“Brother Chenye, Brother Chenye, I’m here! Come help me carry my things!” A soft, coquettish female voice called from the courtyard gate.
Everyone in the room who had been eating turned to look. Gu Chenye didn’t react at first—he only felt the voice sounded somewhat familiar. Still, he didn’t get up and continued eating. Suddenly, someone squeezed in beside him.
“Brother Chenye, why are you ignoring me?”
Gu Chenye pulled his arm away. “Who are you?”
“It’s me, it’s me—Li Yujiao!” she said, even leaning her face closer.
“How did you end up in the countryside?” Gu Chenye looked utterly shocked.
“I came specially to find you! Aunt Gu has already agreed to our marriage. I came to join you—surprised? Unexpected, right?”
What a bombshell—Gu Chenye actually had a fiancée. Su Yi’s expression darkened. She stood up and went back to her room. Gu Chenye was about to go after her, but Li Yujiao grabbed his arm and wouldn’t let him leave.
Zhang Yan and Qian Shuangshuang ran off to Hu Jiaojiu’s courtyard, telling her what had happened. Hu Jiaojiu was a bit surprised—there didn’t seem to be any part in the original story where Li Yujiao went to the countryside. So why had she come now?
It seemed the main characters would always be the main characters—their relationship couldn’t come easily without a few twists and setbacks.
Hu Jiaojiu remembered that in the book, Li Yujiao had liked Gu Chenye since childhood and always believed she would definitely become his wife. After he went to the countryside, she stayed in the city waiting. When Gu Chenye and Su Yi eventually returned to the city together, she cried and made a scene—but by then, the two were already married. With Su Yi’s efforts, the Gu family eventually accepted her. In the early stages, Li Yujiao had been a stumbling block in their relationship. Later, after trying to scheme against Su Yi and failing, she ended up losing her life.
Su Yi truly hadn’t expected that Gu Chenye had a fiancée. She still found it hard to believe, so she decided to wait for his explanation. In the end, making money was still the most reliable thing. But lately wasn’t a good time for business—better to wait. Thinking it over, she gradually calmed down. No matter what, she wouldn’t let her emotions control her. She would just let things take their course.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Xiao Yi, open the door. Let me explain!” Gu Chenye’s anxious voice came from outside.
Su Yi didn’t back down—she hadn’t done anything wrong. She opened the door. “Come on then, let’s hear what kind of story you can come up with.”
Gu Chenye actually felt a bit happy hearing her tone—she was jealous, which meant she cared. The two of them left the educated youth courtyard and stopped under a tree nearby.
“Go on. I still need to rest after this,” Su Yi said coldly.
“Li Yujiao is my neighbor’s younger sister. I’ve always treated her like my own sister. I made it very clear to my parents that I wouldn’t marry her, and they agreed at the time. I don’t know what’s going on at home now. She’s been spoiled rotten, so if she gives you trouble, you don’t have to be polite,” Gu Chenye explained quickly, then looked at Su Yi expectantly.
“You said that yourself. If she doesn’t provoke me, I won’t provoke her. But if she does, I won’t go easy on her—don’t come complaining then,” Su Yi said, rolling her eyes slightly.
As soon as they returned to the courtyard, Li Yujiao came toward them.
“Brother Chenye, where did you go? Why did you leave me behind?” she said, stepping forward to hook his arm, but he dodged her.
Su Yi said nothing and went straight back to her room without looking back.
Before Gu Chenye could speak, Li Yujiao continued, “Brother Chenye, where am I sleeping tonight? I didn’t bring anything with me.”
“You came to the countryside without bringing anything? Then what did you come for?” Gu Chenye looked at her helplessly. Seeing the girl who had followed him around since childhood, he couldn’t bring himself to be too harsh. He turned and went to Hu Jiaojiu’s courtyard to borrow a set of bedding, then returned and asked Zhang Yan to help lay it out—right next to his own spot. He told Li Yujiao to rest there. Lin Xue didn’t say anything; being away from home meant everyone had to be accommodating—she could squeeze in a bit.
Li Yujiao was actually obedient. After several days on the train, her unfit body was already exhausted. She washed up and lay down to sleep, causing no trouble. When she was asleep, she looked quite docile—that’s what Zhang Yan, Qian Shuangshuang, and Lin Xue whispered to each other after secretly observing her.
That night, Li Yujiao slept restlessly. She dreamed that Brother Chenye brought another woman back to the city. In the dream, she went almost mad, constantly inserting herself between them and picking on Su Yi. At first, Gu Chenye was soft-hearted, but eventually he became indifferent. In the end, her family fell into trouble, and he only looked on coldly. Because of her own actions, her parents lost face and their jobs, her brother lost his fiancée, and she became someone everyone despised—meeting a miserable end.
She also dreamed that after her death, she seemed to live again, returning to the time before Gu Chenye came back from the countryside. Ignoring her parents’ objections, she followed him there. Only after arriving did she learn that he and Su Yi were already together. Still unwilling to give up, she stirred up trouble again and again. The worst time was when she listened to someone else’s advice and plotted to trap Su Yi with a hooligan—but in the end, she was the one who suffered. The hooligan disappeared, and her reputation was ruined. Things escalated to the point where she nearly couldn’t return to the city.
In her dream, Li Yujiao slapped herself several times, warning herself that if she ever had another chance, she would stay far away from Gu Chenye. With her youth ahead of her, why revolve around a man? Wasn’t money better? Weren’t her family’s affections enough? With family and money, what more did she need?
But then the scene shifted—she was clinging to Gu Chenye again…
Li Yujiao suddenly sat up and shouted, “Stay… away… from me!” Only then did she notice the people around her staring, mouths slightly open. Her memory slowly returned—she had already come to the countryside. Too late now. Wouldn’t it have been better to stay in the city? She smacked her own head, calling herself stupid. But it wasn’t too late—she hadn’t done anything outrageous yet. She woke up in time.
“Yujiao, what’s wrong?” Gu Chenye knocked on the door from outside.
“Ch—Gu… Brother Gu, I’m fine,” Li Yujiao quickly corrected herself, stopping the “Brother Chenye” that almost slipped out. Her face still stung a bit. She didn’t notice the three girls beside her exchanging astonished looks—they were all thinking the same thing: this girl was fierce enough to slap herself that hard.
Muttering “stay away, stay away” under their breath, they kept their distance.
Li Yujiao quickly got up, tidied herself, and opened the door. “Brother Gu, I want to go to the commune today to make a phone call home.”
“Alright. You can take the ox cart at the village entrance later,” Gu Chenye replied, then went off to do his own work—so quickly it almost seemed like he was afraid she’d cling to him and drag him along.
Li Yujiao rolled her eyes and scoffed. She packed a small bag and headed out.