Xie Zhuo and Xu Yan's eyes met, and they both paused for a moment.

Xie Zhuo never expected that this young Xu, who was usually always looking down, seemed timid and not good at speaking. His impression of her was that she was tall and thin, and had not tanned at all even after being in Qingshan Brigade for more than half a year, making the people standing next to her look like charcoal. He never expected that she would be so pretty up close.

As for Xu Yan...

She was simply bombarded with beauty filters once again.

The joy of being a "face-value enthusiast" is something no one understands yet.

"Xu Yan," Zhou Jingjing called out to Xu Yan as soon as she saw her arrive, "Xu Yan, tell me yourself, did you give us the food?"

After she finished speaking, she gave Xu Yan a subtle, warning glare, reminding him to be careful with his words.

Little did she know that her little action was seen clearly by everyone present.

Xu Yan only snapped out of his daze upon hearing her words and looked away.

"Did you hear that?" Zhou Jingjing said, a little anxious as she tugged at her sleeve when she saw that she hadn't spoken.

Xu Yan "..."

I heard it, I heard it, I heard it!

She thought to herself, but outwardly she seemed startled by Zhou Jingjing's actions, trembled slightly, glanced at her timidly, and then silently lowered her head again.

It's just acting, isn't it?

She will too.

Although she didn't say anything, her behavior made it seem like she had said everything. If you asked further, you would find out that the educated youth not only stole her things, but also threatened and intimidated her in front of everyone.

The educated youth at the settlement were stunned by her action.

Captain Song Guangming's expression also changed.

"Xu Yan, what do you mean by this?" Zhou Jingjing was caught off guard by her reaction, and her voice immediately rose, sounding both anxious and angry.

"You were the one who gave us the things willingly in the first place, and you even said that if we didn't want them, we wouldn't have you as a friend!"

oh?

You took the items, but you didn't treat the original owner as a friend.

Xu Yan thought to himself that he was complaining, but he didn't show it on his face.

“That’s right, Xu Yan,” Ye Wei hadn’t expected Xu Yan to suddenly act like this. She had thought that Xu Yan had calmed down after Han Xiaoyu’s words in the kitchen, but she hadn’t expected…

“I know you’re angry about Qianqian accidentally knocking you down just now,” Ye Wei said.

"Qianqian? Which Qianqian?"

One aunt asked another aunt standing next to her.

“Who else could it be?” Granny Zhang suddenly interjected, “It’s Liang Qian from the educated youth settlement, the one who looks down on everyone. She doesn’t seem like someone to be trifled with.”

After she said that, no one else said anything more.

If we're talking about the one with the worst temper and the most contemptuous attitude among the educated youth in this settlement, it has to be Liang, that educated youth.

“But I have already sincerely apologized to you on her behalf,” Ye Wei sighed. Seeing that everyone’s attention was on her, she continued, “You said before that you wouldn’t pursue the matter, but now… if you’re still angry, I will apologize to you again.”

After saying that, in order to appear more "sincere," he bowed to Xu Yan and said, "I'm sorry."

"If that's not enough, I'll go find Qianqian in a bit and have her apologize to you. See if that calms you down. If it still doesn't work, then you can push me down too."

"I just hope that you can talk to everyone properly, stop making trouble, and stop joining outsiders in slandering and smearing the educated youth settlement. After all, you are one of us."

Xie Zhuo, an outsider, raised an eyebrow slightly.

Ye Wei appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him, earnestly and patiently trying to persuade him.

The results were quite significant.

But not to Xu Yan.

Some of the onlookers who were just watching the spectacle began to waver.

“Ye Zhiqing, I understand now. This matter has nothing to do with you. It was all caused by that Liang Zhiqing.”

"That's right, why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong, Liang Zhiqing was the one who was wrong."

Ye Wei gave a wry smile, a hint of helplessness in her expression.

"If you ask me, it's Xiao Xu, the educated youth, who's being so persistent. It's just a fall, what country folk haven't fallen on the edge of the field?"

"Exactly, I don't see any injuries on her body."

"It's just a fall. These city people are too pampered. No wonder they are sent to the countryside to receive re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants. This kind of pampering is not good."

Xu Yan, who was inexplicably being criticized, was speechless.

Is it all Liang Qian's fault?

Did she help outsiders smear and slander the educated youth settlement?

Why is she making such a big deal out of such a trivial matter, forcing someone who has done nothing wrong to apologize?

Xu Yan now truly believes that Ye Wei is a talented individual.

They are particularly suited to work in public relations in later generations.

MD

First of all, his shamelessness and acting skills are unmatched.

She can turn black into white with just her words.

He even managed to steer some people's attention astray single-handedly.

Wow, sister! If I hadn't read the original text, I would have thought you were the female lead.

"So, you mean that because Liang Qian made Xu Yan fall, she changed her story and said that the things weren't a gift for you, but that you stole them?"

After listening for a long time, Song Guangming finally came to this conclusion.

“Yes, that’s it,” Wu Shi said before Ye Wei could speak.

Song Guangming glanced at him, then looked at Xu Yan, who had been standing silently to the side, and asked, "Little Xu, is that right?"

All eyes turned back to Xu Yan.

"I," Xu Yan had barely uttered a single word when he suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!