He He pushed Cheng Sulin’s arm.
“Call her aside and explain it to her privately. What are you panicking for? Deal with your own business yourself, okay? I’m going back inside. Make sure you remember to tell her.”
After giving him her instructions, He He walked forward.
When she passed Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi, she even smiled and greeted them.
“Good evening, Jingyi. Cheng Sulin has something to talk to you about.”
As she spoke, He He turned around and pointed at Cheng Sulin, who was still standing where she’d left him.
She might as well be a good person to the end and help him all the way.
Chen Jingyi was puzzled.
Why did Cheng Sulin need to talk to her after finishing his conversation with He He?
Despite wondering about it, she still nodded and walked toward Cheng Sulin.
When Chen Jingyi reached him, she could tell that Cheng Sulin was somewhat nervous, so she took the initiative to ask,
“Comrade Sulin, is there something you wanted to tell me?”
Actually, when He He had called her over, Chen Jingyi had briefly worried that Cheng Sulin wanted her to repay the money she’d borrowed ahead of schedule.
When she’d borrowed the money, she’d agreed with Cheng Sulin that she would pay him back at the end of next month.
After worrying for a moment, however, she thought about it carefully and decided that probably wasn’t why Cheng Sulin wanted to speak to her.
They had already agreed on the repayment date, and Cheng Sulin had never asked to change it.
Cheng Sulin glanced at Chen Jingyi, then no longer dared to look directly at her.
Cheng Sulin wasn’t as bold as He He. He couldn’t casually keep the word like on his lips.
Like most people, he was reserved and felt that saying he liked someone was extremely difficult.
He had fallen for the girl before him at first sight when they were sent down to the countryside.
She was thoughtful, courageous, meticulous, and responsible.
Over the past two years, he’d also taken the initiative to bring their relationship closer.
However, Chen Jingyi didn’t seem to treat him any differently from the other male comrades.
Cheng Sulin worried that his feelings might make Chen Jingyi uncomfortable.
But now, He He had told him to be more proactive, and everything she’d said implied that someone else liked Chen Jingyi too.
Cheng Sulin was worried that someone might beat him to it.
More importantly, he also wanted to take that first step himself.
At the very least, he needed to make sure Chen Jingyi didn’t misunderstand his relationship with He He.
Cheng Sulin finally spoke.
“Comrade Jingyi, I’ve known you for more than two years, and I’ve always admired you. You’re kind and steady, courageous and meticulous, and you have so many other good qualities that I couldn’t possibly list them all. So I wanted to ask… would you be willing to consider me? Or rather, would you be willing to form a revolutionary partnership with me?”
Chen Jingyi was startled by his words.
She swallowed.
Form a revolutionary partnership?
Did that mean what she thought it meant?
Cheng Sulin wanted to date her?
But weren’t he and He He mutually interested in each other?
Why was he suddenly confessing to her?
Chen Jingyi blinked, beginning to wonder whether she’d heard him incorrectly.
She hesitantly asked,
“Comrade Sulin, aren’t you and He He a couple?”
“No! Actually, He He is my Little Aunt. My genuine, absolutely real Little Aunt. My grandfather and her mother are biological siblings.”
Cheng Sulin hurriedly explained, nearly breaking out in sweat across his forehead.
Chen Jingyi really had misunderstood!
He He—no, Little Aunt—had truly predicted everything perfectly.
If Little Aunt hadn’t reminded him, he would still have foolishly believed that his feelings for Chen Jingyi were obvious for everyone to see.
Little Aunt had treated him so well and had even gone out of her way to remind him, yet he’d been so ungrateful that he’d even diverted some of the money meant for her.
Cheng Sulin swore that from now on, he would treat his Little Aunt twice as well.
He would never again mix even the slightest reluctance into it.
He would wholeheartedly treat his Little Aunt well.
Only then would he be worthy of how sincerely she’d treated him!
In the future, whenever Little Aunt told him to do farm work for her, he would absolutely never refuse again!
Chen Jingyi froze.
Never in a million years had she imagined that He He and Cheng Sulin were related like this.
So she’d misunderstood them all along.
They were close because they were relatives, not because they liked each other as she’d assumed.
Chen Jingyi asked, “Then why didn’t you tell everyone that you’re relatives?”
“Uh… well, that’s because I don’t like calling He He ‘Little Aunt.’ After all, she’s the same age as me.”
Cheng Sulin paused, then looked at Chen Jingyi with bright eyes.
“Jingyi, could you keep this a secret? I only wanted to tell you.”
Being treated with such solemn trust by Cheng Sulin made Chen Jingyi happy.
She agreed without hesitation.
Meanwhile, on He He’s side—
As soon as Chen Jingyi left, He He raised her head and poked Chen Jingbai’s arm.
When Chen Jingbai looked at her, she asked,
“Was the lotus flower cake good?”
Chen Jingbai’s gaze fell on He He’s lips as they opened and closed.
“It was good. Thank you.”
“I knew it would be good. Nothing tastes better than lotus flower cake. I shared my favorite lotus flower cake with you, so if anything good happens to you in the future, you have to remember me too.”
For example, something as important as the gaokao.
And opportunities to make lots and lots of money after returning to the city.
He couldn’t forget about her!
If He He remembered correctly, Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi were also from the provincial capital.
Perfect.
They could take her along when they sat the gaokao and returned to the city, and then they could take her along to make a fortune!
He He tilted her head, her eyes sparkling brightly.
Seeing that expression, Chen Jingbai couldn’t shake the feeling that the reason He He was smiling at him like this was because she wanted something from him.
But he had nothing.
What could He He possibly want from him?
Suddenly, Chen Jingbai remembered what had happened behind the house before dinner.
For no apparent reason, He He had touched his lips and even praised him for being handsome.
Right.
He still had this face that He He apparently found worth looking at.
After praising him for being handsome and taking advantage of him, she’d gone off and gotten all tangled up with Cheng Sulin again.
Would she also touch Cheng Sulin’s lips and tell him he was handsome?
Chen Jingbai stared at He He, trying to see her true intentions beneath that harmless-looking face.
He He’s round almond-shaped eyes blinked innocently, making her look extremely well-behaved.
But she only looked well-behaved.
Her lips were slightly parted, revealing the tip of a small canine tooth.
It looked just like the sharp little fang of a tiny beast that could bite through someone’s skin at any moment.
He He was absolutely terrible.
She’d flirted with him, then gone off and gotten all touchy with Cheng Sulin.
Chen Jingbai withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at her.
His voice turned cold.
“Oh.”
It sounded like an answer, yet also like a refusal.
He He couldn’t figure out what Chen Jingbai meant.
Was he unwilling to help her?
He’d eaten her lotus flower cake, yet somehow his attitude toward her was even colder than it had been that afternoon.
How strange.
What was wrong with Chen Jingbai now?
What had she said this time to offend him?
He He believed she’d already brought out her very best temper to talk to Chen Jingbai.
But Chen Jingbai?
Who was he showing that cold face to?
She’d lost face in front of him, so she stopped talking too.
And once He He stopped talking, Chen Jingbai certainly wasn’t going to take the initiative to start a conversation.
He He absolutely hated this side of Chen Jingbai.
Every single time, she had to ask him something before he would condescend to give her an answer.
He He got angry.
She quickened her pace on her own, leaving Chen Jingbai behind.
Chen Jingbai watched He He step over the threshold and enter the dining area.
It looked like she was throwing a tantrum.
What was she throwing a tantrum for?
He was the one she’d been playing with, and even he hadn’t thrown a tantrum.
Just who was playing with whom here?
He He entered the dining area and pulled out the stool beside Zheng Xinxin.
The legs scraped sharply across the floor with a piercing screech.
She dropped heavily into the seat.
With He He acting like this, even the least perceptive educated youth present could tell that she was in a bad mood.
A very bad mood.
Her temper was practically at its limit.
Everyone looked at one another.
Who had made He He angry?
When she’d dragged Cheng Sulin outside earlier, hadn’t she still looked perfectly fine?
Everyone thought back carefully to how He He had looked when she took Cheng Sulin outside.
No, no.
Actually, her mood hadn’t seemed particularly good even then.
Everyone understood.
It had to be Cheng Sulin!
He must have made He He angry again!
Cheng Sulin had already upset He He at noon. If he still hadn’t behaved properly tonight, wouldn’t He He’s anger have piled up until it exploded?
Everyone glanced toward the door, wanting to see Cheng Sulin, the culprit who had made He He angry.
But they didn’t see Cheng Sulin.
Instead, they saw Chen Jingbai—and his expression didn’t look very good either.
Chen Jingbai had just stepped over the threshold.
His entire body seemed shrouded in darkness, his face so gloomy it looked as though ink might drip from it.