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1976, Summer

Xiangyang Village Cornfield

Su Wanwan’s head throbbed with pain, and a man’s voice reached her ears.

“Wanwan, we’re in the cornfield. No one will find us.” Ma Zhiming eagerly unbuttoned his shirt, his foot still on a corn stalk. “Once we’ve done the deed, I’ll go to your house tomorrow to propose.”

Su Wanwan paused for a moment. She looked around suspiciously. Everything was pitch black.

Only by moonlight could she see that she was surrounded by corn stalks.

Su Wanwan clutched her aching head.

She pinched the flesh on her arm hard to keep her mind clear.

She watched as the man in front of her trampled a large area of the cornfield and spread his clothes on the ground.

The burning sensation all over her body quickly made her understand.

The man’s meaning was obvious.

He wanted to sleep with her here!

At that moment, she couldn’t afford to think about what had happened. She had to leave the scene.

Her footsteps were unsteady as she stumbled back.

After Ma Zhiming had spread out his clothes, he turned and saw Su Wanwan walking away.

That wouldn’t do. He had gone through so much trouble to coax her to the cornfield, and fearing she wouldn’t go through with it, he had even secretly drugged her soda.

Assuming she was scared, he quickly followed, grabbed her arm, and said very gently, “Wanwan, don’t be afraid. Don’t you want to marry me?”

Su Wanwan panicked, quickly shook off the man’s hand, kicked him, and roared, “Get lost.”

“Ugh.” Ma Zhiming grunted. Unexpectedly kicked in a sensitive spot, the pain instantly made him half crouch. He stammered, “Wan… Wanwan, you kicked me.”

Su Wanwan turned and walked away. She had to leave before the man recovered. Otherwise, in her current state, she definitely wouldn’t be his match.

Pushing aside one corn stalk after another, she suddenly saw a large forest ahead and walked into it without hesitation.

Self-preservation was the most important thing right now.

Perhaps it was the effect of the drug, but her whole body felt weak and powerless. She continued to walk into the woods with unsteady steps, stumbling until she could hide behind a large tree. She slid to the ground against it.

Just then, a fierce stinging pain hit her head, and more memories that didn’t belong to her flooded her mind.

She received all of the Original Owner’s memories.

She had transmigrated into an old-era novel she had read before, and it was a poorly finished book. She had become Su Wanwan, who shared her name in the book.

She was the cannon fodder female supporting character who was schemed against by the male lead, Ma Zhiming. The Original Owner’s entire family died tragically because of the male and female leads.

Su Wanwan quickly recalled the plot of the book in her mind:

Ma Zhiming was an Educated Youth who couldn’t endure the hardships of living in the countryside. The work points he earned weren’t enough to support himself. He wanted to return to the city as soon as possible, and to do so, he needed a quota for returning to the city from the Brigade Leader. So, he set his sights on the Original Owner.

The Original Owner was the Brigade Leader’s daughter, and her family’s conditions were the best in the village. Her figure and appearance were also top-notch.

Ma Zhiming wanted to trick the Original Owner into his hands, making her his unregistered wife in the countryside. That would solve his food problems and give him a free nanny.

Once he got the quota from the Brigade Leader and returned to the city, he would abandon the uncultured Original Owner from the countryside and find someone well-off and educated in the city to live with.

That way, others wouldn’t laugh at him for marrying a country bumpkin as his wife.

Ma Zhiming had a gentle, scholarly appearance. He always wore a pen in his shirt pocket, making him seem very cultured. He dressed elegantly every day and lingered in front of the Original Owner.

The Original Owner already had a good impression of Ma Zhiming, and the two quickly became a couple within half a month.

They would always meet secretly, sometimes at work, sometimes after dinner.

Ma Zhiming was very good at coaxing the Original Owner and would say all sorts of sweet words.

The Original Owner saved her own rations and secretly gave them to him, such as eggs, braised pork, pastries, and so on. The Original Owner also gave him money and tickets.

Just tonight, Ma Zhiming had plotted for the Original Owner to lose her innocence. Using all sorts of sweet talk, he coaxed and deceived her into the cornfield, and even gave the Original Owner a bottle of soda laced with drugs.

Afterward, he successfully married the Original Owner. Every step developed as he had envisioned, and he was also with Liu Caixia, who was also an Educated Youth.

Liu Caixia was the female lead. She also used her second brother, who wanted to live better in the village, and secretly became his partner. Later, when her second brother discovered her relationship with Ma Zhiming, the two conspired to frame him, sending him to a farm for re-education, where he later died accidentally.

At the same time, after Ma Zhiming got the quota to return to the city, he worried that his father-in-law and mother-in-law would cause him trouble later. So he struck first, framing the two elders and getting them sent to a farm, with no possibility of ever recovering.

Ma Zhiming openly got together with Liu Caixia, and Liu Caixia humiliated the Original Owner in various ways, eventually leading to her death at the hands of Ma Zhiming and Liu Caixia.

The two elders successively lost their son and daughter, and died one after another from excessive grief.

Her eldest brother, who was serving in the army, returned home to visit after completing his mission. After learning everything that had happened to his family, he sought revenge on Ma Zhiming and Liu Caixia and was sentenced to death.

The entire family were cannon fodder!

And it was her first day working at the company of her secret crush.

He was Xie Beishen, her secret crush from university.

She had just graduated from university and finally plucked up the courage to actively pursue Xie Beishen.

Her family owned businesses in various fields, including medical, catering, real estate, biotechnology, gaming, automotive, and aviation. She didn’t go to any of them. Instead, she went directly to Xie Beishen’s company to work, just to pursue him.

As soon as she entered the office building, she heard people discussing the news of Xie Beishen’s death the night before. Shocked, she fainted on the spot.

When she opened her eyes, she had transmigrated to the scene of losing her innocence.

Hot.

She only felt hot all over now.

If only her spatial dimension was still there. It contained injectable medicines.

As she was thinking, the next second, a tube of injectable medicine appeared in her hand.

Su Wanwan was very pleasantly surprised to see the item in her hand, and her previously anxious heart instantly relaxed.

She tried to enter the spatial dimension with her mind, but she couldn’t. She tried again, and still couldn’t.

The item in her hand told her that her spatial dimension must have followed her.

Why couldn’t she enter? She didn’t have time to think much, as the heat in her body had already reached its peak.

Sweat poured down her body, her eyes began to blur, and with trembling hands, she opened the cap of the injectable, jabbed herself in the arm, and pushed the medicine in.

At this moment, she only hoped the medicine in the injectable would take effect quickly.

The drug was too potent, making her whole body uncomfortable.

“Woo, woo...” Would she really have to find someone to solve this?

“Woo...” She didn’t want to just find anyone to solve this problem.

Although the injected medicine provided some relief, it didn’t completely solve the problem.

Who knew how long she would have to endure this if it continued?

If she went home now, Ma Zhiming might be waiting for her somewhere. Going back now could lead to her being caught.

Su Wanwan had indeed guessed correctly. At this moment, Ma Zhiming was waiting for her on the path she had to take to get home. He certainly couldn’t let someone else benefit. Otherwise, the Brigade Leader would definitely not be pleased.

Su Wanwan knew from her memories that there was a pond not far from here in the mountains, and the water in the pond was warm in winter and cool in summer. It was very magical.

She struggled to get up, shook her dizzy head, and walked toward the pond in the mountains.

Su Wanwan had never walked at night, let alone in these pitch-black mountains. She could only rely on the moonlight, walking bravely.

Her legs were so weak she couldn’t stand, and she fell to the ground. The stinging pain in her palm made her sober up a bit.

She climbed up again, shook her dizzy head, and walked toward the nearby pond.

She planned to just endure it in the pond, since she knew how to swim.

At the same time, Xie Beishen would come to this clear pond every night to bathe.

Xie Beishen leaned against a large rock in the water. The summer’s stifling heat quickly dissipated, and the cool water covered his chest, allowing every pore to relax. He felt completely comfortable.

It was a good thing this pool was far from the Educated Youth Point and the nearby villagers. Otherwise, where would he find such a clean and quiet place to relax?

He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment.

A moment later, his ears twitched. He heard faint footsteps approaching.

He opened his eyes and looked toward the sound. With his excellent eyesight, he quickly spotted a figure jumping directly into the pool.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat. Was this person trying to commit suicide?

That wouldn’t do. If someone died here, how could he continue to bathe? He still had to stay here for half a year before he could return to the Imperial Capital.

To ensure he could bathe in peace, he hadn’t even told his good friend, Lin Yu, who had come to the countryside with him.

He cursed inwardly, thinking this person was truly foolish.

What could be so difficult that she would lose hope? What could be more precious than life itself?

As a principled and upright person, he couldn’t stand by and watch someone die.

He quickly swam over, took a deep breath, and plunged into the water.

Su Wanwan jumped into the water and held her breath, submerging herself. The icy coolness of the water instantly made her feel comfortable.

She planned to surface once she couldn’t hold her breath any longer.

Just as she thought that, something wrapped around her waist, pulling her upward with considerable strength.

They surfaced face to face, both letting out a long breath simultaneously.

Under the moonlight, silver ripples spread in circles across the water’s surface.

Their eyes met.

Xie Beishen looked at the person in front of him: a delicate small face, eyes like a painting, and beneath a refined, small nose, her moist lips were slightly parted.

Her wet, long hair draped behind her, and droplets of water slid down her jawline into her collar.

The collar of her shirt was open, revealing her slender neck.

Her soaked shirt clung tightly to her body, outlining her curves, and the loose collar offered glimpses of her skin.

He looked at the woman’s eyes again. Her eyelashes trembled, making those hazy eyes even more seductive and alluring.

One of his hands was wrapped around her slender waist. Was it really this thin?

This was his first time having such intimate contact with a woman, and an inexplicable, different feeling stirred in his heart.

At twenty years old, this was the first time he had ever felt such a sensation.

This person who had suddenly appeared in the middle of the night was probably a vixen.

He pulled them apart, holding her arm as he swam toward the shore, when suddenly, his neck was encircled by the woman’s arms.

Su Wanwan looked at the person before her: sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and a handsome face. Wasn’t this her former crush?

It must be a hallucination. How could she possibly see Xie Beishen, who was dead, in this era?

It must be a hallucination caused by the medicine.

This was good. A hallucination was good. A hallucination was truly good. It could make her body feel even more comfortable.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

She clung to him like a koala bear.

Her exhaled breath brushed against his face, seemingly carrying a scorching heat that made Xie Beishen’s handsome eyes suddenly narrow. His throat subtly moved.

He even had a reaction.

It was definitely a vixen.

He pushed away the person clinging to him. The more he pushed, the tighter the woman clung. He admonished in a cold voice, “Let go! Do you know what you’re doing? If you want to die, don’t drag me into it.”

Su Wanwan wondered how a hallucination could feel so real.

Could it even speak?

She didn’t want to die; she clearly wanted to live.

“Xie… Xie Beishen, is that you? I… I was drugged, and I feel uncomfortable,” her voice was incredibly soft and delicate.

Xie Beishen’s breath hitched. His chest burned. This person knew him, so she must be from the village, but he didn’t remember whose daughter this was.

If his good friend Lin Yu knew his current thoughts, he would surely retort: ‘How could you, who are always cold and reserved, ever spare a second glance at a woman? It’s normal not to know her.’

Su Wanwan, having finally experienced a hallucination where she could see her former crush, and feeling her body’s discomfort, couldn’t help but cup the man’s face with both hands and kiss him.

Comfortable!

Boom.

Xie Beishen’s mind instantly went blank. His expression froze. He even forgot to breathe, and his heart pounded uncontrollably.

The woman’s lips moved on his. After a few seconds of stillness, he reacted, quickly and forcefully pushing away the audacious woman clinging to him. Then he firmly gripped her arm and swam to the spot where he had been leaning.

The pain in her arm made Su Wanwan frown. “It hurts.”

That delicate “it hurts” sounded like a hook in Xie Beishen’s ears, making his bones tingle and his face instantly flush crimson.

After letting go of her, he quickly got ashore and turned to look at the person in the water, who was now leaning on the rock he had just used. Her body was submerged, and she was still making soft, delicate sounds.

He looked down at his own swimming trunks, which were standing tall and full of life.

Instantly, his jaw tightened, and cold air radiated from him.

Vixen!

Little vixen!

Definitely a vixen!

A very alluring vixen!

And so audacious as to kiss him.

His eyes darkened. He had just turned to take a step when he abruptly stopped.

He pressed his tongue against his cheek, then turned around again. His deep, dark eyes looked at the water, and he let out a cold “Hmph.”

If he left now, this woman would truly die here.

He couldn’t possibly leave, knowing it would cause problems.

He could only sit on the rock where he had placed his clothes, staring intently at the person in the water.

If the woman leaning on the rock didn’t occasionally move and make strange noises, he would truly worry that she might actually be dead.

His mind kept wondering who had drugged her in the middle of the night.

Su Wanwan didn’t know how long she had been soaking. Drowsily leaning on the rock, her mind cleared up. She glanced at the water’s surface and realized she had been overthinking. There was no one else in the water except her.

It was just that the hallucination earlier had been too real.

Now that the strange sensation in her body was gone, she felt cold and decided to get ashore and go home.

She had been secretly tricked out by Ma Zhiming and didn’t know if her family had noticed her absence in the middle of the night.

She slowly swam to the shore and stood up. Although it was summer, soaking in cold water for a long time still made her shiver all over.

It was pitch dark everywhere, and being on the mountain instantly reminded her of the horror movies she used to watch.

Many ghost movies were filmed in deep mountains, and combined with her feeling cold all over, it sent shivers down her spine.

She was both a coward and loved to play, scared to death, yet still wanted to watch scary things.

Her mind was even clearer now.

Following her memory, she walked toward the path down the mountain, completely unaware that another figure was hidden in the darkness, sitting on a rock and staring intently at her.

Xie Beishen watched the departing figure and let out a cold “Heh.” She could swim, so it seemed he had been meddling after all.

This person had just kissed him. Had she forgotten so quickly that he was still here?

The woman didn’t even come to greet him. After all, he had worried she might die in the pool and had stayed here with her for three whole hours.

Seeing her leave, he followed her. Mainly, it was still very dangerous on the mountain, and wild animals could appear at any time.

Su Wanwan was so preoccupied with fear that she didn’t notice there was someone in the corner.

Now, she gathered all her courage, and as a gust of wind blew, she shivered with cold, hearing the creak, creak sound of branches rubbing together.

This immediately reminded her of scenes from movies. She wondered if, in the next second, something that shouldn’t appear would, just like in the films.

To embolden herself, she started singing, using the tune of “Two Tigers” with her own made-up lyrics.

“It’s so dark, it’s so dark!”

“Not afraid of ghosts, not afraid of ghosts!”

“Hungry ghosts, don’t eat me, eat the man below instead.”

“Go quickly! Go quickly!”

Xie Beishen was following not far behind her, and when he suddenly heard her song, even he, who rarely smiled, felt an urge to laugh. A beautiful curve formed at the corner of his mouth that he couldn’t suppress.

So she was afraid of ghosts. Where are there ghosts in this world? Even if there were, they’d be stunned by your “divine song.”

Su Wanwan sang it over and over, feeling that it had some effect. At least her fear lessened a little.

She continued to sing “Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse.”

Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse,

You are the strongest, the best!

Nothing can stop you from sprouting,

...You are that, that, that...

Xie Beishen listened the whole way behind her, the smile on his lips never fading.

What kind of little pony song was this? It was quite pleasant to listen to.

Just as he was enjoying it, the singing in his ears abruptly stopped.

Another strong gust of wind blew, and this time the sound from the woods grew even louder.

Creak, creak...

Su Wanwan trembled all over with fright, especially after personally experiencing something as absurd as transmigration. She became even more scared.

How could she dare to sing? She looked left and right, then pretended to shout, “I just arrived here! I’m a pauper! Penniless! Fellow travelers, don’t scare fellow travelers!”

Xie Beishen heard this and couldn’t hold back, letting out a soft chuckle.

This time, Su Wanwan truly heard something behind her and instantly screamed frantically, “Ah~~~”

She ran forward while shouting, not paying attention to her feet. She stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Wuwu~~ It hurts so much, wuwu...”

Xie Beishen thought he might have scared her, and just as he was about to go help, he saw a flashlight beam approaching from ahead and heard shouts: “Sister, sister...”

He abruptly stopped and hid behind a tree.

Su Wanwan heard a familiar voice. “Second Brother, I’m here, wuwu... Second Brother... I’m scared.”

Hearing her brother’s voice, Su Wanwan’s tears immediately flowed down, and she choked out, “Second Brother, I’m here.”

This was her second brother, Su Heng, who was born half an hour before her.

Su Wanwan watched as Little Black wagged its tail beside her, and in the next second, her second brother arrived by her side.

Su Heng said anxiously, “Are you trying to worry your second brother to death? Why are you running out in the middle of the night? Don’t you know the whole family is worried?”

Hearing her second brother’s anxious voice, Su Wanwan felt incredibly wronged, whether it was her own emotions or those of the Original Owner.

Her body, which she had been forcing to stay strong, completely relaxed at this moment. “Wuwu... Wuwu... Second Brother, I was framed. I... I’m so cold, and it hurts so much.”

Su Heng helped his sister up, felt her whole body trembling, quickly took off his jacket and draped it over her, then squatted down. “Get on. I’ll carry you back.”

Su Wanwan lay on her brother’s back, trembling. “Brother... how did you know I was here? It’s good you came. You scared me to death.”

Su Heng carried his sister, fast and steady. “Little Black led me here. Don’t be afraid. Brother is here.”

Su Wanwan tilted her head and looked at the dog at her feet, saying, “Little Black, next time I’ll give you extra chicken drumsticks.”

Little Black barked twice. “Woof, woof.”

Su Wanwan leaned weakly against her second brother’s back.

Xie Beishen walked out from behind the tree. Since her family had found her, he didn’t need to follow anymore.

He had been in the village for half a year, but he really couldn’t tell who the man was from his voice. He could only blame the darkness of the night. If he had seen the man’s face, he wouldn’t still not know which family they belonged to.

Anyway, being in the village, he would definitely find out who they were.

He turned the corner and walked toward the Educated Youth Point.

Su Heng carried his sister home and found that she had fainted.

Su Jianjun, Su Wanwan’s father, saw his daughter with a high fever and unconscious. “Hurry and go invite Old Man Li, the Barefoot Doctor. Tell him about your sister’s condition and bring medicine back.”

“Okay.” Su Heng placed his sister on the bed and then ran out.

Su Jianjun then told his wife, “Quickly change our daughter’s clothes.” After speaking, he walked out.

Zhao Hefen, with a chaotic mind, changed her daughter’s clothes. What on earth happened? While changing her daughter’s clothes, she also checked her daughter’s physical condition.

Thankfully, her daughter’s body hadn’t been harmed.

Her daughter had only returned in the middle of the night. How could she not overthink it? Such incidents weren’t uncommon in the village before, and there were many dirty deeds.

After changing her clothes, she dried her hair, and tears couldn’t help but stream down her face.

At the same time, Xie Beishen returned to the Educated Youth Point, just entering the compound.

Lin Yu from the next room heard the sound and came out. “Why are you just getting back? Did something happen? In the past six months since we came to the countryside, this is the first time you’ve returned so late.”

Only he and Xie Beishen lived in this compound, and it was over two hundred meters away from where the other Educated Youth lived, so talking was naturally convenient.

“Nothing. I fell asleep in the bathing area.” Xie Beishen returned to his room, put on clean clothes, and then lay down on the bed.

He couldn’t help but think of the kissing scene just now.

And the woman’s song, so silly yet cute. How could there be such a silly woman? A barely perceptible smile curved at the corner of his lips.

The next day, before work, everyone had to come to the tool shed to get tools.

Xie Beishen paid attention to these people. He, who never paid attention to female comrades, began to search the crowd for the culprit who had kept him awake all night.

After looking through the crowd, he found no one. Could it be that this person didn’t have to work?

He only blamed himself for never paying attention to these things before. He would only occasionally hear Lin Yu mention who looked really good, and there was quite a bit of other gossip.

After everyone collected their tools, they went to the fields.

Xie Beishen looked at Lin Yu beside him and asked, “Who did you say looked good last time?”

Lin Yu heard this, stopped, and stared at Xie Beishen with wide eyes. Could it be that Brother Shen wanted to find a partner?

“Brother Shen, you haven’t forgotten your grandmother’s instructions, have you? She wouldn’t let you find a partner in the village.”

“Just answer my question. Why so much nonsense?” Xie Beishen said.

Lin Yu gestured for Xie Beishen to look, and whispered, “Female Comrade Liu Caixia.”

Xie Beishen glanced in the direction Lin Yu indicated, then turned to him and said, “After you go home, go to the Military Region Hospital and get your eyes checked properly.” With that, he strode forward.

“What?”

Ophthalmology? Did Brother Shen mean that there was something wrong with his eyes?

Brother Shen never talked nonsense with him. What did his question today mean?

He thought that Brother Shen would definitely not find a partner, let alone someone from the countryside. The two of them had grown up together in the Imperial Capital Military Region Compound since childhood, and no one understood him better. He was upright, self-disciplined, respected propriety, kept himself pure, and had strict family education.

Many women liked him, but Brother Shen acted as if he didn’t see them and wouldn’t even give them a second glance.

His grandfather was a retired top commander, his father was currently the Imperial Capital Military Region Commander, his mother was a Military Region translator, and his grandmother was once a wealthy young lady, rumored to be very, very rich.

Xie Beishen was the sole heir for nine generations. His grandmother attached great importance to him finding a partner, especially caring about family background and upbringing. Before he came here, she specifically warned him not to find a village girl as a partner.

Before Lin Yu came to the countryside, he thought his grandmother was very prejudiced against rural people. After coming, he realized that people in the countryside really lacked culture, mainly because they had little schooling, with junior high being the highest level.

The village had severe patriarchal tendencies, and girls had even less schooling.

This time, it was also the old man who insisted that Brother Shen go to the countryside for a year as an Educated Youth, solely to let him experience rural life, cultivate endurance, and prepare for joining the army in the future.

Lin Yu jogged up to Xie Beishen and said, “Brother Shen, what I just said was the best-looking among the Educated Youth. I also know there’s a good-looking one in the village. That’s the Brigade Leader’s daughter. She’s better looking than Educated Youth Liu. Her name is Su Wanwan.”

“Heh, with your eyesight, I think it’s better to forget it,” Xie Beishen said.