Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Stunning Everyone
After Tao Ning finished tutoring, she went home, had lunch, fed the chickens and ducks, and then went to deliver lunch to Zhao Jingqun and Tao Yuan. Messages were still coming in on her phone.
【Have you finished your make-up lessons? 】
[Be good, the food is in the pot. Eat slowly. Remember to drink plenty of water. Stay away from the chicken coop when feeding. Be obedient.]
[Don’t take off your trousers after dinner. There are a lot of mosquitoes here. Send me a text message when you get to the foot of the mountain.]
【Send me the location again】
Tao Ning did everything the man said and sent him the location before leaving.
On the way to deliver the meal, the system chatted with him from time to time.
[Idiot, when are you planning on carrying out our final mission? You only have about a month left before you enter the city, so you better hurry. Judging by Zhao Jingqun's behavior, the longer you delay, the less chance you'll have of escaping him...]
Tao Ning lowered her eyelashes, hiding the thoughts in her eyes, and said "hmm".
System asks: [Do you like him? ]
Tao Ning was stunned when he heard this question. He involuntarily put his hand on his chest and felt his heart beating at a steady pace. Other than that, he felt nothing.
Why...is this happening?
What does it feel like to like someone?
The system seemed to know how he felt and calmly comforted him: [It's okay if you don't like it, just move on to the next one.]
Tao Ning put aside his confusion and was about to reach the foot of the mountain when he suddenly felt two sticky and cold gazes behind him, just like the greedy gazes of a rat in a gutter, making him feel uncomfortable all over. Apart from his extremely low perception of emotions, he was relatively sensitive to these malicious gazes.
Turning around, she saw two men with hunched backs. Tao Ning recognized them both.
One was Zhang Mazi, the man who had nearly bullied him. His face was still bruised, apparently from injuries sustained that day. The other was Wang Long, a gangster who had dropped out of school and was furious when Tao Ning failed to "be friends" with him.
When the two saw the young man looking over, they exchanged glances, each seeing surprise and greed in the other's eyes. What kind of fucking luck had they gotten into today? Tao Ning had actually run into them!
Zhang Mazi's eyes were filled with hatred and greed. "What good luck..."
But neither of them dared to act rashly. After all, one of them was beaten to a point of near disability by a man and had been hospitalized for dozens of days and was still not fully recovered. The other was threatened by Tao Yuan with a hatchet, so they just watched Tao Ning from a distance and did not approach.
But Tao Ning's presence alone was enough to tempt them. The boy wasn't wearing knee-length shorts today, but long-sleeved shirt and trousers. The material of the clothes was excellent, and it was obvious that they were made of comfortable material.
It was as if the boy was already taken, and that man was extremely jealous. Every day he picked clothes for the boy that were very tight, not allowing him to reveal any delicate skin.
But that person seemed to have overlooked that in the eyes of some people, even if Tao Ning did not expose any skin and was wearing tacky black-framed glasses, she still had a unique charm to them.
There was no other reason, the boy was simply too beautiful. Such a stunning face was something that they would never forget even if they only saw it once.
Wang Long used to look down on those so-called good students who only knew how to study, especially those like Tao Ning, whose family was notoriously poor, whose clothes were very rustic, whose arms and legs were thin, and who sat with his head down at his seat all day long, not knowing what he was writing. Yet all the teachers liked him.
Wang Long was disgusted and jealous, so he often put insects and dead mice in Tao Ning's seat, but he didn't expect that the bumpkin was not afraid, but picked them all away with a stick.
Later, Wang Long thought of a more cruel trick. He simply tricked Tao Ning into the toilet, blocked him, and stripped him off to see if he was a man, because the bumpkin's cheeks that occasionally appeared inadvertently would make him dazed for a while.
Her skin is so white that it's blinding, and her lips are so red, could she be a woman disguised as a man?
Tao Ning, that country bumpkin, was so easy to fool. Wang Long asked someone to make up a few lies and tricked him into the toilet. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts that day, and when he saw Wang Long in the toilet with bad intentions, he turned around and left.
Wang Long immediately grabbed his arm, his eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled. "Don't go, good student. Why are you so afraid of me? I called you here today because I want to make friends with you."
Tao Ning turned around, her face expressionless behind her black-framed glasses, and directly refused: "I don't want to be friends with you."
Wang Long was instantly furious. It was a blessing for him to be friends with such a poor country boy, and he dared to refuse?
Wang Long immediately pulled Tao Ning over and tried to grab his hair. Tao Ning struggled desperately and the two argued.
With a click.
The boy's glasses fell off, and his long, gloomy bangs were scattered due to his struggle, revealing his beautiful and delicate facial features, and his eyes that were as bright as a quiet lake.
Tao Ning glared at him angrily, and her usually soft voice was filled with suppressed anger. "I said, I don't want to be friends with you..."
However, Wang Long didn't hear what Tao Ning said at all. He just stared at his beautiful face that looked like a baby in shock.
This, this, this is a fucking bumpkin? Why didn't he tell me she looked like this earlier? No wonder he always had the illusion that Tao Ning was very attractive.
Wang Long was about to grab him and say a few more words, but the boy had already picked up his glasses and left.
From that day on, Tao Ning was frequently harassed by a classmate named Wang Long. Although he had a very low ability to perceive the emotions of those around him, he could feel Wang Long's fanaticism towards him.
Tao Ning couldn't understand why. Is this how making friends works? That was until one day on the way home, Wang Long stopped him. The madness in his eyes made him uneasy. With bloodshot eyes, he said to him, "Ningning, I love you, I love you, and with me..."
Before he could finish his words, a cursing voice came from behind him: "You stinking idiot, you dare to set your sights on my brother, I'll kill you!"
Tao Yuan rushed out with disheveled hair and a butcher knife in his hand. His face was ferocious and there was still blood on the knife. On the pitch-black mountain road, he looked particularly eerie and terrifying.
Wang Long was immediately frightened. He had heard about this woman's deeds. When she was young, she was the most famous female gangster and big sister in these areas. She smashed KTVs and bars and was almost imprisoned. Later, she became much more restrained after she got married and had children, but she was extremely protective of her own people.
He was afraid Tao Yuan would actually stab him, so he ran away in a hurry. Later, Wang Long was expelled from school. He hadn't seen Tao Ning in a long time, but he didn't expect to run into her now. If this wasn't a match made in heaven, what was it?
Wang Long forced a flattering smile on his dark face. Just as he was about to go forward and talk to Tao Ning, two cold voices came from behind him.
"Why are you here again, you damn brat?"
"Do you want to die?"
Wang Long and Zhang Mazi were startled and looked over at the same time, only to see Zhao Jingqun and Tao Yuan standing behind the young man, one on the left and one on the right, looking at them with stern faces.
Zhao Jingqun went straight to the point, grabbing Tao Ning's shoulders and saying expressionlessly, "Get lost."
When Zhang Mazi saw him, he remembered the pain of being almost beaten to a pulp in the woods that day. He was frightened and said in a weak voice, "You just wait..." Then he and Wang Long walked away without stopping.
As soon as the two left, Zhao Jingqun hurriedly straightened the person in his arms, looked him up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Tao Ning was not injured.
But after that, the man's face looked very bad. Even Tao Ning, who was not very good at reading other people's faces, noticed it, because Zhao Jingqun's face was really scary.
Tao Ning handed the food to them. While Tao Yuan was eating, he approached Zhao Jingqun and asked him softly, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Jingqun stared at him gravely. "Next time you run into these people, call me immediately."
"Um……"
He only recently got a cell phone, but he has no habit of using it. Apart from replying to messages from "husband", he never plays with it. He lives like a machine that does nothing but solve problems.
Tao Ning patted the mud and dust on his trouser legs from working, but the man grabbed his hand. He heard Zhao Jingqun say unhappily, "Stop patting, it's dirty."
“It’s not dirty.”
"……dirty."
“It’s not dirty.”
Tao Yuan couldn't stand it any longer and glared at them. "What's so dirty about that? Are you two elementary school students? Xiao Meng is more sensible than you. Ningning, hurry up and go back to feed the pigs. Xiao Meng will be out of school soon, don't forget to pick him up, otherwise your only nephew will be gone."
Tao Ning smiled and nodded. Tao Yuan put down the lunch box, clapped his hands, and went up the mountain first.
He went to clear the dishes, but the man hugged him from behind, pressing his head on his shoulder. His tone was pleading and beckoning: "Daibao, can you smile more when you get home tonight? I want to see it."
"……Um."
Suddenly, Tao Ning was kissed on the face without warning. He looked over and saw a man with fiery red hair smiling and waving at him under the scorching sunlight. He pointed at his pocket, opened his mouth but no sound came out, and turned and walked away.
Tao Ning lowered his head in confusion, only to find that there was a rose-pink rose in his pocket. It was a mountain flower that could be seen everywhere on the mountain and was in full bloom.
He was stunned for a moment, and a trace of indescribable emotion surged in his heart.
Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in my mind: [Ding Dong! Congratulations to the host for completing 30% of the strategy. Triggering the third mission in the Zhao Jingqun solo lane—]
[In those fleeting years, parting always comes quietly. Please ask the host to make Zhao Jingqun say the three words "I love you" within 20 days, and finally say goodbye to him properly!]
Tao Ning was stunned. He blurted out, "I refuse."
The system asked cheerfully: [Dummy, are you really in love with him?]
Tao Ning was silent. He carried the thermal box and walked for a long time along the way home. The mobile phone in his pocket kept sending messages and call notifications. In his other hand, he held the rose whose thorns had been removed.
When she arrived at the door of her home, Tao Ning looked down at the withered rose in her hand, and a sudden confusion that she had never felt before appeared in her eyes.
He said, “I don’t know.”
[Host, you still have twenty days, please work hard! ]
The sound of cracking melon seeds in my mind stopped, and the system said: [Dummy, don’t you want a good body? ]
Tao Ning put the rose in her pocket and said, "I want to, but I think... this is not right."
The system said firmly: [You don't truly like him, you're just grateful. And, idiot, haven't you noticed yet? Zhao Jingqun is controlling your life. If this continues, you'll only be able to live under his wing and lose yourself.]
[In the end, anything you want to do will be taken away by him. This kind of person is the most terrifying. Besides, this is just a mission. You don't like him, believe me.]
Tao Ning remained silent until she heard the system say sternly, "This is based on experience gained from reading so much forced crispy duck literature. Don't disbelieve me!"
Tao Ning: “…”
He put the rose in a plastic bottle filled with water, washed the dishes, and went to pick up Xiao Meng from school.
As a result, when he came back with Xiao Meng, he ran into Zhao Jingqun who was squatting at the door with a dogtail grass in his mouth. When he saw him come back, his face became extremely gloomy, as if a storm was brewing.
But when he saw Xiao Meng beside him, Zhao Jingqun restrained himself until Tao Ning finished taking a shower.
Zhao Jingqun helped him dry his hair, then carried him to bed. She opened his phone, which was filled with unread messages. She asked dissatisfiedly, "I sent you so many messages, why didn't you reply to any of them? Do you know how worried I was?"
No wonder he came back early, but Tao Ning did not admit his mistake this time. He lowered his head and said nothing.
Zhao Jingqun endured it. After all, he knew that his baby was a taciturn person. He would be thankful if there was one sentence out of ten that this living baby was interested in.
He kissed Tao Ning's lips, "Didn't you promise to smile for me? Smile."
Tao Ning raised her eyes and smiled faintly. Zhao Jingqun was stunned for a moment. He couldn't help but kiss her, trying his best to deepen this uneasy and anxious kiss, like a wolf rejected by its mate, feeling anxious and restless.
After a long time, Zhao Jingqun reluctantly ended it. He looked at Tao Ning who was breathing heavily.
"...He Yan and the others want to take you to town for dinner tomorrow. Do you want to go?"
Tao Ning nodded.
Zhao Jingqun frowned, then relaxed. He didn't know what nerve the boy's behavior had touched again, and his face turned ugly again. "So they want to take you home, are you going too?"
Tao Ning raised her eyes, a puzzled look in her beautiful eyes: "No."
Zhao Jingqun's expression relaxed, and he pretended to be calm and asked, "Then I should take you home?"
As expected, the boy stopped talking. Zhao Jingqun was furious and bit his fair and thin collarbone, grinding his teeth gently.
"fool……"
In the evening, Tao Ning was kissed so hard that she cried. When she went to town the next day, her eyes were swollen.
There wasn't much work to do at home that day, so Tao Yuan let them go. Secretary Liu was there too, and he secretly pulled Tao Yuan aside, stuffed a red envelope into his pocket, and said, "Ningning, keep this. The guide fee has been paid. Uncle Liu was sorry for what happened last time, so he gave you a little extra. Don't be so formal with me. You'd better talk to your sister. She's been talking about what happened that day..."
Tao Ning nodded and accepted it. Then she heard Secretary Liu scratching his head in confusion, "It's quite cold today..."
When he turned around, he saw Zhao Jingqun staring at them grimly. Tao Ning suddenly understood what the man was thinking and walked over slowly. Sure enough, the man's face instantly improved.
When the group arrived at the most expensive restaurant in town, He Niannian started to complain again, but this time, her voice was not so loud, "What a shabby place! Why are the waiters so old and ugly..."
As a result, no one had any appetite during the meal, except Tao Ning and Zhao Jingqun, because one of them just lowered his head and ate silently, while the other one kept his hands busy - peeling shrimps, crabs and other seafood or things with shells for Tao Ning.
There was a bowl in front of Tao Ning specifically for placing vegetables, and it was already full of vegetables.
He Niannian had a strange expression on her face. She leaned over to Zhao Jingsui's ear and said, "Your brother has suddenly become so strange."
Zhao Jingsui looked up at Zhao Jingqun, who had been taking care of the young man, without saying anything. He picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in He Niannian's bowl. "It seems so... But wasn't the purpose of your treating us to this meal today to apologize to Tao Ning?"
He Niannian pouted, "I didn't."
As the meal was finishing, He Niannian pretended to cough a few times and said to Tao Ning, "Well, you, Tao Ning, I'm going home tonight. It seems you haven't seen much of the world..."
Someone tugged at the corner of her clothes a few times, and He Niannian's face immediately fell. She said awkwardly, "Thank you for saving me that day. I'll treat you to a meal, but that doesn't mean I'll admit that you're better than me. I'm telling you, I didn't perform well that day, so I didn't finish the problem..."
Tao Ning didn't quite understand what she meant, but he understood that she was here to apologize. He was about to nod when Zhao Jingqun spoke up, raising an eyebrow and saying, "If you really want to apologize, stop talking nonsense and give me something concrete."
He Niannian was angry but dared not speak. She snorted, "Then what do you say is real?"
Zhao Jingqun replied calmly: "Give me money."
He Niannian looked at him as if he were a ghost. What was wrong with this scoundrel? He had plenty of money, so why would he set his sights on her?
But when he turned his gaze to Tao Ning, He Niannian felt uncomfortable again, "Okay, how much do you want?"
Zhao Jingqun said calmly, "Twenty thousand."
Secretary Liu was stunned listening to this. The hard work pay they received from the higher-ups during their recent visits was only three or four thousand yuan, yet this man asked for twenty thousand yuan right away! He truly was one of the city's wealthy.
Tao Ning was also stunned. She pulled the man next to her under the table, but he grabbed her hand and stroked her lonely wrist with his rough fingertips, as if to comfort her.
He Niannian glared at him without saying anything else. "Twenty thousand is twenty thousand, humph!" She directly took out a card from her wallet and tossed it over. "Here's exactly thirty thousand yuan. Take it, we're even!"
After saying these words, she turned into the arrogant young lady again and continued to chat with Zhao Jingsui until the banquet was about to end.
She then walked awkwardly to Tao Ning, her eyes rolling unnaturally, "Hey, you, take a picture with me, so I can show you what a camera is."
Zhao Jingsui smiled beside him, "She means she is reluctant to leave you."
"Hey! Sui Sui! Stop talking nonsense!"
Before Tao Ning could speak, Zhao Jingqun frowned and refused, "No."
He Niannian was immediately furious and shouted angrily, "Who are you to make decisions for him? Don't think that just because your family has a little power and a little money, it's nothing..."
Tao Ning curled her eyes and said softly, "Let me take a photo with you."
This time it was Zhao Jingqun's turn to have a sour face. He Niannian was full of anger just now, but after hearing the boy's words, he immediately laughed, and directly put his arm around Tao Ning and pulled him aside.
Zhao Jingqun's face became even gloomier, as if his wife had run away with someone else, but he took a deep breath and did not stop it.
Because he knew that the boy was in a good mood, and he also knew that he was sick again.
Zhao Jingsui took everything in and looked back and forth between Zhao Jingqun and Tao Ning thoughtfully.
On the other side, He Yan held up a camera and took pictures of Tao Ning and He Niannian. He Niannian excitedly ran to look at the camera, and saw Tao Ning standing next to her, looking very uneasy. Coupled with the black-framed glasses on his face, it seemed as if something was hidden.
He Niannian was unhappy again. "I'm just taking a picture with you. I'm not going to eat you. Why are you so nervous? And those tacky glasses on your face, couldn't you have taken them off just now?"
"If you can't speak properly, just shut up." Zhao Jingqun's face turned cold.
Just as the atmosphere became tense again, the boy took off his glasses, revealing his beautiful eyes as clear as amber, and pursed his rosy, plump lips. "Sorry, let's take another picture."
However, after he finished speaking, there was no response for a long time. After a long time, the whole audience was silent. Amazed and shocked eyes came from all directions and gathered on Tao Ning, who looked confused.
Only Secretary Liu was not surprised and was calmly chewing the snails, while Zhao Jingqun's face was as black as the bottom of the pot.
At the end, He Yan exclaimed "Fuck", and in his heart he was complaining about where this god came from, this god was too good-looking!
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