Wen Zhile still wanted to probe further, but before she could open her mouth, she saw a line of text hovering above the man’s head: [Sis, don’t waste your breath. Just state your purpose directly. He has water and dry provisions in his car that you can have.]
Wen Zhile hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since morning and had been beaten and scolded by Zhang Danhua. Her condition was truly concerning.
Her thoughts paused briefly before she chose to trust it.
“Hello, Comrade Zhou. My surname is Wen.”
Weighing her words carefully, Wen Zhile expressed her desire to hitch a ride and added that she would pay the fare.
Zhou Jihuai’s brow twitched slightly. His gaze swept over Wen Zhile’s ill-fitting clothes before observing her small frame and thin hands.
This young girl seemed to have suffered greatly—her complexion sallow, chin sharply pointed, with little flesh on her body, almost skin and bones.
“Get in.”
With those two brief words, Wen Zhile didn’t hesitate for even a moment. She immediately circled around to the other side and got into the vehicle.
The back seat was occupied by a long wooden box, forcing her to take the passenger seat.
After fumbling to fasten her seatbelt, the jeep resumed its journey.
Wen Zhile glanced toward the center console.
Noticing her from the corner of his eye, Zhou Jihuai handed her a water canteen with one hand: “The dry provisions are in the back. Help yourself.”
His proactive offer of food and drink made Wen Zhile hesitate slightly.
Zhou Jihuai added, “Pay whatever amount you see fit.”
Wen Zhile nodded.
She had always believed that anything offered freely by strangers—aside from family—shouldn’t be accepted lightly. It either incurred favors or concealed traps.
She didn’t want to owe too much to a stranger; if she could exchange money for it, that would be ideal.
She was utterly famished and immediately turned to retrieve the food.
As her sleeve slid back with the movement, Zhou Jihuai’s gaze lingered on the fresh and old scars crisscrossing her wrist before discreetly shifting away.
Was someone in Jianghe Village mistreating her?
“I’m not taking any of the main village exits. I’ll cut directly through the mountains to the county town. Where would you like to get off?”
Wen Zhile desperately wanted to put distance between herself and Jianghe Village: “I’ll get off in the county town. Thank you for the trouble.”
Zhou Jihuai nodded.
He wasn’t naturally warm-hearted and spoke sparingly.
Having rarely done a good deed, he fell silent after confirming her destination.
Wen Zhile quietly ate the dry provisions. Even after finishing, she remained silent, only secretly slipping her hand into her cloth bag to pull out some money clenched in her palm.
The fresh bruises and swelling from her beating, along with the pain in her feet, all reminded her that she had truly been reborn.
In this life, Dai Nuan had taken over her identity, usurping her parents and close friends.
Anger surged within her. When her parents came to fetch her, Dai Nuan was only three years old. The impersonation was most likely orchestrated by the Dai Family.
Yet in her previous life, the Dai Family had dutifully returned her. What variable had influenced that outcome?
“Does your hand hurt?” Zhou Jihuai suddenly asked, interrupting Wen Zhile’s deep contemplation.
She hadn’t expected Zhou Jihuai to be so observant and couldn’t help turning to look at him.
The man possessed striking features—sharp eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a tall nose bridge, thin lips, and shallow yet smooth double eyelid folds. His aura was inherently sharp, and his gaze was particularly aloof: “You can let go now.”
Wen Zhile instantly released the seatbelt.
Her inner rage needed an outlet, so she had unconsciously tightened her grip, clutching the hard buckle until her palm ached: “Thank you.”
Zhou Jihuai gave a noncommittal hum.
About half an hour later, the jeep entered Jianghe County. While glancing at both sides of the road looking for a parking spot, he casually asked, “Do you take the bus?”
“Yes, I need to buy a ticket at the bus station.”
Wen Zhile handed him the money and froze when she saw the denomination. This was the hundred-yuan bill issued in May 1988 – how could there still be money from the Dai Family in the cloth bag? Thinking of this, Wen Zhile almost laughed. She sincerely thanked him and handed over the money: “I don’t have any change, sorry to trouble you for the change.”
Zhou Jihuai glanced at the money, then at the bag she was holding in her arms.
One hundred yuan – it didn’t seem like something a sallow, emaciated little girl could produce.
Running away after stealing money? That didn’t seem quite right.
This little girl had clear, honest eyes that didn’t match that kind of person.
After some thought, since he was the one who brought her out, he would be responsible if anything happened: “Where are you going to buy a ticket for?”
Zhou Jihuai’s voice was rather cold, matching his aloof appearance that wasn’t very approachable.
Wen Zhile hesitated.
Her uncle was the Northern Military Region Commander in Jingzhou City. Because of him, she had interacted with military personnel in her previous life, mostly her uncle’s orderlies and guards.
They were all very friendly, and most military personnel were trustworthy, but that didn’t exclude the possibility of a few with malicious intentions.
She remained silent, and Zhou Jihuai didn’t press her.
It was good that this girl was cautious while running away alone.
After waiting a moment, Wen Zhile finally answered: “To Jingzhou City.”
Surprise flashed in Zhou Jihuai’s eyes: “I’m going there too. I can give you another ride.”
[Sister, don’t be afraid. He’s worried that if something happens to you, it might cause trouble for him during investigation, so he’s seeing this through to the end.]
[You can agree with him, nothing will happen.]
[I’m Xiao Jiu. You just need to think silently to talk with me, no need to speak out loud.]
[I can’t make sounds, I can only communicate with you through text, and only you can see these words.]
Watching several lines of text slowly disappear before her eyes, Wen Zhile’s mind raced with thoughts: “Comrade Zhou, thank you so much.”
She handed the money over again.
“You’re welcome.” Zhou Jihuai took the hundred yuan.
The drive from Jianghe County to Jingzhou City would take two hours. After one hour, the jeep stopped by the roadside. Wen Zhile accurately guessed what Zhou Jihuai was going to do.
Sure enough, he picked up the dry rations.
He ate slowly and methodically, with excellent manners, giving off exactly the same impression as when Wen Zhile ate.
Zhou Jihuai had already become suspicious earlier.
Could this little girl have been abducted from a big city to the countryside? But if she was abducted, how could she still be attending school?
Wen Zhile sensed he was thinking about something and felt it was related to her. When he switched the dry rations to his other hand, she subconsciously handed him the water bottle.
This seemed to be a habit developed in this life at the Dai Family – watching others’ expressions to avoid being beaten. Wen Zhile pressed her lips together uncomfortably, determined to break this habit.
Zhou Jihuai’s hand paused slightly as he thanked her and took the water bottle.
This little girl was too observant – what kind of life had she been living in Jianghe Village?
As he was thinking, a line of text appeared before Wen Zhile’s eyes:
[Sister, this is the tacit understanding between Qi Luck Holders, it has nothing to do with anything else.]
[He’s another Qi Luck Holder from the original world, so you can guess what he’s thinking.]
Wen Zhile suddenly understood: “He also died in his previous life, and died before me?”
[Mhm mhm.]
When Wen Zhile looked at Zhou Jihuai again, she felt a sense of shared sorrow in her heart.
According to Xiao Jiu, Qi Luck Holders don’t die young unless they meet with accidents.
But… fortunately he died early, otherwise she wouldn’t have been reborn.
“Comrade Zhou, could you tell me your full name? After I return home, I’d like to visit with my parents to thank you properly for your help.”
She wanted to see if she had heard of him in her previous life.
He was a military man, and judging by his shoulder insignia, he was a colonel. Perhaps he served in the Northern Military District? If such a young colonel had sacrificed himself, her uncle would certainly have expressed regret and might have mentioned his death.
Zhou Jihuai didn’t look at her, but from the subtle change in her tone, he sensed she was somewhat sad.
This young girl was quite peculiar.
“My full name is Zhou Jihuai. Zhou from the Hundred Family Surnames, Ji from the same, and Huai from Huai River.”
Wen Zhile’s eyes widened, as this name stirred up turbulent waves in her heart.
It was actually him?
She had heard the origin of this name in her previous life – “Zhou Ji” came from his parents’ surnames, while “Huai” was because he was born by the Huai River.
Was this Comrade Zhou truly the Zhou Jihuai from her memories?