21
She is Both Charming and Alluring
Zhou Xiye rushed over without much thought and jumped into the river after her.
From her silhouette, he could tell it was a woman, likely driven to drown herself after enduring abuse at home.
Amid the rushing currents, he pulled her close, wrapping one arm around her waist as he swam toward the shore.
Jiang Zhizhi had just begun to feel some relief from the cold water, her consciousness slowly returning, when she was abruptly pulled against someone. Instinctively, she tried to protect her injured arm while her left hand pushed against the person holding her waist.
She knew the person might be trying to save her, but she didn’t need saving—being rescued would only spell disaster for her.
Zhou Xiye hadn’t expected the woman, who appeared slender, to struggle with such force. Several times, they both sank beneath the water, only to be swept further downstream by the fierce current.
Realizing the danger, Zhou Xiye had no choice but to use his other hand to pin Jiang Zhizhi’s arm, trying to keep her still. In doing so, he touched the cast on her arm and was stunned to realize it was Jiang Zhizhi!
Without a second thought, he turned her around, holding her tightly against his chest as he swam toward the shore. Once the water grew shallow, he stood and lifted her horizontally into his arms.
Soaked to the bone, Jiang Zhizhi shivered as the night breeze swept over her, yet she couldn’t suppress the burning heat coursing through her body. Her mind grew increasingly hazy.
Feeling the warmth of another body against hers, her left hand instinctively reached out, wrapping around Zhou Xiye’s neck.
Before Zhou Xiye could react, Jiang Zhizhi straightened in his arms, pressing herself tightly against him. With her arms hooked around his neck, she leveraged her position to lift her head and kiss his cheek.
Zhou Xiye’s steps faltered in the water. “Comrade Jiang?” he called out in a low voice.
Like a parched traveler stumbling upon a clear spring, Jiang Zhizhi sought his lips again, this time with precision. She nibbled clumsily, unsatisfied, and let out a soft whimper like a kitten, her tongue seeking more.
Zhou Xiye had never been this intimate with a woman before. His muscles tensed, his expression stiffening.
He wasn’t entirely unaffected by the delicate figure in his arms, but reason prevailed.
The soft skin pressed against his face was alarmingly hot.
Her restless movements had caused her shirt to ride up, revealing a slender, pale waist. His large hand rested there, acutely aware of its smoothness and the undeniable heat radiating from her.
Zhou Xiye swallowed hard, turning his face away from her kisses as he quickened his pace toward the shore.
Though it was only a few steps, the journey felt agonizingly long.
The softness against his chest, Jiang Zhizhi’s wild kisses—her uninjured arm was surprisingly strong. Each time he turned away, she whimpered, forcefully turning his face back, determined to reach his lips.
Zhou Xiye pressed his lips together, refusing to let her tongue advance. He hurried to the riverbank, found a quiet, dry spot, and set her down.
But Jiang Zhizhi resisted, struggling to cling to him again, her mind completely blank.
Zhou Xiye gripped her slender shoulders firmly. “Comrade Jiang, calm down. How did you end up drugged?”
Judging by her state, the dosage must have been strong. But she was staying at the village party secretary’s home—who would have drugged her?
Jiang Zhizhi writhed, refusing to answer.
Zhou Xiye glanced around, unfastened his military belt, and tied Jiang Zhizhi to a nearby sapling by the waist. This way, he could keep some distance from her, and she wouldn’t be able to throw herself at him.
Tied to the tree, Jiang Zhizhi struggled briefly. Unable to find the thirst-quenching spring water and with the chill setting in, the feverish heat in her body seemed to subside. She gradually grew quiet but couldn’t stop shivering from the cold.
Under the moonlight, Jiang Zhizhi tied to the tree looked incredibly beautiful. Her damp hair cascaded around her shoulders, her palm-sized face glowing with a delicate pink-and-white complexion. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lashes trembling with droplets, making her appear pitifully fragile.
Zhou Xiye sighed helplessly and, as if compelled by some unseen force, reached out to pat her head in a soothing gesture. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret. I’ll take you to the clinic. Just endure a little longer, alright?” His final words were almost a doting murmur, spoken in a deep, gentle tone.
Surprisingly, Jiang Zhizhi did quiet down, shivering as she gazed at Zhou Xiye with unfocused eyes.
…
When Jiang Zhizhi woke again, her eyes met the same shabby hospital room, leaving her momentarily disoriented as if she had returned to the early days after her transmigration.
“You’re awake?” Yang Fengmei’s voice came through as she approached the bedside, her face full of concern as she looked at Jiang Zhizhi.
Jiang Zhizhi blinked, recalling the events of being drugged the previous night. She remembered being fished out of the river, but everything after that was a blank.
The splashing had been too violent, and she couldn’t open her eyes, so she never got a clear look at her rescuer’s face.
Yang Fengmei tucked the blanket more securely around Jiang Zhizhi. “Are you still cold? You had a high fever for half the night that only broke at dawn.”
Jiang Zhizhi shook her head. “How did I get here?” Her voice came out hoarse, her throat feeling as dry as if filled with smoke.
Yang Fengmei looked worried. “How did you end up falling into the river in the middle of the night? Widow Ma from the village went to wash clothes and saw you in the water. She pulled you out. Thank goodness she’s tall and strong. She recognized you and knew you were staying with us, so she came to get us immediately. Dazhuang and I rushed you to the county hospital on the tractor.”
This was the story Zhou Xiye had instructed her to tell, and they had already coordinated with Widow Ma. If the truth got out, it would ruin Jiang Zhizhi’s reputation.
Jiang Zhizhi lifted her injured arm. The cast was still damp – it must have been reapplied, though she had felt nothing. “Auntie, thank you.”
Yang Fengmei quickly waved her hand. “No need for thanks. I changed your clothes too – your dirty ones are already washed. Just focus on recovering. Dazhuang will come pick us up this afternoon.”
Jiang Zhizhi studied Yang Fengmei. Her enthusiasm seemed genuine and unaware – had she not been the one who put the drug in the Thermos bottle?
It couldn’t have been Liang Dazhuang or Old Liang either. If they wanted to drug her, they’d had plenty of opportunities before – no need to contaminate an entire Thermos.
If Old Liang or Liang Dazhuang had drunk from that Thermos by mistake, the consequences would have been the same. Under the influence of the drug, either might have taken advantage of her.
So, whoever drugged the water intended for her to be ruined by Old Liang or Liang Dazhuang.
Who could it be?
Noticing Jiang Zhizhi’s silence, Yang Fengmei reached out to feel her forehead. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Jiang Zhizhi shook her head. “Auntie, the water in the Thermos by the stove yesterday afternoon – did you boil it?”
Yang Fengmei nodded. “Yes, why do you ask?”
She was completely baffled, having no idea what had happened.
Jiang Zhizhi frowned: “I drank water from that Thermos bottle last night, and somehow I became terribly sick. I couldn’t control myself and ran to the river to jump in.”
Yang Fengmei gasped: “Could it be bewitching drugs? But that shouldn’t be possible. When we went to bed last night, I took the Thermos bottle into my room. You didn’t come in to get it.”