After sitting for a while, Li Muqing said goodbye to Liu Chuncao and left. She asked around all the way and arrived at Xu Xiangyang's house.

When she first arrived, Zhao Guohua visited her once, but never came back. She tried to find him several times, but he avoided her. She knew that Zhao Guohua was unreliable and that she needed to find someone else.

During her three months in the desert, she learned a lesson: it would be difficult to survive without the help of the locals. Therefore, before dealing with Li Xiyue, she needed to find a high-ranking local person to back her up.

After screening, she identified Xu Xiangyang as her target.

In the past two weeks, she hadn't seen Li Xiyue interact with this Xu Xiangyang, nor had she heard anyone mention Xu Xiangyang. She guessed that Xu Xiangyang and Li Xiyue's relationship was just so-so.

She was confident she could win over anyone who wasn't close to Li Xiyue.

"Sister Xiulan, I'm going to the clinic to get some medicine." In the courtyard, Xu Xiangyang said to Gao Xiulan in the kitchen before heading out.

Gao Xiulan came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron as she said, "Wait, Xiangyang, I made a pair of shoes for Dr. Li. Could you take them to her?"

She went inside, took out the shoes, and handed them to him, saying, "Let her try them on. If they don't fit, bring them back and I'll alter them."

"Okay, then I'm leaving." Xu Xiangyang turned and left.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw a woman standing at the door with a cane. He glanced at her, didn't recognize her, but guessed she was a newly arrived female educated youth. Disgust filled his heart, and he walked past her.

Once Li Muqing reached her target, she immediately chased after him, asking, "Are you Comrade Xu Xiangyang?"

"What's the matter?" Xu Xiangyang asked impatiently, not expecting that the person had come to see him again.

Li Muqing said with a smile, "My name is Li Muqing, and my sister is Li Xiyue."

Xu Xiangyang paused, turned to look at her, and asked, "Are you Dr. Li's sister?"

He had heard about the educated youth settlement, and he also knew something about Li Xiyue and this younger sister.

"Yes, that's me." Li Muqing walked up to him, looked him up and down, and her heart started pounding. This Xu Xiangyang was much better looking than the other men in the village, and he was tall and strong.

Unlike Zhao Guohua's gentle and refined manner, Xu Xiangyang was clearly a strong and powerful man, and this kind of man could give her a greater sense of security.

Xu Xiangyang smiled enigmatically, "So it was you."

Li Muqing didn't notice anything amiss. Pretending to lose her balance, she threw herself into Xu Xiangyang's arms.

She had used this trick many times in the desert, and it always worked. She believed that no man could resist a woman who threw herself into his arms.

Once Xu Xiangyang hugs her, things will become complicated between them. At that point, she will have leverage over Xu Xiangyang, making him do whatever she wants.

If he disagrees, she'll sue him for indecent assault, which is a serious crime. At best, he'll go to jail; at worst, he'll be punished severely. She doesn't believe Xu Xiangyang is unafraid.

But this time she miscalculated.

Instead of hugging her as expected, Xu Xiangyang quickly dodged away.

Li Muqing missed her target and fell to the ground, landing on her left cheek. Her skin was broken, and blood mixed with dirt gushed out. At first glance, it was quite a frightening sight.

"How could you..." Li Muqing cried out in pain, covering her face as she angrily accused him.

Xu Xiangyang's face darkened. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. I've seen this trick before, and it won't work on me. Also, I already know about your attempt to steal Dr. Li's fiancé. Don't pretend in front of me."

After he finished speaking, he took a step and walked away, muttering after a couple of steps, "Ugly people always cause trouble."

"You, you, you..." Li Muqing stammered for a long time but couldn't get a complete sentence out. She was so choked up that she almost died.