CHAPTER 184: 183: WARNING (2ND UPDATE)

Bai Hehua’s face was already pale, having been quite frightened just by encountering Ye Zhenfen. And, as luck would have it, Ye Zhenfen brought up Shen Bin’s matter in front of Lin Changwan. Lin Changwan was formidable, and even after only meeting a couple of times, Bai Hehua could tell. Now, with her knowing this, who knows what might happen?

"I’ve only been on one blind date, met twice, and I don’t even know if it will work out, so I never brought it up," Bai Hehua said with a shy smile, hooking her arm through Lin Changwan’s, "Sister Lin, you’ve just had a miscarriage. Let me take you home first. I feel bad for dragging you with me, making you stay so long."

She also apologized to Ye Zhenfen, "Grandma Ye, I’ll chat with you more when we have the time, today’s not convenient."

Initially, Ye Zhenfen was quite unhappy when Bai Hehua’s colleague mentioned her having a secret boyfriend. But upon hearing how she explained herself, she thought that although this child came from the countryside and had a bit of a small-town mentality, she was sensible and reserved. Her expression softened, and with a nod, she headed into the hospital without saying much more.

As soon as she left, Lin Changwan shook off Bai Hehua’s hand, "Alright, you’ve got both ends covered, now you’re pinning it on my brother. Who knows whose it is? Just consider my brother unlucky. From now on, stay away from him. You may look honest, but you’re quite calculating."

Bai Hehua’s face turned pale from the reprimand, but she retorted, "Sister Lin, don’t worry, I’ll steer clear of Lin Tao from now on. I’ve learned my lesson from this once, and I’ll never be this foolish again."

Lin Changwan, having heard from her brother that Bai Hehua was inexperienced, had just been trying to let her know not to cling to him. Hearing Bai Hehua promise, she didn’t hold on to it any longer, "As long as you understand."

Not bothering with Bai Hehua, she left first.

When Bai Hehua went to the compound, she first went to a small store to buy a roll of toilet paper and some oral antibiotics before returning. Ye Qian hadn’t returned from school yet, leaving Bai Xue home alone. Seeing her niece looking unwell, she asked a few questions. Bai Hehua explained how she accompanied Lin Changwan for the miscarriage and how she was scared while already on her period. Bai Xue scolded her, saying a young girl shouldn’t be near this kind of thing, and after hearing about the encounter with Ye Zhenfen, asked a few more questions before sending her back to rest.

After her abortion, Bai Hehua still had to go to work to cook at noon, and within a month, she’d lost a significant amount of weight, looking quite spiritless. Bai Xue, preoccupied with her daughter’s high school entrance exams, had little attention for her niece. Whenever she asked, it was mostly about whether Shen Bin had contacted her, and upon hearing he hadn’t, she grew anxious but didn’t press further.

Bai Hehua managed to keep the matter under wraps. At work, she kept her distance from Lin Tao. Though Lin Tao tried to appease her a few times afterward, Bai Hehua wasn’t foolish enough to respond, and after several instances, Lin Tao realized she truly didn’t want to engage with him and stopped attempting to reconnect. Lin Changwan watched for over a month and, seeing Bai Hehua was truly keeping her word, began to regard her more highly.

At school, the senior section was preparing for university entrance exams while the junior section was gearing up for high school entrance exams. The academic atmosphere was tense, despite Ye Ling and her peers being only in their first year of high school. With year-end exams approaching, it wasn’t easy for anyone. After reconciling with Zhao Guodong, he fought less and studied more, earning several praises from teachers.

However, Zhao Guodong frequently picked on Si Daochen in class. It was apparent to any observant person that Zhao Guodong was deliberately targeting him. Zhang Zhenlian had approached Ye Ling a few times, only to be rebuffed by her retorts. Seeing Zhao Guodong unrelenting and Si Daochen growing despondent, Zhang Zhenlian gritted her teeth and privately sought out Ye Qian in the junior section.

With the high school entrance exams approaching, although Ye Qian appeared calm, she felt increasingly agitated. She was surprised when Zhang Zhenlian sought her out. They had met once when she returned to the village for her grandmother’s funeral, and Ye Qian knew from her visit to Liu Rui that Zhang Zhenlian had gotten into high school.

Ye Qian felt quite uneasy. A rural girl passed, so if she didn’t, wouldn’t even Zhang Zhenlian laugh at her? So she always remained polite with Zhang Zhenlian’s greetings but never spoke much. She couldn’t figure out why Zhang Zhenlian had come to see her now.

"Ye Qian, I know it’s not right to ask you about this, but there’s really no other way," Zhang Zhenlian said, genuinely worried about Si Daochen. "Do you remember Si Daochen? The one who accompanied you during your grandmother’s funeral. He also got into high school."

Ye Qian thought for a moment, recalling a few encounters at school, acknowledged with a nod, but having never spoken with him, asked, "What’s wrong with him?"

She couldn’t fathom why Si Daochen’s matter would involve her.

Zhang Zhenlian, relieved she remembered, then explained how Zhao Guodong was constantly targeting Si Daochen, "Ye Ling is on good terms with Zhao Guodong. I’ve approached her several times, but she just shuts me down. I thought since you’re Ye Ling’s sister, maybe if you said a few words, she could persuade Zhao Guodong to stop troubling Si Daochen. After all, they both came from the same village."

Ye Qian hadn’t anticipated such a situation, and after a moment’s reflection, responded, "My sister rarely comes home, so I can hardly speak to her. How about this, why don’t you talk to a teacher about it?"

"That’s not an option. The teachers always take Zhao Guodong’s side. If they intervene, it’ll only make him bully Si Daochen more," Zhang Zhenlian explained. Instead of helping, it harmed him.

Ye Qian felt overwhelmed, "My sister’s stubbornness... not even my mom can manage her, only my dad, but he’s in the army and doesn’t come home often. How about this, when my dad returns, I’ll speak to him about it. It’s all I can offer, beyond this, I can’t help."

Zhang Zhenlian understood and remained grateful, "Thank you, Ye Qian. No matter what, I appreciate you not refusing my request."

"You’re too kind. You’re from our home village, so if there’s anything else, just come to me. I’ll help where I can," Ye Qian replied sweetly with a smile.

Zhang Zhenlian nodded happily, but her heart ached as she left. No wonder Si Daochen kept thinking about Ye Qian. Her gentle demeanor, sweet smile—just seeing it made one fond of her; imagine how enthralling it would be for a boy.

Meanwhile, on another side of the school, Ji Hong’s face flushed as she handed over a love letter she’d written, unable to lift her head, "Senior, I’ve liked you for a long time." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote and send monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)