Chapter 12

He He was caught off guard and bumped into Chen Jingbai's deep, dark eyes. His gaze was still indifferent, but she could tell that something seemed to have changed.

His handsome face was no longer cold and aloof when he looked at her; it had a touch of humanity.

He He looked away, biting the soft flesh inside her lower lip. Chen Jingbai didn't seem to dislike her as much anymore, which pleased her. If Chen Jingbai could change even a little bit, she believed that with her extraordinary skills, she could definitely win him over and become the female lead.

Thinking of this, He He couldn't help but feel happy again.

The slight worry I had this morning has also disappeared.

Chen Jingbai was glad that she was different from those thugs; she wasn't that bad, and she could be good to him.

He He stuffed the sweet potato rice mixed with luncheon meat into her mouth and chewed it with relish. The luncheon meat was so delicious. She had never thought it was so good before.

He He finished her meal and placed the bowl on the table.

Those who finished eating first left first, with He He being the last, while Li Baiyun waited to wash the dishes.

Li Baiyun looked at He He after she finished eating and smiled, "Little He, you've finished eating. Leave the bowl there and I'll take it to wash. You should go back and rest. I see you've been tired all morning."

He He was in a good mood and asked Li Baiyun, "After you finish washing the dishes, come and rest quickly."

Li Baiyun had never received such a kind question from He He before. She looked at the delicate and bright He He and was somewhat taken aback. He He seemed to have really changed her personality. These past two days, she was not as aggressive as before and even cared about her companion. It was really rare.

He He was puzzled by Li Baiyun's gaze. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

She touched her face, thinking that she hadn't been mindful of her manners while eating and had left some rice grains on her face.

Li Baiyun smiled and said, "Nothing, I just suddenly thought you were really good-looking."

He He blinked her long, curled eyelashes. "Huh? You only think I'm pretty now? Haven't I always been pretty?"

He He showed no shyness in boasting and openly acknowledged that she was good-looking.

Li Baiyun couldn't help but laugh out loud. She had always known that He He was beautiful. She had never seen such an outstanding girl in the surrounding area. She had just made up an excuse to answer He He's question about staring at her.

Li Baiyun: "I didn't think so before, but now I think it's much cuter, probably because you care about me."

He He's mind raced. "I see."

So beauty can change with a person's actions and behavior? He He never knew this. She always thought that beauty was beauty and ugliness was ugliness, that it was a very subjective thing and would not change with anything.

He He thought about many things. If she paid more attention to Chen Jingbai, would he also think she had become more beautiful?

It seems that Chen Jingbai was so nice to her at noon today, not with a sour face, as if it was because she gave him a big piece of luncheon meat, which he considered a sign of caring for him.

He He suddenly realized that she had mastered the method to become Chen Jingbai's leading lady.

She greeted Li Baiyun with a smile, her eyes crinkling as she walked back to the girls' dormitory. She was one step closer to winning over Chen Jingbai. She was truly amazing.

With this good mood, He He was full of energy at work in the afternoon, following behind Chen Jingbai to tie up bundles of rice.

As night fell, after dinner, the educated youth would sit in the dining hall, chatting idly under a lamp.

He He didn't used to like sitting here chatting with them, but her flashlight broke a while ago, and she's been busy with farm work lately, so she hasn't had time to get it repaired yet. That's why she can't go back to her house and stay alone to read her novel.

The educated youth shared stories passed down in their hometowns, and took turns showering.

He He listened with great interest. How come she had never thought their stories were so exciting and interesting before? Everyone was focused on Zheng Xinxin, who was telling the story.

After showering, Chen Jingbai returned to the canteen. As he passed He He, He He noticed him and couldn't help but look him up.

He had just finished showering, and his body carried a refreshing scent of water vapor. Some of the ends of his hair were damp, and his slightly damp black hair hung down, partially obscuring his eyebrows, exuding a gentle aura.

He He was stunned. How come she had never noticed before that Chen Jingbai had an indescribable sense of being a good man? He looked like someone who could cook for his wife and was very caring towards her.

However, Chen Jingbai's cold eyes quickly locked onto He He, instantly dispelling her thoughts.

He He clenched her hands tightly on her legs, terrified. What had she been thinking? How could such a cold man like Chen Jingbai possibly care about anyone?

After the educated youths took turns showering, the story was coming to an end. He He glanced at her watch; it was 10 p.m. Everyone went back to their rooms to rest after realizing how late the storytelling had been.

I have to get up early tomorrow to harvest rice, so I can't be listless.

As night deepened, the entire advance brigade fell silent, and even the wolfhound kept at the brigade commander's house went to sleep.

The boys' dormitory at the educated youth settlement was already filled with snoring. Chen Jingbai carefully got up, put on his clothes, and quietly opened the door to leave.

Under the cover of night, Chen Jingbai walked for half an hour until he reached a crossroads and headed straight for the woods beside him.

The Forward Brigade was surrounded by mountains, and where there are many mountains, there are many forests. No matter where they went, they had to pass through this intersection.

Chen Jingbai was hard of hearing, but he had excellent eyesight. By the moonlight, he picked and chose a suitable wooden stick from the ground, hid behind a big tree, and stared intently at the intersection.

The group of people who called him deaf this morning go to gamble in the neighboring brigade almost every evening after dinner, and don't return until the early hours of the morning.

Chen Jingbai discovered this when he went to the county town's black market to buy and sell things and returned late. That time, he was trying to avoid people and almost bumped into Zhou Dahe and his group. Combined with the rumors in the brigade that someone in the neighboring brigade had the audacity to open a casino, Chen Jingbai guessed that they had gone to gamble.

Later during the day, he even bumped into the group discussing how much money they had made and how much they had lost.

It's easier to stake out them than other groups of boys.

Chen Jingbai was not a gentle person, nor did he appear as calm as he had been after being scolded that morning. He had beaten up everyone who had ever scolded him before, and he would beat them up every time they were scolded. Even if they suspected him, it was no use.

He learned martial arts from his second uncle who was in the army when he was a child. Although his studies were interrupted for several years when his family was labeled as bad elements, he continued to practice in private. He even practiced repeatedly to test his skills so that he could beat people without leaving any marks.

He only punched those people in fleshy, sensitive areas like their abdomen, ribs, and thighs. It hurt, but it didn't leave any marks. The people who were punched were too embarrassed to talk about it, and it was hard for anyone to believe that there was no pain without marks.

He knew that the group of people didn't have any serious illnesses and wouldn't go to the health station. They were all young and strong, and they were too proud to go for checkups, so they pretended to be perfectly healthy. This made it easy for Chen Jingbai to beat them up at will.

He controlled the force well, and the pain subsided after a day or two. Even if some people suspected that he had beaten them, they would have stopped bothering him once they realized what had happened. Besides, it was that group of people who had accused him of being in the wrong in the first place.

But when it came to beating up these thugs, Chen Jingbai didn't need to use his fists; he could just use a wooden stick. They went gambling and didn't come home until the early hours of the morning. If they got beaten up on the way, would they dare to say anything?

Compared to him, Zhou Dahe and his group are more likely to suspect the people at the casino after they were beaten up.

Zhou Dahe had worked while injured before, so Chen Jingbai picked up the wooden stick without worry.

Chen Jingbai only covered his face. The night was so dark that only the blurry shadows of his five fingers could be seen. He attacked from behind, not giving the group a chance to turn around, so no one would notice him.

Even if they noticed, he covered his face, and there were so many people with similar builds to him that the chances of suspecting him were greatly reduced.

Chen Jingbai gripped the wooden stick tightly, staring at the intersection. Before long, three people walked out from the depths of the road, their arms around each other, looking very happy.

In the middle is Zhou Dahe, to his left is a carefree Junzai, and to his right is another boy.

All three of them had cursed him that morning, especially the boy who spoke rudely to He He, judging her with his filthy thoughts, and was the one who stirred up trouble.

Chen Jingbai knew that these people couldn't find him, but he still held his breath and focused.

The three walked past the large tree where he was hiding. Chen Jingbai smelled a strong odor of alcohol. A cold smile curled his thin lips. He was confident.

After Zhou Dahe and the other two walked past the big tree and turned their backs to him, Chen Jingbai quietly walked up behind them.

He twisted his wrist, swung the wooden stick, and starting with the soldier on the far left, delivered a hard blow to the back of all three men.

The three men, still slightly drunk, were in a daze and didn't even realize that the people next to them were being hit with wooden sticks until the sticks struck them, at which point they realized that someone had ambushed them.

But it was too late. Chen Jingbai had hit them hard, and they had to consider the pain in their backs when they wanted to fight back.

Zhou Dahe wasn't that drunk. He turned around and tried to make out who it was in the dim moonlight, but his vision was blurry and he could only see a thin man.

Zhou Dahe clutched his back, roaring and cursing, "Damn it, which bastard dared to ambush me?"

His response was a wooden stick striking his thigh, and the pain radiating from it.

Zhou Dahe trembled; he was just one point away from losing his manhood.

Chen Jingbai stretched out his left leg and kicked Junzai hard in the shin.

Junzi was already drunk, and now he couldn't support himself any longer. He fell forward, not even knowing whether the person who hit him was a man or a woman. He could only slur his words and shout, "Who is it? Who dares to hit me? Ouch, ouch, it hurts so much! Don't let me find out who you are. If I find out, I'll tear you to pieces!"

The other thug wasn't much better off. He turned around to face Chen Jingbai and tried to retaliate, but Chen Jingbai nimbly dodged him and punched him in the abdomen, thigh, and upper arm.

Now only Zhou Dahe was left holding on. He lunged forward, trying to subdue Chen Jingbai, but Chen Jingbai wouldn't give him that chance. He dodged and then struck Zhou Dahe on the back with a blunt blow.

Junzi got up at this moment, looked at Chen Jingbai who had his back to him, and pounced forward.

Chen Jingbai reacted quickly, turning around and standing to the side, keeping watch on Zhou Dahe on the left, while swinging a wooden stick at Junzai's abdomen on the right.

When Chen Jingbai was beating Junzai, the veins on his hand holding the wooden stick bulged. Remembering Junzai's last words, he used more and more force.

Chen Jingbai could clearly hear the thud of the wooden stick hitting the soldier's flesh.

Zhou Dahe and his two companions were originally drunk. The pain from their injuries woke them up, but because the pain was so intense and the people who beat them were so ruthless, they didn't get a chance to fight back. In the end, they were beaten so badly that every part of their bodies ached, and they couldn't even straighten their legs. They could only lie trembling and half-dead on the dirt road.

A note from the author:

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Brother Chen, the gangster [sunglasses], begins his heavy-handed attack [angry].