The other party was wearing a bright red Dacron dress of fine quality. In an era when most people couldn’t even get enough to eat, she dressed well and stood out, with a plump, well-fed figure. One glance was enough to tell her family background was good, and she wasn’t afraid of being investigated—she had someone backing her up.
Fu Chengyu pressed his lips together in silence, the aura around him growing colder and colder.
“Are you deaf?” the woman snapped, like a firecracker set off. “So you’re not just a cripple with a ruined face, you’re a deaf-mute too? You’ve been staring at me this whole time—must be because I’m pretty and you’ve got dirty thoughts. I’m calling the police, I’m reporting you for hooliganism. Do you know who I am? You poor soldier—what, a toad dreaming of eating swan meat? Why don’t you just fly up to the sky!”
Seeing how well the woman was dressed, and how brazen she was in this day and age, the people in the restaurant guessed she must have a powerful background. Some even recognized her identity and didn’t dare make a sound, choosing self-preservation. In these times, saying one wrong sentence could get you exiled to the far northwest to eat sand—whether you’d come back alive was anyone’s guess.
Li Jiyue couldn’t listen any longer and shot back angrily, “Hey, auntie, don’t you look in the mirror before going out? Take a look at what you actually look like—a pancake face, slit eyes, drooping eyebrows, buck teeth, flared lips, fan-shaped ears, a short thick neck, uneven shoulders, short fat hands, a bucket waist, and shifty eyes. Who would be blind enough to want you?”
Fu Chengyu hadn’t expected Li Jiyue to speak up for him. If she really were an enemy agent, she wouldn’t have exposed herself so easily. She wasn’t an enemy agent—he had been overly cautious. She didn’t despise his disability or his disfigurement, even smiled at him, and now stood up to defend him. He had actually suspected such a kind female comrade of being an enemy agent, and guilt immediately welled up in his heart. He rolled his wheelchair toward them.
The woman turned and glared viciously at her. “Little bitch, who are you calling ugly? What’s it got to do with you? You say no one wants me? Ha! I’ve already had a son, and my husband is very capable. You, with that fox-spirit, slutty face—one look and I know you’re not decent. No one wants you, you can’t even get married. Oh! I get it—he was looking at you just now. You two must be having an affair. You’d even want a crippled, disfigured man in a wheelchair—how desperate are you? Are you so starved for men that you’ve gone crazy?”
Li Jiyue snapped back, “Your grandma’s ass! You just spew slander the moment you open your mouth. You stupid old shrew, your brain must’ve been eaten by dogs. Believe it or not, I’ll lift your skull and show you the shit inside. You’re able to sit here and eat thanks to soldiers who shed blood and sacrifice themselves, removing danger and protecting the lights of ten thousand homes. Our country advocates supporting the military—army and people are one family. He’s a hero who defended the nation, just trying to come out for a proper meal, and you dare mock him, curse him, and drive him away. Is this state-run restaurant yours? Acting like a capitalist—you’ve got a problematic class background that needs a good investigation.”
The woman refused to back down. “Your background is the one with problems—yours are all problematic. Do you know who my husband is?”
Li Jiyue curled her lips and shot back, “Who’s your husband?”
She shouted, “My husband is a director! You little bitch are finished—just wait. I’ll have my husband deal with you.”
“Bitch your mom!” Li Jiyue cursed. “When you fell into a shit pit, that filthy mouth of yours must’ve drunk plenty, huh? You old hag!” She really couldn’t take it anymore and swung a slap. “Pa—!”
Zhou Yun’s face snapped to the side. Her expression went from shock to fury. “Ah! You—you actually dared to hit me?”
“Do I need to pick a special day to hit you?” Li Jiyue sneered. “An arm can’t twist a thigh. If a man with power wants to deal with me, before he does, I’ll make sure I’ve hit enough to make it worth it.”
Logically speaking, someone who had made it to a director’s position shouldn’t have such a young wife, let alone one so high-profile and ostentatious, practically begging others to grab her by the pigtail. It was probably not his first marriage. Since she’d already offended them, backing down now was pointless—she might as well offend them thoroughly. Who knew how many rivals were eyeing the top position, waiting to drag him down. She was alone in this world, eyes open and ready to fight. Maybe if she wasn’t careful and took a bullet, she could return to her previous life as a rich young lady—eating lavish meals every day, clubbing and racing at night, instead of “chewing chaff and swallowing vegetables” here, unable to wear pretty dresses, with no entertainment at all, and being stared at like a national treasure just for eating meat.
The little boy saw his mother being hit and jumped down from his chair, hurling the exquisite imported toy car in his hand straight at Li Jiyue’s face. She reacted instantly and caught the flying toy car. The boy then charged at her. She was just about to lift her leg and kick him away when she saw he was a child, and her foot froze in midair. The boy wasn’t skinny at all—his limbs were thick and strong. He rammed his head into her abdomen like an iron hammer.
Standing on one leg, she couldn’t keep her balance. Her body swayed and stumbled backward. “Ah!”
Suddenly, an arm came across her waist from behind.
Out of the corner of her eye, Li Jiyue caught sight of that soldier brother. If she pressed down on his injured leg and caused secondary damage, that would be a serious sin. She pressed one hand on his shoulder and swiftly flipped, bracing herself on the armrest of his wheelchair. Her upper body leaned forward, their cheeks nearly touching—so close they were almost kissing. Her beautiful eyes flew open in shock.
His eyelashes were long and thick, brushing against her face as he blinked, making her feel itchy, tingly, and numb. From such close range, Li Jiyue took in the man’s refined features. If not for the scar on his left cheek, he would have been nearly flawless. With her specially made scar-removal medicine, plus another month of Lingquan water, his face would surely recover to eleven points of handsomeness compared to before the injury. Unfortunately, they were just strangers who had crossed paths by chance—she didn’t dare risk taking Lingquan water out of her space for him to drink.
Fu Chengyu had never been this close to a woman before. His long, deep phoenix eyes locked onto the stunningly beautiful face before him. His body stiffened, his breathing missing a beat. A refined, elegant, orchid-like fragrance drifted into his nose—very pleasant.
Thinking of the ugly scar on his face, his gaze darkened. Afraid he might frighten her, he slightly turned his head aside, hiding the injured side of his face. Yet it was only the assumption that he might scare her—his heart, long since numbed, unexpectedly stirred with a vague sense of embarrassment and restlessness.
Li Jiyue pulled herself out of her thoughts, realized what had happened, and quickly stood up. She gently smoothed the part of his military uniform at the shoulder that had been wrinkled by her grip. Her eyes swept over him, and she asked with concern, “Comrade soldier, are you all right? Did you get hit anywhere?”
Fu Chengyu met her caring gaze and paused. His phoenix eyes flickered, long lashes lowering slightly to hide the surge of emotion beneath. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
Her eyes were clear and pure—no fear, no disgust, no disdain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her fair hand resting on his shoulder. It was as if a warm current flowed through that spot, pouring into his heart, making his chest feel hot and swollen, his heart pounding fiercely within. He found himself wishing those pale hands could rub his chest, soothing the agitation there.
The little boy stepped forward again, trying to snatch back the toy car that had fallen to the ground. Li Jiyue strode over and shoved the boy down. “Bang!”
“Bang bang bang!!!”
She lifted her foot and crushed the toy car on the ground. She stomped on it more than ten times, warping the wheels and caving in the roof until it was completely ruined. Then she kicked the toy car in front of the boy, raised her eyebrows, and shot him a provocative look. “Here, take it back! You little brat—serves you right for pushing me. Hmph!”
The boy hadn’t cried when he was shoved down, but when he saw his beloved toy car smashed, he opened his mouth and burst into loud wails. “Waaah…” He cried miserably, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Li Jiyue felt no sympathy at all. Instead, she was openly pleased, making a face at him and sticking out her tongue. “Cry, go on, cry.”
The corners of Fu Chengyu’s lips lifted slightly. This female comrade was not only beautiful, but also very cute.