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Lin Yan ran back home, and Lu Chenyuan wondered why she had come back so quickly.
Lin Yan, like clutching at a lifeline, held Lu Chenyuan's hand tightly and wouldn't let go.
Lu Chenyuan frowned as he was so actively grasped by her.
"Come with me to my brother's academic celebration banquet, so everyone in the village knows I'm with you," Lin Yan said in distress, not wanting to put Lu Chenyuan in such a difficult position.
Lin Yan had made a specific trip back home to ask him to accompany her, and Lu Chenyuan knew she must have encountered some trouble.
"Just this once," Lin Yan pleaded, afraid that Lu Chenyuan wouldn't agree, gripping his hand even tighter with a lot of emotions choking her up.
Lu Chenyuan's gaze didn't fall on her; he simply said, "I know, let go of my hand."
Lin Yan's mouth was pinched into a thin line, her face even paler when she was about to cry, and the redness around her eyes was especially noticeable.
"First let go of my hand, I'll go change my clothes," said Lu Chenyuan helplessly. If he didn't say this, Lin Yan's tears would immediately start falling.
Lin Yan let go of his hand and obediently nodded.
The black shirt and khaki casual trousers were simple attire, yet on Lu Chenyuan, no one could tell just how poor he really was.
Clothes make the man, and Lin Yan thought Lu Chenyuan looked good in anything he wore, as if he were born to be a clothes hanger.
She couldn't help it, her eyes reddening as she took a few more glances at Lu Chenyuan, her heart racing out of control, a sensation she had never experienced before.
From the moment they stepped out, Lin Yan held Lu Chenyuan's hand the whole way, afraid he would change his mind halfway.
"Thank you for helping me so much."
Lu Chenyuan remained silent.
Lin Yan was accustomed to Lu Chenyuan's stern aloofness, her palms sweaty, holding his hand too tightly and even shaking his arm.
The celebration banquet had already started, and many people from the village had arrived, with Xiang Tianwen sitting at the main seat, having drunk six or seven bottles of beer.
He drunkenly beckoned Lin Yang over.
Lin Yang, scared, looked at Zhou Ping and panicked.
Zhou Ping was about to go over and help when Xiang Tianwen, already staggering, stood up and put his arm around Lin Yang's shoulder.
It was obvious that Xiang Tianwen was in high spirits, his face flushed as he gave Lin Yang a firm pat on the chest.
"Kid, you've done well for yourself, getting into such a good high school. In the future, learn from your Brother Qingyuan, marry a woman from the city, and by then, even your dad will benefit from your good fortune," he said.
Lin Yang had always known that his sister liked Xiang Qingyuan, that the two were childhood sweethearts torn apart by the forced machinations of Xiang Tianwen.
And now, Xiang Tianwen was telling him this.
Scared stiff, Lin Yang kept nodding, echoing, "I'll remember what you've said, Uncle Xiang."
He had long lost the pride he had to stand up for Lin Yan, still a fledgling, at the mercy of others' whims.
As they spoke, Xiang Tianwen saw Lin Yan coming over with that man, holding hands tightly.
Lin Yang also followed the gaze and was stunned.
The man was handsome with sharp brows and starry eyes, tall and broad, towering over him.
If one didn't know better, they'd think he was some big boss from elsewhere.
Thinking of his sister with such a man, unclearly jumping straight into bed and living together, Lin Yang felt bitter resentment, vowing to settle scores with him later.
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"Wow, there's such a handsome man in the village, Lin Yan, you've struck gold,"
"That one from the east end of the village? It's just that he's a bit older than Lin Yan."
"Older men, they know how to cherish their wives."
"No money to cherish with, what, with just the northwest wind?"
The old aunties in the village glanced sideways while propping their heads with their hands, spitting and gesticulating as they gossiped.
For a moment, Lin Yan became somewhat nervous, with so many pairs of eyes staring at her.
Lu Chenyuan, on the other hand, seemed at ease, finding an empty seat and sitting down, without paying close attention to the fact that next to him was the village beauty, Qiao Yu, a charming young woman.
"Sir, you look somewhat familiar," the woman said with a seductive squint.
"Do I? You must be mistaken," Lu Chenyuan replied to Qiao Yu, but his gaze remained on Lin Yan.
He noticed that Lin Yan was staring straight at him, puffing up her face.
Qiao Yu had a pair of sultry, fox-like eyes, the pretty kind of coquettish, with a sharp chin, delicate brows, and long eyes. Every minute expression gave rise to endless fantasies.
It's just that she was too beautiful; after being married for barely two months, she became a widow. The villagers said that Qiao Yu was a fox spirit who sucked the marrow from men.
Qiao Yu's life as a widow was anything but dull.
When she was in the village, the women were always on guard, fearful that Qiao Yu might approach their men. Later, she went to Hai City and came back with a little girl by her side.
Lin Yan gestured to the right, signaling Lu Chenyuan to move the chair away and keep some distance from Qiao Yu.
She was certain that Lu Chenyuan saw her gesture, but he just looked and stayed seated firmly, ignoring her.
Those fox-like eyes of Qiao Yu were like hooks, constantly trying to catch Lu Chenyuan's attention, which irked Lin Yan so much that she stamped her feet in anger.
Just as she was about to go over, Lin Guoping grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
"You married Lin Yan? That girl is too young; her body probably hasn't even developed properly."
Qiao Yu noticed that the man's eyes were always locked on that girl Lin Yan.
Lu Chenyuan remembered that Lin Yan had just turned twenty, indeed quite young.
Lu Chenyuan pulled his gaze back and looked at the woman beside him, not saying much more.
Cracking sunflower seeds, Qiao Yu squinted and smiled thoughtfully, feeling that she had seen this memorable face somewhere before. If it was really him... why would he appear here?
"That man, from what I've seen, is quite good-looking and presentable," Lin Guoping spoke with satisfaction.
This was much better than what he had previously imagined—not a skinny monkey or a fattened pig.
"Uncle Xiang, you've done a good thing too, though he's a bit poor. Tell him to find a job quickly; now's the season when construction sites are hiring."
Lin Yan listened with her mind racing, her thoughts entirely consumed by Qiao Yu's bewitching eyes constantly latching onto Lu Chenyuan.
Lin Guoping was still speaking up for Xiang Tianwen; Lin Yan clenched her little face, her voice low, "Don't you know what's going on? If he were kind-hearted, a weasel could live with the chickens."
Lin Guoping was afraid that someone might overhear what Lin Yan said, so he frowned and glared at her, "The rice is already cooked into a meal, just accept it. Dad doesn't object to you being with him either. In the future, stop thinking about that young man Xiang Qingyuan. Our family is not a match for his, and you don't have the ability to do so. You always have to consider your own value when choosing a man. What can our family do to be connected with the Xiang Family?"
Lin Guoping always drilled into Lin Yan that they were poor and couldn't afford trouble.
Lin Yan at times felt inferior, and even now, she felt that she wasn't worthy of someone poor and plain like Lu Chenyuan.
Just then, Lin Yang came in furiously, "Sis, look at what you've gotten yourself into, he's flirting with that Widow Qiao right in front of everyone. If he's not ashamed, I am. I don't acknowledge him as my brother-in-law."