Xu Xinghe's heart sank.
She hadn't expected to have to come back and stay for a few days after delivering the intelligence.
Three days is the minimum; it's hard to say how many more days it could take.
In this case, the strategy of stabilizing the situation first and then extricating oneself is no longer feasible.
Who knows what Chen Yifan will do next?
Because a person's patience is limited.
After ten days with no progress, almost any man would get impatient.
The woodshed fell silent instantly, with only the occasional voices coming from outside.
Jiang Linchuan reached out and touched Xu Xinghe's anxious face. "Don't worry, there's still time. I'll think of another way. Don't give Chen Yifan an answer yet. Just say you need to think about it."
Xu Xinghe nodded, but she was still unsure.
The two exchanged a few more words, then, hearing the sounds coming from the cafeteria, they knew they couldn't stay any longer.
Jiang Linchuan reminded Xu Xinghe again, "Don't meet with Chen Yifan alone while you're working this afternoon."
Xu Xinghe responded and watched him walk out of the woodshed.
After confirming that no one was around, she followed them out.
In the cafeteria.
Xu Xinghe held the enamel bowl, shoveling the brown rice in it, but her mind was entirely on Chen Yifan.
This matter weighed on my heart like a stone, making even the pickled vegetables in my mouth tasteless.
She didn't listen to a word the other educated youths were talking about, until her bowl was empty, before she slowly followed the crowd to where they were working.
The afternoon sun was even more intense, making the ground scorching hot.
The educated youth who went to town in the morning have all returned to work, and they all look listless.
Zhao Xiaoyan, carrying a hoe, approached Xu Xinghe and whispered, "Li Juan, you didn't see it! Zhang Qiang is completely out of his mind! He actually suspected that the money we used to buy things in town was stolen from him, and he even had our bags searched, turning over every pocket! If I had known that going to town would be like this, I would have preferred to stay home and rest!"
Xu Xinghe paused in her hoe, then comforted her, "Don't be angry. He's just upset about losing something. He'll probably forget about it after a while. Let's be careful not to give him any ammunition."
Zhao Xiaoyan sighed and went on and on about Zhang Qiang's faults. Xu Xinghe responded half-heartedly, but her eyes kept glancing in the direction of Chen Yifan.
He was working behind several male educated youths, and occasionally he would glance in her direction with a shy look in his eyes, which made her feel uneasy and a little nauseous.
After finally getting off work, Xu Xinghe followed the female educated youth back to their dormitory, but the restlessness in her heart did not lessen at all.
She sat for a short while, then made an excuse to go out for a walk and went alone to the woods behind the dormitory.
She needs to find a quiet place.
I had only taken a few steps into the woods when I heard footsteps behind me.
Xu Xinghe turned around and saw that it was Jiang Linchuan.
"Why are you here?" she asked, both surprised and delighted, and quickly went to greet him.
"I guessed you'd come here." Jiang Linchuan forced a smile. "I've thought of a way, about Chen Yifan."
Xu Xinghe immediately pressed, "What method?"
Jiang Linchuan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pulled her behind a large tree to make sure no one could hear him before lowering his voice and saying, "I brought some things with me on the way here, just in case. One of them is a drug that can make someone fall into a coma. The clinic here definitely won't be able to find the cause; it will just look like a sudden attack of the illness. Tomorrow, I'll find a way to mix the drug into Chen Yifan's food, so he stays unconscious until we deliver the intelligence and leave the forest. Once we're gone, and no one is drugging him, he'll naturally wake up and won't be in any serious trouble."
Xu Xinghe was stunned, not expecting Jiang Linchuan to suggest such a method. "Then... won't there be any side effects? What if it hurts his body? I don't want you to do this for me. If someone finds out, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Jiang Linchuan reached out and ruffled her hair. "I've tried this kind of medicine on a mission before. After waking up, I was just like a normal person, without any aftereffects. I can't think of any other way. I can't let you agree to Chen Yifan's request, even if it's fake."
“But we don’t need to take that risk. What if he wakes up halfway through? He’ll definitely guess it was you who did it.” Xu Xinghe said anxiously, pulling his arm. “I promised Chen Yifan that even if I have to come back for a few days after delivering the intelligence, I can figure out how to handle it. If he tries to do anything to me, I’ll find an excuse to avoid him. I don’t believe I can’t handle it in a few days!”
"No!" Jiang Linchuan's tone instantly turned serious. "I absolutely cannot let you suffer! I certainly cannot gamble with your personal safety!"
Moreover, this is not a matter of how long it takes.
She couldn't agree to Chen Yifan's request!
She's his woman, and he can't bring himself to push her out to date other men just for the sake of his mission!
"But the mission is more important!" Xu Xinghe raised her voice, then quickly lowered it again. "We finally got Zhang Qiang's incriminating evidence, we can't let Chen Yifan ruin everything. Besides, what have I sacrificed? All I did was pretend to agree to date him. It was Li Juan who agreed, not me, Xu Xinghe. Once we finish the mission, who will remember what happened here?"
After she finished speaking, she turned to leave, saying, "It's settled then. I'll tell Chen Yifan I agree tomorrow. Don't even think about drugging me anymore."
She had barely taken a step when Jiang Linchuan hugged her tightly from behind.
His chin rested on her shoulder, his voice trembling slightly, "Xinghe, don't be like this. Even if it's for the mission, I don't want you to suffer. I'm a man, protecting you is my responsibility, how can I let you deal with others like this?"
Xu Xinghe stood frozen in place, feeling both bittersweet and warm inside.
She could sense Jiang Linchuan's nervousness and concern, and she knew that he was doing it for her own good.
She turned around, looked into Jiang Linchuan's eyes, and said softly, "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you, don't worry. Just be careful not to get caught."
Jiang Linchuan couldn't help but pull her into his arms. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Once we've dealt with Chen Yifan, we'll quickly send out the intelligence, leave this place as soon as possible, and never come back."
Xu Xinghe stayed in the courtyard for a long time before going back. The female educated youth dormitory was quiet. The other girls were already asleep from exhaustion, and the sound of their breathing echoed in the dim tent.
She tiptoed back to her spot, changed her clothes, and lay down wrapped in a thin blanket.
Her eyes were fixed on the canvas on the top of the tent, but her mind was filled with Jiang Linchuan's plan to drug her.
Various thoughts raced through my mind like a revolving lantern, making me more and more awake, without the slightest hint of sleepiness.
Xu Xinghe turned over and stared blankly at Zhao Xiaoyan, who was fast asleep next to her.
She didn't know what time it was in the middle of the night, when the moon outside the window was no longer visible, before Xu Xinghe's eyelids finally began to feel heavy.
She was vaguely thinking about Chen Yifan, and before the thought could even finish, she fell asleep completely.
I hadn't slept for long when a sudden, rapid shaking came.
"Li Juan! Get up, get up!" Zhao Xiaoyan's voice rang in her ears, tinged with panic. "Why are you still sleeping? The work start whistle has already sounded once. If you don't get up, you'll be late!"
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