Chapter 57: The Fierce and Rugged Man Who Was Abandoned After Being Toyed With (9)

Pei Zhi instinctively shifted his gaze away, avoiding Shu Yao's eyes.

His demeanor was aloof, his tone restrained, and even his words sounded stiff and dry.

"I'll go keep watch outside."

With that, Pei Zhi nodded and walked straight out the door.

He did not close the door of the infirmary, but stood in a spot where Shu Yao could see him, revealing half of his upright figure.

Men and women should not have direct physical contact.

News traveled fast in the village; seeing a man and a woman together, even if they were not of the same age, the villagers could chatter and weave all sorts of stories out of nothing.

He was used to being the subject of gossip by now, but Jiang Shu Yao was different.

A young lady raised in a sheltered environment like a honey jar could never withstand malicious rumors and gossip.

Shu Yao turned sideways, looking through the crack in the door at Pei Zhi's profile, finding it quite amusing.

Her rounded eyes rolled around, and an idea blossomed in her mind as she suddenly covered her mouth.

"Cough... cough cough..."

A series of soft, dense coughs echoed from inside the infirmary. Pei Zhi walked back in with hurried footsteps, his gaze landing accurately on Shu Yao.

The girl was coughing uncomfortably, her bright and delicate brows knitted together into a tight little knot, and the thin corners of her eyes flushed with a tinge of crimson.

"What's wrong?"

Pei Zhi asked in a deep voice, his tone carrying a tension he hadn't even realized.

"Cough... thr... throat is itchy."

Her palm-sized face was mostly hidden behind her hands, leaving only a pair of moist, reddened eyes exposed.

Finally, the itch subsided, and Shu Yao almost coughed up tears.

"Pei Zhi."

She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse.

"I want water."

Pei Zhi was already used to her calling him by his full name, and upon hearing this, he said, "Wait a moment, I'll go boil some."

He turned and went outside, staying away for a long time.

Shu Yao waited and waited, almost thinking the guy had run away.

After a long while, his figure finally reappeared, holding a cup of water.

The village had no running water, so the water used for drinking usually came from rivers or streams flowing down the mountain.

The water source was very clean, and the villagers had tough stomachs, so drinking it raw posed no problem. However, Pei Zhi figured that Shu Yao's living environment was different and her body delicate, so he boiled it first before bringing it over.

The hot water in the enamel mug billowed with rising steam, far too scalding to drink.

Shu Yao found the cup too hot to hold and handed it back to Pei Zhi.

"It's too hot. Help me blow on it to cool it down."

Pei Zhi: ......

The girl spoke with natural ease, taking it in stride without finding any fault with her own words.

It was clearly a command, yet Pei Zhi found himself unable to feel any aversion.

His skin was thick and calloused, so he didn't find the cup hot, but the girl's face was scrunched up in distress, refusing to drink even though she was this thirsty.

He could only helplessly place the cup on the table and wait for the water to cool.

During this time, Shu Yao propped her upper body up with her arms, sitting obediently and harmlessly on the edge of the bed, staring unblinkingly at Pei Zhi.

The unmasked, bold gaze made Pei Zhi's breathing turn slightly erratic.

He turned his head to avoid it, pretending not to notice.

Finding it boring—since this wooden block of a man didn't want to talk to her anyway—Shu Yao swung her legs back and forth out of sheer idleness.

Pei Zhi frowned at the sight and spoke up to remind her that she had just had medicine applied to her wounds and shouldn't move around too much.

Shu Yao pouted, letting out a reluctant "oh," as her fluffy head drooped and her expression turned listless.

Seeing her look like this, Pei Zhi pressed his thin lips together, belatedly wondering if his tone had been too harsh.

Sure enough, the very next moment, the girl sitting on the bed raised her head and glared at him indignantly.

"You're so mean."

Even her accusation sounded soft and fuzzy, like a fluffy ball of cotton that brushed against his heart, leaving an itch that tingled with numbness.

It was the first time Pei Zhi realized that a girl throwing a temper tantrum could be this adorable.

"I'm sorry," he rasped, his wildly pounding heart making him feel intensely embarrassed.

He even wanted to reach out and press a hand over his chest to warn that out-of-control heart to stop beating so loudly, lest Jiang Shu Yao hear it.

He feared her teasing and mockery, feared that she, like everyone else, would use a cold expression to accuse him of being unworthy.

To pierce through the ugly heart hiding beneath his dirty skin.

Pei Zhi felt he could no longer stay in the same room with her, or he would surely be driven mad.

Perhaps she thought nothing of her actions, but he simply couldn't take it.

"The water will be cool soon. Drink it slowly, I still have work to do in the fields."

Stumbling over his words, Pei Zhi's tall figure disappeared into the corner, looking very much like a man fleeing in panic.

Shu Yao leaned back lazily against the headboard, picked up the cup, and drank the water in small, slow sips.

"System, how is the progress on seducing the male lead?"

Judging by Pei Zhi's pure and shy demeanor, the difficulty should not be high.

[Replying to the host, the current progress is 20%.]

Just as she expected.

Shu Yao put down the cup, her face calm and unhurried; she was in no rush.

To deal with a pure country bumpkin who had no romantic experience and couldn't handle even the slightest flirtatious remark, one could not rush things.

She had to bit by bit coax him into opening his closely guarded heart, and then slowly devour it.

-

Being bitten on the lower leg by bugs was already uncomfortable enough, coupled with feeling dizzy from the scorching sun, Shu Yao's laziness flared up, and she decided she didn't want to go back to the fields.

After resting in the infirmary for a good while, she didn't head back to the dormitory until the sun was setting.

The educated youths had already finished work, carrying hoes back to the dorms to wash up, the muggy air reeking faintly of sweat.

Having eaten nothing all day, Shu Yao was starving, her stomach emitting hollow, cramping sensations from time to time.

The food in the cafeteria was far too bland, lacking meat and oil, and she simply couldn't get used to it.

Given the original owner's personality, she definitely had food stockpiled in the dormitory.

As Jiang Shu Yao made her way back, she happened to run into Yang Rongrong, who had just finished work.

Seeing how refreshed and completely sweat-free Shu Yao looked, Yang Rongrong knew she must have slacked off and skipped work again. Without a second thought, she took a step forward to block Shu Yao's path.

Ever since they had completely fallen out last time, Yang Rongrong had stopped putting up a facade. She had never liked Jiang Shu Yao anyway, and now she practically wore her hostility toward Jiang Shu Yao stamped across her forehead.

She even incited the other female educated youths in the dormitory to ostracize Shu Yao and refuse to speak to her.

Shu Yao had enjoyed the peace and quiet and couldn't be bothered to care, but she hadn't expected Yang Rongrong to refuse to give up and make a scene right in front of her.

"Jiang Shu Yao, you really have no shame, skipping work to slack off again and just living off everyone else's charity like a parasite every single day."

Yang Rongrong's voice was laced with anger, loud enough for the female educated youths in all the other dormitories to hear.

Her face was tanned a dark brown, her coarse cloth undershirt stuck tightly to her spine, and her neck was covered in uneven sunburn lines.

The blisters on her palms had scabbed over, and her fingernails were caked with dirt from the fields; her whole appearance reeked of exhaustion and misery.

Catching sight of Shu Yao looking so refreshed, clean, and tender-skinned right now, anger flared uncontrollably in her chest.

They were all sent to the countryside to teach and support, yet she worked herself to the bone every single day while Jiang Shu Yao acted like she was here on vacation.

How could this be fair?!

Yang Rongrong felt an extreme sense of imbalance, the pitiful comparison filling her with grievances and jealousy.

"The rest of us are working like dogs until we can't even straighten our backs, and you—which dark corner were you hiding in to slack off?"

"Mind your own business."

Shu Yao's stomach was growling with hunger, and she had zero desire to entertain her. She stepped sideways to walk past toward the dormitory.

Seeing this, Yang Rongrong assumed she felt guilty. Her expression shifted, and she immediately reached out to grab Shu Yao's arm.

"You stop right there!"

"Hiss—"

Yang Rongrong used a lot of strength, her nails digging deeply into the flesh, and Shu Yao's arm thinned in pain as it was jerked.

Shu Yao hated trouble and disliked picking fights, but when a grasshopper jumped right in front of her face, she couldn't tolerate it anymore.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Shu Yao couldn't help but snap. The soft flesh of her elbow was pinched until it bulged, and dirt-rimmed fingernails dug viciously into her skin, revealing just how deep Yang Rongrong's hatred for her ran.

Seeing that Yang Rongrong had no intention of letting go, Shu Yao frowned and shoved forward with a sudden, fierce burst of strength—!

Her arm swept out, carrying a rush of the night wind.

Yang Rongrong hadn't expected Shu Yao to fight back, nor had she anticipated that someone usually so frail and delicate could possess such strength. Her footing instantly gave way, and she nearly fell backward, threatening to strike the back of her head against the ground.

Fortunately, another female educated youth caught her in time, helping her barely manage to steady herself.

"Jiang—Shu—Yao!"

She clenched her back teeth, her face pale with lingering fright.

Jiang Shu Yao stared at her, her eyes filled with mockery.

More and more people gathered around, pointing and whispering at the two of them like spectators at a zoo.

Shu Yao disliked this feeling immensely and walked straight into the dormitory without looking back.

Yang Rongrong glared at her, her eyes practically shooting fire.

The dormitory door slammed shut, cutting off the noise from outside.

Only then did Shu Yao have the leisure to check her own arm. One look was all it took to leave her shocked.

Yang Rongrong did heavy farm labor all year round, so she was exceptionally strong. Even after just a few seconds of pinching, Shu Yao's arm was already turning red and purple.

The original owner's skin was fair and tender, meaning even the slightest heavy pinch would leave a mark, and these dark bruises made it look particularly terrifying.

Shu Yao didn't feel much physical pain, but thinking of Yang Rongrong picking a fight for no reason left her thoroughly annoyed.

She sat at the desk, propping her chin with her left hand while laying her right arm flat across the tabletop.

Under the lamplight, the bruising from the pinch looked even more prominent than before.

How should she return the favor to Yang Rongrong?

Knock, knock—

Yang Rongrong had just finished washing her hair when she heard a knock on the dormitory door.

She opened it to find the brigade leader, Zhao Qiming, standing outside with a rather strange expression on his face.

"Educated Youth Yang, Educated Youth Jiang says you hit her and wants to file a formal complaint."