CHAPTER 108: CHAPTER 107: YOU’LL WARM UP SOON

Yang Donglian returned to the Zhiqing station with a big fish. Everyone, except for Gao Huifang, greeted her with enthusiastic praise, gobbling down the meat piece after piece. No matter how unattractive she was, she was "blessed with good fortune."

Initially, Gao Huifang sulked in her room, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. How could this woman, whom she had always looked down upon, suddenly get so lucky?

Why her?!

In the evening, when the meal was ready, Song Kangcheng came to bring her food—a big bowl of fish. It smelled delicious.

Gao Huifang ate it heartily, but as she lay in bed, she couldn’t fall asleep.

Especially after seeing Yang Donglian return to her room, beaming with joy, it made her so furious that she threw off her covers, put on her shoes, and went out.

As she went out, she deliberately bumped into Yang Donglian.

Yang Donglian knew she was upset. Although the bump hurt, she felt satisfied, not getting angry about it. She didn’t care where Gao Huifang was running off to on New Year’s Eve.

She lay back in bed happily, chuckling while hugging the quilt, reminiscing about everyone’s praise during the day. She decided to try the river again tomorrow—who knows, she might catch another fish.

Gao Huifang didn’t know how happy Yang Donglian was, but she couldn’t bear to watch her smile. That look made her sick and uncomfortable.

Yang Donglian looked so plain yet always imitated her way of speaking, and now she somehow got lucky. That smug look made Gao Huifang want to slap her.

And she didn’t believe in such superstitions. Why, of all people, did Heaven favor someone like Yang Donglian?

What was she lacking compared to her?

With her head down, Gao Huifang walked to the river. She also wanted to try her luck fishing, thinking that no one would see her on this dark night.

Even if she failed to catch a fish, there wouldn’t be anyone to witness her embarrassment.

Gao Huifang’s plan seemed perfect, but when she reached the desolate, windswept, and pitch-black riverside, she was too scared to look into the water.

During the day, washing clothes by the river didn’t seem like much—the river didn’t appear wide or deep. But at night, the water was invisible, and the river felt like a silent monster, intimidating and fearsome.

The cold wind howled, and the river occasionally made loud noises. Aside from a few sparse trees, the riverbank was just dense grassland.

The village houses were built quite close together, some distance away, so no sound from the village reached here; it was terrifyingly quiet.

Gao Huifang stood by the river, hesitating for a long time. Overcome by fear, she couldn’t make herself step into the water. Instead, scared by imagined monsters, she turned and ran back.

As she turned, Gao Huifang was surprised to see a figure standing in the weedy field not far from her.

The trees and weeds were all dark in the night, making them frighteningly invisible. The shadowy figure following her was even more terrifying to Gao Huifang.

"Who’s there?!"

Startled, she instinctively screamed, wanting to flee, but her fear made her legs weak, her calves trembling uncontrollably.

The person remained silent, standing like a ghost. Behind him was a dark field of weeds and some distant dark trees.

Gao Huifang was so scared she nearly cried. She looked around, but the open area offered no shelter, and with no one else around, shouting for help seemed useless.

Behind her was the river, threatening to swallow her whole. In front of her stood a silent figure, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

She shouldn’t have come out!

Why did she insist on proving herself?

She should have listened to Song Kangcheng.

Regretful, Gao Huifang then noticed that the figure moved, approaching her.

"Ahhhh! Don’t come any closer! What do you want? Who are you? I’ve never harmed anyone, please don’t kill me!"

Her worst fear was the figure wanting to harm her. She didn’t dare run or look at his face; she fell to her knees, begging for mercy.

On her knees, she saw the person had reached in front of her, and she trembled, afraid he might harm her silently.

However, a familiar yet equally dreaded voice appeared above her.

"Hehe, I never intended to kill you. I care about you too much for that."

It was him!

The man who had followed and bullied her several times under the cover of darkness!

Gao Huifang shivered. Relieved by his voice, her body reacted shamefully, stirred by his words.

It’s lucky it wasn’t someone out to kill her.

Involuntarily, she clasped her legs together, trying to stifle the feeling.

"I heard you’re getting married? To someone from your Zhiqing group?"

The man squatted, expertly wrapping a cloth over her eyes, tying it behind her head.

Darkness, still the same darkness.

Yet, an inexplicable thrill and anticipation filled Gao Huifang’s heart. Shamefully, she felt relieved that it was him.

After all, they had shared several encounters. Though he always blindfolded her, he never harmed her or spread rumors.

"Weren’t you dismissive of those Zhiqing who failed the university entrance exams? Why the sudden change of heart?"

The man lowered his head, kissing her boldly.

She passively accepted it, saying nothing.

The man seemed unsatisfied, suddenly gripping her chin hard.

"What, have you slept with that Zhiqing, too? Is he better than me?"

He pushed Gao Huifang to the ground, where dry grass pricked her skin.

Cold, the grass scratched painfully, but she knew he wouldn’t let her go. Disobedience invited harsher treatment.

So, she shook her head desperately.

"No, no, I haven’t."

Hearing her fearful, tearful voice, the man chuckled.

"Hehe, I thought so."

"But you’ve promised yourself to someone else. It’s only a matter of time before you’re sleeping together. Will you still miss me then?"

He lashed her with a belt, bringing more pain and cold. She could barely stand the winter chill.

She wanted to cry, wanted to snatch back her clothes, but dared not.

So, she clung to the only source of warmth—the man—acting passionately, counterintuitively seeking his lips.

The man, surprised by her response, paused briefly, then a bizarre smile crossed his face as she continued her search.

"Seems like you prefer me after all."

"Why not skip marrying that Zhiqing and stay with me? I’ll ensure you feel joy every day."

In the cold wind, the man remained fully dressed except for his unfastened pants, while Gao Huifang shivered, unable to speak clearly.

"Please, just give me my clothes, I’m so cold..."

Her chattering teeth made it hard to form words as she pleaded, her lips seeking his face.

The man was pleased with her supplication, but he only whispered near her ear, laughing softly.

"Don’t worry; you’ll warm up soon."

"I’ll make sure you feel the heat in no time."