Chapter 162 Someone Else Is Already in My Heart
As the sun began to set, she remembered An'an waiting for her at Aunt Liu's house, so she packed up her basket and casually used her slingshot to hunt two rabbits and a pheasant.
On her way down the mountain, she made a point of visiting Secretary Liu's house first.
This time, she didn't bring anything, and Aunt Liu seemed much more at ease, even warmly inviting her to stay for dinner.
Xu Zhili politely declined, but she remembered this simple kindness in her heart.
As she passed the former educated youth compound, she stopped and called out twice, "Comrade Lu Yanchen?"
Several educated youths peeked out from behind the noise, looking around curiously.
Lu Yanchen quickly emerged from the men's dormitory. His eyes lit up slightly when he saw her, and when his gaze fell on the pheasant in her hand, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips: "Comrade Xu Zhili, what's this...?"
"Here you go, the pheasant I promised you."
She handed it over and noticed fresh scratches on his fingertips, as if he had just done some rough work.
Lu Yanchen took the pheasant and, as he pulled out some money from his military green jacket pocket, said in a low voice, "Next time, you don't need to bring it over specially. I'll just go get it. Here..."
He glanced at the curious gazes out of the corner of his eye, "Too many people, too much talk."
Xu Zhili took the money and put it in her pocket without counting it: "Okay, I'll head back now."
She took An'an's hand and left calmly under the gaze of many eyes, but she could feel the gaze following her back.
Lu Yanchen stood still, the pheasant in his hand still carrying the scent of the mountains, just like that girl who always did things unpredictably, making her unfathomable.
Yao Xueru was standing at the window looking out when she inadvertently saw Xu Zhili and Lu Yanchen trading their prey.
Her face instantly turned extremely pale, and she instinctively gripped the edge of the window tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Unable to contain her anger any longer, she strode out of the women's dormitory, her chest heaving.
She approached Lu Yanchen and raised her voice, saying, "Young Master Lu, you absolutely must not engage in speculation and profiteering, which violates the rules."
Lu Yanchen looked helpless and hurriedly explained, "Yao Zhiqing, there's really no such thing as speculation. Don't make things so serious. Can't you stop being unreasonable?"
Yao Xueru was adamant and responded without hesitation: "No! Lu Yanchen, listen carefully, from now on, you must keep your distance from Xu Zhili and are not allowed to have any contact with her again."
"Otherwise, I will definitely report you for speculation and profiteering, and you'll regret it then."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanchen stared directly at Yao Xueru, his brows furrowing slightly. His tone was impatient as he coldly replied, "Yao Zhiqing, this is a matter between Comrade Xu Zhili and me. Please don't meddle."
"Furthermore, this is just a barter transaction. Xu Zhili has the necessary documentation for the purchase of the goods. There is absolutely no speculation involved. Don't think you can threaten me with a report."
Hearing Lu Yanchen's cold response, Yao Xueru's eyes were filled with grievance and resentment, and her eyes quickly reddened.
Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "Lu Yanchen, what did I do wrong? Why are you treating me like this?"
Lu Yanchen looked at Yao Xueru's reddened eyes, and although a trace of pity flashed through his heart, he quickly regained his indifference.
He turned his head away, refusing to look at Yao Xueru's appearance, and said stiffly, "Yao Zhiqing, matters of the heart cannot be forced. I have not had much interaction with you, and I hope you will not bother me again in the future."
Yao Xueru bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to fall.
"Lu Yanchen, I don't believe you have no feelings for me at all. We've spent so much time together at the educated youth settlement, how can you really not feel how I treat you?"
Her voice carried a hint of pleading, trying to evoke even the slightest bit of warmth in Lu Yanchen.
Lu Yanchen sighed, his tone softening slightly, but his attitude remained firm: "Yao Zhiqing, I understand your feelings, but I already have someone else in my heart. I can only apologize to you. You are a good girl, and you will meet someone more suitable for you."
Hearing Lu Yanchen say that he already had someone else in his heart, Yao Xueru felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she had been stabbed.
She couldn't help but press, "That person is Xu Zhili, isn't she? What's so special about her that makes you so enamored?"
At this moment, Yao Xueru was filled with jealousy and resentment. She couldn't understand why she was inferior to Xu Zhili.
When Lu Yanchen heard Yao Xueru mention Xu Zhili, his eyes softened instantly, and he subconsciously defended her, saying, "Zhili is kind, intelligent, and has her own opinions. Her goodness cannot be described in just a few words. Yao Zhiqing, please don't say such things again. It's not good for anyone."
When Yao Xueru saw the tender look in Lu Yanchen's eyes when he mentioned Xu Zhili, the fire of jealousy in her heart burned even brighter.
She sneered, "What a nice, kind and intelligent woman! She's just pretending. Lu Yanchen, you'll see her true colors sooner or later."
After saying that, she turned and ran away, leaving Lu Yanchen standing there with his brows furrowed and his heart filled with annoyance.
Bai Linlin stood among the onlookers, quietly watching the farce between Yao Xueru and Lu Yanchen. Her face did not show much obvious reaction; she simply watched everything in front of her with a calm expression.
I never expected that Lu Yanchen would be so indecisive and wishy-washy when rejecting Yao Xueru.
That is precisely why Yao Xueru is so persistent and difficult to get rid of.
At dinner time, Lu Yanchen looked around the table but did not see Bai Linlin.
After some inquiries, it was learned that she was sitting alone at the door, eating her meal from an aluminum lunchbox.
A gentle breeze caressed her face, ruffling the hair around her cheek. She closed her eyes slightly, chewing her food slowly and deliberately before swallowing.
Lu Yanchen held the ceramic pot and stood quietly not far away, gazing at Bai Linlin's profile.
In that instant, his heart skipped a beat.
If Xu Zhili were present at this moment, she would surely exclaim in surprise, because the romantic relationship between the male and female protagonists in the book seems to have quietly begun to unfold.
Bai Linlin vaguely felt a burning gaze falling on her, so she slowly opened her eyes and inadvertently met Lu Yanchen's gaze.
She tilted her head slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes, and asked softly, "Lu Zhiqing, is something the matter?"
Lu Yanchen suddenly realized his lapse in composure, his face turning bright red. He stammered, "No, no, I... I just, uh, watching you eat, I was thinking about making pheasant soup, and I wanted to..." But he couldn't get the words out properly. He was filled with regret and wished he could disappear into the ground.
Seeing Lu Yanchen's embarrassed appearance, Bai Linlin couldn't help but chuckle softly, her laughter as clear and melodious as a silver bell.
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