Chapter 62: The Fierce and Rugged Man Who Was Used and Abandoned (14)

Aside from this, Shu Yao could think of no other reason for him to be angry.

The only possibility was that he had seen the male educated youth helping her with her work, and that they had appeared intimate.

Instead, Shu Yao felt happy.

This precisely proved that she held the initiative.

Pei Zhi found it absurd. Why would he be jealous?

And what qualification did he have to be jealous...

"No."

Shu Yao blinked innocently, then reached out to pinch her nose and exaggeratedly said, "Really not? Then why do I smell such a heavy scent of vinegar? It's so sour."

She waved her other hand, stirring the warm currents in the air.

Knowing she was teasing him, the forced indifference and reason Pei Zhi had desperately maintained completely collapsed.

His long eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, and he heard his own voice, suppressed to the absolute limit.

"Then, what is your relationship with him?"

Resting her chin in her hands, Shu Yao couldn't help but smile. Seeing him struggle for a long time before finally managing to blurt out a bolder question, her smile deepened.

"What do you want our relationship to be?"

Pei Zhi pressed his lips together and fell silent.

In truth, he was deeply insecure. His backward living conditions and his embarrassing family background had caused him to walk alone for all these years, never interacting with outsiders.

Having finally mustered the courage, he had opened his shell like a clam, cautiously extending his soft flesh to probe the world.

Yet, if he hit a wall, he would pull right back in, maintaining a cold and sturdy facade to protect himself.

Excessively sensitive, yet excessively endearing.

Ceasing to tease him, Shu Yao explained earnestly, word by word.

"He and I are just classmates; there is nothing between us beyond that. He helped me with my work today, which is why I gave him a piece of candy."

Seeing that Pei Zhi did not react, she leaned in closer and asked softly, "Are you still angry with me?"

All of Pei Zhi's anger had already vanished; how could he possibly stay mad?

However, he didn't want to continue the previous topic or recall that glaring sight, so he simply said, "I'll walk you back to the cafeteria."

The subject had been changed far too obviously. Shu Yao raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Aren't you afraid the villagers will see us?"

She threw Pei Zhi's own earlier rejection right back at him.

The boomerang struck him squarely. Pei Zhi pressed his lips together, his pitch-black eyes holding a hint of stubbornness and sincerity.

"If you aren't afraid, what do I have to be afraid of?"

Shu Yao's smile faltered slightly as she quietly clenched her hands.

Deceiving someone's feelings truly was a conscience-searing job.

According to the plot provided by the system, the original host was Pei Zhi's first love and his white moonlight.

After using every trick in the book to seduce Pei Zhi, she had then deemed him too poor and hopeless, decisively running off with another male educated youth in the production brigade.

Following her departure, Pei Zhi had been utterly heartbroken and attempted to end his life multiple times, though without success.

While lying in a hospital bed, upon learning the news that the original host had married the male educated youth, he completely turned to the dark side, vowing to exact a ruthless revenge.

Blessed with the male protagonist's halo, he taught himself, improved his skills, and through a chance encounter, entered the world of commerce, boldly diving into the market at a time when no one believed in him.

He caught the favorable winds and, relying on his own abilities, became one of the first people to reap the rewards.

Only after leaving him did the original host discover that while the male educated youth looked gentle and refined, he was in reality an unrepentant abuser.

Regret came too late; beaten half-paralyzed by the male educated youth, she was bedridden and unable to control even her basic bodily functions.

At her most wretched moment, the successful and renowned Pei Zhi walked into her hospital room, accompanied by the gentle and magnanimous female protagonist, Chen Zhixia.

It was both revenge and a visit—a final farewell to her most wretched first love.

Tears of remorse slipped from the corner of the original host's eye, and her life ended at that very moment.

Shu Yao's mission was to sleep with Pei Zhi, dump him heartlessly, and then turn around to marry the male educated youth, fulfilling a crucial plot point in the life of the vicious supporting actress.

As for the agonizing plot developments that would follow, she would not have to live through them.

-

After that day, Pei Zhi voluntarily took over all the work assigned to Shu Yao.

There were subtle differences in how work points were calculated in the brigade. Men, possessing greater strength, engaged in heavy physical farm labor and could earn eight to ten work points a day.

Women generally handled lighter field labor, earning five to eight work points a day.

As for minors and the elderly, who gleaned wheat ears or watched over young children, they could only earn two to five work points a day.

Pei Zhi did two people's worth of work yet remained exceptionally motivated, never uttering a single word of complaint.

Soaking in sweat day after day, his muscles grew a deeper shade of bronze under the sun, and his face shed its youthful greenness, revealing a mature, rugged resilience.

"Pei Zhi, aren't you tired?"

Shu Yao squatted in the shade, boredly counting the grasshoppers on the ground.

Her straw hat cast a large shadow, revealing skin that was fair and tender, without the slightest trace of a tan.

In contrast, the man working in the fields was drenched in sweat, his short shirt completely soaked and tucked into his trousers, outlining a lean, powerful waist.

His taut muscles heaved with his movements, and faint purplish veins beneath his skin were visible, like ancient vines clinging to a steep cliff—wild and brimming with sexual tension.

"Not tired," he rasped, the rise and fall of his chest subtly pronounced.

He worked as if his life depended on it.

Mentally complaining, Shu Yao frowned slightly. Fearing he might suffer from heatstroke, she softened her voice: "But I'm so thirsty. I want water."

Only then did Pei Zhi stop, pick up the canteen, and go fetch water for her without a word.

Shu Yao's real goal wasn't actually to drink water; she simply wanted him to rest for a while, so she quickly added, "I also want to buy some snacks. Will you come with me?"

Pei Zhi had never been able to refuse her requests.

The village supply and marketing cooperative sold very few items, but it had all the basics.

Shu Yao browsed leisurely. Pei Zhi didn't urge her; like a silent, sullen wall, he quietly followed behind her.

"Do you want a popsicle?"

Old-fashioned popsicles were sweet and refreshing, very popular among the educated youths, priced at two cents each.

Seeing this, Pei Zhi took two and pulled money from his pocket.

He was hot and sweaty, yet free of any unpleasant body odor, smelling instead faintly of laundry soap.

Shu Yao pushed his hand away. "You help me with work every day. My treat."

Pei Zhi lowered his gaze, his knuckles curling inward.

He disliked the word "treat"; it felt too distant.

How could Shu Yao know that because of such a small word, Pei Zhi's heart was experiencing a whirlwind of complicated emotions, as if a spice cabinet had been overturned inside him.

After paying, she pressed the popsicle directly against his abdominal muscles.

The intense, chilly shock made Pei Zhi's entire body flinch, his muscles instantly tightening, and a strange red flush crept up the tips of his ears.

Immodest.

Were girls from the city all this bold, or was it just her?

She looked so delicate and finicky, yet her words and actions were far bolder than the village girls.

Did she even know that men and women should keep their distance...

Tearing open the wrapper, Shu Yao bit into the popsicle and slowly ate it. Turning around, she saw that Pei Zhi's face was as red as a boiled shrimp.

"What's wrong? Did you get frostbitten?"

With that, she reached out and slid her hand underneath Pei Zhi's shirt.

Her five fingers were icy cold, forming a sharp contrast with the scorching weather.

Unable to dodge in time, Pei Zhi felt a wave of coolness on his stomach, causing his muscles to tighten fiercely.

A sexy, muffled groan involuntarily escaped his throat.