Xu Xinghe had always thought Zhang Qianqian had a good personality. She was raised by Zhang Qiang and was very naive, simple-minded, and kind. But she never expected that Zhang Qianqian also had her own little schemes.

She likes Jiang Linchuan and wants to be with him, which Xu Xinghe can understand.

But I can't understand what she's doing.

To truly love someone is never to use such means to oppress or seize them, but rather to give them your true heart.

Even if it might fail.

Xu Xinghe felt even more heartbroken looking at Jiang Linchuan's wounds.

This is only the first day, and it's already turned out like this.

What happened after that?

Moreover, if this injury is left untreated until tomorrow, it will at most form a shallow scab, and it will hurt even more when you go back to work.

Jiang Linchuan held her hand, his palm burning hot. "Don't worry about me, this little injury is nothing to me."

The more he said that, the more aggrieved Xu Xinghe felt, her eyes welling up with tears. "Stop talking, you're just here to annoy me."

“When I was in the army, I had to carry equipment over mountains with hemp ropes. We walked for a whole day and night, and my shoulders were so raw and bleeding from the ropes that my clothes were stuck together with the blood. When I changed the dressings at night, the skin was still attached to the bandages when I tore them off. But I still made it through.”

His fingertips gently brushed against the back of Xu Xinghe's hand. "This injury is nothing compared to what happened back then, so don't worry."

“But that was before. You don’t have to suffer like this now…” If it were out of necessity, Xu Xinghe wouldn’t say anything, but Zhang Qiang did it on purpose!

All of this could have been avoided.

“That’s how missions are; they’re never smooth sailing. There are always all sorts of unexpected events and troubles that come knocking. What’s happened now is already considered good. At least we can still move freely and keep an eye on Zhang Qiang’s movements. For the sake of the mission, I have to endure it. Carrying saplings is tiring, but it can also make Zhang Qiang lower his guard and think that I’ve been got under his control. Once he’s off guard, we can find a more suitable opportunity to get leverage over him.”

Xu Xinghe looked at the bandage wrapped around his shoulder. Although she still felt sorry for him, she understood that he was telling the truth.

She sniffed and nodded gently. "I understand. I won't advise you to give up, but you must take good care of yourself and don't push yourself too hard."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Jiang Linchuan smiled, glanced at the sky, and said, "Your wounds are all healed. You should go back to your dorm and rest. You have to get up early to work tomorrow."

Xu Xinghe wanted to say something more, but seeing the weariness that Jiang Linchuan couldn't hide in his eyes, she swallowed her words and picked up the medicine bottle and gauze. "Then I'm leaving. Remember to change the dressing on time. If there are any problems with the wound, be sure to tell me."

"Okay." Jiang Linchuan nodded in agreement, and only after watching Xu Xinghe walk out of the woods did he slowly stand up and raise his hand to press his stiff shoulders.

The female educated youth dormitory remained as silent as ever.

Zhao Xiaoyan is making the bed.

Xu Xinghe put the medicine bottle back into the cloth bag and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), but he couldn't calm down.

Jiang Linchuan's shoulder was already injured. If he continued to carry saplings every day, the wound would definitely get worse and might even become infected.

She had to find a way to stop Jiang Linchuan from doing this job, otherwise he would really be exhausted.

Just as she was racking her brains for a solution, the dormitory door was pushed open with a bang, and Wang Lili walked in with a smug smile on her face and a piece of fruit candy in her hand.

That was given to her by Liu Hu.

She had just returned from Liu Hu's place and heard from him that Jiang Linchuan had been assigned to carry saplings. She assumed that Jiang Linchuan had offended Liu Hu and was being targeted by Zhang Qiang, and she was feeling smug.

Seeing Xu Xinghe sitting on the edge of the bed, Wang Lili deliberately raised her voice and said sarcastically, "Some people, just because they have some ability, are blind and offend people they shouldn't have. Now look what happened! They've been assigned to do the hardest work. They brought this on themselves!"

Xu Xinghe was already in a bad mood because of Jiang Linchuan's matter, and when she heard Wang Lili's words, her anger flared up instantly.

She couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up abruptly, strode over to Wang Lili, grabbed her hair, and slapped her twice.

"Slap! Slap!"

Two crisp sounds rang out clearly in the dormitory.

Zhao Xiaoyan was startled, and the clothes in her hands fell to the ground. She froze on the spot, unable to say a word.

She had never seen Xu Xinghe so fierce before. The Xu Xinghe of the past was always gentle and patient, and even when she was targeted by Wang Lili, she would just silently endure it.

Wang Lili was also stunned by the beating. The fruit candy in her hand fell to the ground. She covered her face, her eyes filled with shock and fear, and for a moment forgot to question him.

Xu Xinghe released her grip, her eyes filled with coldness. "Wang Lili, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Don't think that just because I look weak and honest, I'm easy to bully. If you dare to say such sarcastic things to me again, or target me and my cousin again, next time it won't be as simple as just two slaps. I will definitely not be polite!"

Wang Lili regained her senses, then suddenly screamed and rushed forward like a madwoman, grabbing at Xu Xinghe's hair with her claws outstretched, "Li Juan! You dare hit me! I'll fight you to the death!"

But before her hand could even touch him, Xu Xinghe grabbed her wrist with her other hand.

Xu Xinghe secretly drank the spiritual spring water every day, which not only improved her skin condition but also made her physical fitness far superior to that of ordinary women, and she was much stronger than Wang Lili.

With a little force, she twisted Wang Lili's arm behind her back and pushed her forward. Wang Lili lost her balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

Before she could get up, Xu Xinghe had already stepped forward, knelt on one knee on her back, and pressed her shoulders down, pinning her to the ground.

These are the control techniques she learned in the military.

Unexpectedly, instead of using it on criminals, it was used on educated youth first.

Wang Lili struggled to get up, but Xu Xinghe's body was like a huge boulder. No matter how she twisted and turned, she couldn't move and could only lie on the ground with her hair disheveled and stuck to the dusty floor.

"Let me go! Li Juan, let me go!" Wang Lili screamed like a madwoman, her eyes filled with venom. "You wait! I won't let you get away with this! I'm going to find Liu Hu right now and have him deal with you! Then we'll see how arrogant you are!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xinghe's lips curled into a mocking smile. He leaned close to her ear, his voice low but clear, "Find Liu Hu? You think he'll help you?"

She deliberately slowed her speech, enunciating each word clearly, "You've only known Liu Hu for a few days, and you're already hooking up with him. Do you really think you're some kind of treasure? The male educated youth have already spread the word that you offered yourself up, and Liu Hu just treats you like a joke, like teasing a dog. Do you really think you're something special in his eyes?"

"No...it's impossible!" Wang Lili's body stiffened abruptly, her voice instantly turning shrill. "You're lying! Liu Hu is clearly very good to me. He even gave me candy and said he would protect me! You're just jealous of me and deliberately made up lies to deceive me!"

"Lying to you?" Xu Xinghe sneered, released her hand from her shoulder, stood up, and looked down at her. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Zhang Guoming and the others tomorrow to see if what I said is true. When Liu Hu was chatting with his brothers, he already told them about you two as a joke, saying that you were proactive and obedient, and that he would dump you once the novelty wore off."