Seeing her hop off the vehicle as lightly as a little rabbit and wave goodbye to him, Gu Jingcheng couldn’t help curling his lips into a smile.
He leaned his upper body out of the car window and lowered his voice.
“Be careful on your way back. Go home early. See you next time.”
The surroundings were quiet except for the chirping of insects. In the distance, dim yellow lights glowed from the village homes.
Gu Jingcheng’s face looked unbelievably handsome beneath the night sky.
Meng Yao stared at him and suddenly took a few steps closer.
Gu Jingcheng had not yet leaned back into the car. He looked at her in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
In Meng Yao’s mind were the scenes from that afternoon—him singing softly by her ear.
Her heart felt as though it were about to leap out of her throat.
“I have something to tell you,” Meng Yao said softly.
“What is—”
His words abruptly stopped.
Meng Yao stood on tiptoe and lightly kissed him on the cheek.
Then she quickly pulled away and whispered shyly,
“Thank you for taking me out today. I had a really good time.”
After saying that, she ran off with a flushed face.
Gu Jingcheng froze completely.
His eyes followed the girl hurrying away, while the soft warmth of her kiss still seemed to linger on his face.
The smile at the corner of his lips simply refused to disappear.
Overcome with excitement, he waved his arms wildly in the air.
He urgently needed an outlet for all this emotion.
After making sure no one was around, he jumped out of the car and started throwing punches in the air like a boxer.
For the first time in his life, a girl had kissed him first.
And it was the girl he liked!
Heavens!
His heart felt ready to explode!
After finally calming down, he touched the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him, feeling as though he were floating on clouds.
He was excited beyond words.
But Meng Yao was no better.
In her previous life, after following Song Wei to the military compound, the two of them had always treated each other politely and distantly. Back then, she had also possessed the shy fantasies of a young girl in love.
But later, disappointment accumulated again and again, until she finally realized—
What Song Wei wanted was not a considerate wife.
He wanted an obedient puppet.
In this life, she never expected to meet Gu Jingcheng.
For the first time, she experienced the feeling of romance described in books.
It was truly beautiful.
As she walked along the countryside path, she suddenly felt like a princess from a fairy tale.
The clothes on her body seemed to transform into a glowing gown, and the shoes beneath her feet into crystal slippers.
Even the chirping insects around her sounded as though they were singing for her.
Back when she often cut grass in the fields, she would frequently hear married women gathered together, complaining bitterly about their disappointments and unhappiness in marriage.
Sometimes, when they noticed Meng Yao nearby, they would even warn her directly.
Never foolishly fall in love with a man.
In the future, all you need to do is control a man’s money.
Falling in love with a man was like committing the greatest taboo—your heart would shatter into pieces!
After saying that, the women would burst into loud laughter.
Meng Yao usually remained silent.
She had never been married before and had no right to comment. Perhaps what the village women said was correct.
But she didn’t want that kind of life.
Love, family, friendship—every kind of emotion in this world was something so beautiful.
How could someone avoid all beauty forever just because they had once been hurt?
She respected the way others chose to live.
But she wanted to live as herself.
The smile never left her lips the entire journey home.
Only after arriving did she notice that the living room lights were still on.
She closed the courtyard gate and walked inside, only to see Meng Zhihong and Zhao Meilan sitting side by side with gloomy expressions.
At first, she thought something serious had happened.
“Dad, Mom, have you eaten yet?”
Even in March, the nights were still chilly. Usually, everyone went to bed early after dinner.
Before her parents could answer, Meng Yu suddenly walked out from the bedroom with a smug expression on her face.
Instinctively, Meng Yao knew nothing good was coming.
“Where did you go today?” Meng Zhihong asked sternly, disappointment evident in his eyes.
“I went into town to sell vegetables.”
“You sold vegetables until this hour?” Meng Zhihong continued questioning.
Meng Yao bit her lip, uncertain about what exactly had happened.
Beside him, Zhao Meilan looked at her worriedly.
“I ran into a friend and chatted for a while, so I came back late,” Meng Yao explained.
Meng Zhihong suddenly slammed his palm against the table.
Meng Yao jumped in fright.
“Dad, what exactly happened?”
Zhao Meilan stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“A Yao, tell your parents the truth. What exactly did you go to the county town for? A child who admits mistakes and corrects them is still a good child.”
“Tell your father honestly.”
Meng Yao frowned instinctively.
Her tutoring sessions at Ye Lei’s house weren’t exactly something she couldn’t talk about. Before, she simply felt there was no need to mention it.
Had her parents already found out?
If they knew already, then there was no reason to hide it anymore.
Before she could speak, Meng Zhihong suddenly pulled something out from his pocket.
Meng Yao widened her eyes.
It was her hair clip.
Instantly, she understood everything.
Her parents would never search through her room.
The only possible person was Meng Yu!
“This thing,” Meng Zhihong said angrily, “Xiao Yu said it costs at least two hundred yuan. Where did you get the money to buy it?”
“Did some man buy it for you?”
Meng Yao had no idea the hair clip was that expensive.
But it really had been a gift from Gu Jingcheng.
She bit her lip, glared at Meng Yu, and admitted honestly,
“Yes.”
Meng Zhihong was so furious that he pointed at her for a long time without managing to say a single word.
Meng Yao couldn’t understand it.
It was only a hair clip.
And Gu Jingcheng was already her fiancé.
Was it really that serious?
“Sis, no matter how poor our family is, you absolutely shouldn’t let some old man keep you as his mistress!” Meng Yu cried out dramatically, pretending to look heartbroken. “You’re making Mom and Dad lose all face in the village!”
Meng Yao froze for a moment.
Looking at Meng Zhihong’s furious expression, Zhao Meilan’s anxious eyes, and Meng Yu’s smug face—
She finally understood the misunderstanding.
A few years ago, several girls in the village had found wealthy men in the county town. Their families suddenly had new houses, meat to eat, and new clothes to wear.
Yet whenever people asked them to bring the men home, none of the girls dared say a word.
Only later did everyone discover the truth.
The men were already married city men with wives and children. They kept young village girls as mistresses for entertainment, casually giving them money but never allowing themselves to appear publicly.
If the girls became pregnant, they could only secretly abort the babies at illegal clinics.
By the time they reached their thirties, the men would simply abandon them.
The once-young girls became old unmarried women whose lives were completely ruined.
The village had gossiped endlessly about them.
Meng Zhihong and Zhao Meilan had always taught Meng Yao since childhood to cherish and protect herself and never do such things.
“A Yao, kneel and apologize to your father. Then cut ties with that man, alright?” Zhao Meilan pleaded while patting her daughter’s shoulder.
Her eyes were bloodshot with worry.
Meng Yao’s heart ached.
“Mom, I won’t apologize. I never did such things, so why should I admit to them?”
Zhao Meilan froze.
Then surprise burst into her eyes.
But before she could speak, Meng Yu’s sharp voice rang out again.
“Sis, why are you still refusing to repent? What kind of spell did that man cast on you to make you so unwilling to leave him?!”
Meng Yao looked at her coldly.
“Meng Yu, stop shouting at me. You keep insisting I’m being kept by some man. What proof do you have?”
Seeing that not even the slightest panic appeared on Meng Yao’s face, Meng Yu secretly thought:
She really can endure pressure well.
“Of course I have proof. I know where that old man is, and I’ve even seen him before. If you insist on refusing to admit your mistakes, then tomorrow I’ll take Mom and Dad there to confront him directly.”
She stared straight at Meng Yao.
“Do you dare?”