Chapter 244 One sentence caused Lin Wan'er to collapse!

She gives and dedicates herself every day, yet all she receives in return are empty words of praise.

But she herself grew thinner and more haggard.

She hoped that Qin Zheng could see her "kindness" and understand her "good intentions".

But Qin Zheng, the one she considered her biggest future support, showed a chilling indifference to all of this.

He is meticulous and far more thoughtful than the average person.

Lin Wan'er's sudden "fame" and the overly smooth publicity path behind it made him sense something unusual.

This is not the kind of energy that an ordinary rural girl could have; there must be an invisible hand driving it from behind.

His newly established trust in Lin Wan'er began to waver.

The conflict finally erupted during a severe food shortage.

Several days of blizzards prevented supply trucks from reaching the mountains.

The food rations for the entire educated youth settlement were almost gone.

For their last meal, each person was given only half a bowl of corn porridge so thin that you could see your reflection in it.

Under the hungry gazes of everyone, Lin Wan'er once again played the role of a saint.

Trembling, she handed her half-bowl of life-saving food to a girl who had just turned sixteen.

"Little sister, you eat, you're not well."

After doing all this, she felt like she was about to collapse, and her vision blurred.

With her last bit of strength, she cast a pleading look at Qin Zheng in the corner.

She hoped he would rush over, support her, or at least say a word of concern.

However, Qin Zheng just looked at her coldly.

Lin Wan'er could no longer hold on; her body went limp, and amidst the gasps of the crowd, she fainted from hunger.

When she woke up again, she was lying on the cold earthen bed, surrounded by several female educated youths who were feeding her hot water.

She weakly looked around, but did not see the figure she most wanted to see.

In the evening, Qin Zheng finally appeared at the door of her dormitory.

Lin Wan'er struggled to sit up, her face pale with illness, her eyes brimming with tears of grievance.

"Brother Qin..."

She wanted comfort.

Qin Zheng simply stood at the doorway, not coming in. He was backlit, so his expression was unclear.

Was it all worth it?

He spoke, his tone flat and without any inflection.

Lin Wan'er was stunned.

"Is it worth it to ruin yourself like this for a hollow reputation, to make others think you're a good person?"

Qin Zheng's voice remained calm, yet it was like the sharpest knife, precisely cutting through all her pretense.

Lin Wan'er could no longer hold back her tears, and they streamed down her face.

This was the first time she had lost her composure in front of Qin Zheng; she cried and screamed like a helpless child.

"I didn't! I just wanted to be a good person! Why is it so hard to be a good person!"

Qin Zheng looked at her and slowly shook his head.

"You don't want to be a good person."

He hit the nail on the head.

"You just want everyone to think you're a good person."

These words completely shattered Lin Wan'er's psychological defenses.

She stared blankly at Qin Zheng, watching him turn and leave without a trace of lingering affection in his departing figure.

The bridge between the two, built of lies and scheming, collapsed at that moment.

While the wind and snow in the Northwest chilled people's hearts, Hainan Island, thousands of miles away, was a scene of vibrant life.

After the port explosion and the pharmaceutical factory crisis subsided, Gu Beixiao completely relied on the logistics department.

Using the pretext of "supervising the progress of reconstruction work after the fire," he made three trips a day to the cultural troupe where Chu Jingya was located.

Today we'll deliver a net full of big crabs fresh from the fishing boat, and tomorrow we'll bring a basket of juicy lychees.

The girls in the performing arts troupe would all tease him if they saw him.

"Jingya, your young master Gu is here to bring you warmth again!"

Chu Jingya would blush every time, saying "Who's family with him?" but her heart was bubbling with sweetness.

That day, Gu Beixiao came to ambush people again.

After dropping Chu Jingya off at home, he stopped downstairs.

Chu Jingya felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. "You...is there anything else?"

Gu Beixiao leaned against the big banyan tree downstairs, his peach blossom eyes staring straight at her, making Chu Jingya feel flustered.

He suddenly stood up straight and walked towards her step by step.

Chu Jingya instinctively stepped back until her back hit the cold wall, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

Gu Beixiao braced his hands on either side of her body, trapping her firmly between himself and the wall.

He couldn't hold back any longer.

With his ears red, he growled in a low voice, in an unreasonable and extremely domineering tone.

"Chu Jingya, I don't care whether you agree or not!"

Anyway, you're mine from now on!

This lewd confession made Chu Jingya both amused and embarrassed, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

She looked at the man in front of her; he was incredibly domineering, yet his ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

A surge of courage, I don't know where it came from.

She suddenly stood on tiptoe and quickly kissed his still bewildered cheek.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, they part ways in an instant.

"rogue!"

She uttered two words, her face flushed, and turned to run upstairs, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her throat.

Gu Beixiao stood there, stunned.

He subconsciously raised his hand and touched the spot where she had kissed him; the soft touch of her lips still lingered there.

It took him a long time to realize what was happening.

He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and stood downstairs, chuckling to himself for a long time.

Life on the island is filled with the busyness of reconstruction and the joy of rebirth.

Just as everyone was immersed in this peace.

One late night, all was quiet.

A black jeep with special military license plates, without its headlights on, silently glided into the military compound like a black lightning bolt.

The car stopped under a large tree not far from the Gu family's courtyard.

The car door opened.

A tall and imposing figure stepped out of the car.

He was dressed in a dusty combat uniform, still bearing the traces of gunpowder and frost. His chilling aura seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the deep night, fixed on the two-story building not far away, illuminated by a dim yellow light.

Gu Beichen is back.

The night was as dark as ink.

The familiar wooden door of the Gu family courtyard was gently pushed open by a large, well-defined hand without making a sound.

Gu Beichen is back.

Only a dim wall lamp remained in the living room, casting a warm glow over the familiar furniture.

More than three months of life-and-death struggles in the border jungle, amidst gunfire and bloody battles, all seemed like a distant and hazy dream the moment I stepped into my home.

The chilling aura he exuded from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood subsided quietly upon contact with this tranquil air.

He changed out of his mud-covered military boots, and barefoot, he walked silently, step by step.

The bedroom door was ajar.

He gently pushed the door open and, in the dim light coming in from the living room, saw the figure on the bed that haunted his dreams.