Chapter 1 The Failed Escape
Chapter One: The Failed Escape
In autumn, the sun shines on every corner of Beijing. Li Yue walks lightly through the machine tool factory's residential compound and arrives at the bus stop outside the compound.
Her childhood friend Gu Yanmei was waiting for her there early with her luggage. Li Yue took the luggage and gave her a sweet smile.
Gu Yanmei asked worriedly, "Li Yue, you asked me to keep your luggage yesterday and wait for you here this morning. What are you going to do?"
Li Yue smiled and said, "Since I'm leaving anyway, I'll tell you: I'm going to the south to find my aunt."
"Go to the south?" Gu Yanmei was dumbfounded.
"Yes, I've already bought the tickets."
"Does your aunt know?"
"I don't know. I carried her away. I would never agree to marry a man I don't like."
Today is the day the deputy director of the alloy factory's son is coming to propose marriage. Li Yue, carrying the money and grain coupons she had saved, left home while her aunt wasn't looking.
According to her plan, she would take the train directly south to stay with her aunt. Her aunt was a teacher, and perhaps she could help her find a substitute teaching job or another job to help her live independently.
It was October 1968, and the large-scale movement of sending educated youth to the countryside was about to begin. If she didn't get married, she would definitely be assigned to the countryside. People like her, from capitalist families, would be the focus of reformation.
The Li family's ancestors made their fortune through business. At its peak, they owned two factories, a car dealership, a gold shop, and several other shops. In the late 1940s, Li's grandfather took his second uncle to the United States. In the early 1950s, before the public-private partnership, Li's father took Li's mother and his older brother and sister to the United States via Hong Kong.
Only the sick, six-month-old baby Yue'er was left behind and entrusted to her aunt's family. The Li family parents gave her uncle and aunt enough money and supplies to live on until she reached adulthood, but life had been too hard over the years, and although not all the money was spent on her, it was almost gone.
The original owner of this body had good grades and wanted to go to university, but due to the changing policies, no one could go to university.
Six months ago, the original owner of this body fell seriously ill and was on the verge of death when Li Yue unexpectedly transmigrated into the body.
Li Yue survived and adapted to life in this era, growing more and more beautiful.
However, due to her family background, she couldn't find a job. Her aunt, seeing that she was already eighteen, started trying to find her a husband, hoping to get rid of this hot potato as soon as possible.
But Li Yue is no longer the easy girl she used to be. Not wanting to get married so early, she has been arguing with her aunt lately.
She met the son of the deputy director of the alloy factory on a blind date without any warning. If she didn't leave today, she was doomed.
The next options were either being forced into marriage, being sent to the countryside as an educated youth, reclaiming the Great Northern Wilderness, planting rubber in the southwest, or risking death to return to the city.
In short, she had to find a way out for herself.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yanmei immediately said, "No, no, your aunt will be worried to death if she finds out."
“I left a letter.” Li Yue looked at Gu Yanmei. “I will write to you after I get to the South.”
“But,” Gu Yanmei said anxiously, “you can’t go. What if something happens?”
“What could possibly happen? I have my aunt’s school address and home address. I’ll go straight to her after I get off the train.”
Gu Yanmei felt an inexplicable anxiety and grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.
“You’re my only friend,” Li Yue said, breaking free. “I’m trying to find a way to survive.”
“My only friends…” Gu Yanmei paused for a moment, “Don’t Rongrong and Dongping count?”
Li Yue snorted coldly: "Of course they don't count. I wish them a divorce in less than a year of marriage."
"Li Yue!" Gu Yanmei said in a frustrated tone, "Don't be like this. You used to be so gentle and even wished them happiness."
That was the original body's gentleness, not hers.
The four of them grew up together and went to school together. Li Dongping had liked the original owner of the body since childhood, and the original owner also liked him. However, because of the original owner's family background, the Li family did not agree to the relationship, and Wu Rongrong took the opportunity to steal him away.
When Li Yue transmigrated, the two of them had just gotten engaged. The original owner of this body was heartbroken and had a high fever that wouldn't go down.
As they were talking, a bus heading to the train station stopped in front of them. Li Yue stood at the door and waved to Gu Yanmei: "Goodbye, I will write to you."
Watching Li Yue's figure, Gu Yanmei sighed helplessly.
As soon as the car drove away, a figure emerged from behind a large tree and called out to Gu Yanmei, "Where is she going?"
Gu Yanmei looked at Rongrong and said, "Go to her aunt's house in the south."
“It’s good that she’s gone. Otherwise, Dongping would always be thinking about her. He would tell me that Li Yue has become even more beautiful after a month’s absence, and that her personality has become more cheerful after two months. Dongping just can’t let her go. If she doesn’t leave, she will be a troublemaker sooner or later.”
Gu Yanmei felt uneasy and somewhat impatient: "Stop talking."
Rongrong smiled and put her arm around her shoulder: "Okay, okay, let's not talk about that. Come with me to the department store. I'm not satisfied with the boutonnieres the bride and groom wore. I want to change them."
After thinking it over, Gu Yanmei finally said, "I'm not going. I have to go and tell Li Yue's aunt, otherwise something bad might really happen."
Rongrong grabbed her arm and said, "What are you going to do now? You have to wait until the train leaves."
“If the train leaves, it will be too late. Are you really willing to let Li Yue go to the south alone? She is younger than us. Aren’t you afraid something will happen to her?” Gu Yanmei, who was usually honest and simple, suddenly became tough, which surprised Wu Rongrong.
The next second, Rongrong straightened her back and said, "Why are you yelling at me? It wasn't me who decided to elope to the south; it was her own choice. Even the deputy factory director's son wants to marry her. What is she being picky about?"
“If you go and complain now and bring Li Yue back, won’t she blame you? Don’t forget, you helped her hide her luggage. Also, you deserve some credit for my being with Dongping.”
Gu Yanmei was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes as she ran towards the family compound: "I can't just stand by and watch her leave Beijing and go to a place thousands of miles away."
As soon as she ran into the gate of the residential compound, Li Yue's aunt rushed towards her: "Yanmei, have you seen Yueyue?"
Gu Yanmei wiped away her tears: "She went to the train station."
My aunt said angrily, "That brat! She lied to me and said she was going to the toilet... Where is she trying to escape to by running to the train station?"
"She said she was going to the south to visit her aunt."
"What?!"
-
The bus arrived at the train station quickly. Li Yue carried her luggage bag and had a cloth bag tucked into her waistband containing banknotes and food coupons. She felt at ease.
Although the road ahead is long and may not be easy, at least she no longer has to see that lecherous deputy factory director's son, and Li Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
The man had a lewd appearance, and his gaze was full of masculine intensity, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. Even now, the thought of it sends chills down her spine.
Li Yue followed the passengers off the bus, stood at the pedestrian crossing, and looked at the clock in front of the train station square. It was still early before the departure time.
Many pedestrians were crossing the pedestrian crossing to the train station. After the red light turned green, Li Yue stepped forward with the surging crowd. Behind her, a person was riding a bicycle. Instead of getting off and pushing the bike, he continued to ride.
Although he was riding on the side, Li Yue was also on the side. In order not to hit the bicycle, she squeezed in and bumped into a tall, burly, and irritable middle-aged woman. The woman swung her thick arm and unintentionally delivered a chop to Li Yue's neck.
The sudden pain almost made her lose consciousness. She crashed into a jeep parked outside the zebra crossing, hitting the front of the car with a loud thud and collapsing to the ground unconscious.
It was a military jeep. A man in a white shirt sat in the driver's seat, his long fingers gripping the steering wheel, watching the pedestrians pass by with a cold expression. After witnessing what happened, he quickly got out of the car.
The girl was likely hit in the carotid sinus. In mild cases, she would faint and wake up in a few seconds, but in severe cases, it could be life-threatening.
The man squatted down in front of her, put his large hand on her arm, shook her, and called out, "Little comrade, wake up."
The girl did not react.
The onlookers said, "Look, her lips have turned white."
The man tested her again, and the girl's breathing and pulse became increasingly weak. He didn't care about anything else and picked her up and carried her to the passenger seat.
They put the person in the seat, fastened their seatbelt, and then hurriedly drove to the nearest military hospital.
...
Ling Jianwei had just returned to Beijing from military leave to visit relatives.
Today I'm going to meet my blind date. Our parents know each other, and we know each other very well. We even met each other a few years ago, but he really doesn't seem interested.
Feeling upset, I went for a drive and picked up this unlucky girl.
The car stopped at the military hospital. The girl was still slumped in her seat. A tall man carried her into the consultation hall... After the doctor finished the examination, he said there was nothing seriously wrong and she would be fine once she woke up.
At this moment, the unfortunate girl lay silently on the hospital bed, while Ling Jianwei sat beside her, quietly watching. Her skin was as delicate as white porcelain, and her features were exquisite, like Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale.
Noticing that her lips had turned from pale to rosy, she must be waking up soon.
Ling Jianwei raised her wrist and glanced at her watch. It was eleven o'clock, long past the time for their blind date.
He should have left as soon as possible, but after a moment's thought, the man ultimately did not leave.
He has to wait for her to wake up.
A note from the author:
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Li Yue: An unfavorable start.
Man: I found a wife.
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