“Both of you, come back. I don’t need him to pick me up.”
Tang Yue stood up abruptly, anger flaring in her chest. She could not afford to lose face like this.
What Jiang Lin had just said felt like he had crushed her beneath his feet. She had never imagined he would dare speak to her in such a way. The Jiang Lin who once obeyed her every word, who would never go west if she told him to go east, seemed to have vanished in an instant. For a moment, Tang Yue even doubted whether she had ever truly seen who he really was.
“Tang Yue, we’re standing up for you.”
The two boys looked at her awkwardly, unsettled by the expression on her face, as if she might devour them whole. To them, it felt like she was being ungrateful. After all, they were trying to defend her.
“That’s enough. From now on, Jiang Lin and I are completely done. There’s no need to beg him.”
Tang Yue made her decision then and there. Since Jiang Lin did not know what was good for him, she would cut ties cleanly. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t live without him. She would make him regret this… regret it so deeply that he would kneel before her and beg for forgiveness.
At that moment, a boy nearby suddenly jumped up.
His name was Wu Youfu, the only student in their class from a county-town worker’s family. Both his parents were employed, which gave him a certain sense of superiority in a class where most students came from rural households.
Short, chubby, and plain-looking, Wu Youfu also had feelings for the campus belle, Tang Yue.
However, with Jiang Lin around before, he had no chance at all. Jiang Lin was tall, handsome, and came from a decent family background. Compared to Wu Youfu, he was far more generous, which was exactly why Tang Yue had always been closer to him.
Wu Youfu, on the other hand, was known for being stingy. It wasn’t entirely his fault. Although both his parents worked, they had many children, so they couldn’t spend much on him. Naturally, his money was always tight.
Jiang Lin, however, was the only child in both sides of his family. Wherever he went, relatives were eager to slip him money. That difference alone had made Tang Yue look down on Wu Youfu from the very beginning.
But now that Tang Yue had fallen out with Jiang Lin, Wu Youfu immediately felt that his chance had come. After all, the closer you are, the better your chances. Without Jiang Lin, perhaps he could finally step in.
He pointed at Jiang Lin and spoke loudly, “Jiang Lin, you’ve gone too far. Even if things end, they should end on good terms. As a man, you should at least show some care for a girl. How could you act like this? Even if Tang Yue doesn’t like you, you could still be friends. Being this narrow-minded, you’ll never find a wife in the future.”
Then he quickly turned to Tang Yue and added eagerly, “Tang Yue, don’t bother with him. He’s just petty. From now on, I’ll ride my bicycle to pick you up and drop you off.”
Wu Youfu did have a bicycle. Before, he had thought the distance was too far and had been unwilling to take on such a task. But now that Jiang Lin was out of the picture, he naturally rushed forward to take his place.
Tang Yue glanced at Jiang Lin, only to see that he remained completely indifferent, as if none of this concerned him.
She let out a soft laugh. Already beautiful, that faint smile made her even more charming, her expression full of allure. Wu Youfu was instantly dazzled, his mind spinning.
“Wu Youfu, then I’ll have to thank you. I really feel bad troubling you.”
“No trouble at all, no trouble. What’s the trouble? I’m happy to do it.”
“Then after school, wait for me. Take me home.”
Tang Yue smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Wu Youfu. You’re not like certain people. I like classmates who are generous and willing to help others.”
Her voice carried a faint hint of coquettish softness at the end.
If Tang Yue truly wanted to charm someone, she was more than capable. Sure enough, Wu Youfu immediately lost all sense of direction.
“Don’t worry. You’ve got me from now on.”
At that moment, Wu Youfu felt like he was the real man.
Jiang Lin let out a cold laugh and lowered his head to continue reading. He had no interest in getting involved in this kind of nonsense… a meaningless clash between bootlickers.
He hadn’t come back to waste his time and life on such trivial matters.
There were far more important things he needed to do.
His family was what truly mattered. As for everyone else, they could step aside.
By the time the second class period ended, it was time for morning exercises. They had 15 minutes for it.
Jiang Lin went to the teacher to ask for leave. “Teacher, I need to go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. My elder sister asked me to take a short leave.”
Everyone knew that his eldest sister worked as a sales clerk at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. The teacher, who occasionally needed to buy things or rely on connections, naturally didn’t want to offend Jiang Lin.
“Go quickly and come back quickly. You’ve got 20 minutes. Don’t be late.”
“Got it!”
Jiang Lin hopped onto his bicycle and sped out of the school.
However, he didn’t head toward the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Instead, he rode straight to the dormitory area near the wool textile factory. The place was filled with housing units belonging to various work units. Read the latest chapters at novelping dot com.
These dormitories were arranged in long rows. Each row had around 30 rooms, with each room occupied by a family.
If he remembered correctly from his past life, Xiao Chenghe had once let something slip. Before buying a house for his mistress, she had been living in these dormitories… specifically, the last room in the sixth row.
Jiang Lin needed to find evidence.
Unfortunately, the technology of this era was limited. There were no mobile phones, no recording devices, and cameras were far from common. Simply put, even if he caught them in the act, he wouldn’t be able to take any photos.
A camera was not something everyone could have.
He could only look for another way.
After arriving, he asked around among the neighbors. Sure enough, the last room in the sixth row was said to be occupied by a couple.
Because communication between the wool textile factory and the Sugar, Tobacco, and Food Company was limited, outsiders had no idea that this so-called couple was not actually married.
To avoid suspicion, Xiao Chenghe had always claimed he was frequently away on long business trips.
The neighbors didn’t know their real background, so they never suspected anything.
Jiang Lin continued asking around. In his previous life, the mistress had been arrogant and brazen, yet he had never even known her name. By the time he found out anything, his elder sister’s fate had already been tragic.
In truth, his elder sister’s situation had been much like his own.
Back then, he was struggling himself and had no understanding of her circumstances. By the time he rushed back from the city, everything on her side had already been dealt with.
Now, after asking around, he learned that the woman was from out of town. She had supposedly come here with her husband and didn’t have a job. She stayed at home, heavily pregnant, living as a housewife.
Her name was Xu Caifeng.
Just as Jiang Lin finished gathering information, he saw a pregnant woman approaching from a distance.
Even with her belly showing, she still carried herself with a graceful charm. At a glance, one could tell she had a naturally seductive aura.
Xu Caifeng carried a mesh bag filled with goods… fruits, canned food, malted milk powder, and peach pastries.
In her other bag were fish, meat, eggs, and various vegetables.
It was clear at a glance… she was living quite a comfortable life.