“Mm.” Yu Yingying’s voice carried a note of nostalgia. “That blue-screen phone was a gift from my grandmother.
“Right before the college entrance exams, my father said my mother was seriously ill. I rushed home, only to find her perfectly fine—nothing wrong at all.
“They tricked me into going back because they wanted to marry me off to a widower in the neighboring village, who was in his forties. Not only would they get a dowry my brother could use to start a business, but they would also save the money meant for my university tuition.
“I begged them through tears to leave me alone, but they didn’t budge. They locked me in my room, didn’t give me food or water, hoping to drain my strength so that on the wedding day, they could shove me into the bridal chamber and leave me no way to resist.
“At that time, I was desperate—I even thought about dying…
“If it weren’t for my grandmother secretly letting me escape, I don’t know what I would have done.
“When she sent me out of the village, my grandmother gave me an old phone, telling me to take it to university and never return.
“She said she believed I would definitely get into university, and that if other kids went to college with phones, I should have one too.
“That phone… was the one you broke.”
“Wait, I haven’t admitted anything yet!” Jiang He immediately interjected.
Yu Yingying turned her gaze toward him, her clean, dark, almond-shaped eyes clear and bright, the corners slightly reddened, with a glimmer of moisture.
Jiang He instantly wilted, nervously fiddling with his hair, lowering his voice sincerely: “I’m sorry.”
Caught off guard by his apology, Yu Yingying was a little surprised but smiled lightly: “It’s in the past.”
Jiang He: “No wonder you were so angry back then, and afterwards always looked displeased with me, always…”
“Always what?”
“Always scolding me. Every time you saw me, it was like seeing something dirty.”
Yu Yingying wasn’t surprised. She pressed her lips into a small smile and curiously asked, “Can you tell me how we ended up together? With my personality, I shouldn’t forgive you easily.” She looked at Jiang He.
Jiang He: “…?” Not only would she not forgive him easily—she never truly forgave him, and a lot happened after that…
Seeing him silent, Yu Yingying asked again: “Are you embarrassed to say it?”
The two of them stared at each other. Jiang He suddenly looked away, frowning, rubbing his reddened ears, and impatiently shouted: “Who, who’s embarrassed? Stop slandering me!”
“You expect me to tell you? You lost your memory and forgot me completely, now you want me to jog your memory? Am I your tool? If it weren’t for Jiang Chengyu saying something today, you wouldn’t even want to come see me!”
As he spoke, Jiang He’s tone became genuinely emotional: “Yu Yingying, you really go too far! Look at my foot—open your eyes and see, it’s so swollen!”
Caught a little off guard, Yu Yingying cleared her throat and tactically changed the subject: “Staying here is boring. How about I take you back to the dorm?”
Jiang He sneered: “I see—you just want to get rid of me!”
Yu Yingying muttered softly: “…You know too much.”
“What?”
“I said… do you need me to support you?”
“With your small frame, skinny arms and legs, if I put my weight on you, you’d turn into a pancake immediately.”
“…That shouldn’t happen.” Yu Yingying had done farm work since she was little, so her strength was decent despite her slight build.
“All right, I’ll manage with crutches. Jiang Chengyu has already prepared them. But…” Jiang He hesitated and turned to her. “But I don’t live in the dorm; I bought an apartment outside. Do you want to go there?”
“….” She couldn’t really say no.
Seeming to read her mind, Jiang He frowned and snorted: “Answer carefully! If you dare say no, I’ll drop you from the second floor!”
“…Childish.” Fine, she’d go. After all, she had pepper spray, chili spray, and a baton in her bag—and she was strong enough… she wasn’t afraid of a wounded, limping man.
It was around three or four in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day. Concerned about Jiang He falling while on crutches, Yu Yingying didn’t open her umbrella and walked on his left side, ready to support him at any moment.
She was about 1.6 meters tall; Jiang He was 1.89 meters. She barely reached his shoulder. With one robust figure and one fair, delicate one, the contrast made her protective stance look humorously overambitious.
Jiang He, relying on his height advantage, clearly noticed her every move. He curved his lips smugly but quickly forced a scowl, putting on a façade of indifference.
A few hundred meters from the main gate, after crossing an intersection, they reached the Happiness Garden Community.
It was a medium-sized, mid-tier residential complex, with average landscaping and property management. Its only advantage was the separation of pedestrians and vehicles, convenient for morning runs.
Jiang He had bought this apartment for convenience, picking a modestly renovated second-hand unit. His truly good property was a mountain-view villa where he stayed during weekends and holidays.
He had never imagined bringing a girl back here. Now that they were through the gate, a thought struck him: the original owner’s wedding photos were still hanging on the wall!
Even in what he had treated as a storage room, the guest bedroom had a bright red double happiness quilt on the bed. If he shook it out, maybe some red dates, longans, or peanuts would fall out as a surprise!
Yu Yingying probably thinks he’s her boyfriend now—she’s bound to get angry, right? The more Jiang He thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He stopped in his tracks.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Yingying looked at him, puzzled. “Not feeling well?”
Jiang He turned to her, his tone sharp: “I’m not explaining myself to you. I just want to remind you: I bought a second-hand apartment. The wedding photos hanging in the room, the bright red double happiness quilt in the guest bedroom, the melon seeds and peanuts inside the quilt—they have nothing to do with me. I just never got around to dealing with them!”
“…?” Yu Yingying looked puzzled. “Of course, it has nothing to do with you—you’re not even in the wedding photos.”
Jiang He: “….” Makes perfect sense. The original owner’s failed marriage is none of his business!
“As long as you understand,” Jiang He said with a composed nod, “I won’t explain further.”
“…Mm.” Yu Yingying asked, “Shall we keep going?”
“Let’s go!”
However, the unexpected happened.
A sudden, urgent barking erupted. A massive husky violently broke free from its owner’s leash and charged at them.
“Watch out!” Yu Yingying reacted quickly, lifting her backpack and holding it in front of Jiang He as a shield.
But in the next moment, her slender waist was grabbed from behind by a powerful arm. Spinning around, she slammed into Jiang He’s solid, broad back, and he held her firmly behind him.
One hand protected her, the other swung his crutch toward the husky with ruthless force—ferocious, violent, and incredibly agile.
Yu Yingying looked at his left ankle, tightly wrapped like a rice dumpling, and felt completely bewildered:
“…?” What’s going on?!