The argument between father and son was something Meng Luosheng knew nothing about.
At this moment, she was being tightly held by Wang Xiaoli.
“Shengsheng, are you really going to marry him?”
Her face was streaked with tears, utterly despairing.
“If you marry him, what will you do in the future? What will happen when Lu Mingyuan finds out? And what about when the people in the compound know? What then?”
A string of what ifs left Meng Luosheng feeling dizzy.
She gently pulled her hand free, her face full of helplessness.
“You’ve asked so many ‘what should I do’s.’ All I can say is—I’ll handle things according to how I think right now.”
Seeing that Wang Xiaoli was about to cry again, Meng Luosheng smiled and comforted her.
“As for the future, who can really know? Getting out of our current predicament is what matters most. Don’t worry—I won’t let myself fall into a dead end. You should trust me.”
She wiped the tears from Wang Xiaoli’s face and said earnestly,
“Things aren’t like before anymore. No one indulges us now. Making compromises at the right time isn’t that hard—at least, it isn’t hard for me.”
Wang Xiaoli couldn’t take in a single word. She looked at her with deep sorrow.
“You can’t marry him. If you do, your whole life will be ruined. People in the compound will mock you. Uncle and Auntie will be so angry they’ll fall ill. And Lu Mingyuan—he loves you so much, he’ll kill you both!”
Meng Luosheng’s expression didn’t change. She still looked at her gently.
“None of that is important. To me now, the compound is something far out of reach. I believe my parents will understand. As for Lu Mingyuan…”
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
“If he couldn’t protect me, that was his failing. If I choose to marry someone else, that’s my choice. Neither of us is entirely right or wrong—let’s call it even.”
“Shengsheng…”
Wang Xiaoli couldn’t hold back anymore. She threw her arms around her and burst into sobs.
“I can get married! Don’t marry him—you don’t have to. I will! I’ll marry that cripple!”
Meng Luosheng gently patted her back, smiling at her naivety.
“But the one he wants isn’t you. How could you replace me? Alright, stop crying. I’m exhausted every day already, and now I still have to comfort you—I’m tired too.”
Wang Xiaoli’s crying stopped abruptly.
The next second, she clung to Meng Luosheng’s shoulder and cried even harder.
“S‑sorry… I didn’t mean to cry.”
Meng Luosheng felt helpless, but still cruelly shattered her illusion.
“Crying won’t solve anything. If you don’t want villagers to seize on something and accuse us of not willingly going to the countryside—calling us rightists who pursue pleasure, parading us through the streets, locking us in cowsheds—then don’t cry.”
As if thinking of something, she continued lightly,
“If we really became rightists, those filthy, disgusting men would kick us when we’re down—on some dark, windy night, or in a simple reed marsh, using the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed, pinning us down and humiliating us at will…”
“Enough! Stop talking!”
Wang Xiaoli screamed and shoved her away.
Her face turned pale, fear written all over it.
A trace of pity flashed through Meng Luosheng’s eyes, but she didn’t step forward to comfort her.
Ever since she and Xu Qingyan had verbally agreed to the engagement, she could clearly feel that those restless men had quieted down a bit.
At the very least, for the past two nights, no men had come prowling around their courtyard anymore.
Though she was still anxious, compared to the constant vigilance before, things were slightly better.
After Wang Xiaoli had cried enough and finally calmed down, she apologized to Meng Luosheng with a lifeless expression.
“Shengsheng, I’m sorry. I was being willful. I won’t be like that anymore.”
Shattering someone’s innocence was that easy.
Just like Meng Luosheng herself two days ago—forced to have her pride crushed.
She smiled and stepped forward, taking Wang Xiaoli’s hand.
“It’s fine. I don’t blame you. I just wanted you to see reality more clearly, so you can avoid some suffering.”
She looked at her hesitantly, as if wanting to say something but stopping herself.
“You… you won’t blame me, will you?”
Wang Xiaoli shook her head, gripping her hand tightly in return. She took a deep breath, suppressing the sob in her voice, and forced a smile.
“I don’t blame you. I was too stubborn, too idealistic. From now on, I’ll listen to you. Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do.”
Meng Luosheng nodded, visibly relieved.
“It’s good that you understand. Here, you’re the only one I can rely on. If even you didn’t understand me, I really wouldn’t know what to do.”
As she spoke, a trace of loneliness flickered in her eyes.
Wang Xiaoli immediately looked at her with heartache.
“I’m sorry—really sorry. I shouldn’t have made a fuss. I’ll keep this a secret. I won’t let anyone know. This will be a secret just between the two of us.”
“This…”
Meng Luosheng looked conflicted.
“Isn’t that… not very appropriate?”
Wang Xiaoli looked resolute.
“We’ll do it my way. You shouldn’t have any stains on you. I won’t let anyone know you ever married here. When we return to the compound, you’ll still be the glamorous young lady of the Meng family.”
Seeing her hesitate, afraid she wouldn’t agree, Wang Xiaoli hurriedly persuaded her,
“Shengsheng, just listen to me. If you marry someone like that, people will laugh at you. Lu Mingyuan will kill you—he’s too proud to tolerate his fiancée being with another man.”
Meng Luosheng looked troubled.
“But—”
Wang Xiaoli cut her off.
“There’s no ‘but.’ The commandant’s daughter married a dirt-poor country man and ended up ostracized by the entire compound. You know that story. Do you really want to end up like her, rejected by everyone?”
Meng Luosheng fell silent at once.
Seeing this, Wang Xiaoli pressed on while the iron was hot.
“If things are exposed, there’s still me—”
Halfway through, she suddenly shook her head hard.
A vicious light flickered in her eyes.
“No. I won’t let things be exposed. If it really comes to that, after we return to the city, I’ll find a way to make the entire Xu family disappear.”
She said the last sentence very softly, almost in a whisper.
Meng Luosheng seemed not to have heard clearly.
“What did you say?”
Realizing what she had just said, Wang Xiaoli was startled by her own thought.
Hearing the question, she forced herself to calm down and shook her head.
“Nothing.”
Her brow twitched slightly. Meng Luosheng didn’t press the issue.
She reached out and gently patted Wang Xiaoli’s head, her expression soft.
“You’ve cried for so long—must be tired. Go lie down for a bit. I’ll cook.”
Wang Xiaoli shook her head.
“I’m not tired. I’ll cook.”
She let go of Meng Luosheng’s hand, turned around, and walked toward the kitchen.
Meng Luosheng didn’t follow, nor did she argue over who should cook.
She returned to her room and replayed everything that had happened during this period.
It was obvious that she treated Wang Xiaoli well.
But there was also no denying that she had made use of her.
For that, she felt no guilt.
Relationships between people were, at their core, relationships of interest.
Setting that aside, she believed she was a very good friend.
And an excellent guide in life.
With her by her side, Wang Xiaoli had taken far fewer detours.
She would shield her and clear the way ahead.
She simply needed Wang Xiaoli to do certain things for her.
Things she wanted to do—but couldn’t do herself.
In the next moment, she thought of Xu Qingyan.
A faint trace of daze appeared on her face.
He really was… an innocent, pure-hearted young man.
Compared to the brooding Lu Mingyuan, he was infinitely better.
And for some reason, his eyes were filled with nothing but her.
Love at first sight?
No—she didn’t believe that.
Lust at first sight?
She nodded slightly. That was quite possible.
Either way, it was beneficial to her.
So she didn’t dwell on the matter.
Instead, she pondered the possibility of attending a Worker–Peasant–Soldier University.
Getting past Xu Qingyan would probably not be a problem.
As for his father…
She frowned. That would be tricky.
People with deep schemes disliked nothing more than those of their own kind.
From the first time she met Xu Weiliang, she hadn’t liked him.
She believed he felt the same way about her.
With a sigh, she simply abandoned the thought.
Right now, he would surely be doing everything he could to keep watch over her for his son—he wouldn’t allow her to go to university.
There was also the issue of her class background.
That alone was enough to bar her from higher education.
After thinking it over and eliminating all possible paths, she realized that she truly had no choice but to remain in the countryside.
A flash of gloom crossed her eyes.