Chapter 51 is a confession! When did I ever say I liked you? ...

"Waaah..."

With the sound of a whistle, the train from Yuanning City to Wumu City finally arrived at its destination.

Chen Mian got up from her berth, tied her hair back up, and tidied up her luggage.

She was about to get off the train with the others when she saw the familiar train attendant squeeze through the crowd. "Sister-in-law, don't move, let me help you with this."

Chen Mian was completely confused: "Who is your sister-in-law? You must have mistaken me for someone else."

The train conductor's eager smile faltered, and he awkwardly explained, "Look at my mouth, future sister-in-law, future sister-in-law."

Seeing that Chen Mian's puzzled expression seemed genuine, he said, "Sister-in-law, don't you know? It was Brother Ji Yu who asked me to take good care of you on the way."

Chen Mian shook her head silently, but a warm feeling washed over her.

Ji Yu, a grown man, is surprisingly thoughtful.

The train attendant picked up the two packages and walked towards the connecting area between the carriages, jokingly saying with a smile, "That must be my brother trying to do a good deed anonymously. That won't do. I'll be the first to disagree."

Chen Mian also thought he was pretty silly.

The two of them got off the train and walked to the platform exit in a casual manner.

"Brother, come quick, over here!" The train conductor suddenly put down his bag and waved frantically in one direction.

A few dozen seconds later, Ji Yu stood right in front of Chen Mian.

It had been two whole months since he last saw her, and his sweetheart seemed to have become even more beautiful. Her neat ponytail swayed in the wind, as if constantly teasing his heart.

He's been coming to the train station almost every day these days, even though he knows it's not time yet, he just can't help it, feeling that maybe this way he can get closer to her.

Maybe she arrived early, and maybe he just happened to pick her up.

If Chen Mian still hasn't come to Xinjiang by the end of the first lunar month, he really can't guarantee that he can resist going to the Northwest to find her.

Fortunately, God did not let him down, and he finally got what he had been waiting for.

Chen Mian also looked up at the man's handsome face. He seemed a little paler than before.

The train conductor didn't want to disturb the young couple's sweet moment, but the train station was crowded and he had to go to a meeting to hand over his duties. He gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, where is your train? I'll help you put your luggage there."

Ji Yu then realized what was happening, picked up all the luggage, and said, "No need, no need, you go ahead and do your work, we can go by ourselves."

"Okay, I'll be going now."

Ji Yu: "I'll treat you to dinner in a few days!"

Chen Mian followed Ji Yu out of the station, where a familiar jeep was already parked.

The two put their luggage away, opened the car door, and got in.

Ji Yu didn't rush to start the car. Instead, she took out a kettle and poured Chen Mian a bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork.

“You must not have eaten well on the train, so I specially cooked some porridge for you to tide you over. When we get home, my mom will cook you something delicious.”

Chen Mian hadn't eaten properly for several days on the train, and was feeling quite hungry.

She took the bowl from the man's hand, lowered her head and took a sip. The preserved egg was soft and glutinous, and the porridge base was very smooth. There was a hint of surprise in her eyes. "It's delicious! Your cooking skills have improved?"

Ji Yu was overjoyed to be praised by her sweetheart, but then she touched her head shyly and said modestly, "I still need to continue learning. After I graduate, I will cook for you."

Upon hearing the man's words, Chen Mian quickly waved her hand in refusal, "How can that be? You're not going to work anymore, are you going to cook for me every day?"

"But...but didn't you say you like men who can cook?"

"When did I say that?" The words had barely left her lips when Chen Mian recalled her casual remark at the Poplar Tree Hotel, and her tone became somewhat guilty as she spoke again.

"What I mean is that being able to cook is a plus, but I don't mean you have to cook every day. You're so busy with work, how can you have time for that?"

Ji Yu only heard what she wanted to hear, "Mu Mian, are you concerned about me? Are you worried about how busy I am with work?"

"You're still blaming me for being too busy with work and not having time to spend with you all the time."

Chen Mian was somewhat flustered by the man's sudden outburst, and the porridge in her bowl suddenly lost its appeal.

She finished her porridge in a few gulps, wiped her mouth, and frowned slightly. "Can't you speak properly? What nonsense are you spouting? Be normal."

The tall man inside the car huddled together, looking somewhat aggrieved. "I was just afraid you'd disappear again. We live so far apart, and we haven't seen each other for two months."

"Do you no longer like me?"

Chen Mian looked at the man's pitiful appearance and didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she still pretended to be serious and corrected him, "When did I ever say I liked you?"

Ji Yu's mind came back to normal. "Oh right, you haven't told me you like me yet. Never mind then."

"But what if you don't let me continue pursuing her?"

Chen Mian blinked her round almond eyes repeatedly, her lips slightly upturned, revealing delicate and adorable dimples: "I never said anything like that."

"When will I be able to become a full-fledged employee?" Ji Yu took the opportunity to probe.

"We'll see how you perform, Officer Ji."

"Watch my performance? Does that mean I'm already in the evaluation period?" The man's brain, which had been malfunctioning since falling into one-sided infatuation, finally came to its senses, and he wanted to claim half of the title for himself.

Chen Mianmian then realized that she had been tricked by him.

But the words had already been spoken, so she had no choice but to accept it.

"Calculate."

A single, simple word, yet it carried immense weight, exploding in Ji Yu's heart like a dazzling firework.

He chuckled a few times and tentatively asked again, "Can I get a little advance on some perks from my future girlfriend?"

Chen Mian narrowed her eyes, staring at the other person with a wary expression: "What do you want?"

Ji Yu raised his right hand and swore, "Please rest assured, leader, I absolutely did not intend to do anything bad."

"I just want to shake hands with the leader!"

"What's so great about holding hands?" Chen Mianmian asked, extending her right hand with a hint of disbelief.

Ji Yu rubbed his hands on his pants and finally touched—no, he grasped—his sweet and soft little hand.

He was overjoyed, as happy as a flower.

The night is completely over, can dawn be far behind?

After a while, Chen Mian's right hand was still tightly held in the man's large, strong hands.

She stared suspiciously at the man's unfocused eyes, trying to pull her hand away, but couldn't break free. So she raised her left hand and waved it in front of the man's eyes.

"Hey, are you asleep?"

"Huh? I'm not asleep." I just wanted to immerse myself in sleep a little longer.

Chen Mian looked up at the sky outside the window, urged the man to start the car and return to the farm, and asked her friend, "Is Cuiping doing well at your house lately? I hope she hasn't bothered you. She's very easy to get along with."

As Ji Yu turned the key, she replied calmly, "She moved out."

Chen Mian's expression froze, and her tone became tense, worried that something might have happened to her friend. She quickly asked:

"Do you know where she moved to? What happened? She told me before she left that she would wait for me at your house."

"Don't worry, she's fine. She found a job with room and board included, and said she was worried that staying at our house would have a bad influence, so she moved out," Ji Yu explained patiently.

"Do you know where she moved to?"

"I know, it's a clothing store in the city, what's it called..." Ji Yu parked the car on the side of the road and thought carefully before finally remembering the name of the store.

"No other woman can wear this!"

"She said you know the place."

Hearing the somewhat familiar name, Chen Mian recalled a scene from her memory: This was...

When she first came to Xinjiang, it was a clothing store owned by a businessman named Wu Wei.

How did Cuiping get involved with this person?

How did they meet?

Chen Mian's thoughts shifted, and she urged the man to turn around and head to "Wu Er Women's Clothing".

She was still worried. Although Wu Wei looked charming, the fact that he could be friends with Chen Zhelan meant he might not be a good person either.

She needs to persuade Li Cuiping to find a new job.

Or they could start a farm together; they could build a successful business together in Xinjiang.

Yuquan Street.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Chen Mianmian eagerly opened the door and jumped out.

She stared at the words "Wu Er Nu Zao" (无二女装, meaning "Unique Women's Clothing") in front of her, her expression complex.

Along the way, she still couldn't figure out when her friend had any contact with Wu Wei, except for that time when Li Cuiping had just returned to Wumu City and went to the west of the city to look for her.

She wasn't worried about the salary and benefits of Cuiping's new job; Boss Wu was quite generous.

She was just worried that Cuiping, being naive and inexperienced, might be deceived by a man.

Although Wu Wei looks young, he has a child at home, and he has openly stated that he wants to find a stepmother for his child.

Cuiping is sensible and capable. What if he manages to coax her into becoming his stepmother with just a few words?

Chen Mian frowned, took a few steps up the stairs, and lifted the plastic curtain.

"Welcome! What would you like to buy?"

"Kapok? What brings you here?"

Li Cuiping was dozing off behind the counter when she heard someone come in. She had just mechanically finished saying her greetings when she looked up and saw Chen Mian's figure.

"Come in and sit down, I thought you wouldn't be back for a few more days." Li Cuiping warmly invited her friends to sit down and poured them water.

As soon as Chen Mian sat down, she got straight to the point and asked, "Didn't you say you would wait for me at the wolfberry farm? Why did you move out by yourself again?"

Her brows furrowed even deeper. "Do you know that Wu Wei wants to find a stepmother for his son? And you're still working at his shop?"

Seeing the anger in her friend's voice, Li Cuiping quickly comforted her, "I was just sitting idly at someone else's house, so I came to the city to see if I could find some work to do."

Mr. Wu's shop happened to be short-staffed, offering 500 yuan a month, including room and board. So I agreed.

"When the harvest season comes, I'll go back to the farm to earn money, so I can do both at the same time."

"Look at the clothes I'm wearing now, aren't they beautiful?" Li Cuiping got up and turned around to show her friend her clothes.

Her hair hadn't grown long yet, but it was permed into delicate curls, and she wore makeup, with blue-green eyeshadow and bright red lips.

It's like he's become a completely different person.

Chen Mian sat in the chair without saying a word, and Li Cuiping wasn't angry either, continuing to ramble on, "I've finally figured it out. Why should I spend the money I earn on those ungrateful wretches? Wouldn't it be better to spend it on myself?"

"Why can Li Huandi live a life of luxury and even get her hair permed, while I can only wear those tattered clothes forever and endure her beatings and scoldings?"

Li Cuiping said firmly, "Don't try to persuade me anymore. I won't go back. If she asks again, just say I died out there."

"I'm not here to persuade you to go back. I just want you to be wary of Wu Wei and not let him deceive you," Chen Mian explained when she saw her friend's displeased expression.

"I know you've had a tough time these past few years. You've just started working and earning money on your own, so it's only right that you enjoy yourself a bit."

I just hope you can protect yourself. Wu Wei can be friends with Chen Zhelan, and he's such a big boss. Don't believe everything he says.

Li Cuiping's eyes flickered, but she insisted that she and Wu Wei had nothing going on, that they were just a normal boss and employee.

“He’s a big boss, how could he possibly be interested in a junior high school student like me?”

"Besides, Mr. Wu isn't the kind of person you're describing; he's a very nice guy."

If he hadn't helped me up back then, who knows what would have happened to me...

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Author's Note: I suddenly remembered the origin of the male and female protagonists' names. I originally wanted to wait until the epilogue to reveal it, but since I've been playing this game online recently, and the male protagonist finally confessed, I'll just consider it a wonderful new beginning for my main characters.

The female lead's name comes from the kapok flower, hoping that she can be as brave and determined as the kapok flower, cherish the little happiness around her, have a heroic spirit, and also have a passionate and romantic love.

The male protagonist's name comes from a soup: stir-fried kapok flowers and barley with crucian carp soup, which is believed to have the effect of clearing heat and removing dampness. Therefore, their future child will also be named Chen Yimi (陈薏米). Elm trees also symbolize good fortune, wealth, longevity, and resilience.

Anyway, I hope I finish this soon; there are probably about 100 chapters left!