The large courtyard compounds in the northern area were all low, single-story houses with small yards. Due to illegal constructions by every household, many public spaces had been encroached upon, making the alleys narrow. Combined with their extreme age, the whole place looked rather dilapidated.
Bai Xiaotong carefully avoided the dirt pits and puddles underfoot. Against the backdrop of her red scarf, her skin was as white as snow, and her eyes shone like stars, making her stand out starkly from her surroundings.
As she walked, Bai Xiaotong attracted numerous curious and inquisitive glances.
Because she was beautiful and the factory’s “flower,” even in a place like this, many people recognized her.
Not wanting to cause a scene, Bai Xiaotong didn’t go directly to find Lu Ling. Instead, she gave two cents as a tip to a child playing with stones by the roadside and asked him to fetch Lu Ling for her.
The child dashed off and soon returned, panting, to tell her that Lu Ling wasn’t home.
Not home?
Where could he have gone in the middle of the day?
Bai Xiaotong glanced in the direction of the Lu family’s house, frowned, and turned to leave.
Maybe she should check the factory. Even if he wasn’t there, she could ask the young men in the security department where he had gone.
Those guys in the security department were Lu Ling’s staunch buddies.
Bai Xiaotong turned onto the main road outside and was about to head toward the factory when a bicycle blocked her path.
A young man in a military coat and a Lei Feng-style hat flashed a bright smile, his face slightly flushed as he asked, “Xiaotong, where are you going? Why aren’t you riding your bike? Let me give you a lift.”
It was Fang Zhiyong, a junior clerk in the textile factory’s office and one of Bai Xiaotong’s suitors.
In the past, Bai Xiaotong wouldn’t have given him a second glance.
But now…
She smiled and said, “It’s fine. You go about your business. I’m just taking a stroll.”
It was still a rejection.
But!!
She smiled!
She spoke to him!!
And she said three whole sentences!!
Fang Zhiyong was so excited his face flushed, and he nearly floated off the ground. Stumbling over his words, he said, “You, where are you going? I, I’ll go with you!”
With that, he got off his bike and moved closer to Bai Xiaotong.
Bai Xiaotong instinctively frowned. “No need. I’m heading back soon.”
Fang Zhiyong: “Then let me walk you back.”
Bai Xiaotong: “That’s not necessary. I know the way.”
Her tone carried a hint of displeasure.
Though excited, Fang Zhiyong could still read the room and knew his behavior was annoying her.
Suppressing his excitement as best he could, he smiled ingratiatingly. “Alright, I understand. Xiaotong, this weekend, let’s go watch a movie. There’s a new film at the cultural center. We can go there. Come early, and we can have lunch together.”
Having finally seen a glimmer of hope, Fang Zhiyong was determined to seize this opportunity and leave no regrets for the future.
Bai Xiaotong, however, was starting to regret speaking to him.
Her willingness to engage with these suitors wasn’t due to a change in her nature but rather a consideration for the future.
If Lu Ling refused to take responsibility for last night’s incident, and she couldn’t do anything about it, she might have to choose someone from among these suitors who was willing to accept her and the child and marry him first.
In short, she urgently needed a legitimate status to give birth to the child properly. Everything else could be dealt with later.
However, after this brief interaction, Bai Xiaotong clearly wasn’t interested in Fang Zhiyong. Even if he were willing, she would likely need to think it over carefully.
Sigh. This matter seemed simple in theory, but in reality, it was quite difficult.
Last night, by a twist of fate, Bai Xiaotong ended up sharing a bed with Lu Ling. That man was good-looking, pleasing to the eye just by looking at him, and she didn’t mind it at all.
But the one before her now…
Bai Xiaotong sized up Fang Zhiyong.
He was tall enough, and his looks were passable—not exactly handsome, but not ugly either.
But he was a bit too dull, hanging his head low and lacking any presence. Talking to him was fine, but imagining lying in the same bed with him made Bai Xiaotong shudder, feeling an itch all over.
Before, Bai Xiaotong never thought of herself as a shallow woman who only cared about looks. After all, Chen Xiangjun wasn’t the most handsome man in the factory district.
But after last night, she realized she had changed, becoming more worldly and starting to pay attention to men’s faces.
Bai Xiaotong said, “Forget about watching a movie. I haven’t been in the mood lately.”
Since she wasn’t interested, Bai Xiaotong didn’t want to drag things out with him.
But Fang Zhiyong wouldn’t take no for an answer. He simply got on his bicycle and rode off.
“Xiaotong, we’ve agreed on it. I’ll wait for you. If you don’t come, I won’t leave.”
Fang Zhiyong kept looking back as he rode away, waving at Bai Xiaotong.
Bai Xiaotong’s expression darkened.
Was he forcing this now?
Fine, wait if you want. What does it have to do with me?
Feeling annoyed, Bai Xiaotong pursed her lips and continued walking.
Behind her, near the intersection, Xu Biao sat on a broken wall, smoking a cigarette. He turned to Lu Ling, who was standing under a tree, and said, “Brother Lu, she’s gone.”
Earlier, Bai Xiaotong had gone looking for Lu Ling inside, but he wasn’t there.
In reality, Lu Ling hadn’t gone far. With his hands in his pockets, he was just standing under a big tree at the entrance of the alley, idly hanging out with a few young men who were smoking.
But Bai Xiaotong, preoccupied with her thoughts, hadn’t noticed them. Thinking Lu Ling wasn’t home, she decided to look for him at the factory, heading in the opposite direction. Though they weren’t far apart, they missed each other perfectly.
The young men hadn’t heard what Bai Xiaotong and Fang Zhiyong were talking about, but their intuition told them the conversation had gone well.
After all, the factory flower of the textile mill was famously proud, usually not even sparing people a glance. If she gave someone a smile, it was considered a great honor.
The young men all turned to look at Lu Ling.
They didn’t know what had happened between Lu Ling and Bai Xiaotong the night before.
But in the morning, when a few female workers went to the warehouse looking for someone, Bai Xiaotong had sneaked through the factory gate, making the young men sense something unusual. They felt their boss and the factory flower had some unclear, ambiguous relationship.
If it were anyone else, they would’ve started gossiping and asking questions.
But their boss was different. Unless he spoke up himself, no one could pry anything out of him.
Not wanting to annoy him, everyone just watched quietly.
Lu Ling glanced at his curious brothers and said calmly, “Let’s break it up.”
“Brother Lu, aren’t we going to play ball?”
Lu Ling shook his head, pushed his bicycle aside, and left without another word.
Seeing him head in the same direction as Bai Xiaotong, everyone was stunned, their mouths agape.
After a while, a naive young man asked, “Biao, does Brother Lu and Factory Flower Bai really… have something going on?”
Xu Biao shrugged.
He didn’t know either!
Meanwhile.
Bai Xiaotong was almost at the factory when she spotted the person she was looking for outside a grocery store.
So Lu Ling really was near the factory.
Bai Xiaotong changed direction, intending to call out to him, but the man acted as if he hadn’t seen her. Suddenly, he left the grocery store and disappeared into a nearby alley.
Huh?
Why was he running away?
Bai Xiaotong quickened her pace and followed, arriving at the alley entrance to peer inside, but there was no longer any sign of anyone.
What’s going on!
She had clearly seen him go in.
Without overthinking it, Bai Xiaotong went straight in to search for him.