Under the sunlight, Ling Yuan’s wet hair was slicked back, revealing his handsome and refined features.
His lips were moist and red against his cool, fair complexion. His nose was perfectly shaped, and his deep, dark eyes were especially captivating.
Yu Huan froze on the spot, staring at him for a long time without coming back to her senses.
It wasn’t until she felt something trickling into her mouth that she finally reacted.
She instinctively raised her hand to wipe it and looked down.
Blood!
Her mind went BOOM, and her face instantly became scorching hot.
How embarrassing! She couldn’t believe she was being so hopelessly smitten.
Yu Huan hurriedly covered her nose with her hand and turned to sneak away, completely forgetting where she was standing.
Her foot slipped.
Splash!
Water sprayed everywhere.
Yu Huan fell straight into the water.
Seeing this, Ling Yuan’s heart jumped. Without having time to think, his body instinctively propelled him toward her.
Yu Huan seemed unable to swim and kept splashing about helplessly.
Ling Yuan reached her and lifted her into his arms. Immediately, she wrapped herself around him like a vine.
“Cough, cough…”
Yu Huan had swallowed some water and coughed several times before finally recovering.
Looking at the handsome man so close to her, her face turned red once again.
“Educated Youth Ling, you’ve saved me for the second time.”
Her voice was sweet and soft, almost sickeningly sweet, as it reached Ling Yuan’s ears.
With one arm around Yu Huan’s waist and the other supporting her back, Ling Yuan spoke in a slightly deeper voice.
“Don’t talk yet. I’ll take you to the shore.”
Yu Huan obediently relaxed and stopped making a fuss, allowing Ling Yuan to swim toward the bank with her.
Even during the scorching summer, the water in this mountain pool remained slightly chilly.
Without realizing it, Yu Huan gradually pressed herself closer against Ling Yuan’s hot skin.
The contrast between his firm body and her soft one, combined with their occasional intentional or unintentional touches, sent waves of sensations through them as they remained close in the secluded flowing water.
The air around them suddenly grew quiet.
Although the distance to the shore wasn’t particularly far, Ling Yuan found himself struggling more and more as he swam.
After what seemed like a long time, they finally reached the shallow area.
Ling Yuan immediately stood up.
“We’re here.”
Yu Huan secretly inhaled another breath of the intoxicating scent radiating from Ling Yuan, which made her blood race.
No matter how reluctant she was, she had to let go.
She slowly stood up in the water. It reached her chest and Ling Yuan’s waist, a depth that wasn’t particularly awkward for either of them.
Once Yu Huan was steady on her feet, Ling Yuan immediately turned his back to her.
“Go up first and find somewhere to wait.”
Yu Huan stared at his broad, smooth back, which looked as flawless as jade, and swallowed again.
Ling Yuan could feel the burning gaze on his back. His body tensed, and his lips moved slightly.
Just then, Yu Huan’s sweet voice sounded behind him.
“Educated Youth Ling… I wasn’t deliberately peeking. I hope you won’t misunderstand.”
Although Yu Huan spoke sincerely, her eyes were slowly wandering over every inch of Ling Yuan’s exposed skin.
Seeing him up close, she found herself liking him more and more.
“Are all your ‘accidental’ encounters this creative?” Ling Yuan’s clear voice carried a subtle, deeper undertone.
“Then… will you be angry?” Yu Huan asked hopefully.
Ling Yuan didn’t answer. Instead, his voice returned to its usual calmness.
“Hurry up and get out. The water is cold.”
Yu Huan curled her lips into a smile and walked toward the shore.
The sound of splashing water gradually faded into the distance.
Ling Yuan remained standing in the water without moving. Only after his racing heartbeat had finally returned to normal did he turn around and walk toward the place where he had left his clothes.
After getting himself dressed, Ling Yuan followed the trail of water left by Yu Huan until he reached a large rock.
Summer clothes were thin, and when soaked, they clung even more tightly to the body.
Hearing footsteps, Yu Huan only dared to peek her head out.
Ling Yuan didn’t look in her direction. He was wearing a white sleeveless undershirt and placed his own shirt on the rock.
“Put this on first!”
Yu Huan was delighted. Without the slightest hesitation, she took the shirt.
Before long, she appeared in front of Ling Yuan wearing his white shirt, which extended past her bottom.
His shirt covered the delicate curves that had been revealed by her soaked clothes.
However, Ling Yuan clearly hadn’t expected Yu Huan to display such a different kind of feminine charm while wearing his shirt.
Her wet, jet-black hair fell loosely around her shoulders, making her already beautiful face appear even more breathtaking.
Her moist eyes gazed at him with a hint of shyness, her dark pupils reflecting his image. Her fair, translucent cheeks carried a faint blush, while her rosy lips curved into an innocent, charming smile.
The ultimate combination of purity and seduction.
Ling Yuan calmly lowered his eyes, pretending nothing was unusual.
His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, “I’ll walk you home.”
With that, he took the lead and started walking.
Yu Huan immediately followed behind him.
As noon approached, the sun grew increasingly scorching.
Yu Huan secretly stepped into Ling Yuan’s shadow as they walked.
After covering some distance, she started a conversation.
“Educated Youth Ling, do you come here often?”
“Occasionally.”
Ling Yuan wasn’t surprised to hear her voice from so close behind him.
Although he hadn’t turned around to look at her, his attention had clearly remained on the person behind him.
“I come here quite often, but I’ve never run into you. What time do you usually come?”
Yu Huan asked casually, as though they were simply making small talk.
“Hard to say.”
In reality, he often came here after finishing work to swim and relax, almost like taking a bath.
He usually arrived when it was nearly dark, so naturally, they had never crossed paths.
“Then it’s really such a coincidence that we ran into each other today!” Yu Huan said cheerfully.
Ling Yuan remained silent.
Yu Huan didn’t mind. She continued finding topics to talk about, even if she had to say five sentences for every one sentence he replied with.
Both of them were so focused on each other that they failed to notice someone lying in the bushes on a small slope beside the road.
Lin Zhiyu stared at the two of them, whose clothes were in such disarray, and was so shocked that she couldn’t speak.
Why were they together?
And why did they look like that?
It had only been such a short time, yet they had already…
No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
For a moment, countless chaotic thoughts flooded Lin Zhiyu’s mind.
After calming herself down, she knew perfectly well that Ling Yuan wasn’t that kind of man. Yet she still felt an overwhelming hatred toward Yu Huan.
Only after Yu Huan and Ling Yuan had walked far away did Lin Zhiyu finally struggle to her feet.
She had been terribly unlucky that day.
Every few steps she took, she would fall. Sometimes she tumbled off the edge of a field, and other times she fell into a ditch.
Looking utterly disheveled, she eventually made her way to Niu Da’s house, only to discover that the courtyard gate was locked.
Suppressing her panic and uneasiness, she started walking back.
But for some inexplicable reason, a stray dog suddenly chased after her.
In a panic, she ran without knowing where she was going, eventually reaching this place, where she had the misfortune of falling and losing consciousness.
When she finally woke up, she witnessed this heartbreaking scene.
Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, her eyes filled with vicious hatred.
Yu Huan and Ling Yuan walked all the way to the Yu family home without encountering anyone along the way.
Most likely, everyone had already gone to the communal dining hall.
Ling Yuan escorted Yu Huan to her house. Neither of them mentioned anything about the borrowed shirt.
After watching Yu Huan enter the house, Ling Yuan turned around and headed back to the educated youths’ residence.
Under the blazing midday sun, the former communal dining hall was bustling with activity.
Five enormous barrels had been lined up in the middle of the dining hall.
In front of them, many villagers were already holding their own bowls and had obediently formed long queues.
Yu Huan’s mother, Sister-in-law Wang, and several other village women had already started serving the meat.
Each adult received one ladleful, while each child received half a ladleful, ensuring that everyone got a share.
As for elderly widowed villagers and those who were unable to move around easily, Yu Huan’s father had arranged for people to deliver food directly to their homes.
Many villagers held their bowls in one hand and homemade cornmeal buns in the other. They simply squatted in the courtyard and started eating.
Others chose to carry their food home.
Once everyone got their hands on some meat, compliments began pouring out as though they were free of charge.
The villagers showered Yu Huan’s parents with praise.
They complimented them on raising such wonderful children, saying that both their sons and daughters had turned out to be capable and accomplished.
Yu Huan’s parents couldn’t stop smiling as they listened.
Even when they saw Zhang Caifeng and her entire family arriving, they didn’t get angry.
After all, Yu Huan’s father was the village chief. Although he was unhappy with Zhang Caifeng because of what had happened to his daughter, all he could really do was issue a verbal warning.
There had been plenty of villagers gossiping behind their backs, but Zhang Caifeng was the only one foolish enough to say such things openly to their faces.