Over the past few days, Lin Baiyu had been completely “immersed in studying.” Who would have thought that while she was busy, another major incident had occurred at the Educated Youths’ Residence?
The Educated Youths’ Residence was about to break apart.
When Lin Baiyu first heard the news, she was utterly shocked.
In the original novel, even after the female lead was reborn, the supporting female character was still causing trouble in the Educated Youths’ Residence. Yet now, the original plot had completely fallen apart.
This was beyond ridiculous. Ridiculous had opened the door for ridiculousness and brought it all the way home.
It turned out that after the meeting at the Educated Youths’ Residence ended that day, Zheng Peizhen and Gao Lanying, the two people at the center of the storm, clearly sensed the growing distance between themselves and the others.
Aside from Sister Ma and Xie Qingyuan, who continued treating them normally, everyone else kept their distance.
Previously, people would still exchange a few words with them. Now, however, the indifference was obvious, and some even avoided them as though they carried the plague.
Gao Lanying was an extremely self-centered person. Since she had never been particularly close to the others anyway, although she felt upset at first, she quickly adjusted.
After all, she had always been pursued by boys. Ever since arriving in this small, rundown village, she had been repeatedly excluded and ignored, so feeling hurt was only natural.
But what if these people disliked her now? Back at school, those girls had disliked her too, yet what could they actually do? They could only sulk in private.
Once she married into a good family in the future, she would make all those who looked down on her, as well as her own family members, regret it bitterly.
Gao Lanying secretly swore this to herself. Determined not to let anyone see her weakness, she appeared completely unaffected in the eyes of others.
What she did not realize was that her calm and composed demeanor actually caused some of those waiting to laugh at her to think more highly of her.
As for Zheng Peizhen, she had reached the end of her patience.
Since childhood, she had been a little princess. She was pretty, lively, and came from a good family. Never in her life had she suffered such treatment.
Not to mention that this time she had been dragged into the mess for no reason at all.
She had finally figured it out. She simply did not get along with these people, and forcing herself to stay in the same group was a form of torture.
Although she had received a letter from her parents earlier, informing her that the family’s situation was not very optimistic and that sending her away had only been a temporary measure, they also said that she would not be able to return to the city anytime soon and advised her to keep a low profile.
However, at the end of the letter, they mentioned that they had sent her quite a bit of money along with ration coupons and supplies. They urged her not to mistreat herself and reminded her to keep her belongings safe.
Zheng Peizhen had a fiery temper, but she was not unreasonable. Though she could not help worrying about her parents’ situation, if they said things were manageable, then they were probably not in serious trouble.
She was also a smart person. After enduring things for two days, she quietly gathered information from those who did not seem to harbor any ill will toward her.
Afterward, Zheng Peizhen secretly sought out Sister Ma.
“Group Leader, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?” Zheng Peizhen asked directly.
“I do. What is it?” Sister Ma replied.
Seeing Zheng Peizhen acting so mysteriously, Sister Ma suddenly had a bad feeling.
“Sister Ma, I’ve been here for a month now. You should know what kind of person I am. If I’ve ever been rude to you before, I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Instead of getting to the point, Zheng Peizhen started by playing the emotional card.
“Stop. You’re making me uncomfortable. Just say what you want,” Sister Ma replied.
Hearing that, Sister Ma became even more nervous.
“Then I’ll be direct.”
Zheng Peizhen began reciting the speech she had prepared beforehand.
“I heard that in some other production brigades, there were Educated Youths who couldn’t adapt to life in the Educated Youths’ Residence and ended up finding places to live in the village instead. Is that true?”
“Oh, that. Yes, something like that did happen. But that was a couple of years ago. I haven’t heard of anyone doing it recently…”
At this point, Sister Ma finally realized what Zheng Peizhen was getting at.
“You want to move out of the Educated Youths’ Residence?” she asked in shock.
“That’s right. You know perfectly well what my situation is like there now.”
“Since everyone thinks Gao Lanying and I are both troublemakers, why not separate us?”
“Besides, living in such a stifling environment is unbearable. Gao Lanying may be able to endure it, but with my temper, I really can’t.”
“If I move out, it’ll be better for everyone. Maybe our relationships can gradually improve. If possible, I don’t want things to remain so tense between us.”
By the time she reached the end, Zheng Peizhen’s voice had begun to choke with emotion.
Her appeal, both emotional and logical, genuinely moved Sister Ma.
Looking at the once bright and spirited young woman now standing before her in tears, Sister Ma could not help softening.
It was not only because of Zheng Peizhen’s reasoning.
For some reason, her current appearance overlapped with a blurred figure from Sister Ma’s memories.
When they were young, her younger sister used to come running home in tears whenever she was bullied outside, begging Sister Ma to stand up for her.
It had been many years since she had gone home.
She wondered what her younger sister looked like now. Perhaps she had grown into a lovely young woman much like Zheng Peizhen.
Even though Sister Ma knew Zheng Peizhen’s words contained a bit of exaggeration, she still decided to help her.
After all, some of what Zheng Peizhen said made sense.
Naturally, Zheng Peizhen knew nothing about Sister Ma’s thoughts.
Her initial sobs had indeed been partly an act, but as she continued speaking, she found herself recalling all the frustrating incidents she had encountered over the past month.
By the end, her tears had become completely genuine.
“Alright, wipe your tears. What would people think if they saw you like this?” Sister Ma said gently.
Hearing the noticeably softer tone, Zheng Peizhen gradually regained her composure, and the anxiety in her heart eased.
She wiped away her tears and slowly stopped crying.
“Group Leader, I know you’re the fairest person in the Educated Youths’ Residence. I truly hope you’ll help me.”
She understood that when asking someone for a favor, lowering one’s posture and offering a few compliments never hurt.
Seeing her mischievous expression, Sister Ma secretly found it amusing, though she kept a serious face.
“But you know I can’t make this decision by myself…”
The moment Zheng Peizhen heard that, she knew there was hope.
“I know. I’ll persuade the team leader myself. I don’t ask for much. If he brings it up, I just hope you’ll put in a fair word for me.”
“Fine. Seeing how confident you are, I suppose I don’t need to worry about you anymore,” Sister Ma replied.
Zheng Peizhen had not expected to persuade Sister Ma so easily. Her confidence in convincing the team leader immediately increased.
Her happiness showed clearly on her face.
Seeing her beaming expression, Sister Ma was infected by her cheerful mood as well and smiled as she ruffled Zheng Peizhen’s hair.
Before letting her leave, however, Sister Ma reminded her to get her emotions under control first.
Otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives saw her in this state, who knew what kind of rumors might start circulating again?