“How about I come in with you?” Lu Daya asked, her face etched with worry. She felt that Dong Wenzhong wasn’t a good person. After all, he’d kept Xu Ying away from her for years while taking advantage of others. This man clearly had a flawed character. Lately, she often heard her mother say that each of these “educated youths” was more delicate than the last. Especially Dong Wenzhong and Chen Yanran. Since Dong Wenzhong lost Xu Ying’s care, his life had become increasingly miserable. He fainted two or three times a day in the fields and would likely get very little when the grain was finally divided.
Chen Yanran was much smarter than Dong Wenzhong. She had quickly found someone else to work for her. Indeed, good looks are useful, Lu Daya thought.
Dong Wenzhong’s life was so hard now that he had asked Xu Ying to meet him in the woods. Could he be plotting something against Xu Ying? Many female educated youths couldn’t bear the hardship and married village men. Maybe Dong Wenzhong wanted to marry into Xu Ying’s family.
“Yingying, let me go with you,” Lu Daya pleaded, her face still full of worry.
Xu Ying waved her hand, telling her not to fret. “I’ll just go in for a moment. If anything happens, I’ll yell. Then you go and call someone.” It was late evening, and the village was bustling with people. As long as Lu Daya shouted, these idle villagers would run faster than rabbits.
Lu Daya was still uneasy, a knot of worry tightening in her stomach as she watched Xu Ying step into the forest. “Yingying!” Lu Daya called out.
Just then, a man and a wolf appeared behind her. “It’s okay. If anything happens, I’ll help her.” Lu Daya felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Xu Ying stepped into the forest, her heels crunching loudly on the dry leaves. When Dong Wenzhong heard the footsteps, his face lit up. He knew Xu Ying still had feelings for him.
“Xu Ying!” Dong Wenzhong saw Xu Ying’s figure and rushed out. He was especially struck by her outfit and the hint of pride on her pretty face; she looked utterly untouchable. Dong Wenzhong craved what he couldn’t have. Seeing Xu Ying like this made him even more desperate.
“Xu Ying, I’m willing to marry you. As long as you want to get married, we’ll do it immediately,” Dong Wenzhong blurted out, frantic. He was scared and didn’t want to suffer anymore.
Seeing his pathetic appearance, Xu Ying felt a surge of satisfaction. She stood there, her eyes filled with contempt. “Dong Wenzhong, who do you think you are? Marry me if you want, and don’t if you don’t? Look at yourself now. I liked you before because you were fair and educated. But now, look at the difference between you and the country men.” She paused, letting her words sink in. “You’re not even as capable as a country man.”
At her words, Dong Wenzhong couldn’t help but look at his own palms, scarred and rough. “Do you know why you’re like this?” Xu Ying pressed.
“Why?” Dong Wenzhong asked, bewildered, trembling as he stared at his hands with a look of utter defeat.
“Because you believed Chen Yanran’s lies. I hear she’s very close to Xu Xiangdong now. Haven’t you seen clearly who Chen Yanran truly is? You don’t actually think Chen Yanran likes you, do you? She only likes money, and things that can fill her stomach. Now that you’re miserable without my help, Chen Yanran would just leave you! Oh, by the way, you probably didn’t know, right? Chen Yanran didn’t just hook up with Xu Xiangdong this time, she also hooked up with your cousin.” Xu Ying looked at Dong Wenzhong with mockery in her eyes.
Dong Wenzhong stumbled backward several steps, his face a mask of shock and disbelief. “Xu Ying, please stop lying to me! Chen Yanran likes me, and you liked me too!”
“I admit I liked you before, but now you look like a country man, but you’re not even as capable as one. You’re completely useless. What do I want you for?” Xu Ying said, her words sharp and true. He was reduced to nothing.
Dong Wenzhong began to doubt himself deeply. His eyes turned red with rage as he glared at Xu Ying. “You’re talking nonsense!” Seeing that the time was right, Xu Ying slapped Dong Wenzhong across the face, then again and again. “I’m talking nonsense? Why don’t you go drown yourself? Look at what you’ve become, and you actually want to marry me!”
Dong Wenzhong clutched his face, his expression a mix of shame and anger. Ignoring the pain, he glared at Xu Ying. “You… you shrew! How dare you hit me!”
Xu Ying looked down at Dong Wenzhong, striking him a few more times. “I’m hitting you! What are you going to do about it? Fight back if you have the ability!” With that, Xu Ying raised her foot and delivered a powerful kick to Dong Wenzhong’s leg with her thick heel. Dong Wenzhong screamed in pain.
Before he could recover, Xu Ying elbowed him hard in the back, then grabbed him with both hands, lifted him, and threw him to the ground, stepping heavily onto his back. One hand grasped the back of Dong Wenzhong’s head, lifted it forcefully, and slammed it to the ground repeatedly. Thud, thud, thud! Dong Wenzhong’s forehead was instantly covered in cuts and bruises.
“Xu Ying, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have provoked you! Please, let me go!” Dong Wenzhong cried, terrified. He had never seen such a vicious side of Xu Ying. Especially those eyes, as if they held a deep, burning hatred for him.
Dong Wenzhong coughed up blood, and the system’s voice chimed in just in time. “[Host, if you hit him any more, he will die.]”
Xu Ying suddenly snapped back to reality. She angrily delivered one more kick to Dong Wenzhong, then quickly messed up her own clothes and hair, grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground, and smeared it on her face and body. “Help, help! Dong Wenzhong wants to molest me! If I don’t marry him, he’ll touch me! Help!” Xu Ying screamed at the top of her lungs.
Huo Chen, standing near a large tree five meters away, watched the scene unfold, his lips twitching. If he hadn’t just witnessed it himself, he wouldn’t have dared to imagine Xu Ying was so tough. However, he looked at Xu Ying with a doting expression, then quickly ran into the forest with his wolf, Lao Hui. He patted Lao Hui on the head. “Old Hui, go!”
Receiving the command, Lao Hui quickly jumped onto Dong Wenzhong and bit his leg hard. “Ah!” Dong Wenzhong’s face twisted in pain, and he let out a loud scream. Xu Ying smiled, pleased with the scene. Lao Hui stayed firmly on Dong Wenzhong.
When Lu Daya and the villagers arrived, they saw Dong Wenzhong sprawled on the ground. A wolf stood on his body, its hind legs slightly bent, its front legs extended in an attacking posture, and its eyes glowing green in the dim light. In the open forest at night, a pair of glowing green wolf eyes startled those who had come running.
When Mother Xu and Father Xu heard their daughter’s screams, they ran over without stopping. Xu Ying leaned into Huo Chen’s arms, tears welling in her eyes, her expression one of utter vulnerability that made people pity her. She clung to Huo Chen’s arm with both hands.
Huo Chen had been standing there directing Lao Hui, but he hadn’t expected Xu Ying to suddenly throw herself into his arms. Feeling the softness against him, Huo Chen’s body stiffened. In the cold winter air, he suddenly felt hot, with slight beads of sweat forming on the tip of his nose.
“Don’t be scared everything is okay!” he managed to say, but his voice a little hoarse.