Chapter 60: The Fierce and Rugged Man Who Was Abandoned After Being Toyed With (12)

"What? What are you saying?"

Wang Cheng was quite startled by the commotion, his face turning slightly pale. Hearing Pei Zhi's abrupt voice, he could only find it inexplicable.

Lowering his brow and suppressing an uncontrollable surge of emotions, Pei Zhi repeated, "What were you just saying?"

His gloomy demeanor reminded Wang Cheng of the night of the stolen meal tickets. His fingers had been brutally bent backward, and they still ached faintly now.

He swallowed hard and stammered, "I... I just said that an educated youth named Jiang Shuyao got beaten up."

Since when did this broke nobody take an interest in the production brigade's gossip?

Before Wang Cheng could sort it out, the man who had just spoken strode out.

After he left, Wang Cui'e dared to spit heavily and curse, "Damn unfortunates! You'll smash that door to pieces sooner or later!"

-

"Educated Youth Jiang, I heard you were hit by Educated Youth Yang. Are you alright?"

The male educated youth had been assigned to loosen the soil in Shuyao's plot today. As he swung his hoe, he asked concernedly about Shuyao's condition.

Shuyao had asked Zhao Qiming for a pair of gloves and wore them while pulling weeds, which made her palms hurt a bit less.

However, the scorching sun still made her unbearably hot, and sweat trickled down her damp hairline into her eyes, causing a stinging, burning sensation.

Finding it hard to keep her eyes open, she decisively gave up, sat flat on the ridge of the field, and panted heavily.

A large straw hat shaded her small face, and her pale lips trembled uncontrollably.

"I'm fine, my hands just hurt a bit."

Her snow-white arms were reddened by the sun, and the red marks pinched by Yang Rongrong had already turned blue-purple.

Hearing this, the male educated youth saw no reason to let an injured person work and hurriedly put down his hoe.

"Your hands hurt? Then find a shady spot to rest for a while. Leave the weeding to me."

The surprise came so unexpectedly that Shuyao's eyes sparkled as she stared fixedly at the male educated youth.

So handsome. How could there be such a handsome man in this world?

The male educated youth felt a bit self-conscious under her adoring gaze and turned his head slightly with flushed cheeks.

"E... Educated Youth Jiang, why are you looking at me like that?"

It was rather embarrassing.

Looking somewhat flustered, the male educated youth kept rubbing the hem of his shirt until it turned white.

Shuyao lifted the corners of her lips, her eyes curving into two little crescents, and looked up gratefully.

"Thank you so much. You're such a good person."

The girl's voice was sweet, but not cloying at all. When she looked at him, he felt as if the whole world had lit up.

Educated Youth Jiang praised him as a good person. Hehe...

The male educated youth shook his head with a foolish grin, just about to modestly say it was nothing.

Turning around, he saw that Shuyao had already scampered over to the shade of the big tree by the field ridge to cool off.

The male educated youth felt a warm glow inside. Praised by her admiring gaze and sweet tone, he didn't feel tired at all from weeding and tilling the land.

Everyone loves beauty. Educated Youth Jiang was so pretty and had such a good personality; helping her with some work was only right.

The male educated youth weeded with great enthusiasm, much faster than Shuyao, clearing a large patch of the field in over half an hour.

The sun was truly fierce, and the short shirt the male educated youth wore was already drenched, clinging to his skin and outlining his well-defined muscles and the vague abdominal muscles beneath the fabric.

Shuyao hurriedly poured a cup of water and handed it over. "You should rest for a bit too. Don't get heatstroke."

"Thank you."

The male educated youth smiled sheepishly, took the water from Shuyao's hand, and eagerly drained it in one gulp.

He felt that even the water was much sweeter than usual—cool, refreshing, and driving away the feverish heat all over his body.

After finishing the water, Shuyao fished two candies out of her pocket.

"Eat some candy. Replenishing your sugar will keep you from feeling dizzy."

"No, something this precious, I can't take it."

The male educated youth hurriedly waved his hands, refusing to accept.

He could accept the water she handed him, but candy was a rare commodity. Everyone kept theirs hidden away, yet Educated Youth Jiang was actually willing to take it out and give it to him to eat.

She really is a good person.

Jiang Shuyao wouldn't take no for an answer and continued pushing them into his hand.

"You helped me work, and I'm already grateful enough. It's just two candies, just take them."

Amidst the sultry chirping of cicadas, her gentle and soft voice made it impossible to refuse.

Unable to hold out against her, the male educated youth swallowed hard as he looked at the candies and finally accepted them.

"Thank you, Educated Youth Jiang."

He carefully tore open the packaging and tucked the candy wrapper into his pants pocket.

The candy had been cooped up too long and had melted slightly on the surface, but it was still very sweet.

Sucking on the candy, the male educated youth felt his dizzy, heavy head grow much more comfortable, feeling as if he were floating on a cloud.

On the dirt path not far away, a man lowered his gaze as he watched this scene. His eyelids dropped, casting spiderweb-like shadows of his eyelashes onto his skin.

The delicate and fair-skinned young woman stood beside the sweating man, handing him water and candy with a gentle and sweet smile.

From Pei Zhi's perspective, the two of them appeared almost intertwined, as close as could be.

He figured he must have lost his mind to have blindly walked over here upon hearing that Jiang Shuyao had been beaten.

Only to watch her smile at another man and make alluring expressions.

The two of them seemed to be chatting happily about something, smiling brightly and talking without pause.

That harmonious and cozy atmosphere was constantly telling Pei Zhi that they belonged to the same world, having received the same education and possessing an infinite future.

The sprawling field ridge seemed like an uncrossable chasm, lying between the three of them.

Pei Zhi desperately wanted to turn and leave, but his feet felt nailed to the ground, unable to budge an inch, while a stinging pain caught in his throat like a awn of wheat.

His dark eyes stared at their interaction with a sort of self-abasing torture.

His pupils shrank to pinpricks and then dilated, like a camera lens repeatedly focusing.

So dazzling...