zhi…?”
“What nonsense are you saying?!”
Su Zhi’s face flushed crimson with rage. She pushed Lin Yu several times fiercely but couldn’t budge him. Instinctively, she looked toward Yue Chunhan for help, but met only Yue Chunhan’s cold, dark eyes. Her body stiffened abruptly.
From Yue Chunhan’s perspective, Lin Yu and Su Zhi stood very close, their posture intimate and ambiguous, like old acquaintances chatting intimately, even flirting a little.
Su Zhi seemed like a wayward wife who, encountering an old lover on the road, chose to flirt with him over her newlywed husband.
This wasn’t the first time Yue Chunhan had heard of Su Zhi’s promiscuous reputation. He had long known the bride he married wasn’t someone who would settle down peacefully with him. He had thought Su Zhi’s willingness to work in the fields with him this afternoon indicated a change in her nature. But now, it seemed she was still the same as before—or perhaps the Su Zhi working in the fields this afternoon was just an act.
He wondered if she was tired from pretending for so long and what exactly she was scheming. He couldn’t be bothered to watch this farce and turned to leave.
Su Zhi hadn’t expected Yue Chunhan to abandon her and leave on his own. Unthinkingly, she blurted out his name, “Yue Chunhan…!”
Hearing the name, Lin Yu was startled, realizing the man he had been ignoring was Yue Chunhan. Initially frightened, but seeing Yue Chunhan turn and leave without much expression, Lin Yu felt relieved and somewhat disdainful.
His wife standing with another man, and he didn’t even stop it. It seemed the rumors were true—Su Zhi and Yue Chunhan had no real affection; they were just forced together.
He snorted, dismissing Yue Chunhan, unaware of the icy, penetrating gaze Yue Chunhan cast his way before leaving.
Su Zhi’s call didn’t bring Yue Chunhan back. Watching him actually walk away, her mind suddenly buzzed, and for some reason, tears welled in her eyes.
She clenched her fists, biting her lower lip hard.
Initially, she was surprised she had blurted out Yue Chunhan’s name. After all, to her, Yue Chunhan had always been a figure she feared. But after transmigrating, the only information she had came from fragments of the original novel. She didn’t know or understand the living, breathing people around her who weren’t depicted in the story.
The only person she was familiar with was Yue Chunhan.
Perhaps because she knew Yue Chunhan, despite his violent, gloomy nature, was still the second male lead in the original story—not entirely evil—she subconsciously felt she could rely on him. That’s why, when faced with something she couldn’t handle and found distressing, she instinctively called his name.
But she hadn’t expected Yue Chunhan to be so indifferent, coldly leaving her behind. Indeed, he and the original host were just forced together as husband and wife, with no affection whatsoever.
But normally, even if he disliked her, he wouldn’t do such a thing, would he? How much did he hate the original host… and her?