In order to appease Zhai Qiaoyun, Li Hongwei unsuspectingly told her about his plan to scheme against Jiang Xile.

In Li Hongwei's view, Zhai Qiaoyun came to him in order to deal with Jiang Xile, but unfortunately she failed.

Now that he had helped her, they were naturally comrades in the same trench, and Zhai Qiaoyun would never betray him.

Zhai Qiaoyun never expected that Li Hongwei would actually try to use Duan Nianzhen as an inside agent to deal with Jiang Xile.

Having learned her lesson from the last incident, she could tell, even though she wasn't very smart, that Jiang Xile wasn't as simple as she appeared.

Having thought of this, Zhai Qiaoyun suppressed her emotions and gave emotional feedback on Li Hongwei's plan.

"Oh my god, I didn't expect you to still remember this. I really do dislike Jiang Xile, so you've helped me get revenge."

"Yes, we are husband and wife, so of course I care about you. Duan Nianzhen is the most important part of the plan, and we must win her over. So Qiaoyun, you absolutely must not target her!"

Knowing that Li Hongwei meant he was afraid she would make things difficult for Duan Nianzhen, Zhai Qiaoyun felt speechless.

What a joke! I don't know where Li Hongwei gets his confidence from. Even if she married him, it doesn't mean she likes him!

She even made things difficult for others because of him? Don't be ridiculous. If Li Hongwei wanted to divorce her now and marry Duan Nianzhen, she wouldn't even try to stop him.

She couldn't be happier that these two were completely locked together; one was as stupid as a pig, and the other was self-righteous—they were truly a perfect match!

"Don't worry, I won't say anything more, and I certainly won't make things difficult for Duan Nianzhen!"

Satisfied with the answer he wanted, Li Hongwei left the kitchen.

"There's still some rabbit meat left over from yesterday, right? Let's heat it up and eat it at noon, otherwise it'll spoil if we leave it too long!"

"Okay, dinner will be ready soon. I don't need to wake you up, do I?"

"Cough cough..."

For some reason, Li Hongwei seemed to feel a momentary guilty, and coughed twice before saying:

"No need, I'll go wake Nianzhen up right now, you go about your business!"

After saying that, he quickly left the kitchen.

In the inner room, Duan Nianzhen, exhausted, was fast asleep on the kang (heated brick bed), her neck, arms, and shoulders covered with marks left by Li Hongwei.

Looking at those mottled red marks, Li Hongwei felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

"Zhenzhen, Zhenzhen... wake up and eat! You have to go back to the educated youth settlement this afternoon!"

"Um...."

Duan Nianzhen responded, but she was too tired to keep her eyes open, so she turned over and fell asleep again.

Seeing her like this, Li Hongwei felt a tickle in his heart and unconsciously kissed her.

Duan Nianzhen, still asleep, felt her breathing become labored, which woke her up.

"What are you doing? I'm so sleepy... Stop messing around!"

With a coquettish tone, full of endearment, Li Hongwei patiently coaxed:

"It's already noon, get up and eat first. You have to go back to the educated youth settlement this afternoon. Staying here too long won't be good for your reputation!"

"Now you're thinking about my reputation? Where were you before?! I'm like this now, and it's all your fault!"

"Okay, honey, don't be angry. I couldn't help myself. Besides, I've already asked Qiaoyun to help you ask for leave."

She told the team leader that you were sick, and that you should go home and rest this afternoon before going to work tomorrow!

Duan Nianzhen frowned. She didn't want to work even for a day, but unfortunately, she couldn't!

Coaxed by Li Hongwei, Duan Nianzhen weakly climbed off the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up her wrinkled clothes, and put them on.

Just then, Zhai Qiaoyun carried the food and pushed open the door to come in.

Duan Nianzhen looked up, and their eyes met. Only then did she feel a little awkward; she had slept with her best friend's man...

Noticing Duan Nianzhen's embarrassment, Li Hongwei immediately spoke up:

"Qiaoyun, dinner's ready! It smells delicious! Thank you for your hard work, Zhenzhen. Why don't you go wash up and we'll eat together!"

Urged on by Li Hongwei, Duan Nianzhen walked out with a flushed face. Zhai Qiaoyun didn't care about the apology in her eyes. Since things had come to this point, she had nothing more to say.

"Qiaoyun, you promised me before, so don't give Zhenzhen a hard time later. This isn't her fault!"

Zhai Qiaoyun scoffed inwardly. Li Hongwei was still caught up in the novelty of getting his hands on her, yet he was already quite fond of Duan Nianzhen.

“Since I said I wouldn’t make things difficult for her, I won’t. But I really can’t do what I used to do. After all, she’s my good friend, and you’re my husband, whom I’ve registered my marriage with!”

Duan Nianzhen, who was standing outside the door, naturally heard Zhai Qiaoyun's words and felt very guilty. She didn't know why things had turned out this way.

She pushed open the door, walked up to Zhai Qiaoyun, and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry, Qiaoyun. I don't know how things turned out this way. I hurt you. I'm so sorry. Don't worry, I won't see Brother Li again!"

Before Zhai Qiaoyun could even speak, Li Hongwei was the first to panic.

"Zhenzhen, what are you saying? This isn't entirely your fault. I couldn't help myself either. Blame me if you must. Qiaoyun, didn't we agree? Say something!"

Looking at Duan Nianzhen's tear-streaked face and Li Hongwei's anxious expression, Zhai Qiaoyun felt nauseous.

Not wanting to watch their performance any longer, Zhai Qiaoyun lowered her eyes and said expressionlessly:

"I'll pretend I don't know anything about this. You two can do whatever you want. Let's eat. I have to go to work this afternoon!"

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