Looking at her teary-eyed expression, his heart softened uncontrollably, and most of his displeasure at being played for a fool vanished.
He gently wiped the tear stains from her face, his tone somewhat helpless. “Alright.”
“Then why aren’t you coming?” Shen Yingying glared at him, putting on an angry expression. “Why are you so clueless?”
As she spoke, she patted her waist and urged, “Hurry up!”
Xie Fangzhu: “…”
He frowned slightly. Seeing her furrowed brows, he thought to himself that although she was different from before, some things hadn’t changed.
Namely, she was the type to push her luck—give her an inch, and she’d take a mile.
But… he still gave in. He simply couldn’t resist that fierce yet expectant little expression. With a sweep of his large hand, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
Cradling the back of her head, his face slightly flushed, he whispered in a slightly hoarse voice:
“Darling, I was wrong… It’s my fault. How could I ever dislike you? You’re my… my precious treasure, cough… I love you more than anything.”
Shen Yingying almost burst out laughing, surprised that he had obediently followed her lead.
For a moment, she felt fortunate to have encountered the current Xie Fangzhu. Though he could be infuriating, he was easy to fool.
If she had transmigrated a few years later, when he had fully matured, it probably wouldn’t have been so easy.
“Since you’re so sincere, I’ll forgive you.”
Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, lifting her face to plant a quick kiss on his chin. Then, she gazed at him eagerly. “Xie Fangzhu, I’m a little hungry. I didn’t eat anything at noon today.”
Xie Fangzhu was taken aback. He still wasn’t used to her sudden sneak attacks.
Even though it was just his chin, it was enough to make his heart flutter uncontrollably.
“Cough.” He cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment. “I’ll go to the canteen to buy food. What do you want to eat?”
Shen Yingying thought back to the original host’s memories. Although the original host stayed at home every day, she never cooked, just like Xie Fangzhu, relying on food coupons to eat at the mining area canteen.
She mentioned two dishes that were commonly available at the canteen and that she particularly liked.
Xie Fangzhu agreed, lifted the mosquito net, and got up to head toward the door. After taking only two steps, he suddenly stopped.
“Shen Yingying, don’t launch any more surprise attacks in the future.”
Shen Yingying poked her head out from under the mosquito net, tilting it to look at him. “You don’t like it?”
Xie Fangzhu frowned, as if seriously considering the question.
After a long pause, he gave in again. “Do as you please.”
“Then I won’t hold back in the future.” Shen Yingying giggled, lifting the mosquito net and sitting on the edge of the bed to put on her shoes.
Xie Fangzhu’s gaze fell on her fair feet. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke up.
“I’m going to the canteen now, Shen Yingying. Don’t you dare run away. If you…”
Before he could finish, a slender figure rushed over, and a soft hand covered his mouth.
Xie Fangzhu looked down to see Shen Yingying staring at him unhappily. Looking further down, she had only managed to put on one shoe; the other foot was bare, making her look quite disheveled.
“I, Shen Yingying, keep my word. You’re my man—why would I run away?! Don’t you ever say such things to me again!”
Just hearing it made her feet ache.
After Xie Fangzhu left, Shen Yingying began to explore the house.
The small wooden cabin had two rooms, one large and one small, both built by Xie Fangzhu himself.Since the original host did not have a mining area household registration, Xie Fangzhu alone could not apply for family housing in the mining area. Like other couples without dual employment, he could only choose a plot of land on the hillside behind the residential area and build this wooden house.
Initially, he had only built one room. But when the original host arrived and saw this wooden house, she flew into a rage. She had thought that marrying him would mean living in a proper house, not such a small shack, and she made a fuss for several days. In the end, Xie Fangzhu had no choice but to add another small room.
After the small room was built, the original host immediately kicked him out to live in the small room, while she took the larger one. The room Shen Yingying was now in was the small room where Xie Fangzhu lived.
The room wasn’t large, and there weren’t many belongings—just a bed and a cabinet—but everything was neatly organized and spotlessly clean. Opening the cabinet, she saw only a few clothes inside, but they were folded meticulously. This reminded her of the neatly folded clothes she had woken up to earlier, making her wonder if he had a bit of obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
After exploring his small room, Shen Yingying stepped outside and walked over to the larger room next door, which had been the original host’s living space. The door was locked, but fortunately, the original host had taken the key with her when she ran away. Shen Yingying rummaged through her pockets and found it.
Unlike Xie Fangzhu’s clean and tidy small room, the original host’s room was much larger and crammed full of belongings. Shen Yingying didn’t like cleaning, and neither did the original host. But in Shen Yingying’s time, there were robotic vacuum cleaners, and she had the money to hire a housekeeper, so her home was always immaculate. The original host had none of these, so the state of the room was dreadful—not only packed to the brim but also in complete disarray. Shen Yingying stepped inside and could hardly find a place to stand.
Seeing the room in such a state, her first instinct was to turn back. But her gaze fell on a mirror hanging on the left wall, and she stopped. Stepping over the obstacles on the floor, she took down the mirror. When she saw the reflection, her eyes widened in surprise.
The person in the mirror had a delicate, oval face, snow-white skin, dark pupils beneath thick lashes, and naturally rosy lips—a true beauty. But that wasn’t what surprised her. She already knew from the book that the original host was stunning—the village belle in her hometown and the mining area’s beauty after marrying Xie Fangzhu. What shocked her was how much the reflection resembled her own face, about eighty to ninety percent alike. With a different hairstyle and a bit of weight loss, they could be identical.
Instantly, she began to doubt Xie Fangzhu’s judgment. That morning, she had cried and pleaded with him, yet he still wanted to break her legs. How could he bring himself to harm such a beautiful face?!
After admiring herself in the mirror for a while, she finally put it down and prepared to leave the room with it. Just then, a woman’s voice suddenly called from outside, “Yingying, are you there?”
Shen Yingying looked toward the door and saw a figure peeking in—a woman around twenty years old. Seeing her, Shen Yingying immediately recalled the original host’s memories. This person was Wu Xiaoxia, the original host’s only friend in the mining area. While everyone else praised Xie Fangzhu, only Wu Xiaoxia would join in cursing him—truly a loyal best friend.But Shen Yingying had read the novel and knew that Wu Xiaoxia had always liked Xie Fangzhu. On the surface, Wu Xiaoxia was the original host’s best friend, but in private, she was not. Her greatest wish was for the original host and Xie Fangzhu to divorce.
The original host’s acquaintance with the out-of-towner who claimed to be a “factory director” was also inextricably linked to Wu Xiaoxia.
Wu Xiaoxia knew that the original host desperately wanted to find someone wealthy and influential, while she herself wanted the original host to vacate the position of Xie Fangzhu’s wife.
So, even though she knew the man claiming to be a “factory director” might be a fraud, she still found a way for the original host to meet him.
From time to time, she would casually drop a few suggestive remarks.
The original host wasn’t particularly bright to begin with, and with her “best friend” adding fuel to the fire, she quickly became convinced.
If it weren’t for the incident of eloping with the “factory director,” Shen Yingying wouldn’t have held a grudge against Wu Xiaoxia. She might have even helped her steal Xie Fangzhu away.
After all, she was also eager for someone to take this madman off her hands.
But Wu Xiaoxia had deliberately encouraged the original host to get involved with that out-of-towner.
As a result, Shen Yingying, the scapegoat, nearly lost both her legs, which made it impossible for her to show any kindness!
With this thought, she walked toward the door.