They had been there for a short while. They hadn’t seen anything else—only just heard Shu Ning say, “Then stand still and let me kiss you back!”
“Qiulan, you insisted on dragging me here… just so I could hear her say she wants to kiss that man?” Bai Zhiping turned his head and asked coldly.
“Zhiping, it’s not like that. Shu Ning came to the countryside with us. If something happens to her, how can we ignore it? I thought she and Gu Zhao would fight, and I was worried she’d lose. You know, Shu Ning has always been devoted to you…”
Zhu Qiulan gently tried to excuse Shu Ning.
But that explanation only made Bai Zhiping’s anger surge.
Just moments ago, he had heard that Shu Ning jumped into the river because she couldn’t have him, and now she was going to take the initiative to kiss another man.
What kind of devotion was that?
“Zhu Qiulan, what you’re saying is really interesting! When have I ever been devoted to Bai Zhiping? If you want to be devoted to him, don’t drag me into it.”
Shu Ning looked at Zhu Qiulan with icy eyes, her voice full of disdain.
“…” Zhu Qiulan was overwhelmed with shame and anger.
After Shu Ning got water in her brain, did she suddenly gain some kind of insight?
She had always been confident that she hid her emotions well, yet Shu Ning seemed to see through something.
Every word she said was sharp and biting.
Bai Zhiping frowned and turned to Shu Ning, his expression filled with mockery and contempt. “Shu Ning, don’t play these meaningless tricks. Do you think that by saying you want to kiss Gu Zhao, by saying you want to marry him, I’ll get nervous?”
“Such low-level tactics won’t attract me.”
“You’re really putting in effort just to get my attention. As a girl, coming up with all kinds of methods and excuses just to cling to a man—don’t you have any sense of shame?”
Shu Ning sucked in a cold breath, her fists tightening.
Just how cheap had she been in her previous life? He trampled her self-respect like this, yet she still foolishly liked him and chased after him.
In the end, she had even insisted on being with this arrogant and mean man.
Was it because of love?
No. It definitely wasn’t love.
It was because she was stupid!
She raised her eyes, her delicate face calm as she let out a cold laugh. “Bai Zhiping, which eye of yours saw that I’m trying to attract you? Why don’t you take a look at yourself? You’re ugly and disgusting! Just looking at you makes me sick!”
She thought that after saying this, he would storm off immediately.
Unexpectedly, the man only let out a soft scoff, as if he had heard a joke, and sneered coldly, “Playing hard to get? You think I’ll believe you?”
Shu Ning was stunned by his twisted logic. Her temple twitched slightly as she curled her lips, her beautiful eyes filled with coldness. “Are you ration coupons, cloth tickets, or money? Do I have to like you forever?”
Bai Zhiping’s face turned extremely ugly. He felt that Shu Ning today was very different.
She used to be sharp-tongued, but she had never spoken to him like this.
But then he thought about it and became completely certain—she must be using this method to attract his attention!
He spoke coldly, “Whether you like me or not, you know it in your heart. I just hope you don’t spend so much effort and make so many excuses to get close to me. Even if you chased me from thousands of miles away, even if you really jumped into the river and died, I wouldn’t feel even a bit moved or heartbroken.”
Shu Ning chuckled lightly. “What a coincidence. Me too! From now on, I don’t want to see you for even a second!”
“Wait—what do you mean I chased you from thousands of miles away? Weren’t you the one who asked me to come find you?”
Bai Zhiping sneered. “Am I crazy? Asking you to come find me? I’d rather avoid you at all costs!”
Shu Ning’s gaze swept over Zhu Qiulan like a sharp blade.
At that time, she had been watching the villagers catch fish with great interest when Zhu Qiulan came over mysteriously and told her that Bai Zhiping was waiting for her by the quiet riverbank and had something to say.
When she went over, she didn’t see anyone.
There were only a few young people walking along the bank. She stood there, facing the wind, waiting for him.
Not long after, she fell into the water.
And now, she realized the whole thing had been a lie from the start.
Bai Zhiping never asked her out.
Zhu Qiulan had been deceiving her all along!
“Shu Ning, if you want to jump into the river, go ahead! The river is right there—you can jump as many times as you want! It has nothing to do with me! I’d have to be crazy to ask you out! So don’t pin this kind of thing on me! No matter what tricks you use, I won’t care!”
Bai Zhiping snorted coldly.
Shu Ning glanced at Zhu Qiulan with a dark look, then let out a light laugh. “Don’t worry, Bai Zhiping! I’d rather spend my time on cats and dogs than waste even a second on you!”
“…” Bai Zhiping was furious. Was she saying he was worse than cats and dogs?
She actually despised him?
Compared to his sudden emotional turmoil, Shu Ning remained calm and composed.
“You don’t like me, yet you seem used to me chasing you and admiring you.”
“And the scarf I gave you in early spring—you’re still wearing it. The cloth coupons I gave you before—you used them to buy shoes.”
“Bai Zhiping, you keep saying you despise me, yet you use my things so naturally. How shameless.”
She raised her brows, each word cutting deep.
“If you dislike me so much, return everything I gave you. If you can’t, just admit your shamelessness.”
Her tone was full of cold sarcasm.
Bai Zhiping lost all face, burning with shame and anger. He yanked off the scarf around his neck and threw it hard onto the ground.
Shu Ning didn’t get angry. She bent down, picked up the scarf, and dusted it off.
Bai Zhiping sneered. “So you’re getting it back just to give it to Gu Zhao? Since you’re so eager to get involved with him?”
“A poor guy like Gu Zhao is only fit to use things I’ve thrown away!”
Shu Ning raised her eyes and smiled lightly. “Bai Zhiping, stop flattering yourself. Do you think anything you’ve used is even worthy of being compared to Gu Zhao?”
After speaking, she lowered her head, crouched down, and tied the scarf around the neck of a little yellow dog wagging its tail beside her.
She recognized the dog—it was one Gu Zhao had picked up in the mountains.
Later, this dog would follow Gu Zhao through many battles and protect him countless times.
“There you go, good boy. It’s cold—here’s a scarf for you. Next time you see me, remember to wag your tail, okay?”
“I know you have a conscience. Unlike some people who boast about being educated and refined, yet are worse than animals!”
Bai Zhiping’s expression nearly cracked apart.
The scarf he had worn… was now on a dog’s neck!
She was saying he was worse than a dog.
“Shu Ning, you—”
“Stop stuttering. You should be glad my little Huang didn’t mind that you used this scarf.”
Shu Ning interrupted him calmly. “Bai Zhiping, you can keep looking down on me and ignoring me. But don’t nag more than Grandma Chen at the village entrance.”
Her tone shifted as she smiled lightly. “Don’t tell me… you actually still want me to keep pestering you?”
Bai Zhiping, scolded into silence: …
Shu Ning patted the little yellow dog that had come close to her feet. “Let’s go. The air here is bad. Let’s go find your Brother Zhao.”
With the gray-blue scarf around its neck, the little yellow dog wagged its tail, glanced around proudly, then strutted off.
Just as Bai Zhiping was about to retort, Shu Ning had already left with the dog.
As if his presence polluted the air.
The frustration stuck in his chest, unable to be vented. Was this woman really going to keep up this new act?
Seeing Shu Ning leave with the dog, Zhu Qiulan finally relaxed slightly.
In the courtyard, Ergouzi stared at the departing yellow dog.
Why did that dog get a scarf? He was a dog too—why didn’t he have one?
Only Grandma Chen curled her lips into a smile and nudged Grandma Zhao. “Old Zhao, did you hear what Comrade Shu just called Little Huang?”