Lü Xiaoju was wide-eyed with shock. Someone in this school actually dared to talk back to Zhang Lili? And it was Su Beibei, the girl who usually kept her head down and never made a sound?
“Hurry, Ying’er!” Lü Xiaoju whispered, dragging Lin Ying by the arm. “We have to see this!”
When they reached the front of the classroom, Lin Ying saw Zhang Lili standing near the podium, her face flushed red with fury as she pointed a shaking finger at Su Beibei. Hu Weidong stood between them like a shield, his expression tense as he tried to de-escalate the fight. Seven or eight other students were scattered around the room; they were pretending to study, but their eyes were darting toward the podium every few seconds. They didn’t even acknowledge Lin Ying and Lü Xiaoju as they slipped through the back door and sat down to watch.
Over by the podium, Su Beibei leaned in and whispered something only Zhang Lili could hear.
Whatever it was, it acted like a lit match to a powder keg. Zhang Lili shrieked, her hand flying up to deliver a sharp slap—but she failed. Hu Weidong grabbed her wrist mid-air.
“Zhang Lili, stop being unreasonable, okay?” he shouted.
“I’m being unreasonable?!” Zhang Lili was practically vibrating with rage. “She’s the one who started this!”
Hu Weidong looked at her with pure disbelief. “Zhang Lili, listen to yourself! I saw the whole thing! You ordered those girls to take Su Beibei’s lunchbox and hide it. And now you’re trying to frame her for ‘provoking’ you?”
Zhang Lili froze. She hadn’t realized Hu Weidong had been watching from the hallway earlier. She shot a look of pure resentment at Su Beibei. It was her fault, she thought. If she hadn’t lured him here, I wouldn’t have been caught.
Looking at Zhang Lili’s twisted expression, Hu Weidong felt a chill of disappointment. He had always known she was a bit spoiled, but he never expected her to be so cruel. In his eyes, Su Beibei was a saint—beautiful, kind, and even now, only asking for a simple apology.
“You’ve disappointed me,” Hu Weidong said coldly. “Apologize to her, or we’re done.”
Zhang Lili seethed. She loved Hu Weidong, and his family was well-off; even her father, the Factory Deputy Director, had to show respect to Hu’s father. So she had to swallow her pride.
After she mumbled a reluctant apology, Su Beibei offered a gentle, forgiving smile. “It’s alright, we’re classmates. Since you apologized sincerely, I forgive you. But Classmate Zhang, please don’t do this again, or you’ll just keep making the same mistakes.”
With that, Hu Weidong led Su Beibei out of the room. Throughout the whole ordeal, Su Beibei hadn’t said a single mean word. Compared to the “Bully,” she looked exceptionally innocent.
Lin Ying watched them leave, her eyes narrowed. She knew the ‘new’ Su Beibei wasn’t a kind soul. Why did Hu Weidong see the theft today when he never noticed it before? Why did she whisper something to trigger a slap? It was a calculated trap to make herself look like a pitiful victim and secure Hu Weidong as an ally.
By the afternoon, the news had spread through the school like wildfire. Even Wang Caixia, the quietest girl in class, leaned over to ask: “Lin Ying, did you really see it? People are saying Su Beibei was so magnanimous.”
Lin Ying recounted the events, and Wang Caixia nodded. “Good. No one likes Zhang Lili’s arrogance anyway. Su Beibei is quite nice to forgive her like that. If it were me, I’d have held a grudge.”
Lin Ying, however, was more interested in her Gossip System. It seemed she didn’t even have to participate—just being a “viewer” was enough to earn a prize.
She opened her reward box at noon. It wasn’t food this time, but a sleek bottle of liquid.
[Item: Beauty Brand Moisturizing Essence Lotion]
Note: A well-known brand; you deserve it.
It wasn’t a “magic elixir,” but it was incredibly practical. In this era, skincare was almost non-existent for working-class girls. Her skin felt dry and tight every morning after washing with harsh soap.
When she got home that evening, she hid in her room and applied a bit. The fragrance was light and elegant, and her skin felt instantly supple. The 200ml bottle would easily last her until winter if she used it sparingly.
On Tuesday morning, Su Beibei greeted her in the washroom. Her voice was sweet, but her eyes were calculating. Lin Ying realized the “Lead” had finally integrated the original owner’s memories and knew they were supposed to be friendly neighbors.
Lin Ying responded politely but kept her distance. She knew that being near a “Protagonist” meant being near trouble. Zhang Lili couldn’t touch Su Beibei while Hu Weidong was around, but she could easily take her anger out on a “friend” like Lin Ying.
The rest of the week was a blur of studying. Lin Ying knew the College Entrance Exam [the ‘Gaokao,’ which had been suspended during the Cultural Revolution] would soon be reinstated. She was already ahead because of her previous life, but she needed to refresh her memory.
However, the weekend brought the return of the blind dates. Aunt Wang, embarrassed by the “Hooligan” Li Zhiqiang before , gave Su Yulan a list of five men to choose from.
Su Yulan was ruthless in her vetting:The Eldest Son: Had six siblings. [Too much family burden; rejected.]
The Rich Man: Wealthier than the last, but looked like a “toad.” [Rejected.]
The Handsome One: Very good-looking, but his whole family lived in a 15-square-meter room. [Rejected.]
That left two “acceptable” men. Su Yulan scheduled one for lunch and one for dinner on Sunday.
Lin Ying went to both, but as she walked home that Sunday night, her head was spinning. One man had spent the whole time counting how many grains of rice she ate to see if she was “expensive to keep,” and the other had spent the date talking about his mother’s foot fungus.
After her return Lin Ying sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She realized that ‘quantity’ did not mean ‘quality.’ Compared to these men, the ‘Refined Scoundrel’ Shao Mingyuan—who at least didn’t come home and had a high salary—was starting to look like a prince to her .
Lin Ying sighed heavily. “After today? I think I am cursed and began to recount her day to her mother .”The first candidate on today was Wang Haifeng. At twenty years old, he was the picture of a “proper” young man: square-faced, thick eyebrows, and big eyes—the exact aesthetic that defined handsomeness in this era. He arrived in a crisp white shirt and black trousers, his hair combed so neatly it didn’t have a single stray strand.
Lin Ying appreciated the cleanliness. After the apocalypse, she had a deep-seated respect for people who took care of their appearance.
“I’m so sorry, the bus was late,” he said, scratching his head with an apologetic grin.
Lin Ying glanced at her watch. It was 11:56 AM. He wasn’t even late, yet he had the grace to apologize. A good start, she thought. They sat down in the restaurant, and Wang Haifeng was a charming conversationalist, telling jokes and stories that made the time fly. He even insisted on ordering “the good stuff”—braised carp and shredded pork—to make up for his supposed tardiness.
When the meal ended, Lin Ying watched him carefully. He didn’t try to act like a big spender by leaving food on the table; instead, he called the waiter to pack the leftovers. “If we don’t take these, they’ll go to waste,” he explained. “My younger siblings will love them.”
Lin Ying smiled. He was frugal, handsome, and polite. She left the restaurant feeling that, for once, a blind date might actually be a success.
On her way to buy notebooks at the local supply cooperative, the Gossip System suddenly pinged with a high-priority alert:
[Gossip Mission: Observe the argument between Wang Haifeng and Chen Dan. Reward: One Prize Draw.]
Lin Ying froze. Chen Dan? Who is that? She spotted Wang Haifeng’s tall frame immediately. He wasn’t alone. He was gripping the arm of a girl in a yellow dress, pulling her into a secluded alley. Lin Ying ducked behind a telephone pole, her heart sinking. In 1975, such physical contact in public was scandalous—it meant they were intimately involved.
“You’re hurting me!” the girl, Chen Dan, hissed, shaking him off.
Wang Haifeng’s voice, previously so gentle and humorous, was now like ice. “Have you made enough of a scene? We’ve already broken up!”
“What breakup?” Chen Dan cried. “You suddenly stopped talking to me, and then had a friend tell me it’s over? You’ve done this to so many girls, but you won’t do it to me!”
As the argument escalated, the truth came out. Wang Haifeng was a serial heartbreaker. He targeted “pretty girls from the countryside,” used them for fun, and then dumped them by claiming his mother “didn’t like them.”
“I’m not finished with you!” Chen Dan screamed after Wang Haifeng slapped her—a sound so loud it echoed out of the alley. “I’ll be at your factory gate every day! Let’s see who loses face first!”
Lin Ying watched her storm off and sighed. Another one bites the dust. He wasn’t a gentleman; he was a practiced actor. Her evening date was even more surreal. Li Xiangjun, a twenty-two-year-old in the factory security department, arrived… with his mother.
Throughout the entire dinner, Li Xiangjun didn’t say a word. His mother ordered the food, his mother handled the introductions, and his mother paid the bill. He sat there like a statue, waiting for her instructions.
When the mother finally excused herself to give them “privacy,” Li Xiangjun opened his mouth.
“You’re too thin,” he said bluntly. “My mom says thin women have trouble giving birth. You need to gain weight.”Every single sentence that followed began with “My mom says…”“My mom makes better pork.“My mom takes me to the movies.”
“My mom hates writers—don’t tell her you like to write.”
Finally, he looked at her with a serious expression. “My mom raised me alone. It wasn’t easy. If we get married, you have to be perfectly filial and take care of everything at home so she doesn’t have to lift a finger. I’m busy with work, so it’s your job to serve her.”
Lin Ying was speechless. He wasn’t looking for a wife; he was looking for a replacement servant for his mother. So she politely declined and fled.
Hearing the whole ordeal Su Yulan became furious and as the day began she stormed to Matchmaker Wang’s house, demanding to know why she was introducing “hooligans and mama’s boys” to her daughter. The argument was so heated that the matchmaker even returned the gifts Su Yulan had given her.
By Wednesday, the stress took a toll on the family. Lin Ying’s grandfather, Su Youfu, fell ill with a high fever again. After a confusing visit to the factory clinic, they were referred to the Beicheng First Hospital for better equipment.
Su Yulan spent the day running between departments, skipping lunch out of anxiety. By 5 PM, her blood sugar plummeted, and she fainted on the hospital steps.
When she woke up, a nurse was tending to her. Su Yulan blinked, recognizing the face. “Han Ying?”
It was her old junior high school classmate. They hadn’t seen each other in years. Han Ying helped get the grandfather settled and then took Su Yulan for a quick meal. Naturally, the talk turned to their children.
“I’m worried sick about my daughter, Lin Ying,” Su Yulan sighed, recounting the three disastrous blind dates. “She’s a good girl, but she keeps running into these troublemakers.”
Han Ying laughed at the absurdity of the stories, but then her expression turned thoughtful. “You know… since she’s still looking, I actually have someone in mind. He’s a doctor here at this hospital. But I don’t know if you’ll be satisfied—he’s a bit of a special case.”
Lin Ying, who was at home helping her sister with her homework, suddenly saw a new prompt on her transparent screen: ‘New Key Character Detected: Shao Mingyuan. Relationship: Potential Fate.’The “Average” Doctor
Su Yulan on the other hand was intrigued, leaning in closer. “What do you mean by a ‘slight issue’?”
Han Ying lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “He works right here at the hospital. His name is Shao Mingyuan. His family is well-off, and he’s a tall young man, though his looks are just… average. The ‘issue’ is with his family history—his grandfather was a soldier who received a high commendation, but there was some trouble with that side of the family years ago. It doesn’t affect his status now, but some people are bothered by the history; they think it’s ‘unlucky’ or a bad look.”
She sighed, smoothing her nurse’s apron. “The young man is very serious. His mother is a friend of mine, and she’s worried sick because his personality is so stiff. She asked me to help him find a match, but I’ve been so busy I nearly forgot until you mentioned your daughter today. He’s a university graduate—currently an intern, but everyone knows he has a brilliant future. The problem is he’s a workaholic. He practically lives at the hospital, which is why he’s still single and having to go on blind dates.”
Su Yulan had been pushed to her limit by the recent string of disastrous dates. She was desperate. Her daughter was graduating in a month, and the threat of the countryside loomed like a dark cloud.
A university graduate! A doctor! To Su Yulan, a doctor was a “Golden Rice Bowl” [a prestigious, secure profession]. It was better than any factory job. If her son-in-law was a doctor, the neighbors would treat her with newfound respect. As for the “personality issues” or the grandfather’s past, she didn’t care. In this era, university students had to pass a strict political background check [Zheng Shen], so if the state said he was fine, he was fine.
“What is there to be dissatisfied about?” Su Yulan exclaimed. “I think he sounds wonderful. When can they meet? This weekend? We can find a nice restaurant.”
Han Ying shook her head. “Weekends won’t work. He’s never free. But your father will be here for injections for the next few days anyway. Let me ask him tomorrow, and I’ll let you know.”
That night, Su Yulan told Lin Ying about the new prospect. When Lin Ying heard the name Shao Mingyuan, she felt a jolt of recognition. It really is him. She knew from the “plot” of her previous world that this man was the only one worth her time.
The next day, Su Yulan changed the plan. “Tomorrow is Friday. Go pick up your grandfather from his appointment and meet the doctor in the hospital cafeteria at 5:30 PM. He’s too busy for a weekend date.”
At school on Friday, Lin Ying was so lost in thought she didn’t even hear her friend calling her.”Lin Ying! Are you even listening?” Lü Xiaoju huffed, leaning across the desk. “I’m telling you, I suspect Su Beibei and Hu Weidong are actually together!”
Lin Ying snapped out of her daze. “Impossible,” she said flatly. She knew the tropes of these novels—the leads stayed in a slow-burn, exclusive 1v1 relationship.
“I saw them walking home together yesterday!” Lü Xiaoju insisted. “The way they looked at each other… they’re a couple, I swear!”
“They aren’t,” Lin Ying said calmly. “Wait three months, you’ll see.”
“Let’s bet on it!” Lü Xiaoju challenged. “Loser treats the winner to dinner—with meat!”
“Deal,” Lin Ying smiled. It was a guaranteed win.
As the afternoon wore on, Lü Xiaoju continued to gossip until their deskmate, Wang Caixia, snapped at them to be quiet. Then, Lü Xiaoju turned the conversation back to her own dread: the countryside.
“I’ll give you a dirty trick,” Lin Ying whispered, seeing her friend’s genuine distress. “Go home and cry. Don’t be shy about it. Cry to your mother about how terrified you are of the hunger and the isolation. Then, go cry in front of the neighbors. Say out loud that your grandmother is ‘too kind’ to ever let you go to such a horrible place. You force her into a corner—if she insists on you going after that, she’ll lose face and look heartless to the whole neighborhood. Once she’s on your side, your dad will fold.”
Lü Xiaoju’s eyes widened. “Does that actually work?”
“Try it. It’s better than sitting around waiting to be sent away.”
After school, Lin Ying took the bus to the hospital. After checking on her grandfather, she headed to the second-floor cafeteria and waited. 5:30 PM passed. 5:40 PM passed.
At 5:45 PM, a tall figure in a white lab coat came sprinting toward her table. He was panting, his face beaded with sweat.
“I am so sorry,” Shao Mingyuan gasped. “There was an emergency—a cardiac arrest. We spent the last half hour resuscitating him.” He paused, looking at her with concern. “Do you know what cardiac arrest is? It’s when the heart stops.”
Lin Ying didn’t answer. She was too busy staring. Her mother had said he was “average-looking,” but to Lin Ying, he was a masterpiece.
He was easily over 1.8 meters tall, making the cafeteria doors look small. He had a sharp, “wicked” handsomeness that didn’t fit the “honest and square” beauty standards of the 1970s. He had beautiful, parallelogram-shaped eyes with upturned corners, a high bridge to his nose, and thin, aloof lips. He wore gold-rimmed glasses that gave him an air of intellectual coldness.
In this era, people wanted a man with a ‘righteous’ square face and full, lucky lips. Shao Mingyuan’s sharp jaw and thin lips made him look ‘mean’ or ‘fickle’ to the older generation. But to Lin Ying, he was the perfect ‘Refined Scoundrel’—handsome, dangerous, and brilliant.
Her heart fluttered as she felt she could go sign the marriage certificate right this second.”Hello?” Shao Mingyuan asked, his ears turning slightly red under her intense gaze.
“Hello,” she recovered quickly. “I was just thinking about the cardiac arrest you mentioned. It sounds intense.”
“It is. Let’s… let’s introduce ourselves. I don’t have much time.”
They exchanged basics. He was twenty-three, a recent graduate, and an intern. Then, his tone turned blunt.
“I’m very busy. I spend most nights here. If we marry, you will be living alone most of the time. I will provide all the household expenses, but I won’t be there to help.”
“I can accept that,” Lin Ying said.
Then, Shao Mingyuan dropped a bombshell. “If possible, I hope our marriage will end after exactly three years. Can you accept that?”
He looked her in the eye, his expression dead serious. “I don’t actually want a wife. I’m only here because my mother is pressuring me. I believe focusing on my medical career is the only thing that matters. If we marry now to satisfy our families and then peacefully divorce in three years, I will give you a large sum of money to start a new life and remarry. I won’t stand in your way. What do you think?”
Lin Ying stared at him. A three-year marriage? A generous payout? For a girl trying to avoid the countryside and a transmigrator who didn’t want a traditional, suffocating marriage, this wasn’t a threat—it was a dream come true.
“You don’t have to answer now,” he added quickly. “Go home and thi.”
Lin Ying cut him in between and suppressing a smile she said . “I think… we might have a lot to talk about.”
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