As if burned, Li Xian's eyes trembled, and his blood instantly cooled.
Her words were like arrows piercing his heart, making even his breath feel chilling.
An indescribable pain surged through his pounding heart, as if a huge hole had been blasted open and filled with raging flames and freezing ice, shattering his heart into pieces, causing him to nearly howl in agony.
Unfortunately, he was unable to speak.
He could only grit his teeth and stare intently at her departing figure.
At this moment, Li Xian still thought it was just an ordinary argument, and that once the police were no longer watching, he would have a chance to explain everything to her.
Wang Long and the others stood at a distance, all frightened by Li Xian's appearance.
I don't know what that woman said to him that made him look so lost and disoriented.
A grown man, his eyes... even turned red.
"Brother Li, you..."
Wang Zhaodi thought Li Xian was upset because of his parents' situation, so she went over to comfort him, but she was frightened by the look in Li Xian's eyes.
They looked at her as if she were a wild beast from the mountains, about to tear her apart with its fangs.
Wang Zhaodi was so frightened that she dared not speak and turned to run away.
Li Xian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and hid all his emotions inside his body.
It was a bright, sunny day, yet it felt like falling into an ice cave.
…
Xu Nuo walked out of the fertilizer plant expressionlessly, and only wiped her eyes hard when she turned into an empty alley.
Her fair face was now devoid of any smile, and the tears she had been holding back just moments before fell like broken pearls.
She wiped her eyes once, and the warm liquid slid down her cheeks again.
It is precisely because they genuinely hoped for a future together that the disappointment they feel now is overwhelming.
In the deserted alley, Xu Nuo wiped away her tears. Her voice was soft, but her eyes were clear and firm.
"It's me who doesn't want you anymore."
After a moment, she turned and walked out of the alley, startled by the man in the gray suit at the alley entrance.
The man had been standing there for a while. When he saw her come out, he looked at her with concern and asked, "Are you alright?"
Xu Nuo's eyes were still red from crying, slightly swollen, and misty. She blinked helplessly a couple of times, her voice nasal: "Su Zhao, you're back?"
Su Zhao was supposed to return to Lu County a few days ago, but he was delayed and only arrived in Lu County yesterday. He had just finished buying things when he saw Xu Nuo. He wanted to go closer and call out to her, but he found that something was wrong with her.
Su Zhao stood at the alley entrance, watching her tearful figure as she walked away, then quietly retreated.
He handed the handkerchief to Xu Nuo, his voice gentle: "Did you get sand in your eyes? Wipe them?"
Xu Nuo was in a hurry to leave today and forgot to bring a handkerchief. She had just shed tears, and the skin around her eyes was tight and dry. She took the handkerchief a little embarrassedly and gently wiped her eyes.
She already looked pitiful, and seeing her so obediently wiping her face with her own handkerchief, Su Zhao felt an indescribable shyness welling up inside him.
His face flushed slightly, and a gentle smile played on his lips. He was very gentlemanly and did not ask her what had happened.
Seeing that she had folded the handkerchief, Su Zhao reached out to take it, but she dodged him, saying, "This one is dirty, I'll buy you a new one."
Su Zhao smiled and said, "It's alright."
"Then I'll wash it clean and return it to you."
She used it to wipe her face, so it wouldn't be right to just give it back to her like this.
This time, Su Zhao didn't say anything more, but nodded with a smile: "Okay."
On the way back, Xu Nuo was in a bad mood and remained silent.
Although Su Zhao was talkative, he knew that she probably didn't want to talk much at the moment, so he considerately told her some interesting stories from Shanghai.
If nothing unexpected happens, Xu Nuo will also be a student at Shanghai University, so I am quite interested in this topic.
Su Zhao said gently, "I haven't congratulated you yet, but you got excellent results this time. That's amazing."
Xu Nuo smiled and said, "Thank you."
"When you come to Shanghai, you can ask me anything you don't understand."
"Hmm." Xu Nuo nodded, muttering somewhat embarrassedly, "Then you'll be driven crazy by me."
Su Zhao glanced at her and smiled, "It's my honor."
In this era without air conditioning, every household relied on a hand fan to get through the summer.
The windows were wide open, and although there was a breeze, it carried a hint of warmth.
Two figures walked together on the street. The woman was wearing a light pink dress and looked soft and pretty.
The man was tall and handsome, dressed in a gray suit.
The two people attracted attention from passersby with their clothing and appearance, and naturally caught Xu Jinan's eye as well.
His hand, which was waving a fan, suddenly stopped. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and craned his neck to look.
After confirming, he muttered, "This... isn't this my Nuonuo and Su Zhao?"
He didn't even bother to fan himself anymore. He rushed into the room, rummaged through his pile of clothes and pulled out a blue work shirt. Regardless of how hot it was, he quickly put it on.
Xu Nuo stood at the top of the stairs and thanked Su Zhao: "I'm home, thank you."
Su Zhao's gaze was gentle: "It's alright."
Xu Jinan poked his head out from the stairwell and coughed.
It successfully attracted the attention of both of them.
Upon seeing Xu Jin'an, Su Zhao quickly greeted him, "Hello, Uncle Xu."
Xu Nuo asked curiously, "Dad, what are you doing here?"
Xu Jinan walked over and said to Xu Nuo, "Dad, come down for a walk."
Xu Nuo looked at the blazing sun outside and didn't believe his nonsense.
Xu Jinan smiled at Xu Nuo, but put on airs when he looked at Su Zhao.
He coughed and said in a pretentious tone, "Um, Comrade Xiao Su, what are you doing with my Nuonuo?"
Xu Jin'an looked like he was doing something inappropriate, and Su Zhao felt inexplicably nervous. He quickly explained, "Uncle, I went to the street to buy books today and ran into Comrade Xu Nuo."
Did we bump into each other on the street?
Xu Jinan narrowed his eyes suspiciously, about to ask again, when Xu Nuo patted him on the back and made him shut up.
"Wait a minute, Nuonuo, didn't you go to Luxian Village? Why are you back?"
Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about? Xu Nuo said listlessly, "I went, and I came back as soon as I finished my business."
Xu Jinan nodded: "It's good that you're back. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the countryside. You'll be covered in bites tonight."
He then looked at Su Zhao and said warmly, "Little Su, come upstairs for a cup of tea, let's go."
Su Zhao didn't know why Xu Jin'an had suddenly changed his attitude. He was called over by Xu Jin'an and went upstairs in a daze.
As soon as Xu Jinan entered the house, he excitedly went to make tea.
Xu Nuo went into the kitchen, washed an apple, and gave it to Su Zhao.
Su Zhao took it and whispered to Xu Nuo, "Sorry to bother you."
Xu Nuo shook her head and took a bite of her own: "No way."
Xu Jinan brewed honey lemon green tea, added white sugar, and let it cool in cold water. It was refreshing and sweet.
Tea is delicious on its own, but with the addition of herbal water, it brings a warm sensation as soon as you drink it, and the comfort flows through your bloodstream.
Su Zhao's eyes showed appreciation, and he said sincerely, "It tastes good."
Xu Jin'an raised his eyebrows smugly. That was something his Nuonuo had made.
Su Zhao was naturally talkative and knowledgeable, and he could always continue Xu Jin'an's conversation with humility.
The more Xu Jinan talked to Su Zhao, the more he felt that Su Zhao was a good kid.
After Su Zhao left, Xu Jin'an and Xue Ping launched a barrage of attacks, one after the other.
Xue Ping said, "Mom thinks Su Zhao is a good kid. He's really polite and good-looking."
Xu Jinan said, "Dad thinks so too, and his parents both like you, so they definitely won't treat you badly in the future."
Xu Nuo ran back to her room with the half-eaten apple in her arms.
Sitting at her desk, she gently tapped the corner of the book with her fingertips, trying to press down the slightly curled corner.
Unfortunately, the curled shape bounced back as soon as it left her fingertips.
It can never be restored to its original state.
Her eyes welled up with tears of grievance, and she pointed at the corner of the book with exasperation: "What are you doing? You never listen to me."
Since it was a book from the end of the college entrance exam, Xu Nuo shoved it into the trash can.
Her voice trembled with tears: "I don't want you anymore."
I don't want him anymore.
…
Night fell, and it was pitch black.
Li Xian sat motionless on the cold, hard bed.
His palms gently rubbed the wooden board, as if trying to feel the warmth left by Xu Nuo.
The image of her leaving in the afternoon played on a loop in his mind, like a silent film.
At this moment, Li Xian looked as if he had been cleaved in two by a knife, the two halves facing each other, dripping with blood.
Half of them trapped him here, telling him that at this moment, the farther Xu Nuo was from him, the safer he would be.
Half of him wished he could rush to her immediately, pull her into his arms, and explain to her that he wanted to see her, that he was going crazy with longing.
But he can't.
She was so innocent and naive that she would turn pale with fright even when walking alone at night; he couldn't let her become a target of the police.
So he remained motionless, sitting there with his face down.
From returning home to the deep of night, and from the end of the night to the sunrise.
…
Chong Xiaobo threw Liu Chun's confession on the table and stretched.
"How about it?"
Chong Xiaobo scoffed: "They're crying and begging, saying they've confessed everything, so that's probably all they have to say."
The person next to him picked it up, glanced at it, and put it back with little interest: "That Luo Chen should be put back."
Chong Xiaobo pinched his brow in frustration and slumped into his chair.
Liu Zhishan was just a small fry running errands and didn't know much. He did give a few names, but everyone in the station knew that many people who were arrested would make up a few names even if they didn't know them, just to avoid being beaten.
Luo Chen was implicated by Liu Zhishan. At first, Liu Zhishan was very confident and said that he had seen Luo Chen, so they detained him directly. However, Luo Chen insisted that he was wronged and only admitted to buying grain on the black market.
The stalemate continued until yesterday, when Liu Zhishan finally stammered that he had guessed.
If it's just a guess, then it's pure nonsense.
Chong Xiaobo cursed, "That bastard Liu Zhishan, he dragged Luo Chen into this and made me offend Luo Wenxiu for nothing. Forget it, let's release him quickly, and keep an eye on the others."
"Let's arrest one of them first, the one Liu Zhishan said was in cahoots with Liu Chun."
Chong Xiaobo looked up: "You mean Li Xian? Liu Chun didn't recruit him, he said he just knows him."
"Who cares? This Li Xian is a landlord and an old right-wing empress. He's supposedly been purged, but he's still a bad element. It doesn't matter if they arrested the wrong person."
Chong Xiaobo raised his eyes, scoffed disdainfully, and said indifferently, "Then just arrest them."
…
The next day, Su Zhao arrived at the Xu family early in the morning. Looking at Xu Jin'an's sleepy face, he said apologetically, "Uncle, my grandfather asked me to come and invite Xu Nuo to our house for dinner tonight."
Xu Jinan's sleepiness vanished instantly.
On the day Su Minxiong and Chen Qingxia came to the house, they mentioned that Su Zhao was coming back and invited Xu Nuo to their house for dinner.
However, Su Zhao postponed his return to Luxian Village, and they didn't get to have that meal.
Xu Jinan nodded: "Okay, Nuonuo hasn't gotten up yet. I'll talk to her when she gets up."
Su Zhao nodded, and Xu Jin'an invited him in for tea, but he said he was going to the temple to burn incense.
When Xu Nuo woke up, Xue Ping and Xu Jin'an were staring at her with... well, you know.
"Su Zhao just came by and invited you to his house for dinner tonight."
Seeing that Xu Nuo looked listless and her eyes seemed a little swollen, Xue Ping asked curiously, "What's wrong? Are you sick? You look so pale."
Xu Nuo shook her head, her voice weak: "No."
Xue Ping reached out and touched her forehead, puzzled: "You don't have a fever."
Seeing their worried expressions, Xu Nuo stretched and said in a coquettish tone, "It's nothing, I just went to bed too late last night."
It's just a breakup, nothing serious.
Xu Nuoyuan was not keen on going to the Su family's place, but since both of them were at Shanghai University, Su Zhao would probably have to help him find the way on his first visit.
Secondly, when she's too idle, she tends to overthink, so she always needs to find something to do.
As the saying goes, if one pitfall doesn't work, try another.
Since she knows the plot is irreversible, she will definitely stay far away from Li Xian. As long as she doesn't get involved in his and Xu Yan's affairs, she shouldn't be cannon fodder... right?
She angrily poked a piece of apple and stuffed it into her mouth.
I suddenly regretted applying to a university in Shanghai.
If I had known this would happen, I should have chosen a place a million miles away from Shanghai, so that no matter how the plot developed, it wouldn't involve her.
After all, she was just a minor character in the book.
…She's not even a supporting actress.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Su Zhao arrived at the Xu family's house on time.
Xu Nuo wore a simple black dress, a retro-style ruffled dress. Her slim waist and long figure softened the childishness in her delicate face.
"I'm all ready, let's go."
Her smile was radiant. Su Zhao was momentarily stunned, but quickly regained his composure, pointed to the things in her hands, and gestured for him to take them.
Xu Nuo didn't stand on ceremony and handed it to him.
It was a gift Xue Ping asked her to bring; it was quite heavy.
The Su family's house was quite far away, but fortunately, the path was shaded by trees, so it wasn't too hot.
Su Zhao, carrying his things, walked on the outside and asked her, "Your English score is very high, why didn't you apply to the foreign language department?"
Can Xu Nuo say that she chose randomly at the time?
Before she transmigrated into the book, she was a freshman majoring in Chinese literature with a minor in English, which is why she chose Chinese literature without thinking twice.
Xu Nuo was a little embarrassed, raising her delicate eyebrows slightly: "Um... I just randomly chose one."
Su Zhao found it somewhat amusing. While others racked their brains over choosing a major, she simply chose one casually.
"The Chinese Literature major is also very good, it suits you."
The two walked along Hongluo Road, which was shaded by trees but uneven and rarely used. Su Zhao reminded her, "Be careful."
Xu Nuo nodded obediently and stepped onto the flat ground.
Su Zhao's gaze fell ahead, initially thinking it was a green burlap sack lying on the roadside, but as he walked closer, his expression suddenly changed.
Xu Nuo also saw it, but what she saw first was the reddish-brown patch on the ground.
It's a person.
Xu Nuo's face turned pale.
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