Su Wanqing sneered inwardly, but her face showed nothing.
She lifted her gaze.
Her clear almond-shaped eyes carried just the right hint of apology as she looked at Lin Zhaodi, who was still holding out the canteen with a “sincere” expression, and spoke softly:
“Thank you, Comrade Lin, but really, there’s no need. I brought my own water.”
As if to prove her point, she quickly pulled out a brand-new army-green canteen from her slightly worn canvas bag.
Under the watchful eyes of the other youths, Su Wanqing deliberately gave the canteen a little shake.
“My mom was worried I’d feel unwell on the way, so she specially prepared brown sugar water for me.”
The moment she said that, Lin Zhaodi’s eyes widened.
Brown sugar water?!
In this era, brown sugar was a luxury—harder to come by than white sugar. You needed special ration coupons to get it from supply stores, and in the countryside, it was almost unheard of.
Ordinary families would only allow women to have a bit of it during postpartum recovery.
Yet Su Wanqing was drinking it casually, just because she might feel uncomfortable on the road!
Why?!
A surge of intense jealousy coiled around Lin Zhaodi’s heart like a venomous snake, making it hard for her to breathe.
She stared fixedly at the canteen in Su Wanqing’s hand, as if trying to burn a hole through it.
Su Wanqing was prettier than her, dressed better than her—even the water she drank was more precious!
Why did all the good things go to her alone?!
That bitch—she must be showing off on purpose!
Mocking her, Lin Zhaodi, for not even being able to drink brown sugar water!
Lin Zhaodi’s smile was barely holding up. She gripped her own canteen so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Taking a deep breath, she forcibly suppressed the resentment inside her and squeezed out a pitiful expression. Her eyes reddened instantly, like a fragile white flower battered by wind and rain.
“Comrade Su, I… I didn’t mean anything else. I just saw you didn’t look well and wanted you to drink some warm water.”
Her voice trembled slightly, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
“I was only being kind… you don’t have to reject me like this… Do you think my water is dirty?”
So now she was trying moral coercion?
Some of the surrounding youths, not knowing the full story, began to look at Su Wanqing with disapproval.
“Yeah, Comrade Su, Comrade Lin meant well.”
“She’s already been bullied to tears.”
“What’s so great about having brown sugar water?”
…
Seeing people speak up for her, Lin Zhaodi felt secretly pleased.
See? Plenty of people couldn’t stand Su Wanqing.
Su Wanqing sneered inwardly.
Playing this kind of “green tea” act?
She wouldn’t indulge it.
She blinked, looking innocently at Lin Zhaodi. Her expression was even more aggrieved than Lin’s, as if she truly didn’t understand what she had done wrong.
“Comrade Lin, what do you mean by that?”
Her voice was soft and sweet, laced with naïve confusion, completely harmless on the surface.
“I’m drinking the water my mother prepared for me—what’s wrong with that? But you keep insisting I drink yours… what, did you put something special in it that I absolutely must drink?”
She deliberately emphasized the words “something special,” her clear eyes fixed directly on Lin Zhaodi.
Lin Zhaodi’s heart skipped a beat, panic instantly rising.
How could this bitch know?!
She had indeed added something to the water—a kind of herb that would make a person weak and disoriented!
She had gotten it from a barefoot doctor in the village who knew herbal medicine.
She lied and said it was for treating her family’s epileptic pig.
But the moment she saw Su Wanqing, she couldn’t resist wanting to make her embarrass herself.
No, impossible!
She must be guessing!
She’s just trying to trick me!
“I… I didn’t! Don’t talk nonsense!” Lin Zhaodi denied hastily, her voice turning sharp from guilt.
Her reaction only made it seem more suspicious.
But Su Wanqing didn’t let it go. Tilting her head, still looking innocent and confused, she pressed on:
“No? Then why are you forcing me to drink it? I just want to drink the brown sugar water my mother prepared. Is that not allowed?”
Her delicate, aggrieved demeanor, combined with her completely reasonable words, instantly shifted the atmosphere.
The three people who had spoken up for Lin Zhaodi lowered their heads awkwardly, pretending it had nothing to do with them.
“Oh come on, Comrade Lin, there’s nothing wrong with her drinking her own water. Why are you forcing her to drink yours? And then accusing her of looking down on you—that’s just making trouble out of nothing.”
Su Wanqing nodded inwardly in satisfaction.
At least some people had common sense.
You know how to stir public opinion?
So do I.
Feeling the suspicious looks around her, Lin Zhaodi’s face flushed red, then pale, as if she had been slapped several times in public.
Humiliated and furious, she dropped the act and spat through clenched teeth, “Fine! Don’t drink it then!”
She shot Su Wanqing a venomous glare, completely undisguised this time, grabbed her canteen and bun, and stormed off.
The barrage of comments in Su Wanqing’s mind immediately erupted in celebration.
【Wow! Wanqing is amazing! Using green tea tactics to defeat a white lotus—this is fighting magic with magic!】
【Beautifully done! You can’t give people like her any face! Look how guilty she looked—there’s definitely something wrong with that water!】
【So satisfying! Wanqing, keep doing this—make her furious!】
A faint smile curved at Su Wanqing’s lips. She unscrewed her own canteen and took a slow sip.
Mm. Brown sugar water mixed with spirit spring water really did taste sweeter.
She had just set the canteen down, not yet finished enjoying her small victory, when the tone of the comments in her mind suddenly shifted again, flooding with excitement.
【Ahhh! Wanqing, look! It’s the big shot! The big shot!】
【That’s Gu Yanshen, right? How did I only notice him now?!】
【Under the big locust tree! Oh my god—this figure, this profile, this overwhelming aura—absolutely incredible!】
Gu Yanshen?
Hearing that name etched into her very bones, Su Wanqing’s heart jolted violently, as if gripped by an invisible hand. Even her breathing faltered.
That man—
The one who had silently protected her in her previous life, avenged her after her death, and was ultimately sentenced to death.
So he had gone to the countryside in the same batch as her second brother.
Her palms began to sweat. Forcing herself to remain calm, she casually pretended to fix the loose strands of hair by her temple and followed the direction indicated by the “comments,” glancing over discreetly toward the big locust tree.
With just one look, she couldn’t look away.
The man leaned against the thick trunk, tall and straight. He wore a faded old military uniform, sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms, revealing strong, well-defined lines.
His head was slightly lowered, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows across his sharply contoured profile, making his nose appear even more prominent and his jawline clean and defined.
He simply stood there, yet seemed completely out of place with everything around him—like a silent, unsheathed blade, radiating an undeniable, powerful presence.
And those deep, unfathomable eyes—
were fixed directly on her.
Their gazes met.
Su Wanqing’s heart instantly began pounding like a drum.
He… had he been watching her this whole time?!