Chapter 51: The First Meeting Seems to Have Gotten Wrong
Xie Yunze leaned close to her ear and spoke slowly and deliberately, in a voice only the two of them could hear, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Sister...you're staring so intently? That person digging for wild vegetables...could he really be some kind of 'relative' of yours?"
He deliberately emphasized and slowed down the word "family," carrying a blatant probing and provocation.
"I knew it! No normal person would want to be associated with a cowshed, let alone want to build a house in this godforsaken place... Tsk tsk, this is really... outrageous!"
"Shut up!!!"
The string of reason snapped the moment Xie Yunze uttered his last word.
Xu Zhili suddenly turned her head.
Those eyes, which had just been bloodshot and tearful from seeing her mother, were now filled with only pure, violent, and almost predatory ferocity.
Without even thinking, her body moved faster than her mind, and with all her might, she threw a punch that, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, viciously aimed straight at Xie Yunce's smug, grinning face.
Xie Yunze's pupils suddenly contracted.
His reaction was astonishingly fast. Just as the fist was about to strike his face, his waist arched backward at an incredible angle, while his feet retreated rapidly, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.
A strong wind blew across his cheek, bringing a burning, stinging sensation.
"hiss--"
He steadied himself, took an exaggerated deep breath, rubbed his cheekbone where the punch had hit him, and instead of fear, he revealed an even more excited smile, as if he had discovered a treasure, his eyes shining brightly.
"Wow! Sister, you're so fierce and ruthless! One punch and you're dead! Could it be... that I really hit a nerve and you're angry and embarrassed?"
Xu Zhili's punch missed its mark. The violent rage churning in her chest, the grief of seeing her mother but not being able to acknowledge her, and the fury of having her secret exposed all intertwined, almost causing her to scream uncontrollably. How could there be such a person?
She bit her lower lip hard until she tasted the strong metallic taste of blood, which barely suppressed the urge to destroy everything.
She gave the boy in front of her a cold look, who smiled like a cunning fox and moved as nimbly as a wolf, and alarm bells rang in her mind: Such speed!
This person... is not simple!
There's no point in getting entangled with him; it will only expose more of his true nature.
Xu Zhili forcibly suppressed her surging blood and qi, her eyes as cold as ice for millennia. Without even glancing at Xie Yunce again, she turned and left.
Each step was taken with extreme force, as if to crush the ground beneath their feet.
"Hey? Sister! Sister, don't go!"
Xie Yunze immediately followed her like a piece of chewing gum that he couldn't shake off, circling around her with a grin, his tone full of innocence and curiosity.
"Why did you stop watching? Did I say something wrong that upset you? I'm not good with words, so please don't take it to heart, sister!"
Xu Zhili's temples throbbed from his noise, and an unprecedented sense of irritation surged to the top of her head.
She abruptly stopped, turned her head, and her gaze swept across Xie Yunce's handsome face like a knife, squeezing out two cold, piercing words through clenched teeth.
"So noisy!"
Xie Yunze shivered from the coldness of her gaze, subconsciously touching the back of his head, and the bright smile on his face finally froze for a moment.
Tsk, it seems... he's really angered this living devil?
That look... it's even scarier than when we were fighting.
Only then did he belatedly realize that his "naive" probing just now seemed to have precisely stepped on the landmine that this "crazy" older sister absolutely could not touch.
Looking into Xu Zhili's aloof gaze sent a shiver down his spine.
Xie Yunze chuckled and scratched the back of his head, watching her resolute departure. Far from feeling defeated, he licked his little tiger teeth, a stronger interest burning in his eyes, as if he had discovered some rare treasure.
Wow... this woman is wild! Hot! Her eyes can kill, her fists can kill, yet she's incredibly gentle with that little brat... a real ice queen with thorns!
what to do?
I think I messed up our first meeting, but... I really like it! The contrast is amazing.
We need to find a way to remedy this...
Xu Zhili ignored the burning and complicated gaze behind her and headed straight for the brigade leader's house with a clear goal in mind—she wanted to finalize the land deal nearby immediately.
In the main room of the village, where brigade leader Xie Jianguo lived, a simple sketch of the village was spread out on the table.
Xie Jianguo's rough fingers tapped heavily on the wasteland circled by Xu Zhili. His thick, dark eyebrows furrowed into a knot, and his deeply lined face was filled with disapproval and deep worry.
He raised his head, his sharp gaze scrutinizing the seemingly delicate and frail young female educated youth in front of him, his voice as deep as if it were weighed down by a stone.
“Xu Zhiqing,” he tapped the location on the blueprint, his tone serious and leaving no room for argument, “are you really going to choose this piece of land to build a house? This is no joke!”
He leaned forward slightly, trying to reason with her: "You're such a young girl, with an even younger child in tow. Why did you have to settle down here of all places?!"
He deliberately lowered his voice, as if afraid of being tainted by some bad luck: "Who lives in there? You're an innocent young woman sent to the countryside, and you're living next to them? You'll be drowned in their spittle! Don't you care about your reputation? Do you want a good life in the future?"
He decisively moved his finger to the center of the drawing, near the relatively well-organized area of the educated youth settlement, and his tone became earnest.
“Take my advice and live here! It’s close to the center and the educated youth settlement. It’s safe. If anything happens, just shout and there are people all around who can help you. You educated youth can also help each other out. It’s much more convenient to cook, take care of the children, and so on. This is a proper place to settle down!”
Xu Zhili listened quietly, her face expressionless.
She didn't even look at the blueprint; her gaze calmly fell on Xie Jianguo's anxious face. Only after Xie Jianguo finished his earnest explanation, hoping she would change her mind, did Xu Zhili slowly speak, her voice clear and melodious.
"Uncle Captain!"
A faint, almost soothing smile curved her lips, but her eyes remained as calm as a frozen lake. "I appreciate your kindness."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the location of the cowshed on the drawing, a fleeting, unwavering obsession seeming to pass through the depths of her eyes.
She then met Xie Jianguo's disapproving gaze, her tone calm yet resolute.
"But the place I chose is pretty good."
She tilted her head slightly, as if stating a simple fact, but beneath that calm demeanor lay an undeniable strength.
“Let’s build the house on that piece of land over there. Look, it’s not too far from the neighbors, and not many people walk around here on weekdays.”
From now on, when we cook something delicious, no one will be envious or jealous. My brother and I are both frail and need to take good care of ourselves.
Living here, my brother is quiet and reserved. During the day, he can quietly bask in the sun and read books, and at night he can sleep soundly without making a sound. It's so comfortable and peaceful.
"As for safety..."
Xu Zhili's gaze swept lightly over Xie Jianguo's furrowed brows and landed on his thick arms, which were muscular from years of hard work.
Then, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes curved slightly, revealing a smile that could be described as "pure and harmless".
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