She knew that once she truly left school, what awaited her would be obvious. Just like Ye Shizhi now—excellent grades, yet forced to drop out, and married off to a delinquent rumored to have caused a scandal.
When Jiang An’an first heard about it, she had been overjoyed. She had even pretended to pass by casually several times, listening in on others talk about Ye Shizhi’s supposed downfall and misery.
But what had she seen today?
Ye Shizhi looked even more beautiful than before, and Jiang Sinian seemed very protective of her.
She felt jealous, resentful—most of all, she couldn’t believe it.
Of course, now that she was facing a similar crisis, she would never play her hand into ruin like that fool Ye Shizhi.
She had ambitions.
She despised everything around her and wanted to escape this place. And she knew clearly that studying was her only way out.
She had heard that in one of the neighboring villages, someone had gotten into university, and the whole family had moved to a big city.
She would go to the big city too!!!
When that day came, she could cast off everything here.
“Earn it yourself! You wretched girl, are you hiding money from me? Getting bold enough to hide things from your mother?”
“Where’s the money? Hand it over!”
Hearing this, Jiang An’an panicked for a moment. She had indeed hidden some money. She couldn’t rely on these unreliable parents who favored sons over daughters.
But the panic quickly disappeared, replaced by her usual timid expression.
“Mom, how could I have any money? I already give you all the wages from working at the tailor shop. How would I have anything else saved?”
She softened her tone, saying what Aunt Jiang liked to hear. “Mom, I give you so much every month. Everyone in the village envies you.”
Then she added worriedly, “Mom, the tailor shop only lets me work there because I’m still a student. A lot of classmates wanted that job before. If I stop going to school, I’m afraid they’ll fire me…”
She left the rest unsaid.
Aunt Jiang understood the pros and cons and hesitated. On one side was her precious Jianbao; on the other, the steady monthly income.
Seeing her waver, Jiang An’an steadied herself and continued, “I’ll figure out the tuition and living expenses myself. You won’t need to pay.”
She calculated her savings. It should be enough to last for a while at school.
After that, she would probably need to find another job.
This time, Aunt Jiang didn’t hesitate. No losses and possible gains—this was a good deal.
Because of this matter, Aunt Jiang even forgot about what had just happened at Jiang Sinian’s house. She no longer looked at Jiang An’an with disgust and even found her somewhat agreeable.
“Alright, go cook lunch. I’ll go check on your uncle and the others.”
“Got it.”
Aunt Jiang waddled off with her bucket-like waist and soon disappeared out the door.
Watching her leave, the impatience and faint gloom in Jiang An’an’s eyes finally surfaced.
“Worthless girl! Hurry up and cook, I’m hungry!”
Her thoughts were interrupted by a childish yet malicious command. She lowered her eyes, suppressing the dark ideas in her mind, pretending she hadn’t heard, and walked into the kitchen.
Jiang Jian spat and flicked a small stone from his hand. It struck Jiang An’an squarely on the back before she fully entered.
“Hiss!”
She cried out in pain and turned back to see him sticking out his tongue and making a face.
“Serves you right!” he jeered.
With a loud bang, Jiang An’an slammed the door hard behind her, revealing how angry she was.
Inside, once it was quiet, she merely touched the sore spot calmly. On closer look, her delicate features were eerily composed. She picked up a wooden stick nearby and, without blinking, struck her own arms and thighs.
Dull thuds sounded intermittently. Beneath her lifted clothing were numerous bruises and wounds—shocking to behold.
The next step of her plan was originally half a month away.
But now that her parents were considering pulling her out of school, she had no choice but to advance it.
She wanted them to go to hell!!!
An even crazier thought surfaced—that everyone here who had witnessed her suffering and humiliation should not live.
She didn’t know when such extreme thoughts had taken root. Perhaps it was her parents’ blatant favoritism. Perhaps it was the inferiority she felt at school, seeing others’ better lives. Perhaps something else entirely.
She didn’t know.
She only knew she had to escape, no matter the method or the cost.
Looking at the fresh red wounds on her hands, throbbing painfully, Jiang An’an pulled her clothes back down. After sitting there numbly for a while, she went to cook.
Back at Ye Shizhi’s place, she moved her chair outside again and sat idly, glancing toward the kitchen from time to time.
The aroma of food drifted through the air, stimulating her appetite, though she wasn’t very hungry. She had woken up late and eaten breakfast late.
Still, thinking about the baby in her belly, she decided she should eat a little. What if there wasn’t enough nutrition?
Of course, she knew she was overthinking it.
It was March; the sunlight was just right. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead, and dappled circles of light filtered through the branches, dotting the ground with a dreamy glow.
She didn’t know how long passed before her eyelids slowly closed and her breathing grew light.
When Jiang Sinian came out, Ye Shizhi was leaning on the table with her eyes closed.
He stood beside her quietly, watching. His gaze lingered on her long, curved eyelashes.
Ye Shizhi’s features were gentle, with a refined elegance. Now, with her eyes closed and motionless, she looked like a painting of tranquil years.
Her cheek was slightly flushed from resting on her arm. Her small red lips moved gently with her breathing. A fair arm rested beneath her dark hair.
As if possessed, Jiang Sinian reached out and touched her.
When the soft, tender sensation brushed his fingertips, he suddenly came back to his senses.
As he looked again at his still-unwithdrawn hand, he met Ye Shizhi’s eyes—first surprised, then teasing.
Jiang Sinian silently withdrew his hand. His dark eyes revealed no trace of embarrassment.
“Eat.”
Ye Shizhi hadn’t been asleep; she had just been thinking. She had noticed him the moment he approached but hadn’t moved. What she hadn’t expected was that he wasn’t as proper as he appeared.
At his words, a smile curved her lips. She followed him inside with light steps. As she entered, the space felt suddenly smaller, and Jiang Sinian grew slightly uncomfortable.
“You eat first. I’ll go chop firewood.”
With that, he strode away.
“Wait.”
Ye Shizhi called after him, leaning lazily to one side, teasing, “I come in and you leave—are you shy?”
“It was just a touch on the face. It’s not like you haven’t done more than that.”
The words slipped out before she could stop herself. After speaking, she fell silent.
That sounded suggestive.
Meanwhile, Jiang Sinian’s thoughts returned to that reckless night, recalling the way she had looked beneath him. His throat went dry.
He cast her a dark glance as she pretended to be dead silent, then turned and walked out.