Taking advantage of the rare holiday, Ye Haochen naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to strengthen his relationship with Jiang Xile. However, he was unaware that his previous actions had led to him being tricked by Xiao Chengyi.

That morning, Ye Haochen got up early and spent a long time getting ready before leaving the educated youth settlement under the astonished gazes of everyone.

Jiang Xile had just finished breakfast and was planning to go out for a walk today. She had finally gotten three days off, and it would be so boring to stay cooped up at home all the time.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they stepped out of the gate of the educated youth settlement, they saw Ye Haochen standing by the roadside.

"Why did you come here? Did you come to see me?"

When Ye Haochen saw Jiang Xile come out, a light flashed in his eyes. Every time he saw her, his eyes would light up for no reason. He felt that she was the most special girl in the world.

"Of course, you're the only one I know at your educated youth settlement. Didn't we agree to have dinner together? It's a holiday today, let's go to the commune together!"

"this...."

Remembering what Xiao Chengyi had said earlier, Jiang Xile hesitated for a moment, but considering her grandparents, she decided to have a good talk with Ye Haochen.

"No need for a meal. Let's take a walk by the river while the weather's nice today!"

"Ah...oh, okay! I'll do whatever you say!"

For some reason, Ye Haochen sensed a hint of estrangement in Jiang Xile's tone, which made his heart skip a beat. His sixth sense told him that something bad might happen.

Watching Jiang Xile's retreating figure, Ye Haochen felt somewhat uneasy, but he still followed in her footsteps.

The two arrived at the riverbank, the same place where Xiao Chengyi had confessed his feelings yesterday. Jiang Xile stared at the river, lost in thought.

Seeing that Jiang Xile remained silent, Ye Haochen couldn't help but ask a question.

"Joy, is something on your mind? You don't seem to be in a good mood!"

Jiang Xile turned her head, looked at Ye Haochen, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"I just remembered something. Xiao Chengyi confessed to me yesterday, right here!"

"What!"

Ye Haochen immediately tensed up, staring intently at Jiang Xile as he asked:

"You agreed?"

Seeing Ye Haochen's reaction, Jiang Xile was once again certain of her previous thoughts. It was definitely not just her wishful thinking, but that Ye Haochen really liked her.

Just as Ye Haochen was feeling uneasy, Jiang Xile spoke up:

"I rejected him, and we talked it out. From now on, we'll just be friends. He's probably on his way back to his unit right now!"

Ye Haochen breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't agree, he didn't care where Xiao Chengyi went.

"It's good that you left. Otherwise, it would be awkward to keep running into each other all the time!"

"It's nothing. Didn't we say we'd still be friends? It's normal for friends to meet up."

"Yes...yes! Hehe, I was overthinking it, sorry!"

Jiang Xile gave Ye Haochen a serious look and said meaningfully:

"You didn't do anything wrong, so what's there to apologize for? But this incident has reminded me of something."

It would be better if we saw each other less often in the future. If others misunderstand, it would be quite troublesome to explain later.

"It's fine for the two of us, but it wouldn't be good if it affected Grandpa and Grandma, or Grandpa He and the others."

Ye Haochen felt as if a bolt from the blue had struck him on the head. Why should they have to reduce the number of times they meet just because Xiao Chengyi confessed his feelings?

How can you cultivate feelings without meeting in person? How can he slowly boil a frog in water like that? What if someone else beats him to it?

Ye Haochen was full of questions, but one thing was certain: he didn't want to reduce the number of times they met.

"Xile, I... didn't you say we're friends? It's normal for friends to meet, so why do we need to deliberately avoid suspicion? Besides, you're not the kind of person who's timid or afraid of trouble!"

Jiang Xile shook her head.

"This has nothing to do with being timid or afraid of trouble. I'm different from you. I'm young, and I don't plan to date or get married in the next few years."

You're older than me, and Grandpa He is really looking forward to having a great-granddaughter. I can't let my situation affect your search for a partner; I'd be letting Grandpa He down."

"I...I didn't..."

Before Ye Haochen could finish speaking, he was interrupted again by Jiang Xile.

"I know you've always treated me like a younger sister, but I get along very well with the other people at the educated youth settlement."

My grandparents are doing relatively well now, so unless there's an unexpected situation requiring my attention, please try not to come to the educated youth settlement to see me anymore!

Ye Haochen's unease was finally confirmed. He knew that Jiang Xile's sudden statement must have been due to something happening, or she must have sensed something.

Otherwise, why would they suddenly have to keep their distance when they were getting along so naturally and harmoniously before?

"Xile, did I do something wrong to make you angry? If you have any complaints, you can tell me directly. Your behavior really makes me feel bad!"

"Feeling bad? It can't be that bad! Besides, I didn't say anything!"

Seeing Jiang Xile's half-hearted evasion, Ye Haochen became anxious. He didn't want her to distance herself from him, and he didn't want to be excluded from her world.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Ye Haochen, and he remembered Xiao Chengyi.

He grabbed Jiang Xile's arm in a flustered manner and asked:

"Xile, did Xiao Chengyi say something that made you treat me like this?!"

"Let go!"

After shaking off Ye Haochen's grip on her wrist, Jiang Xile laughed and said:

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