Jun Ning placed the gifts everyone had given her on her desk. She didn’t bother tidying them up, simply leaving them in a disorganized pile. Grabbing her washbasin and a bucket, she headed out to take a shower.
The moment Lin Qingqing saw Jun Ning leave, she scrambled to her feet. She immediately began rummaging through the pile of gifts, desperate to see what the others had given her. When she discovered a lady’s Plum Blossom brand watch tucked among the items, Lin Qingqing’s eyes widened in shock.
Who could afford such a lavish gift?
It was just a birthday, yet someone had actually given her a Plum watch. The generosity was staggering. Lin Qingqing mentally cycled through the list of youth at the settlement and quickly locked onto Fu Jingwei.
It had to be him. Out of everyone there, he and Jun Ning were the closest. She even began to suspect that the two of them had secretly become a couple long ago and were simply refusing to admit it publicly.
This was a classic case of Lin Qingqing judging others by her own twisted standards. Because she was the type of person to sneak around, she naturally assumed everyone else was doing the same. Truly, to a person with a dirty mind, the whole world looks filthy.
Once she finished her private speculations, she stared at the shimmering, silver-white watch, and greed took hold. She couldn’t resist reaching out her dark hand to grab it.
The instant her fingers brushed the watch, Lin Qingqing felt a sensation as if a sharp needle had been driven violently into her flesh. It felt as though her entire hand had been snapped off. The agony was so intense she clutched her wrist and howled.
“Ahhh! My hand! It hurts so much! Somebody help! Help me!”
Everyone at the settlement—whether they were already asleep or just drifting off—was jolted awake by her piercing screams. They all jumped out of bed in a panic.
“What’s going on?”
“What happened?”
“Quick, go check it out!”
The group rushed into Lin Qingqing’s room and found her clutching her hand, tears streaming down her face. As the group leader, Gu Xiangwen hurried forward to ask, “Lin Qingqing, what’s wrong with your hand?”
Lin Qingqing sobbed, “Leader, my hand hurts so much. I’m dying of pain. Can you please take me to the hospital?”
Although everyone’s opinion of her had soured recently, they were still a collective unit built on mutual aid. Gu Xiangwen was still willing to help. “Alright, just hold on. I’ll go to the Old Branch Secretary and ask to borrow the horse carriage.”
Lin Qingqing looked at Gu Xiangwen through her tears. Even in this state, she didn’t forget to use her cloying, flirtatious voice to wheedle, “Then please, hurry up!”
That affected, nasal whine made the surrounding youth break out in goosebumps. They all turned to look at Gu Xiangwen with mocking, playful expressions. Gu Xiangwen felt the sting of their teasing glares and shot them a look that told them to stop joking around before rushing out.
Shortly after he left, Lin Qingqing realized the pain in her hand was slowly fading. Naturally, she stopped her dramatic wailing.
Noticing the silence, Xiao Yanru asked bluntly, “Lin Qingqing, does your hand not hurt anymore?”
Lin Qingqing gave a weak nod. “It… seems to have stopped.”
The moment she heard that, Xiao Yanru turned and walked away. She had worked hard all day and had zero patience for this “White Lotus” act. The others were equally exhausted; seeing that she was fine, they all returned to their own rooms.
Only Wang Xiaohu, a male youth who harbored a secret crush on Lin Qingqing, remained behind. He looked at her nervously. “Lin Qingqing, does it still hurt at all?”
Lin Qingqing rolled her eyes at him. Her tone was annoyed and utterly cold. “It doesn’t hurt. You leave too!”
Wang Xiaohu looked at her darkened, beautiful face and felt a pang of sadness. He turned and walked out in silence. Watching his short, stocky silhouette retreat, Lin Qingqing let out a soft, contemptuous sneer.
“A toad wishing to eat swan meat,” she muttered under her breath.
Wang Xiaohu came from a poor family and had suffered from chronic hunger throughout his childhood, which resulted in his short stature—barely five-foot-four. He was an honest, simple man of twenty-five who had been in the countryside for seven years without any hope of returning to the city. He was arguably the most disadvantaged person at the settlement.
Yet, he adored Lin Qingqing to the point of obsession. Because he knew his own conditions were poor, he never dared to confess his feelings, choosing instead to find every possible excuse to do her manual labor for her. Lin Qingqing enjoyed his fawning service even as she despised him in her heart. She often mocked him internally while he worked for her: A man as poor, ugly, and short as Wang Xiaohu will be lucky to ever find a wife. This labor is the only value he has.
Once everyone was gone, Lin Qingqing looked at the Plum watch again. Thinking about the agonizing pain she had felt just from touching it, a fresh wave of malice rose within her.
She wanted to smash it.
If she, Lin Qingqing, couldn’t have it, why should Jun Ning get it so easily?
But the moment her hand made contact with the watch again, that same excruciating pain returned. She couldn’t help but scream out once more.
This time, however, the people at the settlement weren’t in such a hurry to help. Everyone knows the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. They were beginning to feel that this “White Lotus” was simply playing them for fools.
Only Wang Xiaohu came rushing back in. “Lin Qingqing, what happened? Is the pain back?”
At this point, Lin Qingqing didn’t care who it was—as long as someone helped her, she would cling to them like a life raft. She wailed at Wang Xiaohu, “It hurts again! Oh, it hurts! Wang Xiaohu, what am I going to do?”
Wang Xiaohu tried to comfort her with his clumsy words. “Don’t worry, the Leader went for the carriage. He’ll be back soon.”
Just as he finished speaking, Gu Xiangwen ran back in. “The carriage is here! Let’s go. Lin Qingqing, remember to bring your money and ration coupons.”
Lin Qingqing started crying again. “Gu Xiangwen, I only have two yuan on me. Can you lend me some? I’ll pay you back later.”
Gu Xiangwen frowned, feeling conflicted, but eventually nodded. “Fine. If you don’t have enough, I’ll cover the rest for now.”
Jun Ning had been monitoring the entire situation with her mental power.
Watching Gu Xiangwen and Wang Xiaohu rush Lin Qingqing to the hospital in the middle of the night, she stepped out of the shower room at a leisurely pace, humming a happy tune.
She had predicted this. Knowing Lin Qingqing’s character, Jun Ning knew that if she left the gifts out in the open, Lin Qingqing wouldn’t be able to resist snooping—or even stealing.
Lin had done this before. If the original Jun Ning caught her, Lin would claim she was just “borrowing” the item. If she wasn’t caught, she would simply keep it for herself. Jun Ning had seen these memories and utterly loathed Lin Qingqing’s sticky-fingered behavior.