Chen Jingbai gave the three men on the ground one last cold glance before quickly slipping into the woods. Almost instantly, his figure disappeared into the night.
Even if Zhou Dahe and the other two wanted to get up and search for the person who had beaten them, they had no idea who it was.
Chen Jingbai followed the small paths through the woods and silently made his way back to the educated youth station.
He scooped some water from the bucket and washed the mud from his shoes, then walked into the makeshift bathing area built from a simple shed and took another cold shower.
Cold water streamed over the broad, lean muscles of his back.
Chen Jingbai rinsed himself off casually a few times, then wiped away the droplets that had splashed onto his face.
It was the middle of summer, and the male educated youths all slept shirtless.
Thinking that no one would be around in the middle of the night, Chen Jingbai put on his pants but didn’t bother putting his shirt back on. He pushed open the door of the bathing area and stepped outside.
Hazy moonlight fell across his body.
A towel hung over his shoulder, while the water droplets he hadn’t dried glistened on his lean, firm chest. The faint outlines of his muscles rose and fell with each breath.
When He He pushed open the dormitory door, this was exactly what she saw.
Her eyes widened, and she even held her breath.
She had originally woken because she desperately needed to use the latrine. Her eyes had still been heavy with sleep, and her legs had felt unsteady.
But the moment she saw Chen Jingbai walking out of the bathing area with his upper body bare, she instantly became wide awake.
Who could have expected Chen Jingbai, who had already bathed earlier, to take another shower in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?
She had never seen Chen Jingbai shirtless before.
Who would have thought that beneath his seemingly slender frame, his muscles would be so beautifully defined once he took off his clothes?
Their eyes met.
Both of them felt somewhat awkward.
He He took the initiative to break the silence.
“Chen Jingbai?”
Chen Jingbai’s gaze swept over the jacket He He had casually draped over herself.
“Mm. Going to the latrine?”
He He looked away and nodded. “Yeah.”
She had drunk too much water today, which was why she’d woken in the middle of the night needing to use the latrine.
Ever since her flashlight broke, this was the first time she’d been forced awake in the middle of the night because she needed to go.
Originally, she’d wanted to hold it in.
But she really couldn’t.
The latrine wasn’t far away, but going there alone in the middle of the night was still a little frightening.
He He saw that everyone else was sleeping soundly and felt too embarrassed to wake someone up just to accompany her, so she’d gathered her courage and gone out alone.
Who would have thought she’d run into Chen Jingbai without a shirt on?
Chen Jingbai pursed his lips. “Wait for me. I need to use the latrine too.”
He suddenly regretted not taking a shirt with him when he’d returned earlier.
Now he needed to hurry back to the room, put on his shirt, and accompany He He to the latrine.
It wasn’t safe at night.
He He said, “Okay. I’ll wait for you.”
Chen Jingbai was very quick. Before long, he came back out.
“Let’s go.”
The countryside latrine was a pit toilet. Before they even got close, they could already smell the strong odor.
He He pinched her nose and breathed lightly.
When they reached it, she rose onto her tiptoes, waved at Chen Jingbai, and walked into the women’s side.
Chen Jingbai stood outside but moved farther away.
The smell was strong, and standing too close wasn’t pleasant for him either.
He He came out very quickly.
Seeing Chen Jingbai standing straight not far away, she jogged over.
“You finished that quickly?”
Chen Jingbai’s eyes were as calm as still water.
“Yeah.”
He He knew Chen Jingbai wasn’t much of a talker.
Usually, she couldn’t stand that about him.
But now, because Chen Jingbai was accompanying her and she didn’t have to tremble with fear just to use the latrine, she was perfectly accepting of his attitude.
“Chen Jingbai, can you treat me a little better? I don’t think you treat me well at all.”
He He said this very loudly.
In the quiet night, her voice even produced a faint echo.
Chen Jingbai was left somewhat at a loss by her out-of-nowhere statement.
He treated everyone equally.
He hadn’t treated He He badly.
In fact, compared with everyone else, he had already been extremely tolerant of her.
He didn’t know how ordinary friends were supposed to treat each other.
Actually, he and He He couldn’t even really be considered friends.
If they hadn’t both been educated youths sent down to Qianjin Brigade, living under the same roof and seeing each other every day, then even though they were both from the provincial capital, they might never have met in this lifetime.
“What position am I supposed to use to treat you well?” Chen Jingbai lowered his eyelids before turning to look at He He. “As a friend, I think I’ve already treated you as well as I possibly can.”
He He said, “But I don’t want to be your friend.”
Chen Jingbai raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t want to be friends? Then what do you want to be?”
Now that the conversation had reached this point, He He became a little bashful.
“Anyway, I just don’t want to only be your friend.”
She wanted to become the female lead of Chen Jingbai’s male-oriented protagonist novel!!!
She wanted to become Chen Jingbai’s girlfriend.
But how could she possibly say something like that aloud?
Chen Jingbai tilted his head slightly, the corners of his thin lips lifting.
“Is that so?”
Chen Jingbai wasn’t stupid.
He He’s words were already extremely obvious. He understood what she wanted to say.
But he wanted He He to say it herself.
Seeing that Chen Jingbai hadn’t responded the way she wanted, He He became unhappy.
She pouted, stepped directly in front of Chen Jingbai, and stopped walking, forcing him to stop as well.
She raised her head and looked at him.
“I don’t want to be your friend. I want to be your girlfriend. Treat me a little better.”
Chen Jingbai lowered his head slightly and leaned his upper body forward.
He chuckled softly.
“Sure. But I don’t think I’ve seen any sign that you like me. What made you suddenly start liking me?”
He He took a step backward, looking somewhat flustered.
Chen Jingbai’s words made her heart leap into her throat.
She was incredibly nervous.
Had he noticed something?
But that shouldn’t be possible.
Chen Jingbai didn’t even know the Book of the World existed.
“I… I just like you. You’re handsome. I liked you the first time I saw you!”
He He tried hard to calm herself.
Chen Jingbai straightened and withdrew his smile.
“That’s pretty superficial. But I don’t like superficial people. What should we do about that?”
Ever since He He had walked into the woodshed at noon the day before yesterday, she’d been acting strangely.
Today, he’d casually tested her, and sure enough, her expression had immediately changed.
What exactly had caused He He, who had treated him so badly before, to suddenly become so obedient?
Chen Jingbai stared fixedly at He He without blinking.
He He glared right back, refusing to back down.
Superficial?
Chen Jingbai actually called her superficial.
He He’s delicate brows knitted slightly, and she pouted.
“You have a handsome face. Being liked by me is your good fortune. I just like good-looking people. How can you call me superficial?”
Chen Jingbai’s face turned cold for a brief instant.
But very quickly, a smile appeared again.
Now this was more like He He.
“Mm. My good fortune. I’m very glad I have a handsome face that managed to earn your affection.”
“Then are you agreeing to become my boyfriend?” He He immediately became happy again.
Chen Jingbai shook his head.
“You misunderstood. Once I see your sincerity, I’ll consider it.”
He He’s comprehension was excellent.
“So what you mean is that you’re willing to accept me, just not yet? As long as I find other good qualities about you that I like, you’ll agree to date me?”
She knew it.
How could Chen Jingbai possibly not like her?
He wasn’t agreeing now only because he thought she wasn’t sincere enough.
Once Chen Jingbai saw her sincerity, winning him over would only be a matter of time.
She knew no one could resist her.
Chen Jingbai nearly choked.
Who had taught her how to pursue a man?
Did she really think that finding other good qualities in him and proving she wasn’t superficial would be enough to win a man’s heart?
Chen Jingbai carefully studied He He.
He concluded that she was serious.
He He became uncomfortable beneath his stare. Her clear almond-shaped eyes shifted elsewhere.
“Why are you staring at me? Just say yes or no. Do you really need to think for that long?”
Looking at He He’s round eyes, the corners of Chen Jingbai’s lips unconsciously curved upward.
“All right.”
After receiving an affirmative answer, He He practically bounced in place.
“Really? Really?”
When He He looked over, Chen Jingbai suppressed the curve of his lips.
“Really. It depends on your performance. I’m not your boyfriend yet, so don’t get too excited. Be careful or you’ll attract everyone else over here.”
He He returned to Chen Jingbai’s side.
“Okay, okay!!! I’ll speak quietly. But if I speak quietly, you won’t be able to hear me again.”
“I can hear you right now.”
Chen Jingbai lowered his eyes.
If only his ears were still good.
He He said, “All right. Then let’s hurry back. It’s so dark. I think the moon’s been covered up.”
Chen Jingbai nodded and softly replied, “Mm.”
The two hurried back to the educated youth station and separated beneath the eaves.
He He furtively pushed open the door to the women’s dormitory, took off her jacket, and quietly climbed into bed.
Zheng Xinxin vaguely sensed movement and forced her sleepy eyes open.
Seeing that it was He He, she lifted the thin blanket for her.
“He He? Why did you get up?”
He He’s voice was cheerful.
“I went to the bathroom.”
Zheng Xinxin said, “Huh? Why didn’t you wake me? You’re way too brave.”
He He lay down and moved closer to Zheng Xinxin.
“I ran into Chen Jingbai. He was going to the latrine too, so I went with him.”
Zheng Xinxin relaxed.
“Oh, oh. That’s good. Hurry up and sleep. I’m going back to sleep too.”
He He still wanted to say something, but she heard Zheng Xinxin’s breathing become steady.
She sighed and closed her eyes.
But her mind was filled with images of herself dating Chen Jingbai.
He He raised a hand and patted her forehead.
Stop thinking about it! Stop thinking! Chen Jingbai isn’t yours yet! Hurry up and sleep. If you can’t wake up tomorrow, you’ll be finished!
He He gradually calmed herself, clutching the corner of the blanket against her chest as her breathing slowly evened out.
Early the next morning, the moment the wake-up bell rang, He He quickly got up and dressed instead of sleeping in as she’d worried she might the night before.
The rice harvest was nearing its end.
After breakfast, the educated youths headed together to the tool shed to collect the tools they needed for harvesting.
By the time He He and the others arrived, a group of people was already lined up ahead of them waiting to collect sickles.
While they waited, they chatted noisily.
Their voices were loud enough that everyone around them could hear clearly, including the educated youths who had arrived later.
“Hey, did you hear? Zhou Changlin’s son got beaten last night. No idea what happened. He didn’t come back until the middle of the night, and the moment he did, he started hollering and banging on the door. My husband was so annoyed by the noise that he couldn’t take it anymore and went outside to look. Good heavens, it was Zhou Dahe. There wasn’t a single part of him that looked fine. And when you got close, you could smell alcohol on him. The smell was so strong. Who knows where he’d gone fooling around again? His family must’ve been furious because they didn’t even leave the door open for him. He banged on it for ages before Zhou Changlin finally let him in.”
“I live right next door to you. How come I didn’t know? After that good-for-nothing Zhou Dahe went inside, his family made such a racket they practically turned the whole house upside down. Tell me, what kind of son fights with his own father? Zhou Changlin is unlucky too, ending up with a hooligan and an unfilial son like that.”
“What did Zhou Dahe go off to do? Don’t tell me he went…”
Several aunties exchanged knowing smiles.
What they left unsaid was perfectly clear in their silent glances.
Another auntie said, “Forget Zhou Dahe. Didn’t you see the Zhang family’s second son when he came to collect tools this morning? He was covered in bruises too. That Zhang family’s second son hangs around with Zhou Dahe. Do you think they offended someone?”