Whenever educated youths gathered together, discussions of current affairs and ideals were inevitable. After listening to several stories, Shen Yao had assumed the main event was finally about to begin. Instead of talking about their hometowns, however, everyone discussed how they could accomplish great things in the vast countryside and how agriculture should be developed.
Shen Yao thought: Why are your aspirations so unusual? I want to hear about life in the city…
Though her expression barely changed, the disappointment in her eyes was impossible to hide. They no longer shone as brightly as before.
While the educated youths enthusiastically talked about educating and guiding farmers to embrace the spirit of Yu Gong and develop agriculture, Shen Yao could not suppress a yawn. She covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned, looking delicate and refined.
He Shi, who had been paying attention to her expressions all along, caught the sight and amusement flickered in his eyes. Apparently, he was not the only one annoyed by this group of bookish idealists rambling on about lofty theories. For a moment, he unconsciously lumped Shen Yao together with himself as a kindred spirit. Looking at her became much more pleasant, and he found the little fool adorably innocent and charming.
When Shen Yao yawned a second time, Shen Gang noticed and quietly asked,
“Big Sis, are you sleepy?”
Shen Yao nodded.
Shen Gang immediately offered to take her home. The stories had been the only part that interested him anyway. Now that they were over, he felt no reluctance about leaving. After saying goodbye to Song Jincheng and the others, he left first with Shen Yao.
Once Shen Yao was gone, He Shi lost the object of observation he had been using to pass the time. Suddenly, sitting there felt unbearably dull.
Just then, seeing someone leave early, a female educated youth in a white dress stood up. Somehow she produced a flute and addressed the group.
“My name is Chen Yuzhen. My family is from Shanghai. Let’s stop talking about such serious topics. How about I play a tune for everyone?”
Her voice was sweet and melodious. Though she spoke to the entire group, her gaze rested squarely on He Shi.
Everyone present already knew one another except for He Shi, who was attending for the first time. It was obvious whom her introduction was meant for.
He Shi understood perfectly. He saw what she was doing, but he had no interest in it.
“It’s getting late. I’m going back to rest. You all carry on.”
With that, he rose leisurely and left.
Silence fell over the room.
Even after he had disappeared from sight, Chen Yuzhen remained frozen in place. Her face flushed bright red with embarrassment. Unable to save face, she abandoned the flute and ran back to her room.
Xu Xiangdong thought to himself that Chen Yuzhen really had poor judgment. If she had chosen him, he certainly would not have humiliated a girl like that. Yet she had picked the most unromantic man possible. If she had not run into a wall, that would have been the surprising part.
With He Shi’s looks and family background, girls in Beijing practically threw themselves at him. Whether at school or in the residential compounds, there was never a shortage of girls like Chen Yuzhen. They were also exactly the type He Shi found most tiresome to deal with.
Since He Shi was his companion, Xu Xiangdong could hardly remain after such an awkward scene. Laughing awkwardly and muttering a few vague excuses, he left as well.
The road back required turning at a bend. Just as he reached the corner, he heard He Shi’s voice.
“Why are you hiding? I’m not going to eat you.”
His tone carried a smile and could even be called gentle.
Xu Xiangdong froze. The foot he had just lifted silently withdrew. Instinct told him there was juicy gossip to witness.
Peeking around the corner, he was stunned by what he saw.
He Shi had one hand braced against the wall, trapping a girl between himself and the wall.
Xu Xiangdong’s eyes widened in shock.
He Shi would do something like this? Who was that girl?
As he was wondering, the girl raised three slender fingers and said,
“Stay three meters away.”
She spoke with complete seriousness.
Yet perhaps because her voice was naturally soft and gentle, the words somehow sounded sweetly innocent.
It was such a pleasant voice, but Xu Xiangdong could not immediately identify its owner. Most of her face was hidden behind He Shi’s arm, making it impossible to see her clearly.
He Shi was momentarily speechless, then laughed.
“I thought you were supposed to be slow-witted. How is your memory this good?”
Hearing that, Xu Xiangdong raised an eyebrow. Slow-witted? There was only one foolish girl in Shenjia Village, Shen Yao.
Hadn’t she left with Shen Gang? With how fiercely that kid protected his sister, as if she were the apple of his eye, how had Shen Yao ended up alone?
Shen Yao glared at He Shi in annoyance. She had a very poor opinion of him. So he had known all along that the original Shen Yao was mentally impaired, yet when he threw her out that day, he had still spoken with such venom. He truly had no gentlemanly manners whatsoever.
Since he knew she was “foolish,” she decided to use that to her advantage and snapped back sharply.
“You’re the foolish one!”
Given the mentality she was supposed to have, that childish insult was about as much as she could get away with.
He Shi laughed even harder. His beautiful peach blossom eyes curved into crescents, and amusement colored his voice.
“You’ve got quite a temper.”
Shen Yao could not be bothered arguing with him and repeated her warning.
“Stay three meters away.”
On the day the original Shen Yao had climbed into his bed, he had dragged her out and warned her to stay at least three meters away from him whenever she saw him. Yet now he had the nerve to block her path.
“Don’t worry, I won’t bully you.” Seeing that she still held a grudge, the corners of He Shi’s lips lifted into a smile.
“I’m just telling you this. In the future, don’t go to the educated youth compound so often. Last time, I thought you…” He paused. “That’s why I spoke so harshly. But what I said was true. Girls can easily end up at a disadvantage.”
His gaze swept over Shen Yao’s attractive face.
“Especially someone as naive as you. You wouldn’t even need to be tricked with much effort.”
Shen Yao inwardly rolled her eyes. The first part had almost sounded reasonable, but that last remark was thoroughly irritating.
When she still did not respond, He Shi lowered himself slightly until their eyes were level and asked,
“Do you understand what I’m saying? Did you remember it?”
He thought that since she could hold a grudge so well, her memory should not be a problem. The woman he had spoken to before had only said that Shen Yao was immature and easy to coax.
Which, if anything, made her situation even more dangerous.
Just moments ago, he had been pleased that Shen Gang had gone off to use the latrine and left Shen Yao alone. Now he felt the boy was completely unreliable. If someone with bad intentions had encountered her, two minutes would have been more than enough time to do all sorts of things.
A flood of random worries flashed through his mind, and he failed to realize that none of this was actually his concern.
Shen Yao was not used to having someone stand so close. The wall behind her left her nowhere to retreat. She even forgot to pretend to be foolish and instinctively reached out to push him away.
“Move back.”
When He Shi did not want to move, her small amount of strength was nowhere near enough to push him.
Seeing her obvious displeasure and the frown on her face, He Shi ground his teeth lightly. It was rare for him to offer someone a kind warning, yet this silly girl did not appreciate it at all. Refusing to step aside, he stubbornly asked again,
“Did you understand what I just said or not?”
Shen Yao had no idea what was wrong with him, nor did she want to keep arguing. So she simply replied with a single word.
“Yes.”
As concise as possible.
For some reason, He Shi suddenly remembered how Shen Yao’s eyes had sparkled while looking at Song Jincheng. Yet when it came to him, she could not be more perfunctory.
Before his brain could catch up, he had already reached out and pinched her chin, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze.
Caught off guard by the sudden gesture, Shen Yao’s eyes blazed with anger. Had her chin not been held, making it difficult to speak, she would almost certainly have snapped at him for his insolence.
At last, He Shi got what he wanted and made Shen Yao look up at him.
Their eyes met.
They were standing extremely close.
For no apparent reason, his mood improved. His brows relaxed, and he smiled broadly, revealing a row of white teeth.
The frivolous gesture infuriated Shen Yao.
Without thinking, she kicked at him.
This man was insufferable. Earlier he had arrogantly warned the original Shen Yao to stay three meters away from him. Now what was this supposed to be? Did he think he could simply grab a girl’s chin whenever he pleased?
The sheer audacity of it!
Her anger fueled the strength behind the kick. She had intended to teach him a lesson, but to her surprise, he dodged it effortlessly.
From the distance came the sound of Shen Gang running back.
In an exceptionally good mood, He Shi patted Shen Yao on the head.
“Little fool, remember what I told you.”
Then he stepped back a few paces and walked away with a bright smile and a light, carefree stride.
The moment he left, Shen Gang returned.
Only after Shen Yao and her brother had gone did Xu Xiangdong finally emerge from hiding.
What the hell?
What was going on between He Shi and Shen Yao?
What exactly had he missed?
He Shi had pinched a girl’s chin and even called her “little fool”?
Was he hallucinating?
Hadn’t He Shi always looked down on Shen Yao?