CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 76: WHY DOESN’T HE SHOW ANY MERCY TOWARDS WOMEN?

Her body was still trembling as she spoke, evidently frozen, her face pale.

Moreover, her clothes were in disarray, her gaze tender, and she unintentionally flaunted her arms, giving off an air of a broken beauty.

However, He Chen didn’t find this appealing at all. Instead, he believed she was deliberately lying.

"Comrade, I just saw you climb up by grabbing onto the mud. How is it possible that you can’t climb bamboo? I even selected the thickest and sturdiest one for you."

He really disliked this woman, not only because she appeared so inexplicably but also because her behavior was so indecent.

This late-winter, her clothes were messy, and her arms were exposed without any attempt to cover them. Did she want him to jump down and lift her up?

Who was she to him? On what grounds could she ask him to jump into a trap? Wasn’t this a setup?

She was so skinny and barely lucky enough not to be hurt by the bamboo spikes in the trap. With his large build, jumping down would be courting death.

As a result, He Chen’s patience ran out.

"Quickly climb up yourself. I have other matters to attend to," he said and turned away.

He rebundled the bamboo, lifted it, and walked off in one fluid motion, without pausing.

As he was leaving, he noticed Gao Huifang desperately trying to climb up the bamboo out of fear that she would be left alone with no one to help. Despite his dislike, he felt compelled to offer advice.

"Don’t go up the mountain alone next time. There are many traps here. You might not be as lucky to find someone nearby to help."

After saying this, He Chen left without looking back, showing not even a trace of sentiment.

He had said earlier that he would help pull her up when she was about to get out, but he didn’t. He had no desire to involve himself with this woman. If trouble arose, he would have nowhere to argue his case, and Ye Manman would surely be displeased.

It took Gao Huifang a long time, covered in dirt and grime, to climb out of the hole, her nails packed with mud, collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion.

"Damn it! This makes me so angry!"

How could he be so heartless?

He treats Ye Manman so well!

Every time Gao Huifang recalled the scenes she had seen earlier, she was extremely envious. She wished so much that the person being held and pampered by He Chen was herself.

But why, after following him and giving him such a good opportunity, did he seem to dislike her even more than before?

Gao Huifang racked her brains, unable to understand as she was pained all over from the falls, her clothes torn, her exposed arms covered in goosebumps from the cold.

Now that He Chen had gone down the mountain, was she the only one left up here?

And this was a trap meant for catching wild boars. What if one really came out?

The more Gao Huifang thought about it, the more frightened she became. She looked around at the surrounding trees, bushes, and bamboo groves, feeling that something terrifying could jump out at any moment.

As she tried to get up to leave, she slipped on the muddy ground at her feet, twisting her ankle badly.

Falling into the trap didn’t hurt as much as this. How would she get down the mountain now?

Gao Huifang cried painfully, clutching her foot, blaming He Chen for leaving her behind. He could have escorted her down the mountain, yet he insisted she go by herself.

After a while, seeing that it was indeed remote, with no one passing by, Gao Huifang stopped crying and prepared to get down the mountain on her own.

She couldn’t wait till it got dark. It would be even harder to leave then, and she might encounter something scary.

However, after taking only a couple of steps, she suddenly saw someone appear from the nearby bushes.

"Who?!"

She exclaimed, covering her exposed arm, her face filled with caution.

Now she finally felt shame. Upon seeing someone look her way, she quickly turned half of her body to prevent them from seeing her arm.

But the person turned out to be familiar.

"Liu Tiejun?"

"What are you doing here?"

Gao Huifang hadn’t expected it to be Liu Tiejun, and she let out a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, it was Liu Tiejun. He had feelings for Ye Manman and was unlikely to have any ulterior motives toward her.

With this thought, Gao Huifang relaxed, engaging in conversation with Liu Tiejun, hoping he would help her down the mountain.

But now, whether Liu Tiejun still liked Ye Manman or not, he wouldn’t dare to express any thoughts of her as long as He Chen was around.

Today, he came up the mountain to try his luck, see if any traps had caught prey, or find some wild fruits to eat.

He hadn’t expected to run into Gao Huifang in such a place.

Moreover, Gao Huifang was disheveled, looking as if she had been cruelly bullied, her exposed arm and fair skin standing out.

"I came to try my luck, to see if there’s any food to find in the mountains. What about you? Why do you look like this?"

As Liu Tiejun spoke, he moved closer to Gao Huifang, his concerned look hiding turbulent emotions.

He had a good impression of this educated youth. When she first arrived in the countryside, she was striking—beautiful and elegant. As a teenager, Liu Tiejun first experienced certain fantasies about her.

But she was too aloof, dismissive of rural folks. He was too young to think about marriage, and after He Chen married, he introduced him to the even more radiant Ye Manman, making Liu Tiejun forget about her.

However, a few days ago, she saved him, and Liu Tiejun’s affection skyrocketed. He had been planning on pursuing her in recent days.

He hadn’t imagined this coincidence, meeting her here.

Gao Huifang didn’t notice Liu Tiejun’s increasingly inappropriate gaze. Instead, she thought he had come to help and even took off her tattered jacket.

She wouldn’t admit to coming for He Chen—that would be embarrassing. She still needed Liu Tiejun’s help.

"Same here. I came to find something to eat but accidentally fell into that trap over there. It was hard to climb out. Quick, give me your jacket. I’m so cold..."

Unknowingly playing the victim, she donned only two thin, ragged sweaters.

This image was as tempting as it could get in Liu Tiejun’s eyes.

"Alright."

Liu Tiejun replied, obediently taking off his jacket.

Yet, just as Gao Huifang shivered, reaching out to take the jacket, Liu Tiejun unexpectedly grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, Gao Huifang glared at Liu Tiejun, pulling her hand back hurriedly.

But Liu Tiejun didn’t let go, gripping tightly, tossing the jacket aside, and forcefully pushing her to the ground.

"Ah! It hurts!"

"Liu Tiejun, what are you doing?! Let me go!"

Gao Huifang felt as if her tailbone would split apart, her back ached from the impact, but what frightened her more was Liu Tiejun.

His eyes were terrifying now, as if wanting to devour her whole, fury burning within them.

Realizing his malicious intent, Gao Huifang became even more anxious.

She squirmed, trying to persuade Liu Tiejun.

"Liu Tiejun, don’t you like Ye Manman? Please don’t do this to me."

"I beg you, let me go. I’ve twisted my ankle. It really hurts."

"Please let me go."

She softened her tone, pleading desperately, yet Liu Tiejun didn’t listen. Instead, he forcefully pressed down on her.